{"article_id": "0adb86356834452298d180104ff54179", "article": "Nick Scholfield is lined up to ride Spring Heeled in the Grand National at Aintree on April 11.\n\nNick Scholfield has been lined up to ride Jim Culloty\u2019s Spring Heeled in the Crabbie\u2019s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.\n\nScholfield had been expected to partner Paul Nicholls-trained Sam Winner, who was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in the \u00a31million race.\n\nBut the champion trainer  said on Wednesday it was unfair to tie Scholfield down to a gelding which is far from certain to run when the mount on another leading definite contender is being offered.\n\nScholfield, who has ridden in six Nationals and finished third in 2013 on Teaforthree, will travel to Ireland to sit on Spring Heeled at Culloty\u2019s County Cork stable on Friday.\n\nNicholls said: \u2018I have not made up my mind if I am going to run Sam Winner yet and Nick needed a decision.\n\n\u2018I did not want to get into a situation next week when I had to say \"sorry mate, he is not running\" and did not want to stop him getting a good ride.\n\n\u2018I have not pressed any buttons on any of the horses who ran at Cheltenham. That will happen over the weekend and early next week. I don\u2019t want to run unless I am really happy.\n\n\u2018I have plenty of other lads who could ride Sam Winner if he runs and would not be afraid to use Will Biddick or Harry Skelton.\u2019\n\nSpring Heeled (right) wins the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham last year.\n\nSpring Heeled, winner of Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at last season\u2019s Cheltenham Festival, has been given a National preparation.\n\nThe eight-year-old has run only once since finishing fourth to Road To Riches in the Galway Plate in July when he was fourth of five in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February.\n\nRacemail revealed on Wednesday that Culloty would have two runners in the National.\n\nRobbie McNamara will ride his 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere.\n\nScholfield rides Teaforthree (front) as the horse jumps the last fence at Aintree in the 2013 Grand National.\n\nMcNamara said: \u2018It's a great ride to get and I'm looking forward to it. I've ridden him before in a Grade One in Leopardstown and I was supposed to ride him in the Hennessy there as well, but I broke my collarbone the day before. I'm delighted to get back on him.\u2019\n\nWith Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Double Ross another confirmed non runner, David Pipe\u2019s well supported Soll appears guaranteed a run at the bottom of the weights.\n\nLuke Morris became the first jockey to ride 100 winners during an All Weather Flat racing season when a double at Chelmsford on Wednesday aboard Giantouch and Middle East Pearl carried him to 101 successes for the campaign.", "summary": "Nick Schofield is riding Spring Heeled in the Crabbie's Grand National on Saturday. Schofield was expected to ride Sam Winner. Says Schofield, \"I have plenty of other lads who could ride Sam Winner...\" Spring Heeled has only run once since finishing fourth in the Galway Plate.  "}
{"article_id": "0adb86356834452298d180104ff54179", "article": "Nick Scholfield is lined up to ride Spring Heeled in the Grand National at Aintree on April 11.\n\nNick Scholfield has been lined up to ride Jim Culloty\u2019s Spring Heeled in the Crabbie\u2019s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.\n\nScholfield had been expected to partner Paul Nicholls-trained Sam Winner, who was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in the \u00a31million race.\n\nBut the champion trainer  said on Wednesday it was unfair to tie Scholfield down to a gelding which is far from certain to run when the mount on another leading definite contender is being offered.\n\nScholfield, who has ridden in six Nationals and finished third in 2013 on Teaforthree, will travel to Ireland to sit on Spring Heeled at Culloty\u2019s County Cork stable on Friday.\n\nNicholls said: \u2018I have not made up my mind if I am going to run Sam Winner yet and Nick needed a decision.\n\n\u2018I did not want to get into a situation next week when I had to say \"sorry mate, he is not running\" and did not want to stop him getting a good ride.\n\n\u2018I have not pressed any buttons on any of the horses who ran at Cheltenham. That will happen over the weekend and early next week. I don\u2019t want to run unless I am really happy.\n\n\u2018I have plenty of other lads who could ride Sam Winner if he runs and would not be afraid to use Will Biddick or Harry Skelton.\u2019\n\nSpring Heeled (right) wins the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham last year.\n\nSpring Heeled, winner of Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at last season\u2019s Cheltenham Festival, has been given a National preparation.\n\nThe eight-year-old has run only once since finishing fourth to Road To Riches in the Galway Plate in July when he was fourth of five in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February.\n\nRacemail revealed on Wednesday that Culloty would have two runners in the National.\n\nRobbie McNamara will ride his 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere.\n\nScholfield rides Teaforthree (front) as the horse jumps the last fence at Aintree in the 2013 Grand National.\n\nMcNamara said: \u2018It's a great ride to get and I'm looking forward to it. I've ridden him before in a Grade One in Leopardstown and I was supposed to ride him in the Hennessy there as well, but I broke my collarbone the day before. I'm delighted to get back on him.\u2019\n\nWith Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Double Ross another confirmed non runner, David Pipe\u2019s well supported Soll appears guaranteed a run at the bottom of the weights.\n\nLuke Morris became the first jockey to ride 100 winners during an All Weather Flat racing season when a double at Chelmsford on Wednesday aboard Giantouch and Middle East Pearl carried him to 101 successes for the campaign.", "summary": " Preparation is taking place for a horse riding tournament, The Grand National. A jockey, Nick Scholfield, is deciding whether to ride one of two horses for this competition: Spring Heeled or Sam Winner.  "}
{"article_id": "0adb86356834452298d180104ff54179", "article": "Nick Scholfield is lined up to ride Spring Heeled in the Grand National at Aintree on April 11.\n\nNick Scholfield has been lined up to ride Jim Culloty\u2019s Spring Heeled in the Crabbie\u2019s Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week.\n\nScholfield had been expected to partner Paul Nicholls-trained Sam Winner, who was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in the \u00a31million race.\n\nBut the champion trainer  said on Wednesday it was unfair to tie Scholfield down to a gelding which is far from certain to run when the mount on another leading definite contender is being offered.\n\nScholfield, who has ridden in six Nationals and finished third in 2013 on Teaforthree, will travel to Ireland to sit on Spring Heeled at Culloty\u2019s County Cork stable on Friday.\n\nNicholls said: \u2018I have not made up my mind if I am going to run Sam Winner yet and Nick needed a decision.\n\n\u2018I did not want to get into a situation next week when I had to say \"sorry mate, he is not running\" and did not want to stop him getting a good ride.\n\n\u2018I have not pressed any buttons on any of the horses who ran at Cheltenham. That will happen over the weekend and early next week. I don\u2019t want to run unless I am really happy.\n\n\u2018I have plenty of other lads who could ride Sam Winner if he runs and would not be afraid to use Will Biddick or Harry Skelton.\u2019\n\nSpring Heeled (right) wins the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham last year.\n\nSpring Heeled, winner of Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at last season\u2019s Cheltenham Festival, has been given a National preparation.\n\nThe eight-year-old has run only once since finishing fourth to Road To Riches in the Galway Plate in July when he was fourth of five in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February.\n\nRacemail revealed on Wednesday that Culloty would have two runners in the National.\n\nRobbie McNamara will ride his 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere.\n\nScholfield rides Teaforthree (front) as the horse jumps the last fence at Aintree in the 2013 Grand National.\n\nMcNamara said: \u2018It's a great ride to get and I'm looking forward to it. I've ridden him before in a Grade One in Leopardstown and I was supposed to ride him in the Hennessy there as well, but I broke my collarbone the day before. I'm delighted to get back on him.\u2019\n\nWith Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Double Ross another confirmed non runner, David Pipe\u2019s well supported Soll appears guaranteed a run at the bottom of the weights.\n\nLuke Morris became the first jockey to ride 100 winners during an All Weather Flat racing season when a double at Chelmsford on Wednesday aboard Giantouch and Middle East Pearl carried him to 101 successes for the campaign.", "summary": "Nick Scholfield will travel to Ireland and is lined up to ride Spring Heeled in the Grand National at Aintree. Scholfield was originally paired with Sam Winner, but trainer Paul Nicholls said that he did not want to tie up Scholfield with a gelding and stop him from getting a good ride. "}
{"article_id": "b3168ab4857d4190ac3b2eb46d096f81", "article": "Dr Mehmet Oz's fellow faculty members at Columbia have written an op-ed lashing out at how his 'unsubstantiated medicine... sullies the reputation' of the university - in just the latest attack on his talk show tactics.\n\nBut they also leap to the physician's defense in the piece, saying that his on-air 'Ozisms' should not cancel out his stellar work at the university, where he has an unblemished record as a doctor.\n\nThe eight staff wrote the op-ed for\u00a0USA Today\u00a0after 10 doctors urged Columbia to sever all ties with Oz, who serves as vice chairman and professor of surgery at the College of Physicians.\n\nThose doctors accused him of being a 'charlatan' who promotes 'quack treatments' on his syndicated talk show - accusations Dr Oz has vehemently fought this week.\n\nScroll down for videos.\n\nUnder fire: Faculty at Columbia University have said some of Dr Mehmet Oz's tactics have 'sullied their reputation' - but also applauded him for the work he had carried out at the Ivy League school.\n\nIn the new op-ed, his fellow faculty also denounced his TV show methods.\n\nThey pointed out that in 2014, the BMJ medical journal said 'that less than half of the recommendations on his show are based on at least somewhat believable evidence'.\n\n'Many of us are spending a significant amount of our clinical time debunking Ozisms regarding metabolism game changers,' the staff members wrote in the op-ed.\n\n'Irrespective of the underlying motives, this unsubstantiated medicine sullies the reputation of Columbia University and undermines the trust that is essential to physician-patient relationships.'\n\nThat said, 'the weaknesses in [his] professional balance sheet' should not force him out of his job at Columbia University, where he has been employed since 2001, they wrote.\n\nHe was hired because of his strengths as a doctor and receives top reviews from his peers and patients, and therefore should not be forced to leave the job 'in which he excels', they wrote.\n\nSupport: The eight faculty members, including Drs\u00a0Michael Rosenbaum, left, and Joan Bregstein. right, said they have spent a great deal of their time debunking 'Ozisms' their colleague had shared on air.\n\nInstead, they suggested that his case raises questions of what responsibilities doctors in the media have to their patients.\n\n'What happens when a doctor's job in media-medicine collides with office- or hospital-based medicine? Dr. Mehmet Oz is a case in-point.'\n\n'Many of us are spending a significant amount of our clinical time debunking Ozisms regarding metabolism game changers. Irrespective of the underlying motives, this unsubstantiated medicine sullies the reputation of Columbia University and undermines the trust that is essential to physician-patient relationships.'\n\n'We need to re-evaluate the roles of the health sciences and government in broadcast medicine and what are the responsibilities of media physicians to their patients?'\n\n'Non-evidence based medical recommendations presented without the appropriate caveats are costly and potentially harmful. However, unless these foibles can be shown to render Dr. Oz inadequate or ineffective at Columbia, there is no justification for forcing him to resign from a well-earned position in academic medicine.\n\n'Regulatory guidance addressing the tension between his two positions is potentially a far better solution that could result in improved health care both in the doctor's office and in the media.\n\n'Dr. Oz might begin each program with a simple disclaimer: \"The opinions expressed on this program may not be evidence-based or part of accepted medical practice and have no endorsement from Columbia University.\"'\n\nThe full op-ed can be read at USA Today.\n\n'Non-evidence based medical recommendations presented without the appropriate caveats are costly and potentially harmful,' they wrote. 'However, unless these foibles can be shown to render Dr. Oz inadequate or ineffective at Columbia, there is no justification for forcing him to resign from a well-earned position in academic medicine.'\n\nRather, he should start each show with a disclaimer: 'The opinions expressed on this program may not be evidence-based or part of accepted medical practice and have no endorsement from Columbia University,' they said.\n\nThe op-ed was penned by Dr Michael Rosenbaum, Dr Joan Bregstein, Dr Elizabeth Oelsner, Dr Sumit Mohan and Dr Dana March of Columbia University Medical Center, Dr Michelle Odlum of the School of Nursing, Dr Katherine Shear of the College of Physicians & Surgeons, and Tal Gross of the Department of Health Policy and Management.\n\nOn Friday, Dr Oz, 54, said he was 'very proud to have that feedback' from his colleagues as he appeared on the Today show.\n\n'The [Dr Oz] show has to be much broader than what might take place in a doctor's office,' he said.\n\n'I completely respect why so many of my colleagues might have a difficulty with that, but I'm also appreciative that many of them do understand why that's important.'\n\nWhile appearing on Today, he insisted that, despite the criticisms, his show will continue. He has been hosting the program since 2009.\n\n'Without question, the show will survive it,' he said. 'I want to keep doing the show for as long as I can because I think we played an important role in making America a better place.'\n\nEven though he often wears his scrubs on air, he added that his show is not about medicine, but about living 'the good life', such as looking at the\u00a0power of prayer or techniques abroad.\n\nDefense: On Friday, Dr Oz appeared on the Today show and said his show would survive the criticism.\n\nVehement: He told Matt Lauer that his show was more about living 'the good life' than medical information.\n\nHe said he continues to stand by his use of the word 'miracle' to some treatments - but wishes he had not used it for weight-loss supplements.\n\n'This is a flawed area with lots of fraud, both in the research and in products,' he said. 'And we no longer talk about them. I haven't talked about them in a year.'\n\nAnd talking about the letter from the 10 doctors last week, he said that those critics have agendas, particularly against genetically modified organisms, which he has supported.\n\n'The 10 doctors who attacked me got what they wanted \u2013 sensational headlines and sound bites,' he previously said on his Thursday show, which was entitled The Truth About His Critics.\n\n'It's ironic that I am being accused of a conflict of interest by these doctors, when, as you are about to see, some of them have their own conflict of interest issues - and some integrity ones also.'\n\nFour who signed the letter, including leader author Henry Miller, have at some point been associated with the American Council on Science and Health.\n\nDefiant: The celebrity doctor used Thursday's episode of The Dr. Oz Show to hit back and claim that the criticism he's received is part of a conspiracy because of his outspoken views on genetically modified food.\n\nThe organization has previously received grants from Monsanto, who manufactures GMO seeds.\n\nDuring his show on Thursday, Oz denied attacking genetically modified foods.\n\n'That is not true. I have never judged GMO foods,' he said. 'But just like 64 countries around the world, I support GMO labeling so you can decide on the foods for your family.'\n\nDr Miller had written of Oz: 'He's a quack and a fake and a charlatan. I think I know the motivation at Columbia. 'They're star-struck, and like having on their faculty the best-known doctor in the country.\n\n'But the fact is that his advice endangers patients, and this doesn't seem to faze them.'\n\nColumbia previously released a statement that it 'is committed to the principle of academic freedom and to upholding faculty members' freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion.'", "summary": "Faculty at Columbia University have written an op-ed to denounce the non-evidence-based medical recommendations given on the talk show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz is employed at the Ivy League school where he serves as vice chairman and professor of surgery at the College of Physicians."}
{"article_id": "b3168ab4857d4190ac3b2eb46d096f81", "article": "Dr Mehmet Oz's fellow faculty members at Columbia have written an op-ed lashing out at how his 'unsubstantiated medicine... sullies the reputation' of the university - in just the latest attack on his talk show tactics.\n\nBut they also leap to the physician's defense in the piece, saying that his on-air 'Ozisms' should not cancel out his stellar work at the university, where he has an unblemished record as a doctor.\n\nThe eight staff wrote the op-ed for\u00a0USA Today\u00a0after 10 doctors urged Columbia to sever all ties with Oz, who serves as vice chairman and professor of surgery at the College of Physicians.\n\nThose doctors accused him of being a 'charlatan' who promotes 'quack treatments' on his syndicated talk show - accusations Dr Oz has vehemently fought this week.\n\nScroll down for videos.\n\nUnder fire: Faculty at Columbia University have said some of Dr Mehmet Oz's tactics have 'sullied their reputation' - but also applauded him for the work he had carried out at the Ivy League school.\n\nIn the new op-ed, his fellow faculty also denounced his TV show methods.\n\nThey pointed out that in 2014, the BMJ medical journal said 'that less than half of the recommendations on his show are based on at least somewhat believable evidence'.\n\n'Many of us are spending a significant amount of our clinical time debunking Ozisms regarding metabolism game changers,' the staff members wrote in the op-ed.\n\n'Irrespective of the underlying motives, this unsubstantiated medicine sullies the reputation of Columbia University and undermines the trust that is essential to physician-patient relationships.'\n\nThat said, 'the weaknesses in [his] professional balance sheet' should not force him out of his job at Columbia University, where he has been employed since 2001, they wrote.\n\nHe was hired because of his strengths as a doctor and receives top reviews from his peers and patients, and therefore should not be forced to leave the job 'in which he excels', they wrote.\n\nSupport: The eight faculty members, including Drs\u00a0Michael Rosenbaum, left, and Joan Bregstein. right, said they have spent a great deal of their time debunking 'Ozisms' their colleague had shared on air.\n\nInstead, they suggested that his case raises questions of what responsibilities doctors in the media have to their patients.\n\n'What happens when a doctor's job in media-medicine collides with office- or hospital-based medicine? Dr. Mehmet Oz is a case in-point.'\n\n'Many of us are spending a significant amount of our clinical time debunking Ozisms regarding metabolism game changers. Irrespective of the underlying motives, this unsubstantiated medicine sullies the reputation of Columbia University and undermines the trust that is essential to physician-patient relationships.'\n\n'We need to re-evaluate the roles of the health sciences and government in broadcast medicine and what are the responsibilities of media physicians to their patients?'\n\n'Non-evidence based medical recommendations presented without the appropriate caveats are costly and potentially harmful. However, unless these foibles can be shown to render Dr. Oz inadequate or ineffective at Columbia, there is no justification for forcing him to resign from a well-earned position in academic medicine.\n\n'Regulatory guidance addressing the tension between his two positions is potentially a far better solution that could result in improved health care both in the doctor's office and in the media.\n\n'Dr. Oz might begin each program with a simple disclaimer: \"The opinions expressed on this program may not be evidence-based or part of accepted medical practice and have no endorsement from Columbia University.\"'\n\nThe full op-ed can be read at USA Today.\n\n'Non-evidence based medical recommendations presented without the appropriate caveats are costly and potentially harmful,' they wrote. 'However, unless these foibles can be shown to render Dr. Oz inadequate or ineffective at Columbia, there is no justification for forcing him to resign from a well-earned position in academic medicine.'\n\nRather, he should start each show with a disclaimer: 'The opinions expressed on this program may not be evidence-based or part of accepted medical practice and have no endorsement from Columbia University,' they said.\n\nThe op-ed was penned by Dr Michael Rosenbaum, Dr Joan Bregstein, Dr Elizabeth Oelsner, Dr Sumit Mohan and Dr Dana March of Columbia University Medical Center, Dr Michelle Odlum of the School of Nursing, Dr Katherine Shear of the College of Physicians & Surgeons, and Tal Gross of the Department of Health Policy and Management.\n\nOn Friday, Dr Oz, 54, said he was 'very proud to have that feedback' from his colleagues as he appeared on the Today show.\n\n'The [Dr Oz] show has to be much broader than what might take place in a doctor's office,' he said.\n\n'I completely respect why so many of my colleagues might have a difficulty with that, but I'm also appreciative that many of them do understand why that's important.'\n\nWhile appearing on Today, he insisted that, despite the criticisms, his show will continue. He has been hosting the program since 2009.\n\n'Without question, the show will survive it,' he said. 'I want to keep doing the show for as long as I can because I think we played an important role in making America a better place.'\n\nEven though he often wears his scrubs on air, he added that his show is not about medicine, but about living 'the good life', such as looking at the\u00a0power of prayer or techniques abroad.\n\nDefense: On Friday, Dr Oz appeared on the Today show and said his show would survive the criticism.\n\nVehement: He told Matt Lauer that his show was more about living 'the good life' than medical information.\n\nHe said he continues to stand by his use of the word 'miracle' to some treatments - but wishes he had not used it for weight-loss supplements.\n\n'This is a flawed area with lots of fraud, both in the research and in products,' he said. 'And we no longer talk about them. I haven't talked about them in a year.'\n\nAnd talking about the letter from the 10 doctors last week, he said that those critics have agendas, particularly against genetically modified organisms, which he has supported.\n\n'The 10 doctors who attacked me got what they wanted \u2013 sensational headlines and sound bites,' he previously said on his Thursday show, which was entitled The Truth About His Critics.\n\n'It's ironic that I am being accused of a conflict of interest by these doctors, when, as you are about to see, some of them have their own conflict of interest issues - and some integrity ones also.'\n\nFour who signed the letter, including leader author Henry Miller, have at some point been associated with the American Council on Science and Health.\n\nDefiant: The celebrity doctor used Thursday's episode of The Dr. Oz Show to hit back and claim that the criticism he's received is part of a conspiracy because of his outspoken views on genetically modified food.\n\nThe organization has previously received grants from Monsanto, who manufactures GMO seeds.\n\nDuring his show on Thursday, Oz denied attacking genetically modified foods.\n\n'That is not true. I have never judged GMO foods,' he said. 'But just like 64 countries around the world, I support GMO labeling so you can decide on the foods for your family.'\n\nDr Miller had written of Oz: 'He's a quack and a fake and a charlatan. I think I know the motivation at Columbia. 'They're star-struck, and like having on their faculty the best-known doctor in the country.\n\n'But the fact is that his advice endangers patients, and this doesn't seem to faze them.'\n\nColumbia previously released a statement that it 'is committed to the principle of academic freedom and to upholding faculty members' freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion.'", "summary": "Celebrity doctor, Mehmet Oz, is being attacked and forced to resign in an op-ed written by fellow Columbia faculty members, stating that Dr. Oz sullies the university's reputation for his unorthodox methods. But despite these criticisms, Dr. Oz states that he will continue because his show goes beyond just medical information.  "}
{"article_id": "3dd741ba55ff4f4e9d3661dbfdc17ff4", "article": "\"It's all about taking an opportunity in a crisis,\" says the outgoing Conservative leader of Melton Borough Council.\n\nByron Rhodes is taking me around the modern council headquarters. It's full of light. It's busy.\n\nThe building has regenerated the area around Melton Mowbray's railway station, once a muddy pot-holed piece of wasteland where those in the know parked for free.\n\nNow the council offices link the station to a park and the town centre.\n\nIt was partly paid for with insurance money after a fire destroyed the old offices on the other side of town.\n\nA supermarket moved in to replace it and helped with the money too, putting the council on a firm financial footing.\n\nBut that was four years ago and the crisis is a different one today. It's being experienced by all local authorities - cuts in central government funding which threaten the services they provide.\n\nMr Rhodes is also deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council, with responsibility for finance.\n\nLeicestershire is historically the poorest funded council in the country because of a quirk of Whitehall recalculations, going back a quarter of a century since the poll tax, or community charge, was scrapped.\n\nAt the moment councils get income from council tax, a share of the business rates, any income they generate themselves from services plus a grant from central government.\n\nIt's the grant cut which is causing them grief.\n\nWhat's called the \"core funding\" is worked out by the number of homes multiplied by a set amount. And each authority has a different value set per dwelling.\n\nIf we look at Surrey, which is top of the table, the amount will be \u00a31,686 by 2019/20.\n\nNottinghamshire is mid-table at \u00a31,482, Derbyshire is in the lower reaches with \u00a31,422 per dwelling and then comes Leicestershire at \u00a31,354.\n\n\"The funding system is chaotic,\" says Byron Rhodes.\n\n\"It doesn't reflect real need. Look at Oxfordshire which is an interesting example,\" he says with a glint in his eye.\n\nCould he possibly be referring to the prime ministerial plea to the county council about cutbacks to services there?\n\n\"If we had the same funding as Oxfordshire, we'd have \u00a350m a year extra. If we had the same as Surrey, we'd have \u00a3100m more. We'd be partying everyday if we had that kind of money.\"\n\nLeicestershire have been helped with a small share of what's been called transitional funding - about \u00a3300m to help councils following pressure from Conservative MPs.\n\nThink back to the vote on Sunday trading. With a majority of only  17 in the Commons, the Conservatives lost the vote when 20 odd rebelled.\n\nLast month there would've been another rebellion, including some of our own Tory MPs in the East Midlands, if something wasn't done to improve the local government finance settlement over the next four years.\n\nThe money has gone largely to shire counties. Leicestershire got \u00a36.6m spread over two years, enough to save some services from closure.\n\nBut it's a drop in the ocean for an authority with a \u00a319m black hole in the budget every year after the latest cutbacks.\n\nLabour have protested that 83% of the councils getting transition funding are Conservative-run. Many Labour-run authorities such as Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, got nothing.\n\nThe leader of Derby City Council, Ranjit Banwait, has launched a \"fair funding for Derby\" campaign. He says the allocation of government funding is unfair and political and the cuts they're having to impose on leisure services and culture are devastating.\n\n\"Now they are threatening our ability to protect the vulnerable and our ability to function is under threat,\" said Mr Banwait.\n\nBack in Melton Mowbray, Byron Rhodes has some sympathy for the Labour council in Derby.\n\n\"Derby probably have some greater needs,\" he says.\n\nBut once more he is talking about seizing an opportunity in a crisis.\n\nLeicestershire's finance team are working on a submission to put to the government with good arguments on how to restructure the way funds are allocated.\n\n\"We're going to do it. We're going to work up a system which is fairer.\"\n\nHe has the backing of local MPs and is talking to neighbouring authorities.\n\nAnd with a hand out to Derby, he says: \"If they want to talk to us about how to improve things I'm happy to speak to them.\"\n\nIt's a crucial time to get things right. The government is moving to a system where, by 2020, the grant will go.\n\nCouncils will instead get an allocation of funds from the business rates instead.\n\nHow they come up a formula for doing that in a fair way, which helps those authorities with most need, is the next challenge.", "summary": "Four years after finally building a modern Council Headquarters in Melton, the council is facing financial difficulties due to unfair funding allocation. With the threat of being forced to end their services, officials are determined to develop and present a fair funding plan to the authorities. "}
{"article_id": "3dd741ba55ff4f4e9d3661dbfdc17ff4", "article": "\"It's all about taking an opportunity in a crisis,\" says the outgoing Conservative leader of Melton Borough Council.\n\nByron Rhodes is taking me around the modern council headquarters. It's full of light. It's busy.\n\nThe building has regenerated the area around Melton Mowbray's railway station, once a muddy pot-holed piece of wasteland where those in the know parked for free.\n\nNow the council offices link the station to a park and the town centre.\n\nIt was partly paid for with insurance money after a fire destroyed the old offices on the other side of town.\n\nA supermarket moved in to replace it and helped with the money too, putting the council on a firm financial footing.\n\nBut that was four years ago and the crisis is a different one today. It's being experienced by all local authorities - cuts in central government funding which threaten the services they provide.\n\nMr Rhodes is also deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council, with responsibility for finance.\n\nLeicestershire is historically the poorest funded council in the country because of a quirk of Whitehall recalculations, going back a quarter of a century since the poll tax, or community charge, was scrapped.\n\nAt the moment councils get income from council tax, a share of the business rates, any income they generate themselves from services plus a grant from central government.\n\nIt's the grant cut which is causing them grief.\n\nWhat's called the \"core funding\" is worked out by the number of homes multiplied by a set amount. And each authority has a different value set per dwelling.\n\nIf we look at Surrey, which is top of the table, the amount will be \u00a31,686 by 2019/20.\n\nNottinghamshire is mid-table at \u00a31,482, Derbyshire is in the lower reaches with \u00a31,422 per dwelling and then comes Leicestershire at \u00a31,354.\n\n\"The funding system is chaotic,\" says Byron Rhodes.\n\n\"It doesn't reflect real need. Look at Oxfordshire which is an interesting example,\" he says with a glint in his eye.\n\nCould he possibly be referring to the prime ministerial plea to the county council about cutbacks to services there?\n\n\"If we had the same funding as Oxfordshire, we'd have \u00a350m a year extra. If we had the same as Surrey, we'd have \u00a3100m more. We'd be partying everyday if we had that kind of money.\"\n\nLeicestershire have been helped with a small share of what's been called transitional funding - about \u00a3300m to help councils following pressure from Conservative MPs.\n\nThink back to the vote on Sunday trading. With a majority of only  17 in the Commons, the Conservatives lost the vote when 20 odd rebelled.\n\nLast month there would've been another rebellion, including some of our own Tory MPs in the East Midlands, if something wasn't done to improve the local government finance settlement over the next four years.\n\nThe money has gone largely to shire counties. Leicestershire got \u00a36.6m spread over two years, enough to save some services from closure.\n\nBut it's a drop in the ocean for an authority with a \u00a319m black hole in the budget every year after the latest cutbacks.\n\nLabour have protested that 83% of the councils getting transition funding are Conservative-run. Many Labour-run authorities such as Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, got nothing.\n\nThe leader of Derby City Council, Ranjit Banwait, has launched a \"fair funding for Derby\" campaign. He says the allocation of government funding is unfair and political and the cuts they're having to impose on leisure services and culture are devastating.\n\n\"Now they are threatening our ability to protect the vulnerable and our ability to function is under threat,\" said Mr Banwait.\n\nBack in Melton Mowbray, Byron Rhodes has some sympathy for the Labour council in Derby.\n\n\"Derby probably have some greater needs,\" he says.\n\nBut once more he is talking about seizing an opportunity in a crisis.\n\nLeicestershire's finance team are working on a submission to put to the government with good arguments on how to restructure the way funds are allocated.\n\n\"We're going to do it. We're going to work up a system which is fairer.\"\n\nHe has the backing of local MPs and is talking to neighbouring authorities.\n\nAnd with a hand out to Derby, he says: \"If they want to talk to us about how to improve things I'm happy to speak to them.\"\n\nIt's a crucial time to get things right. The government is moving to a system where, by 2020, the grant will go.\n\nCouncils will instead get an allocation of funds from the business rates instead.\n\nHow they come up a formula for doing that in a fair way, which helps those authorities with most need, is the next challenge.", "summary": "Leicestershire is the lowest-funded county in the country. Council members are working to create a new way to allocate funds that is fairer for citizens. "}
{"article_id": "3dd741ba55ff4f4e9d3661dbfdc17ff4", "article": "\"It's all about taking an opportunity in a crisis,\" says the outgoing Conservative leader of Melton Borough Council.\n\nByron Rhodes is taking me around the modern council headquarters. It's full of light. It's busy.\n\nThe building has regenerated the area around Melton Mowbray's railway station, once a muddy pot-holed piece of wasteland where those in the know parked for free.\n\nNow the council offices link the station to a park and the town centre.\n\nIt was partly paid for with insurance money after a fire destroyed the old offices on the other side of town.\n\nA supermarket moved in to replace it and helped with the money too, putting the council on a firm financial footing.\n\nBut that was four years ago and the crisis is a different one today. It's being experienced by all local authorities - cuts in central government funding which threaten the services they provide.\n\nMr Rhodes is also deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council, with responsibility for finance.\n\nLeicestershire is historically the poorest funded council in the country because of a quirk of Whitehall recalculations, going back a quarter of a century since the poll tax, or community charge, was scrapped.\n\nAt the moment councils get income from council tax, a share of the business rates, any income they generate themselves from services plus a grant from central government.\n\nIt's the grant cut which is causing them grief.\n\nWhat's called the \"core funding\" is worked out by the number of homes multiplied by a set amount. And each authority has a different value set per dwelling.\n\nIf we look at Surrey, which is top of the table, the amount will be \u00a31,686 by 2019/20.\n\nNottinghamshire is mid-table at \u00a31,482, Derbyshire is in the lower reaches with \u00a31,422 per dwelling and then comes Leicestershire at \u00a31,354.\n\n\"The funding system is chaotic,\" says Byron Rhodes.\n\n\"It doesn't reflect real need. Look at Oxfordshire which is an interesting example,\" he says with a glint in his eye.\n\nCould he possibly be referring to the prime ministerial plea to the county council about cutbacks to services there?\n\n\"If we had the same funding as Oxfordshire, we'd have \u00a350m a year extra. If we had the same as Surrey, we'd have \u00a3100m more. We'd be partying everyday if we had that kind of money.\"\n\nLeicestershire have been helped with a small share of what's been called transitional funding - about \u00a3300m to help councils following pressure from Conservative MPs.\n\nThink back to the vote on Sunday trading. With a majority of only  17 in the Commons, the Conservatives lost the vote when 20 odd rebelled.\n\nLast month there would've been another rebellion, including some of our own Tory MPs in the East Midlands, if something wasn't done to improve the local government finance settlement over the next four years.\n\nThe money has gone largely to shire counties. Leicestershire got \u00a36.6m spread over two years, enough to save some services from closure.\n\nBut it's a drop in the ocean for an authority with a \u00a319m black hole in the budget every year after the latest cutbacks.\n\nLabour have protested that 83% of the councils getting transition funding are Conservative-run. Many Labour-run authorities such as Derby, Leicester and Nottingham, got nothing.\n\nThe leader of Derby City Council, Ranjit Banwait, has launched a \"fair funding for Derby\" campaign. He says the allocation of government funding is unfair and political and the cuts they're having to impose on leisure services and culture are devastating.\n\n\"Now they are threatening our ability to protect the vulnerable and our ability to function is under threat,\" said Mr Banwait.\n\nBack in Melton Mowbray, Byron Rhodes has some sympathy for the Labour council in Derby.\n\n\"Derby probably have some greater needs,\" he says.\n\nBut once more he is talking about seizing an opportunity in a crisis.\n\nLeicestershire's finance team are working on a submission to put to the government with good arguments on how to restructure the way funds are allocated.\n\n\"We're going to do it. We're going to work up a system which is fairer.\"\n\nHe has the backing of local MPs and is talking to neighbouring authorities.\n\nAnd with a hand out to Derby, he says: \"If they want to talk to us about how to improve things I'm happy to speak to them.\"\n\nIt's a crucial time to get things right. The government is moving to a system where, by 2020, the grant will go.\n\nCouncils will instead get an allocation of funds from the business rates instead.\n\nHow they come up a formula for doing that in a fair way, which helps those authorities with most need, is the next challenge.", "summary": "Local governments in the UK are coming together in order to figure out a way to allocate Government funds more readily. This comes before a restructuring of public money occurs. Under the current allocation system, counties like Leicestershire get more in public funding than counties like Derby.  "}
{"article_id": "e9c5feb5b71d4b2889d740255cebaf5b", "article": "Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his first season in the Premier League has not been good enough but promised \"in the future I will be better\".\n\nCity are fourth in the league following defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday, all but ending hopes of a league title in the Catalan's debut campaign in England.\n\n\"In future I will be better - definitely,\" said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.\n\n\"This season has been a massive lesson for me.\"\n\nHe added: \"We have a lot of beautiful things to fight for and to qualify for the Champions League will be a huge success. But we have to be honest with ourselves. We were not good enough to compete for the Premier League [title].\"\n\nDefeat at Stamford Bridge left City just four points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom have a game in hand.\n\nWith the FA Cup being City's only realistic chance of winning a trophy this term, it is likely to be the worst season of Guardiola's managerial career.\n\nThe 46-year-old has never gone a single season without winning a trophy - he has won the title in six out of seven attempts and his sides have always reached the last four of the Champions League.\n\nGuardiola has also responded to questions about a row between City and Chelsea coaching staff at Stamford Bridge following the defeat on Wednesday night.\n\nThere have been conflicting claims about the precise nature of the row, but stewards were needed to calm the situation down after Chelsea's 2-1 win.\n\nThe incident centred around a disagreement between Chelsea fitness coach Paolo Bertelli and Manchester City masseur Mark Sertori, both of whom speak Italian, as the Premier League leaders celebrated their victory.\n\nGuardiola said: \"We are so polite in our defeats and we are so polite when we win. When we win, normally we celebrate a little bit, then we go to the locker room.\n\nChelsea manager Antonio Conte was not involved and has played the incident down.\n\nHe said: \"Respect is the most important thing in football.\"", "summary": "Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has had his worst season ever in his premier league debut. His side currently sits in fourth with the FA cup the only potential trophy left to win. In addition to a poor showing, Guardiola's team started a fight after losing to Chelsea 2-1. "}
{"article_id": "e9c5feb5b71d4b2889d740255cebaf5b", "article": "Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his first season in the Premier League has not been good enough but promised \"in the future I will be better\".\n\nCity are fourth in the league following defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday, all but ending hopes of a league title in the Catalan's debut campaign in England.\n\n\"In future I will be better - definitely,\" said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.\n\n\"This season has been a massive lesson for me.\"\n\nHe added: \"We have a lot of beautiful things to fight for and to qualify for the Champions League will be a huge success. But we have to be honest with ourselves. We were not good enough to compete for the Premier League [title].\"\n\nDefeat at Stamford Bridge left City just four points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom have a game in hand.\n\nWith the FA Cup being City's only realistic chance of winning a trophy this term, it is likely to be the worst season of Guardiola's managerial career.\n\nThe 46-year-old has never gone a single season without winning a trophy - he has won the title in six out of seven attempts and his sides have always reached the last four of the Champions League.\n\nGuardiola has also responded to questions about a row between City and Chelsea coaching staff at Stamford Bridge following the defeat on Wednesday night.\n\nThere have been conflicting claims about the precise nature of the row, but stewards were needed to calm the situation down after Chelsea's 2-1 win.\n\nThe incident centred around a disagreement between Chelsea fitness coach Paolo Bertelli and Manchester City masseur Mark Sertori, both of whom speak Italian, as the Premier League leaders celebrated their victory.\n\nGuardiola said: \"We are so polite in our defeats and we are so polite when we win. When we win, normally we celebrate a little bit, then we go to the locker room.\n\nChelsea manager Antonio Conte was not involved and has played the incident down.\n\nHe said: \"Respect is the most important thing in football.\"", "summary": "Pep Guardiola, boss of the Manchester City football team, has stated that he wasn't good enough to compete for the Premier League title. Other team members echo the sentiment by saying they will be better in the future. "}
{"article_id": "e9c5feb5b71d4b2889d740255cebaf5b", "article": "Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his first season in the Premier League has not been good enough but promised \"in the future I will be better\".\n\nCity are fourth in the league following defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday, all but ending hopes of a league title in the Catalan's debut campaign in England.\n\n\"In future I will be better - definitely,\" said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.\n\n\"This season has been a massive lesson for me.\"\n\nHe added: \"We have a lot of beautiful things to fight for and to qualify for the Champions League will be a huge success. But we have to be honest with ourselves. We were not good enough to compete for the Premier League [title].\"\n\nDefeat at Stamford Bridge left City just four points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom have a game in hand.\n\nWith the FA Cup being City's only realistic chance of winning a trophy this term, it is likely to be the worst season of Guardiola's managerial career.\n\nThe 46-year-old has never gone a single season without winning a trophy - he has won the title in six out of seven attempts and his sides have always reached the last four of the Champions League.\n\nGuardiola has also responded to questions about a row between City and Chelsea coaching staff at Stamford Bridge following the defeat on Wednesday night.\n\nThere have been conflicting claims about the precise nature of the row, but stewards were needed to calm the situation down after Chelsea's 2-1 win.\n\nThe incident centred around a disagreement between Chelsea fitness coach Paolo Bertelli and Manchester City masseur Mark Sertori, both of whom speak Italian, as the Premier League leaders celebrated their victory.\n\nGuardiola said: \"We are so polite in our defeats and we are so polite when we win. When we win, normally we celebrate a little bit, then we go to the locker room.\n\nChelsea manager Antonio Conte was not involved and has played the incident down.\n\nHe said: \"Respect is the most important thing in football.\"", "summary": "Pep Guardiola, Manchester City's boss, is ending his first season in defeat. Facing his first season without a trophy win, he says this season has been a learning experience and vows to do better in the future. "}
{"article_id": "220155949987431794d2c35d7fab6b3e", "article": "Sweet life: The Duchess of Cornwall.\n\nThe Duchess of Cornwall has created a buzz with the launch of her own honey, produced in late spring by the bees in her Wiltshire garden.\n\nJust 250 jars are being produced, at \u00a320 each, with all proceeds going to charity.\n\nBut Camilla\u2019s venture reflects a rocketing demand for gourmet honey. Sales of high-end versions are up by 45 per cent at Selfridges since last year.\n\nDoes luxury honey really taste different enough from ordinary varieties to justify its price tag, though?\n\nAnd how does Camilla\u2019s honey fare against some of its exclusive rivals \u2014 including her husband\u2019s Duchy brand? We tested the best-selling gourmet honeys to find out...\n\nDuchess of Cornwall Honey.\n\n\u00a320 for 227g, Fortnum & Mason.\n\nPROMISE: The Duchess\u2019s late-spring honey is made from \u2018delicately perfumed nectar with subtle hints of chamomile\u2019 and billed as \u2018the ideal accompaniment to ice cream on hot summer days, or for sweetening tea\u2019. All proceeds go to the Medical Detection Dogs charity, of which the Duchess is patron.\n\nVERDICT: This tastefully packaged little jar, decorated with a pretty drawing of a pink flower and bee, has a handwritten number on the back. It contains a clear, golden, liquid honey, and when I open the jar a delicate smell of flowers greets my nostrils. When you ooze it over buttered bread, it\u2019s impossible to stop eating. Delicate, delicious and the perfect gift for any honey-lover. A royal winner. 5/5.\n\nRoyal winner: Camilla\u2019s honey is made from \u2018delicately perfumed nectar with subtle hints of chamomile'\n\nDuchy Originals Scottish Heather Honey.\n\n\u00a35.10 for 227g, Waitrose.\n\nPROMISE: Heathers growing on the Crown Estate in Balmoral produce the nectar for this honey. Beekeepers prize heather honey for its unique taste, and this is a combination of two types of heather, Bell and Ling.\n\nVERDICT: Open the jar and just smell the heather aroma before you taste this golden delight. Camilla may have set the bar high but Prince Charles\u2019s answer is also rather beautiful and rare. It has a thick, velvety, sugary texture and a strong but fabulous taste. 3/5.\n\nDuchy Originals Scottish Heather Honey has a thick, velvety, sugary texture and a strong but fabulous taste.\n\nWedderspoon Gold Organic Rata Honey.\n\n\u00a314.95 for 325g, wedderspoon.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Wild Rata trees grow on high land in New Zealand. They flower sporadically, so the nectar is extremely rare. The honey is kept at a low temperature \u2014 the same as that of a beehive \u2014 to preserve natural enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.\n\nVERDICT: Did you ever think honey could taste like a Christmas tree? Take one gulp of this delicious amber nectar and, seconds later, a subtle taste of pines will dance on your tongue. This creamy, firm-set honey scooped a place in the top 50 products (out of 10,000) in the \u2018food Oscars\u2019, the Great Taste Awards. Now I\u2019ve tried it, that comes as no surprise. 4/5.\n\nWedderspoon Gold Organic Rata Honey scooped a place in the top 50 products in the \u2018food Oscars\u2019\n\nTregothnan Cornish Floral Manuka.\n\n\u00a329.95 for 113g, tregothnan.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Although manuka is generally expensive, this is a more normal-tasting version and Britain\u2019s costliest home-grown honey. Most manuka plants grow in New Zealand but bushes have been growing, hidden behind a garden wall, on the Tregothnan estate in Cornwall since 1880.\n\nBees on the estate feast on these plants as well as on flowers in the deer park and gardens and produce honey in state-of-the-art, six-foot hives, which cost \u00a35,000 each. There is only a limited supply made, hence the hefty price tag.\n\nVERDICT: This honey is so rare it is sold in very small jars, so every teaspoon is expensive. Yet it sells out fast each year and has a cult following among honey fans.\n\nThe jar opens to reveal a light, cream-coloured honey with an almost-white crust. Dip your spoon in to discover solid, set honey which tastes like crystallised sugar. I used a small teaspoon on each dessert for a dinner party and my guests raved about it. A treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. 4/5.\n\nTregothnan Cornish Floral Manuka honey is so rare it is sold in very small jars, so every spoonful is pricey.\n\nVasilissa Greek Honey with Edible Gold Leaf.\n\n\u00a339.99 for 250g, selfridges.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Produced by hand on a small family farm on the island of Evia, this honey is trickled with 24-carat edible gold to make it the ultimate in food bling.\n\nThe small gold flakes are added to honey made from thyme blossom, infusing it with the flavour of the herb. Greek honey is said to be among the best in the world, thanks to the aroma of mountain herbs and flowers, long sunny days and ancient, organic production methods.\n\nVERDICT: The shimmering flecks make this an indulgent gift for any honey-lover. It looks so good, I don\u2019t know whether to open the jar or use it as a paperweight.\n\nThe beautiful white packaging makes it feel extra-special, and when I unscrew the lid the deep aroma is like a glorious perfume.\n\nInside is a smooth, dark-gold honey that tastes like treacle. The experts who hand-make it say the flavour changes subtly each year; they can recognise each one like wine experts identifying a vintage. Tasting this, I can see why they call honey the food of the gods. 5/5.\n\nVasilissa Greek Honey  is trickled with 24-carat edible gold to make it the ultimate in food bling.\n\nAlemany Rosemary Honey.\n\n\u00a37.95 for 500g, souschef.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: This is made by a small producer in northern Spain, still using the same traditional methods after five generations.\n\nThe nectar comes from rosemary bushes that grow at the foot of the Montsec mountains, and the resulting herb-infused honey has a high iron content. It is said to be particularly good for the digestion, and as an aid to relaxation.\n\nVERDICT: This is the honey equivalent of a soft-boiled egg. Dip your spoon in for oozing, runny honey in the middle, but enjoy the crunch of the pale, crystallised honey at the sides. It\u2019s very mild \u2014 there is no strong aroma and the rosemary flavour is so delicate that you notice it only after several mouthfuls.\n\nIt does gives a rather surprising aftertaste, though. This is my daughter Ruby\u2019s favourite honey \u2014 she describes it as the best of both worlds, for its double consistency. 4/5.\n\nAlemany Rosemary Honey uses nectar from rosemary bushes that grow at the foot of the Montsec mountains.\n\nWelsh Chunk Honeycomb Amphora.\n\n\u00a321 for 908g, Fortnum & Mason.\n\nPROMISE: Clear Welsh honey with a gentle fruity flavour. The delicate honeycomb adds a crumbly texture. Gathered by bees from the wildflowers of meadows and hedgerows in mid-Wales.\n\nVERDICT: This looks impressive \u2014 a huge glass jar with golden, syrupy honey and a huge, striking honeycomb in the middle, sparkling like a jewel.\n\nThe Fortnum & Mason label adds to the impression of real quality. What a disappointment, then, to bite into the honeycomb and find that it tastes of earwax.\n\nThe chewy mass is like old gum. I spit it out \u2014 as does my honey-loving son Charlie, who says it tastes no different from the supermarket own-brand honey we usually buy. Proof that paying more doesn\u2019t always guarantee a pot of gold. 1/5.\n\nHeather Honeycomb Starflower Honey.\n\n\u00a319.99 for 227g, selfridges.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: The starflower is another name for the borage plant (which sounds much less exotic). But this herbal flower is rich in calcium, vitamin C and potassium. It is used to strengthen adrenal functions, and its oils are prescribed to treat skin diseases. This light and delicate honey comes from Hampshire, and includes heather honeycomb with a hint of herb flavour.\n\nVERDICT: You can\u2019t see the chunky honeycomb until you open the lid, because the pale honey that surrounds it isn\u2019t transparent.\n\nI\u2019ve never liked the texture of honeycomb myself, but bite into this and breakfast will never be the same again.\n\nIt crumbles delightfully in the mouth, while the light honey (not quite runny but not totally set) unleashes a real taste of the countryside. The jar, with its bright yellow ribbon and artisan label, gives this a real sense of occasion. 4/5.\n\nHeather Honeycomb Starflower Honey\u00a0crumbles delightfully in the mouth, while the light honey unleashes a real taste of the countryside.\n\nChestnut Honey.\n\n\u00a36.95 for 500g, souschef.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: A dark, runny honey with a rich, nutty taste and smoky aromas. This is formed from the flowers of the chestnut tree, so it has a slightly bitter, savoury aftertaste. A favourite among chefs, who claim that it adds instant depth to dishes.\n\nVERDICT: After tasting so many sweet honeys, this one came as a total shock. A dark brown, treacle-tasting honey, it has a wonderful, unmistakable chestnut aroma. My children didn\u2019t like it at all, but I teamed it with cheese and biscuits to serve after a dinner party and the combination was a winner. Perfect if you want something completely different. 3/5.\n\nChestnut Honey is a dark, runny honey with a rich, nutty taste and smoky aromas.", "summary": "The Duchess of Cornwall Honey is a little bit more expensive than most honey products, which is why a test was conducted to compare and justify its price. As promised, the Duchess of Cornwall Honey has higher quality than most of the cheaper brands. In addition, all proceeds will go to charity. "}
{"article_id": "220155949987431794d2c35d7fab6b3e", "article": "Sweet life: The Duchess of Cornwall.\n\nThe Duchess of Cornwall has created a buzz with the launch of her own honey, produced in late spring by the bees in her Wiltshire garden.\n\nJust 250 jars are being produced, at \u00a320 each, with all proceeds going to charity.\n\nBut Camilla\u2019s venture reflects a rocketing demand for gourmet honey. Sales of high-end versions are up by 45 per cent at Selfridges since last year.\n\nDoes luxury honey really taste different enough from ordinary varieties to justify its price tag, though?\n\nAnd how does Camilla\u2019s honey fare against some of its exclusive rivals \u2014 including her husband\u2019s Duchy brand? We tested the best-selling gourmet honeys to find out...\n\nDuchess of Cornwall Honey.\n\n\u00a320 for 227g, Fortnum & Mason.\n\nPROMISE: The Duchess\u2019s late-spring honey is made from \u2018delicately perfumed nectar with subtle hints of chamomile\u2019 and billed as \u2018the ideal accompaniment to ice cream on hot summer days, or for sweetening tea\u2019. All proceeds go to the Medical Detection Dogs charity, of which the Duchess is patron.\n\nVERDICT: This tastefully packaged little jar, decorated with a pretty drawing of a pink flower and bee, has a handwritten number on the back. It contains a clear, golden, liquid honey, and when I open the jar a delicate smell of flowers greets my nostrils. When you ooze it over buttered bread, it\u2019s impossible to stop eating. Delicate, delicious and the perfect gift for any honey-lover. A royal winner. 5/5.\n\nRoyal winner: Camilla\u2019s honey is made from \u2018delicately perfumed nectar with subtle hints of chamomile'\n\nDuchy Originals Scottish Heather Honey.\n\n\u00a35.10 for 227g, Waitrose.\n\nPROMISE: Heathers growing on the Crown Estate in Balmoral produce the nectar for this honey. Beekeepers prize heather honey for its unique taste, and this is a combination of two types of heather, Bell and Ling.\n\nVERDICT: Open the jar and just smell the heather aroma before you taste this golden delight. Camilla may have set the bar high but Prince Charles\u2019s answer is also rather beautiful and rare. It has a thick, velvety, sugary texture and a strong but fabulous taste. 3/5.\n\nDuchy Originals Scottish Heather Honey has a thick, velvety, sugary texture and a strong but fabulous taste.\n\nWedderspoon Gold Organic Rata Honey.\n\n\u00a314.95 for 325g, wedderspoon.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Wild Rata trees grow on high land in New Zealand. They flower sporadically, so the nectar is extremely rare. The honey is kept at a low temperature \u2014 the same as that of a beehive \u2014 to preserve natural enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.\n\nVERDICT: Did you ever think honey could taste like a Christmas tree? Take one gulp of this delicious amber nectar and, seconds later, a subtle taste of pines will dance on your tongue. This creamy, firm-set honey scooped a place in the top 50 products (out of 10,000) in the \u2018food Oscars\u2019, the Great Taste Awards. Now I\u2019ve tried it, that comes as no surprise. 4/5.\n\nWedderspoon Gold Organic Rata Honey scooped a place in the top 50 products in the \u2018food Oscars\u2019\n\nTregothnan Cornish Floral Manuka.\n\n\u00a329.95 for 113g, tregothnan.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Although manuka is generally expensive, this is a more normal-tasting version and Britain\u2019s costliest home-grown honey. Most manuka plants grow in New Zealand but bushes have been growing, hidden behind a garden wall, on the Tregothnan estate in Cornwall since 1880.\n\nBees on the estate feast on these plants as well as on flowers in the deer park and gardens and produce honey in state-of-the-art, six-foot hives, which cost \u00a35,000 each. There is only a limited supply made, hence the hefty price tag.\n\nVERDICT: This honey is so rare it is sold in very small jars, so every teaspoon is expensive. Yet it sells out fast each year and has a cult following among honey fans.\n\nThe jar opens to reveal a light, cream-coloured honey with an almost-white crust. Dip your spoon in to discover solid, set honey which tastes like crystallised sugar. I used a small teaspoon on each dessert for a dinner party and my guests raved about it. A treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. 4/5.\n\nTregothnan Cornish Floral Manuka honey is so rare it is sold in very small jars, so every spoonful is pricey.\n\nVasilissa Greek Honey with Edible Gold Leaf.\n\n\u00a339.99 for 250g, selfridges.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: Produced by hand on a small family farm on the island of Evia, this honey is trickled with 24-carat edible gold to make it the ultimate in food bling.\n\nThe small gold flakes are added to honey made from thyme blossom, infusing it with the flavour of the herb. Greek honey is said to be among the best in the world, thanks to the aroma of mountain herbs and flowers, long sunny days and ancient, organic production methods.\n\nVERDICT: The shimmering flecks make this an indulgent gift for any honey-lover. It looks so good, I don\u2019t know whether to open the jar or use it as a paperweight.\n\nThe beautiful white packaging makes it feel extra-special, and when I unscrew the lid the deep aroma is like a glorious perfume.\n\nInside is a smooth, dark-gold honey that tastes like treacle. The experts who hand-make it say the flavour changes subtly each year; they can recognise each one like wine experts identifying a vintage. Tasting this, I can see why they call honey the food of the gods. 5/5.\n\nVasilissa Greek Honey  is trickled with 24-carat edible gold to make it the ultimate in food bling.\n\nAlemany Rosemary Honey.\n\n\u00a37.95 for 500g, souschef.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: This is made by a small producer in northern Spain, still using the same traditional methods after five generations.\n\nThe nectar comes from rosemary bushes that grow at the foot of the Montsec mountains, and the resulting herb-infused honey has a high iron content. It is said to be particularly good for the digestion, and as an aid to relaxation.\n\nVERDICT: This is the honey equivalent of a soft-boiled egg. Dip your spoon in for oozing, runny honey in the middle, but enjoy the crunch of the pale, crystallised honey at the sides. It\u2019s very mild \u2014 there is no strong aroma and the rosemary flavour is so delicate that you notice it only after several mouthfuls.\n\nIt does gives a rather surprising aftertaste, though. This is my daughter Ruby\u2019s favourite honey \u2014 she describes it as the best of both worlds, for its double consistency. 4/5.\n\nAlemany Rosemary Honey uses nectar from rosemary bushes that grow at the foot of the Montsec mountains.\n\nWelsh Chunk Honeycomb Amphora.\n\n\u00a321 for 908g, Fortnum & Mason.\n\nPROMISE: Clear Welsh honey with a gentle fruity flavour. The delicate honeycomb adds a crumbly texture. Gathered by bees from the wildflowers of meadows and hedgerows in mid-Wales.\n\nVERDICT: This looks impressive \u2014 a huge glass jar with golden, syrupy honey and a huge, striking honeycomb in the middle, sparkling like a jewel.\n\nThe Fortnum & Mason label adds to the impression of real quality. What a disappointment, then, to bite into the honeycomb and find that it tastes of earwax.\n\nThe chewy mass is like old gum. I spit it out \u2014 as does my honey-loving son Charlie, who says it tastes no different from the supermarket own-brand honey we usually buy. Proof that paying more doesn\u2019t always guarantee a pot of gold. 1/5.\n\nHeather Honeycomb Starflower Honey.\n\n\u00a319.99 for 227g, selfridges.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: The starflower is another name for the borage plant (which sounds much less exotic). But this herbal flower is rich in calcium, vitamin C and potassium. It is used to strengthen adrenal functions, and its oils are prescribed to treat skin diseases. This light and delicate honey comes from Hampshire, and includes heather honeycomb with a hint of herb flavour.\n\nVERDICT: You can\u2019t see the chunky honeycomb until you open the lid, because the pale honey that surrounds it isn\u2019t transparent.\n\nI\u2019ve never liked the texture of honeycomb myself, but bite into this and breakfast will never be the same again.\n\nIt crumbles delightfully in the mouth, while the light honey (not quite runny but not totally set) unleashes a real taste of the countryside. The jar, with its bright yellow ribbon and artisan label, gives this a real sense of occasion. 4/5.\n\nHeather Honeycomb Starflower Honey\u00a0crumbles delightfully in the mouth, while the light honey unleashes a real taste of the countryside.\n\nChestnut Honey.\n\n\u00a36.95 for 500g, souschef.co.uk.\n\nPROMISE: A dark, runny honey with a rich, nutty taste and smoky aromas. This is formed from the flowers of the chestnut tree, so it has a slightly bitter, savoury aftertaste. A favourite among chefs, who claim that it adds instant depth to dishes.\n\nVERDICT: After tasting so many sweet honeys, this one came as a total shock. A dark brown, treacle-tasting honey, it has a wonderful, unmistakable chestnut aroma. My children didn\u2019t like it at all, but I teamed it with cheese and biscuits to serve after a dinner party and the combination was a winner. Perfect if you want something completely different. 3/5.\n\nChestnut Honey is a dark, runny honey with a rich, nutty taste and smoky aromas.", "summary": "The gourmet honey industry is small but growing, and it seems there is room for new producers. The Duchess of Cornwall has produced a small, limited batch to raise funds for charity, and gets raving reviews even when compared to other gourmet specialty honeys. "}
{"article_id": "a7d2b321390e4874bbbfc95f9ec862f9", "article": "Controversial plans for 10 marine conservation zones have been withdrawn by a Welsh government minister.\n\nAlun Davies told AMs they had received 7,000 responses to a consultation containing \"strongly held\" views.\n\nHe said he would now look at the 125 existing marine protected areas to see if further improvements could be made.\n\nThe Marine Conservation Society (MCS) described it as an \"embarrassing U-turn\" for the Welsh government, and has called for better protection of seas.\n\nCreating the zones would mean a ban on fishing and anchoring in some areas and had brought opposition.\n\nThe Welsh Fishermen's Association said previously that existing conservation networks for Welsh waters are adequate.\n\nThe Welsh government proposed the zones last year with the backing of the Countryside Council of Wales and the Marine Conservation Society.\n\nThe minister for natural resources said the decision had been made after the thousands of responses to the consultation brought \"divergent and strongly held views\".\n\nMr Davies said to \"avoid any continuing uncertainty over the options presented in the 2012 consultation, I am also withdrawing all the proposed sites\".\n\nHis comments come after the findings were published of a task and finish team which reviewed the feedback.\n\nNow, he will concentrate on the existing 125 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that cover 36% of Welsh seas to see if any changes can be made rather than creating additional zones.\n\n\"We are now in a stronger position to assess our current contribution to the network's ecological coherence,\" he said.\n\n\"I have, therefore, commissioned an assessment of our current MPAs to identify if there are any gaps and what the options might be to fill those gaps.\n\n\"If any measures are required, I believe they should be simple, proportionate and fit for purpose.\"\n\nDr Peter Richardson, biodiversity programme manager for MCS, said the Welsh government \"spent an awful lot of time and money and encouraged other people to put effort into this consultation response\".\n\nHe said: \"70% of the consultation responses were in favour of designating these sites and yet today the minister has announced he's scrapping the whole thing... bit of an embarrassing U-turn for the government I think.\"\n\nHe added: \"I think there are plenty of people in the fishing industry... that understand that in order to get the best yields from the marine habitats on which they depend, they have to be managed properly.\"", "summary": "A Welsh government minister \u201cMr. Davies\u201d has withdrawn controversial plans for ten marine conservation zones. The Marine Conservation Society describes it as an embarrassing U-turn and has called for better protection of the sea. Creating the zones would mean banning fishing and anchoring in some areas. "}
{"article_id": "a7d2b321390e4874bbbfc95f9ec862f9", "article": "Controversial plans for 10 marine conservation zones have been withdrawn by a Welsh government minister.\n\nAlun Davies told AMs they had received 7,000 responses to a consultation containing \"strongly held\" views.\n\nHe said he would now look at the 125 existing marine protected areas to see if further improvements could be made.\n\nThe Marine Conservation Society (MCS) described it as an \"embarrassing U-turn\" for the Welsh government, and has called for better protection of seas.\n\nCreating the zones would mean a ban on fishing and anchoring in some areas and had brought opposition.\n\nThe Welsh Fishermen's Association said previously that existing conservation networks for Welsh waters are adequate.\n\nThe Welsh government proposed the zones last year with the backing of the Countryside Council of Wales and the Marine Conservation Society.\n\nThe minister for natural resources said the decision had been made after the thousands of responses to the consultation brought \"divergent and strongly held views\".\n\nMr Davies said to \"avoid any continuing uncertainty over the options presented in the 2012 consultation, I am also withdrawing all the proposed sites\".\n\nHis comments come after the findings were published of a task and finish team which reviewed the feedback.\n\nNow, he will concentrate on the existing 125 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that cover 36% of Welsh seas to see if any changes can be made rather than creating additional zones.\n\n\"We are now in a stronger position to assess our current contribution to the network's ecological coherence,\" he said.\n\n\"I have, therefore, commissioned an assessment of our current MPAs to identify if there are any gaps and what the options might be to fill those gaps.\n\n\"If any measures are required, I believe they should be simple, proportionate and fit for purpose.\"\n\nDr Peter Richardson, biodiversity programme manager for MCS, said the Welsh government \"spent an awful lot of time and money and encouraged other people to put effort into this consultation response\".\n\nHe said: \"70% of the consultation responses were in favour of designating these sites and yet today the minister has announced he's scrapping the whole thing... bit of an embarrassing U-turn for the government I think.\"\n\nHe added: \"I think there are plenty of people in the fishing industry... that understand that in order to get the best yields from the marine habitats on which they depend, they have to be managed properly.\"", "summary": "The Welsh government is trying to balance marine conservation efforts with the demands of the fisherman and public responses. They had previously begun work on many new conservation areas but have cancelled all of them after strong public responses and are now focusing on improving existing conservation areas. "}
{"article_id": "a7d2b321390e4874bbbfc95f9ec862f9", "article": "Controversial plans for 10 marine conservation zones have been withdrawn by a Welsh government minister.\n\nAlun Davies told AMs they had received 7,000 responses to a consultation containing \"strongly held\" views.\n\nHe said he would now look at the 125 existing marine protected areas to see if further improvements could be made.\n\nThe Marine Conservation Society (MCS) described it as an \"embarrassing U-turn\" for the Welsh government, and has called for better protection of seas.\n\nCreating the zones would mean a ban on fishing and anchoring in some areas and had brought opposition.\n\nThe Welsh Fishermen's Association said previously that existing conservation networks for Welsh waters are adequate.\n\nThe Welsh government proposed the zones last year with the backing of the Countryside Council of Wales and the Marine Conservation Society.\n\nThe minister for natural resources said the decision had been made after the thousands of responses to the consultation brought \"divergent and strongly held views\".\n\nMr Davies said to \"avoid any continuing uncertainty over the options presented in the 2012 consultation, I am also withdrawing all the proposed sites\".\n\nHis comments come after the findings were published of a task and finish team which reviewed the feedback.\n\nNow, he will concentrate on the existing 125 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that cover 36% of Welsh seas to see if any changes can be made rather than creating additional zones.\n\n\"We are now in a stronger position to assess our current contribution to the network's ecological coherence,\" he said.\n\n\"I have, therefore, commissioned an assessment of our current MPAs to identify if there are any gaps and what the options might be to fill those gaps.\n\n\"If any measures are required, I believe they should be simple, proportionate and fit for purpose.\"\n\nDr Peter Richardson, biodiversity programme manager for MCS, said the Welsh government \"spent an awful lot of time and money and encouraged other people to put effort into this consultation response\".\n\nHe said: \"70% of the consultation responses were in favour of designating these sites and yet today the minister has announced he's scrapping the whole thing... bit of an embarrassing U-turn for the government I think.\"\n\nHe added: \"I think there are plenty of people in the fishing industry... that understand that in order to get the best yields from the marine habitats on which they depend, they have to be managed properly.\"", "summary": "The welsh government has scrapped plans to create 10 conservation zones in the seas despite 70% of poll respondents being in favor of creating the zones. An \"embarrassing U-turn\". The Welsh government will concentrate now on the already established conservation zones.  "}
{"article_id": "a7d2b321390e4874bbbfc95f9ec862f9", "article": "Controversial plans for 10 marine conservation zones have been withdrawn by a Welsh government minister.\n\nAlun Davies told AMs they had received 7,000 responses to a consultation containing \"strongly held\" views.\n\nHe said he would now look at the 125 existing marine protected areas to see if further improvements could be made.\n\nThe Marine Conservation Society (MCS) described it as an \"embarrassing U-turn\" for the Welsh government, and has called for better protection of seas.\n\nCreating the zones would mean a ban on fishing and anchoring in some areas and had brought opposition.\n\nThe Welsh Fishermen's Association said previously that existing conservation networks for Welsh waters are adequate.\n\nThe Welsh government proposed the zones last year with the backing of the Countryside Council of Wales and the Marine Conservation Society.\n\nThe minister for natural resources said the decision had been made after the thousands of responses to the consultation brought \"divergent and strongly held views\".\n\nMr Davies said to \"avoid any continuing uncertainty over the options presented in the 2012 consultation, I am also withdrawing all the proposed sites\".\n\nHis comments come after the findings were published of a task and finish team which reviewed the feedback.\n\nNow, he will concentrate on the existing 125 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that cover 36% of Welsh seas to see if any changes can be made rather than creating additional zones.\n\n\"We are now in a stronger position to assess our current contribution to the network's ecological coherence,\" he said.\n\n\"I have, therefore, commissioned an assessment of our current MPAs to identify if there are any gaps and what the options might be to fill those gaps.\n\n\"If any measures are required, I believe they should be simple, proportionate and fit for purpose.\"\n\nDr Peter Richardson, biodiversity programme manager for MCS, said the Welsh government \"spent an awful lot of time and money and encouraged other people to put effort into this consultation response\".\n\nHe said: \"70% of the consultation responses were in favour of designating these sites and yet today the minister has announced he's scrapping the whole thing... bit of an embarrassing U-turn for the government I think.\"\n\nHe added: \"I think there are plenty of people in the fishing industry... that understand that in order to get the best yields from the marine habitats on which they depend, they have to be managed properly.\"", "summary": "Welsh's government minister has withdrawn plans to add 10 new marine conservation zones to Welsh seas. The abrupt change of plan comes after a clash of \"divergent and strongly held views.\" Now, the plan is to look at improving the 125 zones already in existence."}
{"article_id": "6b138ac4c76b4b32ab6639bfef6dfaad", "article": "Aubrey de Grey (pictured) says ageing is a 'disease that can and should be cured'\n\nWith his Rasputin beard and lines etched deep into his forehead, Aubrey de Grey looks like a man a lot older than his 51 years. A penchant for beer, fried food and an aversion to exercise could fool you into believing the lanky ex-public schoolboy cares little about ageing.\n\nBut you would be wrong.\n\nFor de Grey, a charismatic Harrow School and Cambridge-educated biomedical theorist, firmly believes there is no reason, with the right 'therapies', why any of us shouldn't reach 500, 1,000 or even 5,000 years of age.\n\nIt sounds bonkers but de Grey's theories have gained him some high-profile supporters in Silicon Valley, the super-rich tech enclave in northern California that is home to more middle-aged billionaires than anywhere else on the planet.\n\nPayPal boss Peter Thiel (worth \u00a31.5 billion) donated \u00a32.4 million to de Grey's anti-ageing institute Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS). Senescence is scientific jargon for ageing.\n\nWhile many academics mock him, in age-obsessed California de Grey now regularly breaks bread and funds his research with donations from some of the sharpest minds in the world, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (who has talked of 'curing death') and Larry Ellison, of Oracle, who are all showing an interest in gerontology, or the study of ageing.\n\nGoogle's Bill Maris, who heads the computer giant's investment arm, said: 'We have tools in the life sciences to achieve anything you have the audacity to envision. I hope to live long enough not to die.'\n\nOne source at a leading software company told The Mail on Sunday: 'De Grey has tapped a rich vein in Silicon Valley. He's become something of a controversial cheerleader for a generation of tech billionaires who have made their fortunes and now, of course, want to live for ever.'\n\nDe Grey was raised in Chelsea by his artist mother Cordelia, who left him \u00a311 million when she died in 2011 \u2013 \u00a39 million of which he has invested in his company. He spent the remainder on a 'very nice house'. He never knew his father and became fascinated by seeking a cure for ageing while still at Harrow.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\n'Ageing is a disease that can and should be cured,' he says. 'I've been ridiculed but finally people are starting to come round to my way of thinking. Anyone who has ever wanted to change the world has been attacked. Gandhi said first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you and then they say, \"We were with you all along\".'\n\nDe Grey's radical thesis is that ageing can be halted and even reversed by treating the human body like a vintage car \u2013 'replace the parts, clean it up, keep it running smoothly way past its expected expiration date'.\n\nHis argument is that cellular decay causes ageing, illness and, ultimately, death, and that technologies being developed now and inventions in the future will allow us to repair and replace damaged body parts at a cellular level \u2013 leading to virtual immortality.\n\nPeople will still die in accidents and from suicide, 'but there is no reason that someone living today shouldn't live to 500, 1,000 years. As the technologies improve, lifespans will increase', says de Grey.\n\nHe believes the first person who will live to be 1,000 has already been born, and cites research that has dramatically extended the lives of mice, worms and fruit flies as proof science is 'catching up' with his theories that therapies which will genetically alter, replace and repair the cells in our bodies will be the key to eternal life.\n\nHe accuses the majority of us of being in a 'pro-ageing trance', content to accept ageing and death as inevitable, while the reality is that technology will, within two decades, he says, have advanced far enough that we can replace and repair faulty genes, 'clear out the gunk around cells' and rejuvenate our bodies.\n\nIt sounds fanciful but as he talks, it is clear that de Grey is empowered by the support of the Silicon Valley billionaires. 'It is a good feeling to finally be getting validation,' he admits.\n\nMany academics have dismissed his theories as pie in the sky. It should be noted that much of what he says is theoretical and, critics point out, de Grey has never actually done any practical lab work.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide (pictured) have an unconventional marriage and he admits to having 'two younger girlfriends'\n\nNir Barsilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said: 'Based on the biology that we know today, somewhere between 100 and 120 there is a roof in play and I challenge if we can get beyond it.' The oldest human to date was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in August 1997 at the age of 122 years 164 days.\n\nDe Grey has been mockingly compared to a 'Messiah' figure because of his flowing facial hair, and heads turn in the airport bar as he bangs his glass on the table and loudly pronounces that '150,000 people die every day worldwide and of those people, two-thirds die of ageing one way or another. That's 30 World Trade Centers every day. If I bring forward the cure for ageing by one day I've saved 100,000 lives'.\n\nDe Grey is notoriously eccentric. He refuses to carry a mobile phone ('anti-social, nasty things') and has never learned to drive due to a 'mental block'. 'Cars can kill people without it being the driver's fault,' he says. He gives interviews to 'spread the word' and has written several anti-ageing books.\n\nLast year he featured in a critically acclaimed independent movie, The Immortalists.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide, 19 years his senior, have an unconventional marriage and he cheerfully admits to having 'two younger girlfriends', aged 45 and 24.\n\nIsn't juggling the needs of three women enough to age any man prematurely? He laughs: 'It keeps me busy.'\n\nCritics argue that if he is right and we all live longer, the world's resources will be stretched by overpopulation, but he hits back by saying: 'Society will adapt. People will have fewer children.'\n\nWhat about the cost of keeping so many people alive? 'People will continue to contribute to society because they will be healthier and more productive.\n\n'When people think about longevity they forget about the health and then they start to think this whole thing is morally questionable. It might be technologically fanciful but all we do is medical research. I work on stopping people from getting sicker as they get older. The by-product of that is longevity.\n\n'I have no idea if I will live to 100. I do know I'd like to have the chance to live to 100 when I am 99 rather than having that choice removed from me by declining health.'", "summary": "Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical theorist who believes that within two decades, new medical therapies will be developed that have the ability to slow down the aging process significantly. His theories have become popular among Silicon Valley tech billionaires who are eager to invest in the potential to live hundreds or even thousands of years longer. "}
{"article_id": "6b138ac4c76b4b32ab6639bfef6dfaad", "article": "Aubrey de Grey (pictured) says ageing is a 'disease that can and should be cured'\n\nWith his Rasputin beard and lines etched deep into his forehead, Aubrey de Grey looks like a man a lot older than his 51 years. A penchant for beer, fried food and an aversion to exercise could fool you into believing the lanky ex-public schoolboy cares little about ageing.\n\nBut you would be wrong.\n\nFor de Grey, a charismatic Harrow School and Cambridge-educated biomedical theorist, firmly believes there is no reason, with the right 'therapies', why any of us shouldn't reach 500, 1,000 or even 5,000 years of age.\n\nIt sounds bonkers but de Grey's theories have gained him some high-profile supporters in Silicon Valley, the super-rich tech enclave in northern California that is home to more middle-aged billionaires than anywhere else on the planet.\n\nPayPal boss Peter Thiel (worth \u00a31.5 billion) donated \u00a32.4 million to de Grey's anti-ageing institute Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS). Senescence is scientific jargon for ageing.\n\nWhile many academics mock him, in age-obsessed California de Grey now regularly breaks bread and funds his research with donations from some of the sharpest minds in the world, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (who has talked of 'curing death') and Larry Ellison, of Oracle, who are all showing an interest in gerontology, or the study of ageing.\n\nGoogle's Bill Maris, who heads the computer giant's investment arm, said: 'We have tools in the life sciences to achieve anything you have the audacity to envision. I hope to live long enough not to die.'\n\nOne source at a leading software company told The Mail on Sunday: 'De Grey has tapped a rich vein in Silicon Valley. He's become something of a controversial cheerleader for a generation of tech billionaires who have made their fortunes and now, of course, want to live for ever.'\n\nDe Grey was raised in Chelsea by his artist mother Cordelia, who left him \u00a311 million when she died in 2011 \u2013 \u00a39 million of which he has invested in his company. He spent the remainder on a 'very nice house'. He never knew his father and became fascinated by seeking a cure for ageing while still at Harrow.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\n'Ageing is a disease that can and should be cured,' he says. 'I've been ridiculed but finally people are starting to come round to my way of thinking. Anyone who has ever wanted to change the world has been attacked. Gandhi said first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you and then they say, \"We were with you all along\".'\n\nDe Grey's radical thesis is that ageing can be halted and even reversed by treating the human body like a vintage car \u2013 'replace the parts, clean it up, keep it running smoothly way past its expected expiration date'.\n\nHis argument is that cellular decay causes ageing, illness and, ultimately, death, and that technologies being developed now and inventions in the future will allow us to repair and replace damaged body parts at a cellular level \u2013 leading to virtual immortality.\n\nPeople will still die in accidents and from suicide, 'but there is no reason that someone living today shouldn't live to 500, 1,000 years. As the technologies improve, lifespans will increase', says de Grey.\n\nHe believes the first person who will live to be 1,000 has already been born, and cites research that has dramatically extended the lives of mice, worms and fruit flies as proof science is 'catching up' with his theories that therapies which will genetically alter, replace and repair the cells in our bodies will be the key to eternal life.\n\nHe accuses the majority of us of being in a 'pro-ageing trance', content to accept ageing and death as inevitable, while the reality is that technology will, within two decades, he says, have advanced far enough that we can replace and repair faulty genes, 'clear out the gunk around cells' and rejuvenate our bodies.\n\nIt sounds fanciful but as he talks, it is clear that de Grey is empowered by the support of the Silicon Valley billionaires. 'It is a good feeling to finally be getting validation,' he admits.\n\nMany academics have dismissed his theories as pie in the sky. It should be noted that much of what he says is theoretical and, critics point out, de Grey has never actually done any practical lab work.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide (pictured) have an unconventional marriage and he admits to having 'two younger girlfriends'\n\nNir Barsilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said: 'Based on the biology that we know today, somewhere between 100 and 120 there is a roof in play and I challenge if we can get beyond it.' The oldest human to date was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in August 1997 at the age of 122 years 164 days.\n\nDe Grey has been mockingly compared to a 'Messiah' figure because of his flowing facial hair, and heads turn in the airport bar as he bangs his glass on the table and loudly pronounces that '150,000 people die every day worldwide and of those people, two-thirds die of ageing one way or another. That's 30 World Trade Centers every day. If I bring forward the cure for ageing by one day I've saved 100,000 lives'.\n\nDe Grey is notoriously eccentric. He refuses to carry a mobile phone ('anti-social, nasty things') and has never learned to drive due to a 'mental block'. 'Cars can kill people without it being the driver's fault,' he says. He gives interviews to 'spread the word' and has written several anti-ageing books.\n\nLast year he featured in a critically acclaimed independent movie, The Immortalists.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide, 19 years his senior, have an unconventional marriage and he cheerfully admits to having 'two younger girlfriends', aged 45 and 24.\n\nIsn't juggling the needs of three women enough to age any man prematurely? He laughs: 'It keeps me busy.'\n\nCritics argue that if he is right and we all live longer, the world's resources will be stretched by overpopulation, but he hits back by saying: 'Society will adapt. People will have fewer children.'\n\nWhat about the cost of keeping so many people alive? 'People will continue to contribute to society because they will be healthier and more productive.\n\n'When people think about longevity they forget about the health and then they start to think this whole thing is morally questionable. It might be technologically fanciful but all we do is medical research. I work on stopping people from getting sicker as they get older. The by-product of that is longevity.\n\n'I have no idea if I will live to 100. I do know I'd like to have the chance to live to 100 when I am 99 rather than having that choice removed from me by declining health.'", "summary": "Aubrey de Gray believes that humans can live to be thousands of years old in the near future.  He has secured funding from tech billionaires to conduct research. His basic premise is humans will be able to change out their organs and clean up their cells in order to increase their longevity. "}
{"article_id": "6b138ac4c76b4b32ab6639bfef6dfaad", "article": "Aubrey de Grey (pictured) says ageing is a 'disease that can and should be cured'\n\nWith his Rasputin beard and lines etched deep into his forehead, Aubrey de Grey looks like a man a lot older than his 51 years. A penchant for beer, fried food and an aversion to exercise could fool you into believing the lanky ex-public schoolboy cares little about ageing.\n\nBut you would be wrong.\n\nFor de Grey, a charismatic Harrow School and Cambridge-educated biomedical theorist, firmly believes there is no reason, with the right 'therapies', why any of us shouldn't reach 500, 1,000 or even 5,000 years of age.\n\nIt sounds bonkers but de Grey's theories have gained him some high-profile supporters in Silicon Valley, the super-rich tech enclave in northern California that is home to more middle-aged billionaires than anywhere else on the planet.\n\nPayPal boss Peter Thiel (worth \u00a31.5 billion) donated \u00a32.4 million to de Grey's anti-ageing institute Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS). Senescence is scientific jargon for ageing.\n\nWhile many academics mock him, in age-obsessed California de Grey now regularly breaks bread and funds his research with donations from some of the sharpest minds in the world, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (who has talked of 'curing death') and Larry Ellison, of Oracle, who are all showing an interest in gerontology, or the study of ageing.\n\nGoogle's Bill Maris, who heads the computer giant's investment arm, said: 'We have tools in the life sciences to achieve anything you have the audacity to envision. I hope to live long enough not to die.'\n\nOne source at a leading software company told The Mail on Sunday: 'De Grey has tapped a rich vein in Silicon Valley. He's become something of a controversial cheerleader for a generation of tech billionaires who have made their fortunes and now, of course, want to live for ever.'\n\nDe Grey was raised in Chelsea by his artist mother Cordelia, who left him \u00a311 million when she died in 2011 \u2013 \u00a39 million of which he has invested in his company. He spent the remainder on a 'very nice house'. He never knew his father and became fascinated by seeking a cure for ageing while still at Harrow.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\n'Ageing is a disease that can and should be cured,' he says. 'I've been ridiculed but finally people are starting to come round to my way of thinking. Anyone who has ever wanted to change the world has been attacked. Gandhi said first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you and then they say, \"We were with you all along\".'\n\nDe Grey's radical thesis is that ageing can be halted and even reversed by treating the human body like a vintage car \u2013 'replace the parts, clean it up, keep it running smoothly way past its expected expiration date'.\n\nHis argument is that cellular decay causes ageing, illness and, ultimately, death, and that technologies being developed now and inventions in the future will allow us to repair and replace damaged body parts at a cellular level \u2013 leading to virtual immortality.\n\nPeople will still die in accidents and from suicide, 'but there is no reason that someone living today shouldn't live to 500, 1,000 years. As the technologies improve, lifespans will increase', says de Grey.\n\nHe believes the first person who will live to be 1,000 has already been born, and cites research that has dramatically extended the lives of mice, worms and fruit flies as proof science is 'catching up' with his theories that therapies which will genetically alter, replace and repair the cells in our bodies will be the key to eternal life.\n\nHe accuses the majority of us of being in a 'pro-ageing trance', content to accept ageing and death as inevitable, while the reality is that technology will, within two decades, he says, have advanced far enough that we can replace and repair faulty genes, 'clear out the gunk around cells' and rejuvenate our bodies.\n\nIt sounds fanciful but as he talks, it is clear that de Grey is empowered by the support of the Silicon Valley billionaires. 'It is a good feeling to finally be getting validation,' he admits.\n\nMany academics have dismissed his theories as pie in the sky. It should be noted that much of what he says is theoretical and, critics point out, de Grey has never actually done any practical lab work.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide (pictured) have an unconventional marriage and he admits to having 'two younger girlfriends'\n\nNir Barsilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said: 'Based on the biology that we know today, somewhere between 100 and 120 there is a roof in play and I challenge if we can get beyond it.' The oldest human to date was Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in August 1997 at the age of 122 years 164 days.\n\nDe Grey has been mockingly compared to a 'Messiah' figure because of his flowing facial hair, and heads turn in the airport bar as he bangs his glass on the table and loudly pronounces that '150,000 people die every day worldwide and of those people, two-thirds die of ageing one way or another. That's 30 World Trade Centers every day. If I bring forward the cure for ageing by one day I've saved 100,000 lives'.\n\nDe Grey is notoriously eccentric. He refuses to carry a mobile phone ('anti-social, nasty things') and has never learned to drive due to a 'mental block'. 'Cars can kill people without it being the driver's fault,' he says. He gives interviews to 'spread the word' and has written several anti-ageing books.\n\nLast year he featured in a critically acclaimed independent movie, The Immortalists.\n\nDe Grey and his biologist wife Adelaide, 19 years his senior, have an unconventional marriage and he cheerfully admits to having 'two younger girlfriends', aged 45 and 24.\n\nIsn't juggling the needs of three women enough to age any man prematurely? He laughs: 'It keeps me busy.'\n\nCritics argue that if he is right and we all live longer, the world's resources will be stretched by overpopulation, but he hits back by saying: 'Society will adapt. People will have fewer children.'\n\nWhat about the cost of keeping so many people alive? 'People will continue to contribute to society because they will be healthier and more productive.\n\n'When people think about longevity they forget about the health and then they start to think this whole thing is morally questionable. It might be technologically fanciful but all we do is medical research. I work on stopping people from getting sicker as they get older. The by-product of that is longevity.\n\n'I have no idea if I will live to 100. I do know I'd like to have the chance to live to 100 when I am 99 rather than having that choice removed from me by declining health.'", "summary": "Rich and eccentric Aubrey de Grey believes that aging can be reversed or even stopped by technologies and discoveries that are currently being developed. Despite critics and many experts dismissing his theory, he has gained some support from the ultra-rich in his quest to keep people alive forever."}
{"article_id": "6f18757d62184196b18ed0ecda6b55bc", "article": "A breakthrough has been made in the development of clean hydrogen power, scientists claim.\n\nAt the moment, while hydrogen fuel is appealing, the production of hydrogen is incredible difficult - requiring huge amounts of energy.\n\nBut the researchers say they have made a new material that can generate hydrogen from water, meaning it is less reliant on fossil fuels.\n\nHydrogen-fuel is appealing for use in cars like the Vauxhall Zafira minivan pictured, but producing hydrogen requires huge amounts of energy. With the new breakthrough, it could be possible to make it more easily.\n\nResearchers at the University of Bath and Yale University created the invention.\n\nIt uses a newly designed molecular catalyst to split water in an electrolyser and create clean and storable hydrogen fuel.\n\nLead research Dr Ulrich Hintermair told MailOnline that the main problem with the production of hydrogen through a process known as water electrolysis was the waste oxygen it produces.\n\nWater splitting is an electro-chemical process in which two electrodes generate oxygen and hydrogen from water, respectively.\n\nThe energy required to drive this process gets locked up in the hydrogen as the fuel with oxygen as a by-product. A fuel cell can then harness the energy again elsewhere by recombining the two.\n\nThe new patented catalyst is more efficient at performing the crucial oxidation half of the reaction than any other existing material, minimising energy losses in the electricity-to-hydrogen conversion process.\n\nIt can be directly applied to various electrode surfaces in a straightforward and highly economical manner.\n\nThe process splits water into hydrogen and oxygen but, while the first part can be done quite efficiently, the latter was more difficult and lots of energy is lost.\n\nWith this in mind the team designed a catalyst - a substance that alters the speed of the chemical reaction - to improve the efficiency.\n\n\u2018Oxygen is the most difficult bit,\u2019 Dr Hintermair explained.\n\nTheir catalyst, placed on an electrode used in the production of hydrogen, is much more efficient - and although Dr Hintermair didn\u2019t have an exact figure, he said the energy loss using it is \u2018almost non-existent\u2019.\n\nThe major benefit from this breakthrough is that hydrogen could now be used more easily as a way to store energy from renewable sources like wind and solar.\n\n\u2018We can make electricity out of sunlight and wind, low carbon renewable sources, but we can\u2019t store it very well,\u2019 Dr Hintermair continued.\n\n\u2018We can put it in a battery but you can\u2019t, for example, fly an airplane on a battery yet.\n\n\u2018So we need to convert it into a chemical fuel, and for that water electrolysis is a key technology because we can take any renewable technology, connect it to an electrolyster and store it in hydrogen, which is a fantastic fuel.\u2019\n\nThis, for example, would make hydrogen fuel cells for cars much more economical.\n\nOn this right in this image is the catalyst being used in the water electrolysis process. The large bubbles are oxygen, while the smaller bubbles on the left are hydrogen.\n\nThe team are in discussions with a number of energy companies about utilising this technology on a large scale and hope the breakthrough marks the start of contributing to providing the world with more sustainable fuels.\n\n\u2018In theory it could be used on all systems, but it depends on cost and scale,\u2019 said Dr Hintermair.\n\nAs regulations tighten on the use of fossil fuels and their emissions, there is a growing focus on the need for cost effective and efficient ways of creating energy carriers from renewable sources.\n\nSolar power is thought to be able to provide up to four per cent of the UK's electricity by the end of the decade.\n\nHowever, while the price of photovoltaic technology has dramatically decreased in recent years as demand has risen, solar energy is problematic as it is intermittent, meaning electricity is only created when it is light.\n\nOne use of the newly developed catalyst could be to store the energy produced by solar power by using the electricity to produce hydrogen which can then be used on demand, regardless of the time of day.\n\nSolar power is thought to be able to provide up to four per cent of the UK's electricity by the end of the decade (Wymeswold Solar Farm in Leicestershire, UK shown), but storing it is difficult. This new technology could store energy as hydrogen, which can then be used on demand.\n\nDr Hintermair is a Whorrod research fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies at the University of Bath.\n\n'Hydrogen is a fantastically versatile and environmentally friendly fuel, however, hydrogen-powered applications are only as \"green\" as the hydrogen on which they run,' he said.\n\n'Currently, over 90 per cent is derived from fossil fuels. If we want to bring about a clean hydrogen economy we must first generate clean hydrogen.\n\n'This new molecular catalyst will hopefully play a large role in helping create hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as solar power.\n\n'We are also interested in applying this technology to other forms of renewable energy such as tidal, wind and wave power.'\n\nProfessor Matthew Davidson, head of the department of chemistry, added: 'Splitting water into its constituent parts is deceptively simple chemistry, but doing it in a sustainable way is one of the holy grails of chemistry because it is the key step in the goal of artificial photosynthesis.\n\n'[Dr Hintermair's] results are extremely exciting because of their potential for practical application.'", "summary": "The University of Bath and Yale University have developed a new way to create hydrogen from water that leaves very little waste, which they claim has huge potential to provide green energy. This method would allow eco-friendly energy sources like wind to be stored and used as a chemical energy source. "}
{"article_id": "6f18757d62184196b18ed0ecda6b55bc", "article": "A breakthrough has been made in the development of clean hydrogen power, scientists claim.\n\nAt the moment, while hydrogen fuel is appealing, the production of hydrogen is incredible difficult - requiring huge amounts of energy.\n\nBut the researchers say they have made a new material that can generate hydrogen from water, meaning it is less reliant on fossil fuels.\n\nHydrogen-fuel is appealing for use in cars like the Vauxhall Zafira minivan pictured, but producing hydrogen requires huge amounts of energy. With the new breakthrough, it could be possible to make it more easily.\n\nResearchers at the University of Bath and Yale University created the invention.\n\nIt uses a newly designed molecular catalyst to split water in an electrolyser and create clean and storable hydrogen fuel.\n\nLead research Dr Ulrich Hintermair told MailOnline that the main problem with the production of hydrogen through a process known as water electrolysis was the waste oxygen it produces.\n\nWater splitting is an electro-chemical process in which two electrodes generate oxygen and hydrogen from water, respectively.\n\nThe energy required to drive this process gets locked up in the hydrogen as the fuel with oxygen as a by-product. A fuel cell can then harness the energy again elsewhere by recombining the two.\n\nThe new patented catalyst is more efficient at performing the crucial oxidation half of the reaction than any other existing material, minimising energy losses in the electricity-to-hydrogen conversion process.\n\nIt can be directly applied to various electrode surfaces in a straightforward and highly economical manner.\n\nThe process splits water into hydrogen and oxygen but, while the first part can be done quite efficiently, the latter was more difficult and lots of energy is lost.\n\nWith this in mind the team designed a catalyst - a substance that alters the speed of the chemical reaction - to improve the efficiency.\n\n\u2018Oxygen is the most difficult bit,\u2019 Dr Hintermair explained.\n\nTheir catalyst, placed on an electrode used in the production of hydrogen, is much more efficient - and although Dr Hintermair didn\u2019t have an exact figure, he said the energy loss using it is \u2018almost non-existent\u2019.\n\nThe major benefit from this breakthrough is that hydrogen could now be used more easily as a way to store energy from renewable sources like wind and solar.\n\n\u2018We can make electricity out of sunlight and wind, low carbon renewable sources, but we can\u2019t store it very well,\u2019 Dr Hintermair continued.\n\n\u2018We can put it in a battery but you can\u2019t, for example, fly an airplane on a battery yet.\n\n\u2018So we need to convert it into a chemical fuel, and for that water electrolysis is a key technology because we can take any renewable technology, connect it to an electrolyster and store it in hydrogen, which is a fantastic fuel.\u2019\n\nThis, for example, would make hydrogen fuel cells for cars much more economical.\n\nOn this right in this image is the catalyst being used in the water electrolysis process. The large bubbles are oxygen, while the smaller bubbles on the left are hydrogen.\n\nThe team are in discussions with a number of energy companies about utilising this technology on a large scale and hope the breakthrough marks the start of contributing to providing the world with more sustainable fuels.\n\n\u2018In theory it could be used on all systems, but it depends on cost and scale,\u2019 said Dr Hintermair.\n\nAs regulations tighten on the use of fossil fuels and their emissions, there is a growing focus on the need for cost effective and efficient ways of creating energy carriers from renewable sources.\n\nSolar power is thought to be able to provide up to four per cent of the UK's electricity by the end of the decade.\n\nHowever, while the price of photovoltaic technology has dramatically decreased in recent years as demand has risen, solar energy is problematic as it is intermittent, meaning electricity is only created when it is light.\n\nOne use of the newly developed catalyst could be to store the energy produced by solar power by using the electricity to produce hydrogen which can then be used on demand, regardless of the time of day.\n\nSolar power is thought to be able to provide up to four per cent of the UK's electricity by the end of the decade (Wymeswold Solar Farm in Leicestershire, UK shown), but storing it is difficult. This new technology could store energy as hydrogen, which can then be used on demand.\n\nDr Hintermair is a Whorrod research fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies at the University of Bath.\n\n'Hydrogen is a fantastically versatile and environmentally friendly fuel, however, hydrogen-powered applications are only as \"green\" as the hydrogen on which they run,' he said.\n\n'Currently, over 90 per cent is derived from fossil fuels. If we want to bring about a clean hydrogen economy we must first generate clean hydrogen.\n\n'This new molecular catalyst will hopefully play a large role in helping create hydrogen from renewable energy sources such as solar power.\n\n'We are also interested in applying this technology to other forms of renewable energy such as tidal, wind and wave power.'\n\nProfessor Matthew Davidson, head of the department of chemistry, added: 'Splitting water into its constituent parts is deceptively simple chemistry, but doing it in a sustainable way is one of the holy grails of chemistry because it is the key step in the goal of artificial photosynthesis.\n\n'[Dr Hintermair's] results are extremely exciting because of their potential for practical application.'", "summary": "Researchers at Bath and Yale created a new material that can generate and store clean hydrogen power from water. One of the major benefits of this breakthrough is that hydrogen can be used as an easier way to store energy from renewable sources, meaning it is less reliant on fossil fuels when powering vehicles. "}
{"article_id": "1e9e8efed5544ebf8e20ae191c32a936", "article": "Foreign observers of the UK's debate on its forthcoming referendum on whether to stay in the European Union may have noticed an awful lot of fuss about the views of a man called Boris Johnson - yes, that man on the zip wire.\n\nMr Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced on Sunday that he would be backing the campaign for Britain to leave the EU.\n\nHis intervention in the debate - made, as he termed it, with \"deafening eclat\" - was even said to have helped cause the pound to slide on the international money markets as traders thought it made the possibility of a so-called Brexit more likely.\n\nHe has arguably the highest profile of any of the governing Conservative Party except the Prime Minister David Cameron, but those outside the UK may be wondering: who is he, and is that actually his hair? Read on.\n\nProfile: Boris Johnson\n\nHow could 'zip wire prat' become prime minister?\n\nRead more about the UK's referendum on the EU\n\nAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to give him his full name, was born in New York and is descended from Turkish, French and German stock. He describes himself as a \"one-man melting pot\".\n\nHe first made a name for himself in journalism, including a stint as Brussels correspondent for the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper and editor of The Spectator magazine. His humorous persona led him to become a fixture on various television programmes, including the satirical BBC panel show Have I Got News For You.\n\nHe still has a lucrative and entertaining column in the Daily Telegraph, in which august forum he explained the reasons for his decision on the EU.\n\nAs a politician, he has been a Conservative member of parliament for two constituencies, Henley from 2001 to 2008 and then Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015.\n\nLest you think he was putting his feet up between parliamentary mandates, he is also currently serving the second of two terms as mayor of London, no mean feat in a city where the centre-left Labour Party has dominated in recent decades.\n\nThat's indicative of the position Mr Johnson has carved out for himself as one of the most charismatic politicians in the UK who has wide appeal beyond Conservative heartlands - polling has suggested that his stance on the EU referendum may sway some undecided voters.\n\nJust look what happens when you type his name into Google.co.uk.\n\nNot quite. He has previously courted controversy for his remarks about (among others) the populations of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Papua New Guinea, not to mention run-ins with his own party leadership and TV chef Jamie Oliver.\n\nLast October he accidentally flattened a 10-year-old schoolboy at what was meant to be a friendly game of photo-op rugby in Japan.\n\nBut none of this seems to have affected his standing among the party faithful or the public at large. Even getting stuck on a zip-wire during the London Olympics in 2012, a sure-fire route to derision for any other politician, only enhanced his eccentric image.\n\nMr Johnson finally ended months of speculation about which side of the EU debate he would back in an immaculately impromptu media scrum outside his home in North London, having reportedly informed the prime minister of his decision earlier the same day.\n\nHe said that he had come to his decision as a result of deeply held convictions and \"after a huge amount of heartache\". His father Stanley, a former Conservative member of the European parliament, said that his son had performed a noble and potentially \"career-ending move\", ruining any chance of serving in Mr Cameron's cabinet.\n\nBut Mr Cameron has already said he won't run for another mandate when his current one ends in 2020. Some observers of British politics point out that even if the UK votes to remain in the EU, positioning himself in the \"Out\" camp won't do Mr Johnson any harm with grassroots Conservatives, many of who are Eurosceptic and will have the final say in choosing a new leader.\n\nIn this, some suggest, he is implementing his long-standing policy on cake: \"My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it.\"\n\nNo, that's Donald Trump. Also a pioneer of unorthodox political hair, but they don't get on.\n\nWhen Mr Trump commented that parts of London are \"so radicalised the police are afraid for their lives\", Mr Johnson retorted: \"The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.\"\n\nNo, I've confused you now by mentioning Donald Trump. Same hair though.\n\nNo, that's Julian Assange.", "summary": "Boris Johnson, the two-term mayor of London, has officially announced his intention to back the campaign leading to Britain leaving the European Union. While Johnson's views and personal history are causing a media fuss, it's clear that the eccentric leader plans to continue his support of Brexit. \n\n\n\n\n"}
{"article_id": "1e9e8efed5544ebf8e20ae191c32a936", "article": "Foreign observers of the UK's debate on its forthcoming referendum on whether to stay in the European Union may have noticed an awful lot of fuss about the views of a man called Boris Johnson - yes, that man on the zip wire.\n\nMr Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced on Sunday that he would be backing the campaign for Britain to leave the EU.\n\nHis intervention in the debate - made, as he termed it, with \"deafening eclat\" - was even said to have helped cause the pound to slide on the international money markets as traders thought it made the possibility of a so-called Brexit more likely.\n\nHe has arguably the highest profile of any of the governing Conservative Party except the Prime Minister David Cameron, but those outside the UK may be wondering: who is he, and is that actually his hair? Read on.\n\nProfile: Boris Johnson\n\nHow could 'zip wire prat' become prime minister?\n\nRead more about the UK's referendum on the EU\n\nAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to give him his full name, was born in New York and is descended from Turkish, French and German stock. He describes himself as a \"one-man melting pot\".\n\nHe first made a name for himself in journalism, including a stint as Brussels correspondent for the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper and editor of The Spectator magazine. His humorous persona led him to become a fixture on various television programmes, including the satirical BBC panel show Have I Got News For You.\n\nHe still has a lucrative and entertaining column in the Daily Telegraph, in which august forum he explained the reasons for his decision on the EU.\n\nAs a politician, he has been a Conservative member of parliament for two constituencies, Henley from 2001 to 2008 and then Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015.\n\nLest you think he was putting his feet up between parliamentary mandates, he is also currently serving the second of two terms as mayor of London, no mean feat in a city where the centre-left Labour Party has dominated in recent decades.\n\nThat's indicative of the position Mr Johnson has carved out for himself as one of the most charismatic politicians in the UK who has wide appeal beyond Conservative heartlands - polling has suggested that his stance on the EU referendum may sway some undecided voters.\n\nJust look what happens when you type his name into Google.co.uk.\n\nNot quite. He has previously courted controversy for his remarks about (among others) the populations of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Papua New Guinea, not to mention run-ins with his own party leadership and TV chef Jamie Oliver.\n\nLast October he accidentally flattened a 10-year-old schoolboy at what was meant to be a friendly game of photo-op rugby in Japan.\n\nBut none of this seems to have affected his standing among the party faithful or the public at large. Even getting stuck on a zip-wire during the London Olympics in 2012, a sure-fire route to derision for any other politician, only enhanced his eccentric image.\n\nMr Johnson finally ended months of speculation about which side of the EU debate he would back in an immaculately impromptu media scrum outside his home in North London, having reportedly informed the prime minister of his decision earlier the same day.\n\nHe said that he had come to his decision as a result of deeply held convictions and \"after a huge amount of heartache\". His father Stanley, a former Conservative member of the European parliament, said that his son had performed a noble and potentially \"career-ending move\", ruining any chance of serving in Mr Cameron's cabinet.\n\nBut Mr Cameron has already said he won't run for another mandate when his current one ends in 2020. Some observers of British politics point out that even if the UK votes to remain in the EU, positioning himself in the \"Out\" camp won't do Mr Johnson any harm with grassroots Conservatives, many of who are Eurosceptic and will have the final say in choosing a new leader.\n\nIn this, some suggest, he is implementing his long-standing policy on cake: \"My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it.\"\n\nNo, that's Donald Trump. Also a pioneer of unorthodox political hair, but they don't get on.\n\nWhen Mr Trump commented that parts of London are \"so radicalised the police are afraid for their lives\", Mr Johnson retorted: \"The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.\"\n\nNo, I've confused you now by mentioning Donald Trump. Same hair though.\n\nNo, that's Julian Assange.", "summary": "Boris Johnson announces his support for Brexit causing a stir in English politics. The mayor of London and a member of Parliament has made his career from unorthodox actions. Actions such as ziplining during the London Olympics. Despite his antics, Johnson remains a popular figure in the Conservative party.  "}
{"article_id": "1e9e8efed5544ebf8e20ae191c32a936", "article": "Foreign observers of the UK's debate on its forthcoming referendum on whether to stay in the European Union may have noticed an awful lot of fuss about the views of a man called Boris Johnson - yes, that man on the zip wire.\n\nMr Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced on Sunday that he would be backing the campaign for Britain to leave the EU.\n\nHis intervention in the debate - made, as he termed it, with \"deafening eclat\" - was even said to have helped cause the pound to slide on the international money markets as traders thought it made the possibility of a so-called Brexit more likely.\n\nHe has arguably the highest profile of any of the governing Conservative Party except the Prime Minister David Cameron, but those outside the UK may be wondering: who is he, and is that actually his hair? Read on.\n\nProfile: Boris Johnson\n\nHow could 'zip wire prat' become prime minister?\n\nRead more about the UK's referendum on the EU\n\nAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to give him his full name, was born in New York and is descended from Turkish, French and German stock. He describes himself as a \"one-man melting pot\".\n\nHe first made a name for himself in journalism, including a stint as Brussels correspondent for the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper and editor of The Spectator magazine. His humorous persona led him to become a fixture on various television programmes, including the satirical BBC panel show Have I Got News For You.\n\nHe still has a lucrative and entertaining column in the Daily Telegraph, in which august forum he explained the reasons for his decision on the EU.\n\nAs a politician, he has been a Conservative member of parliament for two constituencies, Henley from 2001 to 2008 and then Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015.\n\nLest you think he was putting his feet up between parliamentary mandates, he is also currently serving the second of two terms as mayor of London, no mean feat in a city where the centre-left Labour Party has dominated in recent decades.\n\nThat's indicative of the position Mr Johnson has carved out for himself as one of the most charismatic politicians in the UK who has wide appeal beyond Conservative heartlands - polling has suggested that his stance on the EU referendum may sway some undecided voters.\n\nJust look what happens when you type his name into Google.co.uk.\n\nNot quite. He has previously courted controversy for his remarks about (among others) the populations of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Papua New Guinea, not to mention run-ins with his own party leadership and TV chef Jamie Oliver.\n\nLast October he accidentally flattened a 10-year-old schoolboy at what was meant to be a friendly game of photo-op rugby in Japan.\n\nBut none of this seems to have affected his standing among the party faithful or the public at large. Even getting stuck on a zip-wire during the London Olympics in 2012, a sure-fire route to derision for any other politician, only enhanced his eccentric image.\n\nMr Johnson finally ended months of speculation about which side of the EU debate he would back in an immaculately impromptu media scrum outside his home in North London, having reportedly informed the prime minister of his decision earlier the same day.\n\nHe said that he had come to his decision as a result of deeply held convictions and \"after a huge amount of heartache\". His father Stanley, a former Conservative member of the European parliament, said that his son had performed a noble and potentially \"career-ending move\", ruining any chance of serving in Mr Cameron's cabinet.\n\nBut Mr Cameron has already said he won't run for another mandate when his current one ends in 2020. Some observers of British politics point out that even if the UK votes to remain in the EU, positioning himself in the \"Out\" camp won't do Mr Johnson any harm with grassroots Conservatives, many of who are Eurosceptic and will have the final say in choosing a new leader.\n\nIn this, some suggest, he is implementing his long-standing policy on cake: \"My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it.\"\n\nNo, that's Donald Trump. Also a pioneer of unorthodox political hair, but they don't get on.\n\nWhen Mr Trump commented that parts of London are \"so radicalised the police are afraid for their lives\", Mr Johnson retorted: \"The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.\"\n\nNo, I've confused you now by mentioning Donald Trump. Same hair though.\n\nNo, that's Julian Assange.", "summary": "Boris Johnson previously announced that he will not run for reelection, and is ending his eccentric career spanning from journalism to satirical tv personality, to serving in parliament and as London's Mayor. He was met with mixed responses as announced he would be supporting Britian's move to exit EU. "}
{"article_id": "7f46ca0ef37c46ca8e371c1fd9604d5c", "article": "Three people were injured when a broken-down bus was hit by a lorry on the A34 in Oxfordshire.\n\nFifty people were on the First Great Western rail replacement service from Oxford to Didcot when it was hit at Drayton, at 00:30 GMT.\n\nOne of the three people taken to hospital sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries, police said.\n\nThe southbound carriageway has been reopened but investigations are continuing.\n\nThe remaining passengers, who did not require hospital treatment, were taken to Abingdon police station.\n\nPassenger Rebecca Crow posted a picture of her injuries on Twitter and wrote: \"I was on the bus, it was insane. Very thankful for no fatalities; just a bust up face!\"\n\nThe bus was a replacement for the 00:05 First Great Western service from Oxford to Didcot.\n\nBus passenger Adam Graves said on Twitter: \"One moment the bus power failed, a minute or 2 later the lorry hit us. Bus ended up part down the embankment. #a34\"\n\nHe later told BBC News: \"It sort of jumped forward. There were people screaming inside.\n\n\"Then you suddenly noticed you're falling out of your seat - everyone was flying everywhere.\n\n\"Once that initial shock had passed people were quite calm.\n\n\"A lot of people on the bus had been coming back from a gig in Oxford, that's where I'd been, that kept people calm as a few recognised each other.\"\n\nIn a statement, a First Great Western spokesman said the firm was \"keen\" to offer support to all of the bus passengers and their families.\n\nHe said initial reports from its own contractor \"suggest the driver followed correct safety procedures\", but added police were investigating.\n\n\"We are offering them any assistance we can to understand the full details of the incident,\" he said.\n\nThe A34 was shut between the Botley and Milton interchanges.\n\nIt had been due to reopen at 11:00 but was delayed due to difficulties in recovering the vehicles, police said.\n\nOfficers on site were having problems earlier with drivers ignoring the closure and driving through, according to BBC Radio Oxford travel reporter Sara Dumbell.\n\nShe said diversions had also led to lengthy traffic delays in the area.", "summary": "A carriageway accident involving a lorry hitting a broken down bus took place in Oxfordshire. Three people were injured in the crash but none sustained life-threatening injuries. Initial reports of the accident stated the lorry driver followed the correct safety procedures, but police are still investigating. "}
{"article_id": "7f46ca0ef37c46ca8e371c1fd9604d5c", "article": "Three people were injured when a broken-down bus was hit by a lorry on the A34 in Oxfordshire.\n\nFifty people were on the First Great Western rail replacement service from Oxford to Didcot when it was hit at Drayton, at 00:30 GMT.\n\nOne of the three people taken to hospital sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries, police said.\n\nThe southbound carriageway has been reopened but investigations are continuing.\n\nThe remaining passengers, who did not require hospital treatment, were taken to Abingdon police station.\n\nPassenger Rebecca Crow posted a picture of her injuries on Twitter and wrote: \"I was on the bus, it was insane. Very thankful for no fatalities; just a bust up face!\"\n\nThe bus was a replacement for the 00:05 First Great Western service from Oxford to Didcot.\n\nBus passenger Adam Graves said on Twitter: \"One moment the bus power failed, a minute or 2 later the lorry hit us. Bus ended up part down the embankment. #a34\"\n\nHe later told BBC News: \"It sort of jumped forward. There were people screaming inside.\n\n\"Then you suddenly noticed you're falling out of your seat - everyone was flying everywhere.\n\n\"Once that initial shock had passed people were quite calm.\n\n\"A lot of people on the bus had been coming back from a gig in Oxford, that's where I'd been, that kept people calm as a few recognised each other.\"\n\nIn a statement, a First Great Western spokesman said the firm was \"keen\" to offer support to all of the bus passengers and their families.\n\nHe said initial reports from its own contractor \"suggest the driver followed correct safety procedures\", but added police were investigating.\n\n\"We are offering them any assistance we can to understand the full details of the incident,\" he said.\n\nThe A34 was shut between the Botley and Milton interchanges.\n\nIt had been due to reopen at 11:00 but was delayed due to difficulties in recovering the vehicles, police said.\n\nOfficers on site were having problems earlier with drivers ignoring the closure and driving through, according to BBC Radio Oxford travel reporter Sara Dumbell.\n\nShe said diversions had also led to lengthy traffic delays in the area.", "summary": "Three people were injured in Oxfordshire when a lorry hit a broken-down bus.  One of the injured reportedly sustained severe but non-life-threatening injuries and had to be transported to the hospital.  The southbound carriageway has been reopened, but an investigation into the incident is still underway."}
{"article_id": "7f46ca0ef37c46ca8e371c1fd9604d5c", "article": "Three people were injured when a broken-down bus was hit by a lorry on the A34 in Oxfordshire.\n\nFifty people were on the First Great Western rail replacement service from Oxford to Didcot when it was hit at Drayton, at 00:30 GMT.\n\nOne of the three people taken to hospital sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries, police said.\n\nThe southbound carriageway has been reopened but investigations are continuing.\n\nThe remaining passengers, who did not require hospital treatment, were taken to Abingdon police station.\n\nPassenger Rebecca Crow posted a picture of her injuries on Twitter and wrote: \"I was on the bus, it was insane. Very thankful for no fatalities; just a bust up face!\"\n\nThe bus was a replacement for the 00:05 First Great Western service from Oxford to Didcot.\n\nBus passenger Adam Graves said on Twitter: \"One moment the bus power failed, a minute or 2 later the lorry hit us. Bus ended up part down the embankment. #a34\"\n\nHe later told BBC News: \"It sort of jumped forward. There were people screaming inside.\n\n\"Then you suddenly noticed you're falling out of your seat - everyone was flying everywhere.\n\n\"Once that initial shock had passed people were quite calm.\n\n\"A lot of people on the bus had been coming back from a gig in Oxford, that's where I'd been, that kept people calm as a few recognised each other.\"\n\nIn a statement, a First Great Western spokesman said the firm was \"keen\" to offer support to all of the bus passengers and their families.\n\nHe said initial reports from its own contractor \"suggest the driver followed correct safety procedures\", but added police were investigating.\n\n\"We are offering them any assistance we can to understand the full details of the incident,\" he said.\n\nThe A34 was shut between the Botley and Milton interchanges.\n\nIt had been due to reopen at 11:00 but was delayed due to difficulties in recovering the vehicles, police said.\n\nOfficers on site were having problems earlier with drivers ignoring the closure and driving through, according to BBC Radio Oxford travel reporter Sara Dumbell.\n\nShe said diversions had also led to lengthy traffic delays in the area.", "summary": "Three people were injured when a broken-down bus was hit by a truck. Witnesses in the bus reported minor injuries to police and Twitter. One person suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The bus's power failed shortly before it was hit by the truck.  "}
{"article_id": "8319ea726dbb4eeab639c70ff3f72ec2", "article": "Children of the 1970s and 1980s will likely remember the chunky, plastic Fisher-Price magnets that adorned fridges in family homes.\n\nThe popular toys were designed to help teach children to read and spell.\n\nBut for some people, they had another unintended consequence; the magnets forever changed the colours that people would associate with letters.\n\nThe child with the hood in this photo was born in 1988 and is an adult synesthete. His colour-letter pairings matched 25 of the 26 letters in the Fisher-Price magnet set, which is in the foreground.\n\nAt least that's the conclusion of a study on synaesthesia - a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nIt is believe that around one in 10,000 of people have synaesthesia, and scientists are still unsure exactly what causes some people to perceive two senses at the same time.\n\nA large amount of research, according to\u00a0Discover magazine, has previously suggested the condition can be learned, rather than being the result of genetic factors.\n\nThis graphic shows the results for 400 synesthetes with 10 or more letters matching the toy. The rows correspond to participants and columns to letters. The colours along the bottom represent the most frequently chosen colour label for each letter.\n\nThe latest study adds to that body of work by suggesting the toy caused a generation to foreever link A with red, F with purple and P with green.\n\nResearchers from the Department of Psychology at Stanford University used data from 6,588 registered users to determine which colours are most commonly associated with which letters.\n\nThey then compared these colour-letter matches to fridge magnets sold by Fisher-Price between 1971 and 1990.\n\nThe results revealed that at least six per cent (400 out of the 6588 participants) learnt 'many of their matches' from the Fisher-Price set.\n\nAmong those born in the decade after the toy began to be manufactured, the proportion of synesthetes with learned letter-colour pairings was closer to 15 per cent.\n\nThe colours in the toy (upper row), the average colour choice for each letter from the 6188 synesthetes (middle row), and the most commonly assigned colour for each letter for the 400 synesthetes are shown here. Fig C shows when the choice does not match the toy (bottom row)\n\nRed bars show proportion of participants with 10 or more matches to the magnet set. Grey bars show participants with seven or more matches. For participants born between 1970 and 1985, the prevalence of synesthesia apparently learned from the Fisher-Price set can exceed 15 per cent.\n\nSynaesthesia is a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nSome people are born with synaesthesia, while others experience it after a stroke, or while using psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Famous synaesthetes include singers Pharrell Williams and Lady Gaga.\n\nThere have also been studies in which researchers claimed to have taught people to be synaesthetic - and as a result it is a widely contested condition.\n\nReports claim it can affect as many as one in 23 people and has been linked with high-levels of creativity and intelligence.\n\nBut among those born five years or more before it was manufactured, none of the colour-letter matches were aligned with the colours used in the set.\n\n'Analysis of the letter-colour matching data suggests the only difference between synesthetes with matches to the toy and those without is exposure to the stimulus,' explained the paper.\n\n'This indicates learning of letter-colour pairings from external [sources] can occur in a substantial fraction of synesthetic, and are consistent with the hypothesis that synesthesia is a kind of conditioned mental imagery.'\n\nThe authors did point out, however, that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.\n\nThey also said their findings don't suggest that colourful toys cause synaesthesia.\n\nInstead the associations of people already predisposed to the condition can be influenced by external factors.\n\nThe authors did point out that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.", "summary": "The Department of Psychology at Stanford recently released a significant finding- Fisher Price magnet toys from the 1970s and 1980s may be responsible for creating synesthetic connections between letters and colors.  In their test sample of 6588 people, six percent of synesthetes were found to have learned their cross-sense matches from the toys."}
{"article_id": "8319ea726dbb4eeab639c70ff3f72ec2", "article": "Children of the 1970s and 1980s will likely remember the chunky, plastic Fisher-Price magnets that adorned fridges in family homes.\n\nThe popular toys were designed to help teach children to read and spell.\n\nBut for some people, they had another unintended consequence; the magnets forever changed the colours that people would associate with letters.\n\nThe child with the hood in this photo was born in 1988 and is an adult synesthete. His colour-letter pairings matched 25 of the 26 letters in the Fisher-Price magnet set, which is in the foreground.\n\nAt least that's the conclusion of a study on synaesthesia - a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nIt is believe that around one in 10,000 of people have synaesthesia, and scientists are still unsure exactly what causes some people to perceive two senses at the same time.\n\nA large amount of research, according to\u00a0Discover magazine, has previously suggested the condition can be learned, rather than being the result of genetic factors.\n\nThis graphic shows the results for 400 synesthetes with 10 or more letters matching the toy. The rows correspond to participants and columns to letters. The colours along the bottom represent the most frequently chosen colour label for each letter.\n\nThe latest study adds to that body of work by suggesting the toy caused a generation to foreever link A with red, F with purple and P with green.\n\nResearchers from the Department of Psychology at Stanford University used data from 6,588 registered users to determine which colours are most commonly associated with which letters.\n\nThey then compared these colour-letter matches to fridge magnets sold by Fisher-Price between 1971 and 1990.\n\nThe results revealed that at least six per cent (400 out of the 6588 participants) learnt 'many of their matches' from the Fisher-Price set.\n\nAmong those born in the decade after the toy began to be manufactured, the proportion of synesthetes with learned letter-colour pairings was closer to 15 per cent.\n\nThe colours in the toy (upper row), the average colour choice for each letter from the 6188 synesthetes (middle row), and the most commonly assigned colour for each letter for the 400 synesthetes are shown here. Fig C shows when the choice does not match the toy (bottom row)\n\nRed bars show proportion of participants with 10 or more matches to the magnet set. Grey bars show participants with seven or more matches. For participants born between 1970 and 1985, the prevalence of synesthesia apparently learned from the Fisher-Price set can exceed 15 per cent.\n\nSynaesthesia is a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nSome people are born with synaesthesia, while others experience it after a stroke, or while using psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Famous synaesthetes include singers Pharrell Williams and Lady Gaga.\n\nThere have also been studies in which researchers claimed to have taught people to be synaesthetic - and as a result it is a widely contested condition.\n\nReports claim it can affect as many as one in 23 people and has been linked with high-levels of creativity and intelligence.\n\nBut among those born five years or more before it was manufactured, none of the colour-letter matches were aligned with the colours used in the set.\n\n'Analysis of the letter-colour matching data suggests the only difference between synesthetes with matches to the toy and those without is exposure to the stimulus,' explained the paper.\n\n'This indicates learning of letter-colour pairings from external [sources] can occur in a substantial fraction of synesthetic, and are consistent with the hypothesis that synesthesia is a kind of conditioned mental imagery.'\n\nThe authors did point out, however, that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.\n\nThey also said their findings don't suggest that colourful toys cause synaesthesia.\n\nInstead the associations of people already predisposed to the condition can be influenced by external factors.\n\nThe authors did point out that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.", "summary": "One study concludes that children in the 1970s and 1980s developed synesthesia because of the Fisher-Price Alphabet Magnets. On the contrary, recent studies state that their findings suggest that colorful toys don\u2019t directly cause synesthesia. The authors also pointed out that synesthesia is caused by other cues, such as pop influences and psychedelic drugs. "}
{"article_id": "8319ea726dbb4eeab639c70ff3f72ec2", "article": "Children of the 1970s and 1980s will likely remember the chunky, plastic Fisher-Price magnets that adorned fridges in family homes.\n\nThe popular toys were designed to help teach children to read and spell.\n\nBut for some people, they had another unintended consequence; the magnets forever changed the colours that people would associate with letters.\n\nThe child with the hood in this photo was born in 1988 and is an adult synesthete. His colour-letter pairings matched 25 of the 26 letters in the Fisher-Price magnet set, which is in the foreground.\n\nAt least that's the conclusion of a study on synaesthesia - a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nIt is believe that around one in 10,000 of people have synaesthesia, and scientists are still unsure exactly what causes some people to perceive two senses at the same time.\n\nA large amount of research, according to\u00a0Discover magazine, has previously suggested the condition can be learned, rather than being the result of genetic factors.\n\nThis graphic shows the results for 400 synesthetes with 10 or more letters matching the toy. The rows correspond to participants and columns to letters. The colours along the bottom represent the most frequently chosen colour label for each letter.\n\nThe latest study adds to that body of work by suggesting the toy caused a generation to foreever link A with red, F with purple and P with green.\n\nResearchers from the Department of Psychology at Stanford University used data from 6,588 registered users to determine which colours are most commonly associated with which letters.\n\nThey then compared these colour-letter matches to fridge magnets sold by Fisher-Price between 1971 and 1990.\n\nThe results revealed that at least six per cent (400 out of the 6588 participants) learnt 'many of their matches' from the Fisher-Price set.\n\nAmong those born in the decade after the toy began to be manufactured, the proportion of synesthetes with learned letter-colour pairings was closer to 15 per cent.\n\nThe colours in the toy (upper row), the average colour choice for each letter from the 6188 synesthetes (middle row), and the most commonly assigned colour for each letter for the 400 synesthetes are shown here. Fig C shows when the choice does not match the toy (bottom row)\n\nRed bars show proportion of participants with 10 or more matches to the magnet set. Grey bars show participants with seven or more matches. For participants born between 1970 and 1985, the prevalence of synesthesia apparently learned from the Fisher-Price set can exceed 15 per cent.\n\nSynaesthesia is a neurological condition in which two or more senses experienced separately are involuntarily joined together.\n\nFor instance, some synaesthetes experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience tastes, smells or shapes.\n\nSome people are born with synaesthesia, while others experience it after a stroke, or while using psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Famous synaesthetes include singers Pharrell Williams and Lady Gaga.\n\nThere have also been studies in which researchers claimed to have taught people to be synaesthetic - and as a result it is a widely contested condition.\n\nReports claim it can affect as many as one in 23 people and has been linked with high-levels of creativity and intelligence.\n\nBut among those born five years or more before it was manufactured, none of the colour-letter matches were aligned with the colours used in the set.\n\n'Analysis of the letter-colour matching data suggests the only difference between synesthetes with matches to the toy and those without is exposure to the stimulus,' explained the paper.\n\n'This indicates learning of letter-colour pairings from external [sources] can occur in a substantial fraction of synesthetic, and are consistent with the hypothesis that synesthesia is a kind of conditioned mental imagery.'\n\nThe authors did point out, however, that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.\n\nThey also said their findings don't suggest that colourful toys cause synaesthesia.\n\nInstead the associations of people already predisposed to the condition can be influenced by external factors.\n\nThe authors did point out that there may have been other cues \u2013 such as cultural influences, or other popular toys or magnet sets that played a role.", "summary": "Researchers are studying synaesthesia, a neurological condition where two or more sense become connected and experienced together. Studies indicate that a person can be born with it, learn it through repeated cultural exposure, or even develop it after a stroke or after taking hallucinogenic drugs. "}
{"article_id": "bd9969ecd80e4ee685dfac604074f285", "article": "A Texas mom who has already spent seven years in prison for the murder of her four-year-old adopted son, and was released shortly before Christmas, will not face new murder charges.\n\nHannah Overton, 37, wiped back tears as she, along with her husband Larry and five children, celebrated news that after having her conviction overturned for poisoning her son, Andrew Burd, with an overdose of salt, prosecutors have dropped all charges against her and will no longer be looking into her case.\n\nThroughout her incarceration, her family  stood by her and protested her innocence, but Nueces County district attorney Mark Skurka had said shortly after she was released that he would push again for capital murder charges.\n\nHe could do this as her conviction was overturned because of ineffective counsel, meaning this would not be a case of double jeopardy.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nHannah Overton (above wiping away tears with her daughter and son) will not be tried on murder charges again in the death of her adopted son.\n\nOverton's five children and husband Larry (above) were there to \u00a0celebrate the news.\n\nIn a news release however, Skura said that he would not be trying the case again due to 'a myriad of factors which came about after a careful review of the previous trial, re-interviewing some of the key witnesses, consulting with some of the medical experts involved in the case, reviewing evidence adduced at recent hearings and staffing the case with the current prosecutors assigned to the case.'\n\nA judge then granted Skura's motion to dismiss.\n\n'Wow, we don't even know where to begin,' Overton said after hearing this news.\n\n'We are so excited about all God has done in and through all of this. He has carried us through.'\n\nAn appellate court's majority opinion to overturn Overton's conviction last year wrote that her trial was 'problematic from the beginning,' according to ABC News.\n\nOriginal prosecutor Sandra Eastwood was terminated for reasons unrelated to the original case years after Overton was convicted, and Overton has accused her of unprofessional conduct several times since.\n\nOn a fateful day in October 2006, Burd, whose biological teenage mother was a Meth addict, started acting up and then vomited, telling Overton that he didn't feel well.\n\nWhen he said he felt cold, he took a warm bath but as his symptoms worsened, the Overtons took him to the Corpus Christi hospital for treatment. He died a day later from salt poisoning.\n\nA week after his death, murder charges were brought against the mother. The lead prosecutor in the case, Eastwood, portrayed Overton as a frazzled care giver that had force fed Andrew cajun seasoning as a form of punishment, which caused the sodium poisoning.\n\nBut during the trial, the defense said the boy's death was accidental and was likely due to a medical condition, pica, that can cause a person to crave non-edible salty items like clay, sand or dirt.\n\nThe mother has been behind bars for seven years, separated from her husband and five children who are being cared for by their father and home schooled by a supportive church community that still believes in Overton's innocence.\n\nLate last year her conviction was overturned because of ineffective counsel, but Nueces County district attorney Mark Skurka was set to try her again.\n\nOverturned: In September, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Overton's capital murder conviction in the 2006 salt poisoning death of her 4-year-old foster son, citing ineffective counsel at her 2007 trial for the death of Andrew Burd (right)\n\nNew details have emerged that allege the prosecutor in the case withheld evidence, like providing details on the boy's stomach content at the time of his death.\n\nThe defense said that the prosecution claimed that samples from the boy's vomit were unavailable but Overton's lawyers claimed Eastwood withheld evidence so the sample could not be tested.\n\nThe pediatrician that had treated Andrew before he was placed in Overton's care has also said that the child's medical state was not properly explained at the trial.\n\nDr Edgar Cortes said the boy had development issues that contributed to his eating disorder.\n\n'I think that if we're going to be fair, if we're going to be just, we have to take all of the circumstances into consideration,' he testified at a February hearing, part of Overton's appeal.\n\nTeachers and friends who knew the boy have agreed that he had unusual eating habits and even tried to eat trash on one occasion.\n\nAndrew died a day after the Overtons took him to the hospital. Prosecutors claimed he died after Overton punished him by making him swallow spicy seasoning. Her defense was that Andrew had very odd eating habits or even an eating disorder called pica.\n\nThe boy's Sunday School teacher had actually tried to persuade the Overtons not to take Andrew into their care because of his development issues, saying that the parents should think of the welfare of their other children.\n\nBut the Overtons have said that even knowing what they do now, they would still have welcomed Andrew into their hearts and their home.\n\n'He had brothers and sisters and a mommy and daddy, what he called his forever family, because we had to go through a lot of pain since then,' Hannah Overton told 20/20 in 2008.\n\nEastwood's professional abilities have also been called into question. After the trial she was fired by the district attorney's office in Nueces County in 2010.\n\nIn 2011, she admitted she struggled with alcohol dependency issues and was also taking diet pills during her tenure as a prosecutor, though she has denied those issues tainted her ability during the Overton trial.", "summary": "The capital murder conviction of a Texas mother has been overturned after the prosecution dropped all charges. Hannah Overton, 37, has spent seven years in prison for the 2006 death of her 4-year-old foster son who died from salt poisoning. The defense argued that the deceased may have had an eating disorder called pica, in which the sufferer craved consuming non-edible salty items like clay, sand, and dirt. "}
{"article_id": "bd9969ecd80e4ee685dfac604074f285", "article": "A Texas mom who has already spent seven years in prison for the murder of her four-year-old adopted son, and was released shortly before Christmas, will not face new murder charges.\n\nHannah Overton, 37, wiped back tears as she, along with her husband Larry and five children, celebrated news that after having her conviction overturned for poisoning her son, Andrew Burd, with an overdose of salt, prosecutors have dropped all charges against her and will no longer be looking into her case.\n\nThroughout her incarceration, her family  stood by her and protested her innocence, but Nueces County district attorney Mark Skurka had said shortly after she was released that he would push again for capital murder charges.\n\nHe could do this as her conviction was overturned because of ineffective counsel, meaning this would not be a case of double jeopardy.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nHannah Overton (above wiping away tears with her daughter and son) will not be tried on murder charges again in the death of her adopted son.\n\nOverton's five children and husband Larry (above) were there to \u00a0celebrate the news.\n\nIn a news release however, Skura said that he would not be trying the case again due to 'a myriad of factors which came about after a careful review of the previous trial, re-interviewing some of the key witnesses, consulting with some of the medical experts involved in the case, reviewing evidence adduced at recent hearings and staffing the case with the current prosecutors assigned to the case.'\n\nA judge then granted Skura's motion to dismiss.\n\n'Wow, we don't even know where to begin,' Overton said after hearing this news.\n\n'We are so excited about all God has done in and through all of this. He has carried us through.'\n\nAn appellate court's majority opinion to overturn Overton's conviction last year wrote that her trial was 'problematic from the beginning,' according to ABC News.\n\nOriginal prosecutor Sandra Eastwood was terminated for reasons unrelated to the original case years after Overton was convicted, and Overton has accused her of unprofessional conduct several times since.\n\nOn a fateful day in October 2006, Burd, whose biological teenage mother was a Meth addict, started acting up and then vomited, telling Overton that he didn't feel well.\n\nWhen he said he felt cold, he took a warm bath but as his symptoms worsened, the Overtons took him to the Corpus Christi hospital for treatment. He died a day later from salt poisoning.\n\nA week after his death, murder charges were brought against the mother. The lead prosecutor in the case, Eastwood, portrayed Overton as a frazzled care giver that had force fed Andrew cajun seasoning as a form of punishment, which caused the sodium poisoning.\n\nBut during the trial, the defense said the boy's death was accidental and was likely due to a medical condition, pica, that can cause a person to crave non-edible salty items like clay, sand or dirt.\n\nThe mother has been behind bars for seven years, separated from her husband and five children who are being cared for by their father and home schooled by a supportive church community that still believes in Overton's innocence.\n\nLate last year her conviction was overturned because of ineffective counsel, but Nueces County district attorney Mark Skurka was set to try her again.\n\nOverturned: In September, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Overton's capital murder conviction in the 2006 salt poisoning death of her 4-year-old foster son, citing ineffective counsel at her 2007 trial for the death of Andrew Burd (right)\n\nNew details have emerged that allege the prosecutor in the case withheld evidence, like providing details on the boy's stomach content at the time of his death.\n\nThe defense said that the prosecution claimed that samples from the boy's vomit were unavailable but Overton's lawyers claimed Eastwood withheld evidence so the sample could not be tested.\n\nThe pediatrician that had treated Andrew before he was placed in Overton's care has also said that the child's medical state was not properly explained at the trial.\n\nDr Edgar Cortes said the boy had development issues that contributed to his eating disorder.\n\n'I think that if we're going to be fair, if we're going to be just, we have to take all of the circumstances into consideration,' he testified at a February hearing, part of Overton's appeal.\n\nTeachers and friends who knew the boy have agreed that he had unusual eating habits and even tried to eat trash on one occasion.\n\nAndrew died a day after the Overtons took him to the hospital. Prosecutors claimed he died after Overton punished him by making him swallow spicy seasoning. Her defense was that Andrew had very odd eating habits or even an eating disorder called pica.\n\nThe boy's Sunday School teacher had actually tried to persuade the Overtons not to take Andrew into their care because of his development issues, saying that the parents should think of the welfare of their other children.\n\nBut the Overtons have said that even knowing what they do now, they would still have welcomed Andrew into their hearts and their home.\n\n'He had brothers and sisters and a mommy and daddy, what he called his forever family, because we had to go through a lot of pain since then,' Hannah Overton told 20/20 in 2008.\n\nEastwood's professional abilities have also been called into question. After the trial she was fired by the district attorney's office in Nueces County in 2010.\n\nIn 2011, she admitted she struggled with alcohol dependency issues and was also taking diet pills during her tenure as a prosecutor, though she has denied those issues tainted her ability during the Overton trial.", "summary": "After reviewing previous trials, analyzing evidence, and talking to key witnesses and medical experts involved in a Nueces County murder trial in 2010, suspect Hannah Overton's charges were dropped. Although Hannah was accused of poisoning her adopted son, there was not enough evidence to prove it-- which led to the trial being dismissed."}
{"article_id": "f39e71a1b09d4cc9a52df7e49cc0437f", "article": "In a sport beset by tiresome braggadocio, Ricky Burns seems like an impostor.\n\nWith three defeats in his previous six bouts, the Scottish boxer's career seemed to be on the wane.\n\nBut his power, timing and focus returned in a supremely confident display at Glasgow's Hydro on Saturday night as he clinched the vacant WBA World Super-Lightweight title - and entered the record books as the first Scot to win world titles at three weights.\n\nItaly's Michele Di Rocco, at 34 a year older than Burns, hadn't lost a fight since September 2007.\n\nHe arrived with a record of 40 wins and a draw from 42 bouts. He left a lesser figure.\n\nThe referee deemed the man from Assisi to be in no state to continue in the eighth round, the result of a welter of blows to his head and body and made all the more unbearable by the hostile acoustic energy generated by 8,000 Scottish fans.\n\nSurely, for Burns, this was time to shout about his record, the ideal moment to counter all those who had written him off and questioned the wisdom of him leaving trainer Billy Nelson two years ago to work with Tony Sim in Essex?\n\nNo.\n\nInstead, the champion spoke of his disbelief at the ease of his victory, his gratitude that he was safe, of his thanks to promoter Eddie Hearn, manager Alex Morrison and coach Sim for believing in him, and of his desire to celebrate with a fast-food burger and 20 chicken nuggets.\n\n\"When I got in the ring after the fight, I said, 'You've done it! You've done it!',\" reported a beaming Hearn at the post-fight media conference.\n\n\"And you know what Ricky said? 'Can you get a picture with me and Michael Buffer [the legendary American boxing ring announcer]?'\"\n\nWhen he has time to reflect during a well-earned holiday, Burns will take immense satisfaction at being only the third British-born fighter, after Bob Fitzsimmons and Duke McKenzie, to be a three-weight world champion.\n\nIn Scottish terms, his achievements must mean that he is in the very top tier of boxing greats, comfortably mentioned in the same breath as former world champions Benny Lynch, Walter McGowan, Jackie Paterson, Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt, for example.\n\nBurns' record stands at 40 wins from 46 bouts. Remarkably, 11 of those have been world title fights.\n\nBuchanan's exploits in the United States add lustre to his legacy, but while Burns may never have fought someone like Roberto Duran, should Hearn manage to set up a bout against Cincinnati's Adrien Broner, the four-time world champion stripped of the WBA title because he could not make the weight, then Burns could achieve little more in the sport.\n\n\"There are some big fights out there for me,\" said Burns.\n\n\"I want to fight the top names. I will fight anybody. I do super-lightweight comfortably and lightweight is still an option. I would fight Terence Crawford again if it came down to it.\n\n\"That's nearly two years I have been with Tony and things have just started clicking.\n\n\"I had a bit of a bad run in the last year with stuff. Who'd have thought I'd be sitting here world champion again?\"\n\nHearn said suitors could \"make all the offers they want, we'll listen\".\n\n\"If they want to come with a sack-load of money for Ricky to defend his title against Broner in Vegas, I'm sure there are a few Scots who would like a trip there as well.\"\n\nAt that point Burns quipped: \"I'd be one of them.\"\n\nThe lovely thing is, you suspect Burns was speaking in the guise of a fan rather than that of a three-weight world champion who could enjoy a profitable title defence.", "summary": "Scottish Ricky Burns entered Glasgow's Hydra fights as the underdog, but emerged victorious after 8 rounds, earning the title of WBA World Super-Lightweight Champion. Despite his win, he remains notably humble, and looks forward to future fight opportunities. "}
{"article_id": "f39e71a1b09d4cc9a52df7e49cc0437f", "article": "In a sport beset by tiresome braggadocio, Ricky Burns seems like an impostor.\n\nWith three defeats in his previous six bouts, the Scottish boxer's career seemed to be on the wane.\n\nBut his power, timing and focus returned in a supremely confident display at Glasgow's Hydro on Saturday night as he clinched the vacant WBA World Super-Lightweight title - and entered the record books as the first Scot to win world titles at three weights.\n\nItaly's Michele Di Rocco, at 34 a year older than Burns, hadn't lost a fight since September 2007.\n\nHe arrived with a record of 40 wins and a draw from 42 bouts. He left a lesser figure.\n\nThe referee deemed the man from Assisi to be in no state to continue in the eighth round, the result of a welter of blows to his head and body and made all the more unbearable by the hostile acoustic energy generated by 8,000 Scottish fans.\n\nSurely, for Burns, this was time to shout about his record, the ideal moment to counter all those who had written him off and questioned the wisdom of him leaving trainer Billy Nelson two years ago to work with Tony Sim in Essex?\n\nNo.\n\nInstead, the champion spoke of his disbelief at the ease of his victory, his gratitude that he was safe, of his thanks to promoter Eddie Hearn, manager Alex Morrison and coach Sim for believing in him, and of his desire to celebrate with a fast-food burger and 20 chicken nuggets.\n\n\"When I got in the ring after the fight, I said, 'You've done it! You've done it!',\" reported a beaming Hearn at the post-fight media conference.\n\n\"And you know what Ricky said? 'Can you get a picture with me and Michael Buffer [the legendary American boxing ring announcer]?'\"\n\nWhen he has time to reflect during a well-earned holiday, Burns will take immense satisfaction at being only the third British-born fighter, after Bob Fitzsimmons and Duke McKenzie, to be a three-weight world champion.\n\nIn Scottish terms, his achievements must mean that he is in the very top tier of boxing greats, comfortably mentioned in the same breath as former world champions Benny Lynch, Walter McGowan, Jackie Paterson, Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt, for example.\n\nBurns' record stands at 40 wins from 46 bouts. Remarkably, 11 of those have been world title fights.\n\nBuchanan's exploits in the United States add lustre to his legacy, but while Burns may never have fought someone like Roberto Duran, should Hearn manage to set up a bout against Cincinnati's Adrien Broner, the four-time world champion stripped of the WBA title because he could not make the weight, then Burns could achieve little more in the sport.\n\n\"There are some big fights out there for me,\" said Burns.\n\n\"I want to fight the top names. I will fight anybody. I do super-lightweight comfortably and lightweight is still an option. I would fight Terence Crawford again if it came down to it.\n\n\"That's nearly two years I have been with Tony and things have just started clicking.\n\n\"I had a bit of a bad run in the last year with stuff. Who'd have thought I'd be sitting here world champion again?\"\n\nHearn said suitors could \"make all the offers they want, we'll listen\".\n\n\"If they want to come with a sack-load of money for Ricky to defend his title against Broner in Vegas, I'm sure there are a few Scots who would like a trip there as well.\"\n\nAt that point Burns quipped: \"I'd be one of them.\"\n\nThe lovely thing is, you suspect Burns was speaking in the guise of a fan rather than that of a three-weight world champion who could enjoy a profitable title defence.", "summary": "This past Saturday, Ricky Burns became the first Scot to win a world title in the WBA at three separate weight classes. Despite Burn's recent losses, his skill during his bout against Italy's Michele De Rocco at Glasgow's Hydro proved to be a display of skill worthy of a champion. "}
{"article_id": "f39e71a1b09d4cc9a52df7e49cc0437f", "article": "In a sport beset by tiresome braggadocio, Ricky Burns seems like an impostor.\n\nWith three defeats in his previous six bouts, the Scottish boxer's career seemed to be on the wane.\n\nBut his power, timing and focus returned in a supremely confident display at Glasgow's Hydro on Saturday night as he clinched the vacant WBA World Super-Lightweight title - and entered the record books as the first Scot to win world titles at three weights.\n\nItaly's Michele Di Rocco, at 34 a year older than Burns, hadn't lost a fight since September 2007.\n\nHe arrived with a record of 40 wins and a draw from 42 bouts. He left a lesser figure.\n\nThe referee deemed the man from Assisi to be in no state to continue in the eighth round, the result of a welter of blows to his head and body and made all the more unbearable by the hostile acoustic energy generated by 8,000 Scottish fans.\n\nSurely, for Burns, this was time to shout about his record, the ideal moment to counter all those who had written him off and questioned the wisdom of him leaving trainer Billy Nelson two years ago to work with Tony Sim in Essex?\n\nNo.\n\nInstead, the champion spoke of his disbelief at the ease of his victory, his gratitude that he was safe, of his thanks to promoter Eddie Hearn, manager Alex Morrison and coach Sim for believing in him, and of his desire to celebrate with a fast-food burger and 20 chicken nuggets.\n\n\"When I got in the ring after the fight, I said, 'You've done it! You've done it!',\" reported a beaming Hearn at the post-fight media conference.\n\n\"And you know what Ricky said? 'Can you get a picture with me and Michael Buffer [the legendary American boxing ring announcer]?'\"\n\nWhen he has time to reflect during a well-earned holiday, Burns will take immense satisfaction at being only the third British-born fighter, after Bob Fitzsimmons and Duke McKenzie, to be a three-weight world champion.\n\nIn Scottish terms, his achievements must mean that he is in the very top tier of boxing greats, comfortably mentioned in the same breath as former world champions Benny Lynch, Walter McGowan, Jackie Paterson, Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt, for example.\n\nBurns' record stands at 40 wins from 46 bouts. Remarkably, 11 of those have been world title fights.\n\nBuchanan's exploits in the United States add lustre to his legacy, but while Burns may never have fought someone like Roberto Duran, should Hearn manage to set up a bout against Cincinnati's Adrien Broner, the four-time world champion stripped of the WBA title because he could not make the weight, then Burns could achieve little more in the sport.\n\n\"There are some big fights out there for me,\" said Burns.\n\n\"I want to fight the top names. I will fight anybody. I do super-lightweight comfortably and lightweight is still an option. I would fight Terence Crawford again if it came down to it.\n\n\"That's nearly two years I have been with Tony and things have just started clicking.\n\n\"I had a bit of a bad run in the last year with stuff. Who'd have thought I'd be sitting here world champion again?\"\n\nHearn said suitors could \"make all the offers they want, we'll listen\".\n\n\"If they want to come with a sack-load of money for Ricky to defend his title against Broner in Vegas, I'm sure there are a few Scots who would like a trip there as well.\"\n\nAt that point Burns quipped: \"I'd be one of them.\"\n\nThe lovely thing is, you suspect Burns was speaking in the guise of a fan rather than that of a three-weight world champion who could enjoy a profitable title defence.", "summary": "Rick Burns won the Super-Lightweight title becoming the first Scot to win titles at three different weights. The fight was stopped in the eighth round after Burns' opponent was deemed unfit to continue by medical staff. Burns has little left to achieve in the sport.  "}
{"article_id": "1ed567e8ccd6425abea81d633e9d832e", "article": "A wartime scientist has revisited the secret underground factory where she helped build aircraft engines 70 years since the end of the Second World War.\n\nMary Cartwright was 20 when she was called up to work in the laboratory at Drakelow Shadow Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in 1943.\n\nShe spent two years testing metal for Bristol aircraft engines in the site's underground laboratory, working as the only woman in her department.\n\nNow,  70 years after leaving her position, the 91-year-old great-grandmother has revisited the now defunct factory.\n\nMary Cartwright revisited Drakelow Underground Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, where more than 700 people worked during the war (right) \u00a0to produce aircraft engines. Now 91, the great grandmother tested metal for aircraft engines.\n\nRevisiting the site with her son, David, Mrs Cartwright said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet. She worked as the only woman in its laboratory between 1943 and 1945.\n\nBuilt in 1943, the factory became known as Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of underground paths spread over three-and-a-half miles.\n\nIt was one of 26 'shadow' sites set-up to mass produce engines and parts for military aircraft and tanks that were built underground or into hillside so that production could continue if bombed.\n\nDesigned by Rover at the behest of the Air Ministry, Drakelow employed 700 people when Mrs Cartwright began working there.\n\nArriving every day at 8.30am, she used scientific formulas to analyse the ratio of metals in shavings given to her by 'the men'.\n\nSpanning more than three miles, the site became known as the Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of secret passageways.\n\nThe entrance to one of the tunnels which are built into hillside beneath Kingsford Country Park, Kidderminster.\n\nAnother of the tunnels' entrances in Kingsford Country Park. While built at road level it is 300ft from the top of the hill.\n\nSet up by Rover under the instruction of the Air Ministry, Drakelow was one of 26 'underground' factories established to allow production lines to continue if the country came under fire.\n\nWith more than 700 people working at the site at a time it was one of the largest underground factories during the war.\n\nMrs Cartwright was sent to work there in 1943 after being called up at the age of 20. She had wanted to join the Civil Service beforehand.\n\nA stretch of offices in the underground factory. Their windows were high up so that staff would not be distracted by co-workers walking by.\n\nThe kitchen where staff would have eaten during one of the long, underground shifts. Mrs Cartwright had no previous experience when she was called up, but said she 'just got on with the job'\n\nMrs Cartwright said while the tunnels were built to protect production lines from bombing, by the time she began working at Drakelow the worst of the raids had already hit the country. Right, a newspaper cutting from 1941 detailing the deaths of three men killed when one of the tunnels collapsed during 'excavating operations'\n\n'I'd had no experience at the time, someone, I think my sister-in-law, just gave me a book which told me how to do it and I just got on with it,' Mrs Cartwright told MailOnline.\n\n'The metal could come in and it would be one of the men who would drill it into shavings. I'd dissolve it in acid and then put something on it that would allow me to analyse it so I could find how much nickle, chrome etc was in each part.'\n\nThe only woman in the laboratory, Mrs Cartwright had wanted to serve in the army before being called up.\n\n'In a way it was luck of the draw an din a way it wasn't. I wanted to go into the forces but parents in those days told you what to do and mine said: \"no, you'll go into industry.\"'\n\nEarning \u00a33 a week, she was also tasked with taking photographs of the metal for developing in a dark room next door.\n\nWhile the factory's design was so carried out to avoid raids, the worst of the bombing across Britain had already occurred by the time Mrs Cartwright took up work, she said.\n\n'They started building the tunnels in 1941, quite late in the war. Around that time we were being badly bombed but never when I was there.'\n\nThe site was restored in the 1980s by the Ministry of Defence which installed two KW generators.\n\nTunnel 4, one of the main passageways used during the Second World War to shuttle workers to their stations.\n\nAfter the war ended, Mrs Cartwright trained as a teacher and spent years teaching P.E. in Worcester.\n\nShe met her late husband, Cecil Cartwright, after the war had ended and the pair married in 1953.\n\nRevisiting the Drakelow Tunnels with one of her sons, John, the great-grandmother said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet.\n\nIn 1936, the Air Ministry approached the car manufacturer Rover, asking them to help with wartime production.\n\nBy 1939, all motoring production had ceased and the company had begun working solely on aircraft parts and engines.\n\nBut when its Coventry factory was blitzed, bosses cited the need for a more secure setting to allow production to continue.\n\nShadow Factories were then created. Built underground, safe from the shelling of Hitler's army, workers were free to work on engines for military aircraft and tanks.\n\nA canteen that was reused  during the Cold War when Drakelow Factory became a Government bunker.\n\nThe Drakelow site was one of the largest, spanning more than three miles. Built into\u00a0Kingsford Country Park, the factory is 300ft from the top of the hill but is in fact at road level.\n\nIt was used to produce aircraft engines specifically for four models of Bristol aircraft; the Pegasus, Hercules, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nWhen demand wavered at the end of the war some staff were kept on to continue working on tanks.\n\nProduction of the Meteor Tank Engine continued until 1952 when parts became surplus to requirements. All production stopped indefinitely thee years later when the site was handed over to the Ministry of Works.\n\nIn 1961 the Government converted half of the tunnels to become a nuclear-safe bunker known as Regional Seat of Government.\n\nBy the 1980s it had been modernised again with new blast doors fitted to meet updated requirements.\n\nIt was decommissioned and sold to a private company in the early 1990s and remains in their ownership.\n\n'All my memories are of a bustling hive of activity. I did enjoy my time there, it was certainly an experience. I just got on with it.'\n\nThe Drakelow Tunnels or Shadow Factory was one of 26 of the same kind across the UK, built into the ground or landscape.\n\nDuring the war it was used to produce engine parts for four Bristol aircraft - Hercules, Pegasus, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nFor a short while afterward the war production continued but to create parts for army tanks.\n\nThe site is owned by a private Swiss company, though historians are eager to turn it into a permanent museum.", "summary": "70 years after the Second World War, scientist Mary Cartwright returned to the laboratory where she contributed to building aircraft engines. Cartwright began working at the Drakelow Shadow Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire when she was 20 years old. Now 91, Cartwright can still recall the details of her work as a metal tester and photographer. "}
{"article_id": "1ed567e8ccd6425abea81d633e9d832e", "article": "A wartime scientist has revisited the secret underground factory where she helped build aircraft engines 70 years since the end of the Second World War.\n\nMary Cartwright was 20 when she was called up to work in the laboratory at Drakelow Shadow Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in 1943.\n\nShe spent two years testing metal for Bristol aircraft engines in the site's underground laboratory, working as the only woman in her department.\n\nNow,  70 years after leaving her position, the 91-year-old great-grandmother has revisited the now defunct factory.\n\nMary Cartwright revisited Drakelow Underground Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, where more than 700 people worked during the war (right) \u00a0to produce aircraft engines. Now 91, the great grandmother tested metal for aircraft engines.\n\nRevisiting the site with her son, David, Mrs Cartwright said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet. She worked as the only woman in its laboratory between 1943 and 1945.\n\nBuilt in 1943, the factory became known as Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of underground paths spread over three-and-a-half miles.\n\nIt was one of 26 'shadow' sites set-up to mass produce engines and parts for military aircraft and tanks that were built underground or into hillside so that production could continue if bombed.\n\nDesigned by Rover at the behest of the Air Ministry, Drakelow employed 700 people when Mrs Cartwright began working there.\n\nArriving every day at 8.30am, she used scientific formulas to analyse the ratio of metals in shavings given to her by 'the men'.\n\nSpanning more than three miles, the site became known as the Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of secret passageways.\n\nThe entrance to one of the tunnels which are built into hillside beneath Kingsford Country Park, Kidderminster.\n\nAnother of the tunnels' entrances in Kingsford Country Park. While built at road level it is 300ft from the top of the hill.\n\nSet up by Rover under the instruction of the Air Ministry, Drakelow was one of 26 'underground' factories established to allow production lines to continue if the country came under fire.\n\nWith more than 700 people working at the site at a time it was one of the largest underground factories during the war.\n\nMrs Cartwright was sent to work there in 1943 after being called up at the age of 20. She had wanted to join the Civil Service beforehand.\n\nA stretch of offices in the underground factory. Their windows were high up so that staff would not be distracted by co-workers walking by.\n\nThe kitchen where staff would have eaten during one of the long, underground shifts. Mrs Cartwright had no previous experience when she was called up, but said she 'just got on with the job'\n\nMrs Cartwright said while the tunnels were built to protect production lines from bombing, by the time she began working at Drakelow the worst of the raids had already hit the country. Right, a newspaper cutting from 1941 detailing the deaths of three men killed when one of the tunnels collapsed during 'excavating operations'\n\n'I'd had no experience at the time, someone, I think my sister-in-law, just gave me a book which told me how to do it and I just got on with it,' Mrs Cartwright told MailOnline.\n\n'The metal could come in and it would be one of the men who would drill it into shavings. I'd dissolve it in acid and then put something on it that would allow me to analyse it so I could find how much nickle, chrome etc was in each part.'\n\nThe only woman in the laboratory, Mrs Cartwright had wanted to serve in the army before being called up.\n\n'In a way it was luck of the draw an din a way it wasn't. I wanted to go into the forces but parents in those days told you what to do and mine said: \"no, you'll go into industry.\"'\n\nEarning \u00a33 a week, she was also tasked with taking photographs of the metal for developing in a dark room next door.\n\nWhile the factory's design was so carried out to avoid raids, the worst of the bombing across Britain had already occurred by the time Mrs Cartwright took up work, she said.\n\n'They started building the tunnels in 1941, quite late in the war. Around that time we were being badly bombed but never when I was there.'\n\nThe site was restored in the 1980s by the Ministry of Defence which installed two KW generators.\n\nTunnel 4, one of the main passageways used during the Second World War to shuttle workers to their stations.\n\nAfter the war ended, Mrs Cartwright trained as a teacher and spent years teaching P.E. in Worcester.\n\nShe met her late husband, Cecil Cartwright, after the war had ended and the pair married in 1953.\n\nRevisiting the Drakelow Tunnels with one of her sons, John, the great-grandmother said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet.\n\nIn 1936, the Air Ministry approached the car manufacturer Rover, asking them to help with wartime production.\n\nBy 1939, all motoring production had ceased and the company had begun working solely on aircraft parts and engines.\n\nBut when its Coventry factory was blitzed, bosses cited the need for a more secure setting to allow production to continue.\n\nShadow Factories were then created. Built underground, safe from the shelling of Hitler's army, workers were free to work on engines for military aircraft and tanks.\n\nA canteen that was reused  during the Cold War when Drakelow Factory became a Government bunker.\n\nThe Drakelow site was one of the largest, spanning more than three miles. Built into\u00a0Kingsford Country Park, the factory is 300ft from the top of the hill but is in fact at road level.\n\nIt was used to produce aircraft engines specifically for four models of Bristol aircraft; the Pegasus, Hercules, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nWhen demand wavered at the end of the war some staff were kept on to continue working on tanks.\n\nProduction of the Meteor Tank Engine continued until 1952 when parts became surplus to requirements. All production stopped indefinitely thee years later when the site was handed over to the Ministry of Works.\n\nIn 1961 the Government converted half of the tunnels to become a nuclear-safe bunker known as Regional Seat of Government.\n\nBy the 1980s it had been modernised again with new blast doors fitted to meet updated requirements.\n\nIt was decommissioned and sold to a private company in the early 1990s and remains in their ownership.\n\n'All my memories are of a bustling hive of activity. I did enjoy my time there, it was certainly an experience. I just got on with it.'\n\nThe Drakelow Tunnels or Shadow Factory was one of 26 of the same kind across the UK, built into the ground or landscape.\n\nDuring the war it was used to produce engine parts for four Bristol aircraft - Hercules, Pegasus, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nFor a short while afterward the war production continued but to create parts for army tanks.\n\nThe site is owned by a private Swiss company, though historians are eager to turn it into a permanent museum.", "summary": "Mary Cartwright, at 91 years old, visited the underground factory where she worked as a metal tester during world war II. The factory designed engines and tank parts for the English Army during the war. Ms. Cartwright marveled at the quietness of the place during her visit. "}
{"article_id": "1ed567e8ccd6425abea81d633e9d832e", "article": "A wartime scientist has revisited the secret underground factory where she helped build aircraft engines 70 years since the end of the Second World War.\n\nMary Cartwright was 20 when she was called up to work in the laboratory at Drakelow Shadow Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, in 1943.\n\nShe spent two years testing metal for Bristol aircraft engines in the site's underground laboratory, working as the only woman in her department.\n\nNow,  70 years after leaving her position, the 91-year-old great-grandmother has revisited the now defunct factory.\n\nMary Cartwright revisited Drakelow Underground Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, where more than 700 people worked during the war (right) \u00a0to produce aircraft engines. Now 91, the great grandmother tested metal for aircraft engines.\n\nRevisiting the site with her son, David, Mrs Cartwright said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet. She worked as the only woman in its laboratory between 1943 and 1945.\n\nBuilt in 1943, the factory became known as Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of underground paths spread over three-and-a-half miles.\n\nIt was one of 26 'shadow' sites set-up to mass produce engines and parts for military aircraft and tanks that were built underground or into hillside so that production could continue if bombed.\n\nDesigned by Rover at the behest of the Air Ministry, Drakelow employed 700 people when Mrs Cartwright began working there.\n\nArriving every day at 8.30am, she used scientific formulas to analyse the ratio of metals in shavings given to her by 'the men'.\n\nSpanning more than three miles, the site became known as the Drakelow Tunnels for its vast network of secret passageways.\n\nThe entrance to one of the tunnels which are built into hillside beneath Kingsford Country Park, Kidderminster.\n\nAnother of the tunnels' entrances in Kingsford Country Park. While built at road level it is 300ft from the top of the hill.\n\nSet up by Rover under the instruction of the Air Ministry, Drakelow was one of 26 'underground' factories established to allow production lines to continue if the country came under fire.\n\nWith more than 700 people working at the site at a time it was one of the largest underground factories during the war.\n\nMrs Cartwright was sent to work there in 1943 after being called up at the age of 20. She had wanted to join the Civil Service beforehand.\n\nA stretch of offices in the underground factory. Their windows were high up so that staff would not be distracted by co-workers walking by.\n\nThe kitchen where staff would have eaten during one of the long, underground shifts. Mrs Cartwright had no previous experience when she was called up, but said she 'just got on with the job'\n\nMrs Cartwright said while the tunnels were built to protect production lines from bombing, by the time she began working at Drakelow the worst of the raids had already hit the country. Right, a newspaper cutting from 1941 detailing the deaths of three men killed when one of the tunnels collapsed during 'excavating operations'\n\n'I'd had no experience at the time, someone, I think my sister-in-law, just gave me a book which told me how to do it and I just got on with it,' Mrs Cartwright told MailOnline.\n\n'The metal could come in and it would be one of the men who would drill it into shavings. I'd dissolve it in acid and then put something on it that would allow me to analyse it so I could find how much nickle, chrome etc was in each part.'\n\nThe only woman in the laboratory, Mrs Cartwright had wanted to serve in the army before being called up.\n\n'In a way it was luck of the draw an din a way it wasn't. I wanted to go into the forces but parents in those days told you what to do and mine said: \"no, you'll go into industry.\"'\n\nEarning \u00a33 a week, she was also tasked with taking photographs of the metal for developing in a dark room next door.\n\nWhile the factory's design was so carried out to avoid raids, the worst of the bombing across Britain had already occurred by the time Mrs Cartwright took up work, she said.\n\n'They started building the tunnels in 1941, quite late in the war. Around that time we were being badly bombed but never when I was there.'\n\nThe site was restored in the 1980s by the Ministry of Defence which installed two KW generators.\n\nTunnel 4, one of the main passageways used during the Second World War to shuttle workers to their stations.\n\nAfter the war ended, Mrs Cartwright trained as a teacher and spent years teaching P.E. in Worcester.\n\nShe met her late husband, Cecil Cartwright, after the war had ended and the pair married in 1953.\n\nRevisiting the Drakelow Tunnels with one of her sons, John, the great-grandmother said it was 'strange' to see it so quiet.\n\nIn 1936, the Air Ministry approached the car manufacturer Rover, asking them to help with wartime production.\n\nBy 1939, all motoring production had ceased and the company had begun working solely on aircraft parts and engines.\n\nBut when its Coventry factory was blitzed, bosses cited the need for a more secure setting to allow production to continue.\n\nShadow Factories were then created. Built underground, safe from the shelling of Hitler's army, workers were free to work on engines for military aircraft and tanks.\n\nA canteen that was reused  during the Cold War when Drakelow Factory became a Government bunker.\n\nThe Drakelow site was one of the largest, spanning more than three miles. Built into\u00a0Kingsford Country Park, the factory is 300ft from the top of the hill but is in fact at road level.\n\nIt was used to produce aircraft engines specifically for four models of Bristol aircraft; the Pegasus, Hercules, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nWhen demand wavered at the end of the war some staff were kept on to continue working on tanks.\n\nProduction of the Meteor Tank Engine continued until 1952 when parts became surplus to requirements. All production stopped indefinitely thee years later when the site was handed over to the Ministry of Works.\n\nIn 1961 the Government converted half of the tunnels to become a nuclear-safe bunker known as Regional Seat of Government.\n\nBy the 1980s it had been modernised again with new blast doors fitted to meet updated requirements.\n\nIt was decommissioned and sold to a private company in the early 1990s and remains in their ownership.\n\n'All my memories are of a bustling hive of activity. I did enjoy my time there, it was certainly an experience. I just got on with it.'\n\nThe Drakelow Tunnels or Shadow Factory was one of 26 of the same kind across the UK, built into the ground or landscape.\n\nDuring the war it was used to produce engine parts for four Bristol aircraft - Hercules, Pegasus, Centaur and Mercury.\n\nFor a short while afterward the war production continued but to create parts for army tanks.\n\nThe site is owned by a private Swiss company, though historians are eager to turn it into a permanent museum.", "summary": "70 years after working there, Mary Cartwright revisits the laboratory at Drakelow Shadow Factory in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. At 20 years old, she was called to work there from 1943 through 1945 to test and photograph metal. The site became known as the Drakelow tunnels for its vast network of secret passageways that spanned more than 3 miles. "}
{"article_id": "2569a0bebc5f487db4a5485b0c0896ec", "article": "Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor may have taken the spotlight over the past two weeks when it comes to the UFC's featherweight division, but this weekend it's time for two other top ranked 145ers to take centre stage, as No 1 ranked Chad Mendes and No 4 ranked Ricardo Lamas meet in Fairfax, in a bout which could potentially determine the next challenger to the title.\n\nMendes' only two professional losses have come at the hands of the Brazilian king and Lamas also dropped a decision to Aldo when the two met in February last year.\n\nBut it is Aldo's upcoming opponent, Irishman McGregor, who has dominated conversation in the lead up to this weekend's fight.\n\nOpponents Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas face off during the UFC weigh-in at the Patriot Center.\n\nLamas holds an open training session for fans and media at the UFC Gym on in Fairfax, Virginia.\n\n'I thought Aldo handled it well' said Team Alpha Male's Mendes, when asked about Aldo's reaction to McGregor snatching the championship belt on stage in Dublin. 'But that's Conor, he is crazy, you know,' Mendes continued.\n\n'Aldo has been the champion for a long time. Conor is the type of guy who is always going to run his mouth, but I highly doubt Aldo is going to let that get to him. I feel like whoever wins, I'm good. I think Aldo is a better mixed martial artist so I think he is going to win. He knows what he is doing - I just see him winning the fight.'\n\nA stark contrast to the championship pairing, Mendes and Lamas have shown nothing but respect for one another in the lead up to Saturday night's main event.\n\nMendes flexes his guns at the weight-in before his clash with rival Lamas at the Patriot Centre.\n\nMendes is put though his paces in front of the fans ahead of the fight against Lamas in Fairfield.\n\nAnticipating a war when they meet, 'Money' Mendes is confident that he is stronger than 'The Bully' in every department and that, should he win convincingly, he believes the fans will want to see him get a third crack at Aldo.\n\n'I think Ricardo is a tough guy - he is good everywhere, you know. But the thing is, I feel like everything that he is good at, I'm just that little bit better,' he added.\n\n'I'm hoping that if I win this fight, then enough people will want to watch a third fight between me and Aldo and that the UFC will give it to us, but we'll see what happens.\n\n'If I can get out there and totally dominate, then hopefully that will be enough to get me another shot. I'm expecting a war out there - like I said, Lamas is a tough, tough fighter.'\n\nMendes holds an open training session for fans and media at the UFC Gym in Fairfax, Virginia.\n\nAnd Mendes is not the only one eyeing up a second shot at the featherweight title. Chicago-born Lamas claims he is under no illusions that he will be in for an easy night with Mendes.\n\n'If I keep performing well then the title shot will come,' he said. 'Mendes is a cool guy. He is a good sport and he is a respectful fighter. But this is going to be a tough fight and when it comes to the night, you're going to see us both try to go in there and take each other out.\n\n'I feel like I am strong for my weight but Mendes is a powerhouse too, so we will see what happens. I feel like Chad is a great fighter so we're going to bring the best out of each other, for sure.'\n\nLamas stretches his legs with a kick as he prepares to take on Mendes with an open training session.\n\nMeanwhile arguably two of the lightweight division's most exciting fighters, Jorge Masvidal and Al Iaquinta, meet in the co-main event - a bout which should showcase some of the finest striking in the division.\n\nWatch UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas live on BT Sport 1 on Saturday, April 4. Catch the prelims from 4pm BST and the main card from 6pm BST.", "summary": "Featherweight contestants Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas prepare for their UFC fight night, and both are expecting it to be a tough match. Both fighters speak respectfully of their competition and have high hopes that this fight will lead to additional matches and career growth.  "}
{"article_id": "2569a0bebc5f487db4a5485b0c0896ec", "article": "Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor may have taken the spotlight over the past two weeks when it comes to the UFC's featherweight division, but this weekend it's time for two other top ranked 145ers to take centre stage, as No 1 ranked Chad Mendes and No 4 ranked Ricardo Lamas meet in Fairfax, in a bout which could potentially determine the next challenger to the title.\n\nMendes' only two professional losses have come at the hands of the Brazilian king and Lamas also dropped a decision to Aldo when the two met in February last year.\n\nBut it is Aldo's upcoming opponent, Irishman McGregor, who has dominated conversation in the lead up to this weekend's fight.\n\nOpponents Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas face off during the UFC weigh-in at the Patriot Center.\n\nLamas holds an open training session for fans and media at the UFC Gym on in Fairfax, Virginia.\n\n'I thought Aldo handled it well' said Team Alpha Male's Mendes, when asked about Aldo's reaction to McGregor snatching the championship belt on stage in Dublin. 'But that's Conor, he is crazy, you know,' Mendes continued.\n\n'Aldo has been the champion for a long time. Conor is the type of guy who is always going to run his mouth, but I highly doubt Aldo is going to let that get to him. I feel like whoever wins, I'm good. I think Aldo is a better mixed martial artist so I think he is going to win. He knows what he is doing - I just see him winning the fight.'\n\nA stark contrast to the championship pairing, Mendes and Lamas have shown nothing but respect for one another in the lead up to Saturday night's main event.\n\nMendes flexes his guns at the weight-in before his clash with rival Lamas at the Patriot Centre.\n\nMendes is put though his paces in front of the fans ahead of the fight against Lamas in Fairfield.\n\nAnticipating a war when they meet, 'Money' Mendes is confident that he is stronger than 'The Bully' in every department and that, should he win convincingly, he believes the fans will want to see him get a third crack at Aldo.\n\n'I think Ricardo is a tough guy - he is good everywhere, you know. But the thing is, I feel like everything that he is good at, I'm just that little bit better,' he added.\n\n'I'm hoping that if I win this fight, then enough people will want to watch a third fight between me and Aldo and that the UFC will give it to us, but we'll see what happens.\n\n'If I can get out there and totally dominate, then hopefully that will be enough to get me another shot. I'm expecting a war out there - like I said, Lamas is a tough, tough fighter.'\n\nMendes holds an open training session for fans and media at the UFC Gym in Fairfax, Virginia.\n\nAnd Mendes is not the only one eyeing up a second shot at the featherweight title. Chicago-born Lamas claims he is under no illusions that he will be in for an easy night with Mendes.\n\n'If I keep performing well then the title shot will come,' he said. 'Mendes is a cool guy. He is a good sport and he is a respectful fighter. But this is going to be a tough fight and when it comes to the night, you're going to see us both try to go in there and take each other out.\n\n'I feel like I am strong for my weight but Mendes is a powerhouse too, so we will see what happens. I feel like Chad is a great fighter so we're going to bring the best out of each other, for sure.'\n\nLamas stretches his legs with a kick as he prepares to take on Mendes with an open training session.\n\nMeanwhile arguably two of the lightweight division's most exciting fighters, Jorge Masvidal and Al Iaquinta, meet in the co-main event - a bout which should showcase some of the finest striking in the division.\n\nWatch UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas live on BT Sport 1 on Saturday, April 4. Catch the prelims from 4pm BST and the main card from 6pm BST.", "summary": "Chad Mendes and Ricardo Lamas face off during the UFC weigh-in at the Patriot Center. They will face each other on Saturday,  April 4, and whoever wins will get a chance to take the UFC Featherweight Title. Although there's a stark contrast between both fighters, they showed nothing but respect for one another. "}
{"article_id": "7d6aca97a8934adda2d0a5481808a5c8", "article": "Hong Kong (CNN)Six people were hurt after an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in China's southeastern Fujian province sparked a huge fire, provincial authorities told state media.\n\nThe plant, located in Zhangzhou city, produces paraxylene (PX), a reportedly carcinogenic chemical used in the production of polyester films and fabrics.\n\nThe blast occurred at an oil storage facility Monday night after an oil leak, though local media has not reported any toxic chemical spill.\n\nFive out of six people were injured by broken glass and have been sent to the hospital for treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters were sent to battle the blaze and the fire is now under control, the Zhangzhou fire department wrote on their official microblogging account Tuesday morning.\n\nResidents living close to the plant had heard the explosion and took to Weibo to post photos of the fire.\n\nOne user wrote that he heard a loud blast and felt slight tremors.\n\nThe plant was hit by another explosion in July 2013, although there were no reports of casualties or toxic leaks at the time.\n\nThough demonstrations are illegal in China, the construction of PX plants has sparked protests, which have occasionally turned violent, in several cities in recent years.\n\nThe Zhangzhou plant was slated for Xiamen -- a densely populated city in the southeast of the country. However, it provoked an angry backlash in 2007 due to pollution concerns and prompted the local government to relocate the factory to its current, more remote location.", "summary": "Six people were injured in an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in the city of Zhangzhou. Five out of the six injured were hurt from broken glass shards. The plant manufactures carcinogenic chemicals used in polyester films and fabrics.  "}
{"article_id": "7d6aca97a8934adda2d0a5481808a5c8", "article": "Hong Kong (CNN)Six people were hurt after an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in China's southeastern Fujian province sparked a huge fire, provincial authorities told state media.\n\nThe plant, located in Zhangzhou city, produces paraxylene (PX), a reportedly carcinogenic chemical used in the production of polyester films and fabrics.\n\nThe blast occurred at an oil storage facility Monday night after an oil leak, though local media has not reported any toxic chemical spill.\n\nFive out of six people were injured by broken glass and have been sent to the hospital for treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters were sent to battle the blaze and the fire is now under control, the Zhangzhou fire department wrote on their official microblogging account Tuesday morning.\n\nResidents living close to the plant had heard the explosion and took to Weibo to post photos of the fire.\n\nOne user wrote that he heard a loud blast and felt slight tremors.\n\nThe plant was hit by another explosion in July 2013, although there were no reports of casualties or toxic leaks at the time.\n\nThough demonstrations are illegal in China, the construction of PX plants has sparked protests, which have occasionally turned violent, in several cities in recent years.\n\nThe Zhangzhou plant was slated for Xiamen -- a densely populated city in the southeast of the country. However, it provoked an angry backlash in 2007 due to pollution concerns and prompted the local government to relocate the factory to its current, more remote location.", "summary": "A chemical plant exploded in Zhangzhou, China, after the storage facility had an oil leak. Six people were injured by the blast, and 600 firefighters were sent to extinguish the flames, which are now under control. The plant was originally planned to be built in the densely populated city of Xiamen, but was relocated due to protests over pollution concerns. "}
{"article_id": "7d6aca97a8934adda2d0a5481808a5c8", "article": "Hong Kong (CNN)Six people were hurt after an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in China's southeastern Fujian province sparked a huge fire, provincial authorities told state media.\n\nThe plant, located in Zhangzhou city, produces paraxylene (PX), a reportedly carcinogenic chemical used in the production of polyester films and fabrics.\n\nThe blast occurred at an oil storage facility Monday night after an oil leak, though local media has not reported any toxic chemical spill.\n\nFive out of six people were injured by broken glass and have been sent to the hospital for treatment, Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters were sent to battle the blaze and the fire is now under control, the Zhangzhou fire department wrote on their official microblogging account Tuesday morning.\n\nResidents living close to the plant had heard the explosion and took to Weibo to post photos of the fire.\n\nOne user wrote that he heard a loud blast and felt slight tremors.\n\nThe plant was hit by another explosion in July 2013, although there were no reports of casualties or toxic leaks at the time.\n\nThough demonstrations are illegal in China, the construction of PX plants has sparked protests, which have occasionally turned violent, in several cities in recent years.\n\nThe Zhangzhou plant was slated for Xiamen -- a densely populated city in the southeast of the country. However, it provoked an angry backlash in 2007 due to pollution concerns and prompted the local government to relocate the factory to its current, more remote location.", "summary": "Six people were hurt by an explosion at a chemical plant in Fujian China sparked a huge fire, and five of them were also injured by broken glass. The blast occurred after an oil leak. To make matters worse, the plant produces PX, a substance illegal in China, sparking protests in several cities. "}
{"article_id": "77dd7eb99eaa458a9c33612845124d03", "article": "The president of the MGM Grand is making a solemn promise to the hundreds of thousands of party-goers already flocking to Las Vegas for Saturday's Fight of the Century.\n\n'They have my guarantee we will not run out of beer this weekend,' says Scott Sibella.\n\nThat is a reference to how Ricky Hatton's trans-Atlantic army of 30,000 fans drank the Strip dry when he fought Floyd Mayweather eight years ago.\n\nWith 10 times that number expected to descend on this oasis in the Nevada desert \u2013 just so they can say 'I was there' on the night Mayweather finally fights Manny Pacquiao \u2013 the MGM food and beverage department are taking no chances.\n\nThe MGM Grand is getting ready to host Floyd Mayweather's showdown with Manny Pacquiao.\n\nThe hotel resort on the Las Vegas strip will host the biggest boxing contest ever on Saturday night.\n\nAdvertisements for the fight on Saturday night are all over the MGM Grand hotel ahead of the contest.\n\nThe MGM Grand expect 50,000 people each day to pass through for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's fight.\n\n1993 - Year opened.\n\n280ft - height of the four 30-storey towers.\n\n2,500 - slot machines and video poker.\n\n7,000 - Rooms and suites.\n\n9,000 - employees work at the hotel.\n\n16,000 - Garden Arena capacity.\n\n100,000 - people expected for the event.\n\n170,000 - Square feet of gaming.\n\nA convoy of trucks is already delivering the first consignments of half a million bottles of Budweiser, Miller Lite, Corona and Tecate, who are paying more than $5million (\u00a33.3m) to be one of the fight's sponsors.\n\nMany early arrivals are busy now stock-piling cases of their preferred foaming nectar in their rooms at the hotel, which will cost them $1,600 (\u00a31,057) a night come Friday and Saturday.\n\nEven at those prices, they are the lucky ones. The majority of rooms on the Strip are reserved for proven high-rollers with track records of seven-figure gambling. Sibella says: 'We are taking care of major clients from all over the world.'\n\nMany late-comers are being reduced to renting out not only rooms in private houses but the caravans parked in those gardens.\n\nSibella expects 50,000 people to set foot in the MGM each day for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's main event itself, in addition to the near 14,000 occupants of the 7,000 rooms and suites.\n\nMerchandise for the fight on sale at the MGM Grand with just days to go before the blockbuster event.\n\nA hotel guest looks at a display of title belts belonging to the unbeaten American Mayweather.\n\nThe hotel is putting the finishing touches on it's preparations for the biggest event in Las Vegas history.\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nNow share your opinion.\n\nA hundred thousand hot dogs will be sizzling in readiness in and around the Grand Garden Arena.\n\nAll this is only the surface of the liquid lake and the tip of the food mountain which will be drunk and devoured at the MGM Grand and the group's 13 other hotel-casinos on the Strip.\n\nIn its comparatively new incarnation as a holiday resort destination rather than just a gambling mecca, Vegas now generates even more revenue from such sources as accommodation, restaurants, bars and shows than it does from betting.\n\nSibella says: 'At an event like this we want to maximise all our non-gaming revenue.'\n\nNevertheless, the casino drop is expected to at least double the record take at the tables which has been set on New Year's Eve and equalled for Mike Tyson's biggest fights.\n\nProjections for the economic impact on the Vegas economy have been revised upwards from an initial $400m (\u00a3265m) to well over a billion dollars.\n\nThis is the fun part of a military scale operation for putting on the mega-rich fight for which the world of boxing and beyond has been waiting for five years.\n\nThe MGM has an army of 9,000 employees, almost two to every three hotel guests. Many are engaged in security and this is where it gets serious.\n\nMayweather's fight against Pacquiao will take place at the MGM Grand's 16,000-capacity Garden Arena.\n\nFewer than a thousand tickets went on sale to the public with the rest to be distributed privately.\n\nAs well as being a hotel, the MGM Grand is a world-famous resort with casinos and entertainment.\n\nIt is a complex task playing host to what will be the biggest single event in Las Vegas history but ask Sibella for his greatest concern and he says: 'The safety of all these people.'\n\nFights this big bring special risks. There will be a melting pot of thousands of Mayweather's fellow American rappers and almost as many Filipino immigrants supporting Pacquiao.\n\nBut it is not the cultural mix which worries the hosts.\n\nA number of fight nights at the Grand Garden have ended in pushing, shoving and near-crushing among the crowds as they tried to leave.\n\nFortunately there have been no fatalities but after Mayweather's most recent fight here, against Marcos Maidana, a number of injured had to be stretchered away for hospital treatment.\n\nAfter 'the last stampede,' as Sibella describes it, he called summit meetings to devise a new strategy for crowd control.\n\nA Grand King Room, which on Monday was being sold on the website for over $1,800 for the night of the fight.\n\nThe MGM resort has a golf course along with restaurants and casinos as part of it's entertainment experience.\n\nGambling is a huge source of revenue for most Las Vegas hotels, including the MGM Grand.\n\nThe two roots of the problem were the single exit route from the arena and the thousands without tickets still waiting outside, lining those hallways in hope of glimpsing the rich and famous.\n\nResorts here like to steer the foot traffic through the casino floors but Sibella is putting safety first.\n\nAlthough the gaming areas are required by law to be open for free entrance, movement beyond the tables to the concourses leading to the arena will be restricted to fight ticket-holders and those with restaurant or bar reservations.\n\n'The problem has not so much been the spectators leaving as the people-watchers blocking their movement,' says Sibella. 'We are now working on opening up more exit routes.'\n\nFurthermore, this Saturday, the rubber-neckers will be kept at a distance. They will be further discouraged by the celebrities \u2013 sports stars and Hollywood royalty among them - using a private, guarded entrance out of eyesight of the throng.\n\nMetal detectors have been obligatory since Tyson's infamous ear-biting fight against Evander Holyfield spilled out into a riot on the main casino floor, with reports of gunfire and sightings of at least one cop drawing his weapon.\n\nMayweather's last 10 fights have all taken place at the MGM Grand, including two against Marcos Maidana.\n\nThe unbeaten American beat Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in December 2007.\n\nHatton was also on the end of another devastating defeat by Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in May 2009.\n\nSibella says: 'Like Floyd and Manny, we need a perfect game plan.'\n\nMore than 50,000 of the out-of-towners will be syphoned away from the arena hot-spot to watch closed-circuit TV transmission on giant screens located in all the MGM properties.\n\nEven that facility for viewing the richest fight ever will cost $150 (\u00a399) a ticket. For the first time in ring history there will be a charge for admission to the weigh-in \u2013 at the arena on Friday \u2013 to facilitate crowd control for that event. Proceeds \u2013 at $10 a head \u2013 will go to charities nominated by Mayweather and Pacquiao.\n\nCome Saturday, MGM corporate security, the Las Vegas police and Nevada State Troopers will make a co-ordinated effort not only to deter crime but to keep the flow of people and traffic moving through the hotel and casino and out along the Strip.\n\nMayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in 2007 in a fight that set pay-per-view records.\n\nThose travelling by limousines and taxis will be urged to disembark and embark quickly at extra drop-off and pick-up points.\n\nTyson's fights often degenerated into crowd chaos but Sibella expects Mayweather and Pacquiao to play their part in ensuring a peaceful as well as atmospheric occasion.\n\nHe says: 'The styles of Floyd and Manny should combine to produce a fight which lives up to all the hype.\n\nIf it's the great fight I expect, it will help create the happy night we all want.'\n\nJust for the record, most of we lucky 1,500 journalists out of 18,000 applicants for media accreditation are working this week in a marquee erected on a car park adjacent to the arena. No beer or any other alcohol allowed.", "summary": "The MGM Grand is getting ready for the fight of the century, as Floyd Mayweather faces off with Manny Pacquiao on Saturday. Scott Sibella, President of the MGM Grand promises that they will not run out of beer this weekend, as a reference to the Hatton-Mayweather fight where the entire strip ran out of beer."}
{"article_id": "77dd7eb99eaa458a9c33612845124d03", "article": "The president of the MGM Grand is making a solemn promise to the hundreds of thousands of party-goers already flocking to Las Vegas for Saturday's Fight of the Century.\n\n'They have my guarantee we will not run out of beer this weekend,' says Scott Sibella.\n\nThat is a reference to how Ricky Hatton's trans-Atlantic army of 30,000 fans drank the Strip dry when he fought Floyd Mayweather eight years ago.\n\nWith 10 times that number expected to descend on this oasis in the Nevada desert \u2013 just so they can say 'I was there' on the night Mayweather finally fights Manny Pacquiao \u2013 the MGM food and beverage department are taking no chances.\n\nThe MGM Grand is getting ready to host Floyd Mayweather's showdown with Manny Pacquiao.\n\nThe hotel resort on the Las Vegas strip will host the biggest boxing contest ever on Saturday night.\n\nAdvertisements for the fight on Saturday night are all over the MGM Grand hotel ahead of the contest.\n\nThe MGM Grand expect 50,000 people each day to pass through for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's fight.\n\n1993 - Year opened.\n\n280ft - height of the four 30-storey towers.\n\n2,500 - slot machines and video poker.\n\n7,000 - Rooms and suites.\n\n9,000 - employees work at the hotel.\n\n16,000 - Garden Arena capacity.\n\n100,000 - people expected for the event.\n\n170,000 - Square feet of gaming.\n\nA convoy of trucks is already delivering the first consignments of half a million bottles of Budweiser, Miller Lite, Corona and Tecate, who are paying more than $5million (\u00a33.3m) to be one of the fight's sponsors.\n\nMany early arrivals are busy now stock-piling cases of their preferred foaming nectar in their rooms at the hotel, which will cost them $1,600 (\u00a31,057) a night come Friday and Saturday.\n\nEven at those prices, they are the lucky ones. The majority of rooms on the Strip are reserved for proven high-rollers with track records of seven-figure gambling. Sibella says: 'We are taking care of major clients from all over the world.'\n\nMany late-comers are being reduced to renting out not only rooms in private houses but the caravans parked in those gardens.\n\nSibella expects 50,000 people to set foot in the MGM each day for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's main event itself, in addition to the near 14,000 occupants of the 7,000 rooms and suites.\n\nMerchandise for the fight on sale at the MGM Grand with just days to go before the blockbuster event.\n\nA hotel guest looks at a display of title belts belonging to the unbeaten American Mayweather.\n\nThe hotel is putting the finishing touches on it's preparations for the biggest event in Las Vegas history.\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nNow share your opinion.\n\nA hundred thousand hot dogs will be sizzling in readiness in and around the Grand Garden Arena.\n\nAll this is only the surface of the liquid lake and the tip of the food mountain which will be drunk and devoured at the MGM Grand and the group's 13 other hotel-casinos on the Strip.\n\nIn its comparatively new incarnation as a holiday resort destination rather than just a gambling mecca, Vegas now generates even more revenue from such sources as accommodation, restaurants, bars and shows than it does from betting.\n\nSibella says: 'At an event like this we want to maximise all our non-gaming revenue.'\n\nNevertheless, the casino drop is expected to at least double the record take at the tables which has been set on New Year's Eve and equalled for Mike Tyson's biggest fights.\n\nProjections for the economic impact on the Vegas economy have been revised upwards from an initial $400m (\u00a3265m) to well over a billion dollars.\n\nThis is the fun part of a military scale operation for putting on the mega-rich fight for which the world of boxing and beyond has been waiting for five years.\n\nThe MGM has an army of 9,000 employees, almost two to every three hotel guests. Many are engaged in security and this is where it gets serious.\n\nMayweather's fight against Pacquiao will take place at the MGM Grand's 16,000-capacity Garden Arena.\n\nFewer than a thousand tickets went on sale to the public with the rest to be distributed privately.\n\nAs well as being a hotel, the MGM Grand is a world-famous resort with casinos and entertainment.\n\nIt is a complex task playing host to what will be the biggest single event in Las Vegas history but ask Sibella for his greatest concern and he says: 'The safety of all these people.'\n\nFights this big bring special risks. There will be a melting pot of thousands of Mayweather's fellow American rappers and almost as many Filipino immigrants supporting Pacquiao.\n\nBut it is not the cultural mix which worries the hosts.\n\nA number of fight nights at the Grand Garden have ended in pushing, shoving and near-crushing among the crowds as they tried to leave.\n\nFortunately there have been no fatalities but after Mayweather's most recent fight here, against Marcos Maidana, a number of injured had to be stretchered away for hospital treatment.\n\nAfter 'the last stampede,' as Sibella describes it, he called summit meetings to devise a new strategy for crowd control.\n\nA Grand King Room, which on Monday was being sold on the website for over $1,800 for the night of the fight.\n\nThe MGM resort has a golf course along with restaurants and casinos as part of it's entertainment experience.\n\nGambling is a huge source of revenue for most Las Vegas hotels, including the MGM Grand.\n\nThe two roots of the problem were the single exit route from the arena and the thousands without tickets still waiting outside, lining those hallways in hope of glimpsing the rich and famous.\n\nResorts here like to steer the foot traffic through the casino floors but Sibella is putting safety first.\n\nAlthough the gaming areas are required by law to be open for free entrance, movement beyond the tables to the concourses leading to the arena will be restricted to fight ticket-holders and those with restaurant or bar reservations.\n\n'The problem has not so much been the spectators leaving as the people-watchers blocking their movement,' says Sibella. 'We are now working on opening up more exit routes.'\n\nFurthermore, this Saturday, the rubber-neckers will be kept at a distance. They will be further discouraged by the celebrities \u2013 sports stars and Hollywood royalty among them - using a private, guarded entrance out of eyesight of the throng.\n\nMetal detectors have been obligatory since Tyson's infamous ear-biting fight against Evander Holyfield spilled out into a riot on the main casino floor, with reports of gunfire and sightings of at least one cop drawing his weapon.\n\nMayweather's last 10 fights have all taken place at the MGM Grand, including two against Marcos Maidana.\n\nThe unbeaten American beat Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in December 2007.\n\nHatton was also on the end of another devastating defeat by Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in May 2009.\n\nSibella says: 'Like Floyd and Manny, we need a perfect game plan.'\n\nMore than 50,000 of the out-of-towners will be syphoned away from the arena hot-spot to watch closed-circuit TV transmission on giant screens located in all the MGM properties.\n\nEven that facility for viewing the richest fight ever will cost $150 (\u00a399) a ticket. For the first time in ring history there will be a charge for admission to the weigh-in \u2013 at the arena on Friday \u2013 to facilitate crowd control for that event. Proceeds \u2013 at $10 a head \u2013 will go to charities nominated by Mayweather and Pacquiao.\n\nCome Saturday, MGM corporate security, the Las Vegas police and Nevada State Troopers will make a co-ordinated effort not only to deter crime but to keep the flow of people and traffic moving through the hotel and casino and out along the Strip.\n\nMayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in 2007 in a fight that set pay-per-view records.\n\nThose travelling by limousines and taxis will be urged to disembark and embark quickly at extra drop-off and pick-up points.\n\nTyson's fights often degenerated into crowd chaos but Sibella expects Mayweather and Pacquiao to play their part in ensuring a peaceful as well as atmospheric occasion.\n\nHe says: 'The styles of Floyd and Manny should combine to produce a fight which lives up to all the hype.\n\nIf it's the great fight I expect, it will help create the happy night we all want.'\n\nJust for the record, most of we lucky 1,500 journalists out of 18,000 applicants for media accreditation are working this week in a marquee erected on a car park adjacent to the arena. No beer or any other alcohol allowed.", "summary": "The MGM Grand resort in Las Vegas is preparing for the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao, which is expected to be the biggest boxing contest ever. Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected, and the event planners are focusing on safety, security, and ensuring there is enough food and alcohol."}
{"article_id": "77dd7eb99eaa458a9c33612845124d03", "article": "The president of the MGM Grand is making a solemn promise to the hundreds of thousands of party-goers already flocking to Las Vegas for Saturday's Fight of the Century.\n\n'They have my guarantee we will not run out of beer this weekend,' says Scott Sibella.\n\nThat is a reference to how Ricky Hatton's trans-Atlantic army of 30,000 fans drank the Strip dry when he fought Floyd Mayweather eight years ago.\n\nWith 10 times that number expected to descend on this oasis in the Nevada desert \u2013 just so they can say 'I was there' on the night Mayweather finally fights Manny Pacquiao \u2013 the MGM food and beverage department are taking no chances.\n\nThe MGM Grand is getting ready to host Floyd Mayweather's showdown with Manny Pacquiao.\n\nThe hotel resort on the Las Vegas strip will host the biggest boxing contest ever on Saturday night.\n\nAdvertisements for the fight on Saturday night are all over the MGM Grand hotel ahead of the contest.\n\nThe MGM Grand expect 50,000 people each day to pass through for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's fight.\n\n1993 - Year opened.\n\n280ft - height of the four 30-storey towers.\n\n2,500 - slot machines and video poker.\n\n7,000 - Rooms and suites.\n\n9,000 - employees work at the hotel.\n\n16,000 - Garden Arena capacity.\n\n100,000 - people expected for the event.\n\n170,000 - Square feet of gaming.\n\nA convoy of trucks is already delivering the first consignments of half a million bottles of Budweiser, Miller Lite, Corona and Tecate, who are paying more than $5million (\u00a33.3m) to be one of the fight's sponsors.\n\nMany early arrivals are busy now stock-piling cases of their preferred foaming nectar in their rooms at the hotel, which will cost them $1,600 (\u00a31,057) a night come Friday and Saturday.\n\nEven at those prices, they are the lucky ones. The majority of rooms on the Strip are reserved for proven high-rollers with track records of seven-figure gambling. Sibella says: 'We are taking care of major clients from all over the world.'\n\nMany late-comers are being reduced to renting out not only rooms in private houses but the caravans parked in those gardens.\n\nSibella expects 50,000 people to set foot in the MGM each day for Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's main event itself, in addition to the near 14,000 occupants of the 7,000 rooms and suites.\n\nMerchandise for the fight on sale at the MGM Grand with just days to go before the blockbuster event.\n\nA hotel guest looks at a display of title belts belonging to the unbeaten American Mayweather.\n\nThe hotel is putting the finishing touches on it's preparations for the biggest event in Las Vegas history.\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nWho do you think WILL win the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?\n\nNow share your opinion.\n\nA hundred thousand hot dogs will be sizzling in readiness in and around the Grand Garden Arena.\n\nAll this is only the surface of the liquid lake and the tip of the food mountain which will be drunk and devoured at the MGM Grand and the group's 13 other hotel-casinos on the Strip.\n\nIn its comparatively new incarnation as a holiday resort destination rather than just a gambling mecca, Vegas now generates even more revenue from such sources as accommodation, restaurants, bars and shows than it does from betting.\n\nSibella says: 'At an event like this we want to maximise all our non-gaming revenue.'\n\nNevertheless, the casino drop is expected to at least double the record take at the tables which has been set on New Year's Eve and equalled for Mike Tyson's biggest fights.\n\nProjections for the economic impact on the Vegas economy have been revised upwards from an initial $400m (\u00a3265m) to well over a billion dollars.\n\nThis is the fun part of a military scale operation for putting on the mega-rich fight for which the world of boxing and beyond has been waiting for five years.\n\nThe MGM has an army of 9,000 employees, almost two to every three hotel guests. Many are engaged in security and this is where it gets serious.\n\nMayweather's fight against Pacquiao will take place at the MGM Grand's 16,000-capacity Garden Arena.\n\nFewer than a thousand tickets went on sale to the public with the rest to be distributed privately.\n\nAs well as being a hotel, the MGM Grand is a world-famous resort with casinos and entertainment.\n\nIt is a complex task playing host to what will be the biggest single event in Las Vegas history but ask Sibella for his greatest concern and he says: 'The safety of all these people.'\n\nFights this big bring special risks. There will be a melting pot of thousands of Mayweather's fellow American rappers and almost as many Filipino immigrants supporting Pacquiao.\n\nBut it is not the cultural mix which worries the hosts.\n\nA number of fight nights at the Grand Garden have ended in pushing, shoving and near-crushing among the crowds as they tried to leave.\n\nFortunately there have been no fatalities but after Mayweather's most recent fight here, against Marcos Maidana, a number of injured had to be stretchered away for hospital treatment.\n\nAfter 'the last stampede,' as Sibella describes it, he called summit meetings to devise a new strategy for crowd control.\n\nA Grand King Room, which on Monday was being sold on the website for over $1,800 for the night of the fight.\n\nThe MGM resort has a golf course along with restaurants and casinos as part of it's entertainment experience.\n\nGambling is a huge source of revenue for most Las Vegas hotels, including the MGM Grand.\n\nThe two roots of the problem were the single exit route from the arena and the thousands without tickets still waiting outside, lining those hallways in hope of glimpsing the rich and famous.\n\nResorts here like to steer the foot traffic through the casino floors but Sibella is putting safety first.\n\nAlthough the gaming areas are required by law to be open for free entrance, movement beyond the tables to the concourses leading to the arena will be restricted to fight ticket-holders and those with restaurant or bar reservations.\n\n'The problem has not so much been the spectators leaving as the people-watchers blocking their movement,' says Sibella. 'We are now working on opening up more exit routes.'\n\nFurthermore, this Saturday, the rubber-neckers will be kept at a distance. They will be further discouraged by the celebrities \u2013 sports stars and Hollywood royalty among them - using a private, guarded entrance out of eyesight of the throng.\n\nMetal detectors have been obligatory since Tyson's infamous ear-biting fight against Evander Holyfield spilled out into a riot on the main casino floor, with reports of gunfire and sightings of at least one cop drawing his weapon.\n\nMayweather's last 10 fights have all taken place at the MGM Grand, including two against Marcos Maidana.\n\nThe unbeaten American beat Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in December 2007.\n\nHatton was also on the end of another devastating defeat by Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in May 2009.\n\nSibella says: 'Like Floyd and Manny, we need a perfect game plan.'\n\nMore than 50,000 of the out-of-towners will be syphoned away from the arena hot-spot to watch closed-circuit TV transmission on giant screens located in all the MGM properties.\n\nEven that facility for viewing the richest fight ever will cost $150 (\u00a399) a ticket. For the first time in ring history there will be a charge for admission to the weigh-in \u2013 at the arena on Friday \u2013 to facilitate crowd control for that event. Proceeds \u2013 at $10 a head \u2013 will go to charities nominated by Mayweather and Pacquiao.\n\nCome Saturday, MGM corporate security, the Las Vegas police and Nevada State Troopers will make a co-ordinated effort not only to deter crime but to keep the flow of people and traffic moving through the hotel and casino and out along the Strip.\n\nMayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in 2007 in a fight that set pay-per-view records.\n\nThose travelling by limousines and taxis will be urged to disembark and embark quickly at extra drop-off and pick-up points.\n\nTyson's fights often degenerated into crowd chaos but Sibella expects Mayweather and Pacquiao to play their part in ensuring a peaceful as well as atmospheric occasion.\n\nHe says: 'The styles of Floyd and Manny should combine to produce a fight which lives up to all the hype.\n\nIf it's the great fight I expect, it will help create the happy night we all want.'\n\nJust for the record, most of we lucky 1,500 journalists out of 18,000 applicants for media accreditation are working this week in a marquee erected on a car park adjacent to the arena. No beer or any other alcohol allowed.", "summary": "The MGM Grand is hosting what's being called the most prominent event ever in Las Vegas. Floyd Mayweather is finally fighting Manny Pacquiao. To prepare for the event, the Grand is taking a significant number of precautions, most of which are to keep the select few guests safe from the throngs of people present outside."}
{"article_id": "43fe258814434c85a12ac88831a476c3", "article": "Samantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nThe Prime Minister's wife swooped into Rochester and Strood, the seat held by Mark Reckless after he defected from the Tories last summer.\n\nDavid Cameron has made no secret of his desire to kick Mr Reckless's 'fat arse' out of the Commons, and clearly hopes his wife can woo voters in the crucial Kent battleground.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSamantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nMrs Cameron joined Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst for a visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron met Mitchell, aged four, at the Abbey Court School in Rainham, a special school \u00a0for three to 19-year-olds.\n\nShe also spoke to five-year-old Jessica at the school, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'\n\nMrs Cameron's first solo appearance three days into the campaign will be seen as a statement of intent from the Conservatives, who are desperate to wrest the seat back from Ukip following the by-election.\n\nVisiting a special school in the constituency, she joked that she was pleased that her campaigning duties did not stretch to a live TV debate.\n\nMr Cameron is due to go head-to-head in a seven-way debate tomorrow night with the leaders of Labour, Lib Dems, Ukip, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru.\n\nMrs Cameron told reporters: 'He doesn't seem too nervous but I'm very glad it's him doing it and not me.'\n\nWhen Mr Reckless defected from the Tories last year, the Prime Minister launched an extraordinary attack on his betrayal.\n\nMr Cameron argued that committed volunteers have \u2018knocked on doors, stuffed envelopes, licked stamps to get his fat arse on the Commons benches, and this is how he repays them\u2019.\n\nBut after the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the by-election triggered by his decision to join Ukip, Mr Reckless\u00a0held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Miss Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Tory Kelly Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'.\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nShe said: 'He's definitely for my mind the best man for the job.\n\n'I hope that me and the family help him to keep things in perspective - keep him grounded - help him to pace himself over the next eight weeks.'\n\nMiss Tolhurst who stood against Mr Reckless at the Rochester and Strood by-election in November.\n\nShe greeted Mrs Cameron as she arrived for the visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron wore a Cos raspberry coloured blouse and a blue skirt from Toast, teamed with navy shoes from Zara.\n\nShe met head teacher Karen Joy as she toured the site for three to 19-year-olds with special educational needs, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'.\n\nMark Reckless defected from the Tories to Ukip last summer. After the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the subsequent by-election, Mr Reckless held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nIn September, Mr Reckless followed Douglas Carswell to become the second Conservative to defect to Ukip.\n\nThe turncoat MP was unrepentant about his defection, insisting the Tories had broken promises on immigration and reducing the deficit.\n\nSenior Conservatives reacted with fury. \u00a0Party chairman Grant Shapps used the opening speech of the Tory conference to mount a sustained attack on Mr Reckless, declaring: \u2018He lied and lied and lied again.\u2019\n\nMr Cameron has admitted that the pressures of wooing voters means their regular date nights will have to be put on hold.\n\nHe told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I think that will probably be a bit testing. I think there won't be much time for some of those things.\n\n'Samantha's going to be on the campaign trail with me. She has also got other things she has to do, including making sure the children make it to school every day.'\n\nIn November's by-election, Mr Reckless won 42 per cent of the vote, ahead of Kelly Tolhurst on 35 per cent.\n\nPrime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne today visited Marston's Brewery in Wolverhampton.\n\nThe Tory power couple were filmed together at the weekend during a visit to Salford's Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester.\n\nSpeaking to a patient, they discussed their many hospital visits with son Ivan, who died in 2009.\n\nThe PM said: 'When our son was very ill, we often went into hospital and it is very difficult to get out at the weekend.'\n\nMrs Cameron added: 'On a Friday, if we thought there was any chance that we could get home, I was like: 'We've got to get out this afternoon'.'", "summary": "Mrs. Cameron has joined her husband David Cameron's campaign for reelection as Prime Minister. She has made several public appearances and spoken on his behalf, while acknowledging that the campaign may be hard on them personally. The campaign is partly aimed to oust Mark Reckless, who defected from the Tories."}
{"article_id": "43fe258814434c85a12ac88831a476c3", "article": "Samantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nThe Prime Minister's wife swooped into Rochester and Strood, the seat held by Mark Reckless after he defected from the Tories last summer.\n\nDavid Cameron has made no secret of his desire to kick Mr Reckless's 'fat arse' out of the Commons, and clearly hopes his wife can woo voters in the crucial Kent battleground.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSamantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nMrs Cameron joined Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst for a visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron met Mitchell, aged four, at the Abbey Court School in Rainham, a special school \u00a0for three to 19-year-olds.\n\nShe also spoke to five-year-old Jessica at the school, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'\n\nMrs Cameron's first solo appearance three days into the campaign will be seen as a statement of intent from the Conservatives, who are desperate to wrest the seat back from Ukip following the by-election.\n\nVisiting a special school in the constituency, she joked that she was pleased that her campaigning duties did not stretch to a live TV debate.\n\nMr Cameron is due to go head-to-head in a seven-way debate tomorrow night with the leaders of Labour, Lib Dems, Ukip, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru.\n\nMrs Cameron told reporters: 'He doesn't seem too nervous but I'm very glad it's him doing it and not me.'\n\nWhen Mr Reckless defected from the Tories last year, the Prime Minister launched an extraordinary attack on his betrayal.\n\nMr Cameron argued that committed volunteers have \u2018knocked on doors, stuffed envelopes, licked stamps to get his fat arse on the Commons benches, and this is how he repays them\u2019.\n\nBut after the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the by-election triggered by his decision to join Ukip, Mr Reckless\u00a0held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Miss Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Tory Kelly Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'.\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nShe said: 'He's definitely for my mind the best man for the job.\n\n'I hope that me and the family help him to keep things in perspective - keep him grounded - help him to pace himself over the next eight weeks.'\n\nMiss Tolhurst who stood against Mr Reckless at the Rochester and Strood by-election in November.\n\nShe greeted Mrs Cameron as she arrived for the visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron wore a Cos raspberry coloured blouse and a blue skirt from Toast, teamed with navy shoes from Zara.\n\nShe met head teacher Karen Joy as she toured the site for three to 19-year-olds with special educational needs, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'.\n\nMark Reckless defected from the Tories to Ukip last summer. After the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the subsequent by-election, Mr Reckless held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nIn September, Mr Reckless followed Douglas Carswell to become the second Conservative to defect to Ukip.\n\nThe turncoat MP was unrepentant about his defection, insisting the Tories had broken promises on immigration and reducing the deficit.\n\nSenior Conservatives reacted with fury. \u00a0Party chairman Grant Shapps used the opening speech of the Tory conference to mount a sustained attack on Mr Reckless, declaring: \u2018He lied and lied and lied again.\u2019\n\nMr Cameron has admitted that the pressures of wooing voters means their regular date nights will have to be put on hold.\n\nHe told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I think that will probably be a bit testing. I think there won't be much time for some of those things.\n\n'Samantha's going to be on the campaign trail with me. She has also got other things she has to do, including making sure the children make it to school every day.'\n\nIn November's by-election, Mr Reckless won 42 per cent of the vote, ahead of Kelly Tolhurst on 35 per cent.\n\nPrime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne today visited Marston's Brewery in Wolverhampton.\n\nThe Tory power couple were filmed together at the weekend during a visit to Salford's Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester.\n\nSpeaking to a patient, they discussed their many hospital visits with son Ivan, who died in 2009.\n\nThe PM said: 'When our son was very ill, we often went into hospital and it is very difficult to get out at the weekend.'\n\nMrs Cameron added: 'On a Friday, if we thought there was any chance that we could get home, I was like: 'We've got to get out this afternoon'.'", "summary": "With the intent to woo voters to vote for her husband, Nancy Cameron made her first solo appearance and visited a Ukip stronghold. Although they might have to sacrifice date nights, Mrs. Cameron is committed to making a series of political interventions to back Mr. Cameron\u2019s\u2019 bid to remain Prime Minister. "}
{"article_id": "43fe258814434c85a12ac88831a476c3", "article": "Samantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nThe Prime Minister's wife swooped into Rochester and Strood, the seat held by Mark Reckless after he defected from the Tories last summer.\n\nDavid Cameron has made no secret of his desire to kick Mr Reckless's 'fat arse' out of the Commons, and clearly hopes his wife can woo voters in the crucial Kent battleground.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSamantha Cameron has made her first solo appearance of the general election with a provocative visit to a Ukip stronghold.\n\nMrs Cameron joined Tory candidate Kelly Tolhurst for a visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron met Mitchell, aged four, at the Abbey Court School in Rainham, a special school \u00a0for three to 19-year-olds.\n\nShe also spoke to five-year-old Jessica at the school, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'\n\nMrs Cameron's first solo appearance three days into the campaign will be seen as a statement of intent from the Conservatives, who are desperate to wrest the seat back from Ukip following the by-election.\n\nVisiting a special school in the constituency, she joked that she was pleased that her campaigning duties did not stretch to a live TV debate.\n\nMr Cameron is due to go head-to-head in a seven-way debate tomorrow night with the leaders of Labour, Lib Dems, Ukip, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru.\n\nMrs Cameron told reporters: 'He doesn't seem too nervous but I'm very glad it's him doing it and not me.'\n\nWhen Mr Reckless defected from the Tories last year, the Prime Minister launched an extraordinary attack on his betrayal.\n\nMr Cameron argued that committed volunteers have \u2018knocked on doors, stuffed envelopes, licked stamps to get his fat arse on the Commons benches, and this is how he repays them\u2019.\n\nBut after the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the by-election triggered by his decision to join Ukip, Mr Reckless\u00a0held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Miss Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nTory sources said it remains a 'key seat' and Mrs Cameron was keen to support Tory Kelly Tolhurst who is a 'great local candidate'.\n\nMrs Cameron is expected to make a series of more stridently political interventions, after using a BBC interview last month to back her husband's bid to remain as Prime Minister.\n\nShe said: 'He's definitely for my mind the best man for the job.\n\n'I hope that me and the family help him to keep things in perspective - keep him grounded - help him to pace himself over the next eight weeks.'\n\nMiss Tolhurst who stood against Mr Reckless at the Rochester and Strood by-election in November.\n\nShe greeted Mrs Cameron as she arrived for the visit to Abbey Court School in Rainham, Kent.\n\nMrs Cameron wore a Cos raspberry coloured blouse and a blue skirt from Toast, teamed with navy shoes from Zara.\n\nShe met head teacher Karen Joy as she toured the site for three to 19-year-olds with special educational needs, which aides said was 'very close to her heart'.\n\nMark Reckless defected from the Tories to Ukip last summer. After the Conservatives threw the kitchen sink at the subsequent by-election, Mr Reckless held it with a majority of 2,920.\n\nIn September, Mr Reckless followed Douglas Carswell to become the second Conservative to defect to Ukip.\n\nThe turncoat MP was unrepentant about his defection, insisting the Tories had broken promises on immigration and reducing the deficit.\n\nSenior Conservatives reacted with fury. \u00a0Party chairman Grant Shapps used the opening speech of the Tory conference to mount a sustained attack on Mr Reckless, declaring: \u2018He lied and lied and lied again.\u2019\n\nMr Cameron has admitted that the pressures of wooing voters means their regular date nights will have to be put on hold.\n\nHe told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I think that will probably be a bit testing. I think there won't be much time for some of those things.\n\n'Samantha's going to be on the campaign trail with me. She has also got other things she has to do, including making sure the children make it to school every day.'\n\nIn November's by-election, Mr Reckless won 42 per cent of the vote, ahead of Kelly Tolhurst on 35 per cent.\n\nPrime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne today visited Marston's Brewery in Wolverhampton.\n\nThe Tory power couple were filmed together at the weekend during a visit to Salford's Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester.\n\nSpeaking to a patient, they discussed their many hospital visits with son Ivan, who died in 2009.\n\nThe PM said: 'When our son was very ill, we often went into hospital and it is very difficult to get out at the weekend.'\n\nMrs Cameron added: 'On a Friday, if we thought there was any chance that we could get home, I was like: 'We've got to get out this afternoon'.'", "summary": "Samantha Cameron, the wife of Prime Minister David Cameron, has become involved in his political battle against Mark Reckless. Last month, Mrs. Cameron engage in a BBC interview where she backed her husband's bid to continue in his role as Prime Minister. Mrs. Cameron's most recent duty involved visiting a special school in the constituency. "}
{"article_id": "e92a0e61638344b8aebea5964d19694c", "article": "Adult social care firms are struggling to hire, retain and train staff as a result of cuts to council budgets, a survey of senior officials suggests.\n\nCouncils in England are facing a \u00a31.1bn shortfall this year, on top of \"almost unendurable\" cuts since 2010, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned.\n\nFreezing care provider fees to save money was no long sustainable, it said.\n\nMinisters say extra money will help NHS and social care services work together.\n\nThe survey, which was completed by 147 directors of adult social services for councils in England, suggests that funding reductions to social care budgets have totalled \u00a34.6bn since 2010 - a 31% overall reduction.\n\nBudgets for adult social care - which provides practical support to people due to illness, disability, old age or a low income - will reduce by a further \u00a3500m in cash terms this year, it said.\n\n\"Taking the growth in numbers of older and disabled people into account, this means that an additional \u00a31.1bn would be needed to provide the same level of service as last year,\" the report warned.\n\nIt said some councils had made savings in the past by freezing fees paid to providers, but care providers were now also facing financial problems.\n\nSome companies - particularly those in southern England - are struggling to attract staff, amid increasing concern about the quality of care, it said.\n\n\"What is at stake is the continuing capacity of adult social care to sustain services to those in greatest need,\" ADASS president Ray James said.\n\n\"In virtually all our authorities, the number in need is growing, while the complexity of their needs is increasing.\"\n\nADASS called for the government to \"protect essential care and support services to the most vulnerable members of our community\".\n\nBut a government spokesman said the survey \"ignores\" a commitment to invest \u00a310bn in health services that are being \"joined up\" with social care, by 2020.\n\nThe BBC has launched an online guide to the care system for the over-65s. The \"care calculator\" covers residential care and the support provided in people's own homes, for tasks such as washing and dressing.\n\nUsers can submit their postcode and find out how much each service costs where they live in the UK.\n\nThere is also a dedicated BBC Cost of Care website, with news stories, analysis and video.\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Increasing budgets isn't the only solution. By working innovatively and joining up health and social care we can improve care and also save money.\"\n\nHowever, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, from the Local Government Association (LGA), said adult social care services were facing \"enormous pressures\" due to \"insufficient funding, growing demand and escalating costs\".\n\n\"We have long warned that investing in the NHS whilst social care budgets are under continual pressure is simply a false economy.\n\n\"It is social care services that support elderly and vulnerable people to maintain their independence, live in their own community and stay out of hospital longer,\" she added.\n\nCaroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the idea of a further \u00a31bn coming out of social care budgets was \"chilling\".\n\nSue Brown, vice chairman of the Care and Support Alliance - which represents 80 leading charities - said the figures \"confirm what we already know - that the care system is in worsening crisis\".\n\nShe said \"chronic underfunding\" of adult social care had seen \"dramatic year-on-year rationing of support, excluding hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people from the care they desperately need\".\n\nJanet Morrison, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, said: \"This worrying survey shows how the frail and elderly in our society are being hit by year on year cutbacks to council services.\"\n\n\"It's vital now more than ever that we have an honest debate about the true costs of providing social care, not just health care,\" she added.", "summary": "England's Councils are reducing social care programs' funding by 1.1 billion pounds. Budget cuts have totaled 4.6 billion pounds since 2010- a 31% reduction in social care funding. The firms that are providing this service to the elderly, disabled, and low-income are struggling to hire, retain, and train staff due to concerns over the quality of care. "}
{"article_id": "e92a0e61638344b8aebea5964d19694c", "article": "Adult social care firms are struggling to hire, retain and train staff as a result of cuts to council budgets, a survey of senior officials suggests.\n\nCouncils in England are facing a \u00a31.1bn shortfall this year, on top of \"almost unendurable\" cuts since 2010, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned.\n\nFreezing care provider fees to save money was no long sustainable, it said.\n\nMinisters say extra money will help NHS and social care services work together.\n\nThe survey, which was completed by 147 directors of adult social services for councils in England, suggests that funding reductions to social care budgets have totalled \u00a34.6bn since 2010 - a 31% overall reduction.\n\nBudgets for adult social care - which provides practical support to people due to illness, disability, old age or a low income - will reduce by a further \u00a3500m in cash terms this year, it said.\n\n\"Taking the growth in numbers of older and disabled people into account, this means that an additional \u00a31.1bn would be needed to provide the same level of service as last year,\" the report warned.\n\nIt said some councils had made savings in the past by freezing fees paid to providers, but care providers were now also facing financial problems.\n\nSome companies - particularly those in southern England - are struggling to attract staff, amid increasing concern about the quality of care, it said.\n\n\"What is at stake is the continuing capacity of adult social care to sustain services to those in greatest need,\" ADASS president Ray James said.\n\n\"In virtually all our authorities, the number in need is growing, while the complexity of their needs is increasing.\"\n\nADASS called for the government to \"protect essential care and support services to the most vulnerable members of our community\".\n\nBut a government spokesman said the survey \"ignores\" a commitment to invest \u00a310bn in health services that are being \"joined up\" with social care, by 2020.\n\nThe BBC has launched an online guide to the care system for the over-65s. The \"care calculator\" covers residential care and the support provided in people's own homes, for tasks such as washing and dressing.\n\nUsers can submit their postcode and find out how much each service costs where they live in the UK.\n\nThere is also a dedicated BBC Cost of Care website, with news stories, analysis and video.\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Increasing budgets isn't the only solution. By working innovatively and joining up health and social care we can improve care and also save money.\"\n\nHowever, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, from the Local Government Association (LGA), said adult social care services were facing \"enormous pressures\" due to \"insufficient funding, growing demand and escalating costs\".\n\n\"We have long warned that investing in the NHS whilst social care budgets are under continual pressure is simply a false economy.\n\n\"It is social care services that support elderly and vulnerable people to maintain their independence, live in their own community and stay out of hospital longer,\" she added.\n\nCaroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the idea of a further \u00a31bn coming out of social care budgets was \"chilling\".\n\nSue Brown, vice chairman of the Care and Support Alliance - which represents 80 leading charities - said the figures \"confirm what we already know - that the care system is in worsening crisis\".\n\nShe said \"chronic underfunding\" of adult social care had seen \"dramatic year-on-year rationing of support, excluding hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people from the care they desperately need\".\n\nJanet Morrison, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, said: \"This worrying survey shows how the frail and elderly in our society are being hit by year on year cutbacks to council services.\"\n\n\"It's vital now more than ever that we have an honest debate about the true costs of providing social care, not just health care,\" she added.", "summary": "Adult care firms are facing a staffing crisis, as cuts to their budgets continue to happen year after year. A recent survey of Adult care center directors revealed that cuts to the budget totaled over 4.6 billion pounds since 2010. Some believe that a debate needs to happen. "}
{"article_id": "e92a0e61638344b8aebea5964d19694c", "article": "Adult social care firms are struggling to hire, retain and train staff as a result of cuts to council budgets, a survey of senior officials suggests.\n\nCouncils in England are facing a \u00a31.1bn shortfall this year, on top of \"almost unendurable\" cuts since 2010, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned.\n\nFreezing care provider fees to save money was no long sustainable, it said.\n\nMinisters say extra money will help NHS and social care services work together.\n\nThe survey, which was completed by 147 directors of adult social services for councils in England, suggests that funding reductions to social care budgets have totalled \u00a34.6bn since 2010 - a 31% overall reduction.\n\nBudgets for adult social care - which provides practical support to people due to illness, disability, old age or a low income - will reduce by a further \u00a3500m in cash terms this year, it said.\n\n\"Taking the growth in numbers of older and disabled people into account, this means that an additional \u00a31.1bn would be needed to provide the same level of service as last year,\" the report warned.\n\nIt said some councils had made savings in the past by freezing fees paid to providers, but care providers were now also facing financial problems.\n\nSome companies - particularly those in southern England - are struggling to attract staff, amid increasing concern about the quality of care, it said.\n\n\"What is at stake is the continuing capacity of adult social care to sustain services to those in greatest need,\" ADASS president Ray James said.\n\n\"In virtually all our authorities, the number in need is growing, while the complexity of their needs is increasing.\"\n\nADASS called for the government to \"protect essential care and support services to the most vulnerable members of our community\".\n\nBut a government spokesman said the survey \"ignores\" a commitment to invest \u00a310bn in health services that are being \"joined up\" with social care, by 2020.\n\nThe BBC has launched an online guide to the care system for the over-65s. The \"care calculator\" covers residential care and the support provided in people's own homes, for tasks such as washing and dressing.\n\nUsers can submit their postcode and find out how much each service costs where they live in the UK.\n\nThere is also a dedicated BBC Cost of Care website, with news stories, analysis and video.\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Increasing budgets isn't the only solution. By working innovatively and joining up health and social care we can improve care and also save money.\"\n\nHowever, Councillor Izzi Seccombe, from the Local Government Association (LGA), said adult social care services were facing \"enormous pressures\" due to \"insufficient funding, growing demand and escalating costs\".\n\n\"We have long warned that investing in the NHS whilst social care budgets are under continual pressure is simply a false economy.\n\n\"It is social care services that support elderly and vulnerable people to maintain their independence, live in their own community and stay out of hospital longer,\" she added.\n\nCaroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said the idea of a further \u00a31bn coming out of social care budgets was \"chilling\".\n\nSue Brown, vice chairman of the Care and Support Alliance - which represents 80 leading charities - said the figures \"confirm what we already know - that the care system is in worsening crisis\".\n\nShe said \"chronic underfunding\" of adult social care had seen \"dramatic year-on-year rationing of support, excluding hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people from the care they desperately need\".\n\nJanet Morrison, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, said: \"This worrying survey shows how the frail and elderly in our society are being hit by year on year cutbacks to council services.\"\n\n\"It's vital now more than ever that we have an honest debate about the true costs of providing social care, not just health care,\" she added.", "summary": "Experts say they are experiencing a crisis in adult care after years of budget cuts and salary freezes. Not only are companies having difficulties attracting and retaining workers, but the cuts have caused yearly rationing that is causing increasing numbers of elderly and disabled individuals to be excluded from their care. "}
{"article_id": "3258d30c9b0a46afb2999af98a1123a1", "article": "Terminally ill actor and disability campaigner Brian Rix, 92, has said the law on assisted dying needs changing.\n\nMencap president Lord Rix urged the speaker of the House of Lords to push through legislation allowing those in his situation to be assisted to die.\n\nHe had previously opposed an assisted dying law, but said his illness has left him \"like a beached whale\" and in constant discomfort.\n\n\"My position has changed,\" he wrote to Baroness D'Souza.\n\nStage and TV actor Lord Rix, who specialised in post-war \"Whitehall farce\" comedies, is receiving 24-hour care in a retirement home.\n\n\"My position has changed. As a dying man, who has been dying now for several weeks, I am only too conscious that the laws of this country make it impossible for people like me to be helped on their way, even though the family is supportive of this position and everything that needs to be done has been dealt with.\n\n\"Unhappily, my body seems to be constructed in such a way that it keeps me alive in great discomfort when all I want is to be allowed to slip into a sleep, peacefully, legally and without any threat to the medical or nursing profession.\n\n\"I am sure there are many others like me who having finished with life wish their life to finish.\n\n\"Only with a legal euthanasia Bill on the statute books will the many people who find themselves in the same situation as me be able to slip away peacefully in their sleep instead of dreading the night.\"\n\nThe crossbench peer voted against an Assisted Dying Bill in 2006 because of concerns that people with learning disabilities might become the unwilling victims of euthanasia.  He has been a prominent campaigner for people with learning disabilities after his daughter was born with Down's syndrome.\n\nHe said his children were \"absolutely supportive\" of his decision and that he has \"wrapped up\" his affairs and was \"ready to go\" to \"put an end to this misery, pain and discomfort\".\n\n\"I can't do anything but lie here thinking 'Oh Christ, why am I still here?' They won't let me die and that's all I want to do,\" he said.\n\nHe added the doctors and nurses \"do their best for me\" but that it was \"not good enough because what I want is to die, and the law stops them from helping me with that\".\n\nHe had discussed with his children the possibility of travelling to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, but felt it would be \"unfair to them to push them into a situation where they are helping me to die\".\n\nLord Rix said he had not been given an estimate from doctors as to how long he will live, adding: \"I think it's wrong that people like me are stranded like this.\n\n\"I'm not looking for something that helps me only, I'm thinking of all the other people who must be in the same dreadful position.\"\n\nFollow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Actor Brian Rix, who suffers from cancer, now supports a lethal injection for the terminally ill. His position changed when his terminal cancer progressed to the point of causing massive physical discomfort. All Rix wants is to slip into a peaceful sleep through legal means. "}
{"article_id": "3258d30c9b0a46afb2999af98a1123a1", "article": "Terminally ill actor and disability campaigner Brian Rix, 92, has said the law on assisted dying needs changing.\n\nMencap president Lord Rix urged the speaker of the House of Lords to push through legislation allowing those in his situation to be assisted to die.\n\nHe had previously opposed an assisted dying law, but said his illness has left him \"like a beached whale\" and in constant discomfort.\n\n\"My position has changed,\" he wrote to Baroness D'Souza.\n\nStage and TV actor Lord Rix, who specialised in post-war \"Whitehall farce\" comedies, is receiving 24-hour care in a retirement home.\n\n\"My position has changed. As a dying man, who has been dying now for several weeks, I am only too conscious that the laws of this country make it impossible for people like me to be helped on their way, even though the family is supportive of this position and everything that needs to be done has been dealt with.\n\n\"Unhappily, my body seems to be constructed in such a way that it keeps me alive in great discomfort when all I want is to be allowed to slip into a sleep, peacefully, legally and without any threat to the medical or nursing profession.\n\n\"I am sure there are many others like me who having finished with life wish their life to finish.\n\n\"Only with a legal euthanasia Bill on the statute books will the many people who find themselves in the same situation as me be able to slip away peacefully in their sleep instead of dreading the night.\"\n\nThe crossbench peer voted against an Assisted Dying Bill in 2006 because of concerns that people with learning disabilities might become the unwilling victims of euthanasia.  He has been a prominent campaigner for people with learning disabilities after his daughter was born with Down's syndrome.\n\nHe said his children were \"absolutely supportive\" of his decision and that he has \"wrapped up\" his affairs and was \"ready to go\" to \"put an end to this misery, pain and discomfort\".\n\n\"I can't do anything but lie here thinking 'Oh Christ, why am I still here?' They won't let me die and that's all I want to do,\" he said.\n\nHe added the doctors and nurses \"do their best for me\" but that it was \"not good enough because what I want is to die, and the law stops them from helping me with that\".\n\nHe had discussed with his children the possibility of travelling to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, but felt it would be \"unfair to them to push them into a situation where they are helping me to die\".\n\nLord Rix said he had not been given an estimate from doctors as to how long he will live, adding: \"I think it's wrong that people like me are stranded like this.\n\n\"I'm not looking for something that helps me only, I'm thinking of all the other people who must be in the same dreadful position.\"\n\nFollow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Brian Rix is an actor and advocate for medically assisted suicides. While suffering from a terminal illness, Rix campaigned for legislators to legalize the practice. "}
{"article_id": "3258d30c9b0a46afb2999af98a1123a1", "article": "Terminally ill actor and disability campaigner Brian Rix, 92, has said the law on assisted dying needs changing.\n\nMencap president Lord Rix urged the speaker of the House of Lords to push through legislation allowing those in his situation to be assisted to die.\n\nHe had previously opposed an assisted dying law, but said his illness has left him \"like a beached whale\" and in constant discomfort.\n\n\"My position has changed,\" he wrote to Baroness D'Souza.\n\nStage and TV actor Lord Rix, who specialised in post-war \"Whitehall farce\" comedies, is receiving 24-hour care in a retirement home.\n\n\"My position has changed. As a dying man, who has been dying now for several weeks, I am only too conscious that the laws of this country make it impossible for people like me to be helped on their way, even though the family is supportive of this position and everything that needs to be done has been dealt with.\n\n\"Unhappily, my body seems to be constructed in such a way that it keeps me alive in great discomfort when all I want is to be allowed to slip into a sleep, peacefully, legally and without any threat to the medical or nursing profession.\n\n\"I am sure there are many others like me who having finished with life wish their life to finish.\n\n\"Only with a legal euthanasia Bill on the statute books will the many people who find themselves in the same situation as me be able to slip away peacefully in their sleep instead of dreading the night.\"\n\nThe crossbench peer voted against an Assisted Dying Bill in 2006 because of concerns that people with learning disabilities might become the unwilling victims of euthanasia.  He has been a prominent campaigner for people with learning disabilities after his daughter was born with Down's syndrome.\n\nHe said his children were \"absolutely supportive\" of his decision and that he has \"wrapped up\" his affairs and was \"ready to go\" to \"put an end to this misery, pain and discomfort\".\n\n\"I can't do anything but lie here thinking 'Oh Christ, why am I still here?' They won't let me die and that's all I want to do,\" he said.\n\nHe added the doctors and nurses \"do their best for me\" but that it was \"not good enough because what I want is to die, and the law stops them from helping me with that\".\n\nHe had discussed with his children the possibility of travelling to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland, but felt it would be \"unfair to them to push them into a situation where they are helping me to die\".\n\nLord Rix said he had not been given an estimate from doctors as to how long he will live, adding: \"I think it's wrong that people like me are stranded like this.\n\n\"I'm not looking for something that helps me only, I'm thinking of all the other people who must be in the same dreadful position.\"\n\nFollow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Brian Rix, actor and activist, publicly changed his stance on assisted suicide. He used to be opposed, but is now an advocate for legalizing assisted suicide after moving to a 24-hour care facility and realizing he is slowly and painfully dying and has no legal options."}
{"article_id": "3d313cc616b64884a3c351a691d5095a", "article": "The fatal shooting of an unarmed black man fleeing from a police officer has stirred outrage around the nation, but people in this South Carolina city aren't surprised.\n\nThey call it inevitable in a police department they believe focuses on petty crimes and fails to keep its officers in check.\n\nThere is almost nothing in Michael Thomas Slager's police personnel file to suggest that his bosses considered him a rogue officer capable of murdering a man he just pulled over for a broken tail light.\n\nPeople in the community he served say this reflects what's going wrong with policing today: Officers nearly always get the last word when citizens complain.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nResidents of the Charleston, South Carolina, have said the shooting of unarmed black driver Walter Scott was preceded by previous unheeded complaints about the police. \u00a0Above, a friend of Scott's at a memorial.\n\nThe officer who shot Scott, Michael Slager, had little in his file to suggest excessive force. Above, two men pray at the memorial.\n\n'We've had through the years numerous similar complaints, and they all seem to be taken lightly and dismissed without any obvious investigation,' the Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Thursday.\n\nThe mostly black neighborhood in North Charleston where Slager fired eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott on Saturday is far from unique in this regard, said Melvin Tucker, a former FBI agent and police chief in four southern cities who often testifies in police misconduct cases.\n\nNationwide, training that pushes pre-emptive action, military experience that creates a warzone mindset, and legal system favoring police in misconduct cases all lead to scenarios where officers see the people they serve as enemies, he said.\n\n'It's not just training. It's not just unreasonable fear. It's not just the warrior mentality. It's not just court decisions that almost encourage the use of it. It is not just race,' Tucker said. 'It is all of that.'\n\nBoth Slager, 33, and Scott, 55, were US Coast Guard veteran. Slager had the dismissed excessive force complaint and Scott had been jailed repeatedly for failing to pay child support, but neither man had a record of violence.\n\nVideo captured by a bystander to the shooting showed Slager fire eight shots at the back of Scott as he ran away.\n\nOriginal statements from Slager said that he felt threatened by Scott, though video released appears to contradict the police account of the incident.\n\nA dash cam video from police shows Scott running away from his car during a traffic stop for a broken tail light.\n\nSlager consistently earned positive reviews in his five years with the North Charleston Police.\n\nHis new attorney, Andy Savage, said Thursday that he's conducting his own investigation, and that it's 'far too early for us to be saying what we think.'\n\nSlager's first attorney said he followed all proper procedures before using deadly force, but swiftly dropped him after the dead man's family released a bystander's video of the shooting.\n\nThe officer, whose wife is eight months pregnant, is being held without bond pending an August 21 hearing on a charge of murder that could put him in prison for 30 years to life if convicted.\n\nA steady crowd left flowers, stuffed animals, notes and protest signs Thursday in the empty lot where Scott was gunned down.\n\nMany said police in South Carolina's third-largest city routinely dismiss complaints of petty brutality and harassment, even when eyewitnesses can attest to police misbehavior.\n\nScott (left) and Slager (right) were both Coast Guard veterans. Slager is being held without bond on a murder charge.\n\nPOLICE VERSION.\n\nPolice officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday.\n\nHe said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light.\n\nHe said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager.\n\nThe officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement.\n\nAccording to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott.\n\nAt that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said.\n\nHe added that his actions were in line with procedure.\n\nPolice then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down.\u00a0He took my Taser.'\n\nHis department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim.\n\nWHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS.\n\nSlager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back.\n\nThe footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser.\n\nWires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body.\n\nAs Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back.\n\nThe video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body.\n\nFootage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him.\n\nIt is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse.\n\nA black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid.\n\nThey are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.\n\nThe result, they say, is that officers are regarded with a mixture of distrust and fear.\n\nSlager's file includes a single excessive use-of-force complaint, from 2013: A man said Slager used his stun gun against him without reason.\n\nBut Slager was exonerated and the case closed, even though witnesses told The Associated Press that investigators never followed up with them.\n\n'It's almost impossible to get an agency to do an impartial internal affairs investigation,' Tucker said/.\n\n'First of all the investigators doing it are co-workers of the person being investigated. Number two, there's always the tendency on the part of the departments to believe the officers.'\n\nMario Givens, the man who accused Slager of excessive force in 2013, told the AP that Slager woke him before dawn by loudly banging on his front door, and saying 'Come outside or I'll tase you!'\n\n'I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway,' Givens said.\n\nMario Givens (pictured) filed an excessive force complaint against Slager in 2013, but he was not interviewed and no witnesses were questioned.\n\n'They never told me how they reached the conclusion. Never. They never contacted anyone from that night. No one from the neighborhood.'\n\nGivens said he's convinced Scott's death could have been prevented if Slager had been disciplined in his case.\n\n'If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today,' he said.\n\nDarby also wonders if Saturday's fatal shooting might have turned out differently had the department thoroughly investigated the 2013 Taser complaint.\n\n'I think he would have been rebuked instead of fired,' Darby said. 'But maybe it changes the way he sees things.'\n\nDarby and other civil rights leaders want North Charleston to create an independent citizens review board to review complaints against police, since 'law enforcement is going to almost always give itself the benefit of the doubt.'\n\nSuch boards are few and far between in South Carolina.\n\nNorth Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said Wednesday that the department now plans to review Givens' complaint, although he wouldn't say what difference that could make now.", "summary": "A fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man took place at a traffic stop in Charleston, South Carolina. Walter Scott was pulled over for a broken tail light and was shot eight times in the back as he ran away. Michael Slager, the police officer who killed Scott, had a prior complaint about using excessive force that was dismissed. "}
{"article_id": "3d313cc616b64884a3c351a691d5095a", "article": "The fatal shooting of an unarmed black man fleeing from a police officer has stirred outrage around the nation, but people in this South Carolina city aren't surprised.\n\nThey call it inevitable in a police department they believe focuses on petty crimes and fails to keep its officers in check.\n\nThere is almost nothing in Michael Thomas Slager's police personnel file to suggest that his bosses considered him a rogue officer capable of murdering a man he just pulled over for a broken tail light.\n\nPeople in the community he served say this reflects what's going wrong with policing today: Officers nearly always get the last word when citizens complain.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nResidents of the Charleston, South Carolina, have said the shooting of unarmed black driver Walter Scott was preceded by previous unheeded complaints about the police. \u00a0Above, a friend of Scott's at a memorial.\n\nThe officer who shot Scott, Michael Slager, had little in his file to suggest excessive force. Above, two men pray at the memorial.\n\n'We've had through the years numerous similar complaints, and they all seem to be taken lightly and dismissed without any obvious investigation,' the Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Thursday.\n\nThe mostly black neighborhood in North Charleston where Slager fired eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott on Saturday is far from unique in this regard, said Melvin Tucker, a former FBI agent and police chief in four southern cities who often testifies in police misconduct cases.\n\nNationwide, training that pushes pre-emptive action, military experience that creates a warzone mindset, and legal system favoring police in misconduct cases all lead to scenarios where officers see the people they serve as enemies, he said.\n\n'It's not just training. It's not just unreasonable fear. It's not just the warrior mentality. It's not just court decisions that almost encourage the use of it. It is not just race,' Tucker said. 'It is all of that.'\n\nBoth Slager, 33, and Scott, 55, were US Coast Guard veteran. Slager had the dismissed excessive force complaint and Scott had been jailed repeatedly for failing to pay child support, but neither man had a record of violence.\n\nVideo captured by a bystander to the shooting showed Slager fire eight shots at the back of Scott as he ran away.\n\nOriginal statements from Slager said that he felt threatened by Scott, though video released appears to contradict the police account of the incident.\n\nA dash cam video from police shows Scott running away from his car during a traffic stop for a broken tail light.\n\nSlager consistently earned positive reviews in his five years with the North Charleston Police.\n\nHis new attorney, Andy Savage, said Thursday that he's conducting his own investigation, and that it's 'far too early for us to be saying what we think.'\n\nSlager's first attorney said he followed all proper procedures before using deadly force, but swiftly dropped him after the dead man's family released a bystander's video of the shooting.\n\nThe officer, whose wife is eight months pregnant, is being held without bond pending an August 21 hearing on a charge of murder that could put him in prison for 30 years to life if convicted.\n\nA steady crowd left flowers, stuffed animals, notes and protest signs Thursday in the empty lot where Scott was gunned down.\n\nMany said police in South Carolina's third-largest city routinely dismiss complaints of petty brutality and harassment, even when eyewitnesses can attest to police misbehavior.\n\nScott (left) and Slager (right) were both Coast Guard veterans. Slager is being held without bond on a murder charge.\n\nPOLICE VERSION.\n\nPolice officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday.\n\nHe said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light.\n\nHe said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager.\n\nThe officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement.\n\nAccording to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott.\n\nAt that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said.\n\nHe added that his actions were in line with procedure.\n\nPolice then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down.\u00a0He took my Taser.'\n\nHis department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim.\n\nWHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS.\n\nSlager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back.\n\nThe footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser.\n\nWires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body.\n\nAs Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back.\n\nThe video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body.\n\nFootage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him.\n\nIt is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse.\n\nA black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid.\n\nThey are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.\n\nThe result, they say, is that officers are regarded with a mixture of distrust and fear.\n\nSlager's file includes a single excessive use-of-force complaint, from 2013: A man said Slager used his stun gun against him without reason.\n\nBut Slager was exonerated and the case closed, even though witnesses told The Associated Press that investigators never followed up with them.\n\n'It's almost impossible to get an agency to do an impartial internal affairs investigation,' Tucker said/.\n\n'First of all the investigators doing it are co-workers of the person being investigated. Number two, there's always the tendency on the part of the departments to believe the officers.'\n\nMario Givens, the man who accused Slager of excessive force in 2013, told the AP that Slager woke him before dawn by loudly banging on his front door, and saying 'Come outside or I'll tase you!'\n\n'I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway,' Givens said.\n\nMario Givens (pictured) filed an excessive force complaint against Slager in 2013, but he was not interviewed and no witnesses were questioned.\n\n'They never told me how they reached the conclusion. Never. They never contacted anyone from that night. No one from the neighborhood.'\n\nGivens said he's convinced Scott's death could have been prevented if Slager had been disciplined in his case.\n\n'If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today,' he said.\n\nDarby also wonders if Saturday's fatal shooting might have turned out differently had the department thoroughly investigated the 2013 Taser complaint.\n\n'I think he would have been rebuked instead of fired,' Darby said. 'But maybe it changes the way he sees things.'\n\nDarby and other civil rights leaders want North Charleston to create an independent citizens review board to review complaints against police, since 'law enforcement is going to almost always give itself the benefit of the doubt.'\n\nSuch boards are few and far between in South Carolina.\n\nNorth Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said Wednesday that the department now plans to review Givens' complaint, although he wouldn't say what difference that could make now.", "summary": "Charleston police officer Michael Slager shot and killed an unarmed Black man this past Saturday. Originally, Slager pulled over Walter Lamer Scott to address a broken tail light, but the interaction resulted in Slager shooting Scott eight times in the back. Slager claims he was \"feeling threatened,\" while his body cam footage reveals a different story. "}
{"article_id": "3d313cc616b64884a3c351a691d5095a", "article": "The fatal shooting of an unarmed black man fleeing from a police officer has stirred outrage around the nation, but people in this South Carolina city aren't surprised.\n\nThey call it inevitable in a police department they believe focuses on petty crimes and fails to keep its officers in check.\n\nThere is almost nothing in Michael Thomas Slager's police personnel file to suggest that his bosses considered him a rogue officer capable of murdering a man he just pulled over for a broken tail light.\n\nPeople in the community he served say this reflects what's going wrong with policing today: Officers nearly always get the last word when citizens complain.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nResidents of the Charleston, South Carolina, have said the shooting of unarmed black driver Walter Scott was preceded by previous unheeded complaints about the police. \u00a0Above, a friend of Scott's at a memorial.\n\nThe officer who shot Scott, Michael Slager, had little in his file to suggest excessive force. Above, two men pray at the memorial.\n\n'We've had through the years numerous similar complaints, and they all seem to be taken lightly and dismissed without any obvious investigation,' the Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Thursday.\n\nThe mostly black neighborhood in North Charleston where Slager fired eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott on Saturday is far from unique in this regard, said Melvin Tucker, a former FBI agent and police chief in four southern cities who often testifies in police misconduct cases.\n\nNationwide, training that pushes pre-emptive action, military experience that creates a warzone mindset, and legal system favoring police in misconduct cases all lead to scenarios where officers see the people they serve as enemies, he said.\n\n'It's not just training. It's not just unreasonable fear. It's not just the warrior mentality. It's not just court decisions that almost encourage the use of it. It is not just race,' Tucker said. 'It is all of that.'\n\nBoth Slager, 33, and Scott, 55, were US Coast Guard veteran. Slager had the dismissed excessive force complaint and Scott had been jailed repeatedly for failing to pay child support, but neither man had a record of violence.\n\nVideo captured by a bystander to the shooting showed Slager fire eight shots at the back of Scott as he ran away.\n\nOriginal statements from Slager said that he felt threatened by Scott, though video released appears to contradict the police account of the incident.\n\nA dash cam video from police shows Scott running away from his car during a traffic stop for a broken tail light.\n\nSlager consistently earned positive reviews in his five years with the North Charleston Police.\n\nHis new attorney, Andy Savage, said Thursday that he's conducting his own investigation, and that it's 'far too early for us to be saying what we think.'\n\nSlager's first attorney said he followed all proper procedures before using deadly force, but swiftly dropped him after the dead man's family released a bystander's video of the shooting.\n\nThe officer, whose wife is eight months pregnant, is being held without bond pending an August 21 hearing on a charge of murder that could put him in prison for 30 years to life if convicted.\n\nA steady crowd left flowers, stuffed animals, notes and protest signs Thursday in the empty lot where Scott was gunned down.\n\nMany said police in South Carolina's third-largest city routinely dismiss complaints of petty brutality and harassment, even when eyewitnesses can attest to police misbehavior.\n\nScott (left) and Slager (right) were both Coast Guard veterans. Slager is being held without bond on a murder charge.\n\nPOLICE VERSION.\n\nPolice officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday.\n\nHe said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light.\n\nHe said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager.\n\nThe officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement.\n\nAccording to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott.\n\nAt that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said.\n\nHe added that his actions were in line with procedure.\n\nPolice then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down.\u00a0He took my Taser.'\n\nHis department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim.\n\nWHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS.\n\nSlager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back.\n\nThe footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser.\n\nWires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body.\n\nAs Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back.\n\nThe video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body.\n\nFootage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him.\n\nIt is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse.\n\nA black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid.\n\nThey are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.\n\nThe result, they say, is that officers are regarded with a mixture of distrust and fear.\n\nSlager's file includes a single excessive use-of-force complaint, from 2013: A man said Slager used his stun gun against him without reason.\n\nBut Slager was exonerated and the case closed, even though witnesses told The Associated Press that investigators never followed up with them.\n\n'It's almost impossible to get an agency to do an impartial internal affairs investigation,' Tucker said/.\n\n'First of all the investigators doing it are co-workers of the person being investigated. Number two, there's always the tendency on the part of the departments to believe the officers.'\n\nMario Givens, the man who accused Slager of excessive force in 2013, told the AP that Slager woke him before dawn by loudly banging on his front door, and saying 'Come outside or I'll tase you!'\n\n'I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway,' Givens said.\n\nMario Givens (pictured) filed an excessive force complaint against Slager in 2013, but he was not interviewed and no witnesses were questioned.\n\n'They never told me how they reached the conclusion. Never. They never contacted anyone from that night. No one from the neighborhood.'\n\nGivens said he's convinced Scott's death could have been prevented if Slager had been disciplined in his case.\n\n'If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today,' he said.\n\nDarby also wonders if Saturday's fatal shooting might have turned out differently had the department thoroughly investigated the 2013 Taser complaint.\n\n'I think he would have been rebuked instead of fired,' Darby said. 'But maybe it changes the way he sees things.'\n\nDarby and other civil rights leaders want North Charleston to create an independent citizens review board to review complaints against police, since 'law enforcement is going to almost always give itself the benefit of the doubt.'\n\nSuch boards are few and far between in South Carolina.\n\nNorth Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said Wednesday that the department now plans to review Givens' complaint, although he wouldn't say what difference that could make now.", "summary": "walter Scott was shot by police after fleeing from a routine traffic stop, sparking outrage in the community. The video footage appears to contradict the official police report. Many citizens of the neighborhood have filed excessive force complaints against the department, however, few are ever followed up.  "}
{"article_id": "24df2a97c6a94a40b5f291ad5e5314b0", "article": "The Liberal Democrats have admitted they are on course to lose at least 20 MPs, but claim this could still be enough to put them back in power.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Hampshire where the Lib Dems held Eastleigh after Chris Huhne was jailed.\n\nBut behind the scenes,\u00a0senior\u00a0party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the\u00a0thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Eastleigh in Hampshire.\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nInstead of battling to win seats across the country, the party has highly targeted strategy, effectively fighting 60 by-elections in constituencies where his candidates stand a chance.\n\nA party source said if the party had a group of MPs numbering 'in the 30s' it could potentially hold the balance of power after May 7 and be able to once again form part of a coalition government.\n\nThe senior Lib Dem, closely involved in the party's election strategy, said the campaign's focus was increasingly on between 10 and 15 marginal seats - some held by the party and a few targets - with other constituencies either assessed as safe or effectively written off.\n\nAssessing the election outcome, the source said: 'Everything is so marginal, we need to get into the 30s and the other parties need to sort themselves out and we will see what the answer is.\n\n'There are now basically two possible outcomes to this election - we can either get a minority government or a coalition with the Lib Dems in it.'\n\nAsked if a seat count in the 30s was realistic, the source said: 'Oh yes.'\n\nPressed on whether that was a 'best case' scenario, the senior Lib Dem said: 'I would like to say 150, but I think in fairness you wouldn't believe me.\n\n'There are lots of marginal seats. There's a marginal outcome in 40 seats for us and if we won every one of those marginal contests we would get to 40-odd.'\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nOpinion polls by YouGov since 2010 show the dramatic collapse in the Lib Dem support, \u00a0to barely 8 per cent.\n\nThe Lib Dems won 57 seats in the 2010 election but have been hit by a slump in popularity after forming the coalition government with the Conservatives.\n\nMr Clegg travelled to Eastleigh, the scene of a 2013 by-election triumph, to spell out the intensity with which the party would fight in its target seats.\n\nThe Lib Dems have built up a reputation as formidable campaigners in by-election contests, including in the Hampshire seat which they held following the resignation of disgraced former cabinet minister Chris Huhne, despite a Ukip surge.\n\nMr Clegg and the party's election strategists have insisted the poor national opinion poll ratings, which have seen the party stuck around the 8 per cent mark, are not reflected in the data gathered by canvassers and internal polling.\n\nThe Lib Dem leader told supporters: 'What we are going to do on May 7 isn't just, as the placards say, win here, we are going to win up and down the country.\n\n'Because in effect what we are doing is running a campaign of not just one Eastleigh by-election but 60 Eastleigh by-elections - north, south, east, west, campaigning with exactly the same vigour that led to that famous victory.'\n\nHe added: 'In the final week of this campaign two million voters will hear our message on Facebook, on YouTube and on social media.\n\n'So we are fighting a campaign like we have never fought a campaign before. Sixty by-elections up and down the country.'\n\nMr Clegg was all smiles at the Ageas Bowl cricket ground near Eastleigh, behind the scenes, senior party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nThe alternatives to a coalition involving the Lib Dems were a Labour-SNP alliance 'saddling our children with the dead weight of debts from this generation' or a 'hapless David Cameron administration dancing to the tune of Ukip, the DUP and - most chillingly and worryingly of all - his own MPs on the right wing of the Conservative Party'.\n\nIn a rallying cry delivered at Hampshire County Cricket Club's Ageas Bowl stadium he said: 'If you don't want to run the risk of our country lurching to the right, lurching to the left, the only way to guarantee to keep our country on track is to vote Liberal Democrat.\n\n'We will cut less than the Conservatives, we will borrow less than Labour. We have provided a heart to a government with the Conservatives, just as we would provide a brain to a government with the Labour Party on the economy.'\n\nHe added: 'We will win again. We will campaign like no other party knows how to campaign again. We will serve our local community better than any other party does again. We will speak to more voters than any other party again.'\n\nAsked whether he was now even running a national campaign following his call for '60 Eastleighs', Mr Clegg said: 'I am saying that exactly the same zeal of that by-election is what we are applying in the 60-odd seats where we are fighting tooth and nail to get Liberal Democrats elected in this election.'\n\nA new\u00a0survey by Lord Ashcroft had the Tories on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nThe Tories could be six points ahead of Labour, or three points behind, depending on which opinion poll to believe.\n\nThe latest batch of surveys agree on only one thing: the result is probably too close to call.\n\nDavid Cameron's day will have been brightened by a six-point lead in a survey by Lord Ashcroft. The Tories are on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nAnother poll by ICM for the Guardian also gave Mr Cameron's party a lead, but of only three points lead on 35 per cent to 32 per cent for Labour.\n\nHowever, the Sun's YouGov poll had Labour in the lead on 34 per cent to the Tories'\u00a033 per cent, indicating that the battle for No 10 remains agonisingly close for the party leaders.\n\nLabour enjoyed a three-point lead in a Populus poll, on 36 per cent (up one point) to the Conservatives' 33 per cent (up one).\n\nNorth of the border, a TNS poll found Scottish National Party support continuing to surge to 54 per cent, almost two-and-a-half times Labour's 22 per cent.", "summary": "The Liberal Democrats are slated to lose roughly 20 MPs in the upcoming election. Support for the party waned after a strong showing in the 2010 elections. Despite the losses, the party leader Nick Clegg believes that the Liberal Democrats will still be in power.   "}
{"article_id": "24df2a97c6a94a40b5f291ad5e5314b0", "article": "The Liberal Democrats have admitted they are on course to lose at least 20 MPs, but claim this could still be enough to put them back in power.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Hampshire where the Lib Dems held Eastleigh after Chris Huhne was jailed.\n\nBut behind the scenes,\u00a0senior\u00a0party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the\u00a0thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Eastleigh in Hampshire.\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nInstead of battling to win seats across the country, the party has highly targeted strategy, effectively fighting 60 by-elections in constituencies where his candidates stand a chance.\n\nA party source said if the party had a group of MPs numbering 'in the 30s' it could potentially hold the balance of power after May 7 and be able to once again form part of a coalition government.\n\nThe senior Lib Dem, closely involved in the party's election strategy, said the campaign's focus was increasingly on between 10 and 15 marginal seats - some held by the party and a few targets - with other constituencies either assessed as safe or effectively written off.\n\nAssessing the election outcome, the source said: 'Everything is so marginal, we need to get into the 30s and the other parties need to sort themselves out and we will see what the answer is.\n\n'There are now basically two possible outcomes to this election - we can either get a minority government or a coalition with the Lib Dems in it.'\n\nAsked if a seat count in the 30s was realistic, the source said: 'Oh yes.'\n\nPressed on whether that was a 'best case' scenario, the senior Lib Dem said: 'I would like to say 150, but I think in fairness you wouldn't believe me.\n\n'There are lots of marginal seats. There's a marginal outcome in 40 seats for us and if we won every one of those marginal contests we would get to 40-odd.'\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nOpinion polls by YouGov since 2010 show the dramatic collapse in the Lib Dem support, \u00a0to barely 8 per cent.\n\nThe Lib Dems won 57 seats in the 2010 election but have been hit by a slump in popularity after forming the coalition government with the Conservatives.\n\nMr Clegg travelled to Eastleigh, the scene of a 2013 by-election triumph, to spell out the intensity with which the party would fight in its target seats.\n\nThe Lib Dems have built up a reputation as formidable campaigners in by-election contests, including in the Hampshire seat which they held following the resignation of disgraced former cabinet minister Chris Huhne, despite a Ukip surge.\n\nMr Clegg and the party's election strategists have insisted the poor national opinion poll ratings, which have seen the party stuck around the 8 per cent mark, are not reflected in the data gathered by canvassers and internal polling.\n\nThe Lib Dem leader told supporters: 'What we are going to do on May 7 isn't just, as the placards say, win here, we are going to win up and down the country.\n\n'Because in effect what we are doing is running a campaign of not just one Eastleigh by-election but 60 Eastleigh by-elections - north, south, east, west, campaigning with exactly the same vigour that led to that famous victory.'\n\nHe added: 'In the final week of this campaign two million voters will hear our message on Facebook, on YouTube and on social media.\n\n'So we are fighting a campaign like we have never fought a campaign before. Sixty by-elections up and down the country.'\n\nMr Clegg was all smiles at the Ageas Bowl cricket ground near Eastleigh, behind the scenes, senior party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nThe alternatives to a coalition involving the Lib Dems were a Labour-SNP alliance 'saddling our children with the dead weight of debts from this generation' or a 'hapless David Cameron administration dancing to the tune of Ukip, the DUP and - most chillingly and worryingly of all - his own MPs on the right wing of the Conservative Party'.\n\nIn a rallying cry delivered at Hampshire County Cricket Club's Ageas Bowl stadium he said: 'If you don't want to run the risk of our country lurching to the right, lurching to the left, the only way to guarantee to keep our country on track is to vote Liberal Democrat.\n\n'We will cut less than the Conservatives, we will borrow less than Labour. We have provided a heart to a government with the Conservatives, just as we would provide a brain to a government with the Labour Party on the economy.'\n\nHe added: 'We will win again. We will campaign like no other party knows how to campaign again. We will serve our local community better than any other party does again. We will speak to more voters than any other party again.'\n\nAsked whether he was now even running a national campaign following his call for '60 Eastleighs', Mr Clegg said: 'I am saying that exactly the same zeal of that by-election is what we are applying in the 60-odd seats where we are fighting tooth and nail to get Liberal Democrats elected in this election.'\n\nA new\u00a0survey by Lord Ashcroft had the Tories on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nThe Tories could be six points ahead of Labour, or three points behind, depending on which opinion poll to believe.\n\nThe latest batch of surveys agree on only one thing: the result is probably too close to call.\n\nDavid Cameron's day will have been brightened by a six-point lead in a survey by Lord Ashcroft. The Tories are on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nAnother poll by ICM for the Guardian also gave Mr Cameron's party a lead, but of only three points lead on 35 per cent to 32 per cent for Labour.\n\nHowever, the Sun's YouGov poll had Labour in the lead on 34 per cent to the Tories'\u00a033 per cent, indicating that the battle for No 10 remains agonisingly close for the party leaders.\n\nLabour enjoyed a three-point lead in a Populus poll, on 36 per cent (up one point) to the Conservatives' 33 per cent (up one).\n\nNorth of the border, a TNS poll found Scottish National Party support continuing to surge to 54 per cent, almost two-and-a-half times Labour's 22 per cent.", "summary": "The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to maintain at least 30 MPs on May 7. The Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, stated that there are two possible outcomes for the upcoming election: a minority government, or a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. The campaign message is expected to reach two million voters in the final week before the election. "}
{"article_id": "24df2a97c6a94a40b5f291ad5e5314b0", "article": "The Liberal Democrats have admitted they are on course to lose at least 20 MPs, but claim this could still be enough to put them back in power.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Hampshire where the Lib Dems held Eastleigh after Chris Huhne was jailed.\n\nBut behind the scenes,\u00a0senior\u00a0party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the\u00a0thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nNick Clegg today continued his tour of 60 seats where the party is defending perilous majorities or hope to make gains, stopping off in Eastleigh in Hampshire.\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nInstead of battling to win seats across the country, the party has highly targeted strategy, effectively fighting 60 by-elections in constituencies where his candidates stand a chance.\n\nA party source said if the party had a group of MPs numbering 'in the 30s' it could potentially hold the balance of power after May 7 and be able to once again form part of a coalition government.\n\nThe senior Lib Dem, closely involved in the party's election strategy, said the campaign's focus was increasingly on between 10 and 15 marginal seats - some held by the party and a few targets - with other constituencies either assessed as safe or effectively written off.\n\nAssessing the election outcome, the source said: 'Everything is so marginal, we need to get into the 30s and the other parties need to sort themselves out and we will see what the answer is.\n\n'There are now basically two possible outcomes to this election - we can either get a minority government or a coalition with the Lib Dems in it.'\n\nAsked if a seat count in the 30s was realistic, the source said: 'Oh yes.'\n\nPressed on whether that was a 'best case' scenario, the senior Lib Dem said: 'I would like to say 150, but I think in fairness you wouldn't believe me.\n\n'There are lots of marginal seats. There's a marginal outcome in 40 seats for us and if we won every one of those marginal contests we would get to 40-odd.'\n\nMr Clegg today admitted that his party was fighting 'tooth and nail' in fewer than a tenth of Westminster seats.\n\nOpinion polls by YouGov since 2010 show the dramatic collapse in the Lib Dem support, \u00a0to barely 8 per cent.\n\nThe Lib Dems won 57 seats in the 2010 election but have been hit by a slump in popularity after forming the coalition government with the Conservatives.\n\nMr Clegg travelled to Eastleigh, the scene of a 2013 by-election triumph, to spell out the intensity with which the party would fight in its target seats.\n\nThe Lib Dems have built up a reputation as formidable campaigners in by-election contests, including in the Hampshire seat which they held following the resignation of disgraced former cabinet minister Chris Huhne, despite a Ukip surge.\n\nMr Clegg and the party's election strategists have insisted the poor national opinion poll ratings, which have seen the party stuck around the 8 per cent mark, are not reflected in the data gathered by canvassers and internal polling.\n\nThe Lib Dem leader told supporters: 'What we are going to do on May 7 isn't just, as the placards say, win here, we are going to win up and down the country.\n\n'Because in effect what we are doing is running a campaign of not just one Eastleigh by-election but 60 Eastleigh by-elections - north, south, east, west, campaigning with exactly the same vigour that led to that famous victory.'\n\nHe added: 'In the final week of this campaign two million voters will hear our message on Facebook, on YouTube and on social media.\n\n'So we are fighting a campaign like we have never fought a campaign before. Sixty by-elections up and down the country.'\n\nMr Clegg was all smiles at the Ageas Bowl cricket ground near Eastleigh, behind the scenes, senior party sources admit their current total of 57 MPs will be slashed to 'in the thirties' after a catastrophic collapse in support.\n\nThe alternatives to a coalition involving the Lib Dems were a Labour-SNP alliance 'saddling our children with the dead weight of debts from this generation' or a 'hapless David Cameron administration dancing to the tune of Ukip, the DUP and - most chillingly and worryingly of all - his own MPs on the right wing of the Conservative Party'.\n\nIn a rallying cry delivered at Hampshire County Cricket Club's Ageas Bowl stadium he said: 'If you don't want to run the risk of our country lurching to the right, lurching to the left, the only way to guarantee to keep our country on track is to vote Liberal Democrat.\n\n'We will cut less than the Conservatives, we will borrow less than Labour. We have provided a heart to a government with the Conservatives, just as we would provide a brain to a government with the Labour Party on the economy.'\n\nHe added: 'We will win again. We will campaign like no other party knows how to campaign again. We will serve our local community better than any other party does again. We will speak to more voters than any other party again.'\n\nAsked whether he was now even running a national campaign following his call for '60 Eastleighs', Mr Clegg said: 'I am saying that exactly the same zeal of that by-election is what we are applying in the 60-odd seats where we are fighting tooth and nail to get Liberal Democrats elected in this election.'\n\nA new\u00a0survey by Lord Ashcroft had the Tories on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nThe Tories could be six points ahead of Labour, or three points behind, depending on which opinion poll to believe.\n\nThe latest batch of surveys agree on only one thing: the result is probably too close to call.\n\nDavid Cameron's day will have been brightened by a six-point lead in a survey by Lord Ashcroft. The Tories are on 36 per cent, with Labour trailing on 30 per cent, Ukip on 11 per cent and the Lib Dems on 9 per cent.\n\nAnother poll by ICM for the Guardian also gave Mr Cameron's party a lead, but of only three points lead on 35 per cent to 32 per cent for Labour.\n\nHowever, the Sun's YouGov poll had Labour in the lead on 34 per cent to the Tories'\u00a033 per cent, indicating that the battle for No 10 remains agonisingly close for the party leaders.\n\nLabour enjoyed a three-point lead in a Populus poll, on 36 per cent (up one point) to the Conservatives' 33 per cent (up one).\n\nNorth of the border, a TNS poll found Scottish National Party support continuing to surge to 54 per cent, almost two-and-a-half times Labour's 22 per cent.", "summary": "The Liberal Democrats are optimistic about winning across the country, but polls and ratings have narrow margins and conflicting results. Without a clear poll leader, Liberal Democrats are campaigning hard, stating they are the best way to keep balance, not swinging too far right or left. "}
{"article_id": "e399444828cc4d3c888daec393e94309", "article": "Former QPR manager Harry Redknapp feels he still has plenty to offer football but only at the right club, having turned down a 'mind-blowing' offer to coach abroad.\n\nThe 68-year-old handed in his resignation at Loftus Road in February, citing knee problems behind the decision to leave the Barclays Premier League strugglers, although he later claimed 'people with their own agendas' had a hand in his departure and described the situation at the west London club as 'a bit of a soap opera'.\n\nRedknapp will return to the dugout on Sunday, May 31 when he leads a star-studded Men United XI against Leyton Orient Legends, as O's youth coach and Prostate Cancer UK ambassador Errol McKellar hosts a charity football match at The Matchroom Stadium.\n\nHarry Redknapp (right) says he would consider a return to management as long as it's at the right club.\n\nRedknapp was speaking at the announcement of a\u00a0Men United XI vs Leyton Orient Legends charity match.\n\nThe well-travelled former West Ham, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham manager, Redknapp feels 'fit as a fiddle' again following knee surgery and would relish another crack at a full-time job, but only under certain circumstances.\n\n'It is difficult to know whether you want to go back in again, but if the right offer came along for the right job then I would consider it, because I do love the game and certainly do miss it,' Redknapp said.\n\n'But unless it was the right job I would not bother. It has got to be something which I really wanted to do.\n\n'It would not be a case of the money. I had an offer earlier this week to go and work abroad where the money was incredible, a mind-blowing offer, but at the moment it did not interest me.\n\n'I have my wife here, my grandkids and everything else, so it has got to be something I wanted to do.\n\nRedknapp resigned as Queens Park Rangers manager with immediate effect in February.\n\nRedknapp left the Loftus Road outfit\u00a0citing knee problems behind his decision two months ago.\n\nThe 68-year-old left Queens Park Rangers with the club 19th in the Premier League table at the time.\n\n'I don't have to work any more if I don't want to at my age, but I feel fit as a fiddle and if I could go into a club somewhere, maybe try to get them up from the Championship or somewhere in the Premier League, then I might be interested.\n\n'I could even work with a younger coach to help them and they could then take over as manager in a year or two, to help build the club up; that is something which would interest me but we will have to wait and see what comes along.'\n\nWhile it remains to be seen what chapter will be next in Redknapp's colourful management career, he hopes to see one of his former clubs Bournemouth go on to secure promotion to the top flight for the first time, with the Cherries currently top of the Sky Bet Championship heading into the final three matches.\n\nHe said: 'The job which Eddie (Howe) has done is second to none. He has been amazing, taking things on to another level.\n\nRedknapp is full of praise for the job current Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has done at the club.\n\nThe Cherries sit top of the Championship with three games of the season remaining.\n\n'I can't see them not going up because they are the best team in the league, playing the best football in the division and are a pleasure to watch. They never change their philosophy home or away and are brilliant to watch.\n\n'The owner has come in, Max (Demin) the Russian, and has put his money in, helped take the club on. So you don't know (what they could do after promotion) but I would just like to see them get there.'\n\nRedknapp lost close friend and former West Ham team-mate John Bond to prostate cancer and is backing the Men United campaign to help raise awareness of the disease, which is the most common cancer in men with more than 10,000 deaths each year.\n\nHe said: 'Prostate Cancer is something which can affect any family at any time so it is important that people come out to support this cause.\n\n'We are all scared that if the doctor tells you that you have something wrong, but if you get there early enough it can be cured - you can't let it just go.'\n\nRedknapp \u00a0lost close friend and former West Ham team-mate John Bond to prostate cancer.\n\nPeople are being urged to search Men United and do something great with their mates via prostatecanceruk.org/menunited. Tickets for the Men United XI match are priced at \u00a310 adults and \u00a35 concessions, and are available from www.lofcdirect.co.uk.", "summary": "Harry Redknapp resigned as Queens Park Rangers Manager in February due to knee problems. But after getting knee, Redknapp says he is open to working again but only for the right club. Although he was offered a job abroad, he is not doing it for the money, but for the love of the sport. "}
{"article_id": "e399444828cc4d3c888daec393e94309", "article": "Former QPR manager Harry Redknapp feels he still has plenty to offer football but only at the right club, having turned down a 'mind-blowing' offer to coach abroad.\n\nThe 68-year-old handed in his resignation at Loftus Road in February, citing knee problems behind the decision to leave the Barclays Premier League strugglers, although he later claimed 'people with their own agendas' had a hand in his departure and described the situation at the west London club as 'a bit of a soap opera'.\n\nRedknapp will return to the dugout on Sunday, May 31 when he leads a star-studded Men United XI against Leyton Orient Legends, as O's youth coach and Prostate Cancer UK ambassador Errol McKellar hosts a charity football match at The Matchroom Stadium.\n\nHarry Redknapp (right) says he would consider a return to management as long as it's at the right club.\n\nRedknapp was speaking at the announcement of a\u00a0Men United XI vs Leyton Orient Legends charity match.\n\nThe well-travelled former West Ham, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham manager, Redknapp feels 'fit as a fiddle' again following knee surgery and would relish another crack at a full-time job, but only under certain circumstances.\n\n'It is difficult to know whether you want to go back in again, but if the right offer came along for the right job then I would consider it, because I do love the game and certainly do miss it,' Redknapp said.\n\n'But unless it was the right job I would not bother. It has got to be something which I really wanted to do.\n\n'It would not be a case of the money. I had an offer earlier this week to go and work abroad where the money was incredible, a mind-blowing offer, but at the moment it did not interest me.\n\n'I have my wife here, my grandkids and everything else, so it has got to be something I wanted to do.\n\nRedknapp resigned as Queens Park Rangers manager with immediate effect in February.\n\nRedknapp left the Loftus Road outfit\u00a0citing knee problems behind his decision two months ago.\n\nThe 68-year-old left Queens Park Rangers with the club 19th in the Premier League table at the time.\n\n'I don't have to work any more if I don't want to at my age, but I feel fit as a fiddle and if I could go into a club somewhere, maybe try to get them up from the Championship or somewhere in the Premier League, then I might be interested.\n\n'I could even work with a younger coach to help them and they could then take over as manager in a year or two, to help build the club up; that is something which would interest me but we will have to wait and see what comes along.'\n\nWhile it remains to be seen what chapter will be next in Redknapp's colourful management career, he hopes to see one of his former clubs Bournemouth go on to secure promotion to the top flight for the first time, with the Cherries currently top of the Sky Bet Championship heading into the final three matches.\n\nHe said: 'The job which Eddie (Howe) has done is second to none. He has been amazing, taking things on to another level.\n\nRedknapp is full of praise for the job current Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has done at the club.\n\nThe Cherries sit top of the Championship with three games of the season remaining.\n\n'I can't see them not going up because they are the best team in the league, playing the best football in the division and are a pleasure to watch. They never change their philosophy home or away and are brilliant to watch.\n\n'The owner has come in, Max (Demin) the Russian, and has put his money in, helped take the club on. So you don't know (what they could do after promotion) but I would just like to see them get there.'\n\nRedknapp lost close friend and former West Ham team-mate John Bond to prostate cancer and is backing the Men United campaign to help raise awareness of the disease, which is the most common cancer in men with more than 10,000 deaths each year.\n\nHe said: 'Prostate Cancer is something which can affect any family at any time so it is important that people come out to support this cause.\n\n'We are all scared that if the doctor tells you that you have something wrong, but if you get there early enough it can be cured - you can't let it just go.'\n\nRedknapp \u00a0lost close friend and former West Ham team-mate John Bond to prostate cancer.\n\nPeople are being urged to search Men United and do something great with their mates via prostatecanceruk.org/menunited. Tickets for the Men United XI match are priced at \u00a310 adults and \u00a35 concessions, and are available from www.lofcdirect.co.uk.", "summary": "Former manager Harry Redknapp says he is healthy after a successful knee surgery and would be willing to work again if the right opportunity came up. He says money is not an issue, passing up high paying jobs that are not a good fit, and instead focusing on campaigning for prostate cancer awareness. "}
{"article_id": "6a70bf59793244ba948c3afa82292fd5", "article": "A discovery of arms in a County Antrim forest was one of the most significant in recent years, police in Northern Ireland have said.\n\nA \"terrorist hide\" was uncovered at Capanagh Forest near Larne after two members of the public found suspicious objects in the woods on Saturday.\n\nSome of the items found included an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines.\n\nThe main line of police inquiry is the arms belonged to dissident republicans.\n\nLast week, Home Secretary Theresa May said MI5 believed an attack on targets in Great Britain by dissident republicans had become \"a strong possibility\".\n\nAnalysis: Vincent Kearney, BBC News NI's home affairs correspondent\n\nThe discovery of what appears to be a second dissident republican arms dump near Larne within three months has left police baffled.\n\nBased on location alone, the analysis would be that the items found most likely belonged to loyalist paramilitaries.\n\nBut the nature of what was found suggests otherwise and the finger of suspicion firmly in the direction of dissident republicans.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Geddes said the threat level in Northern Ireland from dissident republican groups remains \"severe\" and an attack is \"highly likely\".\n\nPolice officers found three barrels hidden in holes in the forest.\n\nAs well as rockets and mines, there were also several pipe bombs, assault rifle ammunition and parts to construct a \"substantial number of explosive devices\".\n\nDet Supt Geddes said the seizure was significant \"both in terms of its size and its capability\".\n\n\"A number of these devices were ready to be deployed,\" he added.\n\n\"This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives.\"\n\nHe said the type of weapons that had been found meant police would focus their investigation on dissident republicans.\n\nIn March, an arms find was made at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, and police said the were investigating a connection between the two discoveries.\n\n\"There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions,\" Det Supt Geddes said.\n\nHe added that police are \"indebted\" to the two people who noticed the suspicious objects in the Capanagh Forest.", "summary": "Weapons were found at Capanagn Forest near Larne in Northern Ireland. This included assault rifle ammunition, an improvised rocket, anti-personnel mines, and pipe bombs. This \"terrorist hide\" may be connected to a similar discovery of arms in Carnfunnock Country Park. Based on the type of weapons that were found, police are focusing their investigation on dissident republicans. "}
{"article_id": "6a70bf59793244ba948c3afa82292fd5", "article": "A discovery of arms in a County Antrim forest was one of the most significant in recent years, police in Northern Ireland have said.\n\nA \"terrorist hide\" was uncovered at Capanagh Forest near Larne after two members of the public found suspicious objects in the woods on Saturday.\n\nSome of the items found included an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines.\n\nThe main line of police inquiry is the arms belonged to dissident republicans.\n\nLast week, Home Secretary Theresa May said MI5 believed an attack on targets in Great Britain by dissident republicans had become \"a strong possibility\".\n\nAnalysis: Vincent Kearney, BBC News NI's home affairs correspondent\n\nThe discovery of what appears to be a second dissident republican arms dump near Larne within three months has left police baffled.\n\nBased on location alone, the analysis would be that the items found most likely belonged to loyalist paramilitaries.\n\nBut the nature of what was found suggests otherwise and the finger of suspicion firmly in the direction of dissident republicans.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Geddes said the threat level in Northern Ireland from dissident republican groups remains \"severe\" and an attack is \"highly likely\".\n\nPolice officers found three barrels hidden in holes in the forest.\n\nAs well as rockets and mines, there were also several pipe bombs, assault rifle ammunition and parts to construct a \"substantial number of explosive devices\".\n\nDet Supt Geddes said the seizure was significant \"both in terms of its size and its capability\".\n\n\"A number of these devices were ready to be deployed,\" he added.\n\n\"This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives.\"\n\nHe said the type of weapons that had been found meant police would focus their investigation on dissident republicans.\n\nIn March, an arms find was made at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, and police said the were investigating a connection between the two discoveries.\n\n\"There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions,\" Det Supt Geddes said.\n\nHe added that police are \"indebted\" to the two people who noticed the suspicious objects in the Capanagh Forest.", "summary": "After the seemingly disturbing discovery of arms in Northern Ireland, police launched full investigations and uncovered a terrorist hide. The police's quick seizure of the arms is believed to have saved lives. "}
{"article_id": "6a70bf59793244ba948c3afa82292fd5", "article": "A discovery of arms in a County Antrim forest was one of the most significant in recent years, police in Northern Ireland have said.\n\nA \"terrorist hide\" was uncovered at Capanagh Forest near Larne after two members of the public found suspicious objects in the woods on Saturday.\n\nSome of the items found included an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines.\n\nThe main line of police inquiry is the arms belonged to dissident republicans.\n\nLast week, Home Secretary Theresa May said MI5 believed an attack on targets in Great Britain by dissident republicans had become \"a strong possibility\".\n\nAnalysis: Vincent Kearney, BBC News NI's home affairs correspondent\n\nThe discovery of what appears to be a second dissident republican arms dump near Larne within three months has left police baffled.\n\nBased on location alone, the analysis would be that the items found most likely belonged to loyalist paramilitaries.\n\nBut the nature of what was found suggests otherwise and the finger of suspicion firmly in the direction of dissident republicans.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Geddes said the threat level in Northern Ireland from dissident republican groups remains \"severe\" and an attack is \"highly likely\".\n\nPolice officers found three barrels hidden in holes in the forest.\n\nAs well as rockets and mines, there were also several pipe bombs, assault rifle ammunition and parts to construct a \"substantial number of explosive devices\".\n\nDet Supt Geddes said the seizure was significant \"both in terms of its size and its capability\".\n\n\"A number of these devices were ready to be deployed,\" he added.\n\n\"This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives.\"\n\nHe said the type of weapons that had been found meant police would focus their investigation on dissident republicans.\n\nIn March, an arms find was made at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, and police said the were investigating a connection between the two discoveries.\n\n\"There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions,\" Det Supt Geddes said.\n\nHe added that police are \"indebted\" to the two people who noticed the suspicious objects in the Capanagh Forest.", "summary": "A cache of arms was found in a forest in Northern Ireland. Police and MI5 are placing the blame on dissident Republicans. This was the second large-scale arms seizure in three months. A Republican attack was deemed highly likely by police meaning the bust saved lives. "}
{"article_id": "6a70bf59793244ba948c3afa82292fd5", "article": "A discovery of arms in a County Antrim forest was one of the most significant in recent years, police in Northern Ireland have said.\n\nA \"terrorist hide\" was uncovered at Capanagh Forest near Larne after two members of the public found suspicious objects in the woods on Saturday.\n\nSome of the items found included an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines.\n\nThe main line of police inquiry is the arms belonged to dissident republicans.\n\nLast week, Home Secretary Theresa May said MI5 believed an attack on targets in Great Britain by dissident republicans had become \"a strong possibility\".\n\nAnalysis: Vincent Kearney, BBC News NI's home affairs correspondent\n\nThe discovery of what appears to be a second dissident republican arms dump near Larne within three months has left police baffled.\n\nBased on location alone, the analysis would be that the items found most likely belonged to loyalist paramilitaries.\n\nBut the nature of what was found suggests otherwise and the finger of suspicion firmly in the direction of dissident republicans.\n\nDet Supt Kevin Geddes said the threat level in Northern Ireland from dissident republican groups remains \"severe\" and an attack is \"highly likely\".\n\nPolice officers found three barrels hidden in holes in the forest.\n\nAs well as rockets and mines, there were also several pipe bombs, assault rifle ammunition and parts to construct a \"substantial number of explosive devices\".\n\nDet Supt Geddes said the seizure was significant \"both in terms of its size and its capability\".\n\n\"A number of these devices were ready to be deployed,\" he added.\n\n\"This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives.\"\n\nHe said the type of weapons that had been found meant police would focus their investigation on dissident republicans.\n\nIn March, an arms find was made at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, and police said the were investigating a connection between the two discoveries.\n\n\"There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions,\" Det Supt Geddes said.\n\nHe added that police are \"indebted\" to the two people who noticed the suspicious objects in the Capanagh Forest.", "summary": "A significant discovery has been made in a forest in Northern Ireland.  Items discovered reportedly included improvised armor-piercing rockets and two anti-personnel mines.  Considering the location where the items were found, it is believed they belonged to loyalist paramilitaries.  Also discovered were parts used for the construction of explosive devices."}
{"article_id": "cf18e4a6728349f3afd5e1a2ca3f8a37", "article": "It's described as the Google-esque HQ of Australia.\n\nWith a cubby-house meeting room at the top of a beanstalk and a basketball court and pinball machine for some down time - it's where all the creativity and innovative ideas come to light.\n\nInside the HQ of global company Moose Toys, the Cheltenham\u00a0office in Melbourne comes complete with toy testing rooms, table tennis table, aerobics room, gym and a custom staff lunch room.\n\nStaff can scribble their ideas on walls made out of whiteboards while the Employee of the Year gets a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday of their choice.\n\nBut there's one catch for their employees - they're not allowed to sit at their desks when they're having lunch as they believe the great ideas don't always come from sitting in front of a computer.\n\nThe first of its kind: A meeting room located at the top of a beanstalk in the office foyer at Moose Toys HQ.\n\nMoose Toys employees Joost Poulus (left) and Kate Zahra putting the table tennis table through its paces.\n\nGeneral manager of products Joost Poulus, who has worked at the company for 14 years, said the vibrant and creative space brought out the best ideas from employees.\n\n'We're the Google of Australia and that's how we see ourselves,' Mr Poulus told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'Our passionate staff are committed to The WOW and they love not just the toys but also the environment and the people they work with - and that's what we're all about.\n\n'We encourage our employees to have fun, be active and take part in vigorous debates because that's where all the best ideas and awesome products come from.'\n\nDuring lunch or breaks, staff are encouraged to use their time away from their desks to mingle with other colleagues, play table tennis stretch or shoot a few hoops outside.\n\nIt's time to get your creative thinking caps on inside the cubby house at the top of the beanstalk.\n\nEmployees at Moose Toys said the company is all about putting smiles on the faces of kids across the globe.\n\nThe house at the top of the beanstalk space where all the creative brainstorming and ideas come to light.\n\nThe beanstalk was designed by a Moose employee and constructed by the Local Builder.\n\nSenior manager - People & Culture, Kate Zahra, who has worked at the company for six years, said the focus on fun helps employees feel less pressured about deadlines or major projects.\n\n'Most of our employees prefer to work during the day but when they feel frazzled from working hard on a project, we encourage them to go for a walk, play some basketball, or have a game of table tennis,'\u00a0Ms Zahra told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'We also get together outside of office hours for karaoke nights, themed dress-up parties and weekly soccer games with our very own personalised Moose jerseys - collaboration with others and a change of scenery makes a huge difference.\n\n'On special events such as Australia Day, Harmony Day, Easter and New Years - we hold amazing lunches and BBQ's.\n\n'These social events get people involved across departments, and I would love to say we have a tight-knit group because we do these activities as a team.'\n\nMoose's 2014 Employee of the Year: Brad Virgo who scored a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday.\n\nFounder of Atari and Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Pizzas - Nolan Bushnell inspires staff during Moose Talks.\n\nNot everyone has a beanstalk inside the office foyer.\n\nChildren's author Graeme Base inspired and delighted the Moose team as part of the Moose Talks.\n\nOther 'Moosepiration activities' include a trip to an art exhibition, watching a toy-inspired movie at the cinemas and doing some life drawing or clay modelling at workshops.\n\nWhile it sounds like all fun and games, the pair added the most important part of the company were the people at Moose.\n\n'The people are the highlight in our business - without them, there's no Moose,'\u00a0Ms Zahra said.\n\n'Their passion is sensational and we make sure they're recognised and awarded for their hard work. They've put their blood, sweat and tears into everything and it pays off when they see our products on the shelves.\n\n'Moose also conducts surveys to give employees an opportunity to voice their opinions on how to improve the company, and our directors take their feedback very seriously.\n\n'By acting on the feedback, our staff know they're being heard. The directors are keen to continuously improve - it's an amazing thing and that certainly happens here.'\n\nSpecial guests have also been invited to speak at the company's presentations called 'Moose Talks' in a bid to inspire, provide professional and personal development on a range of topics to their staff.\n\nEmployees love not just the toys but the incredible and friendly work environment at Moose HQ in Melbourne.\n\nPlaces and spaces for collaboration where colleagues get together to mingle and share their inspirations.\n\nLittle Live Pets grace the lighting fixtures - Moose products pop up in unusual places around the office.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nMoose Toys have employed about 100 people at its Melbourne office, with 105 staff working across China, Hong Kong, United States and Britain.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nEarlier this year, the toy manufacturer won the 2015 Girl Toy of the Year Awards where Shopkins Small Mart triumphed over the likes of Barbie, Lego and Disney Princess toys.\n\nMoose has products in all toy categories including collectibles, arts and crafts, activity toys, dolls, novelty items and outdoor products, and has brought joy to kids worldwide with successful products such as Mighty Beanz, Beados, Aqua Sand and The Trash Pack.", "summary": "Moose Toys, a family owned Melbourne toy company, prides itself on celebrating and respecting their employees by providing a fun work space and encouraging team development. Their office has many games, activities and fun spaces, which they believe reduces stress, and encourages employee satisfaction and productivity."}
{"article_id": "cf18e4a6728349f3afd5e1a2ca3f8a37", "article": "It's described as the Google-esque HQ of Australia.\n\nWith a cubby-house meeting room at the top of a beanstalk and a basketball court and pinball machine for some down time - it's where all the creativity and innovative ideas come to light.\n\nInside the HQ of global company Moose Toys, the Cheltenham\u00a0office in Melbourne comes complete with toy testing rooms, table tennis table, aerobics room, gym and a custom staff lunch room.\n\nStaff can scribble their ideas on walls made out of whiteboards while the Employee of the Year gets a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday of their choice.\n\nBut there's one catch for their employees - they're not allowed to sit at their desks when they're having lunch as they believe the great ideas don't always come from sitting in front of a computer.\n\nThe first of its kind: A meeting room located at the top of a beanstalk in the office foyer at Moose Toys HQ.\n\nMoose Toys employees Joost Poulus (left) and Kate Zahra putting the table tennis table through its paces.\n\nGeneral manager of products Joost Poulus, who has worked at the company for 14 years, said the vibrant and creative space brought out the best ideas from employees.\n\n'We're the Google of Australia and that's how we see ourselves,' Mr Poulus told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'Our passionate staff are committed to The WOW and they love not just the toys but also the environment and the people they work with - and that's what we're all about.\n\n'We encourage our employees to have fun, be active and take part in vigorous debates because that's where all the best ideas and awesome products come from.'\n\nDuring lunch or breaks, staff are encouraged to use their time away from their desks to mingle with other colleagues, play table tennis stretch or shoot a few hoops outside.\n\nIt's time to get your creative thinking caps on inside the cubby house at the top of the beanstalk.\n\nEmployees at Moose Toys said the company is all about putting smiles on the faces of kids across the globe.\n\nThe house at the top of the beanstalk space where all the creative brainstorming and ideas come to light.\n\nThe beanstalk was designed by a Moose employee and constructed by the Local Builder.\n\nSenior manager - People & Culture, Kate Zahra, who has worked at the company for six years, said the focus on fun helps employees feel less pressured about deadlines or major projects.\n\n'Most of our employees prefer to work during the day but when they feel frazzled from working hard on a project, we encourage them to go for a walk, play some basketball, or have a game of table tennis,'\u00a0Ms Zahra told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'We also get together outside of office hours for karaoke nights, themed dress-up parties and weekly soccer games with our very own personalised Moose jerseys - collaboration with others and a change of scenery makes a huge difference.\n\n'On special events such as Australia Day, Harmony Day, Easter and New Years - we hold amazing lunches and BBQ's.\n\n'These social events get people involved across departments, and I would love to say we have a tight-knit group because we do these activities as a team.'\n\nMoose's 2014 Employee of the Year: Brad Virgo who scored a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday.\n\nFounder of Atari and Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Pizzas - Nolan Bushnell inspires staff during Moose Talks.\n\nNot everyone has a beanstalk inside the office foyer.\n\nChildren's author Graeme Base inspired and delighted the Moose team as part of the Moose Talks.\n\nOther 'Moosepiration activities' include a trip to an art exhibition, watching a toy-inspired movie at the cinemas and doing some life drawing or clay modelling at workshops.\n\nWhile it sounds like all fun and games, the pair added the most important part of the company were the people at Moose.\n\n'The people are the highlight in our business - without them, there's no Moose,'\u00a0Ms Zahra said.\n\n'Their passion is sensational and we make sure they're recognised and awarded for their hard work. They've put their blood, sweat and tears into everything and it pays off when they see our products on the shelves.\n\n'Moose also conducts surveys to give employees an opportunity to voice their opinions on how to improve the company, and our directors take their feedback very seriously.\n\n'By acting on the feedback, our staff know they're being heard. The directors are keen to continuously improve - it's an amazing thing and that certainly happens here.'\n\nSpecial guests have also been invited to speak at the company's presentations called 'Moose Talks' in a bid to inspire, provide professional and personal development on a range of topics to their staff.\n\nEmployees love not just the toys but the incredible and friendly work environment at Moose HQ in Melbourne.\n\nPlaces and spaces for collaboration where colleagues get together to mingle and share their inspirations.\n\nLittle Live Pets grace the lighting fixtures - Moose products pop up in unusual places around the office.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nMoose Toys have employed about 100 people at its Melbourne office, with 105 staff working across China, Hong Kong, United States and Britain.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nEarlier this year, the toy manufacturer won the 2015 Girl Toy of the Year Awards where Shopkins Small Mart triumphed over the likes of Barbie, Lego and Disney Princess toys.\n\nMoose has products in all toy categories including collectibles, arts and crafts, activity toys, dolls, novelty items and outdoor products, and has brought joy to kids worldwide with successful products such as Mighty Beanz, Beados, Aqua Sand and The Trash Pack.", "summary": "Moose Toys HQ in Melbourne is described as the Google of Australia because of the unique environment designed to spark ideas in employees. Moose Toys comes with complete toy testing rooms, walls where they can scribble ideas, and a table tennis room. The company also has unique rules which effectively boost morale and productivity. "}
{"article_id": "cf18e4a6728349f3afd5e1a2ca3f8a37", "article": "It's described as the Google-esque HQ of Australia.\n\nWith a cubby-house meeting room at the top of a beanstalk and a basketball court and pinball machine for some down time - it's where all the creativity and innovative ideas come to light.\n\nInside the HQ of global company Moose Toys, the Cheltenham\u00a0office in Melbourne comes complete with toy testing rooms, table tennis table, aerobics room, gym and a custom staff lunch room.\n\nStaff can scribble their ideas on walls made out of whiteboards while the Employee of the Year gets a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday of their choice.\n\nBut there's one catch for their employees - they're not allowed to sit at their desks when they're having lunch as they believe the great ideas don't always come from sitting in front of a computer.\n\nThe first of its kind: A meeting room located at the top of a beanstalk in the office foyer at Moose Toys HQ.\n\nMoose Toys employees Joost Poulus (left) and Kate Zahra putting the table tennis table through its paces.\n\nGeneral manager of products Joost Poulus, who has worked at the company for 14 years, said the vibrant and creative space brought out the best ideas from employees.\n\n'We're the Google of Australia and that's how we see ourselves,' Mr Poulus told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'Our passionate staff are committed to The WOW and they love not just the toys but also the environment and the people they work with - and that's what we're all about.\n\n'We encourage our employees to have fun, be active and take part in vigorous debates because that's where all the best ideas and awesome products come from.'\n\nDuring lunch or breaks, staff are encouraged to use their time away from their desks to mingle with other colleagues, play table tennis stretch or shoot a few hoops outside.\n\nIt's time to get your creative thinking caps on inside the cubby house at the top of the beanstalk.\n\nEmployees at Moose Toys said the company is all about putting smiles on the faces of kids across the globe.\n\nThe house at the top of the beanstalk space where all the creative brainstorming and ideas come to light.\n\nThe beanstalk was designed by a Moose employee and constructed by the Local Builder.\n\nSenior manager - People & Culture, Kate Zahra, who has worked at the company for six years, said the focus on fun helps employees feel less pressured about deadlines or major projects.\n\n'Most of our employees prefer to work during the day but when they feel frazzled from working hard on a project, we encourage them to go for a walk, play some basketball, or have a game of table tennis,'\u00a0Ms Zahra told Daily Mail Australia.\n\n'We also get together outside of office hours for karaoke nights, themed dress-up parties and weekly soccer games with our very own personalised Moose jerseys - collaboration with others and a change of scenery makes a huge difference.\n\n'On special events such as Australia Day, Harmony Day, Easter and New Years - we hold amazing lunches and BBQ's.\n\n'These social events get people involved across departments, and I would love to say we have a tight-knit group because we do these activities as a team.'\n\nMoose's 2014 Employee of the Year: Brad Virgo who scored a gold crown and cape as well as a free holiday.\n\nFounder of Atari and Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Pizzas - Nolan Bushnell inspires staff during Moose Talks.\n\nNot everyone has a beanstalk inside the office foyer.\n\nChildren's author Graeme Base inspired and delighted the Moose team as part of the Moose Talks.\n\nOther 'Moosepiration activities' include a trip to an art exhibition, watching a toy-inspired movie at the cinemas and doing some life drawing or clay modelling at workshops.\n\nWhile it sounds like all fun and games, the pair added the most important part of the company were the people at Moose.\n\n'The people are the highlight in our business - without them, there's no Moose,'\u00a0Ms Zahra said.\n\n'Their passion is sensational and we make sure they're recognised and awarded for their hard work. They've put their blood, sweat and tears into everything and it pays off when they see our products on the shelves.\n\n'Moose also conducts surveys to give employees an opportunity to voice their opinions on how to improve the company, and our directors take their feedback very seriously.\n\n'By acting on the feedback, our staff know they're being heard. The directors are keen to continuously improve - it's an amazing thing and that certainly happens here.'\n\nSpecial guests have also been invited to speak at the company's presentations called 'Moose Talks' in a bid to inspire, provide professional and personal development on a range of topics to their staff.\n\nEmployees love not just the toys but the incredible and friendly work environment at Moose HQ in Melbourne.\n\nPlaces and spaces for collaboration where colleagues get together to mingle and share their inspirations.\n\nLittle Live Pets grace the lighting fixtures - Moose products pop up in unusual places around the office.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nMoose Toys have employed about 100 people at its Melbourne office, with 105 staff working across China, Hong Kong, United States and Britain.\n\nMoose Toys is family-owned and has been in the business for more than 25 years.\n\nEarlier this year, the toy manufacturer won the 2015 Girl Toy of the Year Awards where Shopkins Small Mart triumphed over the likes of Barbie, Lego and Disney Princess toys.\n\nMoose has products in all toy categories including collectibles, arts and crafts, activity toys, dolls, novelty items and outdoor products, and has brought joy to kids worldwide with successful products such as Mighty Beanz, Beados, Aqua Sand and The Trash Pack.", "summary": "Australian company Moose Toys does things a bit differently. From the whimsical office setups to an extreme emphasis on fun, the company called the \"Google of Australia\" is striving to make a difference in the lives of its employees. Aside from creating an entertaining space, the company also prides itself on its sense of collaboration."}
{"article_id": "acdd4f4f718740f3806bf0e30d038b66", "article": "Counting of Kenyan election results has slowed down because of problems with the electronic systems.\n\nReturning officers were ordered to physically deliver paper copies of their constituency's tallies to the counting centre in the capital.\n\nElection officials have urged patience.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial at the International Criminal Court, has been leading in early presidential results declared from Monday's tightly contested election.\n\nHe is due to stand trial at The Hague next month for allegedly fuelling violence after the disputed 2007 election. He denies the charge.\n\nHis closest rival is outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga.\n\nWith provisional results in from more than 40% of polling stations earlier on Wednesday, Mr Odinga had 42% of the vote compared with Mr Kenyatta's 53%.\n\nHowever, Mr Odinga's allies remain confident that he will gain ground as results from his strongholds, including the Coast Province, are declared.\n\nMore than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.\n\nThe BBC's Solomon Mugera in the capital, Nairobi, says Kenyans are becoming increasingly anxious about the delay in finalising the results.\n\nSome businesses and schools across the country have remained shut since Monday's election, he says.\n\nThis has led to a shortage of goods, pushing up the prices of basic foodstuff in areas such as Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi and a stronghold of Mr Odinga, our correspondent adds.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta\n\nRaila Odinga\n\nProfile: Uhuru Kenyatta\n\nProfile: Raila Odinga\n\nSome electoral officials have had to drive hundreds of kilometres to the counting centre in Nairobi to deliver paper copies of the tally of their returns.\n\nAt about 13:00 local time, returning officers from only 53 of the 290 constituencies had arrived and the election commission said it would announce results from constituencies as they were ready.\n\nIts website had stopped giving updated results from the presidential race on Wednesday, and was still showing figures from Tuesday night.\n\nOur correspondent says the large number of spoiled ballots - about 6% of the total vote, well over double the number of votes cast for the third-placed candidate, Musailia Mudavadi - has become a major bone of contention.\n\nMr Odinga's Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord) wants them to be counted, but Mr Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition is resisting this.\n\nLate on Tuesday, the election commission announced that the spoiled ballots would count in the overall vote total, increasing the likelihood of a run-off between the top two candidates, news agencies report.\n\nMr Kenyatta's running mate William Ruto, who is also facing a trial at the ICC, said foreign embassies may have influenced such a decision.\n\n\"We want to believe that this is not an attempt to deny the Jubilee Coalition a first-round victory as is clearly now on the wall,\" he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.\n\nBut the election commission now says a decision on what to do about the spoiled ballots will be taken after all other votes are counted, our correspondent reports.\n\nIf no agreement is reached, one of the presidential candidates is bound to mount a legal challenge, he says.\n\nAs there are different types of spoiled ballots, a possible compromise would be to include those that were annulled simply because they had been put in the wrong box - for instance, in the parliamentary box rather the presidential box - while excluding a ballot paper on which a person had voted for two candidates, our reporter says.\n\nIn the run-up to the election, the European Union (EU) said it would only have limited contact with a president who faced trial at the ICC, while US Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned Kenyan voters that \"choices have consequences\".\n\nThe winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties.\n\nIf there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on 11 April.\n\nKenya elections: Maps and graphics", "summary": "The election between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga has stalled, as there are problems with the electronic voting systems. Voting officers must deliver the paper ballots directly to the capital, a process that has increased the number of spoiled ballots, now a major bone of contention in the race. "}
{"article_id": "acdd4f4f718740f3806bf0e30d038b66", "article": "Counting of Kenyan election results has slowed down because of problems with the electronic systems.\n\nReturning officers were ordered to physically deliver paper copies of their constituency's tallies to the counting centre in the capital.\n\nElection officials have urged patience.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial at the International Criminal Court, has been leading in early presidential results declared from Monday's tightly contested election.\n\nHe is due to stand trial at The Hague next month for allegedly fuelling violence after the disputed 2007 election. He denies the charge.\n\nHis closest rival is outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga.\n\nWith provisional results in from more than 40% of polling stations earlier on Wednesday, Mr Odinga had 42% of the vote compared with Mr Kenyatta's 53%.\n\nHowever, Mr Odinga's allies remain confident that he will gain ground as results from his strongholds, including the Coast Province, are declared.\n\nMore than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.\n\nThe BBC's Solomon Mugera in the capital, Nairobi, says Kenyans are becoming increasingly anxious about the delay in finalising the results.\n\nSome businesses and schools across the country have remained shut since Monday's election, he says.\n\nThis has led to a shortage of goods, pushing up the prices of basic foodstuff in areas such as Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi and a stronghold of Mr Odinga, our correspondent adds.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta\n\nRaila Odinga\n\nProfile: Uhuru Kenyatta\n\nProfile: Raila Odinga\n\nSome electoral officials have had to drive hundreds of kilometres to the counting centre in Nairobi to deliver paper copies of the tally of their returns.\n\nAt about 13:00 local time, returning officers from only 53 of the 290 constituencies had arrived and the election commission said it would announce results from constituencies as they were ready.\n\nIts website had stopped giving updated results from the presidential race on Wednesday, and was still showing figures from Tuesday night.\n\nOur correspondent says the large number of spoiled ballots - about 6% of the total vote, well over double the number of votes cast for the third-placed candidate, Musailia Mudavadi - has become a major bone of contention.\n\nMr Odinga's Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord) wants them to be counted, but Mr Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition is resisting this.\n\nLate on Tuesday, the election commission announced that the spoiled ballots would count in the overall vote total, increasing the likelihood of a run-off between the top two candidates, news agencies report.\n\nMr Kenyatta's running mate William Ruto, who is also facing a trial at the ICC, said foreign embassies may have influenced such a decision.\n\n\"We want to believe that this is not an attempt to deny the Jubilee Coalition a first-round victory as is clearly now on the wall,\" he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.\n\nBut the election commission now says a decision on what to do about the spoiled ballots will be taken after all other votes are counted, our correspondent reports.\n\nIf no agreement is reached, one of the presidential candidates is bound to mount a legal challenge, he says.\n\nAs there are different types of spoiled ballots, a possible compromise would be to include those that were annulled simply because they had been put in the wrong box - for instance, in the parliamentary box rather the presidential box - while excluding a ballot paper on which a person had voted for two candidates, our reporter says.\n\nIn the run-up to the election, the European Union (EU) said it would only have limited contact with a president who faced trial at the ICC, while US Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned Kenyan voters that \"choices have consequences\".\n\nThe winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties.\n\nIf there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on 11 April.\n\nKenya elections: Maps and graphics", "summary": "Due to problems with the electronic systems, the counting of the Kenyan election results has reportedly slowed down.   Election officials said Tuesday that a run-off election between the two top candidates is increasingly likely.  "}
{"article_id": "acdd4f4f718740f3806bf0e30d038b66", "article": "Counting of Kenyan election results has slowed down because of problems with the electronic systems.\n\nReturning officers were ordered to physically deliver paper copies of their constituency's tallies to the counting centre in the capital.\n\nElection officials have urged patience.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial at the International Criminal Court, has been leading in early presidential results declared from Monday's tightly contested election.\n\nHe is due to stand trial at The Hague next month for allegedly fuelling violence after the disputed 2007 election. He denies the charge.\n\nHis closest rival is outgoing Prime Minister Raila Odinga.\n\nWith provisional results in from more than 40% of polling stations earlier on Wednesday, Mr Odinga had 42% of the vote compared with Mr Kenyatta's 53%.\n\nHowever, Mr Odinga's allies remain confident that he will gain ground as results from his strongholds, including the Coast Province, are declared.\n\nMore than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Mr Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.\n\nThe BBC's Solomon Mugera in the capital, Nairobi, says Kenyans are becoming increasingly anxious about the delay in finalising the results.\n\nSome businesses and schools across the country have remained shut since Monday's election, he says.\n\nThis has led to a shortage of goods, pushing up the prices of basic foodstuff in areas such as Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi and a stronghold of Mr Odinga, our correspondent adds.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta\n\nRaila Odinga\n\nProfile: Uhuru Kenyatta\n\nProfile: Raila Odinga\n\nSome electoral officials have had to drive hundreds of kilometres to the counting centre in Nairobi to deliver paper copies of the tally of their returns.\n\nAt about 13:00 local time, returning officers from only 53 of the 290 constituencies had arrived and the election commission said it would announce results from constituencies as they were ready.\n\nIts website had stopped giving updated results from the presidential race on Wednesday, and was still showing figures from Tuesday night.\n\nOur correspondent says the large number of spoiled ballots - about 6% of the total vote, well over double the number of votes cast for the third-placed candidate, Musailia Mudavadi - has become a major bone of contention.\n\nMr Odinga's Coalition of Reforms and Democracy (Cord) wants them to be counted, but Mr Kenyatta's Jubilee Coalition is resisting this.\n\nLate on Tuesday, the election commission announced that the spoiled ballots would count in the overall vote total, increasing the likelihood of a run-off between the top two candidates, news agencies report.\n\nMr Kenyatta's running mate William Ruto, who is also facing a trial at the ICC, said foreign embassies may have influenced such a decision.\n\n\"We want to believe that this is not an attempt to deny the Jubilee Coalition a first-round victory as is clearly now on the wall,\" he is quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.\n\nBut the election commission now says a decision on what to do about the spoiled ballots will be taken after all other votes are counted, our correspondent reports.\n\nIf no agreement is reached, one of the presidential candidates is bound to mount a legal challenge, he says.\n\nAs there are different types of spoiled ballots, a possible compromise would be to include those that were annulled simply because they had been put in the wrong box - for instance, in the parliamentary box rather the presidential box - while excluding a ballot paper on which a person had voted for two candidates, our reporter says.\n\nIn the run-up to the election, the European Union (EU) said it would only have limited contact with a president who faced trial at the ICC, while US Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned Kenyan voters that \"choices have consequences\".\n\nThe winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties.\n\nIf there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on 11 April.\n\nKenya elections: Maps and graphics", "summary": "The results of the Kenyan election have slowed down due to problems with the electronic systems. Officials have to deliver paper copies of the tallies to the counting center in Nairobi, making Kenyans anxious about the results. With no clear winner due to spoiled ballots, a second round of voting will take place. "}
{"article_id": "fbb2c1430c3548d4819efec14ba22765", "article": "(CNN) -- A high-speed passenger train left its tracks on the outskirts of Split, Croatia, Friday, killing at least six people and injuring 45, according to Croatian police. The high-speed train derailed on the outskirts of Split, Croatia, about noon on Friday. The train was on its way from the Croatian capital, Zagreb, when it derailed about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from it's destination of Split about noon, said Marina Kraljevic-Gudelj, a spokeswoman for police in Split. \"This is a huge tragedy, so there is no place for speculation,\" she said. Police had launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. CNN's Per Nyberg contributed to this report.", "summary": "A high-speed passenger train derailed on Friday, killing six and injuring 45. Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash which occurred on the outskirts of Split, Croatia.   "}
{"article_id": "1837ffd3608240eb94975a7144547467", "article": "A senior writer for the Australian Financial Review has labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs', while standing up for an SBS football reporter  who was sacked after condemning Anzac day on Twitter.\n\nSBS journalist Scott McIntyre was fired on Sunday\u00a0over his tweets which called Anzac day 'the cultification of an imperialist invasion' and accused Australian Diggers of committing war crimes which included 'widespread rape and theft.'\n\nSpeaking up in support of him, the AFR's Geoff Winestock wrote on the social media site: 'Ridiculous. Frightening. I also think Anzacs were racist yobs and Anzac Day is a death cult. Sack me Fairfax.'\n\nOn Friday, the day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said of the memorial: 'Anzac Day wish: in next 30 years there will be no wars and in 50 years no soldiers around to honour.'\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nAustralian Financial Review journalist Geoff Winestock (left) has spoken out in support of sacked SBS journalist Scott McIntyre (right), who was fired on Sunday over his controversial Anzac day tweets.\n\nThe senior writer for the Australian Financial Review labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs'\n\nThe day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said he hoped 'in 50 years no soldiers around to honour'\n\nBoth Fairfax and Mr Winestock declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.\n\nAfter a public backlash against McIntyre's comments,  SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid and Director of Sport, Ken Shipp\u00a0said in a joint statement that his 'highly inappropriate and disrespectful' comments have 'caused his on-air position at SBS to become untenable.'\n\n'Mr McIntyre\u2019s actions have breached the SBS Code of Conduct and social media policy and as a result, SBS has taken decisive action to terminate Mr McIntyre\u2019s position at SBS, with immediate effect.'\n\nMcIntyre's comments sparked outrage late on Anzac day, with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnball calling them 'despicable remarks' and social media users taking to twitter to spread the #sackScottMcIntre hashtag.\n\nIn his tweets, the SBS football journalist condemned Anzac day as an 'imperialist invasion.'\n\nMcIntyre referred to the Anzac's landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.\n\n'We remember and commemorate our ANZACs': SBS Michael Ebeid\u00a0was quick to distance the broadcaster from McIntyre's comments on Saturday evening, saying they are 'not at all the views of @SBS'\n\n'The cultification of an imperialist invasion of a foreign nation that Australia had no quarrel with is against all ideals of modern society,' McIntyre tweeted, referring to the Anzac's landing on Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula.\n\nIn other tweets, the reporter mocked the 'these brave Anzacs' and accused Diggers of committing war crimes.\n\n'Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan,' he tweeted.\n\n'Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered.\n\nMr McIntyre has more than 30,000 Twitter followers.\n\nThe SBS journalist accused the Australian diggers of committing war crimes.\n\nMcIntyre condemned the commemoration of Anzac Day and mocked the Digger's bravery.\n\nMcIntyre's comments referred to the soldiers as 'terrorists' and were met with disgust by Twitter users.\n\nMcIntyre's comments came on the 100th anniversary of the tragic Battle of Gallipoli (members of the public seen streaming into the Australian War Memorial, right, and names of fallen soldiers, left)\n\nMr Turnbull also chimed into the discussion, calling the comments 'offensive'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the national broadcaster from McIntyre's comments\u00a0on Saturday evening, after incensed social media users launched a Twitter tirade calling for the company to fire the reporter.\n\n'Comments from @mcintinhos are his own, disrespectful and not at all the views of @SBS. We remember and commemorate our ANZACs,' Mr Ebeid wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe offensive tweets were still live on McIntyre's Twitter feed the day after they were published, prompting angry social media users to accuse SBS of being 'complicit' and labelling Mr Ebeid's tweet a 'token apology.'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the media company.\n\nAngry social media users accused SBS of being 'complicit'\n\nOthers accused SBS Managing Director Mr Ebeid's of making a 'token apology' last night.\n\nSocial media users claimed that the tweets were offensive and 'un-Australian' especially on Anzac Day.\n\nSBS has since responded with an official apology for offence caused, stating 'respect for Australian audiences is paramount at SBS.'\n\n'At SBS, employees on and off air are encouraged to participate in social media, however maintaining the integrity of the network and audience trust is vital,' Mr Ebeid and Mr Shipp said in the today's statement.\n\n'It is unfortunate that on this very important occasion, Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments have compromised both.\n\n'SBS apologises for any offence or harm caused by Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments which in no way reflect the views of the network. SBS supports our Anzacs and has devoted unprecedented resources to coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.'\n\nFlag bearers stand to attention during the 100th anniversary service of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) landings at Galllipoli, an event the Australian sports reporter has called 'an imperialist invasion'\n\nTwitter users labelled McIntyre's comments an 'Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace!'\n\nDisgusted social media users began circulating the hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre.\n\nTwitter user Brian Cox wrote: '#sackScottMcIntyre SBS sack this dirty traitor! Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace! Calling Anzac's war criminals on this sacred day!'\n\n'Come on SBS this disrespectful little grub needs to go #sackScottMcIntyre,' Jimmy Nuciforo added.\n\n'The ANZACS died defending what this idiot is abusing - free speech,' tweeted another social media user.\n\nThe hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre began trending on Twitter after social media users saw his comments.\n\nMcIntyre's comments were labelled offensive, especially in light of the centenary of Gallipoli.\n\nSome Twitter users defended his right to free speech, and said that if Mr McIntyre was fired for 'speaking the truth' that was compromising his right to express himself.\n\nOthers took offense to the fact the comments were coming from someone employed with taxpayer funds.\n\n'He should lose his taxpayer funded job,' said one Twitter user, while another said, 'Not normally my thing, but since I am paying for it .... #sackScottMcIntyre'.", "summary": "Football journalist Scott Mcintyre was fired after several tweets condemning the Anzacs as invading imperialists who committed war crimes.  The SBS was quick to respond with an apology, and by firing the reporter. McIntyre has found some supporters who defend his right to free speech but was mostly met with public outrage. "}
{"article_id": "1837ffd3608240eb94975a7144547467", "article": "A senior writer for the Australian Financial Review has labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs', while standing up for an SBS football reporter  who was sacked after condemning Anzac day on Twitter.\n\nSBS journalist Scott McIntyre was fired on Sunday\u00a0over his tweets which called Anzac day 'the cultification of an imperialist invasion' and accused Australian Diggers of committing war crimes which included 'widespread rape and theft.'\n\nSpeaking up in support of him, the AFR's Geoff Winestock wrote on the social media site: 'Ridiculous. Frightening. I also think Anzacs were racist yobs and Anzac Day is a death cult. Sack me Fairfax.'\n\nOn Friday, the day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said of the memorial: 'Anzac Day wish: in next 30 years there will be no wars and in 50 years no soldiers around to honour.'\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nAustralian Financial Review journalist Geoff Winestock (left) has spoken out in support of sacked SBS journalist Scott McIntyre (right), who was fired on Sunday over his controversial Anzac day tweets.\n\nThe senior writer for the Australian Financial Review labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs'\n\nThe day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said he hoped 'in 50 years no soldiers around to honour'\n\nBoth Fairfax and Mr Winestock declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.\n\nAfter a public backlash against McIntyre's comments,  SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid and Director of Sport, Ken Shipp\u00a0said in a joint statement that his 'highly inappropriate and disrespectful' comments have 'caused his on-air position at SBS to become untenable.'\n\n'Mr McIntyre\u2019s actions have breached the SBS Code of Conduct and social media policy and as a result, SBS has taken decisive action to terminate Mr McIntyre\u2019s position at SBS, with immediate effect.'\n\nMcIntyre's comments sparked outrage late on Anzac day, with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnball calling them 'despicable remarks' and social media users taking to twitter to spread the #sackScottMcIntre hashtag.\n\nIn his tweets, the SBS football journalist condemned Anzac day as an 'imperialist invasion.'\n\nMcIntyre referred to the Anzac's landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.\n\n'We remember and commemorate our ANZACs': SBS Michael Ebeid\u00a0was quick to distance the broadcaster from McIntyre's comments on Saturday evening, saying they are 'not at all the views of @SBS'\n\n'The cultification of an imperialist invasion of a foreign nation that Australia had no quarrel with is against all ideals of modern society,' McIntyre tweeted, referring to the Anzac's landing on Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula.\n\nIn other tweets, the reporter mocked the 'these brave Anzacs' and accused Diggers of committing war crimes.\n\n'Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan,' he tweeted.\n\n'Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered.\n\nMr McIntyre has more than 30,000 Twitter followers.\n\nThe SBS journalist accused the Australian diggers of committing war crimes.\n\nMcIntyre condemned the commemoration of Anzac Day and mocked the Digger's bravery.\n\nMcIntyre's comments referred to the soldiers as 'terrorists' and were met with disgust by Twitter users.\n\nMcIntyre's comments came on the 100th anniversary of the tragic Battle of Gallipoli (members of the public seen streaming into the Australian War Memorial, right, and names of fallen soldiers, left)\n\nMr Turnbull also chimed into the discussion, calling the comments 'offensive'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the national broadcaster from McIntyre's comments\u00a0on Saturday evening, after incensed social media users launched a Twitter tirade calling for the company to fire the reporter.\n\n'Comments from @mcintinhos are his own, disrespectful and not at all the views of @SBS. We remember and commemorate our ANZACs,' Mr Ebeid wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe offensive tweets were still live on McIntyre's Twitter feed the day after they were published, prompting angry social media users to accuse SBS of being 'complicit' and labelling Mr Ebeid's tweet a 'token apology.'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the media company.\n\nAngry social media users accused SBS of being 'complicit'\n\nOthers accused SBS Managing Director Mr Ebeid's of making a 'token apology' last night.\n\nSocial media users claimed that the tweets were offensive and 'un-Australian' especially on Anzac Day.\n\nSBS has since responded with an official apology for offence caused, stating 'respect for Australian audiences is paramount at SBS.'\n\n'At SBS, employees on and off air are encouraged to participate in social media, however maintaining the integrity of the network and audience trust is vital,' Mr Ebeid and Mr Shipp said in the today's statement.\n\n'It is unfortunate that on this very important occasion, Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments have compromised both.\n\n'SBS apologises for any offence or harm caused by Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments which in no way reflect the views of the network. SBS supports our Anzacs and has devoted unprecedented resources to coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.'\n\nFlag bearers stand to attention during the 100th anniversary service of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) landings at Galllipoli, an event the Australian sports reporter has called 'an imperialist invasion'\n\nTwitter users labelled McIntyre's comments an 'Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace!'\n\nDisgusted social media users began circulating the hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre.\n\nTwitter user Brian Cox wrote: '#sackScottMcIntyre SBS sack this dirty traitor! Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace! Calling Anzac's war criminals on this sacred day!'\n\n'Come on SBS this disrespectful little grub needs to go #sackScottMcIntyre,' Jimmy Nuciforo added.\n\n'The ANZACS died defending what this idiot is abusing - free speech,' tweeted another social media user.\n\nThe hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre began trending on Twitter after social media users saw his comments.\n\nMcIntyre's comments were labelled offensive, especially in light of the centenary of Gallipoli.\n\nSome Twitter users defended his right to free speech, and said that if Mr McIntyre was fired for 'speaking the truth' that was compromising his right to express himself.\n\nOthers took offense to the fact the comments were coming from someone employed with taxpayer funds.\n\n'He should lose his taxpayer funded job,' said one Twitter user, while another said, 'Not normally my thing, but since I am paying for it .... #sackScottMcIntyre'.", "summary": "Anti-ANZAC comments by Scott McIntyre at SBS could cost him his job after social media backlash from the public floods Twitter with hashtags like #sackScottMcIntyre. Supporters defended his right to free speech, but others were angered that the comments were from someone who is employed with taxpayer funds."}
{"article_id": "1837ffd3608240eb94975a7144547467", "article": "A senior writer for the Australian Financial Review has labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs', while standing up for an SBS football reporter  who was sacked after condemning Anzac day on Twitter.\n\nSBS journalist Scott McIntyre was fired on Sunday\u00a0over his tweets which called Anzac day 'the cultification of an imperialist invasion' and accused Australian Diggers of committing war crimes which included 'widespread rape and theft.'\n\nSpeaking up in support of him, the AFR's Geoff Winestock wrote on the social media site: 'Ridiculous. Frightening. I also think Anzacs were racist yobs and Anzac Day is a death cult. Sack me Fairfax.'\n\nOn Friday, the day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said of the memorial: 'Anzac Day wish: in next 30 years there will be no wars and in 50 years no soldiers around to honour.'\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nAustralian Financial Review journalist Geoff Winestock (left) has spoken out in support of sacked SBS journalist Scott McIntyre (right), who was fired on Sunday over his controversial Anzac day tweets.\n\nThe senior writer for the Australian Financial Review labelled Anzacs 'racist yobs'\n\nThe day before Anzac day, Mr Winestock said he hoped 'in 50 years no soldiers around to honour'\n\nBoth Fairfax and Mr Winestock declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.\n\nAfter a public backlash against McIntyre's comments,  SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid and Director of Sport, Ken Shipp\u00a0said in a joint statement that his 'highly inappropriate and disrespectful' comments have 'caused his on-air position at SBS to become untenable.'\n\n'Mr McIntyre\u2019s actions have breached the SBS Code of Conduct and social media policy and as a result, SBS has taken decisive action to terminate Mr McIntyre\u2019s position at SBS, with immediate effect.'\n\nMcIntyre's comments sparked outrage late on Anzac day, with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnball calling them 'despicable remarks' and social media users taking to twitter to spread the #sackScottMcIntre hashtag.\n\nIn his tweets, the SBS football journalist condemned Anzac day as an 'imperialist invasion.'\n\nMcIntyre referred to the Anzac's landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.\n\n'We remember and commemorate our ANZACs': SBS Michael Ebeid\u00a0was quick to distance the broadcaster from McIntyre's comments on Saturday evening, saying they are 'not at all the views of @SBS'\n\n'The cultification of an imperialist invasion of a foreign nation that Australia had no quarrel with is against all ideals of modern society,' McIntyre tweeted, referring to the Anzac's landing on Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula.\n\nIn other tweets, the reporter mocked the 'these brave Anzacs' and accused Diggers of committing war crimes.\n\n'Remembering the summary execution, widespread rape and theft committed by these 'brave' Anzacs in Egypt, Palestine and Japan,' he tweeted.\n\n'Wonder if the poorly-read, largely white, nationalist drinkers and gamblers pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered.\n\nMr McIntyre has more than 30,000 Twitter followers.\n\nThe SBS journalist accused the Australian diggers of committing war crimes.\n\nMcIntyre condemned the commemoration of Anzac Day and mocked the Digger's bravery.\n\nMcIntyre's comments referred to the soldiers as 'terrorists' and were met with disgust by Twitter users.\n\nMcIntyre's comments came on the 100th anniversary of the tragic Battle of Gallipoli (members of the public seen streaming into the Australian War Memorial, right, and names of fallen soldiers, left)\n\nMr Turnbull also chimed into the discussion, calling the comments 'offensive'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the national broadcaster from McIntyre's comments\u00a0on Saturday evening, after incensed social media users launched a Twitter tirade calling for the company to fire the reporter.\n\n'Comments from @mcintinhos are his own, disrespectful and not at all the views of @SBS. We remember and commemorate our ANZACs,' Mr Ebeid wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe offensive tweets were still live on McIntyre's Twitter feed the day after they were published, prompting angry social media users to accuse SBS of being 'complicit' and labelling Mr Ebeid's tweet a 'token apology.'\n\nSBS's managing director Michael Ebeid was quick to distance the media company.\n\nAngry social media users accused SBS of being 'complicit'\n\nOthers accused SBS Managing Director Mr Ebeid's of making a 'token apology' last night.\n\nSocial media users claimed that the tweets were offensive and 'un-Australian' especially on Anzac Day.\n\nSBS has since responded with an official apology for offence caused, stating 'respect for Australian audiences is paramount at SBS.'\n\n'At SBS, employees on and off air are encouraged to participate in social media, however maintaining the integrity of the network and audience trust is vital,' Mr Ebeid and Mr Shipp said in the today's statement.\n\n'It is unfortunate that on this very important occasion, Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments have compromised both.\n\n'SBS apologises for any offence or harm caused by Mr McIntyre\u2019s comments which in no way reflect the views of the network. SBS supports our Anzacs and has devoted unprecedented resources to coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.'\n\nFlag bearers stand to attention during the 100th anniversary service of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) landings at Galllipoli, an event the Australian sports reporter has called 'an imperialist invasion'\n\nTwitter users labelled McIntyre's comments an 'Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace!'\n\nDisgusted social media users began circulating the hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre.\n\nTwitter user Brian Cox wrote: '#sackScottMcIntyre SBS sack this dirty traitor! Un-australian anti Anzac disgrace! Calling Anzac's war criminals on this sacred day!'\n\n'Come on SBS this disrespectful little grub needs to go #sackScottMcIntyre,' Jimmy Nuciforo added.\n\n'The ANZACS died defending what this idiot is abusing - free speech,' tweeted another social media user.\n\nThe hashtag #sackScottMcIntyre began trending on Twitter after social media users saw his comments.\n\nMcIntyre's comments were labelled offensive, especially in light of the centenary of Gallipoli.\n\nSome Twitter users defended his right to free speech, and said that if Mr McIntyre was fired for 'speaking the truth' that was compromising his right to express himself.\n\nOthers took offense to the fact the comments were coming from someone employed with taxpayer funds.\n\n'He should lose his taxpayer funded job,' said one Twitter user, while another said, 'Not normally my thing, but since I am paying for it .... #sackScottMcIntyre'.", "summary": "SBS Journalist Scott McIntyre was fired on Sunday over tweets that called Anzac Day a cultification of an imperialist invasion, accusing Australian diggers of committing war crimes. Although many people side with McIntyre, a lot of people on Twitter labeled McIntyre as an \u201cUn-Australian Anti Anzac Disgrace,\u201d followed by the hashtag, #sackScottMcIntyre circulating online."}
{"article_id": "b799bf9fa6484454aa8e6558ad2e05fe", "article": "Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota has lost her right eye following a test track crash.\n\nShe was hurt when the MR-01 race car she was driving hit a support truck at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday.\n\nIt was the first time the 32-year-old Spaniard had driven the car for the Oxfordshire-based Marussia team.\n\nInspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the test track on Wednesday.\n\nMarussia said surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge \"embarked on a lengthy procedure to address the serious head and facial injuries sustained by Maria in the accident\".\n\nIt said: \"The operation began yesterday afternoon and she was in theatre until this morning.\n\n\"Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.\"\n\nJohn Booth, team principal of the Marussia F1 Team, said: \"Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke's Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.\n\n\"We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams.\n\n\"However, it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.\n\n\"Maria's care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.\"\n\nDe Villota sustained her injuries after her car \"suddenly accelerated\" into the back of the support lorry, according to witnesses.\n\nBBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who saw the accident, said: \"The top of her car and her helmet seemed to take the brunt of it.\n\n\"She didn't move for about 15 minutes.\"\n\nHe said De Villota had been driving at up to 200mph during the testing, but the car was travelling considerably slower at the time of the crash.\n\nMr Booth said: \"With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment.\"\n\nMessages of support have come in from the motor racing world, including ones from Ferrari driver and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.\n\nFormula 1 driver and BBC analyst Jaime Alguersari said in his weekly column\n\n: \"I was shocked to hear of the accident suffered by Maria de Villota. I know her and her family very well. I still don't know the cause of the accident. There are so many rumours but I want to wait to see what really happened.\n\n\"It's terribly sad. Maria is a fantastic person, as are her brothers and her father Emilio, who was one of Spain's first F1 drivers.\n\n\"She is a role model, especially for all the females who want to get into F1. So this is a very sad situation.\n\n\"Thankfully, she is not in a life-threatening situation so we have to look at the positive side. We will see Maria again.\"\n\nLewis Hamilton tweeted: \"Just heard about Maria's terrible accident at Duxford. I hope she pulls through. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.\"\n\nThe McLaren driver said later: \"I don't understand how it happened or how it was able to happen.\"", "summary": "Maria de Viollta, a 32-year-old Spaniard formula 1 driver, had an accident while driving her MR-1 race car on Tuesday at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire, which resulted in her losing her left eye. Her surgery took place at Addenbrookes Hospital; fans hope she pulls through."}
{"article_id": "b799bf9fa6484454aa8e6558ad2e05fe", "article": "Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota has lost her right eye following a test track crash.\n\nShe was hurt when the MR-01 race car she was driving hit a support truck at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday.\n\nIt was the first time the 32-year-old Spaniard had driven the car for the Oxfordshire-based Marussia team.\n\nInspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the test track on Wednesday.\n\nMarussia said surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge \"embarked on a lengthy procedure to address the serious head and facial injuries sustained by Maria in the accident\".\n\nIt said: \"The operation began yesterday afternoon and she was in theatre until this morning.\n\n\"Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.\"\n\nJohn Booth, team principal of the Marussia F1 Team, said: \"Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke's Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.\n\n\"We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams.\n\n\"However, it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.\n\n\"Maria's care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.\"\n\nDe Villota sustained her injuries after her car \"suddenly accelerated\" into the back of the support lorry, according to witnesses.\n\nBBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who saw the accident, said: \"The top of her car and her helmet seemed to take the brunt of it.\n\n\"She didn't move for about 15 minutes.\"\n\nHe said De Villota had been driving at up to 200mph during the testing, but the car was travelling considerably slower at the time of the crash.\n\nMr Booth said: \"With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment.\"\n\nMessages of support have come in from the motor racing world, including ones from Ferrari driver and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.\n\nFormula 1 driver and BBC analyst Jaime Alguersari said in his weekly column\n\n: \"I was shocked to hear of the accident suffered by Maria de Villota. I know her and her family very well. I still don't know the cause of the accident. There are so many rumours but I want to wait to see what really happened.\n\n\"It's terribly sad. Maria is a fantastic person, as are her brothers and her father Emilio, who was one of Spain's first F1 drivers.\n\n\"She is a role model, especially for all the females who want to get into F1. So this is a very sad situation.\n\n\"Thankfully, she is not in a life-threatening situation so we have to look at the positive side. We will see Maria again.\"\n\nLewis Hamilton tweeted: \"Just heard about Maria's terrible accident at Duxford. I hope she pulls through. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.\"\n\nThe McLaren driver said later: \"I don't understand how it happened or how it was able to happen.\"", "summary": "Formula 1 driver, Maria de Villota, sustained head injuries following a test track crash that resulted in the loss of her right eye. Witnesses to the accident reported that her vehicle accelerated into the back of the support lorry. The team principal of the Marussia F1 Team, John Booth, has stated that a comprehensive analysis of the accident is underway. "}
{"article_id": "b799bf9fa6484454aa8e6558ad2e05fe", "article": "Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota has lost her right eye following a test track crash.\n\nShe was hurt when the MR-01 race car she was driving hit a support truck at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday.\n\nIt was the first time the 32-year-old Spaniard had driven the car for the Oxfordshire-based Marussia team.\n\nInspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the test track on Wednesday.\n\nMarussia said surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge \"embarked on a lengthy procedure to address the serious head and facial injuries sustained by Maria in the accident\".\n\nIt said: \"The operation began yesterday afternoon and she was in theatre until this morning.\n\n\"Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.\"\n\nJohn Booth, team principal of the Marussia F1 Team, said: \"Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke's Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.\n\n\"We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams.\n\n\"However, it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.\n\n\"Maria's care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.\"\n\nDe Villota sustained her injuries after her car \"suddenly accelerated\" into the back of the support lorry, according to witnesses.\n\nBBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who saw the accident, said: \"The top of her car and her helmet seemed to take the brunt of it.\n\n\"She didn't move for about 15 minutes.\"\n\nHe said De Villota had been driving at up to 200mph during the testing, but the car was travelling considerably slower at the time of the crash.\n\nMr Booth said: \"With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment.\"\n\nMessages of support have come in from the motor racing world, including ones from Ferrari driver and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.\n\nFormula 1 driver and BBC analyst Jaime Alguersari said in his weekly column\n\n: \"I was shocked to hear of the accident suffered by Maria de Villota. I know her and her family very well. I still don't know the cause of the accident. There are so many rumours but I want to wait to see what really happened.\n\n\"It's terribly sad. Maria is a fantastic person, as are her brothers and her father Emilio, who was one of Spain's first F1 drivers.\n\n\"She is a role model, especially for all the females who want to get into F1. So this is a very sad situation.\n\n\"Thankfully, she is not in a life-threatening situation so we have to look at the positive side. We will see Maria again.\"\n\nLewis Hamilton tweeted: \"Just heard about Maria's terrible accident at Duxford. I hope she pulls through. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.\"\n\nThe McLaren driver said later: \"I don't understand how it happened or how it was able to happen.\"", "summary": "During a Tuesday track test at Duxford airfield, Maria de Villota's MR-01 race car struck a support truck and crashed.  Villota was injured and reportedly lost her right eye.  Villota reportedly remains in critical but stable condition.  The cause of the crash is still unknown."}
{"article_id": "b799bf9fa6484454aa8e6558ad2e05fe", "article": "Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota has lost her right eye following a test track crash.\n\nShe was hurt when the MR-01 race car she was driving hit a support truck at Duxford airfield in Cambridgeshire on Tuesday.\n\nIt was the first time the 32-year-old Spaniard had driven the car for the Oxfordshire-based Marussia team.\n\nInspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the test track on Wednesday.\n\nMarussia said surgeons at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge \"embarked on a lengthy procedure to address the serious head and facial injuries sustained by Maria in the accident\".\n\nIt said: \"The operation began yesterday afternoon and she was in theatre until this morning.\n\n\"Maria remains in a critical but stable condition.\"\n\nJohn Booth, team principal of the Marussia F1 Team, said: \"Maria emerged from theatre at Addenbrooke's Hospital this morning after a lengthy operation to address the serious head and facial injuries she received in the accident at Duxford Airfield yesterday.\n\n\"We are grateful for the medical attention that Maria has been receiving and her family would like to thank the Neurological and Plastics surgical teams.\n\n\"However, it is with great sadness that I must report that, due to the injuries she sustained, Maria has lost her right eye.\n\n\"Maria's care and the wellbeing of her family remain our priority at this time. Her family are at the hospital and we are doing everything possible to support them.\"\n\nDe Villota sustained her injuries after her car \"suddenly accelerated\" into the back of the support lorry, according to witnesses.\n\nBBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann, who saw the accident, said: \"The top of her car and her helmet seemed to take the brunt of it.\n\n\"She didn't move for about 15 minutes.\"\n\nHe said De Villota had been driving at up to 200mph during the testing, but the car was travelling considerably slower at the time of the crash.\n\nMr Booth said: \"With regard to the accident, we have embarked on a very comprehensive analysis of what happened and this work continues for the moment.\"\n\nMessages of support have come in from the motor racing world, including ones from Ferrari driver and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.\n\nFormula 1 driver and BBC analyst Jaime Alguersari said in his weekly column\n\n: \"I was shocked to hear of the accident suffered by Maria de Villota. I know her and her family very well. I still don't know the cause of the accident. There are so many rumours but I want to wait to see what really happened.\n\n\"It's terribly sad. Maria is a fantastic person, as are her brothers and her father Emilio, who was one of Spain's first F1 drivers.\n\n\"She is a role model, especially for all the females who want to get into F1. So this is a very sad situation.\n\n\"Thankfully, she is not in a life-threatening situation so we have to look at the positive side. We will see Maria again.\"\n\nLewis Hamilton tweeted: \"Just heard about Maria's terrible accident at Duxford. I hope she pulls through. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time.\"\n\nThe McLaren driver said later: \"I don't understand how it happened or how it was able to happen.\"", "summary": "Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota lost her right eye after her car slammed into a support truck at the track. She remains in critical condition in the hospital. Fellow Formula one drivers showed their support via messages. Witnesses to the accident said her helmet took a lot of the impact. "}
{"article_id": "a1510aef8b98408aa183df34cb4889e1", "article": "The US Supreme Court has upheld a key portion of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, preserving health insurance for millions of Americans.\n\nIn a 6-3 decision, the justices said that tax subsidies that make health insurance affordable for low-income individuals can continue.\n\nThe ruling preserves the law known as Obamacare, which Mr Obama considers a major part of his presidential legacy.\n\nRepublicans have vowed to continue fighting the law.\n\n\"We've got more work to do, but what we're not going to do is unravel what has now been woven into the fabric of America,\" Mr Obama said.\n\nThe case, known as King v Burwell, was the second major challenge the law has faced in the US's highest court.\n\nUnlike in many other western countries, the US does not have a single-payer healthcare system. Private companies, rather than the US government, provide health insurance for US citizens.\n\nThe enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - one of Mr Obama's most significant and controversial domestic achievements - in 2010 mandated that every American had to purchase private insurance. It provided the subsidies to allow many to do so.\n\nIn 2012, the mandate portion of the law was challenged in the court. The justices ruled to preserve it.\n\nIn that decision, as in the decision on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts surprised observers by siding with his liberal colleagues in support of the law.\n\n\"Congress passed the Affordable Care act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,\" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion.\n\nJustice Anthony Kennedy dissented in 2012, but sided with the majority on Thursday.\n\nHad the court made the opposite decision, an estimated 8.7 million people in the US would have been at risk of losing the aid that makes healthcare affordable.\n\nThe stakes could not have been higher.\n\nPeople's health (crucially important) and Obama's legacy (less important, but for him and those around him fairly vital) were at stake.\n\nWell a politically finely balanced Supreme Court has given an emphatic, overwhelming vote in favour of the president by 6-3.\n\nI bet \"No-drama Obama\" is high-fiving anyone and everyone in the White House - that is how big it is.\n\nObama defies lame-duck expectations\n\nDemonstrators gathered outside the court as early on Thursday morning.\n\nReading updates on their mobile phones, the crowd became jubilant when they learned mid-morning that the court had ruled in their favour. Some began dancing, while others chanted \"If you're covered and you know it clap your hands.\"\n\n\"This is a big sigh of relief for millions across the country,\" said Ron Pollack of Families USA, a health-care advocacy organisation. \"The ACA is not just the law of the land, it will remain the law of the land\".\n\n\"Today is a good day for healthcare in America,\" said activist Benton Strong. \"I hope this is the end of the line.\"\n\nDemonstrators opposing the subsidies did not have a large visible presence.\n\nJustice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent that the Supreme Court is setting a precedent of favouring some laws over others.\n\n\"We should start calling this law Scotuscare\" Justice Scalia wrote, referring to the court's acronym. \"Today's interpretation is not merely unnatural; it is unheard of.\"\n\nCongressional Republicans have voted more than 50 times to undo the law.\n\nHouse Speaker John Boehner said that they will continue their \"efforts to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centred solutions that meet the needs of seniors, small business owners, and middle-class families\".\n\nFollowing the enactment of the ACA in 2010, states were given the option of establishing their own healthcare exchanges - online marketplaces for citizens to buy health coverage.\n\nCitizens in states that refused to establish exchanges could shop for coverage on a federal exchange.\n\nIn the court, opponents argued that a phrase included in the law, \"established by the state,\" meant the federal government could only provide subsidies to people in states that set up their own exchanges.\n\nHowever, most Americans receiving subsidies purchase healthcare through the federal exchange, after many states decided not to set up their own marketplaces. Only 13 states and Washington DC have set up their own exchanges.\n\nThe Obama administration argued that was a too-narrow reading of the law, which spans nearly 1,000 pages, and the rest of the legislation makes clear subsidies are intended for those who meet income requirements, regardless of which exchange insurance was purchased from.\n\nSource: Reuters\n\nThe upholding of the law cements President Obama's biggest legislative victory. Limiting the subsidies could have unravelled Mr Obama's signature healthcare reforms.\n\nRepublican Congressional leader Steve Scalise said he was disappointed with the ruling and would work to have the law \"repealed and replaced,\" echoing near-universal Republican sentiment.\n\n\"It does not change the fact that Obamacare has been a dismal failure for millions of Americans who have lost the good healthcare that they liked, and are paying more for the plans that they have,\" Mr Scalise said in statement.\n\nMeet the Supremes: Who are the US Supreme Court Justices", "summary": "The  US Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare, providing healthcare for millions of Americans.  Unlike other countries,  which have single-payer healthcare systems, private companies provide healthcare to US citizens, not the government. \nRepublicans have vowed to continue to fight the law.  "}
{"article_id": "a1510aef8b98408aa183df34cb4889e1", "article": "The US Supreme Court has upheld a key portion of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, preserving health insurance for millions of Americans.\n\nIn a 6-3 decision, the justices said that tax subsidies that make health insurance affordable for low-income individuals can continue.\n\nThe ruling preserves the law known as Obamacare, which Mr Obama considers a major part of his presidential legacy.\n\nRepublicans have vowed to continue fighting the law.\n\n\"We've got more work to do, but what we're not going to do is unravel what has now been woven into the fabric of America,\" Mr Obama said.\n\nThe case, known as King v Burwell, was the second major challenge the law has faced in the US's highest court.\n\nUnlike in many other western countries, the US does not have a single-payer healthcare system. Private companies, rather than the US government, provide health insurance for US citizens.\n\nThe enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - one of Mr Obama's most significant and controversial domestic achievements - in 2010 mandated that every American had to purchase private insurance. It provided the subsidies to allow many to do so.\n\nIn 2012, the mandate portion of the law was challenged in the court. The justices ruled to preserve it.\n\nIn that decision, as in the decision on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts surprised observers by siding with his liberal colleagues in support of the law.\n\n\"Congress passed the Affordable Care act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,\" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion.\n\nJustice Anthony Kennedy dissented in 2012, but sided with the majority on Thursday.\n\nHad the court made the opposite decision, an estimated 8.7 million people in the US would have been at risk of losing the aid that makes healthcare affordable.\n\nThe stakes could not have been higher.\n\nPeople's health (crucially important) and Obama's legacy (less important, but for him and those around him fairly vital) were at stake.\n\nWell a politically finely balanced Supreme Court has given an emphatic, overwhelming vote in favour of the president by 6-3.\n\nI bet \"No-drama Obama\" is high-fiving anyone and everyone in the White House - that is how big it is.\n\nObama defies lame-duck expectations\n\nDemonstrators gathered outside the court as early on Thursday morning.\n\nReading updates on their mobile phones, the crowd became jubilant when they learned mid-morning that the court had ruled in their favour. Some began dancing, while others chanted \"If you're covered and you know it clap your hands.\"\n\n\"This is a big sigh of relief for millions across the country,\" said Ron Pollack of Families USA, a health-care advocacy organisation. \"The ACA is not just the law of the land, it will remain the law of the land\".\n\n\"Today is a good day for healthcare in America,\" said activist Benton Strong. \"I hope this is the end of the line.\"\n\nDemonstrators opposing the subsidies did not have a large visible presence.\n\nJustice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent that the Supreme Court is setting a precedent of favouring some laws over others.\n\n\"We should start calling this law Scotuscare\" Justice Scalia wrote, referring to the court's acronym. \"Today's interpretation is not merely unnatural; it is unheard of.\"\n\nCongressional Republicans have voted more than 50 times to undo the law.\n\nHouse Speaker John Boehner said that they will continue their \"efforts to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centred solutions that meet the needs of seniors, small business owners, and middle-class families\".\n\nFollowing the enactment of the ACA in 2010, states were given the option of establishing their own healthcare exchanges - online marketplaces for citizens to buy health coverage.\n\nCitizens in states that refused to establish exchanges could shop for coverage on a federal exchange.\n\nIn the court, opponents argued that a phrase included in the law, \"established by the state,\" meant the federal government could only provide subsidies to people in states that set up their own exchanges.\n\nHowever, most Americans receiving subsidies purchase healthcare through the federal exchange, after many states decided not to set up their own marketplaces. Only 13 states and Washington DC have set up their own exchanges.\n\nThe Obama administration argued that was a too-narrow reading of the law, which spans nearly 1,000 pages, and the rest of the legislation makes clear subsidies are intended for those who meet income requirements, regardless of which exchange insurance was purchased from.\n\nSource: Reuters\n\nThe upholding of the law cements President Obama's biggest legislative victory. Limiting the subsidies could have unravelled Mr Obama's signature healthcare reforms.\n\nRepublican Congressional leader Steve Scalise said he was disappointed with the ruling and would work to have the law \"repealed and replaced,\" echoing near-universal Republican sentiment.\n\n\"It does not change the fact that Obamacare has been a dismal failure for millions of Americans who have lost the good healthcare that they liked, and are paying more for the plans that they have,\" Mr Scalise said in statement.\n\nMeet the Supremes: Who are the US Supreme Court Justices", "summary": "The Supreme court voted in a 6-3 decision to keep the Obamacare tax subsidies. The subsidies allow 8.7 million low-income Americans to purchase healthcare. Republicans continue to fight the law, though protestors against the law were not very numerous at the courthouse.  "}
{"article_id": "a1510aef8b98408aa183df34cb4889e1", "article": "The US Supreme Court has upheld a key portion of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, preserving health insurance for millions of Americans.\n\nIn a 6-3 decision, the justices said that tax subsidies that make health insurance affordable for low-income individuals can continue.\n\nThe ruling preserves the law known as Obamacare, which Mr Obama considers a major part of his presidential legacy.\n\nRepublicans have vowed to continue fighting the law.\n\n\"We've got more work to do, but what we're not going to do is unravel what has now been woven into the fabric of America,\" Mr Obama said.\n\nThe case, known as King v Burwell, was the second major challenge the law has faced in the US's highest court.\n\nUnlike in many other western countries, the US does not have a single-payer healthcare system. Private companies, rather than the US government, provide health insurance for US citizens.\n\nThe enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) - one of Mr Obama's most significant and controversial domestic achievements - in 2010 mandated that every American had to purchase private insurance. It provided the subsidies to allow many to do so.\n\nIn 2012, the mandate portion of the law was challenged in the court. The justices ruled to preserve it.\n\nIn that decision, as in the decision on Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts surprised observers by siding with his liberal colleagues in support of the law.\n\n\"Congress passed the Affordable Care act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,\" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion.\n\nJustice Anthony Kennedy dissented in 2012, but sided with the majority on Thursday.\n\nHad the court made the opposite decision, an estimated 8.7 million people in the US would have been at risk of losing the aid that makes healthcare affordable.\n\nThe stakes could not have been higher.\n\nPeople's health (crucially important) and Obama's legacy (less important, but for him and those around him fairly vital) were at stake.\n\nWell a politically finely balanced Supreme Court has given an emphatic, overwhelming vote in favour of the president by 6-3.\n\nI bet \"No-drama Obama\" is high-fiving anyone and everyone in the White House - that is how big it is.\n\nObama defies lame-duck expectations\n\nDemonstrators gathered outside the court as early on Thursday morning.\n\nReading updates on their mobile phones, the crowd became jubilant when they learned mid-morning that the court had ruled in their favour. Some began dancing, while others chanted \"If you're covered and you know it clap your hands.\"\n\n\"This is a big sigh of relief for millions across the country,\" said Ron Pollack of Families USA, a health-care advocacy organisation. \"The ACA is not just the law of the land, it will remain the law of the land\".\n\n\"Today is a good day for healthcare in America,\" said activist Benton Strong. \"I hope this is the end of the line.\"\n\nDemonstrators opposing the subsidies did not have a large visible presence.\n\nJustice Antonin Scalia wrote in his dissent that the Supreme Court is setting a precedent of favouring some laws over others.\n\n\"We should start calling this law Scotuscare\" Justice Scalia wrote, referring to the court's acronym. \"Today's interpretation is not merely unnatural; it is unheard of.\"\n\nCongressional Republicans have voted more than 50 times to undo the law.\n\nHouse Speaker John Boehner said that they will continue their \"efforts to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centred solutions that meet the needs of seniors, small business owners, and middle-class families\".\n\nFollowing the enactment of the ACA in 2010, states were given the option of establishing their own healthcare exchanges - online marketplaces for citizens to buy health coverage.\n\nCitizens in states that refused to establish exchanges could shop for coverage on a federal exchange.\n\nIn the court, opponents argued that a phrase included in the law, \"established by the state,\" meant the federal government could only provide subsidies to people in states that set up their own exchanges.\n\nHowever, most Americans receiving subsidies purchase healthcare through the federal exchange, after many states decided not to set up their own marketplaces. Only 13 states and Washington DC have set up their own exchanges.\n\nThe Obama administration argued that was a too-narrow reading of the law, which spans nearly 1,000 pages, and the rest of the legislation makes clear subsidies are intended for those who meet income requirements, regardless of which exchange insurance was purchased from.\n\nSource: Reuters\n\nThe upholding of the law cements President Obama's biggest legislative victory. Limiting the subsidies could have unravelled Mr Obama's signature healthcare reforms.\n\nRepublican Congressional leader Steve Scalise said he was disappointed with the ruling and would work to have the law \"repealed and replaced,\" echoing near-universal Republican sentiment.\n\n\"It does not change the fact that Obamacare has been a dismal failure for millions of Americans who have lost the good healthcare that they liked, and are paying more for the plans that they have,\" Mr Scalise said in statement.\n\nMeet the Supremes: Who are the US Supreme Court Justices", "summary": "The United States Supreme Court has voted to uphold the Affordable Care Act, which provides access to healthcare for 8.7 million Americans. The law is President Barack Obama's greatest legislative victory, but Congressional Republicans oppose the law and have voted over 50 times to undo it.   "}
{"article_id": "6b1b8e147daa4cb3964d903d11a42446", "article": "A new law imposing restrictions on users of social media has come into effect in Russia.\n\nIt means bloggers with more than 3,000 daily readers must register with the mass media regulator, Roskomnadzor, and conform to the regulations that govern the country's larger media outlets.\n\nInternet companies will also be required to allow Russian authorities access to users' information.\n\nOne human rights group called the move \"draconian\".\n\nThe law was approved by Russia's upper house of parliament in April.\n\nIt includes measures to ensure that bloggers cannot remain anonymous, and states that social networks must maintain six months of data on its users.\n\nThe information must be stored on servers based in Russian territory, so that government authorities can gain access.\n\nCritics see it as the latest in a series of recent moves to curb internet freedom.\n\nHugh Williamson, of New York-based Human Rights Watch, has called the law \"another milestone in Russia's relentless crackdown on free expression\".\n\n\"The internet is the last island of free expression in Russia and these draconian regulations are clearly aimed at putting it under government control,\" he added.\n\nOpposition figures have used the internet to air their views, with some gaining millions of followers.\n\nCommentators opposing Vladimir Putin often face restrictions in broadcast outlets and newspapers.\n\nAnalysis: Famil Ismailov, news editor, BBCRussian.com\n\nRussian bloggers are bracing themselves for the moment when Russia's new \"information security law\" comes into force on 1 August. Some already share advice on how to use proxy servers in order to access social media sites that, in their view, are under threat of being closed.\n\nIt is hard to see how the law will be enforced. The servers for most of the popular social media platforms that many Russians use are based outside Russia.\n\nMany popular bloggers are already looking for, and apparently finding, ways to \"cheat\" the feature that counts page visits and keep their daily unique visitor numbers just under 3000, or to make sure that the statistics are hidden altogether.\n\nAnton Nossik, who is considered Russia's \"internet guru\", wrote in his LiveJournal blog that the new law didn't threaten individual bloggers directly, but provided legal grounds to block popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal and Google.\n\n\"The issue of banning all these platforms in Russia is a political one and it will be decided by only one person\", Mr Nossik wrote, with a thinly veiled reference to President Vladimir Putin.\n\nEarlier in the year, Russia enacted a law that gave the government powers to block websites without explanation.\n\nIn March, Moscow blocked the blog of Mr Navalny, along with two news sites and a organisation run by Garry Kasparov - a vocal critic of the Russian government.\n\nIn a statement, Russia's prosecutor general's office said the blocks were imposed because of the sites' role in helping stage illegal protests.\n\nEarlier this week, Twitter blocked access to an anti-Kremlin account that often publishes leaked government documents, following a request by Russia's federal communications agency Roskomnadzor.\n\nFor many years, Russia had relatively lax internet laws.\n\nHowever Moscow has recently changed its tune, with Mr Putin branding the internet an ongoing \"CIA project\".\n\nHe also claimed that the popular Russian search engine Yandex was controlled by foreign intelligence.\n\nTwo years ago, Russia enacted a law enabling authorities to blacklist and force certain websites offline without a trial.\n\nThe government said the legislation was designed to protect children from harmful internet content, such as pro-suicide or pornography websites.\n\nOn Thursday, lawyers for US intelligence officer Edward Snowden said the whistleblower had filed for refugee status in Russia.\n\nMr Snowden received temporary shelter in Russia last year.\n\nHe had evaded US authorities after he leaked classified government documents revealing mass surveillance programmes undertaken by the NSA in the US and GCHQ in the UK.", "summary": "Russia has a new law that requires bloggers with over 3,000 followers or page visits to register their accounts with the Russian government. The government said the intention of the law was to protect children from harmful content. Opponents of the legislation say it is all about control. "}
{"article_id": "6b1b8e147daa4cb3964d903d11a42446", "article": "A new law imposing restrictions on users of social media has come into effect in Russia.\n\nIt means bloggers with more than 3,000 daily readers must register with the mass media regulator, Roskomnadzor, and conform to the regulations that govern the country's larger media outlets.\n\nInternet companies will also be required to allow Russian authorities access to users' information.\n\nOne human rights group called the move \"draconian\".\n\nThe law was approved by Russia's upper house of parliament in April.\n\nIt includes measures to ensure that bloggers cannot remain anonymous, and states that social networks must maintain six months of data on its users.\n\nThe information must be stored on servers based in Russian territory, so that government authorities can gain access.\n\nCritics see it as the latest in a series of recent moves to curb internet freedom.\n\nHugh Williamson, of New York-based Human Rights Watch, has called the law \"another milestone in Russia's relentless crackdown on free expression\".\n\n\"The internet is the last island of free expression in Russia and these draconian regulations are clearly aimed at putting it under government control,\" he added.\n\nOpposition figures have used the internet to air their views, with some gaining millions of followers.\n\nCommentators opposing Vladimir Putin often face restrictions in broadcast outlets and newspapers.\n\nAnalysis: Famil Ismailov, news editor, BBCRussian.com\n\nRussian bloggers are bracing themselves for the moment when Russia's new \"information security law\" comes into force on 1 August. Some already share advice on how to use proxy servers in order to access social media sites that, in their view, are under threat of being closed.\n\nIt is hard to see how the law will be enforced. The servers for most of the popular social media platforms that many Russians use are based outside Russia.\n\nMany popular bloggers are already looking for, and apparently finding, ways to \"cheat\" the feature that counts page visits and keep their daily unique visitor numbers just under 3000, or to make sure that the statistics are hidden altogether.\n\nAnton Nossik, who is considered Russia's \"internet guru\", wrote in his LiveJournal blog that the new law didn't threaten individual bloggers directly, but provided legal grounds to block popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal and Google.\n\n\"The issue of banning all these platforms in Russia is a political one and it will be decided by only one person\", Mr Nossik wrote, with a thinly veiled reference to President Vladimir Putin.\n\nEarlier in the year, Russia enacted a law that gave the government powers to block websites without explanation.\n\nIn March, Moscow blocked the blog of Mr Navalny, along with two news sites and a organisation run by Garry Kasparov - a vocal critic of the Russian government.\n\nIn a statement, Russia's prosecutor general's office said the blocks were imposed because of the sites' role in helping stage illegal protests.\n\nEarlier this week, Twitter blocked access to an anti-Kremlin account that often publishes leaked government documents, following a request by Russia's federal communications agency Roskomnadzor.\n\nFor many years, Russia had relatively lax internet laws.\n\nHowever Moscow has recently changed its tune, with Mr Putin branding the internet an ongoing \"CIA project\".\n\nHe also claimed that the popular Russian search engine Yandex was controlled by foreign intelligence.\n\nTwo years ago, Russia enacted a law enabling authorities to blacklist and force certain websites offline without a trial.\n\nThe government said the legislation was designed to protect children from harmful internet content, such as pro-suicide or pornography websites.\n\nOn Thursday, lawyers for US intelligence officer Edward Snowden said the whistleblower had filed for refugee status in Russia.\n\nMr Snowden received temporary shelter in Russia last year.\n\nHe had evaded US authorities after he leaked classified government documents revealing mass surveillance programmes undertaken by the NSA in the US and GCHQ in the UK.", "summary": "New Russian information security law requires popular websites to be regulated with the same restrictions as large media outlets. Critics say it will inhibit freedom of expression. "}
{"article_id": "6b1b8e147daa4cb3964d903d11a42446", "article": "A new law imposing restrictions on users of social media has come into effect in Russia.\n\nIt means bloggers with more than 3,000 daily readers must register with the mass media regulator, Roskomnadzor, and conform to the regulations that govern the country's larger media outlets.\n\nInternet companies will also be required to allow Russian authorities access to users' information.\n\nOne human rights group called the move \"draconian\".\n\nThe law was approved by Russia's upper house of parliament in April.\n\nIt includes measures to ensure that bloggers cannot remain anonymous, and states that social networks must maintain six months of data on its users.\n\nThe information must be stored on servers based in Russian territory, so that government authorities can gain access.\n\nCritics see it as the latest in a series of recent moves to curb internet freedom.\n\nHugh Williamson, of New York-based Human Rights Watch, has called the law \"another milestone in Russia's relentless crackdown on free expression\".\n\n\"The internet is the last island of free expression in Russia and these draconian regulations are clearly aimed at putting it under government control,\" he added.\n\nOpposition figures have used the internet to air their views, with some gaining millions of followers.\n\nCommentators opposing Vladimir Putin often face restrictions in broadcast outlets and newspapers.\n\nAnalysis: Famil Ismailov, news editor, BBCRussian.com\n\nRussian bloggers are bracing themselves for the moment when Russia's new \"information security law\" comes into force on 1 August. Some already share advice on how to use proxy servers in order to access social media sites that, in their view, are under threat of being closed.\n\nIt is hard to see how the law will be enforced. The servers for most of the popular social media platforms that many Russians use are based outside Russia.\n\nMany popular bloggers are already looking for, and apparently finding, ways to \"cheat\" the feature that counts page visits and keep their daily unique visitor numbers just under 3000, or to make sure that the statistics are hidden altogether.\n\nAnton Nossik, who is considered Russia's \"internet guru\", wrote in his LiveJournal blog that the new law didn't threaten individual bloggers directly, but provided legal grounds to block popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal and Google.\n\n\"The issue of banning all these platforms in Russia is a political one and it will be decided by only one person\", Mr Nossik wrote, with a thinly veiled reference to President Vladimir Putin.\n\nEarlier in the year, Russia enacted a law that gave the government powers to block websites without explanation.\n\nIn March, Moscow blocked the blog of Mr Navalny, along with two news sites and a organisation run by Garry Kasparov - a vocal critic of the Russian government.\n\nIn a statement, Russia's prosecutor general's office said the blocks were imposed because of the sites' role in helping stage illegal protests.\n\nEarlier this week, Twitter blocked access to an anti-Kremlin account that often publishes leaked government documents, following a request by Russia's federal communications agency Roskomnadzor.\n\nFor many years, Russia had relatively lax internet laws.\n\nHowever Moscow has recently changed its tune, with Mr Putin branding the internet an ongoing \"CIA project\".\n\nHe also claimed that the popular Russian search engine Yandex was controlled by foreign intelligence.\n\nTwo years ago, Russia enacted a law enabling authorities to blacklist and force certain websites offline without a trial.\n\nThe government said the legislation was designed to protect children from harmful internet content, such as pro-suicide or pornography websites.\n\nOn Thursday, lawyers for US intelligence officer Edward Snowden said the whistleblower had filed for refugee status in Russia.\n\nMr Snowden received temporary shelter in Russia last year.\n\nHe had evaded US authorities after he leaked classified government documents revealing mass surveillance programmes undertaken by the NSA in the US and GCHQ in the UK.", "summary": "After years of little internet laws, Russia has passed additional legislation that appears to give the government significant control and access to user information. This is seen as highly controlling and many users are already using methods to avoid these changes. "}
{"article_id": "e41d93fde49b4b6aa0a951857f326117", "article": "Union barons handed Ed Miliband more than \u00a31.6million in the first week of the election campaign \u2013 treble the donations received by the Tories.\n\nFigures released by the Electoral Commission revealed that Labour received \u00a31.9million in the week to April 5, with 84 per cent coming from just three trade unions.\n\nIt included a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey.\n\nEd Miliband received  \u00a31.6m from union barons in the first week of the election campaign, figures have revealed.\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nCritics have accused Labour of being bound by its union paymasters after the party unveiled policies including raising corporation tax, introducing a mansion tax, repealing the benefits cap, nationalising the railways and scrapping employment tribunal fees.\n\nSince Mr Miliband became party leader, thanks largely to union backing, nearly \u00a37 in every \u00a310 donated to Labour has come from the unions \u2013 amounting to more than \u00a340million.\n\nIn the first round of election donations registered, \u00a3506,240 was given by Unison, while the CWU gave \u00a351,072.\n\nLabour received a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey (pictured)\n\nThe party did attract one large business donation, from property tycoon Sir David Garrard. The former tax exile, who was involved in the cash-for-honours controversy, gave \u00a3250,000.\n\nUkip received only \u00a335,416 in the period but last night its coffers were boosted by a \u00a31million donation from Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, who gave \u00a3300,000 last year.\n\nIn the week to April 5, the Conservatives received \u00a3501,850 and the Lib Dems \u00a320,000. One of the most generous gifts to the Tories \u2013 \u00a375,000 \u2013 came from Michael Tory, who was in charge of Lehman Brothers\u2019 UK investment banking division when the bank nearly crashed the West\u2019s economy.\n\nSawsan Asfari, wife of long-time Tory donor and oil executive Ayman Asfari, gave \u00a320,000. Syrian-born Mr Asfari, who has given the Tories about \u00a3400,000, was made a \u2018business ambassador\u2019 by David Cameron last year.\n\nHome insurance boss Richard Harpin of Homeserve gave \u00a350,000. His company was fined \u00a330million last year for a mis-selling scandal.\n\nHedge fund manager, James Diner, who once dated model Caprice, gave \u00a325,000 while socialite Fitriani Hay, who co-owns property development firm JMP Group with her racehorse-owning husband James, donated \u00a366,850.\n\nUkip received \u00a325,000 from Robin Birley, who is also bankrolling Tory chief whip Michael Gove\u2019s re-election campaign.\n\nNick Clegg\u2019s friend Anthony Ullmann, boss of polyester yarn company Autofil, and Joseph Zammit-Lucia, who describes himself as a \u2018compulsive contrarian\u2019 on his website, each gave \u00a310,000 to the Lib Dems.\n\nTory candidate Henry Smith said: \u2018The union fatcats have once again lavished the dosh on Ed Miliband. That\u2019s because they know he\u2019s a weak leader who\u2019ll dance to more than one tune: not only SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon\u2019s, but their\u2019s too. Those tunes mean more spending, more borrowing and Britain back to bankruptcy.\u2019\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nDavid Cameron and Ed Miliband are indulging in fantasy economics, the TaxPayers\u2019 Alliance claimed. It said both parties were making unrealistic spending pledges to win votes.\n\nThe think-tank\u2019s Jonathan Isaby said: \u2018It\u2019s clear that nobody is facing up to the true scale of the deficit reduction challenge.\n\n'It is a fantasy to pretend that you can balance Britain\u2019s books without significant spending reductions, and politicians must come clean about what they will be. Voters deserve real honesty.\u2019", "summary": "Union Barons donated 1.6 million pounds to Ed Miliband's campaign, which was more than half of what the Tories received. However, Tory candidate, Henry Smith states that unions spend their money to back an incompetent leader knowing that Miliband will return the favor. Smith adds that the unnecessary spending will result in Britain's bankruptcy. "}
{"article_id": "e41d93fde49b4b6aa0a951857f326117", "article": "Union barons handed Ed Miliband more than \u00a31.6million in the first week of the election campaign \u2013 treble the donations received by the Tories.\n\nFigures released by the Electoral Commission revealed that Labour received \u00a31.9million in the week to April 5, with 84 per cent coming from just three trade unions.\n\nIt included a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey.\n\nEd Miliband received  \u00a31.6m from union barons in the first week of the election campaign, figures have revealed.\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nCritics have accused Labour of being bound by its union paymasters after the party unveiled policies including raising corporation tax, introducing a mansion tax, repealing the benefits cap, nationalising the railways and scrapping employment tribunal fees.\n\nSince Mr Miliband became party leader, thanks largely to union backing, nearly \u00a37 in every \u00a310 donated to Labour has come from the unions \u2013 amounting to more than \u00a340million.\n\nIn the first round of election donations registered, \u00a3506,240 was given by Unison, while the CWU gave \u00a351,072.\n\nLabour received a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey (pictured)\n\nThe party did attract one large business donation, from property tycoon Sir David Garrard. The former tax exile, who was involved in the cash-for-honours controversy, gave \u00a3250,000.\n\nUkip received only \u00a335,416 in the period but last night its coffers were boosted by a \u00a31million donation from Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, who gave \u00a3300,000 last year.\n\nIn the week to April 5, the Conservatives received \u00a3501,850 and the Lib Dems \u00a320,000. One of the most generous gifts to the Tories \u2013 \u00a375,000 \u2013 came from Michael Tory, who was in charge of Lehman Brothers\u2019 UK investment banking division when the bank nearly crashed the West\u2019s economy.\n\nSawsan Asfari, wife of long-time Tory donor and oil executive Ayman Asfari, gave \u00a320,000. Syrian-born Mr Asfari, who has given the Tories about \u00a3400,000, was made a \u2018business ambassador\u2019 by David Cameron last year.\n\nHome insurance boss Richard Harpin of Homeserve gave \u00a350,000. His company was fined \u00a330million last year for a mis-selling scandal.\n\nHedge fund manager, James Diner, who once dated model Caprice, gave \u00a325,000 while socialite Fitriani Hay, who co-owns property development firm JMP Group with her racehorse-owning husband James, donated \u00a366,850.\n\nUkip received \u00a325,000 from Robin Birley, who is also bankrolling Tory chief whip Michael Gove\u2019s re-election campaign.\n\nNick Clegg\u2019s friend Anthony Ullmann, boss of polyester yarn company Autofil, and Joseph Zammit-Lucia, who describes himself as a \u2018compulsive contrarian\u2019 on his website, each gave \u00a310,000 to the Lib Dems.\n\nTory candidate Henry Smith said: \u2018The union fatcats have once again lavished the dosh on Ed Miliband. That\u2019s because they know he\u2019s a weak leader who\u2019ll dance to more than one tune: not only SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon\u2019s, but their\u2019s too. Those tunes mean more spending, more borrowing and Britain back to bankruptcy.\u2019\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nDavid Cameron and Ed Miliband are indulging in fantasy economics, the TaxPayers\u2019 Alliance claimed. It said both parties were making unrealistic spending pledges to win votes.\n\nThe think-tank\u2019s Jonathan Isaby said: \u2018It\u2019s clear that nobody is facing up to the true scale of the deficit reduction challenge.\n\n'It is a fantasy to pretend that you can balance Britain\u2019s books without significant spending reductions, and politicians must come clean about what they will be. Voters deserve real honesty.\u2019", "summary": "Labor leader Ed Miliband received 1.9 million pounds in the week of April 5th. That is triple the number of Conservative donations which came mostly from people connected to hedge funds. 84 percent of Labor donations came from just 3 trade unions. "}
{"article_id": "e41d93fde49b4b6aa0a951857f326117", "article": "Union barons handed Ed Miliband more than \u00a31.6million in the first week of the election campaign \u2013 treble the donations received by the Tories.\n\nFigures released by the Electoral Commission revealed that Labour received \u00a31.9million in the week to April 5, with 84 per cent coming from just three trade unions.\n\nIt included a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey.\n\nEd Miliband received  \u00a31.6m from union barons in the first week of the election campaign, figures have revealed.\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nCritics have accused Labour of being bound by its union paymasters after the party unveiled policies including raising corporation tax, introducing a mansion tax, repealing the benefits cap, nationalising the railways and scrapping employment tribunal fees.\n\nSince Mr Miliband became party leader, thanks largely to union backing, nearly \u00a37 in every \u00a310 donated to Labour has come from the unions \u2013 amounting to more than \u00a340million.\n\nIn the first round of election donations registered, \u00a3506,240 was given by Unison, while the CWU gave \u00a351,072.\n\nLabour received a \u00a31million cheque from Unite, entrenching Labour\u2019s reliance on the union\u2019s militant boss Len McCluskey (pictured)\n\nThe party did attract one large business donation, from property tycoon Sir David Garrard. The former tax exile, who was involved in the cash-for-honours controversy, gave \u00a3250,000.\n\nUkip received only \u00a335,416 in the period but last night its coffers were boosted by a \u00a31million donation from Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, who gave \u00a3300,000 last year.\n\nIn the week to April 5, the Conservatives received \u00a3501,850 and the Lib Dems \u00a320,000. One of the most generous gifts to the Tories \u2013 \u00a375,000 \u2013 came from Michael Tory, who was in charge of Lehman Brothers\u2019 UK investment banking division when the bank nearly crashed the West\u2019s economy.\n\nSawsan Asfari, wife of long-time Tory donor and oil executive Ayman Asfari, gave \u00a320,000. Syrian-born Mr Asfari, who has given the Tories about \u00a3400,000, was made a \u2018business ambassador\u2019 by David Cameron last year.\n\nHome insurance boss Richard Harpin of Homeserve gave \u00a350,000. His company was fined \u00a330million last year for a mis-selling scandal.\n\nHedge fund manager, James Diner, who once dated model Caprice, gave \u00a325,000 while socialite Fitriani Hay, who co-owns property development firm JMP Group with her racehorse-owning husband James, donated \u00a366,850.\n\nUkip received \u00a325,000 from Robin Birley, who is also bankrolling Tory chief whip Michael Gove\u2019s re-election campaign.\n\nNick Clegg\u2019s friend Anthony Ullmann, boss of polyester yarn company Autofil, and Joseph Zammit-Lucia, who describes himself as a \u2018compulsive contrarian\u2019 on his website, each gave \u00a310,000 to the Lib Dems.\n\nTory candidate Henry Smith said: \u2018The union fatcats have once again lavished the dosh on Ed Miliband. That\u2019s because they know he\u2019s a weak leader who\u2019ll dance to more than one tune: not only SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon\u2019s, but their\u2019s too. Those tunes mean more spending, more borrowing and Britain back to bankruptcy.\u2019\n\nConservative donations totalled just over \u00a3500,000 in the first week of the campaign, with about a quarter coming from donors with links to hedge funds.\n\nDavid Cameron and Ed Miliband are indulging in fantasy economics, the TaxPayers\u2019 Alliance claimed. It said both parties were making unrealistic spending pledges to win votes.\n\nThe think-tank\u2019s Jonathan Isaby said: \u2018It\u2019s clear that nobody is facing up to the true scale of the deficit reduction challenge.\n\n'It is a fantasy to pretend that you can balance Britain\u2019s books without significant spending reductions, and politicians must come clean about what they will be. Voters deserve real honesty.\u2019", "summary": "Britain's politicians receive a slew of donations from a variety of donors for their upcoming electoral campaigns. Many of the donors have links to hedge funds, along with other large companies that have a track record of donating to specific political parties. "}
{"article_id": "22e7e602ee234513be86ebb57199b827", "article": "Judge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' by the sexual assault but freed Josh Sweet after serving just two months on remand.\n\nA burglar who broke into a young teacher's home and sexually assaulted her as she lay in bed has been freed by a judge who handed him a community sentence.\n\nThe decision's been slammed by a Victim Support charity worker, who said that 'victims deserve justice', after the 24-year-old teacher was left traumatised by the ordeal.\n\nJudge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' during the case at Birmingham Crown Court, which has left her 'petrified' and afraid to go out.\n\nBut Joshua Sweet, 20, from Birmingham, was freed and given a three-year community order on account of an early plea and having spent just two months in jail awaiting his court appearance.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said Sweet broke into the victim's home and took items including car keys and a mobile phone before making his way upstairs, where the victim was asleep.\n\nIn the dead of night, she awoke to find the intruder 'standing beside her bed' and screamed, which is when the terrifying assault began.\n\nSweet then rolled down her duvet and touched the defendant sexually, saying 'you're not going to make any noise are you?'\n\nMiss Rai said the woman was extremely frightened and tried to divert the defendant.\n\nSweet touched the woman\u2019s bottom and upper thigh but as he took hold of the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, her house-mate, the owner of the property, came into the room and he fled.\n\nThe police were called and Sweet was arrested nearby, but the victim's ordeal continued.\n\nIn a statement she said she had been 'petrified' at finding a stranger in her bedroom and that the incident, which had caused her to take time off work, had left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe.\n\nShe said she had put a bolt on her bedroom door and had been reluctant to come out.\n\nSentencing guidelines for sexual assaults range up to eight years for the most serious cases.\n\nAnd although the nature of this case falls in the lower end of the scale, the sentence angered a victim support charity that said offenders 'must be given a punishment that fits their crime'.\n\nJoshua Sweet, 20, admitted burglary and sexual assault and was given a three-year community order, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and must register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nCarolyn Hodrien, victim services director for Victim Support, said: 'From supporting thousands of victims of sexual assault, we know what a devastating impact it can have on people's lives.\n\n'Victims deserve justice and for this to happen offenders must be given a punishment that fits their crime.\n\nCommunity orders can be a really effective way to manage some offenders, but should never be issued for a serious offence or as a quick-fix.'\n\nSweet, 20, of Alwold Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, who\u00a0admitted burglary and sexual assault, was also ordered to do 150 hours\u00a0unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nThe judge also made a restraining order banning the defendant from going to the victim's road or having any contact with her.\n\nMohammed Hafeez, defending, said Sweet was a young man with many difficulties  and had been the victim of serious offences himself which had had a 'significant' effect on his mental health.\n\nHe said the death of a daughter had caused him to drink to excess and that he had little recollection of what he had done.", "summary": "Josh Sweet broke into a teacher's home and sexually assaulted her in bed. Although the judge admits that the victim was scarred physiologically, Sweet still got out with just a slap on the wrist. However, this decision is slammed by a victim support charity worker, demanding true justice for the victim. "}
{"article_id": "22e7e602ee234513be86ebb57199b827", "article": "Judge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' by the sexual assault but freed Josh Sweet after serving just two months on remand.\n\nA burglar who broke into a young teacher's home and sexually assaulted her as she lay in bed has been freed by a judge who handed him a community sentence.\n\nThe decision's been slammed by a Victim Support charity worker, who said that 'victims deserve justice', after the 24-year-old teacher was left traumatised by the ordeal.\n\nJudge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' during the case at Birmingham Crown Court, which has left her 'petrified' and afraid to go out.\n\nBut Joshua Sweet, 20, from Birmingham, was freed and given a three-year community order on account of an early plea and having spent just two months in jail awaiting his court appearance.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said Sweet broke into the victim's home and took items including car keys and a mobile phone before making his way upstairs, where the victim was asleep.\n\nIn the dead of night, she awoke to find the intruder 'standing beside her bed' and screamed, which is when the terrifying assault began.\n\nSweet then rolled down her duvet and touched the defendant sexually, saying 'you're not going to make any noise are you?'\n\nMiss Rai said the woman was extremely frightened and tried to divert the defendant.\n\nSweet touched the woman\u2019s bottom and upper thigh but as he took hold of the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, her house-mate, the owner of the property, came into the room and he fled.\n\nThe police were called and Sweet was arrested nearby, but the victim's ordeal continued.\n\nIn a statement she said she had been 'petrified' at finding a stranger in her bedroom and that the incident, which had caused her to take time off work, had left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe.\n\nShe said she had put a bolt on her bedroom door and had been reluctant to come out.\n\nSentencing guidelines for sexual assaults range up to eight years for the most serious cases.\n\nAnd although the nature of this case falls in the lower end of the scale, the sentence angered a victim support charity that said offenders 'must be given a punishment that fits their crime'.\n\nJoshua Sweet, 20, admitted burglary and sexual assault and was given a three-year community order, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and must register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nCarolyn Hodrien, victim services director for Victim Support, said: 'From supporting thousands of victims of sexual assault, we know what a devastating impact it can have on people's lives.\n\n'Victims deserve justice and for this to happen offenders must be given a punishment that fits their crime.\n\nCommunity orders can be a really effective way to manage some offenders, but should never be issued for a serious offence or as a quick-fix.'\n\nSweet, 20, of Alwold Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, who\u00a0admitted burglary and sexual assault, was also ordered to do 150 hours\u00a0unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nThe judge also made a restraining order banning the defendant from going to the victim's road or having any contact with her.\n\nMohammed Hafeez, defending, said Sweet was a young man with many difficulties  and had been the victim of serious offences himself which had had a 'significant' effect on his mental health.\n\nHe said the death of a daughter had caused him to drink to excess and that he had little recollection of what he had done.", "summary": "20-year-old Joshua Sweet was released after only serving two months of his prison sentence for sexual assault.  The judge who released Sweet gave him community service instead.  Sweet claimed that excess drinking due to the death of his daughter left him with little recollection of what he had done."}
{"article_id": "22e7e602ee234513be86ebb57199b827", "article": "Judge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' by the sexual assault but freed Josh Sweet after serving just two months on remand.\n\nA burglar who broke into a young teacher's home and sexually assaulted her as she lay in bed has been freed by a judge who handed him a community sentence.\n\nThe decision's been slammed by a Victim Support charity worker, who said that 'victims deserve justice', after the 24-year-old teacher was left traumatised by the ordeal.\n\nJudge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' during the case at Birmingham Crown Court, which has left her 'petrified' and afraid to go out.\n\nBut Joshua Sweet, 20, from Birmingham, was freed and given a three-year community order on account of an early plea and having spent just two months in jail awaiting his court appearance.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said Sweet broke into the victim's home and took items including car keys and a mobile phone before making his way upstairs, where the victim was asleep.\n\nIn the dead of night, she awoke to find the intruder 'standing beside her bed' and screamed, which is when the terrifying assault began.\n\nSweet then rolled down her duvet and touched the defendant sexually, saying 'you're not going to make any noise are you?'\n\nMiss Rai said the woman was extremely frightened and tried to divert the defendant.\n\nSweet touched the woman\u2019s bottom and upper thigh but as he took hold of the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, her house-mate, the owner of the property, came into the room and he fled.\n\nThe police were called and Sweet was arrested nearby, but the victim's ordeal continued.\n\nIn a statement she said she had been 'petrified' at finding a stranger in her bedroom and that the incident, which had caused her to take time off work, had left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe.\n\nShe said she had put a bolt on her bedroom door and had been reluctant to come out.\n\nSentencing guidelines for sexual assaults range up to eight years for the most serious cases.\n\nAnd although the nature of this case falls in the lower end of the scale, the sentence angered a victim support charity that said offenders 'must be given a punishment that fits their crime'.\n\nJoshua Sweet, 20, admitted burglary and sexual assault and was given a three-year community order, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and must register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nCarolyn Hodrien, victim services director for Victim Support, said: 'From supporting thousands of victims of sexual assault, we know what a devastating impact it can have on people's lives.\n\n'Victims deserve justice and for this to happen offenders must be given a punishment that fits their crime.\n\nCommunity orders can be a really effective way to manage some offenders, but should never be issued for a serious offence or as a quick-fix.'\n\nSweet, 20, of Alwold Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, who\u00a0admitted burglary and sexual assault, was also ordered to do 150 hours\u00a0unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.\n\nThe judge also made a restraining order banning the defendant from going to the victim's road or having any contact with her.\n\nMohammed Hafeez, defending, said Sweet was a young man with many difficulties  and had been the victim of serious offences himself which had had a 'significant' effect on his mental health.\n\nHe said the death of a daughter had caused him to drink to excess and that he had little recollection of what he had done.", "summary": "Joshua Sweet was given a three-year community order after touching a young teacher's bottom and upper thigh against her will. The decision was slammed by victim advocacy groups who demanded justice, stating the 150-hour unpaid work order and being required to register as a sex offender wasn't punishment enough.  "}
{"article_id": "66f39853ad2b437c8bdca86ae74bb35f", "article": "Western Sahara has welcomed Morocco's readmission to the African Union, 32 years after members refused to withdraw support for the territory's independence.\n\nIt was a \"good opportunity\" and \"a chance to work together,\" a top Western Sahara official told the BBC.\n\nMorocco controls two-thirds of Western Sahara and sees it as part of its historic territory.\n\nHowever some, including the UN, see Western Sahara as Africa's last colony.\n\nAfrica Live: More on this and other stories\n\nFind out more about Western Sahara\n\nA referendum was promised in 1991 but never carried out due to wrangling over who was eligible to vote.\n\nThousands of Sahrawi refugees still live in refugee camps in Algeria - some have been there for 40 years.\n\nIt is not clear what happens next but Western Sahara is hopeful that a committee set up by the AU will address the issues that both sides have raised.\n\nSome AU delegates said that it would be easier to resolve the issue with Morocco inside the AU.\n\nSidi Mohammed, a Western Sahara official, told the BBC that Morocco's return to the AU means that it would now be expected to put \"in practice decisions taken by the AU with regard to a referendum in Western Sahara\".\n\nMr Mohammed dismissed the suggestion that Morocco would now seek to get the AU to change its position, saying that the no country could unilaterally change the AU fundamental agreement, saying it opposed colonisation.\n\nIn his speech at the AU summit, King Mohammed VI of Morocco said the readmission was not meant to divide the continental body.\n\nNo. Algeria has always been a big supporter of Western Sahara's Polisario Front and it had wanted Morocco to accept independence of the territory as a condition for readmission.\n\nZimbabwe and South Africa were also supportive of this stance but they were outnumbered by those who wanted Morocco back in the fold.\n\nThere is no specific provision in the AU charter that bars any country from joining it.\n\nMorocco simply applied and the request was accepted by more than two-thirds of the 53 members.\n\nMorocco has been involved in intense lobbying and applied in July last year to rejoin the continental body.\n\nKing Mohammed toured various African countries seeking support for the bid.\n\nNo. While culturally the country's identity aligns with Arab states, its economic interests increasingly lie in Africa.\n\nThis is a strategic move to continue exploring its interests in mining, construction, medical, insurance and banking sectors on the continent.\n\nMoroccan troops went into Western Sahara after Spain withdrew in 1975.\n\nKitesurfing in a danger zone\n\nInside world's most remote film festival\n\nProfile: African Union", "summary": "Morocco joined the African Union after a referendum was promised over 30 years ago. The readmission was done in an effort to unite the continental body. "}
{"article_id": "66f39853ad2b437c8bdca86ae74bb35f", "article": "Western Sahara has welcomed Morocco's readmission to the African Union, 32 years after members refused to withdraw support for the territory's independence.\n\nIt was a \"good opportunity\" and \"a chance to work together,\" a top Western Sahara official told the BBC.\n\nMorocco controls two-thirds of Western Sahara and sees it as part of its historic territory.\n\nHowever some, including the UN, see Western Sahara as Africa's last colony.\n\nAfrica Live: More on this and other stories\n\nFind out more about Western Sahara\n\nA referendum was promised in 1991 but never carried out due to wrangling over who was eligible to vote.\n\nThousands of Sahrawi refugees still live in refugee camps in Algeria - some have been there for 40 years.\n\nIt is not clear what happens next but Western Sahara is hopeful that a committee set up by the AU will address the issues that both sides have raised.\n\nSome AU delegates said that it would be easier to resolve the issue with Morocco inside the AU.\n\nSidi Mohammed, a Western Sahara official, told the BBC that Morocco's return to the AU means that it would now be expected to put \"in practice decisions taken by the AU with regard to a referendum in Western Sahara\".\n\nMr Mohammed dismissed the suggestion that Morocco would now seek to get the AU to change its position, saying that the no country could unilaterally change the AU fundamental agreement, saying it opposed colonisation.\n\nIn his speech at the AU summit, King Mohammed VI of Morocco said the readmission was not meant to divide the continental body.\n\nNo. Algeria has always been a big supporter of Western Sahara's Polisario Front and it had wanted Morocco to accept independence of the territory as a condition for readmission.\n\nZimbabwe and South Africa were also supportive of this stance but they were outnumbered by those who wanted Morocco back in the fold.\n\nThere is no specific provision in the AU charter that bars any country from joining it.\n\nMorocco simply applied and the request was accepted by more than two-thirds of the 53 members.\n\nMorocco has been involved in intense lobbying and applied in July last year to rejoin the continental body.\n\nKing Mohammed toured various African countries seeking support for the bid.\n\nNo. While culturally the country's identity aligns with Arab states, its economic interests increasingly lie in Africa.\n\nThis is a strategic move to continue exploring its interests in mining, construction, medical, insurance and banking sectors on the continent.\n\nMoroccan troops went into Western Sahara after Spain withdrew in 1975.\n\nKitesurfing in a danger zone\n\nInside world's most remote film festival\n\nProfile: African Union", "summary": "Western Sahara welcomes Morocco back into the African Union. Morocco sees Western Sahara not as an independent nation, but rather as a part of its territory. Top Western Sahara officials said it was a chance to work together. Morocco looks to explore Economic interests in Africa with its new membership. "}
{"article_id": "66f39853ad2b437c8bdca86ae74bb35f", "article": "Western Sahara has welcomed Morocco's readmission to the African Union, 32 years after members refused to withdraw support for the territory's independence.\n\nIt was a \"good opportunity\" and \"a chance to work together,\" a top Western Sahara official told the BBC.\n\nMorocco controls two-thirds of Western Sahara and sees it as part of its historic territory.\n\nHowever some, including the UN, see Western Sahara as Africa's last colony.\n\nAfrica Live: More on this and other stories\n\nFind out more about Western Sahara\n\nA referendum was promised in 1991 but never carried out due to wrangling over who was eligible to vote.\n\nThousands of Sahrawi refugees still live in refugee camps in Algeria - some have been there for 40 years.\n\nIt is not clear what happens next but Western Sahara is hopeful that a committee set up by the AU will address the issues that both sides have raised.\n\nSome AU delegates said that it would be easier to resolve the issue with Morocco inside the AU.\n\nSidi Mohammed, a Western Sahara official, told the BBC that Morocco's return to the AU means that it would now be expected to put \"in practice decisions taken by the AU with regard to a referendum in Western Sahara\".\n\nMr Mohammed dismissed the suggestion that Morocco would now seek to get the AU to change its position, saying that the no country could unilaterally change the AU fundamental agreement, saying it opposed colonisation.\n\nIn his speech at the AU summit, King Mohammed VI of Morocco said the readmission was not meant to divide the continental body.\n\nNo. Algeria has always been a big supporter of Western Sahara's Polisario Front and it had wanted Morocco to accept independence of the territory as a condition for readmission.\n\nZimbabwe and South Africa were also supportive of this stance but they were outnumbered by those who wanted Morocco back in the fold.\n\nThere is no specific provision in the AU charter that bars any country from joining it.\n\nMorocco simply applied and the request was accepted by more than two-thirds of the 53 members.\n\nMorocco has been involved in intense lobbying and applied in July last year to rejoin the continental body.\n\nKing Mohammed toured various African countries seeking support for the bid.\n\nNo. While culturally the country's identity aligns with Arab states, its economic interests increasingly lie in Africa.\n\nThis is a strategic move to continue exploring its interests in mining, construction, medical, insurance and banking sectors on the continent.\n\nMoroccan troops went into Western Sahara after Spain withdrew in 1975.\n\nKitesurfing in a danger zone\n\nInside world's most remote film festival\n\nProfile: African Union", "summary": "After 32 years, Morrocco has been accepted back into the African Union. Although there is no clear resolution yet, this is a step towards finally settling the dispute over the Western Sahara, which both Morrocco and Africa claim."}
{"article_id": "c49141df06f643f38cc7ea59635592bb", "article": "The shooting of African-American, father-of-four Walter Scott by a white cop has provoked a torrent of anger and grief from celebrities on social media.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, when he ran from the cop.\n\nPop star and member of Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams, wrote: 'Once again... #WalterScott' and added a broken heart.\n\nSinger Janelle Mon\u00e1e said: 'This brought tears to my eyes. #WalterScott reminds me of my uncle, family. Can only imagine the pain his fam feels.'\n\nRapper Big Boi simply tweeted an image of a black square with the words: '#WalterScott'.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nDestiny's Child member Michelle Williams tweeted about her grief over the shooting of father-of-four Walter Scott in South Carolina on Saturday.\n\nA number of celebrities joined a torrent of outrage from Twitter users over the shooting on Walter Scott. Rapper Big Boi simply published a black square with the words:\u00a0#WalterScott.\n\nSinger Janelle Monae also added her condolences on Twitter following the shooting of the father-of-four.\n\nMusician Questlove shared his anger with followers through his posts after it emerged that Scott had been running from the cop with his back turned when he was shot dead.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina and pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nMusician Questlove wrote: 'I believe in waiting to hear everything before casting opinion. But allow me the preemptive...uh...shot of \"I feared for my life\" my ass.'\n\nHe went on: 'Can you imagine the amount of murders that went down before the age and development of cell phone videos? this didn't start this year.'\n\nThe star added: 'i was numb, now I'm angry. i rarely cuss here out of respect. but I'm angry as f***. good night.'\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the\u00a0#WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend\u00a0#Truthdom.'\n\nThe former Grey's Anatomy star also changed his profile picture to that of a statue which was created by artist Phillip Hyman on a South Carolina roadside in honor of Scott's death.\n\nOfficer Slager initially claimed that he feared for his life and Scott wrestled a Taser from him.\n\nHowever a video emerged on Tuesday of Slager firing at the victim eight times when he was 15-20 feet away with his back turned.\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the #WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend #Truthdom'\n\nA sculpture was placed by the roadside in Charleston, South Carolina as a \u00a0memorial following the shooting of unarmed, black, father-of-four Walter Scott.\n\nComedian Orlando Jones, who comes from the same state, as Walter Scott, shared his anger on Twitter.\n\nSlager was charged with murder on Wednesday and could face the death penalty.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'unnecessary and avoidable'.\n\nHe added: 'My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community.'\n\nWriter-director Joss Whedon tweeted: 'At this point, the Slager murder seems like a message, a mafia thing, like it's meant to shut people down or set them off. IT HAS TO END.'\n\nTV anchor Geraldo Rivera added: 'No spin-video clearly shows white N. Charleston cop shooting fleeing black man 8 times in the back... If this guy\u2019s acquitted I\u2019ll join protest.'\n\nMr Scott, (pictured left) a former U.S. Coast Guard, leaves a fianc\u00e9e, his parents, siblings and four children after he was shot dead by a police officer. Right, Michael Slager has been charged with his murder.\n\nDestiny's Child singer Michelle Williams (left) and RnB star Janelle Monae both posted on their Twitter accounts about their grief over the death of Mr Scott.\n\nDirector Joss Whedon added his outrage to the cop shooting which was captured on camera on Saturday.\n\nTV host Geraldo Rivera had strong words following the shooting which led to the cop being charged with murder in South Carolina.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'avoidable'", "summary": "Charleston police officer, Michael Slager, was charged with the murder of African-American man Walter Scott on Wednesday. Celebrities have shared an outpouring on social media, as the situation which led to Scott's death appears to have been another event of police brutality. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott added that his death was \"unnecessary and avoidable.\""}
{"article_id": "c49141df06f643f38cc7ea59635592bb", "article": "The shooting of African-American, father-of-four Walter Scott by a white cop has provoked a torrent of anger and grief from celebrities on social media.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, when he ran from the cop.\n\nPop star and member of Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams, wrote: 'Once again... #WalterScott' and added a broken heart.\n\nSinger Janelle Mon\u00e1e said: 'This brought tears to my eyes. #WalterScott reminds me of my uncle, family. Can only imagine the pain his fam feels.'\n\nRapper Big Boi simply tweeted an image of a black square with the words: '#WalterScott'.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nDestiny's Child member Michelle Williams tweeted about her grief over the shooting of father-of-four Walter Scott in South Carolina on Saturday.\n\nA number of celebrities joined a torrent of outrage from Twitter users over the shooting on Walter Scott. Rapper Big Boi simply published a black square with the words:\u00a0#WalterScott.\n\nSinger Janelle Monae also added her condolences on Twitter following the shooting of the father-of-four.\n\nMusician Questlove shared his anger with followers through his posts after it emerged that Scott had been running from the cop with his back turned when he was shot dead.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina and pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nMusician Questlove wrote: 'I believe in waiting to hear everything before casting opinion. But allow me the preemptive...uh...shot of \"I feared for my life\" my ass.'\n\nHe went on: 'Can you imagine the amount of murders that went down before the age and development of cell phone videos? this didn't start this year.'\n\nThe star added: 'i was numb, now I'm angry. i rarely cuss here out of respect. but I'm angry as f***. good night.'\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the\u00a0#WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend\u00a0#Truthdom.'\n\nThe former Grey's Anatomy star also changed his profile picture to that of a statue which was created by artist Phillip Hyman on a South Carolina roadside in honor of Scott's death.\n\nOfficer Slager initially claimed that he feared for his life and Scott wrestled a Taser from him.\n\nHowever a video emerged on Tuesday of Slager firing at the victim eight times when he was 15-20 feet away with his back turned.\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the #WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend #Truthdom'\n\nA sculpture was placed by the roadside in Charleston, South Carolina as a \u00a0memorial following the shooting of unarmed, black, father-of-four Walter Scott.\n\nComedian Orlando Jones, who comes from the same state, as Walter Scott, shared his anger on Twitter.\n\nSlager was charged with murder on Wednesday and could face the death penalty.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'unnecessary and avoidable'.\n\nHe added: 'My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community.'\n\nWriter-director Joss Whedon tweeted: 'At this point, the Slager murder seems like a message, a mafia thing, like it's meant to shut people down or set them off. IT HAS TO END.'\n\nTV anchor Geraldo Rivera added: 'No spin-video clearly shows white N. Charleston cop shooting fleeing black man 8 times in the back... If this guy\u2019s acquitted I\u2019ll join protest.'\n\nMr Scott, (pictured left) a former U.S. Coast Guard, leaves a fianc\u00e9e, his parents, siblings and four children after he was shot dead by a police officer. Right, Michael Slager has been charged with his murder.\n\nDestiny's Child singer Michelle Williams (left) and RnB star Janelle Monae both posted on their Twitter accounts about their grief over the death of Mr Scott.\n\nDirector Joss Whedon added his outrage to the cop shooting which was captured on camera on Saturday.\n\nTV host Geraldo Rivera had strong words following the shooting which led to the cop being charged with murder in South Carolina.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'avoidable'", "summary": "The shooting of Walter Scott has triggered a wave of anger and grief among celebrities on social media. Mr. Scott, an African-American was shot by a white officer, Michael Slagger. A video emerged shows that Mr. Scott was shot eight times at a distance with his back turned. Now, Slagger faces a murder charge. "}
{"article_id": "c49141df06f643f38cc7ea59635592bb", "article": "The shooting of African-American, father-of-four Walter Scott by a white cop has provoked a torrent of anger and grief from celebrities on social media.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, when he ran from the cop.\n\nPop star and member of Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams, wrote: 'Once again... #WalterScott' and added a broken heart.\n\nSinger Janelle Mon\u00e1e said: 'This brought tears to my eyes. #WalterScott reminds me of my uncle, family. Can only imagine the pain his fam feels.'\n\nRapper Big Boi simply tweeted an image of a black square with the words: '#WalterScott'.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nDestiny's Child member Michelle Williams tweeted about her grief over the shooting of father-of-four Walter Scott in South Carolina on Saturday.\n\nA number of celebrities joined a torrent of outrage from Twitter users over the shooting on Walter Scott. Rapper Big Boi simply published a black square with the words:\u00a0#WalterScott.\n\nSinger Janelle Monae also added her condolences on Twitter following the shooting of the father-of-four.\n\nMusician Questlove shared his anger with followers through his posts after it emerged that Scott had been running from the cop with his back turned when he was shot dead.\n\nMr Scott, 50, was gunned down by Officer Michael Slager on Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina and pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nMusician Questlove wrote: 'I believe in waiting to hear everything before casting opinion. But allow me the preemptive...uh...shot of \"I feared for my life\" my ass.'\n\nHe went on: 'Can you imagine the amount of murders that went down before the age and development of cell phone videos? this didn't start this year.'\n\nThe star added: 'i was numb, now I'm angry. i rarely cuss here out of respect. but I'm angry as f***. good night.'\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the\u00a0#WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend\u00a0#Truthdom.'\n\nThe former Grey's Anatomy star also changed his profile picture to that of a statue which was created by artist Phillip Hyman on a South Carolina roadside in honor of Scott's death.\n\nOfficer Slager initially claimed that he feared for his life and Scott wrestled a Taser from him.\n\nHowever a video emerged on Tuesday of Slager firing at the victim eight times when he was 15-20 feet away with his back turned.\n\nActor Isaiah Washington tweeted: 'Okay, watching the #WalterScott video was horrible, but I think the brave person who captured the murder is a Hero and a Godsend #Truthdom'\n\nA sculpture was placed by the roadside in Charleston, South Carolina as a \u00a0memorial following the shooting of unarmed, black, father-of-four Walter Scott.\n\nComedian Orlando Jones, who comes from the same state, as Walter Scott, shared his anger on Twitter.\n\nSlager was charged with murder on Wednesday and could face the death penalty.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'unnecessary and avoidable'.\n\nHe added: 'My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community.'\n\nWriter-director Joss Whedon tweeted: 'At this point, the Slager murder seems like a message, a mafia thing, like it's meant to shut people down or set them off. IT HAS TO END.'\n\nTV anchor Geraldo Rivera added: 'No spin-video clearly shows white N. Charleston cop shooting fleeing black man 8 times in the back... If this guy\u2019s acquitted I\u2019ll join protest.'\n\nMr Scott, (pictured left) a former U.S. Coast Guard, leaves a fianc\u00e9e, his parents, siblings and four children after he was shot dead by a police officer. Right, Michael Slager has been charged with his murder.\n\nDestiny's Child singer Michelle Williams (left) and RnB star Janelle Monae both posted on their Twitter accounts about their grief over the death of Mr Scott.\n\nDirector Joss Whedon added his outrage to the cop shooting which was captured on camera on Saturday.\n\nTV host Geraldo Rivera had strong words following the shooting which led to the cop being charged with murder in South Carolina.\n\nSouth Carolina Senator Tim Scott also added his thoughts on the killing, describing Mr Scott's death as 'avoidable'", "summary": "A white officer has been charged with murder after fatally shooting an unarmed African American man. He originally claimed self-defense, but a video shows him shooting the man in the back from a distance. Celebrities and public figures take to social media to share both their condolences and outrage. "}
{"article_id": "2e5837f2f9e440d0b4bd6268f874dd17", "article": "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said. In the most recent attack, two men were killed Thursday in Sadr City area of Baghdad after they were disowned by relatives, the official said. The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims. On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives. The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media. Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire.", "summary": "Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in Iraq. The shootings occurred after a tribal meeting was held and members decided to go after the victims. Four additional men were shot in the same city after being disowned by relatives.  "}
{"article_id": "d790135b9a7545428cd79ae79a186d5f", "article": "If you had \u00a3140,000 to splurge, would you splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante\u00a0or maybe even a three-bedroom detached house in Nottingham?\n\nOr, would you rather shell your hard-earned savings on a pink handbag?\n\nThat is exactly what retailer Vestiaire Collective is hoping for, as they put a Hermes bag on sale for a cool \u00a3140,000 on their site.\n\nIs this Britain's most expensive handbag? A sade-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag embellished with rubies has gone on sale for \u00a3140,000.\n\nSo what do you get for your money? The made-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag comes embellished with rubies.\n\nThe rare tote is so exclusive that it can't even be brought in store and experts say it's an extremely good investment.\n\nFanny Moizant, Vestiaire Collective's Brand Communications Director and Head of UK, said: 'Hermes Birkin bags have come to symbolise the epitome of quality, the materials and the impeccable French craftsmanship are second to none.\n\n'The brand has a strong heritage with a controlled supply, which makes it highly desirable for stylish women. This aspirational identity has developed into a strong social status symbol. The limited supply and production of rare colours and skin have made these bags must-have collectors items resulting in an increased value over time,  unlike cars, which are known to depreciate in value after leaving the showroom.'\n\nWith the same amount of money that the handbag costs, you could splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante.\n\nWhilst they don't own the exact same bag, Kim Kardashian, left, and Heidi Klum, right, are both the proud owners of pink Hermes Birkin bags.\n\nHermes is one of the most coveted handbags of all time, but with a price tag of around \u00a38,000 the Herm\u00e9s Birkin bag isn't quite within every fashionista's price range (unless you're Victoria Beckham whose collection is worth a reported \u00a31.5m).\n\nPrestigious luggage and accessories firm Herm\u00e9s, who count many of the world's wealthiest women as fans, is known for luxury leather accessories.\n\nRenowned for its immaculate finish and top quality materials, Herm\u00e8s claims never to use any assembly lines with one craftsperson making a single handbag at a time, hand-stitching individual pieces to create the finished product.\n\nThe brand is rich in history, and some of its bestselling bags have intriguing stories behind them.\n\nThe iconic Kelly bag, one of Hermes most popular styles, was originally known as the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches when it was developed by Hermes in 1935.\n\nIn 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of Monaco, was pictured carrying the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches to hide her pregnancy.\n\nPhotographs were sent all over the world and put on the cover of Life magazine. As a result, the bag became known as the Kelly and has been hugely popular ever since.\n\nVictoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian are big fans of Hermes ... handbag Victoria reportedly owns a collection worth \u00a31.5m.\n\nThe Birkin has similarly romantic roots, conceived as it was in honour of French star Jane Birkin.\n\nThe Birkin was allegedly created after the company's CEO Jean Louis Dumas sat next to the actress on a Paris to London flight.\n\nBirkin had been discussing her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag, explaining her ideal.\n\nShortly after, in 1984, the bag she described arrived at her flat with a note from Dumas. Although nowadays the bag can be made to order, the design is still one of the most recognised in the fashion industry.\n\nAnd Victoria Beckham isn't the only celebrity Birkin fan.\n\nBritish-born author Barbara Taylor Bradford owns an impressive 24 and heiress Tamara Ecclestone has specially built cupboards to house her \u00a3100,000 collection.\n\nKatie Holmes, Julia Roberts, Hilary Duff and Kelly Brook are also fans while Jane Birkin, the inspiration behind the roomy leather must-have has said she covers her 'b***** heavy' Birkin with stickers to disguise the fact she's carrying a 'snobbish' bag.", "summary": "Hermes is a brand known for high quality, high prices and extreme collectability. Their clients are mostly the ultra-wealthy, but experts say the bags are actually a good investment, as they continue to gain value after being sold. The brands newest bag is priced at \u00a3140,000."}
{"article_id": "d790135b9a7545428cd79ae79a186d5f", "article": "If you had \u00a3140,000 to splurge, would you splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante\u00a0or maybe even a three-bedroom detached house in Nottingham?\n\nOr, would you rather shell your hard-earned savings on a pink handbag?\n\nThat is exactly what retailer Vestiaire Collective is hoping for, as they put a Hermes bag on sale for a cool \u00a3140,000 on their site.\n\nIs this Britain's most expensive handbag? A sade-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag embellished with rubies has gone on sale for \u00a3140,000.\n\nSo what do you get for your money? The made-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag comes embellished with rubies.\n\nThe rare tote is so exclusive that it can't even be brought in store and experts say it's an extremely good investment.\n\nFanny Moizant, Vestiaire Collective's Brand Communications Director and Head of UK, said: 'Hermes Birkin bags have come to symbolise the epitome of quality, the materials and the impeccable French craftsmanship are second to none.\n\n'The brand has a strong heritage with a controlled supply, which makes it highly desirable for stylish women. This aspirational identity has developed into a strong social status symbol. The limited supply and production of rare colours and skin have made these bags must-have collectors items resulting in an increased value over time,  unlike cars, which are known to depreciate in value after leaving the showroom.'\n\nWith the same amount of money that the handbag costs, you could splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante.\n\nWhilst they don't own the exact same bag, Kim Kardashian, left, and Heidi Klum, right, are both the proud owners of pink Hermes Birkin bags.\n\nHermes is one of the most coveted handbags of all time, but with a price tag of around \u00a38,000 the Herm\u00e9s Birkin bag isn't quite within every fashionista's price range (unless you're Victoria Beckham whose collection is worth a reported \u00a31.5m).\n\nPrestigious luggage and accessories firm Herm\u00e9s, who count many of the world's wealthiest women as fans, is known for luxury leather accessories.\n\nRenowned for its immaculate finish and top quality materials, Herm\u00e8s claims never to use any assembly lines with one craftsperson making a single handbag at a time, hand-stitching individual pieces to create the finished product.\n\nThe brand is rich in history, and some of its bestselling bags have intriguing stories behind them.\n\nThe iconic Kelly bag, one of Hermes most popular styles, was originally known as the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches when it was developed by Hermes in 1935.\n\nIn 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of Monaco, was pictured carrying the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches to hide her pregnancy.\n\nPhotographs were sent all over the world and put on the cover of Life magazine. As a result, the bag became known as the Kelly and has been hugely popular ever since.\n\nVictoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian are big fans of Hermes ... handbag Victoria reportedly owns a collection worth \u00a31.5m.\n\nThe Birkin has similarly romantic roots, conceived as it was in honour of French star Jane Birkin.\n\nThe Birkin was allegedly created after the company's CEO Jean Louis Dumas sat next to the actress on a Paris to London flight.\n\nBirkin had been discussing her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag, explaining her ideal.\n\nShortly after, in 1984, the bag she described arrived at her flat with a note from Dumas. Although nowadays the bag can be made to order, the design is still one of the most recognised in the fashion industry.\n\nAnd Victoria Beckham isn't the only celebrity Birkin fan.\n\nBritish-born author Barbara Taylor Bradford owns an impressive 24 and heiress Tamara Ecclestone has specially built cupboards to house her \u00a3100,000 collection.\n\nKatie Holmes, Julia Roberts, Hilary Duff and Kelly Brook are also fans while Jane Birkin, the inspiration behind the roomy leather must-have has said she covers her 'b***** heavy' Birkin with stickers to disguise the fact she's carrying a 'snobbish' bag.", "summary": "Retailer, Vestiarie Collective put a Hermes Bag on sale for 140,000 pounds. It is a rare pink croc Hermes Birkin bag, embellished with rubies. Although many celebrities own a Hermes Birkin bag, only a few have one of these rare totes. For comparison, this Hermes Birkin is as expensive as an Aston Martin DB9 Volante."}
{"article_id": "d790135b9a7545428cd79ae79a186d5f", "article": "If you had \u00a3140,000 to splurge, would you splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante\u00a0or maybe even a three-bedroom detached house in Nottingham?\n\nOr, would you rather shell your hard-earned savings on a pink handbag?\n\nThat is exactly what retailer Vestiaire Collective is hoping for, as they put a Hermes bag on sale for a cool \u00a3140,000 on their site.\n\nIs this Britain's most expensive handbag? A sade-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag embellished with rubies has gone on sale for \u00a3140,000.\n\nSo what do you get for your money? The made-to-measure pink croc Hermes Birkin bag comes embellished with rubies.\n\nThe rare tote is so exclusive that it can't even be brought in store and experts say it's an extremely good investment.\n\nFanny Moizant, Vestiaire Collective's Brand Communications Director and Head of UK, said: 'Hermes Birkin bags have come to symbolise the epitome of quality, the materials and the impeccable French craftsmanship are second to none.\n\n'The brand has a strong heritage with a controlled supply, which makes it highly desirable for stylish women. This aspirational identity has developed into a strong social status symbol. The limited supply and production of rare colours and skin have made these bags must-have collectors items resulting in an increased value over time,  unlike cars, which are known to depreciate in value after leaving the showroom.'\n\nWith the same amount of money that the handbag costs, you could splash out on an Aston Martin DB9 Volante.\n\nWhilst they don't own the exact same bag, Kim Kardashian, left, and Heidi Klum, right, are both the proud owners of pink Hermes Birkin bags.\n\nHermes is one of the most coveted handbags of all time, but with a price tag of around \u00a38,000 the Herm\u00e9s Birkin bag isn't quite within every fashionista's price range (unless you're Victoria Beckham whose collection is worth a reported \u00a31.5m).\n\nPrestigious luggage and accessories firm Herm\u00e9s, who count many of the world's wealthiest women as fans, is known for luxury leather accessories.\n\nRenowned for its immaculate finish and top quality materials, Herm\u00e8s claims never to use any assembly lines with one craftsperson making a single handbag at a time, hand-stitching individual pieces to create the finished product.\n\nThe brand is rich in history, and some of its bestselling bags have intriguing stories behind them.\n\nThe iconic Kelly bag, one of Hermes most popular styles, was originally known as the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches when it was developed by Hermes in 1935.\n\nIn 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly, who had become the new Princess of Monaco, was pictured carrying the Sac \u00e0 d\u00e9p\u00eaches to hide her pregnancy.\n\nPhotographs were sent all over the world and put on the cover of Life magazine. As a result, the bag became known as the Kelly and has been hugely popular ever since.\n\nVictoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian are big fans of Hermes ... handbag Victoria reportedly owns a collection worth \u00a31.5m.\n\nThe Birkin has similarly romantic roots, conceived as it was in honour of French star Jane Birkin.\n\nThe Birkin was allegedly created after the company's CEO Jean Louis Dumas sat next to the actress on a Paris to London flight.\n\nBirkin had been discussing her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag, explaining her ideal.\n\nShortly after, in 1984, the bag she described arrived at her flat with a note from Dumas. Although nowadays the bag can be made to order, the design is still one of the most recognised in the fashion industry.\n\nAnd Victoria Beckham isn't the only celebrity Birkin fan.\n\nBritish-born author Barbara Taylor Bradford owns an impressive 24 and heiress Tamara Ecclestone has specially built cupboards to house her \u00a3100,000 collection.\n\nKatie Holmes, Julia Roberts, Hilary Duff and Kelly Brook are also fans while Jane Birkin, the inspiration behind the roomy leather must-have has said she covers her 'b***** heavy' Birkin with stickers to disguise the fact she's carrying a 'snobbish' bag.", "summary": "Hermes is a brand rich in history and value, so much so that experts are saying their new \u00a3140,000 handbag is an extremely good investment. The bag, studded in rubies, is only the latest in Hermes Birkin's long line of highly expensive handbags for highly stylish women, which include celebrities and royalty. "}
{"article_id": "c346a0a6d6074573bcbe3a1c0bab1354", "article": "Miami (CNN)World heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has an important title defense coming up, but his thoughts continue to be dominated by the ongoing fight for democracy in Ukraine.\n\nSpeaking to CNN from his Miami training base ahead of the April 25 showdown with American challenger Bryant Jennings in New York, Klitschko said the crisis in his homeland has left him shocked and upset.\n\n\"My country is unfortunately suffering in the war with Russia -- not that Ukraine tried to give any aggression to any other nation, in this particular case Russia, unfortunately it's the other way around,\" Klitschko told CNN.\n\n\"I never thought that our brother folk is going to have war with us, so that Ukrainians and Russians are going to be divided with blood,\" he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately, we don't know how far it's going to go and how worse it's going to get. The aggression, in the military presence of (Russian) soldiers and military equipment in my country, Ukraine, is upsetting.\"\n\nKlitschko is the reigning IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO champion and has, alongside older brother Vitali, dominated the heavyweight division in the 21st century.\n\nVitali, who retired from boxing in 2013, is a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics. The 43-year-old has led the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform since 2010 and was elected mayor of Kiev in May last year.\n\nTensions in the former Soviet state remain high despite a ceasefire agreed in February as Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande, tries to broker a peace deal between the two sides.\n\nThe crisis in Ukraine began in November 2013 when former President Victor Yanukovych scuttled a trade deal with the European Union in favor of forging closer economic ties with Russia.\n\nThe move triggered a wave of anti-government protests which came to a head Kiev's Maidan Square in February 2014 when clashes between protesters and government security forces left around 100 dead.\n\nThe following month, Russian troops entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula before Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea -- a move denounced by most of the world as illegitimate -- after citizens of the region had voted in favor of leaving Ukraine in a referendum.\n\nMore than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.\n\n\"People are dying in Ukraine every single day,\" Klitschko said. \"I do not want to see it, nobody wants to see it ... it's hard to believe these days something like that in Europe -- and Ukraine is Europe -- can happen.\"\n\nBut with the backing of the international community, Klitschko is confident Ukraine can forge a democratic future rather than slide back towards a Soviet-era style dictatorship.\n\n\"I really wish and want this conflict to be solved and it can only be solved with Western help,\" he said.\n\n\"Ukraine is looking forward to becoming a democratic country and live under Western democracy. This is our decision and this is our will to get what we want.\n\n\"If somebody wants to try to put (us) back to the Soviet times and be part of the former Soviet Union, we disagree with that. We want to be in freedom.\n\n\"We have achieved many things in moving forward and showed to the world that we do not want to live under a dictatorship.\"\n\nKlitschko, whose comments were made as part of a wide-ranging interview for CNN's Human to Hero series, is routinely kept abreast of developments in Ukraine by brother Vitali but also returns home whenever he can.\n\n\"As much time as I can spend, I am there in the Ukraine. It's not like I am getting the news from mass media and making my own adjustments and judgments on what's going on. It's an actual presence and understanding from the inside ... It obviously affects my life, it affects the life of my family.\"\n\nThe 39-year-old and his fianc\u00e9e Hayden Panettiere celebrated happier times last December when the American actress gave birth to a baby daughter, Kaya.\n\n\"I need to get used to it that I'm a father, which is really exciting. I hope I'm going to have a big family with multiple kids,\" he said.\n\nKlitschko isn't sure when he'll finally hang up his gloves. \"I don't know how long I can last ... motivation and health have to be there to continue.\"\n\nBut after leaving almost all his boxing opponents battered and bruised -- the Ukrainian is seeking an impressive 18th consecutive title defense against Jennings -- Klitschko is keen to carry on fighting his own and his country's corner in the opposite way outside the ring.\n\n\"I just really want that we'll have less violence in the world ... I hope in peace we can do anything, but if we have war then it's definitely going to leave us dull and numb.\"\n\nWatch Wladimir Klitschko's Human to Hero interview on CNN's World Sport program on Wednesday April 8 at 1130, 1245, 1445, 2130, 2245 and 2345 and Thursday April 9 at 0445 (All times GMT) and here online.", "summary": "Heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has more than just his upcoming title defense on his mind, as he spoke out about his distress over the continuing conflict in his homeland of Ukraine. Klitschko is kept informed about the ongoing war by his older brother Vitali, a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics."}
{"article_id": "c346a0a6d6074573bcbe3a1c0bab1354", "article": "Miami (CNN)World heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has an important title defense coming up, but his thoughts continue to be dominated by the ongoing fight for democracy in Ukraine.\n\nSpeaking to CNN from his Miami training base ahead of the April 25 showdown with American challenger Bryant Jennings in New York, Klitschko said the crisis in his homeland has left him shocked and upset.\n\n\"My country is unfortunately suffering in the war with Russia -- not that Ukraine tried to give any aggression to any other nation, in this particular case Russia, unfortunately it's the other way around,\" Klitschko told CNN.\n\n\"I never thought that our brother folk is going to have war with us, so that Ukrainians and Russians are going to be divided with blood,\" he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately, we don't know how far it's going to go and how worse it's going to get. The aggression, in the military presence of (Russian) soldiers and military equipment in my country, Ukraine, is upsetting.\"\n\nKlitschko is the reigning IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO champion and has, alongside older brother Vitali, dominated the heavyweight division in the 21st century.\n\nVitali, who retired from boxing in 2013, is a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics. The 43-year-old has led the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform since 2010 and was elected mayor of Kiev in May last year.\n\nTensions in the former Soviet state remain high despite a ceasefire agreed in February as Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande, tries to broker a peace deal between the two sides.\n\nThe crisis in Ukraine began in November 2013 when former President Victor Yanukovych scuttled a trade deal with the European Union in favor of forging closer economic ties with Russia.\n\nThe move triggered a wave of anti-government protests which came to a head Kiev's Maidan Square in February 2014 when clashes between protesters and government security forces left around 100 dead.\n\nThe following month, Russian troops entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula before Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea -- a move denounced by most of the world as illegitimate -- after citizens of the region had voted in favor of leaving Ukraine in a referendum.\n\nMore than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.\n\n\"People are dying in Ukraine every single day,\" Klitschko said. \"I do not want to see it, nobody wants to see it ... it's hard to believe these days something like that in Europe -- and Ukraine is Europe -- can happen.\"\n\nBut with the backing of the international community, Klitschko is confident Ukraine can forge a democratic future rather than slide back towards a Soviet-era style dictatorship.\n\n\"I really wish and want this conflict to be solved and it can only be solved with Western help,\" he said.\n\n\"Ukraine is looking forward to becoming a democratic country and live under Western democracy. This is our decision and this is our will to get what we want.\n\n\"If somebody wants to try to put (us) back to the Soviet times and be part of the former Soviet Union, we disagree with that. We want to be in freedom.\n\n\"We have achieved many things in moving forward and showed to the world that we do not want to live under a dictatorship.\"\n\nKlitschko, whose comments were made as part of a wide-ranging interview for CNN's Human to Hero series, is routinely kept abreast of developments in Ukraine by brother Vitali but also returns home whenever he can.\n\n\"As much time as I can spend, I am there in the Ukraine. It's not like I am getting the news from mass media and making my own adjustments and judgments on what's going on. It's an actual presence and understanding from the inside ... It obviously affects my life, it affects the life of my family.\"\n\nThe 39-year-old and his fianc\u00e9e Hayden Panettiere celebrated happier times last December when the American actress gave birth to a baby daughter, Kaya.\n\n\"I need to get used to it that I'm a father, which is really exciting. I hope I'm going to have a big family with multiple kids,\" he said.\n\nKlitschko isn't sure when he'll finally hang up his gloves. \"I don't know how long I can last ... motivation and health have to be there to continue.\"\n\nBut after leaving almost all his boxing opponents battered and bruised -- the Ukrainian is seeking an impressive 18th consecutive title defense against Jennings -- Klitschko is keen to carry on fighting his own and his country's corner in the opposite way outside the ring.\n\n\"I just really want that we'll have less violence in the world ... I hope in peace we can do anything, but if we have war then it's definitely going to leave us dull and numb.\"\n\nWatch Wladimir Klitschko's Human to Hero interview on CNN's World Sport program on Wednesday April 8 at 1130, 1245, 1445, 2130, 2245 and 2345 and Thursday April 9 at 0445 (All times GMT) and here online.", "summary": "World heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko has an important title defense match coming up, but his thoughts are dominated by the war between Russia and his home country, Ukraine. Although he is shocked and upset with everything that is happening, he is trying to keep focus and maintain his world boxing title against American Bryant Jennings. "}
{"article_id": "c346a0a6d6074573bcbe3a1c0bab1354", "article": "Miami (CNN)World heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has an important title defense coming up, but his thoughts continue to be dominated by the ongoing fight for democracy in Ukraine.\n\nSpeaking to CNN from his Miami training base ahead of the April 25 showdown with American challenger Bryant Jennings in New York, Klitschko said the crisis in his homeland has left him shocked and upset.\n\n\"My country is unfortunately suffering in the war with Russia -- not that Ukraine tried to give any aggression to any other nation, in this particular case Russia, unfortunately it's the other way around,\" Klitschko told CNN.\n\n\"I never thought that our brother folk is going to have war with us, so that Ukrainians and Russians are going to be divided with blood,\" he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately, we don't know how far it's going to go and how worse it's going to get. The aggression, in the military presence of (Russian) soldiers and military equipment in my country, Ukraine, is upsetting.\"\n\nKlitschko is the reigning IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO champion and has, alongside older brother Vitali, dominated the heavyweight division in the 21st century.\n\nVitali, who retired from boxing in 2013, is a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics. The 43-year-old has led the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform since 2010 and was elected mayor of Kiev in May last year.\n\nTensions in the former Soviet state remain high despite a ceasefire agreed in February as Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande, tries to broker a peace deal between the two sides.\n\nThe crisis in Ukraine began in November 2013 when former President Victor Yanukovych scuttled a trade deal with the European Union in favor of forging closer economic ties with Russia.\n\nThe move triggered a wave of anti-government protests which came to a head Kiev's Maidan Square in February 2014 when clashes between protesters and government security forces left around 100 dead.\n\nThe following month, Russian troops entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula before Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea -- a move denounced by most of the world as illegitimate -- after citizens of the region had voted in favor of leaving Ukraine in a referendum.\n\nMore than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date.\n\n\"People are dying in Ukraine every single day,\" Klitschko said. \"I do not want to see it, nobody wants to see it ... it's hard to believe these days something like that in Europe -- and Ukraine is Europe -- can happen.\"\n\nBut with the backing of the international community, Klitschko is confident Ukraine can forge a democratic future rather than slide back towards a Soviet-era style dictatorship.\n\n\"I really wish and want this conflict to be solved and it can only be solved with Western help,\" he said.\n\n\"Ukraine is looking forward to becoming a democratic country and live under Western democracy. This is our decision and this is our will to get what we want.\n\n\"If somebody wants to try to put (us) back to the Soviet times and be part of the former Soviet Union, we disagree with that. We want to be in freedom.\n\n\"We have achieved many things in moving forward and showed to the world that we do not want to live under a dictatorship.\"\n\nKlitschko, whose comments were made as part of a wide-ranging interview for CNN's Human to Hero series, is routinely kept abreast of developments in Ukraine by brother Vitali but also returns home whenever he can.\n\n\"As much time as I can spend, I am there in the Ukraine. It's not like I am getting the news from mass media and making my own adjustments and judgments on what's going on. It's an actual presence and understanding from the inside ... It obviously affects my life, it affects the life of my family.\"\n\nThe 39-year-old and his fianc\u00e9e Hayden Panettiere celebrated happier times last December when the American actress gave birth to a baby daughter, Kaya.\n\n\"I need to get used to it that I'm a father, which is really exciting. I hope I'm going to have a big family with multiple kids,\" he said.\n\nKlitschko isn't sure when he'll finally hang up his gloves. \"I don't know how long I can last ... motivation and health have to be there to continue.\"\n\nBut after leaving almost all his boxing opponents battered and bruised -- the Ukrainian is seeking an impressive 18th consecutive title defense against Jennings -- Klitschko is keen to carry on fighting his own and his country's corner in the opposite way outside the ring.\n\n\"I just really want that we'll have less violence in the world ... I hope in peace we can do anything, but if we have war then it's definitely going to leave us dull and numb.\"\n\nWatch Wladimir Klitschko's Human to Hero interview on CNN's World Sport program on Wednesday April 8 at 1130, 1245, 1445, 2130, 2245 and 2345 and Thursday April 9 at 0445 (All times GMT) and here online.", "summary": "World champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko is featured on CNNs Human to Hero program, where he discusses the war occurring in his home country of Ukraine, his upcoming title defense match, and becoming a father. He believes the outcome of the war will be Ukraine emerging as a democratic nation. "}
{"article_id": "169944a66b0847a78c21f2264b4c5ab6", "article": "As a sequel of sorts to the Diane Sawyer 20/20 special, TV viewers will be able to follow Bruce Jenner's journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E! starting July 27.\n\nBut it is allegedly his sons Burt, Brandon and Brody Jenner and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian who are hesitant to hear and watch just how much their 65-year-old patriarch will reveal about gender change.\n\n'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' a source told TMZ\u00a0in a Monday report.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nFollow-up: Bruce Jenner will chronicle his journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E!, a project that worries his kids according to TMZ on Monday.\n\nThere is no denying that Bruce's six biological children and four stepkids are 'proud' of the father figure as some called him their 'hero' on Twitter shortly after the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nAnd as the former Olympic gold medalist moves forward with his long-awaited physical transformation, the spotlight and attention on him will be brighter than ever.\n\n'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process. His kids have gone to their dad to express their concern,' the insider told the gossip site.\n\n'They say they're worried Bruce's upcoming docu-series might \"de-class\" what he's accomplished. They also urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private.'\n\nThe only Kardashian:\u00a0'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process,' added a source.\n\nJenner sons:\u00a0'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' it was also shared.\n\nBrandon and his brothers: 'They urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private,' it was noted.\n\nAdding: 'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed.'\n\nOn Monday, never-before-seen footage from the tell-all interview aired on Good Morning America that showed the Jenner brothers and Bruce's eldest daughter Casey talking about their childhoods in which Bruce was not around for.\n\n'We have a very complex relationship,' Casey admitted. 'He's disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter.'\n\nBrandon spoke of Bruce during the years in the early '80s: 'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward.'\n\nSticking together: Brandon and Brody share the same mother (second wife Linda Thompson) while eldest child Burt is from first marriage to Chrystie Jenner (pictured in May 2012)\n\nOlder kids: Burt, Brody, daughter Casey and Brandon were the only children who appeared in the 20/20 interview.\n\nStruggle: '[Bruce] disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter'\n\nBruce admitted he was not around for his children when they need him the most telling Diane: 'The big formative years for them I was really struggling with these issues. I talked to all the boys about this after the fact that, yeah, I didn't do a good job. And I apologized to my kids for that.'\n\nThose times appear to be a thing of the past as the Jenner siblings have now stated that 'all is forgiven.'\n\nWhile the Keeping Up With The Kardashians cast did not appear on the 20/20 interview - viewed by a staggering 16.9 million people - many speculate that ex-wife Kris Jenner and her children Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Rob and Kylie and Kendall will be featured on the upcoming docu-series because it will be broadcasted on the E! network.\n\nHowever, TMZ's sources cited that 'Bruce's kids won't appear on his show.'\n\nLove no matter what: During the interview, Bruce stated that Kim was 'by far the most accepting' of his transgender journey.\n\nGrowing up without their father:\u00a0'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward'\n\nWith the hope that his reality show will be both informational and educational, Bruce has signed a contract with E! to air one hour episodes starting July 27 that will be consulted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organization.\n\nJeff Olde, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development at E!, said of Bruce's decision to share his journey with the world: 'Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story.\n\n'This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time.'\n\nBruce's representative told MailOnline: 'Can't put a series on hold that has yet to be confirmed as even happening in the first place.'\n\nChampion:\u00a0'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed'\n\nHis pride and joy: The former Olympic athlete told Diane that his kids are 'the only one's he's concerned with'\n\nOn Sunday, eldest child Burt doubted some of his dad's newfound supporters when he took to Twitter writing: 'Having a hard time not putting a few people on blast who were not supporters before hand, but want to act like they were all along.'\n\nMeanwhile that same day Brandon and Brody - whom Bruce fathered with second wife Linda Thompson - shared photos of themselves with their famous parent.\n\n'You won another gold tonight. I stand with you on this journey. I love you Dad,' the former Hills star commented on Saturday.\n\n'Proud son,' the father-to-be - who was the first to be told by Bruce about the transition - wrote before the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nKim spoke to Today Show's Matt Lauer on Monday revealing that Bruce has 'found inner peace' after speaking his truth.\n\nThe other side of Bruce's family: Biological daughters Kendall and Kylie and stepdaughters Kourtney and Khloe were pictured on Thursday with mother Kris Jenner.\n\nSpotlight: E!'s Keeping Up With The Kardashians has been featured as a hit reality show for ten seasons now.\n\nDuring the 20/20 special, the thrice married star and host Diane shared that it would be the last interview would doing as Bruce and that he is ready to embrace the woman he calls 'Her.'\n\nThe star expressed that he 'is a girl stuck in a guy's body' and that 'his brain is much more female than it is male.\n\n'Yes I am a woman, my heart and my soul and everything I do in life,' he said. 'That female side is who I am.'\n\nWhen asked by Diane to fill in the blank 'When you think of me...' Bruce gave a heartfelt response saying: 'Please be open minded, have an open mind and open heart. I'm not this bad person I'm just doing what I've got to do.'\n\n'If he's happy, we're happy': Kendall and Kylie were the only offspring to give an official statement for the ABC special.", "summary": "Former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner is publicly sharing his transition from a man to a woman on reality tv. Some of Jenner's kids are supportive of a public transition while others urge him to transition in private. Only Kendall and Kylie gave public statements of support.   "}
{"article_id": "169944a66b0847a78c21f2264b4c5ab6", "article": "As a sequel of sorts to the Diane Sawyer 20/20 special, TV viewers will be able to follow Bruce Jenner's journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E! starting July 27.\n\nBut it is allegedly his sons Burt, Brandon and Brody Jenner and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian who are hesitant to hear and watch just how much their 65-year-old patriarch will reveal about gender change.\n\n'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' a source told TMZ\u00a0in a Monday report.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nFollow-up: Bruce Jenner will chronicle his journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E!, a project that worries his kids according to TMZ on Monday.\n\nThere is no denying that Bruce's six biological children and four stepkids are 'proud' of the father figure as some called him their 'hero' on Twitter shortly after the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nAnd as the former Olympic gold medalist moves forward with his long-awaited physical transformation, the spotlight and attention on him will be brighter than ever.\n\n'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process. His kids have gone to their dad to express their concern,' the insider told the gossip site.\n\n'They say they're worried Bruce's upcoming docu-series might \"de-class\" what he's accomplished. They also urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private.'\n\nThe only Kardashian:\u00a0'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process,' added a source.\n\nJenner sons:\u00a0'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' it was also shared.\n\nBrandon and his brothers: 'They urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private,' it was noted.\n\nAdding: 'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed.'\n\nOn Monday, never-before-seen footage from the tell-all interview aired on Good Morning America that showed the Jenner brothers and Bruce's eldest daughter Casey talking about their childhoods in which Bruce was not around for.\n\n'We have a very complex relationship,' Casey admitted. 'He's disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter.'\n\nBrandon spoke of Bruce during the years in the early '80s: 'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward.'\n\nSticking together: Brandon and Brody share the same mother (second wife Linda Thompson) while eldest child Burt is from first marriage to Chrystie Jenner (pictured in May 2012)\n\nOlder kids: Burt, Brody, daughter Casey and Brandon were the only children who appeared in the 20/20 interview.\n\nStruggle: '[Bruce] disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter'\n\nBruce admitted he was not around for his children when they need him the most telling Diane: 'The big formative years for them I was really struggling with these issues. I talked to all the boys about this after the fact that, yeah, I didn't do a good job. And I apologized to my kids for that.'\n\nThose times appear to be a thing of the past as the Jenner siblings have now stated that 'all is forgiven.'\n\nWhile the Keeping Up With The Kardashians cast did not appear on the 20/20 interview - viewed by a staggering 16.9 million people - many speculate that ex-wife Kris Jenner and her children Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Rob and Kylie and Kendall will be featured on the upcoming docu-series because it will be broadcasted on the E! network.\n\nHowever, TMZ's sources cited that 'Bruce's kids won't appear on his show.'\n\nLove no matter what: During the interview, Bruce stated that Kim was 'by far the most accepting' of his transgender journey.\n\nGrowing up without their father:\u00a0'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward'\n\nWith the hope that his reality show will be both informational and educational, Bruce has signed a contract with E! to air one hour episodes starting July 27 that will be consulted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organization.\n\nJeff Olde, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development at E!, said of Bruce's decision to share his journey with the world: 'Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story.\n\n'This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time.'\n\nBruce's representative told MailOnline: 'Can't put a series on hold that has yet to be confirmed as even happening in the first place.'\n\nChampion:\u00a0'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed'\n\nHis pride and joy: The former Olympic athlete told Diane that his kids are 'the only one's he's concerned with'\n\nOn Sunday, eldest child Burt doubted some of his dad's newfound supporters when he took to Twitter writing: 'Having a hard time not putting a few people on blast who were not supporters before hand, but want to act like they were all along.'\n\nMeanwhile that same day Brandon and Brody - whom Bruce fathered with second wife Linda Thompson - shared photos of themselves with their famous parent.\n\n'You won another gold tonight. I stand with you on this journey. I love you Dad,' the former Hills star commented on Saturday.\n\n'Proud son,' the father-to-be - who was the first to be told by Bruce about the transition - wrote before the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nKim spoke to Today Show's Matt Lauer on Monday revealing that Bruce has 'found inner peace' after speaking his truth.\n\nThe other side of Bruce's family: Biological daughters Kendall and Kylie and stepdaughters Kourtney and Khloe were pictured on Thursday with mother Kris Jenner.\n\nSpotlight: E!'s Keeping Up With The Kardashians has been featured as a hit reality show for ten seasons now.\n\nDuring the 20/20 special, the thrice married star and host Diane shared that it would be the last interview would doing as Bruce and that he is ready to embrace the woman he calls 'Her.'\n\nThe star expressed that he 'is a girl stuck in a guy's body' and that 'his brain is much more female than it is male.\n\n'Yes I am a woman, my heart and my soul and everything I do in life,' he said. 'That female side is who I am.'\n\nWhen asked by Diane to fill in the blank 'When you think of me...' Bruce gave a heartfelt response saying: 'Please be open minded, have an open mind and open heart. I'm not this bad person I'm just doing what I've got to do.'\n\n'If he's happy, we're happy': Kendall and Kylie were the only offspring to give an official statement for the ABC special.", "summary": "Bruce Jenner's children have expressed concern over new his upcoming docu-series. Premiering on July 27th on E!, the eight episode series will focus on Jenner's transition from male to female. While his children have expressed support for Jenner in the past, they are concerned that this new series may reveal too much."}
{"article_id": "169944a66b0847a78c21f2264b4c5ab6", "article": "As a sequel of sorts to the Diane Sawyer 20/20 special, TV viewers will be able to follow Bruce Jenner's journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E! starting July 27.\n\nBut it is allegedly his sons Burt, Brandon and Brody Jenner and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian who are hesitant to hear and watch just how much their 65-year-old patriarch will reveal about gender change.\n\n'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' a source told TMZ\u00a0in a Monday report.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nFollow-up: Bruce Jenner will chronicle his journey as he transitions into a woman in his forthcoming eight-episode docu-series on E!, a project that worries his kids according to TMZ on Monday.\n\nThere is no denying that Bruce's six biological children and four stepkids are 'proud' of the father figure as some called him their 'hero' on Twitter shortly after the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nAnd as the former Olympic gold medalist moves forward with his long-awaited physical transformation, the spotlight and attention on him will be brighter than ever.\n\n'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process. His kids have gone to their dad to express their concern,' the insider told the gossip site.\n\n'They say they're worried Bruce's upcoming docu-series might \"de-class\" what he's accomplished. They also urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private.'\n\nThe only Kardashian:\u00a0'Kim and the boys think Bruce was spectacular on the Diane Sawyer special and in won over millions of people in the process,' added a source.\n\nJenner sons:\u00a0'They are warning him to slow down on revealing too much of his journey on reality TV,' it was also shared.\n\nBrandon and his brothers: 'They urged Bruce not to do other interviews, and finish the process in private,' it was noted.\n\nAdding: 'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed.'\n\nOn Monday, never-before-seen footage from the tell-all interview aired on Good Morning America that showed the Jenner brothers and Bruce's eldest daughter Casey talking about their childhoods in which Bruce was not around for.\n\n'We have a very complex relationship,' Casey admitted. 'He's disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter.'\n\nBrandon spoke of Bruce during the years in the early '80s: 'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward.'\n\nSticking together: Brandon and Brody share the same mother (second wife Linda Thompson) while eldest child Burt is from first marriage to Chrystie Jenner (pictured in May 2012)\n\nOlder kids: Burt, Brody, daughter Casey and Brandon were the only children who appeared in the 20/20 interview.\n\nStruggle: '[Bruce] disappeared out of our lives, especially out of my life, so I'm looking forward to this next chapter'\n\nBruce admitted he was not around for his children when they need him the most telling Diane: 'The big formative years for them I was really struggling with these issues. I talked to all the boys about this after the fact that, yeah, I didn't do a good job. And I apologized to my kids for that.'\n\nThose times appear to be a thing of the past as the Jenner siblings have now stated that 'all is forgiven.'\n\nWhile the Keeping Up With The Kardashians cast did not appear on the 20/20 interview - viewed by a staggering 16.9 million people - many speculate that ex-wife Kris Jenner and her children Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Rob and Kylie and Kendall will be featured on the upcoming docu-series because it will be broadcasted on the E! network.\n\nHowever, TMZ's sources cited that 'Bruce's kids won't appear on his show.'\n\nLove no matter what: During the interview, Bruce stated that Kim was 'by far the most accepting' of his transgender journey.\n\nGrowing up without their father:\u00a0'Us missing a time of our lives is still the probably the hardest thing for us to deal with, we're trying not to look back, just looking forward'\n\nWith the hope that his reality show will be both informational and educational, Bruce has signed a contract with E! to air one hour episodes starting July 27 that will be consulted by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organization.\n\nJeff Olde, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development at E!, said of Bruce's decision to share his journey with the world: 'Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story.\n\n'This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time.'\n\nBruce's representative told MailOnline: 'Can't put a series on hold that has yet to be confirmed as even happening in the first place.'\n\nChampion:\u00a0'Bruce believes the docu-series will educate people and create empathy, so he's committed'\n\nHis pride and joy: The former Olympic athlete told Diane that his kids are 'the only one's he's concerned with'\n\nOn Sunday, eldest child Burt doubted some of his dad's newfound supporters when he took to Twitter writing: 'Having a hard time not putting a few people on blast who were not supporters before hand, but want to act like they were all along.'\n\nMeanwhile that same day Brandon and Brody - whom Bruce fathered with second wife Linda Thompson - shared photos of themselves with their famous parent.\n\n'You won another gold tonight. I stand with you on this journey. I love you Dad,' the former Hills star commented on Saturday.\n\n'Proud son,' the father-to-be - who was the first to be told by Bruce about the transition - wrote before the ABC interview aired on Friday.\n\nKim spoke to Today Show's Matt Lauer on Monday revealing that Bruce has 'found inner peace' after speaking his truth.\n\nThe other side of Bruce's family: Biological daughters Kendall and Kylie and stepdaughters Kourtney and Khloe were pictured on Thursday with mother Kris Jenner.\n\nSpotlight: E!'s Keeping Up With The Kardashians has been featured as a hit reality show for ten seasons now.\n\nDuring the 20/20 special, the thrice married star and host Diane shared that it would be the last interview would doing as Bruce and that he is ready to embrace the woman he calls 'Her.'\n\nThe star expressed that he 'is a girl stuck in a guy's body' and that 'his brain is much more female than it is male.\n\n'Yes I am a woman, my heart and my soul and everything I do in life,' he said. 'That female side is who I am.'\n\nWhen asked by Diane to fill in the blank 'When you think of me...' Bruce gave a heartfelt response saying: 'Please be open minded, have an open mind and open heart. I'm not this bad person I'm just doing what I've got to do.'\n\n'If he's happy, we're happy': Kendall and Kylie were the only offspring to give an official statement for the ABC special.", "summary": "Former Olympic athlete, Bruce Jenner, will document his journey of transitioning into a woman in an eight-episode docu-series created by E!. Despite the full support of Bruce's transition, his children urge him to not expose too much to reality TV and finish the process in private.  "}
{"article_id": "3b82559a2edb48c7bffca655c43fe34d", "article": "It's every interviewer's worst nightmare. Ask the wrong question and you find your interviewee walking out on you mid sentence.\n\nWhich is exactly what happened when Channel 4 news presenter\u00a0Krishnan Guru-Murthy tried to ask the actor Robert Downey Jr about his drug-taking past.\n\nAfter questioning the 50-year-old actor as to whether he had managed to fight his demons the actor said: 'I'm sorry, I really don't... what are we doing?' before walking out of the interview.\n\nChannel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy looks bemused as Robert Downey Junior walks out on an interview with him after the journalist asked him about his personal life.\n\nIn the footage of the short-lived chat Krishnan is then seen looking dumbfounded as Robert goes to head out of the room.\n\nThe American star is in London to promote his new film Avengers: Age of Ultron but became aggravated when the chat took a turn for the personal.\n\nSeemingly amused with the reaction, Guru-Murthy is then seen smiling and gesticulating as a production team-member tried to remove Robert's clip-on microphone.\n\nAt that point he turns and says: 'It's all getting a bit Diane Sawyer [a U.S. journalist known for her investigative interviewing].'\n\nThe horror was clear to see on Robert's face as he questioned Krishnan about where he was trying to take their chat.\n\nBut Robert isn't the first celebrity to lose his cool in the face of an awkward line of questioning.\n\nNaomi Campbell, Robert Pattinson and Peter Andre have all cut their chat time short - especially when, like with Mr Downey Jr, the conversation has turned to their private lives.\n\nJustin Bieber was once angered by a radio show host asked him about his friendship with One Direction and compared him to Justin Timberlake.\n\nAnd Rihanna became annoyed in Australia and cut off a chat about her film Battleship when questions began to focus on her love life.\n\nHere are the celebrities who couldn't stand the heat so they got out of the interview:.\n\nThe model Naomi Campbell is known for her firey temper and stormed out of an interview - breaking a camera in her wake - after being asked about a blood diamond she had apparently been given.\n\nNAOMI CAMPBELL.\n\nIn April 2010 Naomi Campbell, who is known for her fiery temper, stormed out of an interview with ABC news kicking their camera over on the way.\n\nThe reporter had asked the supermodel about whether she had received a blood diamond from the deposed Liberian despot Charles Taylor.\n\nNaomi said: 'I didn't receive a blood diamond and I'm not going to speak about that.'\n\nThe interviewer continued to push the 44-year-old until she ended the chat curtly saying: 'Thank you very much,' and walking off.\n\nIn court Naomi later admitted that she had been given, 'a few dirty rocks,' by Taylor when she testified against him.\n\nRobert Pattinson became incredibly awkward whilst, when promoting Twilight: New Moon, he was asked about his relationship with Kristen Stewart.\n\nROBERT PATTINSON.\n\nWhen Robert Pattinson was promoting the Twilight film New Moon in 2009 he had an awkward run-in with Ryan Seacrest.\n\nRyan starts the interview by asking Rob about how he is finding fame but the conversation quickly turned to his then relationship with his co-star Kristen Stewart.\n\nRyan quizzed the actor on what he tells fans when they ask about their relationship at which point his PR swiftly interjects and reprimands the Radio host.\n\nRob becomes visibly awkward and is ushered out of the interview as a stunned Seacrest reveals that it's the first time he's ever been cut off.\n\nAs Rob leaves he jokes that he would tell his fans to watch this film but it doesn't do anything to ease the awkward tension.\n\nJustin Bieber might be close friends with One Direction but he didn't like it when a radio host asked about whether Harry Styles would flirt with his mum.\n\nJUSTIN BIEBER.\n\nIn 2012 pop singer Justin Bieber did an incredibly awkward interview with the online American radio show, MOJO In The Morning.\n\nThe host describes how the interview went 'horribly wrong,' saying that Justin initially got offended when he compared him to Justin Timberlake.\n\nJustin says: 'That's crazy 'cos our voices sound nothing alike... saying I sound like someone is not really a compliment.'\n\nHe then got upset when the interviewer started asking him about One Direction, in particular Harry Styles.\n\nThe presenter questions him: 'Do you worry about Harry around your mum as he seems to like older women?' to which Justin retorts, 'I think you should worry about me round your mum, so...'\n\nThe radio host then informs Justin that his mum is dead and the pop star hangs up on him. An awkward chat with Justin's 'people' ensued in which MOJO are told the singer won't be calling back.\n\nPeter Andre tried to keep his cool when he was interviewed by Kay Burley in 2010 but when the conversation turned to his children the TV presenter managed to reduce him to tears.\n\nPETER ANDRE.\n\nIn 2010 Peter Andre joined Kay Burley on the coach for Sky News and she proceeded to prod him on his ex-wife Katie Price's recent marriage to Alex Reid.\n\nIn particular the TV presenter was keen to know whether Peter and Katie's children were aware that their mother had re-married.\n\nWhich lead them on to the subject of the model's first son Harvey. Harvey was the child of Price and footballer Dwight Yorke - although he was largely bought up by Andre, who still plays a role in his life to this day.\n\nDuring the segment Kay played Peter a clip of Dwight insinuating that the singer should never have said that he wanted to adopt the boy with whom the footballer has very little contact.\n\nAn understandably defensive Peter went on to question whether Yorke had seen his son and to question why he Dwight would find Peter disrespectful when all he did was love his son.\n\nKay then asked Peter how he would feel is Alex Reid wanted to adopt his two children Junior and Princess at which point the singer became upset asking for the interview to be terminated.\n\nRihanna cut an interview with Australian show Sunrise short when the interviewer asked her about her love life.\n\nRIHANNA.\n\nRihanna was in Australia to promote her film Battleship in April 2012 when she became angry with a reporter from the show Sunrise.\n\nDuring an interview reporter Natalie Barr asked the star how frustrating it was to be linked to Hollywood names even if she wasn't dating them.\n\nTo which Rihanna replied: 'Very frustrating. Almost as frustrating as being asked about it.'\n\nShe went on to say: 'People are interested in a lot of things that don't matter or shouldn't.' Before ending the interview.\n\nIt wasn't exactly S Club 7 themselves who decided to walk out on Claudia Winkleman who had an interview cut short with the band by their PR.\n\nS CLUB 7.\n\nIn one of the most bizarre celebrity walk-outs of all time S Club 7 were forced to leave an interview with Claudia Winkleman by their screaming PR.\n\nIt was 2003 and the band were discussing their imminent split with the TV presenter when she began to ask them about money.\n\nIt had been rumoured at the time that, despite their manager Simon Fuller being worth around \u00a390million, the band hadn't been making enough money.\n\nClaudia asked them: 'There are rumours, I don't know how true they are, that you guys are grumpy that you haven't made a mint..'\n\nThe bands PR then storms in saying: 'I'm not having this! I've had to come on here to get you to stop. Can you get up? We're going.'\n\nThe Bee Gees had one of the most famous walk outs ever when they cut an interview with Clive Anderson short.\n\nBEE GEES.\n\nIt's one of the most famous walk outs of all time when in 1997 Clive Anderson managed to annoy not one, not two but all three of the Bee Gees.\n\nClive tries to joke with the band but after calling Barry Gibb a 't*****' he said: 'We're getting on like a storm, aren't we Clive? In fact I might just leave.'\n\nRobin and Maurice then followed at which point Clive revealed that he'd never had someone walk off before.", "summary": "Robert Downey Junior is the latest in a long line of celebrities who have walked out on interviews. Interviewers often discuss sensitive topics such as relationships, children, and drug use, but these sensitive topics can prove to be too personal and cause the interviewee to walk out. "}
{"article_id": "3b82559a2edb48c7bffca655c43fe34d", "article": "It's every interviewer's worst nightmare. Ask the wrong question and you find your interviewee walking out on you mid sentence.\n\nWhich is exactly what happened when Channel 4 news presenter\u00a0Krishnan Guru-Murthy tried to ask the actor Robert Downey Jr about his drug-taking past.\n\nAfter questioning the 50-year-old actor as to whether he had managed to fight his demons the actor said: 'I'm sorry, I really don't... what are we doing?' before walking out of the interview.\n\nChannel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy looks bemused as Robert Downey Junior walks out on an interview with him after the journalist asked him about his personal life.\n\nIn the footage of the short-lived chat Krishnan is then seen looking dumbfounded as Robert goes to head out of the room.\n\nThe American star is in London to promote his new film Avengers: Age of Ultron but became aggravated when the chat took a turn for the personal.\n\nSeemingly amused with the reaction, Guru-Murthy is then seen smiling and gesticulating as a production team-member tried to remove Robert's clip-on microphone.\n\nAt that point he turns and says: 'It's all getting a bit Diane Sawyer [a U.S. journalist known for her investigative interviewing].'\n\nThe horror was clear to see on Robert's face as he questioned Krishnan about where he was trying to take their chat.\n\nBut Robert isn't the first celebrity to lose his cool in the face of an awkward line of questioning.\n\nNaomi Campbell, Robert Pattinson and Peter Andre have all cut their chat time short - especially when, like with Mr Downey Jr, the conversation has turned to their private lives.\n\nJustin Bieber was once angered by a radio show host asked him about his friendship with One Direction and compared him to Justin Timberlake.\n\nAnd Rihanna became annoyed in Australia and cut off a chat about her film Battleship when questions began to focus on her love life.\n\nHere are the celebrities who couldn't stand the heat so they got out of the interview:.\n\nThe model Naomi Campbell is known for her firey temper and stormed out of an interview - breaking a camera in her wake - after being asked about a blood diamond she had apparently been given.\n\nNAOMI CAMPBELL.\n\nIn April 2010 Naomi Campbell, who is known for her fiery temper, stormed out of an interview with ABC news kicking their camera over on the way.\n\nThe reporter had asked the supermodel about whether she had received a blood diamond from the deposed Liberian despot Charles Taylor.\n\nNaomi said: 'I didn't receive a blood diamond and I'm not going to speak about that.'\n\nThe interviewer continued to push the 44-year-old until she ended the chat curtly saying: 'Thank you very much,' and walking off.\n\nIn court Naomi later admitted that she had been given, 'a few dirty rocks,' by Taylor when she testified against him.\n\nRobert Pattinson became incredibly awkward whilst, when promoting Twilight: New Moon, he was asked about his relationship with Kristen Stewart.\n\nROBERT PATTINSON.\n\nWhen Robert Pattinson was promoting the Twilight film New Moon in 2009 he had an awkward run-in with Ryan Seacrest.\n\nRyan starts the interview by asking Rob about how he is finding fame but the conversation quickly turned to his then relationship with his co-star Kristen Stewart.\n\nRyan quizzed the actor on what he tells fans when they ask about their relationship at which point his PR swiftly interjects and reprimands the Radio host.\n\nRob becomes visibly awkward and is ushered out of the interview as a stunned Seacrest reveals that it's the first time he's ever been cut off.\n\nAs Rob leaves he jokes that he would tell his fans to watch this film but it doesn't do anything to ease the awkward tension.\n\nJustin Bieber might be close friends with One Direction but he didn't like it when a radio host asked about whether Harry Styles would flirt with his mum.\n\nJUSTIN BIEBER.\n\nIn 2012 pop singer Justin Bieber did an incredibly awkward interview with the online American radio show, MOJO In The Morning.\n\nThe host describes how the interview went 'horribly wrong,' saying that Justin initially got offended when he compared him to Justin Timberlake.\n\nJustin says: 'That's crazy 'cos our voices sound nothing alike... saying I sound like someone is not really a compliment.'\n\nHe then got upset when the interviewer started asking him about One Direction, in particular Harry Styles.\n\nThe presenter questions him: 'Do you worry about Harry around your mum as he seems to like older women?' to which Justin retorts, 'I think you should worry about me round your mum, so...'\n\nThe radio host then informs Justin that his mum is dead and the pop star hangs up on him. An awkward chat with Justin's 'people' ensued in which MOJO are told the singer won't be calling back.\n\nPeter Andre tried to keep his cool when he was interviewed by Kay Burley in 2010 but when the conversation turned to his children the TV presenter managed to reduce him to tears.\n\nPETER ANDRE.\n\nIn 2010 Peter Andre joined Kay Burley on the coach for Sky News and she proceeded to prod him on his ex-wife Katie Price's recent marriage to Alex Reid.\n\nIn particular the TV presenter was keen to know whether Peter and Katie's children were aware that their mother had re-married.\n\nWhich lead them on to the subject of the model's first son Harvey. Harvey was the child of Price and footballer Dwight Yorke - although he was largely bought up by Andre, who still plays a role in his life to this day.\n\nDuring the segment Kay played Peter a clip of Dwight insinuating that the singer should never have said that he wanted to adopt the boy with whom the footballer has very little contact.\n\nAn understandably defensive Peter went on to question whether Yorke had seen his son and to question why he Dwight would find Peter disrespectful when all he did was love his son.\n\nKay then asked Peter how he would feel is Alex Reid wanted to adopt his two children Junior and Princess at which point the singer became upset asking for the interview to be terminated.\n\nRihanna cut an interview with Australian show Sunrise short when the interviewer asked her about her love life.\n\nRIHANNA.\n\nRihanna was in Australia to promote her film Battleship in April 2012 when she became angry with a reporter from the show Sunrise.\n\nDuring an interview reporter Natalie Barr asked the star how frustrating it was to be linked to Hollywood names even if she wasn't dating them.\n\nTo which Rihanna replied: 'Very frustrating. Almost as frustrating as being asked about it.'\n\nShe went on to say: 'People are interested in a lot of things that don't matter or shouldn't.' Before ending the interview.\n\nIt wasn't exactly S Club 7 themselves who decided to walk out on Claudia Winkleman who had an interview cut short with the band by their PR.\n\nS CLUB 7.\n\nIn one of the most bizarre celebrity walk-outs of all time S Club 7 were forced to leave an interview with Claudia Winkleman by their screaming PR.\n\nIt was 2003 and the band were discussing their imminent split with the TV presenter when she began to ask them about money.\n\nIt had been rumoured at the time that, despite their manager Simon Fuller being worth around \u00a390million, the band hadn't been making enough money.\n\nClaudia asked them: 'There are rumours, I don't know how true they are, that you guys are grumpy that you haven't made a mint..'\n\nThe bands PR then storms in saying: 'I'm not having this! I've had to come on here to get you to stop. Can you get up? We're going.'\n\nThe Bee Gees had one of the most famous walk outs ever when they cut an interview with Clive Anderson short.\n\nBEE GEES.\n\nIt's one of the most famous walk outs of all time when in 1997 Clive Anderson managed to annoy not one, not two but all three of the Bee Gees.\n\nClive tries to joke with the band but after calling Barry Gibb a 't*****' he said: 'We're getting on like a storm, aren't we Clive? In fact I might just leave.'\n\nRobin and Maurice then followed at which point Clive revealed that he'd never had someone walk off before.", "summary": "Robert Downey Junior walked out of an interview with Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy after he was questioned about his past drug use. Downey, who is in London promoting his new film Avengers: Age of Ultron, appeared horrified and aggravated when Guru-Murthy attempted to take the interview down a personal route- so he left."}
{"article_id": "1ea22520bd7b4fe288c62159e02f803d", "article": "A young Syrian boy has revealed how he saw depraved Islamic State militants playing football with a severed head inside the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp.\n\nAmjad Yaaqub, 16, said he stumbled on the barbaric scene shortly after the terrorists beat him unconscious when they burst into his family home at the camp in the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nThe schoolboy said the ISIS fighters were looking for his brother, who is a member of the Palestinian rebel group who ran and defended the camp for several years before ISIS carried out a bloody assault that has left more than 200 people dead in just seven days.\n\nHis story was revealed as refugees in Yarmouk spoke of the daily atrocities they have witnessed since ISIS seized control of 90 per cent of the camp, including innocent children being slaughtered in front of their anguished parents.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nScene of death: A destroyed graveyard is photographed in Yarmouk camp following the intense fighting.\n\nInnocent: Palestinians, who fled the Yarmouk refugee camp, sit on mattresses inside a school in Damascus.\n\nAfter enduring two years of famine and fighting, Ibrahim Abdel Fatah said he saw heads cut off by ISIS in the Palestinian camp of Yarmouk. That was it. He fled and hasn't looked back.\n\nUnshaven, pale and gaunt, he has found refuge with his wife and seven children at the Zeinab al-Haliyeh school in Tadamun, a southeastern district of the Syrian capital held by the army.\n\n'I saw severed heads. They killed children in front of their parents. We were terrorised,' he said.\n\n'We had heard of their cruelty from the television, but when we saw it ourselves... I can tell you, their reputation is well-deserved,' the 55-year-old said.\n\nThe school is currently home to 98 displaced people, among them 40 children, who have been put up in three classrooms.\n\nThe usual occupants, schoolchildren, have been evacuated temporarily from rooms where mattresses and bedding now blanket the floor.\n\n'I left my house which was the only thing I had. My family lived on rations supplied by UNRWA,' the United Nations agency that looks after Palestinian refugees, the former caretaker said.\n\nDestroyed: In late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nA man stands on a staircase inside a demolished building inside the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.\n\nAnwar Abdel Hadi, a Palestine Liberation Organisation official in Damascus, said 500 families, or about 2,500 people, fled Yarmouk before IS fighters attacked the camp last Wednesday.\n\nBefore the assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital.\n\nYarmouk was once a thriving district housing 160,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians. But that was before it too was caught up in the widespread civil unrest which erupted in 2011.\n\nIn late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nThe camp has been encircled for more than a year, but is now reported to be almost completely under the control of ISIS and Al Qaeda's local affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra.\n\nResidents who fled the advancing jihadists last week have been put up in regime-held areas nearby.\n\nAccording to Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 200 people had died in Yarmouk from malnutrition and lack of medicines before last Wednesday's assault.\n\nCarnage:\u00a0Before the Islamic State assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nKeeping the faith: A Palestinian man who fled the Yarmouk  refugee camp prays inside a school in Damascus.\n\nSpeaking of the moment he stumbled on the ISIS militants, 16-year-old Amjad said:\u00a0'In Palestine Street, I saw two members of Daesh playing with a severed head as if it was a football.\n\nWearing a baseball cap sideways, rapper-style, the youth has a swollen eye and chin.\n\n'Daesh came to my home looking for my brother who's in the Palestinian Popular Committees. They beat me until I passed out and left me for dead,' he added, referring to the group by an Arabic acronym.\n\nAt the entrance to the school, Umm Usama chatted with fellow refugees who had got out.\n\n'I left the camp despite myself,' said the 40-year-old woman who had lived in Yarmouk for 17 years.\n\n'I'd stayed on despite the bombings and famine. It was terrible, we ate grass, but at least I was at home.\n\n'Daesh's arrival meant destruction and massacre. Their behaviour's not human and their religion is not ours,' added the thin woman with sunken eyes.\n\nRubble: Destruction in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this week.\n\nPalestinians demanding the protection of  refugees in Yarmouk stage a demonstration in Gaza city on Monday.\n\nMen lie around on mattresses as women gather in small groups, smoking cigarettes and drinking fruit juice as children run around the room.\n\n'Everything changed when IS arrived. Before that we didn't fear death, because if there was fighting, the rebels made sure the civilians got to shelters,' said Abir, a 47-year-old woman who was born and raised in Yarmouk.\n\nThere are no suitcases to be seen in the classrooms -- the families had to leave so quickly there was no time to pack anything.\n\n'I left without bringing any belongings. My husband wasn't able to join me. I walked out hugging the walls so snipers couldn't see me,' said 19-year-old Nadia, nursing her two-month-old baby.\n\nYesterday ISIS launched English-language radio news bulletins on its al-Bayan radio network.\n\nThe militant group's English bulletin,  promoted via Twitter, accompanies Arabic and Russian bulletins already airing on the network.\n\nThe first bulletin, which provided an overview of their activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya, discussed a range of topics including the alleged death of an ISIS commander in Yarmouk, a suicide bombing in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk and mortar attacks on militias in Sirte, Libya.\n\nISIS holds territory in a third of Iraq and Syria and is becoming increasingly active in Libya.\n\nThe group already publishes a monthly online English-language magazine, Dabiq, with religious lessons, plus news about its activities.", "summary": "The terrorist group ISIS operates in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. Yarmouk, a city in Syria, once had over 160,000 residents, but nearly everyone fled due to terrorists taking over. Survivors are now in temporary converted shelters, and share the horrors they experienced including beheadings and violent 'not human' behavior. "}
{"article_id": "1ea22520bd7b4fe288c62159e02f803d", "article": "A young Syrian boy has revealed how he saw depraved Islamic State militants playing football with a severed head inside the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp.\n\nAmjad Yaaqub, 16, said he stumbled on the barbaric scene shortly after the terrorists beat him unconscious when they burst into his family home at the camp in the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nThe schoolboy said the ISIS fighters were looking for his brother, who is a member of the Palestinian rebel group who ran and defended the camp for several years before ISIS carried out a bloody assault that has left more than 200 people dead in just seven days.\n\nHis story was revealed as refugees in Yarmouk spoke of the daily atrocities they have witnessed since ISIS seized control of 90 per cent of the camp, including innocent children being slaughtered in front of their anguished parents.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nScene of death: A destroyed graveyard is photographed in Yarmouk camp following the intense fighting.\n\nInnocent: Palestinians, who fled the Yarmouk refugee camp, sit on mattresses inside a school in Damascus.\n\nAfter enduring two years of famine and fighting, Ibrahim Abdel Fatah said he saw heads cut off by ISIS in the Palestinian camp of Yarmouk. That was it. He fled and hasn't looked back.\n\nUnshaven, pale and gaunt, he has found refuge with his wife and seven children at the Zeinab al-Haliyeh school in Tadamun, a southeastern district of the Syrian capital held by the army.\n\n'I saw severed heads. They killed children in front of their parents. We were terrorised,' he said.\n\n'We had heard of their cruelty from the television, but when we saw it ourselves... I can tell you, their reputation is well-deserved,' the 55-year-old said.\n\nThe school is currently home to 98 displaced people, among them 40 children, who have been put up in three classrooms.\n\nThe usual occupants, schoolchildren, have been evacuated temporarily from rooms where mattresses and bedding now blanket the floor.\n\n'I left my house which was the only thing I had. My family lived on rations supplied by UNRWA,' the United Nations agency that looks after Palestinian refugees, the former caretaker said.\n\nDestroyed: In late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nA man stands on a staircase inside a demolished building inside the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.\n\nAnwar Abdel Hadi, a Palestine Liberation Organisation official in Damascus, said 500 families, or about 2,500 people, fled Yarmouk before IS fighters attacked the camp last Wednesday.\n\nBefore the assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital.\n\nYarmouk was once a thriving district housing 160,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians. But that was before it too was caught up in the widespread civil unrest which erupted in 2011.\n\nIn late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nThe camp has been encircled for more than a year, but is now reported to be almost completely under the control of ISIS and Al Qaeda's local affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra.\n\nResidents who fled the advancing jihadists last week have been put up in regime-held areas nearby.\n\nAccording to Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 200 people had died in Yarmouk from malnutrition and lack of medicines before last Wednesday's assault.\n\nCarnage:\u00a0Before the Islamic State assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nKeeping the faith: A Palestinian man who fled the Yarmouk  refugee camp prays inside a school in Damascus.\n\nSpeaking of the moment he stumbled on the ISIS militants, 16-year-old Amjad said:\u00a0'In Palestine Street, I saw two members of Daesh playing with a severed head as if it was a football.\n\nWearing a baseball cap sideways, rapper-style, the youth has a swollen eye and chin.\n\n'Daesh came to my home looking for my brother who's in the Palestinian Popular Committees. They beat me until I passed out and left me for dead,' he added, referring to the group by an Arabic acronym.\n\nAt the entrance to the school, Umm Usama chatted with fellow refugees who had got out.\n\n'I left the camp despite myself,' said the 40-year-old woman who had lived in Yarmouk for 17 years.\n\n'I'd stayed on despite the bombings and famine. It was terrible, we ate grass, but at least I was at home.\n\n'Daesh's arrival meant destruction and massacre. Their behaviour's not human and their religion is not ours,' added the thin woman with sunken eyes.\n\nRubble: Destruction in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this week.\n\nPalestinians demanding the protection of  refugees in Yarmouk stage a demonstration in Gaza city on Monday.\n\nMen lie around on mattresses as women gather in small groups, smoking cigarettes and drinking fruit juice as children run around the room.\n\n'Everything changed when IS arrived. Before that we didn't fear death, because if there was fighting, the rebels made sure the civilians got to shelters,' said Abir, a 47-year-old woman who was born and raised in Yarmouk.\n\nThere are no suitcases to be seen in the classrooms -- the families had to leave so quickly there was no time to pack anything.\n\n'I left without bringing any belongings. My husband wasn't able to join me. I walked out hugging the walls so snipers couldn't see me,' said 19-year-old Nadia, nursing her two-month-old baby.\n\nYesterday ISIS launched English-language radio news bulletins on its al-Bayan radio network.\n\nThe militant group's English bulletin,  promoted via Twitter, accompanies Arabic and Russian bulletins already airing on the network.\n\nThe first bulletin, which provided an overview of their activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya, discussed a range of topics including the alleged death of an ISIS commander in Yarmouk, a suicide bombing in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk and mortar attacks on militias in Sirte, Libya.\n\nISIS holds territory in a third of Iraq and Syria and is becoming increasingly active in Libya.\n\nThe group already publishes a monthly online English-language magazine, Dabiq, with religious lessons, plus news about its activities.", "summary": "The  Yarmouk Refugee camp was once the thriving home of 160,000 people. Now, horrific stories are the norm. 16-year-old Amjad Yaaqub has come forward and revealed that he witnessed Islamic State militants playing football with a severed head, which is only one story shared since ISIS seized control of 90% of the camp. "}
{"article_id": "1ea22520bd7b4fe288c62159e02f803d", "article": "A young Syrian boy has revealed how he saw depraved Islamic State militants playing football with a severed head inside the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp.\n\nAmjad Yaaqub, 16, said he stumbled on the barbaric scene shortly after the terrorists beat him unconscious when they burst into his family home at the camp in the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nThe schoolboy said the ISIS fighters were looking for his brother, who is a member of the Palestinian rebel group who ran and defended the camp for several years before ISIS carried out a bloody assault that has left more than 200 people dead in just seven days.\n\nHis story was revealed as refugees in Yarmouk spoke of the daily atrocities they have witnessed since ISIS seized control of 90 per cent of the camp, including innocent children being slaughtered in front of their anguished parents.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nScene of death: A destroyed graveyard is photographed in Yarmouk camp following the intense fighting.\n\nInnocent: Palestinians, who fled the Yarmouk refugee camp, sit on mattresses inside a school in Damascus.\n\nAfter enduring two years of famine and fighting, Ibrahim Abdel Fatah said he saw heads cut off by ISIS in the Palestinian camp of Yarmouk. That was it. He fled and hasn't looked back.\n\nUnshaven, pale and gaunt, he has found refuge with his wife and seven children at the Zeinab al-Haliyeh school in Tadamun, a southeastern district of the Syrian capital held by the army.\n\n'I saw severed heads. They killed children in front of their parents. We were terrorised,' he said.\n\n'We had heard of their cruelty from the television, but when we saw it ourselves... I can tell you, their reputation is well-deserved,' the 55-year-old said.\n\nThe school is currently home to 98 displaced people, among them 40 children, who have been put up in three classrooms.\n\nThe usual occupants, schoolchildren, have been evacuated temporarily from rooms where mattresses and bedding now blanket the floor.\n\n'I left my house which was the only thing I had. My family lived on rations supplied by UNRWA,' the United Nations agency that looks after Palestinian refugees, the former caretaker said.\n\nDestroyed: In late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nA man stands on a staircase inside a demolished building inside the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.\n\nAnwar Abdel Hadi, a Palestine Liberation Organisation official in Damascus, said 500 families, or about 2,500 people, fled Yarmouk before IS fighters attacked the camp last Wednesday.\n\nBefore the assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital.\n\nYarmouk was once a thriving district housing 160,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians. But that was before it too was caught up in the widespread civil unrest which erupted in 2011.\n\nIn late December 2012, Yarmouk - just four miles from central Damascus - became a battlefield between pro- and anti-government forces before a merciless siege began.\n\nThe camp has been encircled for more than a year, but is now reported to be almost completely under the control of ISIS and Al Qaeda's local affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra.\n\nResidents who fled the advancing jihadists last week have been put up in regime-held areas nearby.\n\nAccording to Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 200 people had died in Yarmouk from malnutrition and lack of medicines before last Wednesday's assault.\n\nCarnage:\u00a0Before the Islamic State assault, there were around 18,000 people in Yarmouk in a southern neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus.\n\nKeeping the faith: A Palestinian man who fled the Yarmouk  refugee camp prays inside a school in Damascus.\n\nSpeaking of the moment he stumbled on the ISIS militants, 16-year-old Amjad said:\u00a0'In Palestine Street, I saw two members of Daesh playing with a severed head as if it was a football.\n\nWearing a baseball cap sideways, rapper-style, the youth has a swollen eye and chin.\n\n'Daesh came to my home looking for my brother who's in the Palestinian Popular Committees. They beat me until I passed out and left me for dead,' he added, referring to the group by an Arabic acronym.\n\nAt the entrance to the school, Umm Usama chatted with fellow refugees who had got out.\n\n'I left the camp despite myself,' said the 40-year-old woman who had lived in Yarmouk for 17 years.\n\n'I'd stayed on despite the bombings and famine. It was terrible, we ate grass, but at least I was at home.\n\n'Daesh's arrival meant destruction and massacre. Their behaviour's not human and their religion is not ours,' added the thin woman with sunken eyes.\n\nRubble: Destruction in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this week.\n\nPalestinians demanding the protection of  refugees in Yarmouk stage a demonstration in Gaza city on Monday.\n\nMen lie around on mattresses as women gather in small groups, smoking cigarettes and drinking fruit juice as children run around the room.\n\n'Everything changed when IS arrived. Before that we didn't fear death, because if there was fighting, the rebels made sure the civilians got to shelters,' said Abir, a 47-year-old woman who was born and raised in Yarmouk.\n\nThere are no suitcases to be seen in the classrooms -- the families had to leave so quickly there was no time to pack anything.\n\n'I left without bringing any belongings. My husband wasn't able to join me. I walked out hugging the walls so snipers couldn't see me,' said 19-year-old Nadia, nursing her two-month-old baby.\n\nYesterday ISIS launched English-language radio news bulletins on its al-Bayan radio network.\n\nThe militant group's English bulletin,  promoted via Twitter, accompanies Arabic and Russian bulletins already airing on the network.\n\nThe first bulletin, which provided an overview of their activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya, discussed a range of topics including the alleged death of an ISIS commander in Yarmouk, a suicide bombing in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk and mortar attacks on militias in Sirte, Libya.\n\nISIS holds territory in a third of Iraq and Syria and is becoming increasingly active in Libya.\n\nThe group already publishes a monthly online English-language magazine, Dabiq, with religious lessons, plus news about its activities.", "summary": "A refugee camp in Syria has been almost completely taken over by ISIS and its local affiliate. People in the camp report atrocities such as children being killed in front of their parents, and football being played with severed heads. Many in the camps have fled to other locations.  "}
{"article_id": "909f8362981a44eeae5060ea05eb31e6", "article": "Arcade Fire brought a party atmosphere to Glastonbury on Friday, hours after an electric storm stopped the festival.\n\nAided by dancers, confetti cannons and a man in a mirrored suit, the Canadian band revived revellers' spirits with a series of arms-aloft anthems.\n\n\"In a lifetime of pretty much impossible things that have happened to our band, this is the highlight,\" said frontman Win Butler.\n\nEarlier, every stage at the event was closed after lightning struck ground.\n\nDance act Rudimental were escorted off the main stage mid-set, and had to abandon their planned encore - Feel The Love, with guest vocalist John Newman.\n\n\"We're quite upset,\" musician Amir Amor told the BBC, \"but we had a great time anyway\".\n\nMetallica's Lars Ulrich was flying into the site by helicopter as the storm descended.\n\n\"It was kind of frightening,\" he said.\n\n\"When we landed, all the people picking us up were going, 'we didn't expect you were going to fly in this weather'.\n\n\"But the pilot didn't say anything about that. We saw the lightning up there. I thought it was pyrotechnics for Arcade Fire.\"\n\nThe thunderstorm heralded a brief but torrential downpour, and the power cut took BBC coverage off the air.\n\nMusic resumed on the main stage at 19:00 BST with Lily Allen, who dedicated an expletive-laden song to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.\n\nOther performers on Friday included Blondie, who proved so popular it became impossible to enter or leave The Other Stage at lunchtime, and Paolo Nutini, whose soulful ballads were a fitting soundtrack as dusk fell over Somerset.\n\nSophie Ellis-Bextor sneaked some disco into her set at the largely-acoustic Avalon Stage, while the pulsing synthpop of Glaswegian band Chvrches made for a steamy atmosphere in the John Peel tent as fans danced off the downpour.\n\nArcade Fire took to the stage shortly after 22:00 BST, their arrival heralded by a man dressed from head-to-toe in a mirrored suit.\n\nBravely, considering the weather conditions, the 12-piece band were largely dressed in white, but if they were worried about laundry bills, it didn't show.\n\nThey  threw themselves around the stage, thrashing and spinning as though plagued by a swarm of invisible bees, each member switching instruments between - and often during - songs.\n\nAs well as guitars, they played steel drums, xylophones and even a hurdy gurdy.\n\nFrontman Win Butler made frequent excursions into the audience and, during the song Flashbulb Eyes, plucked a camera from a press photographer and carried it on stage to capture the band's performance.\n\nThe set list was evenly spread across their four albums, with highlights including No Cars Go, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) and Rebellion (Lies).\n\nThe group's recurring subject matter of suburban despair and alienation might have seemed like an odd fit for Glastonbury's peace and love ethos, but there is an optimism and belief in humanity at the core of their music.\n\nPlus, they have really catchy choruses.\n\nThe band's willingness to embrace all walks of life was displayed on Friday night during the song We Exist - about a teenager whose father struggles to accept his sexuality.\n\nAs the opening chords rang out, a troupe of transgender and cross-dressing dancers joined the band onstage.\n\n\"Every one of us is born special and unique,\" said Butler. \"However you are and however you were born, you're perfect.\"\n\nThe feel-good atmosphere continued throughout the two-hour set - ending with a mass singalong to the band's signature song, Wake Up.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC earlier in the day, the band's guitarist Richard Reed-Parry said they had enjoyed soaking up the Glastonbury atmosphere on Friday.\n\n\"There's a great feeling coming in,\" he said.\n\n\"It's a nice vibe. There's lots of families.\n\n\"It's not just about massive headlining acts. And it's not going to be a swamp of corporate beer-swilling drunkards.\n\n\"There's rain and there's mud but it's new and it doesn't smell bad yet. It's like, 'oh, this mud smells like grass! It's spring!'\"\n\nThe music continues on Saturday with Jake Bugg, Pixies, Clean Bandit and Manic Street Preachers on the bill.\n\nAmong those watching the action will be Hollywood star Bradley Cooper, who told the BBC: \"I'm excited to see Metallica and I want to see Jack White and Lana Del Rey.\"\n\nAsked if he was put off by the weather, the Hangover star replied: \"I love it. I do! But I'm a dumb American - you expect it.\"\n\nGlastonbury 2014", "summary": "The music festival at Glastonbury was temporarily canceled due to an electric storm. Lightning struck the ground which caused bands to be escorted off stage for their protection. Performances resumed a few hours later and finished with the Canadian band, Arcade Fire, which included a man dressed in a mirrored suit."}
{"article_id": "909f8362981a44eeae5060ea05eb31e6", "article": "Arcade Fire brought a party atmosphere to Glastonbury on Friday, hours after an electric storm stopped the festival.\n\nAided by dancers, confetti cannons and a man in a mirrored suit, the Canadian band revived revellers' spirits with a series of arms-aloft anthems.\n\n\"In a lifetime of pretty much impossible things that have happened to our band, this is the highlight,\" said frontman Win Butler.\n\nEarlier, every stage at the event was closed after lightning struck ground.\n\nDance act Rudimental were escorted off the main stage mid-set, and had to abandon their planned encore - Feel The Love, with guest vocalist John Newman.\n\n\"We're quite upset,\" musician Amir Amor told the BBC, \"but we had a great time anyway\".\n\nMetallica's Lars Ulrich was flying into the site by helicopter as the storm descended.\n\n\"It was kind of frightening,\" he said.\n\n\"When we landed, all the people picking us up were going, 'we didn't expect you were going to fly in this weather'.\n\n\"But the pilot didn't say anything about that. We saw the lightning up there. I thought it was pyrotechnics for Arcade Fire.\"\n\nThe thunderstorm heralded a brief but torrential downpour, and the power cut took BBC coverage off the air.\n\nMusic resumed on the main stage at 19:00 BST with Lily Allen, who dedicated an expletive-laden song to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.\n\nOther performers on Friday included Blondie, who proved so popular it became impossible to enter or leave The Other Stage at lunchtime, and Paolo Nutini, whose soulful ballads were a fitting soundtrack as dusk fell over Somerset.\n\nSophie Ellis-Bextor sneaked some disco into her set at the largely-acoustic Avalon Stage, while the pulsing synthpop of Glaswegian band Chvrches made for a steamy atmosphere in the John Peel tent as fans danced off the downpour.\n\nArcade Fire took to the stage shortly after 22:00 BST, their arrival heralded by a man dressed from head-to-toe in a mirrored suit.\n\nBravely, considering the weather conditions, the 12-piece band were largely dressed in white, but if they were worried about laundry bills, it didn't show.\n\nThey  threw themselves around the stage, thrashing and spinning as though plagued by a swarm of invisible bees, each member switching instruments between - and often during - songs.\n\nAs well as guitars, they played steel drums, xylophones and even a hurdy gurdy.\n\nFrontman Win Butler made frequent excursions into the audience and, during the song Flashbulb Eyes, plucked a camera from a press photographer and carried it on stage to capture the band's performance.\n\nThe set list was evenly spread across their four albums, with highlights including No Cars Go, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) and Rebellion (Lies).\n\nThe group's recurring subject matter of suburban despair and alienation might have seemed like an odd fit for Glastonbury's peace and love ethos, but there is an optimism and belief in humanity at the core of their music.\n\nPlus, they have really catchy choruses.\n\nThe band's willingness to embrace all walks of life was displayed on Friday night during the song We Exist - about a teenager whose father struggles to accept his sexuality.\n\nAs the opening chords rang out, a troupe of transgender and cross-dressing dancers joined the band onstage.\n\n\"Every one of us is born special and unique,\" said Butler. \"However you are and however you were born, you're perfect.\"\n\nThe feel-good atmosphere continued throughout the two-hour set - ending with a mass singalong to the band's signature song, Wake Up.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC earlier in the day, the band's guitarist Richard Reed-Parry said they had enjoyed soaking up the Glastonbury atmosphere on Friday.\n\n\"There's a great feeling coming in,\" he said.\n\n\"It's a nice vibe. There's lots of families.\n\n\"It's not just about massive headlining acts. And it's not going to be a swamp of corporate beer-swilling drunkards.\n\n\"There's rain and there's mud but it's new and it doesn't smell bad yet. It's like, 'oh, this mud smells like grass! It's spring!'\"\n\nThe music continues on Saturday with Jake Bugg, Pixies, Clean Bandit and Manic Street Preachers on the bill.\n\nAmong those watching the action will be Hollywood star Bradley Cooper, who told the BBC: \"I'm excited to see Metallica and I want to see Jack White and Lana Del Rey.\"\n\nAsked if he was put off by the weather, the Hangover star replied: \"I love it. I do! But I'm a dumb American - you expect it.\"\n\nGlastonbury 2014", "summary": "The band Arcade Fire brought the music back in a big way after lightning closed down the music festival earlier in the evening. Some of the songs the band played were accompanied by dancers and pyrotechnics. The band members themselves danced wildly as well, changing instruments mid-song. "}
{"article_id": "909f8362981a44eeae5060ea05eb31e6", "article": "Arcade Fire brought a party atmosphere to Glastonbury on Friday, hours after an electric storm stopped the festival.\n\nAided by dancers, confetti cannons and a man in a mirrored suit, the Canadian band revived revellers' spirits with a series of arms-aloft anthems.\n\n\"In a lifetime of pretty much impossible things that have happened to our band, this is the highlight,\" said frontman Win Butler.\n\nEarlier, every stage at the event was closed after lightning struck ground.\n\nDance act Rudimental were escorted off the main stage mid-set, and had to abandon their planned encore - Feel The Love, with guest vocalist John Newman.\n\n\"We're quite upset,\" musician Amir Amor told the BBC, \"but we had a great time anyway\".\n\nMetallica's Lars Ulrich was flying into the site by helicopter as the storm descended.\n\n\"It was kind of frightening,\" he said.\n\n\"When we landed, all the people picking us up were going, 'we didn't expect you were going to fly in this weather'.\n\n\"But the pilot didn't say anything about that. We saw the lightning up there. I thought it was pyrotechnics for Arcade Fire.\"\n\nThe thunderstorm heralded a brief but torrential downpour, and the power cut took BBC coverage off the air.\n\nMusic resumed on the main stage at 19:00 BST with Lily Allen, who dedicated an expletive-laden song to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.\n\nOther performers on Friday included Blondie, who proved so popular it became impossible to enter or leave The Other Stage at lunchtime, and Paolo Nutini, whose soulful ballads were a fitting soundtrack as dusk fell over Somerset.\n\nSophie Ellis-Bextor sneaked some disco into her set at the largely-acoustic Avalon Stage, while the pulsing synthpop of Glaswegian band Chvrches made for a steamy atmosphere in the John Peel tent as fans danced off the downpour.\n\nArcade Fire took to the stage shortly after 22:00 BST, their arrival heralded by a man dressed from head-to-toe in a mirrored suit.\n\nBravely, considering the weather conditions, the 12-piece band were largely dressed in white, but if they were worried about laundry bills, it didn't show.\n\nThey  threw themselves around the stage, thrashing and spinning as though plagued by a swarm of invisible bees, each member switching instruments between - and often during - songs.\n\nAs well as guitars, they played steel drums, xylophones and even a hurdy gurdy.\n\nFrontman Win Butler made frequent excursions into the audience and, during the song Flashbulb Eyes, plucked a camera from a press photographer and carried it on stage to capture the band's performance.\n\nThe set list was evenly spread across their four albums, with highlights including No Cars Go, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) and Rebellion (Lies).\n\nThe group's recurring subject matter of suburban despair and alienation might have seemed like an odd fit for Glastonbury's peace and love ethos, but there is an optimism and belief in humanity at the core of their music.\n\nPlus, they have really catchy choruses.\n\nThe band's willingness to embrace all walks of life was displayed on Friday night during the song We Exist - about a teenager whose father struggles to accept his sexuality.\n\nAs the opening chords rang out, a troupe of transgender and cross-dressing dancers joined the band onstage.\n\n\"Every one of us is born special and unique,\" said Butler. \"However you are and however you were born, you're perfect.\"\n\nThe feel-good atmosphere continued throughout the two-hour set - ending with a mass singalong to the band's signature song, Wake Up.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC earlier in the day, the band's guitarist Richard Reed-Parry said they had enjoyed soaking up the Glastonbury atmosphere on Friday.\n\n\"There's a great feeling coming in,\" he said.\n\n\"It's a nice vibe. There's lots of families.\n\n\"It's not just about massive headlining acts. And it's not going to be a swamp of corporate beer-swilling drunkards.\n\n\"There's rain and there's mud but it's new and it doesn't smell bad yet. It's like, 'oh, this mud smells like grass! It's spring!'\"\n\nThe music continues on Saturday with Jake Bugg, Pixies, Clean Bandit and Manic Street Preachers on the bill.\n\nAmong those watching the action will be Hollywood star Bradley Cooper, who told the BBC: \"I'm excited to see Metallica and I want to see Jack White and Lana Del Rey.\"\n\nAsked if he was put off by the weather, the Hangover star replied: \"I love it. I do! But I'm a dumb American - you expect it.\"\n\nGlastonbury 2014", "summary": "Weather and a lightning strike temporarily shut down the music festival in Glastonbury, but the performers and audience were not deterred, and the atmosphere remained positive when the music restarted. In a highly impressive lineup of performers, Canadian band Arcade Fire restarted the festivities with a unique, energetic performance. "}
{"article_id": "f1e71c7354f74bd19bd9006c888ddb0a", "article": "If Wigan Athletic are to be relegated from the Sky Bet Championship, then their new manager Gary Caldwell would want to see them go down kicking and screaming.\n\nMartyn Waghorn took that a little too literally against Millwall, his red card for a senseless kick at Dan Harding punished by a Lions side determined to avoid a similar fate.\n\nWhen Waghorn, who played for Millwall on loan from Leicester in 2013, lashed out after failing to win a corner on the hour, it was set up for the hosts to claim three precious points.\n\nAnd they were duly delivered when Jimmy Abdou headed home Harding\u2019s cross with 15 minutes remaining, sending a febrile Den into raptures.\n\nMillwall team-mates rush to congratulate substitute\u00a0Magaye Gueye after he scored their second goal.\n\nLions No 1 David Forde celebrates after Jimmy\u00a0Abdou came on to break the deadlock with a rare strike.\n\nMartyn Waghorn was one of three players sent off - two for Wigan and one for Millwall in the fiesty clash.\n\nMillwall: Forde (c); Cummings, Nelson, Beevers, Harding; Upson, Abdou, Williams (Bailey 42), Martin (Gueye 68); O\u2019Brien (Woolford 84), Gregory.\n\nSubstitutes not used: Archer (GK); Cowan-Hall, Fuller, Taylor-Fletcher.\n\nScorers: Abdou 75; Gueye 90+3.\n\nBooked: Gregory, Martin, Bailey, Beevers.\n\nSent off: Upson.\n\nWigan Athletic: Carson; Boyce, Maguire, Pearce, Bong; Pennant (Chow 81), Perch (c), Kvist (Ojo 90+1), Kim Bo-Kyung, McLean; Fortune (Waghorn 53)\n\nSubstitutes not used: Al Habsi (GK); McCann, Barnett, Murphy.\n\nBooked: Bong, Bo-Kyung.\n\nSent off: Waghorn, Pearson.\n\nReferee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)\n\nIn his six seasons at the club, that was only Abdou\u2019s seventh goal. What a time for it. The official Millwall Twitter account reassured followers it wasn\u2019t a misprint.\n\nThere was more drama to follow. Jason Pearce followed Waghorn down the tunnel for a dreadful tackle on Aiden O\u2019Brien as tempers flared in the closing stages, with Millwall\u2019s Ed Upson also dismissed for his reaction.\n\nThe game had threatened to erupt all night. There were two confrontations in the first-half, with Caldwell and his Millwall counterpart Neil Harris on the edge of their technical areas appealing for calm.\n\nAnd a second goal from Magaye Gueye in the third minute of stoppage time made absolutely sure, the substitute leading a breakaway on his own before finishing calmly past Carson.\n\nMillwall\u2019s win keeps the Championship relegation battle very much alive and throws the pressure onto Rotherham United, who face Fulham on Wednesday night.\n\nThe plot could also thicken further if Rotherham are docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Brighton earlier this month. Hope is still very much alive in south London after this, the gap closed to just four points.\n\nHarris had described this match as a \u2018Cup Final\u2019 and his players responded. Snapping into every challenge, first to every ball, they wanted it more than Caldwell\u2019s men.\n\nWigan's former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant (left) takes on Dan Harding of Millwall.\n\nMillwall's Aiden O'Brien (left) competes with Emmerson Boyce of Wigan during the relegation six-pointer.\n\nThe Lions manager proudly declared afterwards: \u2018That was a Millwall performance, that\u2019s what this club is all about. If the players haven\u2019t learned anything from me before tonight, they certainly have now.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t necessarily condone challenges and melees but if you need a spark at The Den, then you have to take care of your own.\u2019\n\nAnd he couldn\u2019t resist a joke at the expense of Abdou\u2019s scoring record after his first goal in two years.\n\n\u2018Jimmy Abdou is a great fellow, a great servant to Millwall FC,\u2019 he said. \u2018If anyone deserved that goal for his performances since I took over. He has the ability to do that and I\u2019ve been telling him for seven years he can do that.\n\n\u2018He\u2019s got the ability in the legs, I think his last goal was in training about three and a half years ago!\u2019\n\nWith Wigan seven points from safety, Millwall\u2019s approach left manager Gary Caldwell irritated. He said: \u2018There was one team out there trying to play football and another trying to rough us up.\n\n\u2018The game got out of hand second-half, we needed a strong ref in a stadium like this.\u2019\n\nWigan\u2019s James McClean rattled the outside of the post with a cross-cum-shot that almost caught goalkeeper David Forde out after five minutes, while at the other end, Scott Carson had to race off his line to thwart Aiden O\u2019Brien when he broke clear.\n\nBut overall the first-half was a poor spectacle, enlivened only by the handbags that engaged the crowd.\n\nWigan's James Perch (right) goes up for a header with Millwall midfielder Shaun Williams.\n\nWigan manager Gary Caldwell looks on nervously as his hopes of survival are dented.\n\nWithin the first five minutes of the second-half, Millwall created more than their sum total in the first. Former England stopper Carson had to be at his athletic best to turn away an O\u2019Brien shot that seemed destined for the top corner.\n\nAnd when thew red mist descended on Waghorn, there was only one winner. It coincided with Millwall\u2019s best spell in the game and they capitalised when Abdou produced his potentially season-defining header.\n\nAfter Gueye made sure at the end, chants of \u2018Super Neil Harris\u2019 echoed around the ground. Is another heroic act from this club legend on the cards?", "summary": "Milwall FC defeated Wigan Athletic in a chippy match that saw three red cards handed out, 2 to Wigan and one the Milwall. Jimmy Abdou scored the go-ahead goal to the roar of the crowd, his first in seven seasons. The win grants Millwall three crucial points. "}
{"article_id": "f1e71c7354f74bd19bd9006c888ddb0a", "article": "If Wigan Athletic are to be relegated from the Sky Bet Championship, then their new manager Gary Caldwell would want to see them go down kicking and screaming.\n\nMartyn Waghorn took that a little too literally against Millwall, his red card for a senseless kick at Dan Harding punished by a Lions side determined to avoid a similar fate.\n\nWhen Waghorn, who played for Millwall on loan from Leicester in 2013, lashed out after failing to win a corner on the hour, it was set up for the hosts to claim three precious points.\n\nAnd they were duly delivered when Jimmy Abdou headed home Harding\u2019s cross with 15 minutes remaining, sending a febrile Den into raptures.\n\nMillwall team-mates rush to congratulate substitute\u00a0Magaye Gueye after he scored their second goal.\n\nLions No 1 David Forde celebrates after Jimmy\u00a0Abdou came on to break the deadlock with a rare strike.\n\nMartyn Waghorn was one of three players sent off - two for Wigan and one for Millwall in the fiesty clash.\n\nMillwall: Forde (c); Cummings, Nelson, Beevers, Harding; Upson, Abdou, Williams (Bailey 42), Martin (Gueye 68); O\u2019Brien (Woolford 84), Gregory.\n\nSubstitutes not used: Archer (GK); Cowan-Hall, Fuller, Taylor-Fletcher.\n\nScorers: Abdou 75; Gueye 90+3.\n\nBooked: Gregory, Martin, Bailey, Beevers.\n\nSent off: Upson.\n\nWigan Athletic: Carson; Boyce, Maguire, Pearce, Bong; Pennant (Chow 81), Perch (c), Kvist (Ojo 90+1), Kim Bo-Kyung, McLean; Fortune (Waghorn 53)\n\nSubstitutes not used: Al Habsi (GK); McCann, Barnett, Murphy.\n\nBooked: Bong, Bo-Kyung.\n\nSent off: Waghorn, Pearson.\n\nReferee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)\n\nIn his six seasons at the club, that was only Abdou\u2019s seventh goal. What a time for it. The official Millwall Twitter account reassured followers it wasn\u2019t a misprint.\n\nThere was more drama to follow. Jason Pearce followed Waghorn down the tunnel for a dreadful tackle on Aiden O\u2019Brien as tempers flared in the closing stages, with Millwall\u2019s Ed Upson also dismissed for his reaction.\n\nThe game had threatened to erupt all night. There were two confrontations in the first-half, with Caldwell and his Millwall counterpart Neil Harris on the edge of their technical areas appealing for calm.\n\nAnd a second goal from Magaye Gueye in the third minute of stoppage time made absolutely sure, the substitute leading a breakaway on his own before finishing calmly past Carson.\n\nMillwall\u2019s win keeps the Championship relegation battle very much alive and throws the pressure onto Rotherham United, who face Fulham on Wednesday night.\n\nThe plot could also thicken further if Rotherham are docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Brighton earlier this month. Hope is still very much alive in south London after this, the gap closed to just four points.\n\nHarris had described this match as a \u2018Cup Final\u2019 and his players responded. Snapping into every challenge, first to every ball, they wanted it more than Caldwell\u2019s men.\n\nWigan's former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant (left) takes on Dan Harding of Millwall.\n\nMillwall's Aiden O'Brien (left) competes with Emmerson Boyce of Wigan during the relegation six-pointer.\n\nThe Lions manager proudly declared afterwards: \u2018That was a Millwall performance, that\u2019s what this club is all about. If the players haven\u2019t learned anything from me before tonight, they certainly have now.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t necessarily condone challenges and melees but if you need a spark at The Den, then you have to take care of your own.\u2019\n\nAnd he couldn\u2019t resist a joke at the expense of Abdou\u2019s scoring record after his first goal in two years.\n\n\u2018Jimmy Abdou is a great fellow, a great servant to Millwall FC,\u2019 he said. \u2018If anyone deserved that goal for his performances since I took over. He has the ability to do that and I\u2019ve been telling him for seven years he can do that.\n\n\u2018He\u2019s got the ability in the legs, I think his last goal was in training about three and a half years ago!\u2019\n\nWith Wigan seven points from safety, Millwall\u2019s approach left manager Gary Caldwell irritated. He said: \u2018There was one team out there trying to play football and another trying to rough us up.\n\n\u2018The game got out of hand second-half, we needed a strong ref in a stadium like this.\u2019\n\nWigan\u2019s James McClean rattled the outside of the post with a cross-cum-shot that almost caught goalkeeper David Forde out after five minutes, while at the other end, Scott Carson had to race off his line to thwart Aiden O\u2019Brien when he broke clear.\n\nBut overall the first-half was a poor spectacle, enlivened only by the handbags that engaged the crowd.\n\nWigan's James Perch (right) goes up for a header with Millwall midfielder Shaun Williams.\n\nWigan manager Gary Caldwell looks on nervously as his hopes of survival are dented.\n\nWithin the first five minutes of the second-half, Millwall created more than their sum total in the first. Former England stopper Carson had to be at his athletic best to turn away an O\u2019Brien shot that seemed destined for the top corner.\n\nAnd when thew red mist descended on Waghorn, there was only one winner. It coincided with Millwall\u2019s best spell in the game and they capitalised when Abdou produced his potentially season-defining header.\n\nAfter Gueye made sure at the end, chants of \u2018Super Neil Harris\u2019 echoed around the ground. Is another heroic act from this club legend on the cards?", "summary": "During the Sky Bet Championship, Wigan and Millwall teams engaged in a heated clash. Two confrontations erupted in the first half, and eventually, three players were sent off from the game. Millwall's coaching staff noted that lacking a strong referee led to the game getting even more out of it than in the second half."}
{"article_id": "f1e71c7354f74bd19bd9006c888ddb0a", "article": "If Wigan Athletic are to be relegated from the Sky Bet Championship, then their new manager Gary Caldwell would want to see them go down kicking and screaming.\n\nMartyn Waghorn took that a little too literally against Millwall, his red card for a senseless kick at Dan Harding punished by a Lions side determined to avoid a similar fate.\n\nWhen Waghorn, who played for Millwall on loan from Leicester in 2013, lashed out after failing to win a corner on the hour, it was set up for the hosts to claim three precious points.\n\nAnd they were duly delivered when Jimmy Abdou headed home Harding\u2019s cross with 15 minutes remaining, sending a febrile Den into raptures.\n\nMillwall team-mates rush to congratulate substitute\u00a0Magaye Gueye after he scored their second goal.\n\nLions No 1 David Forde celebrates after Jimmy\u00a0Abdou came on to break the deadlock with a rare strike.\n\nMartyn Waghorn was one of three players sent off - two for Wigan and one for Millwall in the fiesty clash.\n\nMillwall: Forde (c); Cummings, Nelson, Beevers, Harding; Upson, Abdou, Williams (Bailey 42), Martin (Gueye 68); O\u2019Brien (Woolford 84), Gregory.\n\nSubstitutes not used: Archer (GK); Cowan-Hall, Fuller, Taylor-Fletcher.\n\nScorers: Abdou 75; Gueye 90+3.\n\nBooked: Gregory, Martin, Bailey, Beevers.\n\nSent off: Upson.\n\nWigan Athletic: Carson; Boyce, Maguire, Pearce, Bong; Pennant (Chow 81), Perch (c), Kvist (Ojo 90+1), Kim Bo-Kyung, McLean; Fortune (Waghorn 53)\n\nSubstitutes not used: Al Habsi (GK); McCann, Barnett, Murphy.\n\nBooked: Bong, Bo-Kyung.\n\nSent off: Waghorn, Pearson.\n\nReferee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire)\n\nIn his six seasons at the club, that was only Abdou\u2019s seventh goal. What a time for it. The official Millwall Twitter account reassured followers it wasn\u2019t a misprint.\n\nThere was more drama to follow. Jason Pearce followed Waghorn down the tunnel for a dreadful tackle on Aiden O\u2019Brien as tempers flared in the closing stages, with Millwall\u2019s Ed Upson also dismissed for his reaction.\n\nThe game had threatened to erupt all night. There were two confrontations in the first-half, with Caldwell and his Millwall counterpart Neil Harris on the edge of their technical areas appealing for calm.\n\nAnd a second goal from Magaye Gueye in the third minute of stoppage time made absolutely sure, the substitute leading a breakaway on his own before finishing calmly past Carson.\n\nMillwall\u2019s win keeps the Championship relegation battle very much alive and throws the pressure onto Rotherham United, who face Fulham on Wednesday night.\n\nThe plot could also thicken further if Rotherham are docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in their win over Brighton earlier this month. Hope is still very much alive in south London after this, the gap closed to just four points.\n\nHarris had described this match as a \u2018Cup Final\u2019 and his players responded. Snapping into every challenge, first to every ball, they wanted it more than Caldwell\u2019s men.\n\nWigan's former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant (left) takes on Dan Harding of Millwall.\n\nMillwall's Aiden O'Brien (left) competes with Emmerson Boyce of Wigan during the relegation six-pointer.\n\nThe Lions manager proudly declared afterwards: \u2018That was a Millwall performance, that\u2019s what this club is all about. If the players haven\u2019t learned anything from me before tonight, they certainly have now.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t necessarily condone challenges and melees but if you need a spark at The Den, then you have to take care of your own.\u2019\n\nAnd he couldn\u2019t resist a joke at the expense of Abdou\u2019s scoring record after his first goal in two years.\n\n\u2018Jimmy Abdou is a great fellow, a great servant to Millwall FC,\u2019 he said. \u2018If anyone deserved that goal for his performances since I took over. He has the ability to do that and I\u2019ve been telling him for seven years he can do that.\n\n\u2018He\u2019s got the ability in the legs, I think his last goal was in training about three and a half years ago!\u2019\n\nWith Wigan seven points from safety, Millwall\u2019s approach left manager Gary Caldwell irritated. He said: \u2018There was one team out there trying to play football and another trying to rough us up.\n\n\u2018The game got out of hand second-half, we needed a strong ref in a stadium like this.\u2019\n\nWigan\u2019s James McClean rattled the outside of the post with a cross-cum-shot that almost caught goalkeeper David Forde out after five minutes, while at the other end, Scott Carson had to race off his line to thwart Aiden O\u2019Brien when he broke clear.\n\nBut overall the first-half was a poor spectacle, enlivened only by the handbags that engaged the crowd.\n\nWigan's James Perch (right) goes up for a header with Millwall midfielder Shaun Williams.\n\nWigan manager Gary Caldwell looks on nervously as his hopes of survival are dented.\n\nWithin the first five minutes of the second-half, Millwall created more than their sum total in the first. Former England stopper Carson had to be at his athletic best to turn away an O\u2019Brien shot that seemed destined for the top corner.\n\nAnd when thew red mist descended on Waghorn, there was only one winner. It coincided with Millwall\u2019s best spell in the game and they capitalised when Abdou produced his potentially season-defining header.\n\nAfter Gueye made sure at the end, chants of \u2018Super Neil Harris\u2019 echoed around the ground. Is another heroic act from this club legend on the cards?", "summary": "After a rough, violent game described as 'out of control', Millwall won against Wigan. The Wigan manager Gary Caldwell was frustrated with the rough approach, but Millwall manager seemed to stand behind the actions of the team."}
{"article_id": "fa6aef87d0da4352885dd68996ff2c98", "article": "The cost of a daily lunchtime takeaway can be crippling and yet instead of making lunches at home the majority of British workers still pop to the high street to grab their midday meal.\n\nThe 'meal deal' (which is not always a meal, or a deal) has seen us stave off the hunger pangs with soggy sandwiches, slimy salads and salty soups, spending an average of \u00a31,840 a year.\n\nBut we could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if we just prepared our lunch at home.\n\nCheese, crackers and charcuterie is a simple and delicious lunch which can be easily assembled in the office.\n\nFood website Food52's 'Not Sad Desk Lunch' series demonstrates just how simple it can be to bring healthy, cost-effective, and delicious lunches to work.\n\nThese incredibly detailed ideas and recipes show how to make everything from easy-to-assemble options such cheese and crackers, to more complicated steamed Chinese buns, and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.\n\nEach recipe on Food52\u00a0is contributed by a member of the team who promises to keep your midday meals 'both interesting and pretty.'\n\nIf you're after something simple, cheese, crackers and charcuterie will do the job.\n\nSimply choose your favourites, assemble and eat; and If you're vegetarian, swap meat for pickled vegetables and you're good to go.\n\nMake something complicated like stuffed dumplings (left) or keep it simple with a toast tartine (right)\n\nHannah Petertil has some inspired combinations which include Cheddar, apple, and bacon jam; mozzarella and prosciuotto or manchego and dried apricots.\n\nKeeping with the theme, you could also use the handy cracker to spread a variety of toppings.\n\nMake a Greek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta; a hummus cracker with roasted red pepper on top; pesto crackers with thinly sliced prosciutto; or smashed avocado crackers.\n\nDon't feel like spreading? Dip instead; simply decant your spreads into containers and away you go.\n\nWorkers could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if they prepared their lunch at home instead of buying pre-packed sandwiches and snacks from shops, research by vouchercloud.com revealed.\n\nMore than 60 per cent of Britons who buy their lunches out spend an average of \u00a31,840 a year, based on 46 working weeks, the research reveals.\n\nIn comparison, those who prepare food at home spend just \u00a3552 over the same period - a saving of a whopping \u00a31,288.\n\nThe startling difference came to light following a poll of adults across the UK, which found that a fifth of Britons choose to purchase their work-time lunches as opposed to making them at home.\n\nPita bread is also another wonderful lunchtime option and can be stuffed with any number of fillings, from hard boiled eggs, smoked meat and charred vegetables.\n\nExperiment with flavour combinations; stay Mediterranean with aubergine with chickpeas and coriander or keep it British with thinly sliced roast chicken, crisp lettuce and sweet baby tomatoes.\n\nRemember, anything you can put into a sandwich can be stuffed into a pita.\n\nStill sound too complicated? Try turning toast into a tartine.\n\nSpread with butter or mayonnaise and top with thinly sliced vegetables (radish and chicory, dressed lightly in lemon juice and olive oil work really well against crisp, hot toast) or layer slices of ham, chopped up dates and a salty cheese to make something a bit more glamorous.\n\nThe site also has more complicated options for those who have time on their hands and want to experiment.\n\nSteamed pork buns, which are traditionally eaten as a breakfast food in China are self-contained dough parcels which \u00a0can be filled (bao) or unfilled (mantou).\n\nJenny Xu from Food52 writes: 'Your first option is to go with the basic, unfilled mantou dough, then customise it to your heart's content.'\n\nSteamed Chinese buns (bao) are usually stuffed with meats such as roast pork and stir-fried mushrooms.\n\nYou can stuff your bun with anything you like including pork, vegetables and even mushrooms, before you steam them.\n\nFreeze after steaming to keep them fresh and warm them in the office microwave.\n\nLooking for something even more exotic?\n\nAuthor of The Banh Mi Handbook Andrea Nguyen has a brilliant Vietnamese sandwich recipe which should satisfy the fussiest of lunchtime eaters.\n\nBanh mi rolls are the Vietnamese take on the baguette and typically contain Asian fillings such as pickled vegetables, chillies and coriander as well as roast meats.\n\nThe bread is usually scooped out so that it resembles a cradle which your fillings can be placed in.\n\nTo make sure your sandwich doesn't go soggy, pack your vegetables separately and assemble when you get to the office.\n\nBuns or banh mi not doing it for you? Stuff some dumplings instead.\n\n'The best part about dumplings is that you can use anything to make fillings. I tend to lean towards two of my favorites: pork and chives for my meat option, and chives, egg, and vermicelli for my vegetarian option -- but these are only two out of numerous recipes out there,' Betty Liu of Food52 writes.\n\nGreek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta (left). Pita bread with eggs and vegetables (right)\n\nFeta, vegetable and rice bake.\n\nIngredients.\n\n400g Easy Cook Rice: 89p per kg.\n\nOne courgette: 89p per 500g.\n\nOne pepper: 49p each.\n\n200g cherry tomatoes: 65p per 300g.\n\n45g Solesta pitted black olives: 45p per 230g.\n\n200g pack Feta Cheese: 89p per 200g.\n\nStore cupboard essentials: Red onion,eggs, dried basil, olive oil and salt and black pepper.\n\nTotal: \u00a34.89.\n\nMethod: Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Cook the rice as per instructions on the pack and allow to cool a little. Peel the red onion and chop into medium size chunks. Chop the courgette and the pepper to the same size as the onions and courgette. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the feta into chunks the same size as the vegetables. Mix all the above along with the olives in a bowl with the olive oil and the basil. Beat the eggs, add the grated Parmesan cheese and mix with the rice. Grease the dish with some olive oil, spread the rice mixture over the base and up the sides of the dish. Pour the vegetable mix in the centre. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Cut into slices or quarters and serve.\n\nCrispy mash hash.\n\nIngredients.\n\n150g frozen chopped onions: \u00a31.50.\n\nFour teaspoons frozen chopped garlic: \u00a31.25.\n\nTwo tablespoons frozen parsley: \u00a31.25.\n\n700g frozen mashed potato: \u00a31.\n\nStore cupboard essential: Olive oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a35.\n\nMethod: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook over a low heat for three minutes. Turn the heat up a little, add the mashed potato and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until crisped up around the edges. Season with black pepper, scatter over the parsley and serve.\n\nPea and ham frittata.\n\nIngredients.\n\nFrozen peas, 1 kilo bag: \u00a0\u00a30.98.\n\nOnion: \u00a30.11.\n\nCourgette: \u00a30.41.\n\n70g pack wafer thin ham: \u00a30.75.\n\nSix eggs: \u00a30.89.\n\nSmart Price salad bag: \u00a30.44.\n\nBag of four jacket potatoes: \u00a30.98.\n\nStore cupboard essential:\u00a0Sunflower oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a34.06.\n\nMethod: Cook the peas on a pan. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the onion and courgette for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and ham and stir. Lightly beat the eggs, season and pour into the pan. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the egg is almost set. Finish your dish under the grill to set the egg, then cut into wedges. Serve with salad and jacket potatoes.\n\nSpring chicken casserole.\n\nIngredients.\n\nChicken thighs: \u00a32.50 for 1lb.\n\nLoose brown onions: \u00a30.16.\n\nLoose courgettes: \u00a30.30.\n\n400g can butter beans: \u00a30.55.\n\n400g can chopped tomatoes: \u00a30.34.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a33.85.\n\nStore cupboard essentials:\u00a0Olive oil and one clove garlic.\n\nMethod: Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Heat the oil in a large roasting tray on the hob. Season the chicken thighs and add to the tin. Fry for three to tive minutes, until browned all over. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and courgette to the tray and cook for three to four minutes.Stir in the tomatoes, tomato pur\u00e9e and rosemary and simmer for one minute. Season, then return the chicken to the tray and add the butterbeans.Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.", "summary": "Food52 is a website dedicated to guiding British workers through packing their own lunches, from simple to exotic, to help significantly reduce the annual cost of lunches. The website includes various meal ideas, recipes, specific cost and caloric breakdowns, as well as easy swaps for vegetarians. "}
{"article_id": "fa6aef87d0da4352885dd68996ff2c98", "article": "The cost of a daily lunchtime takeaway can be crippling and yet instead of making lunches at home the majority of British workers still pop to the high street to grab their midday meal.\n\nThe 'meal deal' (which is not always a meal, or a deal) has seen us stave off the hunger pangs with soggy sandwiches, slimy salads and salty soups, spending an average of \u00a31,840 a year.\n\nBut we could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if we just prepared our lunch at home.\n\nCheese, crackers and charcuterie is a simple and delicious lunch which can be easily assembled in the office.\n\nFood website Food52's 'Not Sad Desk Lunch' series demonstrates just how simple it can be to bring healthy, cost-effective, and delicious lunches to work.\n\nThese incredibly detailed ideas and recipes show how to make everything from easy-to-assemble options such cheese and crackers, to more complicated steamed Chinese buns, and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.\n\nEach recipe on Food52\u00a0is contributed by a member of the team who promises to keep your midday meals 'both interesting and pretty.'\n\nIf you're after something simple, cheese, crackers and charcuterie will do the job.\n\nSimply choose your favourites, assemble and eat; and If you're vegetarian, swap meat for pickled vegetables and you're good to go.\n\nMake something complicated like stuffed dumplings (left) or keep it simple with a toast tartine (right)\n\nHannah Petertil has some inspired combinations which include Cheddar, apple, and bacon jam; mozzarella and prosciuotto or manchego and dried apricots.\n\nKeeping with the theme, you could also use the handy cracker to spread a variety of toppings.\n\nMake a Greek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta; a hummus cracker with roasted red pepper on top; pesto crackers with thinly sliced prosciutto; or smashed avocado crackers.\n\nDon't feel like spreading? Dip instead; simply decant your spreads into containers and away you go.\n\nWorkers could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if they prepared their lunch at home instead of buying pre-packed sandwiches and snacks from shops, research by vouchercloud.com revealed.\n\nMore than 60 per cent of Britons who buy their lunches out spend an average of \u00a31,840 a year, based on 46 working weeks, the research reveals.\n\nIn comparison, those who prepare food at home spend just \u00a3552 over the same period - a saving of a whopping \u00a31,288.\n\nThe startling difference came to light following a poll of adults across the UK, which found that a fifth of Britons choose to purchase their work-time lunches as opposed to making them at home.\n\nPita bread is also another wonderful lunchtime option and can be stuffed with any number of fillings, from hard boiled eggs, smoked meat and charred vegetables.\n\nExperiment with flavour combinations; stay Mediterranean with aubergine with chickpeas and coriander or keep it British with thinly sliced roast chicken, crisp lettuce and sweet baby tomatoes.\n\nRemember, anything you can put into a sandwich can be stuffed into a pita.\n\nStill sound too complicated? Try turning toast into a tartine.\n\nSpread with butter or mayonnaise and top with thinly sliced vegetables (radish and chicory, dressed lightly in lemon juice and olive oil work really well against crisp, hot toast) or layer slices of ham, chopped up dates and a salty cheese to make something a bit more glamorous.\n\nThe site also has more complicated options for those who have time on their hands and want to experiment.\n\nSteamed pork buns, which are traditionally eaten as a breakfast food in China are self-contained dough parcels which \u00a0can be filled (bao) or unfilled (mantou).\n\nJenny Xu from Food52 writes: 'Your first option is to go with the basic, unfilled mantou dough, then customise it to your heart's content.'\n\nSteamed Chinese buns (bao) are usually stuffed with meats such as roast pork and stir-fried mushrooms.\n\nYou can stuff your bun with anything you like including pork, vegetables and even mushrooms, before you steam them.\n\nFreeze after steaming to keep them fresh and warm them in the office microwave.\n\nLooking for something even more exotic?\n\nAuthor of The Banh Mi Handbook Andrea Nguyen has a brilliant Vietnamese sandwich recipe which should satisfy the fussiest of lunchtime eaters.\n\nBanh mi rolls are the Vietnamese take on the baguette and typically contain Asian fillings such as pickled vegetables, chillies and coriander as well as roast meats.\n\nThe bread is usually scooped out so that it resembles a cradle which your fillings can be placed in.\n\nTo make sure your sandwich doesn't go soggy, pack your vegetables separately and assemble when you get to the office.\n\nBuns or banh mi not doing it for you? Stuff some dumplings instead.\n\n'The best part about dumplings is that you can use anything to make fillings. I tend to lean towards two of my favorites: pork and chives for my meat option, and chives, egg, and vermicelli for my vegetarian option -- but these are only two out of numerous recipes out there,' Betty Liu of Food52 writes.\n\nGreek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta (left). Pita bread with eggs and vegetables (right)\n\nFeta, vegetable and rice bake.\n\nIngredients.\n\n400g Easy Cook Rice: 89p per kg.\n\nOne courgette: 89p per 500g.\n\nOne pepper: 49p each.\n\n200g cherry tomatoes: 65p per 300g.\n\n45g Solesta pitted black olives: 45p per 230g.\n\n200g pack Feta Cheese: 89p per 200g.\n\nStore cupboard essentials: Red onion,eggs, dried basil, olive oil and salt and black pepper.\n\nTotal: \u00a34.89.\n\nMethod: Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Cook the rice as per instructions on the pack and allow to cool a little. Peel the red onion and chop into medium size chunks. Chop the courgette and the pepper to the same size as the onions and courgette. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the feta into chunks the same size as the vegetables. Mix all the above along with the olives in a bowl with the olive oil and the basil. Beat the eggs, add the grated Parmesan cheese and mix with the rice. Grease the dish with some olive oil, spread the rice mixture over the base and up the sides of the dish. Pour the vegetable mix in the centre. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Cut into slices or quarters and serve.\n\nCrispy mash hash.\n\nIngredients.\n\n150g frozen chopped onions: \u00a31.50.\n\nFour teaspoons frozen chopped garlic: \u00a31.25.\n\nTwo tablespoons frozen parsley: \u00a31.25.\n\n700g frozen mashed potato: \u00a31.\n\nStore cupboard essential: Olive oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a35.\n\nMethod: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook over a low heat for three minutes. Turn the heat up a little, add the mashed potato and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until crisped up around the edges. Season with black pepper, scatter over the parsley and serve.\n\nPea and ham frittata.\n\nIngredients.\n\nFrozen peas, 1 kilo bag: \u00a0\u00a30.98.\n\nOnion: \u00a30.11.\n\nCourgette: \u00a30.41.\n\n70g pack wafer thin ham: \u00a30.75.\n\nSix eggs: \u00a30.89.\n\nSmart Price salad bag: \u00a30.44.\n\nBag of four jacket potatoes: \u00a30.98.\n\nStore cupboard essential:\u00a0Sunflower oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a34.06.\n\nMethod: Cook the peas on a pan. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the onion and courgette for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and ham and stir. Lightly beat the eggs, season and pour into the pan. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the egg is almost set. Finish your dish under the grill to set the egg, then cut into wedges. Serve with salad and jacket potatoes.\n\nSpring chicken casserole.\n\nIngredients.\n\nChicken thighs: \u00a32.50 for 1lb.\n\nLoose brown onions: \u00a30.16.\n\nLoose courgettes: \u00a30.30.\n\n400g can butter beans: \u00a30.55.\n\n400g can chopped tomatoes: \u00a30.34.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a33.85.\n\nStore cupboard essentials:\u00a0Olive oil and one clove garlic.\n\nMethod: Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Heat the oil in a large roasting tray on the hob. Season the chicken thighs and add to the tin. Fry for three to tive minutes, until browned all over. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and courgette to the tray and cook for three to four minutes.Stir in the tomatoes, tomato pur\u00e9e and rosemary and simmer for one minute. Season, then return the chicken to the tray and add the butterbeans.Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.", "summary": "Workers could save up to 1,300 pounds a year by preparing meals at home instead of buying lunchtime takeaways. The food website Food52's 'Not Sad Desk Lunch' series teaches readers how easy it can be to make cost-effective and appetizing meals to bring to work.  "}
{"article_id": "fa6aef87d0da4352885dd68996ff2c98", "article": "The cost of a daily lunchtime takeaway can be crippling and yet instead of making lunches at home the majority of British workers still pop to the high street to grab their midday meal.\n\nThe 'meal deal' (which is not always a meal, or a deal) has seen us stave off the hunger pangs with soggy sandwiches, slimy salads and salty soups, spending an average of \u00a31,840 a year.\n\nBut we could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if we just prepared our lunch at home.\n\nCheese, crackers and charcuterie is a simple and delicious lunch which can be easily assembled in the office.\n\nFood website Food52's 'Not Sad Desk Lunch' series demonstrates just how simple it can be to bring healthy, cost-effective, and delicious lunches to work.\n\nThese incredibly detailed ideas and recipes show how to make everything from easy-to-assemble options such cheese and crackers, to more complicated steamed Chinese buns, and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches.\n\nEach recipe on Food52\u00a0is contributed by a member of the team who promises to keep your midday meals 'both interesting and pretty.'\n\nIf you're after something simple, cheese, crackers and charcuterie will do the job.\n\nSimply choose your favourites, assemble and eat; and If you're vegetarian, swap meat for pickled vegetables and you're good to go.\n\nMake something complicated like stuffed dumplings (left) or keep it simple with a toast tartine (right)\n\nHannah Petertil has some inspired combinations which include Cheddar, apple, and bacon jam; mozzarella and prosciuotto or manchego and dried apricots.\n\nKeeping with the theme, you could also use the handy cracker to spread a variety of toppings.\n\nMake a Greek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta; a hummus cracker with roasted red pepper on top; pesto crackers with thinly sliced prosciutto; or smashed avocado crackers.\n\nDon't feel like spreading? Dip instead; simply decant your spreads into containers and away you go.\n\nWorkers could save up to \u00a31,300 a year if they prepared their lunch at home instead of buying pre-packed sandwiches and snacks from shops, research by vouchercloud.com revealed.\n\nMore than 60 per cent of Britons who buy their lunches out spend an average of \u00a31,840 a year, based on 46 working weeks, the research reveals.\n\nIn comparison, those who prepare food at home spend just \u00a3552 over the same period - a saving of a whopping \u00a31,288.\n\nThe startling difference came to light following a poll of adults across the UK, which found that a fifth of Britons choose to purchase their work-time lunches as opposed to making them at home.\n\nPita bread is also another wonderful lunchtime option and can be stuffed with any number of fillings, from hard boiled eggs, smoked meat and charred vegetables.\n\nExperiment with flavour combinations; stay Mediterranean with aubergine with chickpeas and coriander or keep it British with thinly sliced roast chicken, crisp lettuce and sweet baby tomatoes.\n\nRemember, anything you can put into a sandwich can be stuffed into a pita.\n\nStill sound too complicated? Try turning toast into a tartine.\n\nSpread with butter or mayonnaise and top with thinly sliced vegetables (radish and chicory, dressed lightly in lemon juice and olive oil work really well against crisp, hot toast) or layer slices of ham, chopped up dates and a salty cheese to make something a bit more glamorous.\n\nThe site also has more complicated options for those who have time on their hands and want to experiment.\n\nSteamed pork buns, which are traditionally eaten as a breakfast food in China are self-contained dough parcels which \u00a0can be filled (bao) or unfilled (mantou).\n\nJenny Xu from Food52 writes: 'Your first option is to go with the basic, unfilled mantou dough, then customise it to your heart's content.'\n\nSteamed Chinese buns (bao) are usually stuffed with meats such as roast pork and stir-fried mushrooms.\n\nYou can stuff your bun with anything you like including pork, vegetables and even mushrooms, before you steam them.\n\nFreeze after steaming to keep them fresh and warm them in the office microwave.\n\nLooking for something even more exotic?\n\nAuthor of The Banh Mi Handbook Andrea Nguyen has a brilliant Vietnamese sandwich recipe which should satisfy the fussiest of lunchtime eaters.\n\nBanh mi rolls are the Vietnamese take on the baguette and typically contain Asian fillings such as pickled vegetables, chillies and coriander as well as roast meats.\n\nThe bread is usually scooped out so that it resembles a cradle which your fillings can be placed in.\n\nTo make sure your sandwich doesn't go soggy, pack your vegetables separately and assemble when you get to the office.\n\nBuns or banh mi not doing it for you? Stuff some dumplings instead.\n\n'The best part about dumplings is that you can use anything to make fillings. I tend to lean towards two of my favorites: pork and chives for my meat option, and chives, egg, and vermicelli for my vegetarian option -- but these are only two out of numerous recipes out there,' Betty Liu of Food52 writes.\n\nGreek salad cracker with cucumber, olive tapenade and feta (left). Pita bread with eggs and vegetables (right)\n\nFeta, vegetable and rice bake.\n\nIngredients.\n\n400g Easy Cook Rice: 89p per kg.\n\nOne courgette: 89p per 500g.\n\nOne pepper: 49p each.\n\n200g cherry tomatoes: 65p per 300g.\n\n45g Solesta pitted black olives: 45p per 230g.\n\n200g pack Feta Cheese: 89p per 200g.\n\nStore cupboard essentials: Red onion,eggs, dried basil, olive oil and salt and black pepper.\n\nTotal: \u00a34.89.\n\nMethod: Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Cook the rice as per instructions on the pack and allow to cool a little. Peel the red onion and chop into medium size chunks. Chop the courgette and the pepper to the same size as the onions and courgette. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the feta into chunks the same size as the vegetables. Mix all the above along with the olives in a bowl with the olive oil and the basil. Beat the eggs, add the grated Parmesan cheese and mix with the rice. Grease the dish with some olive oil, spread the rice mixture over the base and up the sides of the dish. Pour the vegetable mix in the centre. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Cut into slices or quarters and serve.\n\nCrispy mash hash.\n\nIngredients.\n\n150g frozen chopped onions: \u00a31.50.\n\nFour teaspoons frozen chopped garlic: \u00a31.25.\n\nTwo tablespoons frozen parsley: \u00a31.25.\n\n700g frozen mashed potato: \u00a31.\n\nStore cupboard essential: Olive oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a35.\n\nMethod: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook over a low heat for three minutes. Turn the heat up a little, add the mashed potato and cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally until crisped up around the edges. Season with black pepper, scatter over the parsley and serve.\n\nPea and ham frittata.\n\nIngredients.\n\nFrozen peas, 1 kilo bag: \u00a0\u00a30.98.\n\nOnion: \u00a30.11.\n\nCourgette: \u00a30.41.\n\n70g pack wafer thin ham: \u00a30.75.\n\nSix eggs: \u00a30.89.\n\nSmart Price salad bag: \u00a30.44.\n\nBag of four jacket potatoes: \u00a30.98.\n\nStore cupboard essential:\u00a0Sunflower oil.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a34.06.\n\nMethod: Cook the peas on a pan. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook the onion and courgette for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and ham and stir. Lightly beat the eggs, season and pour into the pan. Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the egg is almost set. Finish your dish under the grill to set the egg, then cut into wedges. Serve with salad and jacket potatoes.\n\nSpring chicken casserole.\n\nIngredients.\n\nChicken thighs: \u00a32.50 for 1lb.\n\nLoose brown onions: \u00a30.16.\n\nLoose courgettes: \u00a30.30.\n\n400g can butter beans: \u00a30.55.\n\n400g can chopped tomatoes: \u00a30.34.\n\nTotal cost: \u00a33.85.\n\nStore cupboard essentials:\u00a0Olive oil and one clove garlic.\n\nMethod: Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5. Heat the oil in a large roasting tray on the hob. Season the chicken thighs and add to the tin. Fry for three to tive minutes, until browned all over. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and courgette to the tray and cook for three to four minutes.Stir in the tomatoes, tomato pur\u00e9e and rosemary and simmer for one minute. Season, then return the chicken to the tray and add the butterbeans.Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked.", "summary": "Nearly 60 percent of Britons buy takeaway lunches instead of making lunch at home, which costs roughly 1,900 pounds per year. Those who choose to make lunch at home save a whopping 1,300 pounds per year according to a survey. There are many options for home-cooked lunches.   "}
{"article_id": "ef808d6c26924d8ca7f9ab88c54b12bd", "article": "Long relegated to the dusty corners of history, mead - the drink of kings and Vikings - is making a comeback in the US.\n\nBut what's brewing in this new crop of commercial meaderies - as they are known - is lot more refined from the drink that once decorated tables across medieval Europe.\n\n\"Do we have any mead makers or home brewers in the group?\" asks Ben Alexander, eying a crowd of a dozen or so people who have come to his Maine Meade Works, in Portland, on a rainy Friday for a tour.\n\nWhen no-one raises their hand, Mr Alexander launches into the full spiel.\n\n\"If you guys want to come around, I'll show you how this thing works,\" he says, gesturing to two ceiling-high columns of stainless steel filled with something resembling a mushy golden porridge.\n\n\"We mix up honey and water over there and we pump it through a hot water bath at 160 degrees [71C] in a stainless steel coil here. Each one produces about 50 to 75 gallons [227-340 litres] of mead a day,\" explains Mr Alexander.\n\nIt's fair to say he is obsessed with mead.\n\n\"It's the quintessential local beverage - you can go anywhere in the world and find honey to make mead, and I think that's unique among alcoholic beverages,\" he gushes.\n\nAfter being introduced to the drink by a home brewer, Mr Alexander thought there were profits to be had in a commercial meadery. He founded Maine Mead Works in 2008, pouring his savings and money from friends and family into the business.\n\nHis business has since grown, along with the popularity of mead in the US.\n\nIt's now a seven-person operation that manufactures more than 7,500 cases a year, shipping them as far away as China.\n\nMr Alexander is not the only one to have caught on to the commercial potential of mead.\n\nVicky Rowe, the owner of mead information website GotMead, says interest in the product in the US has exploded in the past decade.\n\n\"We went from 30-40 meaderies making mead to somewhere in the vicinity of 250 in the last 10 years,\" she says.\n\n\"I like to say that everything old is new again - people come back to what was good once.\"\n\nEven visitors to Mr Alexander's meadery agree.\n\nTour participant Dirk Heseman admitted that while Maine Mead Works was the first meadery he'd actually visited, he has noticed that mead \"is becoming more and more available - similar to cider\".\n\nJust this year, commercial meaderies in the US have banded together to form an industry group, the American Mead Makers Association, to better share information and encourage growth in the industry.\n\nBut there's a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the image of a drink long associated with Renaissance fairs and medieval re-enactments.\n\n\"I think our number one challenge as an industry is awareness of what mead is,\" says Mr Alexander.\n\n\"You ask 10 people in a room if they've ever heard of mead, and two of them might say, 'yes', and only one of them has had a very positive experience.\"\n\nThe mead of the past was often sweet, and didn't appeal to many drinkers who were just looking for something good to pair with food. But mead has since changed.\n\n\"People don't realise that just because it has honey in it, [mead] doesn't need to be sweet,\" says Ms Rowe, citing the proliferation of not only dry meads but also meads flavoured with fruits, herbs, and spicy peppers.\n\nYet hampering efforts towards building mead awareness is also the name mead itself.\n\nTechnically, mead is classified as wine by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcohol sales and labelling in the US.\n\nThis means that mead has to be labelled as \"honey wine\", which doesn't help combat people's perception of the drink as being as cloyingly sweet.\n\n\"How do people recognise it as mead if you can't say the word?\" says Ms Rowe.\n\nIronically, the alcoholic beverage that most credit with the resurgence of the mead business is beer.\n\nThe craft brewing movement, which was recently singled out in a report by the Atlanta Federal Reserve as a source of job growth, inspired many home brewers to expand their repertoire.\n\n\"I was a home brewer, and at first I liked mead because I had never had it,\" says Brad Dahlhofer of B Nektar meadery in Detroit, Michigan.\n\n\"Every home brewer has the same dream of, 'Hey what if I could sell this? Wouldn't that be great?'\" he says.\n\nAfter he spent months making batch after batch of mead, perfecting his recipe, he realised that mead was \"kind of an untouched category\", and that no-one, at least back in 2008, was really doing it commercially.\n\nSo when he and his wife, Kerri, were both laid off of their jobs in Detroit's car industry during the recession, they decided to take the plunge.\n\nNow, B Nektar is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, US meadery, shipping 1,100 cases a week across the country.\n\nBut for Mr Dahlhofer and his fellow mead enthusiasts, that's just the beginning.\n\n\"If you look at craft beer 25 years ago, they had 1% of the total beer market, and now they have 8%,\" says Maine Mead's Mr Alexander.\n\n\"So we've got a long way to go, but I feel like it's got the opportunity because of the diversity of the beverage.\n\n\"You've got a canvas with very few limits.\"", "summary": "Mead is making a comeback in the US. Brewers are revamping old recipes in order to make the drink less sweet. Mead brewers are also battling an image problem where mead is classified as a sweet wine or something only Vikings drink.  "}
{"article_id": "ef808d6c26924d8ca7f9ab88c54b12bd", "article": "Long relegated to the dusty corners of history, mead - the drink of kings and Vikings - is making a comeback in the US.\n\nBut what's brewing in this new crop of commercial meaderies - as they are known - is lot more refined from the drink that once decorated tables across medieval Europe.\n\n\"Do we have any mead makers or home brewers in the group?\" asks Ben Alexander, eying a crowd of a dozen or so people who have come to his Maine Meade Works, in Portland, on a rainy Friday for a tour.\n\nWhen no-one raises their hand, Mr Alexander launches into the full spiel.\n\n\"If you guys want to come around, I'll show you how this thing works,\" he says, gesturing to two ceiling-high columns of stainless steel filled with something resembling a mushy golden porridge.\n\n\"We mix up honey and water over there and we pump it through a hot water bath at 160 degrees [71C] in a stainless steel coil here. Each one produces about 50 to 75 gallons [227-340 litres] of mead a day,\" explains Mr Alexander.\n\nIt's fair to say he is obsessed with mead.\n\n\"It's the quintessential local beverage - you can go anywhere in the world and find honey to make mead, and I think that's unique among alcoholic beverages,\" he gushes.\n\nAfter being introduced to the drink by a home brewer, Mr Alexander thought there were profits to be had in a commercial meadery. He founded Maine Mead Works in 2008, pouring his savings and money from friends and family into the business.\n\nHis business has since grown, along with the popularity of mead in the US.\n\nIt's now a seven-person operation that manufactures more than 7,500 cases a year, shipping them as far away as China.\n\nMr Alexander is not the only one to have caught on to the commercial potential of mead.\n\nVicky Rowe, the owner of mead information website GotMead, says interest in the product in the US has exploded in the past decade.\n\n\"We went from 30-40 meaderies making mead to somewhere in the vicinity of 250 in the last 10 years,\" she says.\n\n\"I like to say that everything old is new again - people come back to what was good once.\"\n\nEven visitors to Mr Alexander's meadery agree.\n\nTour participant Dirk Heseman admitted that while Maine Mead Works was the first meadery he'd actually visited, he has noticed that mead \"is becoming more and more available - similar to cider\".\n\nJust this year, commercial meaderies in the US have banded together to form an industry group, the American Mead Makers Association, to better share information and encourage growth in the industry.\n\nBut there's a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the image of a drink long associated with Renaissance fairs and medieval re-enactments.\n\n\"I think our number one challenge as an industry is awareness of what mead is,\" says Mr Alexander.\n\n\"You ask 10 people in a room if they've ever heard of mead, and two of them might say, 'yes', and only one of them has had a very positive experience.\"\n\nThe mead of the past was often sweet, and didn't appeal to many drinkers who were just looking for something good to pair with food. But mead has since changed.\n\n\"People don't realise that just because it has honey in it, [mead] doesn't need to be sweet,\" says Ms Rowe, citing the proliferation of not only dry meads but also meads flavoured with fruits, herbs, and spicy peppers.\n\nYet hampering efforts towards building mead awareness is also the name mead itself.\n\nTechnically, mead is classified as wine by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcohol sales and labelling in the US.\n\nThis means that mead has to be labelled as \"honey wine\", which doesn't help combat people's perception of the drink as being as cloyingly sweet.\n\n\"How do people recognise it as mead if you can't say the word?\" says Ms Rowe.\n\nIronically, the alcoholic beverage that most credit with the resurgence of the mead business is beer.\n\nThe craft brewing movement, which was recently singled out in a report by the Atlanta Federal Reserve as a source of job growth, inspired many home brewers to expand their repertoire.\n\n\"I was a home brewer, and at first I liked mead because I had never had it,\" says Brad Dahlhofer of B Nektar meadery in Detroit, Michigan.\n\n\"Every home brewer has the same dream of, 'Hey what if I could sell this? Wouldn't that be great?'\" he says.\n\nAfter he spent months making batch after batch of mead, perfecting his recipe, he realised that mead was \"kind of an untouched category\", and that no-one, at least back in 2008, was really doing it commercially.\n\nSo when he and his wife, Kerri, were both laid off of their jobs in Detroit's car industry during the recession, they decided to take the plunge.\n\nNow, B Nektar is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, US meadery, shipping 1,100 cases a week across the country.\n\nBut for Mr Dahlhofer and his fellow mead enthusiasts, that's just the beginning.\n\n\"If you look at craft beer 25 years ago, they had 1% of the total beer market, and now they have 8%,\" says Maine Mead's Mr Alexander.\n\n\"So we've got a long way to go, but I feel like it's got the opportunity because of the diversity of the beverage.\n\n\"You've got a canvas with very few limits.\"", "summary": "Mead, once considered the choice of Kings and Vikings, is making a comeback in the US.   In the past, mead was often considered sweet, causing many drinkers not to consider it their first choice when pairing it with food.  However, that has changed.  The drink is experiencing a resurgence in interest."}
{"article_id": "ef808d6c26924d8ca7f9ab88c54b12bd", "article": "Long relegated to the dusty corners of history, mead - the drink of kings and Vikings - is making a comeback in the US.\n\nBut what's brewing in this new crop of commercial meaderies - as they are known - is lot more refined from the drink that once decorated tables across medieval Europe.\n\n\"Do we have any mead makers or home brewers in the group?\" asks Ben Alexander, eying a crowd of a dozen or so people who have come to his Maine Meade Works, in Portland, on a rainy Friday for a tour.\n\nWhen no-one raises their hand, Mr Alexander launches into the full spiel.\n\n\"If you guys want to come around, I'll show you how this thing works,\" he says, gesturing to two ceiling-high columns of stainless steel filled with something resembling a mushy golden porridge.\n\n\"We mix up honey and water over there and we pump it through a hot water bath at 160 degrees [71C] in a stainless steel coil here. Each one produces about 50 to 75 gallons [227-340 litres] of mead a day,\" explains Mr Alexander.\n\nIt's fair to say he is obsessed with mead.\n\n\"It's the quintessential local beverage - you can go anywhere in the world and find honey to make mead, and I think that's unique among alcoholic beverages,\" he gushes.\n\nAfter being introduced to the drink by a home brewer, Mr Alexander thought there were profits to be had in a commercial meadery. He founded Maine Mead Works in 2008, pouring his savings and money from friends and family into the business.\n\nHis business has since grown, along with the popularity of mead in the US.\n\nIt's now a seven-person operation that manufactures more than 7,500 cases a year, shipping them as far away as China.\n\nMr Alexander is not the only one to have caught on to the commercial potential of mead.\n\nVicky Rowe, the owner of mead information website GotMead, says interest in the product in the US has exploded in the past decade.\n\n\"We went from 30-40 meaderies making mead to somewhere in the vicinity of 250 in the last 10 years,\" she says.\n\n\"I like to say that everything old is new again - people come back to what was good once.\"\n\nEven visitors to Mr Alexander's meadery agree.\n\nTour participant Dirk Heseman admitted that while Maine Mead Works was the first meadery he'd actually visited, he has noticed that mead \"is becoming more and more available - similar to cider\".\n\nJust this year, commercial meaderies in the US have banded together to form an industry group, the American Mead Makers Association, to better share information and encourage growth in the industry.\n\nBut there's a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the image of a drink long associated with Renaissance fairs and medieval re-enactments.\n\n\"I think our number one challenge as an industry is awareness of what mead is,\" says Mr Alexander.\n\n\"You ask 10 people in a room if they've ever heard of mead, and two of them might say, 'yes', and only one of them has had a very positive experience.\"\n\nThe mead of the past was often sweet, and didn't appeal to many drinkers who were just looking for something good to pair with food. But mead has since changed.\n\n\"People don't realise that just because it has honey in it, [mead] doesn't need to be sweet,\" says Ms Rowe, citing the proliferation of not only dry meads but also meads flavoured with fruits, herbs, and spicy peppers.\n\nYet hampering efforts towards building mead awareness is also the name mead itself.\n\nTechnically, mead is classified as wine by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcohol sales and labelling in the US.\n\nThis means that mead has to be labelled as \"honey wine\", which doesn't help combat people's perception of the drink as being as cloyingly sweet.\n\n\"How do people recognise it as mead if you can't say the word?\" says Ms Rowe.\n\nIronically, the alcoholic beverage that most credit with the resurgence of the mead business is beer.\n\nThe craft brewing movement, which was recently singled out in a report by the Atlanta Federal Reserve as a source of job growth, inspired many home brewers to expand their repertoire.\n\n\"I was a home brewer, and at first I liked mead because I had never had it,\" says Brad Dahlhofer of B Nektar meadery in Detroit, Michigan.\n\n\"Every home brewer has the same dream of, 'Hey what if I could sell this? Wouldn't that be great?'\" he says.\n\nAfter he spent months making batch after batch of mead, perfecting his recipe, he realised that mead was \"kind of an untouched category\", and that no-one, at least back in 2008, was really doing it commercially.\n\nSo when he and his wife, Kerri, were both laid off of their jobs in Detroit's car industry during the recession, they decided to take the plunge.\n\nNow, B Nektar is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, US meadery, shipping 1,100 cases a week across the country.\n\nBut for Mr Dahlhofer and his fellow mead enthusiasts, that's just the beginning.\n\n\"If you look at craft beer 25 years ago, they had 1% of the total beer market, and now they have 8%,\" says Maine Mead's Mr Alexander.\n\n\"So we've got a long way to go, but I feel like it's got the opportunity because of the diversity of the beverage.\n\n\"You've got a canvas with very few limits.\"", "summary": "Mead, an alcoholic beverage made from honey is gaining popularity in the United States. The drink is classified as wine by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Mead labels define it as \"honey wine\", giving the consumer the impression that every mead is sweet, but it can also be flavored with fruits, herbs, and spicy peppers. "}
{"article_id": "eaf927e02e984ee18ef7cf147a40245e", "article": "Holidaying with the lair of a tiger as your closest neighbour might not sound like the cleverest idea in the world but it is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that won't be forgotten.\n\nFor \u00a33,500, tourists are being invited to book a trip to Russia and sleep in the natural habitat of the Siberian tiger, one of the world's most endangered animals.\n\nBespoke tour operators Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which also gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nA safari stay in Russia offers tourists the chance to spot, and sleep near, one of the world's most endangered animals- the Siberian tiger.\n\nBespoke holiday providers Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nThe trip to Durminskoye Reserve in Khabarovsk lasts seven days in total with guests spending time in the wild environs inhabited by the last remaining Siberian tigers, and setting camera traps with the experts in the hope of catching an insight into the lives of these endangered predators.\n\nThey will walk in the footsteps of the world\u2019s biggest cats and spend time with Alexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist who has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nThe facilities are described as 'basic' and guests are provided with a translator throughout the stay.\n\nThe daily activity is to explore the Reserve in the hope of picking up tracks of the Siberian tigers that reside in this area.\n\nThis shot was captured at night as a Siberian Tiger walked down a narrow road in the\u00a0Durminskoye Reserve, where guests can stay.\n\nHuntsman\u2019s hut in the forest \u2013 sustainable hunting is still allowed in the forest and the hut is also used as a base of operations.\n\nThe safari does not actively track them as this risks guests coming face-to-face with the animals themselves, which is why still and video cameras are set up.\n\nThe images and footage from these actively assist Alexander and his team as they work to save the tigers of the region from extinction.\n\nManaging Director of Natural World Safaris and expert in wildlife encounters, Will Bolsover, told MailOnline Travel: \u2018The trip is one of the rarest wildlife travel opportunities remaining today.\n\nAlexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist, has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nInside Balatov's hut, dedicated to the natural world as you might expect with a range of feathers and animal bones.\n\n'Spending time with Alexander Batalov in the home of the some of the last remaining Siberian tigers in Russia\u2019s Far East, setting camera traps, tracking tiger footprints and collecting vital conservation data is a superb opportunity.\u2019\n\nIt is estimated the current wild population of Siberian tigers under 400, making the species officially endangered.\n\nSiberian tigers were once found throughout the Russian Far East, northern China, and the Korean peninsula but by the 1940s, hunting had driven the species, also known as the Amur tiger, to the brink of extinction with no more than 40 individuals remaining in the wild.\n\nWhile the population has now stabilised somewhat, sightings in the wild are extremely rare as the tigers have the largest home range of any tiger subspecies and a limited density of prey means they have to search over large areas to find food.\n\nGuests will stay in a wooden cabin on the Natural World Safari trip to see the Siberian tiger.\n\n'Guests will be staying directly in the heart of the tigers' habitat, but with the cats being extremely elusive, it obviously isn\u2019t guaranteed that they will even come face to face with a tiger at all,'\u00a0Bolsover said.\n\n'While they are out setting camera traps and observing scent trails, footprints, scratch marks on trees, they will be exactly where the tigers tread.\n\n'While they are out in the forest or in the camp, a tiger could be 20m away, 200m away, or as far as two miles away- it\u2019s difficult to put a numerical value on it.'\n\nClick here for more information regarding the safari trip.", "summary": "Natural World Safaris is offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience to sleep in the natural habitat of the Siberian tiger. Guests will book a trip to the Durminskoye Reserve in Khabarovsk, Russia, where they will spend seven days observing footprints and scratch marks on trees left by the tigers.  "}
{"article_id": "eaf927e02e984ee18ef7cf147a40245e", "article": "Holidaying with the lair of a tiger as your closest neighbour might not sound like the cleverest idea in the world but it is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that won't be forgotten.\n\nFor \u00a33,500, tourists are being invited to book a trip to Russia and sleep in the natural habitat of the Siberian tiger, one of the world's most endangered animals.\n\nBespoke tour operators Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which also gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nA safari stay in Russia offers tourists the chance to spot, and sleep near, one of the world's most endangered animals- the Siberian tiger.\n\nBespoke holiday providers Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nThe trip to Durminskoye Reserve in Khabarovsk lasts seven days in total with guests spending time in the wild environs inhabited by the last remaining Siberian tigers, and setting camera traps with the experts in the hope of catching an insight into the lives of these endangered predators.\n\nThey will walk in the footsteps of the world\u2019s biggest cats and spend time with Alexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist who has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nThe facilities are described as 'basic' and guests are provided with a translator throughout the stay.\n\nThe daily activity is to explore the Reserve in the hope of picking up tracks of the Siberian tigers that reside in this area.\n\nThis shot was captured at night as a Siberian Tiger walked down a narrow road in the\u00a0Durminskoye Reserve, where guests can stay.\n\nHuntsman\u2019s hut in the forest \u2013 sustainable hunting is still allowed in the forest and the hut is also used as a base of operations.\n\nThe safari does not actively track them as this risks guests coming face-to-face with the animals themselves, which is why still and video cameras are set up.\n\nThe images and footage from these actively assist Alexander and his team as they work to save the tigers of the region from extinction.\n\nManaging Director of Natural World Safaris and expert in wildlife encounters, Will Bolsover, told MailOnline Travel: \u2018The trip is one of the rarest wildlife travel opportunities remaining today.\n\nAlexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist, has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nInside Balatov's hut, dedicated to the natural world as you might expect with a range of feathers and animal bones.\n\n'Spending time with Alexander Batalov in the home of the some of the last remaining Siberian tigers in Russia\u2019s Far East, setting camera traps, tracking tiger footprints and collecting vital conservation data is a superb opportunity.\u2019\n\nIt is estimated the current wild population of Siberian tigers under 400, making the species officially endangered.\n\nSiberian tigers were once found throughout the Russian Far East, northern China, and the Korean peninsula but by the 1940s, hunting had driven the species, also known as the Amur tiger, to the brink of extinction with no more than 40 individuals remaining in the wild.\n\nWhile the population has now stabilised somewhat, sightings in the wild are extremely rare as the tigers have the largest home range of any tiger subspecies and a limited density of prey means they have to search over large areas to find food.\n\nGuests will stay in a wooden cabin on the Natural World Safari trip to see the Siberian tiger.\n\n'Guests will be staying directly in the heart of the tigers' habitat, but with the cats being extremely elusive, it obviously isn\u2019t guaranteed that they will even come face to face with a tiger at all,'\u00a0Bolsover said.\n\n'While they are out setting camera traps and observing scent trails, footprints, scratch marks on trees, they will be exactly where the tigers tread.\n\n'While they are out in the forest or in the camp, a tiger could be 20m away, 200m away, or as far as two miles away- it\u2019s difficult to put a numerical value on it.'\n\nClick here for more information regarding the safari trip.", "summary": "National World Safaris is offering guests an opportunity to spend time with one of the world's rarest animals, the Siberian tiger. Guests can spend 7 days exploring the Durminskoye Reserve in Khabarovsk in hopes of seeing one of the 400 Siberian tigers left in the world. \n"}
{"article_id": "eaf927e02e984ee18ef7cf147a40245e", "article": "Holidaying with the lair of a tiger as your closest neighbour might not sound like the cleverest idea in the world but it is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that won't be forgotten.\n\nFor \u00a33,500, tourists are being invited to book a trip to Russia and sleep in the natural habitat of the Siberian tiger, one of the world's most endangered animals.\n\nBespoke tour operators Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which also gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nA safari stay in Russia offers tourists the chance to spot, and sleep near, one of the world's most endangered animals- the Siberian tiger.\n\nBespoke holiday providers Natural World Safaris is offering the rare trip which gives guests a unique opportunity to view the big cat.\n\nThe trip to Durminskoye Reserve in Khabarovsk lasts seven days in total with guests spending time in the wild environs inhabited by the last remaining Siberian tigers, and setting camera traps with the experts in the hope of catching an insight into the lives of these endangered predators.\n\nThey will walk in the footsteps of the world\u2019s biggest cats and spend time with Alexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist who has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nThe facilities are described as 'basic' and guests are provided with a translator throughout the stay.\n\nThe daily activity is to explore the Reserve in the hope of picking up tracks of the Siberian tigers that reside in this area.\n\nThis shot was captured at night as a Siberian Tiger walked down a narrow road in the\u00a0Durminskoye Reserve, where guests can stay.\n\nHuntsman\u2019s hut in the forest \u2013 sustainable hunting is still allowed in the forest and the hut is also used as a base of operations.\n\nThe safari does not actively track them as this risks guests coming face-to-face with the animals themselves, which is why still and video cameras are set up.\n\nThe images and footage from these actively assist Alexander and his team as they work to save the tigers of the region from extinction.\n\nManaging Director of Natural World Safaris and expert in wildlife encounters, Will Bolsover, told MailOnline Travel: \u2018The trip is one of the rarest wildlife travel opportunities remaining today.\n\nAlexander Batalov, a frontline Russian conservationist, has spent the last 20 years of his life trying to protect the rare Siberian tiger.\n\nInside Balatov's hut, dedicated to the natural world as you might expect with a range of feathers and animal bones.\n\n'Spending time with Alexander Batalov in the home of the some of the last remaining Siberian tigers in Russia\u2019s Far East, setting camera traps, tracking tiger footprints and collecting vital conservation data is a superb opportunity.\u2019\n\nIt is estimated the current wild population of Siberian tigers under 400, making the species officially endangered.\n\nSiberian tigers were once found throughout the Russian Far East, northern China, and the Korean peninsula but by the 1940s, hunting had driven the species, also known as the Amur tiger, to the brink of extinction with no more than 40 individuals remaining in the wild.\n\nWhile the population has now stabilised somewhat, sightings in the wild are extremely rare as the tigers have the largest home range of any tiger subspecies and a limited density of prey means they have to search over large areas to find food.\n\nGuests will stay in a wooden cabin on the Natural World Safari trip to see the Siberian tiger.\n\n'Guests will be staying directly in the heart of the tigers' habitat, but with the cats being extremely elusive, it obviously isn\u2019t guaranteed that they will even come face to face with a tiger at all,'\u00a0Bolsover said.\n\n'While they are out setting camera traps and observing scent trails, footprints, scratch marks on trees, they will be exactly where the tigers tread.\n\n'While they are out in the forest or in the camp, a tiger could be 20m away, 200m away, or as far as two miles away- it\u2019s difficult to put a numerical value on it.'\n\nClick here for more information regarding the safari trip.", "summary": "A Russian tour company is offering tourists a chance to sleep in close proximity to the highly endangered Siberian tiger. Guests will stay in the heart of the animals' territory in the hopes of coming face-to-face with the large cat. The guides also set up cameras to track the tigers.  "}
{"article_id": "82b69aa5acc04079a6d99ec7523f9af4", "article": "A heavily armed Algerian jihadi who was preparing to attack churches in Paris on the orders is in custody this morning after being implicated in the murder of a young woman.\n\nThe 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement\u00a0in southern Paris\u00a0on Sunday.\n\nThis afternoon the Paris prosecutor said police found Arabic documents mentioning ISIS and Al Qaeda at the IT student's home, as well as evidence on his computer that he\u00a0was in contact with a man in Syria 'who clearly asked him to target a church.'\n\nSunday's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain, a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in a car park in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Investigators reportedly claim DNA evidence links\u00a0Ghlam to her murder.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSid Ahmed Ghlam (pictured)\u00a0had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers.\n\nKilled: DNA evidence also reportedly links Ghlam to the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured left and right), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor who shot dead in her car in a Paris suburb on Sunday morning.\n\nGathered: This is the student residence  where Sid Ahmed Ghlam - a 24-year-old computer science student suspected of plotting imminent attacks on churches in France - had reportedly been living.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today said: 'A terrorist attack was foiled on Sunday morning.'\n\n'The police discovered an arsenal containing weapons of war, and a suspect was immediately taken into custody.'\n\nVictim: DNA tests reportedly link the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain (pictured) on Sunday.\n\nMr Cazeneuve said the suspect was found on a street in the 13th arrondissement of Paris with a bullet in his leg, and bleeding heavily.\n\nHe originally claimed to be the victim of an attack by criminals, but officers followed the trail of blood to his car, where they found a Kalashnikov assaultrifle, and a Sig-Sauer automatic pistol.\n\nThere were also stolen police armbands which would enable him to pose as a plain clothes officer.\n\nIn Ghlam's student accommodation, detectives later found three automatic rifles, handguns, and bulletproof vests.\n\nThere were also Jihadi flags and literature, false passports, and plans for attacks on 'one or two' churches in the Paris area.\n\nDNA analysis reportedly linked the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain, who was originally from Caudry, in northern France.\n\nThe arrested man was an Algerian national studying computer science in Paris,\u00a0and was known to the intelligence services.\n\nThe man had been considered a likely candidate to travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said Mr Cazeneuve,\u00a0and was officially under surveillance.\n\nTragic: Ghalm's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in the Paris suburb of Villejuif.\n\nStatement: French Prime Minister Manuel Vall, left, and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking to the assembled media about the thwarted attack after a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris today.\n\nLocation: The 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement in southern Paris (pictured) on Sunday morning.\n\nThe arrested man had moved to France in 2009, and was supported by his sister, who lives in the Paris area. Her home has since been raided by police too.\n\nIt follows the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in January, when three Islamist terrorists slaughtered 17 people in the city.\n\nThey included cartoonists and journalists working for the notoriously anti-Muslim magazine, as well as police and four Jews who were targeted in a kosher supermarket.\n\nTwo of the attackers, Saif and Cherif Kouachi, were both from Algerian backgrounds, while the third, Amedy\u00a0Coulibaly, was from a Malian immigrant background.\n\nAll were shot dead by police commandos following sieges.", "summary": "24-year-old Sid Ahmed Ghlam is in French custody after being arrested on Sunday morning. The Algerian has been connected via DNA to the murder of Aurelie Chatelain, a 33-year-old mother who was shot while sitting in her car. The arrest foiled a future plot by Ghlam, who was preparing to attack churches in Paris. "}
{"article_id": "82b69aa5acc04079a6d99ec7523f9af4", "article": "A heavily armed Algerian jihadi who was preparing to attack churches in Paris on the orders is in custody this morning after being implicated in the murder of a young woman.\n\nThe 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement\u00a0in southern Paris\u00a0on Sunday.\n\nThis afternoon the Paris prosecutor said police found Arabic documents mentioning ISIS and Al Qaeda at the IT student's home, as well as evidence on his computer that he\u00a0was in contact with a man in Syria 'who clearly asked him to target a church.'\n\nSunday's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain, a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in a car park in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Investigators reportedly claim DNA evidence links\u00a0Ghlam to her murder.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSid Ahmed Ghlam (pictured)\u00a0had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers.\n\nKilled: DNA evidence also reportedly links Ghlam to the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured left and right), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor who shot dead in her car in a Paris suburb on Sunday morning.\n\nGathered: This is the student residence  where Sid Ahmed Ghlam - a 24-year-old computer science student suspected of plotting imminent attacks on churches in France - had reportedly been living.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today said: 'A terrorist attack was foiled on Sunday morning.'\n\n'The police discovered an arsenal containing weapons of war, and a suspect was immediately taken into custody.'\n\nVictim: DNA tests reportedly link the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain (pictured) on Sunday.\n\nMr Cazeneuve said the suspect was found on a street in the 13th arrondissement of Paris with a bullet in his leg, and bleeding heavily.\n\nHe originally claimed to be the victim of an attack by criminals, but officers followed the trail of blood to his car, where they found a Kalashnikov assaultrifle, and a Sig-Sauer automatic pistol.\n\nThere were also stolen police armbands which would enable him to pose as a plain clothes officer.\n\nIn Ghlam's student accommodation, detectives later found three automatic rifles, handguns, and bulletproof vests.\n\nThere were also Jihadi flags and literature, false passports, and plans for attacks on 'one or two' churches in the Paris area.\n\nDNA analysis reportedly linked the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain, who was originally from Caudry, in northern France.\n\nThe arrested man was an Algerian national studying computer science in Paris,\u00a0and was known to the intelligence services.\n\nThe man had been considered a likely candidate to travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said Mr Cazeneuve,\u00a0and was officially under surveillance.\n\nTragic: Ghalm's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in the Paris suburb of Villejuif.\n\nStatement: French Prime Minister Manuel Vall, left, and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking to the assembled media about the thwarted attack after a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris today.\n\nLocation: The 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement in southern Paris (pictured) on Sunday morning.\n\nThe arrested man had moved to France in 2009, and was supported by his sister, who lives in the Paris area. Her home has since been raided by police too.\n\nIt follows the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in January, when three Islamist terrorists slaughtered 17 people in the city.\n\nThey included cartoonists and journalists working for the notoriously anti-Muslim magazine, as well as police and four Jews who were targeted in a kosher supermarket.\n\nTwo of the attackers, Saif and Cherif Kouachi, were both from Algerian backgrounds, while the third, Amedy\u00a0Coulibaly, was from a Malian immigrant background.\n\nAll were shot dead by police commandos following sieges.", "summary": "Investigators found DNA evidence that links 24-year-old student, Ahmed Ghlam to the murder of Aurelie Chatelain, who is a resident in the same building Ghlam lives. Heavily armed, Ahmed Ghlam was planning to attack churches in Paris based on documents mentioning ISIS and Al Qaeda. But before the attacks were carried out, Ghlam was arrested."}
{"article_id": "82b69aa5acc04079a6d99ec7523f9af4", "article": "A heavily armed Algerian jihadi who was preparing to attack churches in Paris on the orders is in custody this morning after being implicated in the murder of a young woman.\n\nThe 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement\u00a0in southern Paris\u00a0on Sunday.\n\nThis afternoon the Paris prosecutor said police found Arabic documents mentioning ISIS and Al Qaeda at the IT student's home, as well as evidence on his computer that he\u00a0was in contact with a man in Syria 'who clearly asked him to target a church.'\n\nSunday's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain, a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in a car park in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Investigators reportedly claim DNA evidence links\u00a0Ghlam to her murder.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nSid Ahmed Ghlam (pictured)\u00a0had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers.\n\nKilled: DNA evidence also reportedly links Ghlam to the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured left and right), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor who shot dead in her car in a Paris suburb on Sunday morning.\n\nGathered: This is the student residence  where Sid Ahmed Ghlam - a 24-year-old computer science student suspected of plotting imminent attacks on churches in France - had reportedly been living.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve today said: 'A terrorist attack was foiled on Sunday morning.'\n\n'The police discovered an arsenal containing weapons of war, and a suspect was immediately taken into custody.'\n\nVictim: DNA tests reportedly link the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain (pictured) on Sunday.\n\nMr Cazeneuve said the suspect was found on a street in the 13th arrondissement of Paris with a bullet in his leg, and bleeding heavily.\n\nHe originally claimed to be the victim of an attack by criminals, but officers followed the trail of blood to his car, where they found a Kalashnikov assaultrifle, and a Sig-Sauer automatic pistol.\n\nThere were also stolen police armbands which would enable him to pose as a plain clothes officer.\n\nIn Ghlam's student accommodation, detectives later found three automatic rifles, handguns, and bulletproof vests.\n\nThere were also Jihadi flags and literature, false passports, and plans for attacks on 'one or two' churches in the Paris area.\n\nDNA analysis reportedly linked the arrested man to the murder of Ms Chatelain, who was originally from Caudry, in northern France.\n\nThe arrested man was an Algerian national studying computer science in Paris,\u00a0and was known to the intelligence services.\n\nThe man had been considered a likely candidate to travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State terrorist organisation, said Mr Cazeneuve,\u00a0and was officially under surveillance.\n\nTragic: Ghalm's arrest came just hours after the murder of Aurelie Chatelain (pictured), a 33-year-old mother and fitness instructor, who was riddled with bullets as she sat in her car in the Paris suburb of Villejuif.\n\nStatement: French Prime Minister Manuel Vall, left, and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking to the assembled media about the thwarted attack after a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris today.\n\nLocation: The 24-year-old, named locally as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, had shot himself in the leg before his arrest by anti-terrorist officers in the 13th arrondissement in southern Paris (pictured) on Sunday morning.\n\nThe arrested man had moved to France in 2009, and was supported by his sister, who lives in the Paris area. Her home has since been raided by police too.\n\nIt follows the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in January, when three Islamist terrorists slaughtered 17 people in the city.\n\nThey included cartoonists and journalists working for the notoriously anti-Muslim magazine, as well as police and four Jews who were targeted in a kosher supermarket.\n\nTwo of the attackers, Saif and Cherif Kouachi, were both from Algerian backgrounds, while the third, Amedy\u00a0Coulibaly, was from a Malian immigrant background.\n\nAll were shot dead by police commandos following sieges.", "summary": "An Algerian terrorist was arrested in Paris for the murder of a local woman. The arrest thwarted his planned attack on a church. He was a known risk, being watched by the Government, and weapons, passports, attack plans, and terrorist documents were found in his apartment. "}
{"article_id": "08c88b7d81f148ce95c37ac8a2b0c921", "article": "Researchers have completed the first comprehensive study of the microbes living on and in and uncontacted tribe from the Amazon.\n\nThey say the results show just how modern lifestyles and diets have changed us - \u00a0and that the  bacteria they found could be\u00a0potentially beneficial to modern society.\n\nResearchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are an indigenous ethnic group in the Amazonian region of South America.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are hunter-gatherers.\n\nThey gather wild bananas, seasonal fruits, palm hearts and cassava.\n\nThey hunt birds, small mammals, crabs, frogs, small fish and the occasional peccary, monkey or tapir.\n\nThe group doesn't grow food or domesticate livestock.\n\nThe researchers found that Yanomami people harbor microbiomes with the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group.\n\n'That tells us that Western diets and lifestyles have a great impact on our microbiomes', experts at University of San Diego said.\n\n'Studying the microbiomes of people in remote areas may hold the key to understanding microbes we have lost through antibiotics, sealed buildings and lack of exposure to the outdoors,' said study co-author Rob Knight.\n\nIn the new study published April 17 by Science Advances, researchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThis information revealed, for the first time, the species of bacteria that co-exist with people who have never been exposed to industrialized society, including Western food and antibiotics.\n\n'Our findings emphasize the need for extensive characterization of the function of the microbiome and resistome in remote nonwesternized populations before globalization of modern practices affects potentially beneficial bacteria harbored in the human body,' the researchers wrote.\n\nMany Yanomami now regularly interact with Western civilization through trade, but some villages have never had contact with non-Yanomami people.\n\nOne such unmapped village was first spotted by an army helicopter passing overhead in 2008. In 2009, a medical mission landed there.\n\nAs part of their 2009 visit to this previously uncontacted Yanomami village, medical professionals collected samples from the skin, mouths and fecal matter of 34 of the 54 villagers before vaccines or antibiotics were administered.\n\nThe samples were frozen until DNA extraction and bacterial culturing could be performed for the purposes of this study.\n\nYanomami indigenous leader Davi Yanomami claims Americans' 'robbed blood' for the tests.\n\nThousands of blood samples have been returned to the Yanomami tribe in Brazil, after they were taken by American scientists in the 1960s and held in U.S. academic institutions without the tribe's consent, according to Survival international.\n\nThe Yanomami have been fighting for their return for over a decade.\n\nThe Yanomami buried the 2,693 samples during a special funerary ceremony presided over by shamans in the Yanomami community where many of the samples were collected.\n\nOnly 15 Yanomami whose blood was taken in the late 1960s were able to attend the ritual. Shamans performed funerary rites for those who gave blood and have since died.\n\nKeen to collect blood samples from a very isolated community, U.S. scientists collected thousands of samples from the Indians in Brazil and Venezuela without obtaining their informed consent.\n\nThe Yanomami only discovered years later that their blood was being stored in research institutes \u2013 in violation of their beliefs and funerary customs of cremating those who have passed away and destroying their possessions.\n\nWithout obtaining the Yanomami's consent, some institutions extracted DNA from the blood for genetic tests in the 1990s.\n\nYanomami spokesman Davi Kopenawa said, 'These Americans robbed our blood.\n\n'They did not say anything in our language about the tests they were going to do. Nobody knew that they were going to use our blood to do research.'\n\nBack in labs in the U.S. (at Mount Sinai, New York University, University of Colorado, Boulder and others), researchers sequenced DNA isolated from the Yanomami samples.\n\nFrom this, they were able to identify all of the bacterial species that make up the skin, mouth and gut microbiomes of people who had never been exposed to Western diets, antibiotics or other environmental factors that make up life in industrialized societies.\n\nThe researchers then compared these non-Westernized microbiomes to the microbiomes of people living in Western society and people living in villages in the midst of transition from isolation to urban lifestyles.\n\nBacteria isolated from Yanomami microbiomes carried genes that confer resistance to man-made antibiotics, despite the fact that they were never previously exposed to antibiotics.\n\nThis finding suggests that many bacterial species contain antibiotic resistance genes naturally, even without the selective pressure of antibiotic use.\n\nWhat happens in Western cultures, the researchers hypothesize, is antibiotic use simply gives naturally resistant bacteria a survival advantage over non-resistant bacteria.\n\nThe researchers say the study could help develop new medical treatments.\n\n'First of all, this study gives us a glimpse of what our microbiomes might have looked like before our modern habits began to impact the beneficial bacteria that call us home.\n\n'Studies like this one help us better understand what factors can alter a microbiome and the effect those changes can have on a person's health \u2014 information researchers need to guide efforts to manipulate the microbiome to treat disease and restore health.'", "summary": "Researchers have completed a microbiome study on the Yanomami tribe, and the results show how modern lifestyles and diets have changed western civilization. New information shows that the species of bacteria co-exist with people who were never exposed to western food and antibiotics, helping us understand what factors affect the impact on one's health. "}
{"article_id": "08c88b7d81f148ce95c37ac8a2b0c921", "article": "Researchers have completed the first comprehensive study of the microbes living on and in and uncontacted tribe from the Amazon.\n\nThey say the results show just how modern lifestyles and diets have changed us - \u00a0and that the  bacteria they found could be\u00a0potentially beneficial to modern society.\n\nResearchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are an indigenous ethnic group in the Amazonian region of South America.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are hunter-gatherers.\n\nThey gather wild bananas, seasonal fruits, palm hearts and cassava.\n\nThey hunt birds, small mammals, crabs, frogs, small fish and the occasional peccary, monkey or tapir.\n\nThe group doesn't grow food or domesticate livestock.\n\nThe researchers found that Yanomami people harbor microbiomes with the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group.\n\n'That tells us that Western diets and lifestyles have a great impact on our microbiomes', experts at University of San Diego said.\n\n'Studying the microbiomes of people in remote areas may hold the key to understanding microbes we have lost through antibiotics, sealed buildings and lack of exposure to the outdoors,' said study co-author Rob Knight.\n\nIn the new study published April 17 by Science Advances, researchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThis information revealed, for the first time, the species of bacteria that co-exist with people who have never been exposed to industrialized society, including Western food and antibiotics.\n\n'Our findings emphasize the need for extensive characterization of the function of the microbiome and resistome in remote nonwesternized populations before globalization of modern practices affects potentially beneficial bacteria harbored in the human body,' the researchers wrote.\n\nMany Yanomami now regularly interact with Western civilization through trade, but some villages have never had contact with non-Yanomami people.\n\nOne such unmapped village was first spotted by an army helicopter passing overhead in 2008. In 2009, a medical mission landed there.\n\nAs part of their 2009 visit to this previously uncontacted Yanomami village, medical professionals collected samples from the skin, mouths and fecal matter of 34 of the 54 villagers before vaccines or antibiotics were administered.\n\nThe samples were frozen until DNA extraction and bacterial culturing could be performed for the purposes of this study.\n\nYanomami indigenous leader Davi Yanomami claims Americans' 'robbed blood' for the tests.\n\nThousands of blood samples have been returned to the Yanomami tribe in Brazil, after they were taken by American scientists in the 1960s and held in U.S. academic institutions without the tribe's consent, according to Survival international.\n\nThe Yanomami have been fighting for their return for over a decade.\n\nThe Yanomami buried the 2,693 samples during a special funerary ceremony presided over by shamans in the Yanomami community where many of the samples were collected.\n\nOnly 15 Yanomami whose blood was taken in the late 1960s were able to attend the ritual. Shamans performed funerary rites for those who gave blood and have since died.\n\nKeen to collect blood samples from a very isolated community, U.S. scientists collected thousands of samples from the Indians in Brazil and Venezuela without obtaining their informed consent.\n\nThe Yanomami only discovered years later that their blood was being stored in research institutes \u2013 in violation of their beliefs and funerary customs of cremating those who have passed away and destroying their possessions.\n\nWithout obtaining the Yanomami's consent, some institutions extracted DNA from the blood for genetic tests in the 1990s.\n\nYanomami spokesman Davi Kopenawa said, 'These Americans robbed our blood.\n\n'They did not say anything in our language about the tests they were going to do. Nobody knew that they were going to use our blood to do research.'\n\nBack in labs in the U.S. (at Mount Sinai, New York University, University of Colorado, Boulder and others), researchers sequenced DNA isolated from the Yanomami samples.\n\nFrom this, they were able to identify all of the bacterial species that make up the skin, mouth and gut microbiomes of people who had never been exposed to Western diets, antibiotics or other environmental factors that make up life in industrialized societies.\n\nThe researchers then compared these non-Westernized microbiomes to the microbiomes of people living in Western society and people living in villages in the midst of transition from isolation to urban lifestyles.\n\nBacteria isolated from Yanomami microbiomes carried genes that confer resistance to man-made antibiotics, despite the fact that they were never previously exposed to antibiotics.\n\nThis finding suggests that many bacterial species contain antibiotic resistance genes naturally, even without the selective pressure of antibiotic use.\n\nWhat happens in Western cultures, the researchers hypothesize, is antibiotic use simply gives naturally resistant bacteria a survival advantage over non-resistant bacteria.\n\nThe researchers say the study could help develop new medical treatments.\n\n'First of all, this study gives us a glimpse of what our microbiomes might have looked like before our modern habits began to impact the beneficial bacteria that call us home.\n\n'Studies like this one help us better understand what factors can alter a microbiome and the effect those changes can have on a person's health \u2014 information researchers need to guide efforts to manipulate the microbiome to treat disease and restore health.'", "summary": "An indigenous tribe living in the Amazon has been fighting for the return of medical samples for over a decade.  A representative for the tribe claimed that the blood was stolen by researchers and demands the samples be returned to the tribe.  "}
{"article_id": "08c88b7d81f148ce95c37ac8a2b0c921", "article": "Researchers have completed the first comprehensive study of the microbes living on and in and uncontacted tribe from the Amazon.\n\nThey say the results show just how modern lifestyles and diets have changed us - \u00a0and that the  bacteria they found could be\u00a0potentially beneficial to modern society.\n\nResearchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are an indigenous ethnic group in the Amazonian region of South America.\n\nThere are about 26,000 Yanomami living in Brazil and 15,000 in Venezuela, mostly in federally protected reserves near rivers and in remote mountains.\n\nThe Yanomami are hunter-gatherers.\n\nThey gather wild bananas, seasonal fruits, palm hearts and cassava.\n\nThey hunt birds, small mammals, crabs, frogs, small fish and the occasional peccary, monkey or tapir.\n\nThe group doesn't grow food or domesticate livestock.\n\nThe researchers found that Yanomami people harbor microbiomes with the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic functions ever reported in a human group.\n\n'That tells us that Western diets and lifestyles have a great impact on our microbiomes', experts at University of San Diego said.\n\n'Studying the microbiomes of people in remote areas may hold the key to understanding microbes we have lost through antibiotics, sealed buildings and lack of exposure to the outdoors,' said study co-author Rob Knight.\n\nIn the new study published April 17 by Science Advances, researchers sequenced the microbiomes of Yanomami people living in a remote Amazon village in Venezuela who had not had previous contact with non-Yanomami.\n\nThis information revealed, for the first time, the species of bacteria that co-exist with people who have never been exposed to industrialized society, including Western food and antibiotics.\n\n'Our findings emphasize the need for extensive characterization of the function of the microbiome and resistome in remote nonwesternized populations before globalization of modern practices affects potentially beneficial bacteria harbored in the human body,' the researchers wrote.\n\nMany Yanomami now regularly interact with Western civilization through trade, but some villages have never had contact with non-Yanomami people.\n\nOne such unmapped village was first spotted by an army helicopter passing overhead in 2008. In 2009, a medical mission landed there.\n\nAs part of their 2009 visit to this previously uncontacted Yanomami village, medical professionals collected samples from the skin, mouths and fecal matter of 34 of the 54 villagers before vaccines or antibiotics were administered.\n\nThe samples were frozen until DNA extraction and bacterial culturing could be performed for the purposes of this study.\n\nYanomami indigenous leader Davi Yanomami claims Americans' 'robbed blood' for the tests.\n\nThousands of blood samples have been returned to the Yanomami tribe in Brazil, after they were taken by American scientists in the 1960s and held in U.S. academic institutions without the tribe's consent, according to Survival international.\n\nThe Yanomami have been fighting for their return for over a decade.\n\nThe Yanomami buried the 2,693 samples during a special funerary ceremony presided over by shamans in the Yanomami community where many of the samples were collected.\n\nOnly 15 Yanomami whose blood was taken in the late 1960s were able to attend the ritual. Shamans performed funerary rites for those who gave blood and have since died.\n\nKeen to collect blood samples from a very isolated community, U.S. scientists collected thousands of samples from the Indians in Brazil and Venezuela without obtaining their informed consent.\n\nThe Yanomami only discovered years later that their blood was being stored in research institutes \u2013 in violation of their beliefs and funerary customs of cremating those who have passed away and destroying their possessions.\n\nWithout obtaining the Yanomami's consent, some institutions extracted DNA from the blood for genetic tests in the 1990s.\n\nYanomami spokesman Davi Kopenawa said, 'These Americans robbed our blood.\n\n'They did not say anything in our language about the tests they were going to do. Nobody knew that they were going to use our blood to do research.'\n\nBack in labs in the U.S. (at Mount Sinai, New York University, University of Colorado, Boulder and others), researchers sequenced DNA isolated from the Yanomami samples.\n\nFrom this, they were able to identify all of the bacterial species that make up the skin, mouth and gut microbiomes of people who had never been exposed to Western diets, antibiotics or other environmental factors that make up life in industrialized societies.\n\nThe researchers then compared these non-Westernized microbiomes to the microbiomes of people living in Western society and people living in villages in the midst of transition from isolation to urban lifestyles.\n\nBacteria isolated from Yanomami microbiomes carried genes that confer resistance to man-made antibiotics, despite the fact that they were never previously exposed to antibiotics.\n\nThis finding suggests that many bacterial species contain antibiotic resistance genes naturally, even without the selective pressure of antibiotic use.\n\nWhat happens in Western cultures, the researchers hypothesize, is antibiotic use simply gives naturally resistant bacteria a survival advantage over non-resistant bacteria.\n\nThe researchers say the study could help develop new medical treatments.\n\n'First of all, this study gives us a glimpse of what our microbiomes might have looked like before our modern habits began to impact the beneficial bacteria that call us home.\n\n'Studies like this one help us better understand what factors can alter a microbiome and the effect those changes can have on a person's health \u2014 information researchers need to guide efforts to manipulate the microbiome to treat disease and restore health.'", "summary": "Researchers have completed a study of the microbiome of the Yanomami people of Venezuela. It is the first large-scale study that maps the microbiome of people who were never exposed to Western diets. The last major study done in the 1960s caused a fight, as the researchers never disclosed that they were taking blood samples from the Yanomami. The samples have since been returned from many academic centers. "}
{"article_id": "448cb2d5d0d6490083ae1b751f0b2e7b", "article": "Lady Gaga is leading the pitch invasion at Sunday's Super Bowl, where she'll perform the all-important half-time show.\n\nWith a television audience of 110 million, it's one of the biggest platforms in the world - and Gaga has been putting in the hours to ensure her set is suitably spectacular.\n\n\"We were [rehearsing] in the tent for about a week and a half, then we had to move to bigger studios in Hollywood where we are working on the rest of the show,\" she told Houston radio station Mix 96.5.\n\n\"And then we will send that equipment to Houston where we will finish rehearsals. Fans can expect a performance that spans my career so far.\"\n\nShe has a high standard to live up to - notably Prince's show in 2007, which took place in the middle of a Miami thunderstorm and is widely accepted as the greatest performance in the event's history, if not Prince's career.\n\nHere are some of the other most memorable - and surprising - moments from the last 30 years.\n\nSuper Bowl performers get a very strict 12-minute time limit, so most performers cram their set with as much music as possible.\n\nNot Michael Jackson.\n\nAfter shooting onto the stage at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, he stood completely still, staring at the world for a full 90 seconds. Ninety.\n\nIt was a master class in ratcheting expectation to a fever pitch. And the screams when he launched into Jam (not one of his best songs) proved he knew what he was doing.\n\nBrilliantly, Jackson staged this entire performance while wearing a jacket it looked like he'd borrowed from Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nBeat that, Gaga.\n\nBaby, he was born to run... and slide on his knees... and crotch slam a TV camera.\n\nIn his autobiography, The Boss explains the incident like this: \"Too much adrenalin, a late drop, too much speed, here I come, Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BOOM!\n\n\"And I'm onto his camera, the lens implanted into my chest with one leg off the stage. I use his camera to push myself back up and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BLAM! BORN TO RUN!\"\n\nIt led to the memorable headline: \"America Attacked by Bruce Springsteen's crotch\" - but it didn't stop the star delivering one of the most powerful and energetic Super Bowl shows in recent history. Even if they were fined for over-running by 40 seconds.\n\nColdplay were the headline act at last year's Super Bowl in Santa Clara - but someone forgot to tell Beyonce.\n\nShe only performed one song, Formation, underscoring its message of black pride and power with back-up dancers dressed in leather body suits and black berets reminiscent of the Black Panthers movement.\n\nSome of her dancers were even pictured holding up a sign declaring \"Justice 4 Mario Woods\" - a 26-year-old black man who was shot dead by armed police in San Francisco two months earlier.\n\nThe performance heralded the arrival of her unapologetically political album, Lemonade, later in the year.\n\nYou can't out-diva Diana, something she was determined to prove when she strode onto the pitch in Tempe, Arizona, for Super Bowl XXX.\n\nShe raced through 10 songs and four costume changes in 12 minutes, then jumped into a helicopter and fled the stadium. Which is one way to beat the post-game traffic.\n\nFor the first few decades, the Super Bowl half-time performance featured marching bands, drill teams and Disney's mouseketeers.\n\n1987's show was altogether more bizarre.\n\nA magician named \"Elvis Presto\" burst out of a jukebox, before performing a series of conjuring tricks, aided by 2,000 part-time dancers, 102 custom Harley Davidson motorcycles and some of rock's biggest classics.\n\nAt the culmination of the show, the \"Prince of Prestidigitation\" performed an interactive magic trick (\"pick a card, concentrate real hard\") while viewers at home watched through 3D glasses.\n\nIt was cheesier than a wheel of brie - and prompted the NFL to adopt a more modern approach.\n\nShe arrived on a mechanical tiger, and departed on a shooting star - but Katy Perry couldn't compete with the infamous \"left shark\".\n\nHe was one of two foam-suited dancers flanking Katy while she performed Teenage Dream. While the one on the right was forgettable, the left shark flailed around in a desperate attempt to remember his dance moves.\n\nIt quickly became a viral sensation, spawning a whole range of merchandise from the ever-savvy pop star.\n\nAnd when the half-time show was nominated for an Emmy, Katy made sure to thank her faithful friend.\n\nPoor old Janet Jackson. She was at the end of a triumphant, hit-laden medley when Justin Timberlake ripped the front off her bodice, revealing a heavily-bejewelled superboob.\n\nFew ever believed that the \"wardrobe malfunction\" was indeed a malfunction - but if you look at the photographs taken immediately after the event, Jackson appears mortified (notably, these were not the pictures printed by the press).\n\nNonetheless, America went apoplectic. The Federal Complaints Commission reportedly got more than 200,000 complaints, while Janet was blacklisted by MTV and radio. Her career never fully recovered.\n\nBut there is a bright side to this story. A PayPal employee called Jawed Karim missed the half-time show and grew frustrated that he couldn't watch the incident online.\n\nIn response, he and his friends Steve Chen and Chad Hurley began coding a website where people could upload their own content. That site would end up being YouTube.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "The Superbowl half time show is arguably the largest entertainment platform in the world. Its history began with marching bands and has since hosted some of the biggest and most famous performances. Lady Gaga is the next headliner, and she has been working hard to ensure a great performance. "}
{"article_id": "448cb2d5d0d6490083ae1b751f0b2e7b", "article": "Lady Gaga is leading the pitch invasion at Sunday's Super Bowl, where she'll perform the all-important half-time show.\n\nWith a television audience of 110 million, it's one of the biggest platforms in the world - and Gaga has been putting in the hours to ensure her set is suitably spectacular.\n\n\"We were [rehearsing] in the tent for about a week and a half, then we had to move to bigger studios in Hollywood where we are working on the rest of the show,\" she told Houston radio station Mix 96.5.\n\n\"And then we will send that equipment to Houston where we will finish rehearsals. Fans can expect a performance that spans my career so far.\"\n\nShe has a high standard to live up to - notably Prince's show in 2007, which took place in the middle of a Miami thunderstorm and is widely accepted as the greatest performance in the event's history, if not Prince's career.\n\nHere are some of the other most memorable - and surprising - moments from the last 30 years.\n\nSuper Bowl performers get a very strict 12-minute time limit, so most performers cram their set with as much music as possible.\n\nNot Michael Jackson.\n\nAfter shooting onto the stage at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, he stood completely still, staring at the world for a full 90 seconds. Ninety.\n\nIt was a master class in ratcheting expectation to a fever pitch. And the screams when he launched into Jam (not one of his best songs) proved he knew what he was doing.\n\nBrilliantly, Jackson staged this entire performance while wearing a jacket it looked like he'd borrowed from Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nBeat that, Gaga.\n\nBaby, he was born to run... and slide on his knees... and crotch slam a TV camera.\n\nIn his autobiography, The Boss explains the incident like this: \"Too much adrenalin, a late drop, too much speed, here I come, Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BOOM!\n\n\"And I'm onto his camera, the lens implanted into my chest with one leg off the stage. I use his camera to push myself back up and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BLAM! BORN TO RUN!\"\n\nIt led to the memorable headline: \"America Attacked by Bruce Springsteen's crotch\" - but it didn't stop the star delivering one of the most powerful and energetic Super Bowl shows in recent history. Even if they were fined for over-running by 40 seconds.\n\nColdplay were the headline act at last year's Super Bowl in Santa Clara - but someone forgot to tell Beyonce.\n\nShe only performed one song, Formation, underscoring its message of black pride and power with back-up dancers dressed in leather body suits and black berets reminiscent of the Black Panthers movement.\n\nSome of her dancers were even pictured holding up a sign declaring \"Justice 4 Mario Woods\" - a 26-year-old black man who was shot dead by armed police in San Francisco two months earlier.\n\nThe performance heralded the arrival of her unapologetically political album, Lemonade, later in the year.\n\nYou can't out-diva Diana, something she was determined to prove when she strode onto the pitch in Tempe, Arizona, for Super Bowl XXX.\n\nShe raced through 10 songs and four costume changes in 12 minutes, then jumped into a helicopter and fled the stadium. Which is one way to beat the post-game traffic.\n\nFor the first few decades, the Super Bowl half-time performance featured marching bands, drill teams and Disney's mouseketeers.\n\n1987's show was altogether more bizarre.\n\nA magician named \"Elvis Presto\" burst out of a jukebox, before performing a series of conjuring tricks, aided by 2,000 part-time dancers, 102 custom Harley Davidson motorcycles and some of rock's biggest classics.\n\nAt the culmination of the show, the \"Prince of Prestidigitation\" performed an interactive magic trick (\"pick a card, concentrate real hard\") while viewers at home watched through 3D glasses.\n\nIt was cheesier than a wheel of brie - and prompted the NFL to adopt a more modern approach.\n\nShe arrived on a mechanical tiger, and departed on a shooting star - but Katy Perry couldn't compete with the infamous \"left shark\".\n\nHe was one of two foam-suited dancers flanking Katy while she performed Teenage Dream. While the one on the right was forgettable, the left shark flailed around in a desperate attempt to remember his dance moves.\n\nIt quickly became a viral sensation, spawning a whole range of merchandise from the ever-savvy pop star.\n\nAnd when the half-time show was nominated for an Emmy, Katy made sure to thank her faithful friend.\n\nPoor old Janet Jackson. She was at the end of a triumphant, hit-laden medley when Justin Timberlake ripped the front off her bodice, revealing a heavily-bejewelled superboob.\n\nFew ever believed that the \"wardrobe malfunction\" was indeed a malfunction - but if you look at the photographs taken immediately after the event, Jackson appears mortified (notably, these were not the pictures printed by the press).\n\nNonetheless, America went apoplectic. The Federal Complaints Commission reportedly got more than 200,000 complaints, while Janet was blacklisted by MTV and radio. Her career never fully recovered.\n\nBut there is a bright side to this story. A PayPal employee called Jawed Karim missed the half-time show and grew frustrated that he couldn't watch the incident online.\n\nIn response, he and his friends Steve Chen and Chad Hurley began coding a website where people could upload their own content. That site would end up being YouTube.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Lady Gaga is leading the Superbowl halftime show this year. She has a lot of competition from previous headliners such as Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. We will see what she packs into her 12-minute segment.  "}
{"article_id": "448cb2d5d0d6490083ae1b751f0b2e7b", "article": "Lady Gaga is leading the pitch invasion at Sunday's Super Bowl, where she'll perform the all-important half-time show.\n\nWith a television audience of 110 million, it's one of the biggest platforms in the world - and Gaga has been putting in the hours to ensure her set is suitably spectacular.\n\n\"We were [rehearsing] in the tent for about a week and a half, then we had to move to bigger studios in Hollywood where we are working on the rest of the show,\" she told Houston radio station Mix 96.5.\n\n\"And then we will send that equipment to Houston where we will finish rehearsals. Fans can expect a performance that spans my career so far.\"\n\nShe has a high standard to live up to - notably Prince's show in 2007, which took place in the middle of a Miami thunderstorm and is widely accepted as the greatest performance in the event's history, if not Prince's career.\n\nHere are some of the other most memorable - and surprising - moments from the last 30 years.\n\nSuper Bowl performers get a very strict 12-minute time limit, so most performers cram their set with as much music as possible.\n\nNot Michael Jackson.\n\nAfter shooting onto the stage at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, he stood completely still, staring at the world for a full 90 seconds. Ninety.\n\nIt was a master class in ratcheting expectation to a fever pitch. And the screams when he launched into Jam (not one of his best songs) proved he knew what he was doing.\n\nBrilliantly, Jackson staged this entire performance while wearing a jacket it looked like he'd borrowed from Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nBeat that, Gaga.\n\nBaby, he was born to run... and slide on his knees... and crotch slam a TV camera.\n\nIn his autobiography, The Boss explains the incident like this: \"Too much adrenalin, a late drop, too much speed, here I come, Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BOOM!\n\n\"And I'm onto his camera, the lens implanted into my chest with one leg off the stage. I use his camera to push myself back up and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BLAM! BORN TO RUN!\"\n\nIt led to the memorable headline: \"America Attacked by Bruce Springsteen's crotch\" - but it didn't stop the star delivering one of the most powerful and energetic Super Bowl shows in recent history. Even if they were fined for over-running by 40 seconds.\n\nColdplay were the headline act at last year's Super Bowl in Santa Clara - but someone forgot to tell Beyonce.\n\nShe only performed one song, Formation, underscoring its message of black pride and power with back-up dancers dressed in leather body suits and black berets reminiscent of the Black Panthers movement.\n\nSome of her dancers were even pictured holding up a sign declaring \"Justice 4 Mario Woods\" - a 26-year-old black man who was shot dead by armed police in San Francisco two months earlier.\n\nThe performance heralded the arrival of her unapologetically political album, Lemonade, later in the year.\n\nYou can't out-diva Diana, something she was determined to prove when she strode onto the pitch in Tempe, Arizona, for Super Bowl XXX.\n\nShe raced through 10 songs and four costume changes in 12 minutes, then jumped into a helicopter and fled the stadium. Which is one way to beat the post-game traffic.\n\nFor the first few decades, the Super Bowl half-time performance featured marching bands, drill teams and Disney's mouseketeers.\n\n1987's show was altogether more bizarre.\n\nA magician named \"Elvis Presto\" burst out of a jukebox, before performing a series of conjuring tricks, aided by 2,000 part-time dancers, 102 custom Harley Davidson motorcycles and some of rock's biggest classics.\n\nAt the culmination of the show, the \"Prince of Prestidigitation\" performed an interactive magic trick (\"pick a card, concentrate real hard\") while viewers at home watched through 3D glasses.\n\nIt was cheesier than a wheel of brie - and prompted the NFL to adopt a more modern approach.\n\nShe arrived on a mechanical tiger, and departed on a shooting star - but Katy Perry couldn't compete with the infamous \"left shark\".\n\nHe was one of two foam-suited dancers flanking Katy while she performed Teenage Dream. While the one on the right was forgettable, the left shark flailed around in a desperate attempt to remember his dance moves.\n\nIt quickly became a viral sensation, spawning a whole range of merchandise from the ever-savvy pop star.\n\nAnd when the half-time show was nominated for an Emmy, Katy made sure to thank her faithful friend.\n\nPoor old Janet Jackson. She was at the end of a triumphant, hit-laden medley when Justin Timberlake ripped the front off her bodice, revealing a heavily-bejewelled superboob.\n\nFew ever believed that the \"wardrobe malfunction\" was indeed a malfunction - but if you look at the photographs taken immediately after the event, Jackson appears mortified (notably, these were not the pictures printed by the press).\n\nNonetheless, America went apoplectic. The Federal Complaints Commission reportedly got more than 200,000 complaints, while Janet was blacklisted by MTV and radio. Her career never fully recovered.\n\nBut there is a bright side to this story. A PayPal employee called Jawed Karim missed the half-time show and grew frustrated that he couldn't watch the incident online.\n\nIn response, he and his friends Steve Chen and Chad Hurley began coding a website where people could upload their own content. That site would end up being YouTube.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Lady Gaga is performing at this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is arguably one of the defining moments of any performer's career. While Gaga is putting in ample effort to wow the crowds, it may be hard to compete against the likes of Prince, Michael Jackson, and the infamous Janet. "}
{"article_id": "448cb2d5d0d6490083ae1b751f0b2e7b", "article": "Lady Gaga is leading the pitch invasion at Sunday's Super Bowl, where she'll perform the all-important half-time show.\n\nWith a television audience of 110 million, it's one of the biggest platforms in the world - and Gaga has been putting in the hours to ensure her set is suitably spectacular.\n\n\"We were [rehearsing] in the tent for about a week and a half, then we had to move to bigger studios in Hollywood where we are working on the rest of the show,\" she told Houston radio station Mix 96.5.\n\n\"And then we will send that equipment to Houston where we will finish rehearsals. Fans can expect a performance that spans my career so far.\"\n\nShe has a high standard to live up to - notably Prince's show in 2007, which took place in the middle of a Miami thunderstorm and is widely accepted as the greatest performance in the event's history, if not Prince's career.\n\nHere are some of the other most memorable - and surprising - moments from the last 30 years.\n\nSuper Bowl performers get a very strict 12-minute time limit, so most performers cram their set with as much music as possible.\n\nNot Michael Jackson.\n\nAfter shooting onto the stage at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, he stood completely still, staring at the world for a full 90 seconds. Ninety.\n\nIt was a master class in ratcheting expectation to a fever pitch. And the screams when he launched into Jam (not one of his best songs) proved he knew what he was doing.\n\nBrilliantly, Jackson staged this entire performance while wearing a jacket it looked like he'd borrowed from Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nBeat that, Gaga.\n\nBaby, he was born to run... and slide on his knees... and crotch slam a TV camera.\n\nIn his autobiography, The Boss explains the incident like this: \"Too much adrenalin, a late drop, too much speed, here I come, Mike\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BOOM!\n\n\"And I'm onto his camera, the lens implanted into my chest with one leg off the stage. I use his camera to push myself back up and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 BLAM! BORN TO RUN!\"\n\nIt led to the memorable headline: \"America Attacked by Bruce Springsteen's crotch\" - but it didn't stop the star delivering one of the most powerful and energetic Super Bowl shows in recent history. Even if they were fined for over-running by 40 seconds.\n\nColdplay were the headline act at last year's Super Bowl in Santa Clara - but someone forgot to tell Beyonce.\n\nShe only performed one song, Formation, underscoring its message of black pride and power with back-up dancers dressed in leather body suits and black berets reminiscent of the Black Panthers movement.\n\nSome of her dancers were even pictured holding up a sign declaring \"Justice 4 Mario Woods\" - a 26-year-old black man who was shot dead by armed police in San Francisco two months earlier.\n\nThe performance heralded the arrival of her unapologetically political album, Lemonade, later in the year.\n\nYou can't out-diva Diana, something she was determined to prove when she strode onto the pitch in Tempe, Arizona, for Super Bowl XXX.\n\nShe raced through 10 songs and four costume changes in 12 minutes, then jumped into a helicopter and fled the stadium. Which is one way to beat the post-game traffic.\n\nFor the first few decades, the Super Bowl half-time performance featured marching bands, drill teams and Disney's mouseketeers.\n\n1987's show was altogether more bizarre.\n\nA magician named \"Elvis Presto\" burst out of a jukebox, before performing a series of conjuring tricks, aided by 2,000 part-time dancers, 102 custom Harley Davidson motorcycles and some of rock's biggest classics.\n\nAt the culmination of the show, the \"Prince of Prestidigitation\" performed an interactive magic trick (\"pick a card, concentrate real hard\") while viewers at home watched through 3D glasses.\n\nIt was cheesier than a wheel of brie - and prompted the NFL to adopt a more modern approach.\n\nShe arrived on a mechanical tiger, and departed on a shooting star - but Katy Perry couldn't compete with the infamous \"left shark\".\n\nHe was one of two foam-suited dancers flanking Katy while she performed Teenage Dream. While the one on the right was forgettable, the left shark flailed around in a desperate attempt to remember his dance moves.\n\nIt quickly became a viral sensation, spawning a whole range of merchandise from the ever-savvy pop star.\n\nAnd when the half-time show was nominated for an Emmy, Katy made sure to thank her faithful friend.\n\nPoor old Janet Jackson. She was at the end of a triumphant, hit-laden medley when Justin Timberlake ripped the front off her bodice, revealing a heavily-bejewelled superboob.\n\nFew ever believed that the \"wardrobe malfunction\" was indeed a malfunction - but if you look at the photographs taken immediately after the event, Jackson appears mortified (notably, these were not the pictures printed by the press).\n\nNonetheless, America went apoplectic. The Federal Complaints Commission reportedly got more than 200,000 complaints, while Janet was blacklisted by MTV and radio. Her career never fully recovered.\n\nBut there is a bright side to this story. A PayPal employee called Jawed Karim missed the half-time show and grew frustrated that he couldn't watch the incident online.\n\nIn response, he and his friends Steve Chen and Chad Hurley began coding a website where people could upload their own content. That site would end up being YouTube.\n\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "summary": "Lady Gaga is leading the Sunday\u2019s Super Bowl stage. She has a high standard to follow, including notable performances by Prince in 2007, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and the empowering Beyonce. Also Katy Perry and Janet Jackson performed with troubles during their show."}
{"article_id": "464dc2729a8648848f8435dba9d337a3", "article": "Excrement thrown at the statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes has triggered a wave of protests across South Africa against 'racist' historical figures.\n\nMemorials to South Africa's colonial past were defaced by mainly young black protesters as statues of British monarchs Queen Victoria and King George V were splashed with paint in the cities of Port Elizabeth and Durban respectively.\n\nVandals poured paint over Scottish-South African missionary Andrew Murray's statue in the Western Cape.\n\nWar memorials were also defaced. A bronze rider marking the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902, was toppled from his horse.\n\nObject of anger: This statue of Queen Victoria outside the Port Elizabeth city library in South Africa is among a number of memorials to British colonials that have been vandalised during protests against 'racist' figures.\n\nA statue of a British soldier lays on the ground after being broken off its base in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.\n\nThe defaced statue of British mining magnate and politician, Cecil John Rhodes, is lifted by a crane, from its position at the University of Cape Town (left), while (right) a chair marks the spot on the plinth where the decades old bronze statue stood before it was vandalised.\n\nIn the latest demonstration, vandals smeared paint the figure of a young Mohandas Gandhi.\n\nStanding in the square in downtown Johannesburg named for Mahatma Gandhi, the memorial marks the Indian anti-colonial leader's time in South Africa, where he formulated the principle of passive resistance.\n\nThe protester, who smudged white paint on Gandhi's cloak, accused him of being racist during his time in the country.\n\nFounding fathers of Afrikaner nationalism were also targeted.\n\nIn Pretoria, the memorial of 19th century Afrikaner leader Paul Kruger was twice daubed with bright green paint, while the statue of Marthinus Pretorius, who founded the capital city, was splashed with reddish brown paint, according to local media reports.\n\nThe statue of Louis Botha, the president of the South African Union in the early 1900s, was smeared with red and blue paint outside parliament in Cape Town on the same day that the Rhodes sculpture was removed from its perch overlooking the University of Cape Town after weeks of student protest.\n\nIn the Free State province, a statue of Boer General Jan Fick was splashed with red paint in the town named after him in 1883, Ficksburg.\n\nAnother statue is cleaned down after being splashed with green paint on Pretoria's Church Square.\n\nSecurity guards (left) walk past a statue of former South African statesman and Afrikaner leader Louis Botha, which has been defaced with red paint outside the South African parliament building in Cape Town.\n\nSeveral people have been arrested and local authorities have spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the statues.\n\nThe opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has come out in support of its members who have claimed responsibility for these acts of vandalism.\n\nIt comes days after white solidarity groups held protests over the removal of a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from the University of Cape Town after it was daubed with excrement.\n\nMembers of the university council ordered that the bronze sculpture be removed after hearing its presence made black students feel uncomfortable and was seen a symbol of historical white oppression.\n\nThe defaced statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes is tied by straps to a crane before its removal at the University of Cape Town. It follows weeks of protests at the university over the symbolism of the statue.\n\nThe monument has been vandalised in recent weeks. It has not yet been decided where it will be moved.\n\nThe government backed the move, with Sandile Memela, the spokesman for the arts and culture ministry, saying they are working to see if the country can take an 'official position' on statues and other colonial symbols.\n\n'It marks a significant... shift where the country deals with its ugly past in a positive and constructive way', he said to press agency AFP, adding the government did not encourage the violent removal of statues.\n\nBut the decision to move the monument of Rhodes \u2013 a 19th century imperialist who critics say helped pave the way for apartheid \u2013 has sparked protests in itself.\n\nThe youth wing of white Afrikaner solidarity group AfriForum handed a memorandum to parliament in Cape Town to 'demand protection' for their heritage.\n\nThe same statue was covered in plastic bags after protests by students and staff at the university in March.\n\nThe university's council heard that black students felt uncomfortable because of the bronze monument.\n\nPolitician and businessman Cecil Rhodes is called a 'racist' by his opponents.\n\nBorn in 1853, he made his fortune in diamond mines, and entered into politics as an outspoken supporter of colonialism. He later founded Rhodesia - modern-day Zimbabwe - which was named after him.\n\nHe believed England was the 'master race', and wanted to draw a 'red line' railway from Cairo to Cape Town for the British Empire - spanning the entire continent of Africa.\n\nWhile his supporters say he brought political and physical infrastructure to South Africa, others say his actions laid the groundwork for apartheid by restricting the rights of black Africans to work.\n\nWhile they are not recognised as supporters of Rhodes, statues of their heroes have been attacked during the university protests.\n\nA monument of former president Paul Kruger was splattered with paint, and Afrikaner men, some of them in quasi-military outfits, demonstrated next to it on Wednesday.\n\n'The Afrikaner is -- from a historical perspective -- increasingly being portrayed as criminals and land thieves,' solidary group Afriforum said in a statement.\n\n'If the heritage of the Afrikaner is not important to Government, our youth members will preserve our own heritage.'\n\nIt has not been decided where the statue of Rhodes will end up, although it will likely be held in a museum.\n\nBut as tension grow on campuses about the statues of historical South African figures, Jonathan Jansen \u2013 the first black vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State \u2013 denied that there was a race war coming.\n\nHe wrote in South African newspaper The Times on Thursday: 'The reason is simple: the overwhelming majority of South Africans, black and white, believe in a middle path somewhere between reconciliation and social justice.'\n\nCecil Rhodes, pictured on the right, in 1896 in Rhodesia with an unknown companion and a black manservant.\n\nPeople look the defaced statue of former South African president Paul Kruger in Church Square, Pretoria.", "summary": "Excrement thrown at the statue of Cecil John Rhodes started a rash of similar vandalism of British and Afrikan statues across South Africa. The vandals cited racism and a history of white colonialism as motives for defacing the statues.    "}
{"article_id": "464dc2729a8648848f8435dba9d337a3", "article": "Excrement thrown at the statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes has triggered a wave of protests across South Africa against 'racist' historical figures.\n\nMemorials to South Africa's colonial past were defaced by mainly young black protesters as statues of British monarchs Queen Victoria and King George V were splashed with paint in the cities of Port Elizabeth and Durban respectively.\n\nVandals poured paint over Scottish-South African missionary Andrew Murray's statue in the Western Cape.\n\nWar memorials were also defaced. A bronze rider marking the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902, was toppled from his horse.\n\nObject of anger: This statue of Queen Victoria outside the Port Elizabeth city library in South Africa is among a number of memorials to British colonials that have been vandalised during protests against 'racist' figures.\n\nA statue of a British soldier lays on the ground after being broken off its base in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.\n\nThe defaced statue of British mining magnate and politician, Cecil John Rhodes, is lifted by a crane, from its position at the University of Cape Town (left), while (right) a chair marks the spot on the plinth where the decades old bronze statue stood before it was vandalised.\n\nIn the latest demonstration, vandals smeared paint the figure of a young Mohandas Gandhi.\n\nStanding in the square in downtown Johannesburg named for Mahatma Gandhi, the memorial marks the Indian anti-colonial leader's time in South Africa, where he formulated the principle of passive resistance.\n\nThe protester, who smudged white paint on Gandhi's cloak, accused him of being racist during his time in the country.\n\nFounding fathers of Afrikaner nationalism were also targeted.\n\nIn Pretoria, the memorial of 19th century Afrikaner leader Paul Kruger was twice daubed with bright green paint, while the statue of Marthinus Pretorius, who founded the capital city, was splashed with reddish brown paint, according to local media reports.\n\nThe statue of Louis Botha, the president of the South African Union in the early 1900s, was smeared with red and blue paint outside parliament in Cape Town on the same day that the Rhodes sculpture was removed from its perch overlooking the University of Cape Town after weeks of student protest.\n\nIn the Free State province, a statue of Boer General Jan Fick was splashed with red paint in the town named after him in 1883, Ficksburg.\n\nAnother statue is cleaned down after being splashed with green paint on Pretoria's Church Square.\n\nSecurity guards (left) walk past a statue of former South African statesman and Afrikaner leader Louis Botha, which has been defaced with red paint outside the South African parliament building in Cape Town.\n\nSeveral people have been arrested and local authorities have spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the statues.\n\nThe opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has come out in support of its members who have claimed responsibility for these acts of vandalism.\n\nIt comes days after white solidarity groups held protests over the removal of a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from the University of Cape Town after it was daubed with excrement.\n\nMembers of the university council ordered that the bronze sculpture be removed after hearing its presence made black students feel uncomfortable and was seen a symbol of historical white oppression.\n\nThe defaced statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes is tied by straps to a crane before its removal at the University of Cape Town. It follows weeks of protests at the university over the symbolism of the statue.\n\nThe monument has been vandalised in recent weeks. It has not yet been decided where it will be moved.\n\nThe government backed the move, with Sandile Memela, the spokesman for the arts and culture ministry, saying they are working to see if the country can take an 'official position' on statues and other colonial symbols.\n\n'It marks a significant... shift where the country deals with its ugly past in a positive and constructive way', he said to press agency AFP, adding the government did not encourage the violent removal of statues.\n\nBut the decision to move the monument of Rhodes \u2013 a 19th century imperialist who critics say helped pave the way for apartheid \u2013 has sparked protests in itself.\n\nThe youth wing of white Afrikaner solidarity group AfriForum handed a memorandum to parliament in Cape Town to 'demand protection' for their heritage.\n\nThe same statue was covered in plastic bags after protests by students and staff at the university in March.\n\nThe university's council heard that black students felt uncomfortable because of the bronze monument.\n\nPolitician and businessman Cecil Rhodes is called a 'racist' by his opponents.\n\nBorn in 1853, he made his fortune in diamond mines, and entered into politics as an outspoken supporter of colonialism. He later founded Rhodesia - modern-day Zimbabwe - which was named after him.\n\nHe believed England was the 'master race', and wanted to draw a 'red line' railway from Cairo to Cape Town for the British Empire - spanning the entire continent of Africa.\n\nWhile his supporters say he brought political and physical infrastructure to South Africa, others say his actions laid the groundwork for apartheid by restricting the rights of black Africans to work.\n\nWhile they are not recognised as supporters of Rhodes, statues of their heroes have been attacked during the university protests.\n\nA monument of former president Paul Kruger was splattered with paint, and Afrikaner men, some of them in quasi-military outfits, demonstrated next to it on Wednesday.\n\n'The Afrikaner is -- from a historical perspective -- increasingly being portrayed as criminals and land thieves,' solidary group Afriforum said in a statement.\n\n'If the heritage of the Afrikaner is not important to Government, our youth members will preserve our own heritage.'\n\nIt has not been decided where the statue of Rhodes will end up, although it will likely be held in a museum.\n\nBut as tension grow on campuses about the statues of historical South African figures, Jonathan Jansen \u2013 the first black vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State \u2013 denied that there was a race war coming.\n\nHe wrote in South African newspaper The Times on Thursday: 'The reason is simple: the overwhelming majority of South Africans, black and white, believe in a middle path somewhere between reconciliation and social justice.'\n\nCecil Rhodes, pictured on the right, in 1896 in Rhodesia with an unknown companion and a black manservant.\n\nPeople look the defaced statue of former South African president Paul Kruger in Church Square, Pretoria.", "summary": "The throwing of excrement at a statue in South Africa has triggered protests aimed at \"racist historical figures\".  Several individuals have been reported to have been arrested as the government doles out money to clean up the defacings.  "}
{"article_id": "464dc2729a8648848f8435dba9d337a3", "article": "Excrement thrown at the statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes has triggered a wave of protests across South Africa against 'racist' historical figures.\n\nMemorials to South Africa's colonial past were defaced by mainly young black protesters as statues of British monarchs Queen Victoria and King George V were splashed with paint in the cities of Port Elizabeth and Durban respectively.\n\nVandals poured paint over Scottish-South African missionary Andrew Murray's statue in the Western Cape.\n\nWar memorials were also defaced. A bronze rider marking the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902, was toppled from his horse.\n\nObject of anger: This statue of Queen Victoria outside the Port Elizabeth city library in South Africa is among a number of memorials to British colonials that have been vandalised during protests against 'racist' figures.\n\nA statue of a British soldier lays on the ground after being broken off its base in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.\n\nThe defaced statue of British mining magnate and politician, Cecil John Rhodes, is lifted by a crane, from its position at the University of Cape Town (left), while (right) a chair marks the spot on the plinth where the decades old bronze statue stood before it was vandalised.\n\nIn the latest demonstration, vandals smeared paint the figure of a young Mohandas Gandhi.\n\nStanding in the square in downtown Johannesburg named for Mahatma Gandhi, the memorial marks the Indian anti-colonial leader's time in South Africa, where he formulated the principle of passive resistance.\n\nThe protester, who smudged white paint on Gandhi's cloak, accused him of being racist during his time in the country.\n\nFounding fathers of Afrikaner nationalism were also targeted.\n\nIn Pretoria, the memorial of 19th century Afrikaner leader Paul Kruger was twice daubed with bright green paint, while the statue of Marthinus Pretorius, who founded the capital city, was splashed with reddish brown paint, according to local media reports.\n\nThe statue of Louis Botha, the president of the South African Union in the early 1900s, was smeared with red and blue paint outside parliament in Cape Town on the same day that the Rhodes sculpture was removed from its perch overlooking the University of Cape Town after weeks of student protest.\n\nIn the Free State province, a statue of Boer General Jan Fick was splashed with red paint in the town named after him in 1883, Ficksburg.\n\nAnother statue is cleaned down after being splashed with green paint on Pretoria's Church Square.\n\nSecurity guards (left) walk past a statue of former South African statesman and Afrikaner leader Louis Botha, which has been defaced with red paint outside the South African parliament building in Cape Town.\n\nSeveral people have been arrested and local authorities have spent thousands of dollars cleaning up the statues.\n\nThe opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has come out in support of its members who have claimed responsibility for these acts of vandalism.\n\nIt comes days after white solidarity groups held protests over the removal of a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from the University of Cape Town after it was daubed with excrement.\n\nMembers of the university council ordered that the bronze sculpture be removed after hearing its presence made black students feel uncomfortable and was seen a symbol of historical white oppression.\n\nThe defaced statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes is tied by straps to a crane before its removal at the University of Cape Town. It follows weeks of protests at the university over the symbolism of the statue.\n\nThe monument has been vandalised in recent weeks. It has not yet been decided where it will be moved.\n\nThe government backed the move, with Sandile Memela, the spokesman for the arts and culture ministry, saying they are working to see if the country can take an 'official position' on statues and other colonial symbols.\n\n'It marks a significant... shift where the country deals with its ugly past in a positive and constructive way', he said to press agency AFP, adding the government did not encourage the violent removal of statues.\n\nBut the decision to move the monument of Rhodes \u2013 a 19th century imperialist who critics say helped pave the way for apartheid \u2013 has sparked protests in itself.\n\nThe youth wing of white Afrikaner solidarity group AfriForum handed a memorandum to parliament in Cape Town to 'demand protection' for their heritage.\n\nThe same statue was covered in plastic bags after protests by students and staff at the university in March.\n\nThe university's council heard that black students felt uncomfortable because of the bronze monument.\n\nPolitician and businessman Cecil Rhodes is called a 'racist' by his opponents.\n\nBorn in 1853, he made his fortune in diamond mines, and entered into politics as an outspoken supporter of colonialism. He later founded Rhodesia - modern-day Zimbabwe - which was named after him.\n\nHe believed England was the 'master race', and wanted to draw a 'red line' railway from Cairo to Cape Town for the British Empire - spanning the entire continent of Africa.\n\nWhile his supporters say he brought political and physical infrastructure to South Africa, others say his actions laid the groundwork for apartheid by restricting the rights of black Africans to work.\n\nWhile they are not recognised as supporters of Rhodes, statues of their heroes have been attacked during the university protests.\n\nA monument of former president Paul Kruger was splattered with paint, and Afrikaner men, some of them in quasi-military outfits, demonstrated next to it on Wednesday.\n\n'The Afrikaner is -- from a historical perspective -- increasingly being portrayed as criminals and land thieves,' solidary group Afriforum said in a statement.\n\n'If the heritage of the Afrikaner is not important to Government, our youth members will preserve our own heritage.'\n\nIt has not been decided where the statue of Rhodes will end up, although it will likely be held in a museum.\n\nBut as tension grow on campuses about the statues of historical South African figures, Jonathan Jansen \u2013 the first black vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State \u2013 denied that there was a race war coming.\n\nHe wrote in South African newspaper The Times on Thursday: 'The reason is simple: the overwhelming majority of South Africans, black and white, believe in a middle path somewhere between reconciliation and social justice.'\n\nCecil Rhodes, pictured on the right, in 1896 in Rhodesia with an unknown companion and a black manservant.\n\nPeople look the defaced statue of former South African president Paul Kruger in Church Square, Pretoria.", "summary": "Young black protesters triggered a wave of protests across South Africa against \u201cracist\u201d historical figures. The protests started when excrement was thrown at the Cecil John Rhodes Statue, which led to the vandalizing of more historical figures. Several people have been arrested, and thousands of dollars were spent to clean the statues. "}
{"article_id": "e5e348d19bb54ebca971720d11e3490d", "article": "David Cameron became \"distracted\" after the 2011 intervention in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said.\n\nSpeaking to the Atlantic magazine, he said the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now \"a mess\".\n\nThe article also said he had warned the PM the UK would have to pay its \"fair share\" and spend 2% of GDP on defence.\n\nIn response, Number 10 said there were \"many difficult challenges\" in Libya, while the White House said it deeply valued the UK's contributions.\n\nDowning Street did not comment on President Obama's remark to the PM about defence spending, reportedly made before Chancellor George Osborne said the government would fulfil a Nato pledge to spend 2% of national income on defence last year.\n\nIn response to the interview, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Mr Cameron had been \"as close a partner as the president has had\" adding that \"we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives\".\n\nBBC North America editor Jon Sopel said the unsolicited statement put out by the White House suggested Downing Street had reacted angrily to the article.\n\n\"It's like we've seen a curtain drawn back on the unspun thoughts of President Obama, complete with frustration as well, and what we've seen tonight is the White House trying to close the curtain as quickly as it can,\" he added.\n\nThe toppling of the Gaddafi regime in Libya - following UN-backed air strikes designed to protect civilians - led to a power vacuum and instability, with no authority in full control.\n\nThe intervention was led by the UK and France - and in his interview, Mr Obama reflects on \"what went wrong\", saying: \"There's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up.\"\n\nMr Cameron, he said, became \"distracted by a range of other things\". He also criticised former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, saying he had tried to claim the spotlight.\n\nThe former French president, he said, \"wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure\" for the intervention.\n\nPresident Obama said the intervention \"averted large-scale civilian casualties (and) prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict\". But he added: \"And despite all that, Libya is a mess.\"\n\nHe also criticised what he called \"free riders\" in the interview, saying European and Gulf countries were calling for action against Gaddafi, adding: \"But what has been a habit over the last several decades in these circumstances is people pushing us to act but then showing an unwillingness to put any skin in the game.\"\n\nDespite efforts to support Libya's National Transitional Council, and the first elections in the country for decades, it rapidly descended into violence, with two rival governments and the formation of hundreds of militias, some allied to so-called Islamic State.\n\nIn January, Mr Cameron told MPs the \"Libyan people were given the opportunity\" to build a stable democracy - and it was a matter of \"huge regret\" they had not taken it.\n\nHe stressed that - unlike in Iraq - the post-conflict planning was locally driven.\n\n\"Gaddafi was bearing down on people in Benghazi and threatening to shoot his own people like rats,\" he said. \"An international coalition came together to protect those people and to help the Libyan people, who then got rid of Gaddafi.\n\n\"And they had an opportunity to build what they said they wanted.\"\n\nResponding to President Obama's interview, Downing Street said \"coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do\".\n\nThe government has tried to support stability in Libya and is \"working hard to support the UN-led process to establish a stable and inclusive government that will allow them to build a peaceful future\", a spokesman said.\n\n\"But ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community - this process needs to be led by the Libyan people,\" he added.\n\nThe US National Security Council spokesman added: \"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us - including the United States - could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.\"\n\nHe said the UK had \"stepped up on a range of issues\" including meeting the 2% commitment and pressing other Nato members to do the same.\n\nFormer Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it was \"a bit rich\" for the US president to single out the UK and France, as they had carried out more air operations in the Libya campaign than any other country.\n\n15 February 2011 - Protests against Colonel Gaddafi's regime erupt in Libya\n\n20 February - Anti-Gaddafi rebels seize control of Libya's second city Benghazi\n\n21 February - David Cameron, on a tour of the Middle East, condemns violence by the Gaddafi regime. Over the next few days he faces criticism over the government's handling of the evacuation of Britons from Libya\n\n28 February: Mr Cameron asks the Ministry of Defence to \"work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone\" over Libya\n\n2 March: Mr Cameron is forced to defend the no-fly zone plan after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates dismisses the idea as \"loose talk\"\n\n14 March: Mr Cameron insists it is \"perfectly deliverable\" - and denies he is having trouble convincing other EU leaders, with the exception of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of the need for one\n\n17 March: The UN Security Council votes to impose a no-fly zone over Libya\n\n19 March: The RAF begins bombing raids alongside French and US jets, with logistical support from several Arab nations\n\n21 March: MPs vote to authorise UK military action, which is backed by then Labour leader Ed Miliband\n\n21 August: Rebel fighters enter Tripoli. Mr Cameron cuts short his summer holiday in Cornwall to hold a meeting of the National Security Council and makes a statement outside Downing Street saying: \"Gaddafi must stop fighting - without conditions - and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya.\"\n\n1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya, as Gaddafi urges his supporters to fight on\n\n15 September: Speaking in Benghazi's Tahrir square, Mr Cameron praises the way Libya's interim authority has taken charge but warns the \"hardest part\" is still to come\n\n20 October: Gaddafi is captured and killed by rebel fighters in the city of Sirte", "summary": "US President Barack Obama criticizes the UK and France on their lack of continuing support in Libya after joint effort military support overturned Colonel Gaddafi regime and left a power vacuum. Many feel this is unfair, and it's not clear who is to blame, only that Libya was left a mess after Gaddafi's capture. "}
{"article_id": "e5e348d19bb54ebca971720d11e3490d", "article": "David Cameron became \"distracted\" after the 2011 intervention in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said.\n\nSpeaking to the Atlantic magazine, he said the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now \"a mess\".\n\nThe article also said he had warned the PM the UK would have to pay its \"fair share\" and spend 2% of GDP on defence.\n\nIn response, Number 10 said there were \"many difficult challenges\" in Libya, while the White House said it deeply valued the UK's contributions.\n\nDowning Street did not comment on President Obama's remark to the PM about defence spending, reportedly made before Chancellor George Osborne said the government would fulfil a Nato pledge to spend 2% of national income on defence last year.\n\nIn response to the interview, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Mr Cameron had been \"as close a partner as the president has had\" adding that \"we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives\".\n\nBBC North America editor Jon Sopel said the unsolicited statement put out by the White House suggested Downing Street had reacted angrily to the article.\n\n\"It's like we've seen a curtain drawn back on the unspun thoughts of President Obama, complete with frustration as well, and what we've seen tonight is the White House trying to close the curtain as quickly as it can,\" he added.\n\nThe toppling of the Gaddafi regime in Libya - following UN-backed air strikes designed to protect civilians - led to a power vacuum and instability, with no authority in full control.\n\nThe intervention was led by the UK and France - and in his interview, Mr Obama reflects on \"what went wrong\", saying: \"There's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up.\"\n\nMr Cameron, he said, became \"distracted by a range of other things\". He also criticised former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, saying he had tried to claim the spotlight.\n\nThe former French president, he said, \"wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure\" for the intervention.\n\nPresident Obama said the intervention \"averted large-scale civilian casualties (and) prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict\". But he added: \"And despite all that, Libya is a mess.\"\n\nHe also criticised what he called \"free riders\" in the interview, saying European and Gulf countries were calling for action against Gaddafi, adding: \"But what has been a habit over the last several decades in these circumstances is people pushing us to act but then showing an unwillingness to put any skin in the game.\"\n\nDespite efforts to support Libya's National Transitional Council, and the first elections in the country for decades, it rapidly descended into violence, with two rival governments and the formation of hundreds of militias, some allied to so-called Islamic State.\n\nIn January, Mr Cameron told MPs the \"Libyan people were given the opportunity\" to build a stable democracy - and it was a matter of \"huge regret\" they had not taken it.\n\nHe stressed that - unlike in Iraq - the post-conflict planning was locally driven.\n\n\"Gaddafi was bearing down on people in Benghazi and threatening to shoot his own people like rats,\" he said. \"An international coalition came together to protect those people and to help the Libyan people, who then got rid of Gaddafi.\n\n\"And they had an opportunity to build what they said they wanted.\"\n\nResponding to President Obama's interview, Downing Street said \"coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do\".\n\nThe government has tried to support stability in Libya and is \"working hard to support the UN-led process to establish a stable and inclusive government that will allow them to build a peaceful future\", a spokesman said.\n\n\"But ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community - this process needs to be led by the Libyan people,\" he added.\n\nThe US National Security Council spokesman added: \"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us - including the United States - could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.\"\n\nHe said the UK had \"stepped up on a range of issues\" including meeting the 2% commitment and pressing other Nato members to do the same.\n\nFormer Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it was \"a bit rich\" for the US president to single out the UK and France, as they had carried out more air operations in the Libya campaign than any other country.\n\n15 February 2011 - Protests against Colonel Gaddafi's regime erupt in Libya\n\n20 February - Anti-Gaddafi rebels seize control of Libya's second city Benghazi\n\n21 February - David Cameron, on a tour of the Middle East, condemns violence by the Gaddafi regime. Over the next few days he faces criticism over the government's handling of the evacuation of Britons from Libya\n\n28 February: Mr Cameron asks the Ministry of Defence to \"work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone\" over Libya\n\n2 March: Mr Cameron is forced to defend the no-fly zone plan after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates dismisses the idea as \"loose talk\"\n\n14 March: Mr Cameron insists it is \"perfectly deliverable\" - and denies he is having trouble convincing other EU leaders, with the exception of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of the need for one\n\n17 March: The UN Security Council votes to impose a no-fly zone over Libya\n\n19 March: The RAF begins bombing raids alongside French and US jets, with logistical support from several Arab nations\n\n21 March: MPs vote to authorise UK military action, which is backed by then Labour leader Ed Miliband\n\n21 August: Rebel fighters enter Tripoli. Mr Cameron cuts short his summer holiday in Cornwall to hold a meeting of the National Security Council and makes a statement outside Downing Street saying: \"Gaddafi must stop fighting - without conditions - and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya.\"\n\n1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya, as Gaddafi urges his supporters to fight on\n\n15 September: Speaking in Benghazi's Tahrir square, Mr Cameron praises the way Libya's interim authority has taken charge but warns the \"hardest part\" is still to come\n\n20 October: Gaddafi is captured and killed by rebel fighters in the city of Sirte", "summary": "President Obama criticizes UK prime minister David Cameron for not paying his fair share in defense spending, and for not doing more to ensure the Libia operation went smoothly. Obama admits that the process to oust Ghaddafi went as well as expected, it was the follow-up that needed work. "}
{"article_id": "e5e348d19bb54ebca971720d11e3490d", "article": "David Cameron became \"distracted\" after the 2011 intervention in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said.\n\nSpeaking to the Atlantic magazine, he said the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now \"a mess\".\n\nThe article also said he had warned the PM the UK would have to pay its \"fair share\" and spend 2% of GDP on defence.\n\nIn response, Number 10 said there were \"many difficult challenges\" in Libya, while the White House said it deeply valued the UK's contributions.\n\nDowning Street did not comment on President Obama's remark to the PM about defence spending, reportedly made before Chancellor George Osborne said the government would fulfil a Nato pledge to spend 2% of national income on defence last year.\n\nIn response to the interview, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Mr Cameron had been \"as close a partner as the president has had\" adding that \"we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives\".\n\nBBC North America editor Jon Sopel said the unsolicited statement put out by the White House suggested Downing Street had reacted angrily to the article.\n\n\"It's like we've seen a curtain drawn back on the unspun thoughts of President Obama, complete with frustration as well, and what we've seen tonight is the White House trying to close the curtain as quickly as it can,\" he added.\n\nThe toppling of the Gaddafi regime in Libya - following UN-backed air strikes designed to protect civilians - led to a power vacuum and instability, with no authority in full control.\n\nThe intervention was led by the UK and France - and in his interview, Mr Obama reflects on \"what went wrong\", saying: \"There's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up.\"\n\nMr Cameron, he said, became \"distracted by a range of other things\". He also criticised former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, saying he had tried to claim the spotlight.\n\nThe former French president, he said, \"wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure\" for the intervention.\n\nPresident Obama said the intervention \"averted large-scale civilian casualties (and) prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict\". But he added: \"And despite all that, Libya is a mess.\"\n\nHe also criticised what he called \"free riders\" in the interview, saying European and Gulf countries were calling for action against Gaddafi, adding: \"But what has been a habit over the last several decades in these circumstances is people pushing us to act but then showing an unwillingness to put any skin in the game.\"\n\nDespite efforts to support Libya's National Transitional Council, and the first elections in the country for decades, it rapidly descended into violence, with two rival governments and the formation of hundreds of militias, some allied to so-called Islamic State.\n\nIn January, Mr Cameron told MPs the \"Libyan people were given the opportunity\" to build a stable democracy - and it was a matter of \"huge regret\" they had not taken it.\n\nHe stressed that - unlike in Iraq - the post-conflict planning was locally driven.\n\n\"Gaddafi was bearing down on people in Benghazi and threatening to shoot his own people like rats,\" he said. \"An international coalition came together to protect those people and to help the Libyan people, who then got rid of Gaddafi.\n\n\"And they had an opportunity to build what they said they wanted.\"\n\nResponding to President Obama's interview, Downing Street said \"coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do\".\n\nThe government has tried to support stability in Libya and is \"working hard to support the UN-led process to establish a stable and inclusive government that will allow them to build a peaceful future\", a spokesman said.\n\n\"But ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community - this process needs to be led by the Libyan people,\" he added.\n\nThe US National Security Council spokesman added: \"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us - including the United States - could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.\"\n\nHe said the UK had \"stepped up on a range of issues\" including meeting the 2% commitment and pressing other Nato members to do the same.\n\nFormer Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it was \"a bit rich\" for the US president to single out the UK and France, as they had carried out more air operations in the Libya campaign than any other country.\n\n15 February 2011 - Protests against Colonel Gaddafi's regime erupt in Libya\n\n20 February - Anti-Gaddafi rebels seize control of Libya's second city Benghazi\n\n21 February - David Cameron, on a tour of the Middle East, condemns violence by the Gaddafi regime. Over the next few days he faces criticism over the government's handling of the evacuation of Britons from Libya\n\n28 February: Mr Cameron asks the Ministry of Defence to \"work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone\" over Libya\n\n2 March: Mr Cameron is forced to defend the no-fly zone plan after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates dismisses the idea as \"loose talk\"\n\n14 March: Mr Cameron insists it is \"perfectly deliverable\" - and denies he is having trouble convincing other EU leaders, with the exception of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of the need for one\n\n17 March: The UN Security Council votes to impose a no-fly zone over Libya\n\n19 March: The RAF begins bombing raids alongside French and US jets, with logistical support from several Arab nations\n\n21 March: MPs vote to authorise UK military action, which is backed by then Labour leader Ed Miliband\n\n21 August: Rebel fighters enter Tripoli. Mr Cameron cuts short his summer holiday in Cornwall to hold a meeting of the National Security Council and makes a statement outside Downing Street saying: \"Gaddafi must stop fighting - without conditions - and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya.\"\n\n1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya, as Gaddafi urges his supporters to fight on\n\n15 September: Speaking in Benghazi's Tahrir square, Mr Cameron praises the way Libya's interim authority has taken charge but warns the \"hardest part\" is still to come\n\n20 October: Gaddafi is captured and killed by rebel fighters in the city of Sirte", "summary": "US President Barack Obama has unveiled his innermost thoughts about British Prime Minister David Cameron's assistance regarding intervention in Libya. While the US National Security counsel was quick to release a statement lauding Cameron and the UK as valued partners, Obama stated previously that he felt Cameron was \"distracted\" and reluctant to participate. "}
{"article_id": "e5e348d19bb54ebca971720d11e3490d", "article": "David Cameron became \"distracted\" after the 2011 intervention in Libya, US President Barack Obama has said.\n\nSpeaking to the Atlantic magazine, he said the operation went as well as he had hoped, but Libya was now \"a mess\".\n\nThe article also said he had warned the PM the UK would have to pay its \"fair share\" and spend 2% of GDP on defence.\n\nIn response, Number 10 said there were \"many difficult challenges\" in Libya, while the White House said it deeply valued the UK's contributions.\n\nDowning Street did not comment on President Obama's remark to the PM about defence spending, reportedly made before Chancellor George Osborne said the government would fulfil a Nato pledge to spend 2% of national income on defence last year.\n\nIn response to the interview, a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Mr Cameron had been \"as close a partner as the president has had\" adding that \"we deeply value the UK's contributions on our shared national security and foreign policy objectives\".\n\nBBC North America editor Jon Sopel said the unsolicited statement put out by the White House suggested Downing Street had reacted angrily to the article.\n\n\"It's like we've seen a curtain drawn back on the unspun thoughts of President Obama, complete with frustration as well, and what we've seen tonight is the White House trying to close the curtain as quickly as it can,\" he added.\n\nThe toppling of the Gaddafi regime in Libya - following UN-backed air strikes designed to protect civilians - led to a power vacuum and instability, with no authority in full control.\n\nThe intervention was led by the UK and France - and in his interview, Mr Obama reflects on \"what went wrong\", saying: \"There's room for criticism, because I had more faith in the Europeans, given Libya's proximity, being invested in the follow-up.\"\n\nMr Cameron, he said, became \"distracted by a range of other things\". He also criticised former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, saying he had tried to claim the spotlight.\n\nThe former French president, he said, \"wanted to trumpet the flights he was taking in the air campaign, despite the fact that we had wiped out all the air defences and essentially set up the entire infrastructure\" for the intervention.\n\nPresident Obama said the intervention \"averted large-scale civilian casualties (and) prevented what almost surely would have been a prolonged and bloody civil conflict\". But he added: \"And despite all that, Libya is a mess.\"\n\nHe also criticised what he called \"free riders\" in the interview, saying European and Gulf countries were calling for action against Gaddafi, adding: \"But what has been a habit over the last several decades in these circumstances is people pushing us to act but then showing an unwillingness to put any skin in the game.\"\n\nDespite efforts to support Libya's National Transitional Council, and the first elections in the country for decades, it rapidly descended into violence, with two rival governments and the formation of hundreds of militias, some allied to so-called Islamic State.\n\nIn January, Mr Cameron told MPs the \"Libyan people were given the opportunity\" to build a stable democracy - and it was a matter of \"huge regret\" they had not taken it.\n\nHe stressed that - unlike in Iraq - the post-conflict planning was locally driven.\n\n\"Gaddafi was bearing down on people in Benghazi and threatening to shoot his own people like rats,\" he said. \"An international coalition came together to protect those people and to help the Libyan people, who then got rid of Gaddafi.\n\n\"And they had an opportunity to build what they said they wanted.\"\n\nResponding to President Obama's interview, Downing Street said \"coming to the aid of innocent civilians who were being tortured and killed by their leader was the right thing to do\".\n\nThe government has tried to support stability in Libya and is \"working hard to support the UN-led process to establish a stable and inclusive government that will allow them to build a peaceful future\", a spokesman said.\n\n\"But ultimately a positive outcome for Libya is not just up to the international community - this process needs to be led by the Libyan people,\" he added.\n\nThe US National Security Council spokesman added: \"With respect to Libya, the president has long said that all of us - including the United States - could have done more in the aftermath of the Libyan intervention.\"\n\nHe said the UK had \"stepped up on a range of issues\" including meeting the 2% commitment and pressing other Nato members to do the same.\n\nFormer Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind said it was \"a bit rich\" for the US president to single out the UK and France, as they had carried out more air operations in the Libya campaign than any other country.\n\n15 February 2011 - Protests against Colonel Gaddafi's regime erupt in Libya\n\n20 February - Anti-Gaddafi rebels seize control of Libya's second city Benghazi\n\n21 February - David Cameron, on a tour of the Middle East, condemns violence by the Gaddafi regime. Over the next few days he faces criticism over the government's handling of the evacuation of Britons from Libya\n\n28 February: Mr Cameron asks the Ministry of Defence to \"work with our allies on plans for a military no-fly zone\" over Libya\n\n2 March: Mr Cameron is forced to defend the no-fly zone plan after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates dismisses the idea as \"loose talk\"\n\n14 March: Mr Cameron insists it is \"perfectly deliverable\" - and denies he is having trouble convincing other EU leaders, with the exception of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, of the need for one\n\n17 March: The UN Security Council votes to impose a no-fly zone over Libya\n\n19 March: The RAF begins bombing raids alongside French and US jets, with logistical support from several Arab nations\n\n21 March: MPs vote to authorise UK military action, which is backed by then Labour leader Ed Miliband\n\n21 August: Rebel fighters enter Tripoli. Mr Cameron cuts short his summer holiday in Cornwall to hold a meeting of the National Security Council and makes a statement outside Downing Street saying: \"Gaddafi must stop fighting - without conditions - and clearly show that he has given up any claim to control Libya.\"\n\n1 September: Libya's interim rulers meet world leaders in Paris to discuss reshaping Libya, as Gaddafi urges his supporters to fight on\n\n15 September: Speaking in Benghazi's Tahrir square, Mr Cameron praises the way Libya's interim authority has taken charge but warns the \"hardest part\" is still to come\n\n20 October: Gaddafi is captured and killed by rebel fighters in the city of Sirte", "summary": "David Cameron became distracted after 2011 challenges in Libya due to statements put out b the White House, though the UK and France lead the intervention. Cameron had distractions when making efforts to support Libya and regretted the range of issues carried out after the air campaign."}
{"article_id": "9ff67e17a61f4b98ba99f986aea9b37c", "article": "League One play-off chasing Millwall missed the chance to make significant ground on the top six as they were held to a goalless draw by Walsall.\n\nThe hosts had the better chances as Lee Gregory volleyed over and Steve Morison headed Shane Ferguson's cross wide.\n\nWalsall's best chance saw Florent Cuvelier long-range strike held by Millwall goalkeeper Jordan Archer.\n\nSubstitute Aiden O'Brien fired over from long range as Millwall closed the gap on the play-offs to four points.\n\nMatch ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nSecond Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nDelay in match Jason McCarthy (Walsall) because of an injury.\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nEoghan O'Connell (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Shaun Cummings (Millwall).\n\nSimeon Jackson (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nCorner,  Walsall. Conceded by Shaun Cummings.\n\nFoul by Aiden O'Brien (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nAttempt missed. Kieron Morris (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Will Randall-Hurren replaces Erhun Oztumer.\n\nAttempt missed. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.\n\nFoul by Ben Thompson (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nShaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Simeon Jackson (Walsall).\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Kieron Morris replaces Florent Cuvelier.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) header from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n\nFred Onyedinma (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Joe Edwards (Walsall).\n\nAttempt blocked. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Simeon Jackson replaces Amadou Bakayoko.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Fred Onyedinma replaces Jed Wallace.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Aiden O'Brien replaces Shane Ferguson.\n\nSteve Morison (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt blocked. Ben Thompson (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nBen Thompson (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Florent Cuvelier (Walsall).\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nIsaiah Osbourne (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nLee Gregory (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nSecond Half begins Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nFirst Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.", "summary": "Intense League One Match between Millwall and Walsall included a player injury, and maximum effort from both sides, but ends in a draw with neither team scoring any points. "}
{"article_id": "9ff67e17a61f4b98ba99f986aea9b37c", "article": "League One play-off chasing Millwall missed the chance to make significant ground on the top six as they were held to a goalless draw by Walsall.\n\nThe hosts had the better chances as Lee Gregory volleyed over and Steve Morison headed Shane Ferguson's cross wide.\n\nWalsall's best chance saw Florent Cuvelier long-range strike held by Millwall goalkeeper Jordan Archer.\n\nSubstitute Aiden O'Brien fired over from long range as Millwall closed the gap on the play-offs to four points.\n\nMatch ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nSecond Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nDelay in match Jason McCarthy (Walsall) because of an injury.\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nEoghan O'Connell (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Shaun Cummings (Millwall).\n\nSimeon Jackson (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nCorner,  Walsall. Conceded by Shaun Cummings.\n\nFoul by Aiden O'Brien (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nAttempt missed. Kieron Morris (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Will Randall-Hurren replaces Erhun Oztumer.\n\nAttempt missed. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.\n\nFoul by Ben Thompson (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nShaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Simeon Jackson (Walsall).\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Kieron Morris replaces Florent Cuvelier.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) header from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n\nFred Onyedinma (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Joe Edwards (Walsall).\n\nAttempt blocked. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Simeon Jackson replaces Amadou Bakayoko.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Fred Onyedinma replaces Jed Wallace.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Aiden O'Brien replaces Shane Ferguson.\n\nSteve Morison (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt blocked. Ben Thompson (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nBen Thompson (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Florent Cuvelier (Walsall).\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nIsaiah Osbourne (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nLee Gregory (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nSecond Half begins Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nFirst Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.", "summary": "Play-by-play of the League One tournament between Millwall and Walsall. Neither party retained a score during the first half. They began the second half with zero points for both teams. "}
{"article_id": "9ff67e17a61f4b98ba99f986aea9b37c", "article": "League One play-off chasing Millwall missed the chance to make significant ground on the top six as they were held to a goalless draw by Walsall.\n\nThe hosts had the better chances as Lee Gregory volleyed over and Steve Morison headed Shane Ferguson's cross wide.\n\nWalsall's best chance saw Florent Cuvelier long-range strike held by Millwall goalkeeper Jordan Archer.\n\nSubstitute Aiden O'Brien fired over from long range as Millwall closed the gap on the play-offs to four points.\n\nMatch ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nSecond Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nDelay in match Jason McCarthy (Walsall) because of an injury.\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nEoghan O'Connell (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Shaun Cummings (Millwall).\n\nSimeon Jackson (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nCorner,  Walsall. Conceded by Shaun Cummings.\n\nFoul by Aiden O'Brien (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nAttempt missed. Kieron Morris (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Will Randall-Hurren replaces Erhun Oztumer.\n\nAttempt missed. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.\n\nFoul by Ben Thompson (Millwall).\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nShaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Simeon Jackson (Walsall).\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Kieron Morris replaces Florent Cuvelier.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) header from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nJoe Edwards (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n\nFred Onyedinma (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Joe Edwards (Walsall).\n\nAttempt blocked. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nSubstitution, Walsall. Simeon Jackson replaces Amadou Bakayoko.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Fred Onyedinma replaces Jed Wallace.\n\nSubstitution, Millwall. Aiden O'Brien replaces Shane Ferguson.\n\nSteve Morison (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt blocked. Ben Thompson (Millwall) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.\n\nCorner,  Millwall. Conceded by Eoghan O'Connell.\n\nAttempt missed. Joe Edwards (Walsall) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.\n\nBen Thompson (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nFoul by Florent Cuvelier (Walsall).\n\nFoul by Steve Morison (Millwall).\n\nIsaiah Osbourne (Walsall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nLee Gregory (Millwall) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nFoul by Eoghan O'Connell (Walsall).\n\nSecond Half begins Millwall 0, Walsall 0.\n\nFirst Half ends, Millwall 0, Walsall 0.", "summary": "Millwall FC was held to a goalless draw by Walsall FC. Millwall had a chance to close in on the top 6 of the table with a victory, but that opportunity is now squandered. Millwall had better scoring chances than Walsall but neither side could convert.   "}
{"article_id": "bd977d12913d4d0d94fd3f270fa5f560", "article": "Dawn Purvis is to step down as programme director of Northern Ireland's Marie Stopes clinic.\n\nIt is the first private clinic to offer early medical abortions to women in Northern Ireland under strict legal controls.\n\nA former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Ms Purvis has been director of the clinic since it was launched in 2012.\n\nMs Purvis, who will step down on 24 April, said it was \"time to move on\".\n\nShe will take on a new role on the clinic's Northern Ireland advisory board.\n\nLast November, anti-abortion protester Bernadette Smyth, who leads the Precious Life group, was convicted of harassing Ms Purvis at the Marie Stopes office in Belfast city centre.\n\nMs Purvis told the BBC that had had no influence on her decision to step down.\n\n\"I think the clinic's well established here now, we're providing services more and more every year and I'm delighted to be remaining on the advisory board for the clinic.\n\n\"But I feel it's time to move on and I think it's time for Marie Stopes to get someone else in to manage the clinic and take it to new places,\" she said.\n\n\"At times it was difficult, particularly last year with the court case and the harassment, but I put that behind me and have concentrated on delivering services for women in Ireland both north and south.\n\n\"I think I've achieved a significant historical change in the perception of abortion in Northern Ireland from where the usual narrative was that abortion was illegal in Northern Ireland to now one where people understand that abortion is legal under certain circumstances.\n\n\"I think we've challenged the myths and stereotypes that are presented by those who are opposed to a woman's right to chose.\"\n\nGenevieve Edwards, director of policy for Marie Stopes UK, said: \"We were so lucky to have Dawn and wish her every success in whatever she chooses to do.\n\n\"The support for the clinic since it opened in very challenging circumstances has been heartening and a source of great comfort and pride for our staff and volunteers.\n\n\"We are now actively recruiting for Dawn's successor to lead us into the next phase of the clinic's journey.\"", "summary": "The program director for Northern Irelands first abortion clinic has stepped down. Dawn Purvis, who has served as program director during the transition from abortion being completely illegal to legal under strict guidelines, claims public backlash and criticism have not affected her decision, she is just ready to move on. "}
{"article_id": "bd977d12913d4d0d94fd3f270fa5f560", "article": "Dawn Purvis is to step down as programme director of Northern Ireland's Marie Stopes clinic.\n\nIt is the first private clinic to offer early medical abortions to women in Northern Ireland under strict legal controls.\n\nA former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Ms Purvis has been director of the clinic since it was launched in 2012.\n\nMs Purvis, who will step down on 24 April, said it was \"time to move on\".\n\nShe will take on a new role on the clinic's Northern Ireland advisory board.\n\nLast November, anti-abortion protester Bernadette Smyth, who leads the Precious Life group, was convicted of harassing Ms Purvis at the Marie Stopes office in Belfast city centre.\n\nMs Purvis told the BBC that had had no influence on her decision to step down.\n\n\"I think the clinic's well established here now, we're providing services more and more every year and I'm delighted to be remaining on the advisory board for the clinic.\n\n\"But I feel it's time to move on and I think it's time for Marie Stopes to get someone else in to manage the clinic and take it to new places,\" she said.\n\n\"At times it was difficult, particularly last year with the court case and the harassment, but I put that behind me and have concentrated on delivering services for women in Ireland both north and south.\n\n\"I think I've achieved a significant historical change in the perception of abortion in Northern Ireland from where the usual narrative was that abortion was illegal in Northern Ireland to now one where people understand that abortion is legal under certain circumstances.\n\n\"I think we've challenged the myths and stereotypes that are presented by those who are opposed to a woman's right to chose.\"\n\nGenevieve Edwards, director of policy for Marie Stopes UK, said: \"We were so lucky to have Dawn and wish her every success in whatever she chooses to do.\n\n\"The support for the clinic since it opened in very challenging circumstances has been heartening and a source of great comfort and pride for our staff and volunteers.\n\n\"We are now actively recruiting for Dawn's successor to lead us into the next phase of the clinic's journey.\"", "summary": "Dawn Purvis is stepping down from her position as program director at Northern Ireland's Marie Stopes clinic. The clinic provides early medical abortion access to women in Ireland under strict legal controls. Purvis states that it's time for her to move on from her position as the director but will be working on the clinic's advisory board and is delighted to do so.  "}
{"article_id": "bd977d12913d4d0d94fd3f270fa5f560", "article": "Dawn Purvis is to step down as programme director of Northern Ireland's Marie Stopes clinic.\n\nIt is the first private clinic to offer early medical abortions to women in Northern Ireland under strict legal controls.\n\nA former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party, Ms Purvis has been director of the clinic since it was launched in 2012.\n\nMs Purvis, who will step down on 24 April, said it was \"time to move on\".\n\nShe will take on a new role on the clinic's Northern Ireland advisory board.\n\nLast November, anti-abortion protester Bernadette Smyth, who leads the Precious Life group, was convicted of harassing Ms Purvis at the Marie Stopes office in Belfast city centre.\n\nMs Purvis told the BBC that had had no influence on her decision to step down.\n\n\"I think the clinic's well established here now, we're providing services more and more every year and I'm delighted to be remaining on the advisory board for the clinic.\n\n\"But I feel it's time to move on and I think it's time for Marie Stopes to get someone else in to manage the clinic and take it to new places,\" she said.\n\n\"At times it was difficult, particularly last year with the court case and the harassment, but I put that behind me and have concentrated on delivering services for women in Ireland both north and south.\n\n\"I think I've achieved a significant historical change in the perception of abortion in Northern Ireland from where the usual narrative was that abortion was illegal in Northern Ireland to now one where people understand that abortion is legal under certain circumstances.\n\n\"I think we've challenged the myths and stereotypes that are presented by those who are opposed to a woman's right to chose.\"\n\nGenevieve Edwards, director of policy for Marie Stopes UK, said: \"We were so lucky to have Dawn and wish her every success in whatever she chooses to do.\n\n\"The support for the clinic since it opened in very challenging circumstances has been heartening and a source of great comfort and pride for our staff and volunteers.\n\n\"We are now actively recruiting for Dawn's successor to lead us into the next phase of the clinic's journey.\"", "summary": "Dawn Purvis is stepping down as head of the Marie Stope clinic. The facility is the only place in Northern Ireland where Women can get abortions. Dawn believes that \"it's time to move on\". The clinic is actively recruiting for a replacement. "}
{"article_id": "b1ef36b906cc46f2901d438f650f4672", "article": "Ten-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle fell four points adrift at the foot of the Scottish Premiership with defeat by St Johnstone.\n\nSteven Maclean bundled home the opener five minutes before half-time.\n\nThe hosts, slacker after the break, had beleaguered striker Larnell Cole sent-off after he confronted the referee.\n\nLiam Craig sealed the win from the penalty spot with two minutes to play, before Graham Cummins finished a sumptuous stoppage-time move.\n\nAnd things got worse still for Caley Thistle after the match, with captain Gary Warren shown a red card in the tunnel.\n\nSaints remain five points clear of Hearts in fourth place, and closed the gap on third-placed Rangers, who play Aberdeen on Sunday, to three points.\n\nWith game after game ticking past, Inverness' position looks increasingly perilous. Next weekend's trip to Motherwell, second-bottom on goal difference, is now seismic.\n\nThis contest turned nightmarish for the hosts after a bright opening, but the truth is, given their predicament, Caley Thistle did not threaten St Johnstone's goal enough.\n\nBilly Mckay sent a shot over from close range. Alex Fisher nodded a diving header wide. Carl Tremarco miscued a volley.\n\nGreg Tansey did draw a save from Alan Mannus when he rasped in an effort from outside the box, but Richie Foran's side never looked likely to find the net.\n\nTheir best opportunity came immediately after the Saints went ahead, when Tansey fed Cole, who seemed to panic in a terrific position and shot straight at Mannus.\n\nCole's dismissal ended the contest when he appeared to be cautioned twice for challenging referee Stephen Finnie's decision not to award a foul.\n\nSt Johnstone were merciless and could have had more.\n\nWith just one win from their last 21 league games, Inverness look deep in trouble.\n\nTommy Wright's side deserve so much credit. Saints were tactically brilliant, so strong defensively and ruthlessly capitalised on their man advantage.\n\nThey took one of their few first-half chances when Michael Coulson broke down the left and sent a dangerous ball across the six-yard box.\n\nOwain Fon Williams could only parry into the danger area, Cummins' shot was blocked but Maclean followed up to force it home.\n\nThey should have had another when Craig's superb curling corner flew all the way to the back post where Cummins slid in and somehow knocked it over from two yards.\n\nCraig, in his 300th appearance for the club, coolly converted a spot-kick after Cummins was tripped to seal the points.\n\nCummins then slammed home after Miller danced around the area to tee him up, before Craig cracked the bar amid the late flurry.\n\nWith a tendency to finish the season strongly, and just a three-point gap to Rangers, the Perth side look capable of something special this term.\n\nInverness CT manager Richie Foran: \"It is a tough time of the season to be sitting bottom, and I need real men to stand up to that, but not enough of them did that today.\n\n\"It is pure luck we are still in it and it is only four points. I sound like a broken record but one win changes it - that is the truth. But I need braver players with more passion and desire. We controlled aspects of the game without having that ruthless edge to it. I don't think we believed today.\n\n\"The main person who is not good enough is me. I am obviously not doing my job right and big apologies to the supporters. I believe we let them down today.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\n\"It is not good enough. I pick the team, I pick the shape, I will take 90% of the blame for that but the players need to stand up as well.\"\n\nSt Johnstone manager Tommy Wright: \"We went in 1-0 at half-time without playing particularly well but looked a threat. We looked comfortable enough and then after the sending-off, we were ruthless. We scored two and maybe could have scored two or three more.\n\n\"The attitude to go and kick on and make sure we got that second goal, to make sure we weren't having any problems in the last few minutes, was excellent.\n\n\"It's been a week that didn't start so well that's ended absolutely magnificently for us. We enjoy defending. We don't panic when we're under pressure. We're a good side that can do both sides of the game.\n\n\"There's a better chance tonight (of finishing third) but we're not going to get carried away. We'll just keep working away. It keeps us five ahead of Hearts. It was an important result.\"\n\nMatch ends, Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3.\n\nSecond Half ends, Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3.\n\nAttempt missed. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.\n\nLiam Craig (St. Johnstone) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box.\n\nGoal!  Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Chris Millar.\n\nGoal!  Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 2. Liam Craig (St. Johnstone) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n\nPenalty conceded by Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT) after a foul in the penalty area.\n\nPenalty St. Johnstone. Graham Cummins draws a foul in the penalty area.\n\nAttempt blocked. Chris Millar (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n\nAttempt missed. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right following a fast break.\n\nSubstitution, Inverness CT. Scott Boden replaces Jamie McCart.\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. Craig Thomson replaces Blair Alston.\n\nSecond yellow card to Larnell Cole (Inverness CT).\n\nLarnell Cole (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card.\n\nHand ball by Liam Polworth (Inverness CT).\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. Chris Millar replaces Steven MacLean.\n\nAttempt saved. Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.\n\nGary Warren (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone).\n\nAttempt missed. Billy King (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.\n\nAttempt saved. Larnell Cole (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.\n\nFoul by Liam Polworth (Inverness CT).\n\nTam Scobbie (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Gary Warren (Inverness CT).\n\nGraham Cummins (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the left wing.\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. David Wotherspoon replaces Michael Coulson.\n\nAttempt missed. Michael Coulson (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.\n\nFoul by Jamie McCart (Inverness CT).\n\nSteven MacLean (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nAttempt saved. Greg Tansey (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.\n\nBlair Alston (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n\nLiam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Blair Alston (St. Johnstone).\n\nLarnell Cole (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Michael Coulson (St. Johnstone).\n\nAttempt missed. Billy King (Inverness CT) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.\n\nAttempt blocked. Billy McKay (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n\nFoul by Louis Laing (Inverness CT).\n\nMichael Coulson (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nLiam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.", "summary": "Inverness has lost 0 to 3 to St Johnstone at the Scottish Premiership. With only one win in their last 21 games, Inverness manager Richi Foran takes much of the blame, and says that everyone needs to do better, starting with him as the leader. "}
{"article_id": "b1ef36b906cc46f2901d438f650f4672", "article": "Ten-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle fell four points adrift at the foot of the Scottish Premiership with defeat by St Johnstone.\n\nSteven Maclean bundled home the opener five minutes before half-time.\n\nThe hosts, slacker after the break, had beleaguered striker Larnell Cole sent-off after he confronted the referee.\n\nLiam Craig sealed the win from the penalty spot with two minutes to play, before Graham Cummins finished a sumptuous stoppage-time move.\n\nAnd things got worse still for Caley Thistle after the match, with captain Gary Warren shown a red card in the tunnel.\n\nSaints remain five points clear of Hearts in fourth place, and closed the gap on third-placed Rangers, who play Aberdeen on Sunday, to three points.\n\nWith game after game ticking past, Inverness' position looks increasingly perilous. Next weekend's trip to Motherwell, second-bottom on goal difference, is now seismic.\n\nThis contest turned nightmarish for the hosts after a bright opening, but the truth is, given their predicament, Caley Thistle did not threaten St Johnstone's goal enough.\n\nBilly Mckay sent a shot over from close range. Alex Fisher nodded a diving header wide. Carl Tremarco miscued a volley.\n\nGreg Tansey did draw a save from Alan Mannus when he rasped in an effort from outside the box, but Richie Foran's side never looked likely to find the net.\n\nTheir best opportunity came immediately after the Saints went ahead, when Tansey fed Cole, who seemed to panic in a terrific position and shot straight at Mannus.\n\nCole's dismissal ended the contest when he appeared to be cautioned twice for challenging referee Stephen Finnie's decision not to award a foul.\n\nSt Johnstone were merciless and could have had more.\n\nWith just one win from their last 21 league games, Inverness look deep in trouble.\n\nTommy Wright's side deserve so much credit. Saints were tactically brilliant, so strong defensively and ruthlessly capitalised on their man advantage.\n\nThey took one of their few first-half chances when Michael Coulson broke down the left and sent a dangerous ball across the six-yard box.\n\nOwain Fon Williams could only parry into the danger area, Cummins' shot was blocked but Maclean followed up to force it home.\n\nThey should have had another when Craig's superb curling corner flew all the way to the back post where Cummins slid in and somehow knocked it over from two yards.\n\nCraig, in his 300th appearance for the club, coolly converted a spot-kick after Cummins was tripped to seal the points.\n\nCummins then slammed home after Miller danced around the area to tee him up, before Craig cracked the bar amid the late flurry.\n\nWith a tendency to finish the season strongly, and just a three-point gap to Rangers, the Perth side look capable of something special this term.\n\nInverness CT manager Richie Foran: \"It is a tough time of the season to be sitting bottom, and I need real men to stand up to that, but not enough of them did that today.\n\n\"It is pure luck we are still in it and it is only four points. I sound like a broken record but one win changes it - that is the truth. But I need braver players with more passion and desire. We controlled aspects of the game without having that ruthless edge to it. I don't think we believed today.\n\n\"The main person who is not good enough is me. I am obviously not doing my job right and big apologies to the supporters. I believe we let them down today.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\n\"It is not good enough. I pick the team, I pick the shape, I will take 90% of the blame for that but the players need to stand up as well.\"\n\nSt Johnstone manager Tommy Wright: \"We went in 1-0 at half-time without playing particularly well but looked a threat. We looked comfortable enough and then after the sending-off, we were ruthless. We scored two and maybe could have scored two or three more.\n\n\"The attitude to go and kick on and make sure we got that second goal, to make sure we weren't having any problems in the last few minutes, was excellent.\n\n\"It's been a week that didn't start so well that's ended absolutely magnificently for us. We enjoy defending. We don't panic when we're under pressure. We're a good side that can do both sides of the game.\n\n\"There's a better chance tonight (of finishing third) but we're not going to get carried away. We'll just keep working away. It keeps us five ahead of Hearts. It was an important result.\"\n\nMatch ends, Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3.\n\nSecond Half ends, Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3.\n\nAttempt missed. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.\n\nLiam Craig (St. Johnstone) hits the bar with a left footed shot from outside the box.\n\nGoal!  Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 3. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Chris Millar.\n\nGoal!  Inverness CT 0, St. Johnstone 2. Liam Craig (St. Johnstone) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.\n\nPenalty conceded by Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT) after a foul in the penalty area.\n\nPenalty St. Johnstone. Graham Cummins draws a foul in the penalty area.\n\nAttempt blocked. Chris Millar (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n\nAttempt missed. Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right following a fast break.\n\nSubstitution, Inverness CT. Scott Boden replaces Jamie McCart.\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. Craig Thomson replaces Blair Alston.\n\nSecond yellow card to Larnell Cole (Inverness CT).\n\nLarnell Cole (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card.\n\nHand ball by Liam Polworth (Inverness CT).\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. Chris Millar replaces Steven MacLean.\n\nAttempt saved. Carl Tremarco (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.\n\nGary Warren (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Graham Cummins (St. Johnstone).\n\nAttempt missed. Billy King (Inverness CT) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.\n\nAttempt saved. Larnell Cole (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.\n\nFoul by Liam Polworth (Inverness CT).\n\nTam Scobbie (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Gary Warren (Inverness CT).\n\nGraham Cummins (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the left wing.\n\nSubstitution, St. Johnstone. David Wotherspoon replaces Michael Coulson.\n\nAttempt missed. Michael Coulson (St. Johnstone) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.\n\nFoul by Jamie McCart (Inverness CT).\n\nSteven MacLean (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick in the attacking half.\n\nAttempt saved. Greg Tansey (Inverness CT) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.\n\nBlair Alston (St. Johnstone) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.\n\nLiam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Blair Alston (St. Johnstone).\n\nLarnell Cole (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.\n\nFoul by Michael Coulson (St. Johnstone).\n\nAttempt missed. Billy King (Inverness CT) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.\n\nAttempt blocked. Billy McKay (Inverness CT) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.\n\nFoul by Louis Laing (Inverness CT).\n\nMichael Coulson (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the right wing.\n\nLiam Polworth (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the attacking half.", "summary": "Inverness Caledonian Thistle lost by three goals to St. Johnstone. Inverness sits near the bottom of the standings and appears to be in trouble with only one win in 21 games. St. Johnstone sits comfortably in fourth place with this win. Inverness' next game against Motherwell is crucial. "}
{"article_id": "5a5d2bbfb7a74067abfb31a5f4888c71", "article": "An obese mother who enjoyed takeaways and boozy nights out has lost more than seven stone after a child on a bus pointed at her and asked whether she was pregnant.\n\nLizzi Crawford, 32, tipped the scales at 20 stone when she overheard the young bus passenger ask his mum: 'Has she got a baby in her belly?'\n\nThe embarrassing remark left the mother-of-six, from Stoke-on-Trent, mortified but inspired her to ditch her unhealthy lifestyle and shed the pounds, slimming down to a healthier 12.5st.\n\nLizzi Crawford dropped over 7st after a stranger mistook her for being pregnant.\n\nLizzi had reached a size 24 dress after living on a diet of burgers, pizzas and kebabs. But she also devoured liquid calories in the form of wine and spirits.\n\nHowever Lizzi never realised how big she had got until she heard the pregnancy remark on the bus.\n\nShe said: 'It started when I was taking my kids to school and we were sitting on the bus. A kid then looked at me and said: \"Has she got a baby in her belly?\"'\n\nLizzi now admits that she was living an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.\n\nShe continued: 'It was terrible. I was being a slob to be honest.\n\nLizzi piled on the pounds thanks to a boozy lifestyle and diet of takeaways, pizzas and kebabs.\n\nAs well as her battle to lose weight Lizzi also won her battle against cervical cancer.\n\n'I was eating burgers, takeaways, pizzas, kebabs and drinking - mainly wine and spirits mixed with Dr Pepper.\n\n'I knew I had to do something about my weight for the sake of my children.'\n\nIn a serious bid to slim down Lizzi began cooking healthier meals and joining fitness and self-defense classes which saw her lose over 7st.\n\nIncredibly, she achieved her goal despite suffering the set-back of being diagnosed with cervical cancer in October 2012.\n\nAs well as winning her fight against the disease following a hysterectomy and cancer treatment she has now won her battle against the bulge.\n\nLizzi, who works a cleaner, kept fit by attending self-defense classes at T6 Fight Club in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.\n\nShe also discovered Hourglass training - a fitness programme designed to keep a woman's curves while she gets healthy.\n\nLizzi says that having support from other women at her gym helped her to achieve her goal.\n\nLizzi joined the gym and began hourglass training and says that she is now addicted to fitness.\n\n'I began to build relationships with the people at the gym. The girls were egging me on to eat well - they all cheer each other on.\n\n'I've got some of the best friends I've ever made there. They don't look down their noses at you and you're always made to feel welcome.'\n\nThe slimmer says she is now 'addicted' to her fitness classes and goes five times every week.\n\nShe added that losing the weight has helped her mental being as well as her physical being.\n\n'I can do a lot more things now. I can walk more places and do more with the kids - I can even do simple tasks like getting up and down the stairs easier now.\n\n'It's helped me mentally because it was depressing when I was heavy, but since I started Hourglass, that has just gone.\n\n'The weight loss has helped me in the workplace too. I find I can get around much quicker and finish earlier - it used to take me ages.\n\n'Now I can spend more time with the kids.'\n\nLizzi's mum, Mary Crawford, 57, said her daughter's slimming efforts had been 'amazing'.\n\nShe added: 'She's found out about cooking the right way, she's been going to the gym and riding bikes.\n\n'She's stuck at it and I think it's amazing what she's done. I'm really pleased, and I believe she will keep it off as she's found a routine that suits her.\n\n'She's like the old Lizzi I used to know as a little girl.'", "summary": "After a child mistook her overweight appearance for being pregnant, Lizzi Crawford has gone from weighing 20 stone to 12.5 stone. During Crawford's weight loss journey, the 32-year-old mother-of-six was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Through a hysterectomy, cancer treatment, healthier cooking, and regular exercise, Lizzi was able to win the battle with cancer and her weight. "}
{"article_id": "5a5d2bbfb7a74067abfb31a5f4888c71", "article": "An obese mother who enjoyed takeaways and boozy nights out has lost more than seven stone after a child on a bus pointed at her and asked whether she was pregnant.\n\nLizzi Crawford, 32, tipped the scales at 20 stone when she overheard the young bus passenger ask his mum: 'Has she got a baby in her belly?'\n\nThe embarrassing remark left the mother-of-six, from Stoke-on-Trent, mortified but inspired her to ditch her unhealthy lifestyle and shed the pounds, slimming down to a healthier 12.5st.\n\nLizzi Crawford dropped over 7st after a stranger mistook her for being pregnant.\n\nLizzi had reached a size 24 dress after living on a diet of burgers, pizzas and kebabs. But she also devoured liquid calories in the form of wine and spirits.\n\nHowever Lizzi never realised how big she had got until she heard the pregnancy remark on the bus.\n\nShe said: 'It started when I was taking my kids to school and we were sitting on the bus. A kid then looked at me and said: \"Has she got a baby in her belly?\"'\n\nLizzi now admits that she was living an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.\n\nShe continued: 'It was terrible. I was being a slob to be honest.\n\nLizzi piled on the pounds thanks to a boozy lifestyle and diet of takeaways, pizzas and kebabs.\n\nAs well as her battle to lose weight Lizzi also won her battle against cervical cancer.\n\n'I was eating burgers, takeaways, pizzas, kebabs and drinking - mainly wine and spirits mixed with Dr Pepper.\n\n'I knew I had to do something about my weight for the sake of my children.'\n\nIn a serious bid to slim down Lizzi began cooking healthier meals and joining fitness and self-defense classes which saw her lose over 7st.\n\nIncredibly, she achieved her goal despite suffering the set-back of being diagnosed with cervical cancer in October 2012.\n\nAs well as winning her fight against the disease following a hysterectomy and cancer treatment she has now won her battle against the bulge.\n\nLizzi, who works a cleaner, kept fit by attending self-defense classes at T6 Fight Club in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.\n\nShe also discovered Hourglass training - a fitness programme designed to keep a woman's curves while she gets healthy.\n\nLizzi says that having support from other women at her gym helped her to achieve her goal.\n\nLizzi joined the gym and began hourglass training and says that she is now addicted to fitness.\n\n'I began to build relationships with the people at the gym. The girls were egging me on to eat well - they all cheer each other on.\n\n'I've got some of the best friends I've ever made there. They don't look down their noses at you and you're always made to feel welcome.'\n\nThe slimmer says she is now 'addicted' to her fitness classes and goes five times every week.\n\nShe added that losing the weight has helped her mental being as well as her physical being.\n\n'I can do a lot more things now. I can walk more places and do more with the kids - I can even do simple tasks like getting up and down the stairs easier now.\n\n'It's helped me mentally because it was depressing when I was heavy, but since I started Hourglass, that has just gone.\n\n'The weight loss has helped me in the workplace too. I find I can get around much quicker and finish earlier - it used to take me ages.\n\n'Now I can spend more time with the kids.'\n\nLizzi's mum, Mary Crawford, 57, said her daughter's slimming efforts had been 'amazing'.\n\nShe added: 'She's found out about cooking the right way, she's been going to the gym and riding bikes.\n\n'She's stuck at it and I think it's amazing what she's done. I'm really pleased, and I believe she will keep it off as she's found a routine that suits her.\n\n'She's like the old Lizzi I used to know as a little girl.'", "summary": "Lizzi Crawford shed an immense amount of weight after a child on the bus asked his mother if she was pregnant. The Mother of six proceeded to ditch her unhealthy lifestyle and join a self-defense class. The weight loss has helped her mental and physical health immensely. "}
{"article_id": "5a5d2bbfb7a74067abfb31a5f4888c71", "article": "An obese mother who enjoyed takeaways and boozy nights out has lost more than seven stone after a child on a bus pointed at her and asked whether she was pregnant.\n\nLizzi Crawford, 32, tipped the scales at 20 stone when she overheard the young bus passenger ask his mum: 'Has she got a baby in her belly?'\n\nThe embarrassing remark left the mother-of-six, from Stoke-on-Trent, mortified but inspired her to ditch her unhealthy lifestyle and shed the pounds, slimming down to a healthier 12.5st.\n\nLizzi Crawford dropped over 7st after a stranger mistook her for being pregnant.\n\nLizzi had reached a size 24 dress after living on a diet of burgers, pizzas and kebabs. But she also devoured liquid calories in the form of wine and spirits.\n\nHowever Lizzi never realised how big she had got until she heard the pregnancy remark on the bus.\n\nShe said: 'It started when I was taking my kids to school and we were sitting on the bus. A kid then looked at me and said: \"Has she got a baby in her belly?\"'\n\nLizzi now admits that she was living an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.\n\nShe continued: 'It was terrible. I was being a slob to be honest.\n\nLizzi piled on the pounds thanks to a boozy lifestyle and diet of takeaways, pizzas and kebabs.\n\nAs well as her battle to lose weight Lizzi also won her battle against cervical cancer.\n\n'I was eating burgers, takeaways, pizzas, kebabs and drinking - mainly wine and spirits mixed with Dr Pepper.\n\n'I knew I had to do something about my weight for the sake of my children.'\n\nIn a serious bid to slim down Lizzi began cooking healthier meals and joining fitness and self-defense classes which saw her lose over 7st.\n\nIncredibly, she achieved her goal despite suffering the set-back of being diagnosed with cervical cancer in October 2012.\n\nAs well as winning her fight against the disease following a hysterectomy and cancer treatment she has now won her battle against the bulge.\n\nLizzi, who works a cleaner, kept fit by attending self-defense classes at T6 Fight Club in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.\n\nShe also discovered Hourglass training - a fitness programme designed to keep a woman's curves while she gets healthy.\n\nLizzi says that having support from other women at her gym helped her to achieve her goal.\n\nLizzi joined the gym and began hourglass training and says that she is now addicted to fitness.\n\n'I began to build relationships with the people at the gym. The girls were egging me on to eat well - they all cheer each other on.\n\n'I've got some of the best friends I've ever made there. They don't look down their noses at you and you're always made to feel welcome.'\n\nThe slimmer says she is now 'addicted' to her fitness classes and goes five times every week.\n\nShe added that losing the weight has helped her mental being as well as her physical being.\n\n'I can do a lot more things now. I can walk more places and do more with the kids - I can even do simple tasks like getting up and down the stairs easier now.\n\n'It's helped me mentally because it was depressing when I was heavy, but since I started Hourglass, that has just gone.\n\n'The weight loss has helped me in the workplace too. I find I can get around much quicker and finish earlier - it used to take me ages.\n\n'Now I can spend more time with the kids.'\n\nLizzi's mum, Mary Crawford, 57, said her daughter's slimming efforts had been 'amazing'.\n\nShe added: 'She's found out about cooking the right way, she's been going to the gym and riding bikes.\n\n'She's stuck at it and I think it's amazing what she's done. I'm really pleased, and I believe she will keep it off as she's found a routine that suits her.\n\n'She's like the old Lizzi I used to know as a little girl.'", "summary": "Lizzi, an obese mother of six, wouldn't have realized how big she got until a kid on the bus mistook her for being pregnant. She lived on a junk food booze diet, but after hearing that comment, Lizzi was inspired to lose weight. Since then, both her physical and mental health has significantly improved. "}
{"article_id": "19d435def4df4a8e91b14463e9644529", "article": "The deputy first minister is due to make a statement on the Scottish government's Named Person scheme later.\n\nJohn Swinney will address MSPs over a legal challenge to information sharing proposals within the Act.\n\nThe system would appoint a named person - usually a teacher or health visitor - to ensure the wellbeing of every child.\n\nBut judges at the UK's highest court ruled against the scheme in July 2016, citing concerns over information sharing.\n\nThe Supreme Court judges said some proposals breached rights to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.\n\nHowever, the court said the aim of the Act, which is intended to promote and safeguard the rights and wellbeing of children and young people, was legitimate.\n\nSpeaking ahead of his statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said the Scottish government remained \"absolutely committed\" to the Named Person service as a way to support children and their families.\n\n\"Last year the Supreme Court ruled definitively that the intention of providing a Named Person for every child to promote and safeguard their wellbeing was 'unquestionably legitimate and benign',\" he said.\n\n\"Their judgement did, however, require us to change the provisions relating to information sharing.\n\n\"Since the judgement, we have undertaken an intensive period of engagement with children, young people, parents, carers, practitioners and professionals.\n\n\"I will now update parliament on the next steps in this vital means of supporting, safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of our children and young people.\"\n\nThe judges said in July that specific proposals about information-sharing were \"not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament\".\n\nAnd they said the legislation made it \"perfectly possible\" that confidential information about a young person could be disclosed to a \"wide range of public authorities without either the child or young person or her parents being aware\".\n\nThe appeal was brought by the No to Named Persons (NO2NP) coalition, which includes the Christian Institute, Care (Christian Action Research and Education), Tyme Trust and the Family Education Trust.\n\nThe Scottish government has said previously it would not commence the legislation until the problems were fixed.", "summary": "The Scottish government is considering enacting a Named Person scheme, in an effort to protect the well-being of children and families. Critics of the legislation raise concerns over privacy sharing. "}
{"article_id": "19d435def4df4a8e91b14463e9644529", "article": "The deputy first minister is due to make a statement on the Scottish government's Named Person scheme later.\n\nJohn Swinney will address MSPs over a legal challenge to information sharing proposals within the Act.\n\nThe system would appoint a named person - usually a teacher or health visitor - to ensure the wellbeing of every child.\n\nBut judges at the UK's highest court ruled against the scheme in July 2016, citing concerns over information sharing.\n\nThe Supreme Court judges said some proposals breached rights to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.\n\nHowever, the court said the aim of the Act, which is intended to promote and safeguard the rights and wellbeing of children and young people, was legitimate.\n\nSpeaking ahead of his statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said the Scottish government remained \"absolutely committed\" to the Named Person service as a way to support children and their families.\n\n\"Last year the Supreme Court ruled definitively that the intention of providing a Named Person for every child to promote and safeguard their wellbeing was 'unquestionably legitimate and benign',\" he said.\n\n\"Their judgement did, however, require us to change the provisions relating to information sharing.\n\n\"Since the judgement, we have undertaken an intensive period of engagement with children, young people, parents, carers, practitioners and professionals.\n\n\"I will now update parliament on the next steps in this vital means of supporting, safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of our children and young people.\"\n\nThe judges said in July that specific proposals about information-sharing were \"not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament\".\n\nAnd they said the legislation made it \"perfectly possible\" that confidential information about a young person could be disclosed to a \"wide range of public authorities without either the child or young person or her parents being aware\".\n\nThe appeal was brought by the No to Named Persons (NO2NP) coalition, which includes the Christian Institute, Care (Christian Action Research and Education), Tyme Trust and the Family Education Trust.\n\nThe Scottish government has said previously it would not commence the legislation until the problems were fixed.", "summary": "The information-sharing clause of the new Named Person act is facing a legal challenge, as it is seen as a massive breach of privacy by many. The act is aimed at helping children and their families. The legislation will not go forward until the issues are fixed. "}
{"article_id": "19d435def4df4a8e91b14463e9644529", "article": "The deputy first minister is due to make a statement on the Scottish government's Named Person scheme later.\n\nJohn Swinney will address MSPs over a legal challenge to information sharing proposals within the Act.\n\nThe system would appoint a named person - usually a teacher or health visitor - to ensure the wellbeing of every child.\n\nBut judges at the UK's highest court ruled against the scheme in July 2016, citing concerns over information sharing.\n\nThe Supreme Court judges said some proposals breached rights to privacy and a family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.\n\nHowever, the court said the aim of the Act, which is intended to promote and safeguard the rights and wellbeing of children and young people, was legitimate.\n\nSpeaking ahead of his statement to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said the Scottish government remained \"absolutely committed\" to the Named Person service as a way to support children and their families.\n\n\"Last year the Supreme Court ruled definitively that the intention of providing a Named Person for every child to promote and safeguard their wellbeing was 'unquestionably legitimate and benign',\" he said.\n\n\"Their judgement did, however, require us to change the provisions relating to information sharing.\n\n\"Since the judgement, we have undertaken an intensive period of engagement with children, young people, parents, carers, practitioners and professionals.\n\n\"I will now update parliament on the next steps in this vital means of supporting, safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of our children and young people.\"\n\nThe judges said in July that specific proposals about information-sharing were \"not within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament\".\n\nAnd they said the legislation made it \"perfectly possible\" that confidential information about a young person could be disclosed to a \"wide range of public authorities without either the child or young person or her parents being aware\".\n\nThe appeal was brought by the No to Named Persons (NO2NP) coalition, which includes the Christian Institute, Care (Christian Action Research and Education), Tyme Trust and the Family Education Trust.\n\nThe Scottish government has said previously it would not commence the legislation until the problems were fixed.", "summary": "In Scotland, controversy continues around the Named Persons act. The supporters claim the act will ensure the health and wellbeing of every child, while opponents claim the bill is intrusive and could lead to significant private information being shared. "}
{"article_id": "d79e6b14714a41c6abb7abce8ff816fd", "article": "Prosecutor Nafir Afzal said hundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber.\n\nHundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber, putting children in danger of being radicalised, the country's most senior Muslim prosecutor has said.\n\nNafir Afzal said teenagers are at risk of 'jihadimania' and warned that 'another 7/7' could happen unless Britain makes sweeping changes to the way it tackles terrorism.\n\nMr Afzal, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the north-west, said children are 'manipulated' by Islamists and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nHe told the Guardian's Nigel Bunyan:\u00a0'The boys want to be like them and the girls want to be with them. That's what they used to say about the Beatles and more recently One Direction and Justin Bieber. The propaganda the terrorists put out is akin to marketing, and too many of our teenagers are falling for the image.\n\n'They see their own lives as poor by comparison, and don't realise they are being used. The extremists treat them in a similar way to sexual groomers \u2013 they manipulate them, distance them from their friends and families, and then take them.'\n\nMr Afzal added that a community-led approach to dealing with teenagers who have been corrupted by terrorists would be more successful than the 'stale' strategy used by the police and security services.\n\nThe prosecutor warned that unless the next government recruited young Muslim role models to help mentor those who are being radicalised, the country could face 'another 7/7' terror attack.\n\nHe believes that young people are far more likely to listen to people who have gone through their experiences than authority figures.\n\n'At the moment, even the language is wrong. People talk about Isis as if they have some kind of religious basis or political dimension \u2013 a kind of glossy, glorious campaign,' he said.\n\nMr Afzal said teenagers are 'manipulated' by ISIS (file picture) and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nThe prosecutor said some Muslim teenagers see Islamists as 'pop idols' like Justin Bieber (left) and One Direction (Harry Styles, right)\n\n'The reality is that they're no more than narcissistic, murderous cowboys. We need to stand up and say that very, very clearly, rather than allow kids to be drawn to them like the equivalent of pop idols.'\n\nHundreds of young Muslims are thought to have travelled to Syria to join ISIS, but Mr Afzal believes there are far more 'ticking time bombs' still in Britain.\n\nHis comments came as it emerged that the Labour councillor's son caught trying to cross from Turkey to Syria with his family may be part of an extremist group.\n\nWaheed Ahmed, 21 \u2013 the son of councillor Shakil Ahmed \u2013 is said to be a member of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which advocates a global Muslim caliphate, similar to the one established by ISIS.\n\nAhmed, a politics student at Manchester University, was arrested by Turkish police at the border town of Reyhanli last week. He was one of a group of nine detained, all from Rochdale, including four children aged from one to 11.\n\nThey could be flown back to the UK today.\n\nNafir Afzal last month quit the CPS despite being cleared of allegations suggesting he texted a defendant in a case.\n\nIn the four-line email, Mr Afzal said there was 'no secret reason' why he was leaving after 25 years with the CPS.\n\nMr Afzal proved himself to be an outspoken advocate of bringing to justice those accused of the most heinous and sometimes sensitive offences.\n\nThis included a move to overturn an earlier decision on an Asian Rochdale sex grooming ring that led to a series of convictions.\n\nHe said that an over-sensitivity to political correctness and 'fear of appearing racist' by 'white professionals' may have stalled justice.\n\nMore recently he was responsible for the successful conviction of disgraced former BBC presenter Stuart Hall.\n\nHe also led the prosecutions of Coronation Street actors Bill Roache, who was cleared of rape, and Michael Le Vell, who was also acquitted of child sex abuse.\n\nThe prosecutor last year claimed that there would be a fresh wave of Operation Yewtree arrests concerning the abuse of children by celebrities.\n\nHe said: 'This is a growing industry. There are more arrests scheduled over the next few weeks. Some are very high-profile figures.'\n\nMr Afzal began his CPS career in central London and went on to be awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Years Honours List in 2005 for his public service and involvement with the local community.\n\nSorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.", "summary": "Mr. Nafir Afzal is a prosecutor involved in preventing child abuse. He warns that terrorists often market themselves to teenagers online as being celebrities, similar to pop stars. The terrorists groom their teen victims and coerce then to move from Britain to Islamic countries where they will be under the control of the organization. "}
{"article_id": "d79e6b14714a41c6abb7abce8ff816fd", "article": "Prosecutor Nafir Afzal said hundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber.\n\nHundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber, putting children in danger of being radicalised, the country's most senior Muslim prosecutor has said.\n\nNafir Afzal said teenagers are at risk of 'jihadimania' and warned that 'another 7/7' could happen unless Britain makes sweeping changes to the way it tackles terrorism.\n\nMr Afzal, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the north-west, said children are 'manipulated' by Islamists and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nHe told the Guardian's Nigel Bunyan:\u00a0'The boys want to be like them and the girls want to be with them. That's what they used to say about the Beatles and more recently One Direction and Justin Bieber. The propaganda the terrorists put out is akin to marketing, and too many of our teenagers are falling for the image.\n\n'They see their own lives as poor by comparison, and don't realise they are being used. The extremists treat them in a similar way to sexual groomers \u2013 they manipulate them, distance them from their friends and families, and then take them.'\n\nMr Afzal added that a community-led approach to dealing with teenagers who have been corrupted by terrorists would be more successful than the 'stale' strategy used by the police and security services.\n\nThe prosecutor warned that unless the next government recruited young Muslim role models to help mentor those who are being radicalised, the country could face 'another 7/7' terror attack.\n\nHe believes that young people are far more likely to listen to people who have gone through their experiences than authority figures.\n\n'At the moment, even the language is wrong. People talk about Isis as if they have some kind of religious basis or political dimension \u2013 a kind of glossy, glorious campaign,' he said.\n\nMr Afzal said teenagers are 'manipulated' by ISIS (file picture) and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nThe prosecutor said some Muslim teenagers see Islamists as 'pop idols' like Justin Bieber (left) and One Direction (Harry Styles, right)\n\n'The reality is that they're no more than narcissistic, murderous cowboys. We need to stand up and say that very, very clearly, rather than allow kids to be drawn to them like the equivalent of pop idols.'\n\nHundreds of young Muslims are thought to have travelled to Syria to join ISIS, but Mr Afzal believes there are far more 'ticking time bombs' still in Britain.\n\nHis comments came as it emerged that the Labour councillor's son caught trying to cross from Turkey to Syria with his family may be part of an extremist group.\n\nWaheed Ahmed, 21 \u2013 the son of councillor Shakil Ahmed \u2013 is said to be a member of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which advocates a global Muslim caliphate, similar to the one established by ISIS.\n\nAhmed, a politics student at Manchester University, was arrested by Turkish police at the border town of Reyhanli last week. He was one of a group of nine detained, all from Rochdale, including four children aged from one to 11.\n\nThey could be flown back to the UK today.\n\nNafir Afzal last month quit the CPS despite being cleared of allegations suggesting he texted a defendant in a case.\n\nIn the four-line email, Mr Afzal said there was 'no secret reason' why he was leaving after 25 years with the CPS.\n\nMr Afzal proved himself to be an outspoken advocate of bringing to justice those accused of the most heinous and sometimes sensitive offences.\n\nThis included a move to overturn an earlier decision on an Asian Rochdale sex grooming ring that led to a series of convictions.\n\nHe said that an over-sensitivity to political correctness and 'fear of appearing racist' by 'white professionals' may have stalled justice.\n\nMore recently he was responsible for the successful conviction of disgraced former BBC presenter Stuart Hall.\n\nHe also led the prosecutions of Coronation Street actors Bill Roache, who was cleared of rape, and Michael Le Vell, who was also acquitted of child sex abuse.\n\nThe prosecutor last year claimed that there would be a fresh wave of Operation Yewtree arrests concerning the abuse of children by celebrities.\n\nHe said: 'This is a growing industry. There are more arrests scheduled over the next few weeks. Some are very high-profile figures.'\n\nMr Afzal began his CPS career in central London and went on to be awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Years Honours List in 2005 for his public service and involvement with the local community.\n\nSorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.", "summary": "Prosecutor Nafir Afzal says British teens see ISIS as 'pop idols' similar to Justin Bieber. Afzal warns that a new community approach is needed to deradicalize youth to prevent another 7/7 terrorist attack. White people being called racist is an impediment to justice according to Afzal.    "}
{"article_id": "d79e6b14714a41c6abb7abce8ff816fd", "article": "Prosecutor Nafir Afzal said hundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber.\n\nHundreds of British teenagers see ISIS as 'pop idols' like One Direction and Justin Bieber, putting children in danger of being radicalised, the country's most senior Muslim prosecutor has said.\n\nNafir Afzal said teenagers are at risk of 'jihadimania' and warned that 'another 7/7' could happen unless Britain makes sweeping changes to the way it tackles terrorism.\n\nMr Afzal, former head of the Crown Prosecution Service in the north-west, said children are 'manipulated' by Islamists and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nHe told the Guardian's Nigel Bunyan:\u00a0'The boys want to be like them and the girls want to be with them. That's what they used to say about the Beatles and more recently One Direction and Justin Bieber. The propaganda the terrorists put out is akin to marketing, and too many of our teenagers are falling for the image.\n\n'They see their own lives as poor by comparison, and don't realise they are being used. The extremists treat them in a similar way to sexual groomers \u2013 they manipulate them, distance them from their friends and families, and then take them.'\n\nMr Afzal added that a community-led approach to dealing with teenagers who have been corrupted by terrorists would be more successful than the 'stale' strategy used by the police and security services.\n\nThe prosecutor warned that unless the next government recruited young Muslim role models to help mentor those who are being radicalised, the country could face 'another 7/7' terror attack.\n\nHe believes that young people are far more likely to listen to people who have gone through their experiences than authority figures.\n\n'At the moment, even the language is wrong. People talk about Isis as if they have some kind of religious basis or political dimension \u2013 a kind of glossy, glorious campaign,' he said.\n\nMr Afzal said teenagers are 'manipulated' by ISIS (file picture) and that Britain needs a new approach in the way it deals with radicalisation.\n\nThe prosecutor said some Muslim teenagers see Islamists as 'pop idols' like Justin Bieber (left) and One Direction (Harry Styles, right)\n\n'The reality is that they're no more than narcissistic, murderous cowboys. We need to stand up and say that very, very clearly, rather than allow kids to be drawn to them like the equivalent of pop idols.'\n\nHundreds of young Muslims are thought to have travelled to Syria to join ISIS, but Mr Afzal believes there are far more 'ticking time bombs' still in Britain.\n\nHis comments came as it emerged that the Labour councillor's son caught trying to cross from Turkey to Syria with his family may be part of an extremist group.\n\nWaheed Ahmed, 21 \u2013 the son of councillor Shakil Ahmed \u2013 is said to be a member of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which advocates a global Muslim caliphate, similar to the one established by ISIS.\n\nAhmed, a politics student at Manchester University, was arrested by Turkish police at the border town of Reyhanli last week. He was one of a group of nine detained, all from Rochdale, including four children aged from one to 11.\n\nThey could be flown back to the UK today.\n\nNafir Afzal last month quit the CPS despite being cleared of allegations suggesting he texted a defendant in a case.\n\nIn the four-line email, Mr Afzal said there was 'no secret reason' why he was leaving after 25 years with the CPS.\n\nMr Afzal proved himself to be an outspoken advocate of bringing to justice those accused of the most heinous and sometimes sensitive offences.\n\nThis included a move to overturn an earlier decision on an Asian Rochdale sex grooming ring that led to a series of convictions.\n\nHe said that an over-sensitivity to political correctness and 'fear of appearing racist' by 'white professionals' may have stalled justice.\n\nMore recently he was responsible for the successful conviction of disgraced former BBC presenter Stuart Hall.\n\nHe also led the prosecutions of Coronation Street actors Bill Roache, who was cleared of rape, and Michael Le Vell, who was also acquitted of child sex abuse.\n\nThe prosecutor last year claimed that there would be a fresh wave of Operation Yewtree arrests concerning the abuse of children by celebrities.\n\nHe said: 'This is a growing industry. There are more arrests scheduled over the next few weeks. Some are very high-profile figures.'\n\nMr Afzal began his CPS career in central London and went on to be awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Years Honours List in 2005 for his public service and involvement with the local community.\n\nSorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.", "summary": "Instead of seeing ISIS as terrorists, British teenagers see them as celebrities due to manipulation and the way the country deals with radicalism. Former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Nafir Afzal says that Britain needs to change the ways they tackle terrorism if they want to prevent another 7/7 from happening. "}
{"article_id": "0100558a5f714c8fbcf7f7dfe5b1b15b", "article": "Convention never stood much chance of standing between Neil Lennon and Hibernian.\n\nHis previous jobs were at Celtic and Bolton, but moving to the second tier of Scottish football was no hindrance to him returning to work at Easter Road.\n\nLennon saw the vacancy as an opportunity, and that was enough to encourage Hibs that a figure of his profile and experience would accept a role in the Championship.\n\nEven though his last job in Scotland involved leading a team on Champions League duty, Lennon's mind has not been swayed by haughtiness.\n\nThe appointment of the former Celtic manager as successor to Alan Stubbs suits both parties, because it is mutually beneficial.\n\nSuccess is alluring, and Hibs offer Lennon the chance to accumulate more achievements. He was immediately engaged in crisis management at his previous club Bolton, but will find stability, potential and accomplishment at Easter Road.\n\nThe demand will be to deliver promotion, but that will not seem daunting when the majority of the squad that pushed Rangers for a while last season then won the Scottish Cup is still in place. Lennon's task is to refine and bolster the team, when new managers are often faced with a period of overhaul.\n\nStubbs left the club on an emotional high after delivering their first Scottish Cup in 114 years, but before the final against Rangers there was a tangible sense of exasperation that promotion had been missed.\n\nHibs were entitled to feel that it was an unnecessary failure given their circumstances.\n\nThe club is about to embark on a third season in the Championship, but by most other measures they can be considered a top-flight outfit.\n\nThe budget will be significantly more than the rest of the teams in the division, the training ground at East Mains and facilities are first-class, the football side of the business is stable and well-run by George Craig, the club's head of football operations, the squad is full of talent.\n\nLennon can rely on consistently assured performances from the likes of David Gray, Darren McGregor, Paul Hanlon, Lewis Stevenson, John McGinn, Fraser Fyvie, Dylan McGeouch, James Keatings and Jason Cummings.\n\nSome minor issues remain, such as who will fill the goal next season, but the challenge is more on adding depth and strength of will to the squad and man-management.\n\nMcGinn, one of the most reliably effective players in the Championship last season, has already insisted that he remains committed to Hibs despite the failure to achieve promotion. The 21-year-old midfielder provides the kind of industry and spirit that a team can be built around.\n\nThere may be critical decisions to make, though, since Cummings is entering the final year of his contract and so represents a sellable asset. He is a regular goalscorer, though, and Stubbs had to sign Anthony Stokes on loan last January to provide some support up front.\n\nThese are tweaks compared to the amount of work Stubbs had to carry out when he was appointed two years ago.\n\nHibs are ready to be guided forward, not waiting to be rescued.\n\nWhen Lennon left Celtic two years ago, it was to pursue a career in England. The sense was that the manager and the club were ready for a change in direction, but his next choice was misjudged.\n\nBolton were heavily in debt when he joined the club in October 2014 and although relegation was avoided in his first season, the following campaign was more fraught. Once Bolton entered administration, Lennon was engaged in fire-fighting.\n\nThe upheaval at the club would have contributed to the team's failures, but Lennon will feel that he needs to re-establish his standing. Managers can be quickly marginalised when they are out of work, which would have figured in Lennon's thinking.\n\nMost prominently, though, he would have assessed the chance to build on the sense of progress and optimism at Easter Road and pursue success in the leagues and the cups as the ideal tonic for his career.\n\nFor Hibs, Lennon represents substance and profile. He is a proven manager, at least in terms of building a first-team and motivating them to success.\n\nHibs are a contemporary club in their approach to recruitment, sports science and analysis, which might have suited other candidates better, but Lennon knows what it is to thrive and deliver under pressure.\n\nSupporters will respond to his presence, which is significant when the level of season ticket sales will determine the level of budget that is available. The club had planned for two years in the Championship, so a third campaign requires resourcefulness.\n\nLennon is a captivating figure. Fans will welcome his wholeheartedness, while his standing in the media will keep attention focused on events at Easter Road. Players have a tendency to perform under his guidance, and it would not be surprising if one or two figures considered marginal by new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers find a welcome home in Leith.\n\nHibs have made a bold appointment, with a focus on achieving their short-term aim of return to the top-flight. Lennon is likely to fulfil their ambitions, and at the same time rejuvenate his own.", "summary": "Neil Lennon will be the new skipper for the Scottish club Hibernian. After a fraught tenure at the English club Bolton, Lennon is looking to move Hibernian into the top tier of Scottish football. The pieces are in place, Lennon just has to get them working.   "}
{"article_id": "0100558a5f714c8fbcf7f7dfe5b1b15b", "article": "Convention never stood much chance of standing between Neil Lennon and Hibernian.\n\nHis previous jobs were at Celtic and Bolton, but moving to the second tier of Scottish football was no hindrance to him returning to work at Easter Road.\n\nLennon saw the vacancy as an opportunity, and that was enough to encourage Hibs that a figure of his profile and experience would accept a role in the Championship.\n\nEven though his last job in Scotland involved leading a team on Champions League duty, Lennon's mind has not been swayed by haughtiness.\n\nThe appointment of the former Celtic manager as successor to Alan Stubbs suits both parties, because it is mutually beneficial.\n\nSuccess is alluring, and Hibs offer Lennon the chance to accumulate more achievements. He was immediately engaged in crisis management at his previous club Bolton, but will find stability, potential and accomplishment at Easter Road.\n\nThe demand will be to deliver promotion, but that will not seem daunting when the majority of the squad that pushed Rangers for a while last season then won the Scottish Cup is still in place. Lennon's task is to refine and bolster the team, when new managers are often faced with a period of overhaul.\n\nStubbs left the club on an emotional high after delivering their first Scottish Cup in 114 years, but before the final against Rangers there was a tangible sense of exasperation that promotion had been missed.\n\nHibs were entitled to feel that it was an unnecessary failure given their circumstances.\n\nThe club is about to embark on a third season in the Championship, but by most other measures they can be considered a top-flight outfit.\n\nThe budget will be significantly more than the rest of the teams in the division, the training ground at East Mains and facilities are first-class, the football side of the business is stable and well-run by George Craig, the club's head of football operations, the squad is full of talent.\n\nLennon can rely on consistently assured performances from the likes of David Gray, Darren McGregor, Paul Hanlon, Lewis Stevenson, John McGinn, Fraser Fyvie, Dylan McGeouch, James Keatings and Jason Cummings.\n\nSome minor issues remain, such as who will fill the goal next season, but the challenge is more on adding depth and strength of will to the squad and man-management.\n\nMcGinn, one of the most reliably effective players in the Championship last season, has already insisted that he remains committed to Hibs despite the failure to achieve promotion. The 21-year-old midfielder provides the kind of industry and spirit that a team can be built around.\n\nThere may be critical decisions to make, though, since Cummings is entering the final year of his contract and so represents a sellable asset. He is a regular goalscorer, though, and Stubbs had to sign Anthony Stokes on loan last January to provide some support up front.\n\nThese are tweaks compared to the amount of work Stubbs had to carry out when he was appointed two years ago.\n\nHibs are ready to be guided forward, not waiting to be rescued.\n\nWhen Lennon left Celtic two years ago, it was to pursue a career in England. The sense was that the manager and the club were ready for a change in direction, but his next choice was misjudged.\n\nBolton were heavily in debt when he joined the club in October 2014 and although relegation was avoided in his first season, the following campaign was more fraught. Once Bolton entered administration, Lennon was engaged in fire-fighting.\n\nThe upheaval at the club would have contributed to the team's failures, but Lennon will feel that he needs to re-establish his standing. Managers can be quickly marginalised when they are out of work, which would have figured in Lennon's thinking.\n\nMost prominently, though, he would have assessed the chance to build on the sense of progress and optimism at Easter Road and pursue success in the leagues and the cups as the ideal tonic for his career.\n\nFor Hibs, Lennon represents substance and profile. He is a proven manager, at least in terms of building a first-team and motivating them to success.\n\nHibs are a contemporary club in their approach to recruitment, sports science and analysis, which might have suited other candidates better, but Lennon knows what it is to thrive and deliver under pressure.\n\nSupporters will respond to his presence, which is significant when the level of season ticket sales will determine the level of budget that is available. The club had planned for two years in the Championship, so a third campaign requires resourcefulness.\n\nLennon is a captivating figure. Fans will welcome his wholeheartedness, while his standing in the media will keep attention focused on events at Easter Road. Players have a tendency to perform under his guidance, and it would not be surprising if one or two figures considered marginal by new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers find a welcome home in Leith.\n\nHibs have made a bold appointment, with a focus on achieving their short-term aim of return to the top-flight. Lennon is likely to fulfil their ambitions, and at the same time rejuvenate his own.", "summary": "Neil Lennon is succeeding Alan Stubbs at Hibernian. The former Celtic manager is looking to add to his list of achievements, as well as find stability amidst an ever-changing game. The move was said to be mutually beneficial, as players have a tendency to perform well under his guidance. "}
{"article_id": "0100558a5f714c8fbcf7f7dfe5b1b15b", "article": "Convention never stood much chance of standing between Neil Lennon and Hibernian.\n\nHis previous jobs were at Celtic and Bolton, but moving to the second tier of Scottish football was no hindrance to him returning to work at Easter Road.\n\nLennon saw the vacancy as an opportunity, and that was enough to encourage Hibs that a figure of his profile and experience would accept a role in the Championship.\n\nEven though his last job in Scotland involved leading a team on Champions League duty, Lennon's mind has not been swayed by haughtiness.\n\nThe appointment of the former Celtic manager as successor to Alan Stubbs suits both parties, because it is mutually beneficial.\n\nSuccess is alluring, and Hibs offer Lennon the chance to accumulate more achievements. He was immediately engaged in crisis management at his previous club Bolton, but will find stability, potential and accomplishment at Easter Road.\n\nThe demand will be to deliver promotion, but that will not seem daunting when the majority of the squad that pushed Rangers for a while last season then won the Scottish Cup is still in place. Lennon's task is to refine and bolster the team, when new managers are often faced with a period of overhaul.\n\nStubbs left the club on an emotional high after delivering their first Scottish Cup in 114 years, but before the final against Rangers there was a tangible sense of exasperation that promotion had been missed.\n\nHibs were entitled to feel that it was an unnecessary failure given their circumstances.\n\nThe club is about to embark on a third season in the Championship, but by most other measures they can be considered a top-flight outfit.\n\nThe budget will be significantly more than the rest of the teams in the division, the training ground at East Mains and facilities are first-class, the football side of the business is stable and well-run by George Craig, the club's head of football operations, the squad is full of talent.\n\nLennon can rely on consistently assured performances from the likes of David Gray, Darren McGregor, Paul Hanlon, Lewis Stevenson, John McGinn, Fraser Fyvie, Dylan McGeouch, James Keatings and Jason Cummings.\n\nSome minor issues remain, such as who will fill the goal next season, but the challenge is more on adding depth and strength of will to the squad and man-management.\n\nMcGinn, one of the most reliably effective players in the Championship last season, has already insisted that he remains committed to Hibs despite the failure to achieve promotion. The 21-year-old midfielder provides the kind of industry and spirit that a team can be built around.\n\nThere may be critical decisions to make, though, since Cummings is entering the final year of his contract and so represents a sellable asset. He is a regular goalscorer, though, and Stubbs had to sign Anthony Stokes on loan last January to provide some support up front.\n\nThese are tweaks compared to the amount of work Stubbs had to carry out when he was appointed two years ago.\n\nHibs are ready to be guided forward, not waiting to be rescued.\n\nWhen Lennon left Celtic two years ago, it was to pursue a career in England. The sense was that the manager and the club were ready for a change in direction, but his next choice was misjudged.\n\nBolton were heavily in debt when he joined the club in October 2014 and although relegation was avoided in his first season, the following campaign was more fraught. Once Bolton entered administration, Lennon was engaged in fire-fighting.\n\nThe upheaval at the club would have contributed to the team's failures, but Lennon will feel that he needs to re-establish his standing. Managers can be quickly marginalised when they are out of work, which would have figured in Lennon's thinking.\n\nMost prominently, though, he would have assessed the chance to build on the sense of progress and optimism at Easter Road and pursue success in the leagues and the cups as the ideal tonic for his career.\n\nFor Hibs, Lennon represents substance and profile. He is a proven manager, at least in terms of building a first-team and motivating them to success.\n\nHibs are a contemporary club in their approach to recruitment, sports science and analysis, which might have suited other candidates better, but Lennon knows what it is to thrive and deliver under pressure.\n\nSupporters will respond to his presence, which is significant when the level of season ticket sales will determine the level of budget that is available. The club had planned for two years in the Championship, so a third campaign requires resourcefulness.\n\nLennon is a captivating figure. Fans will welcome his wholeheartedness, while his standing in the media will keep attention focused on events at Easter Road. Players have a tendency to perform under his guidance, and it would not be surprising if one or two figures considered marginal by new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers find a welcome home in Leith.\n\nHibs have made a bold appointment, with a focus on achieving their short-term aim of return to the top-flight. Lennon is likely to fulfil their ambitions, and at the same time rejuvenate his own.", "summary": "Neil Lennon moved to the second tier of Scottish football \"Hibs\" at Easter Road when there was a vacancy. Lennon's previous jobs were at Celtic and Bolton. Hibs made a bold appointment when they hired him because they believed he could build the team and motivate them to succeed. \n"}
{"article_id": "0100558a5f714c8fbcf7f7dfe5b1b15b", "article": "Convention never stood much chance of standing between Neil Lennon and Hibernian.\n\nHis previous jobs were at Celtic and Bolton, but moving to the second tier of Scottish football was no hindrance to him returning to work at Easter Road.\n\nLennon saw the vacancy as an opportunity, and that was enough to encourage Hibs that a figure of his profile and experience would accept a role in the Championship.\n\nEven though his last job in Scotland involved leading a team on Champions League duty, Lennon's mind has not been swayed by haughtiness.\n\nThe appointment of the former Celtic manager as successor to Alan Stubbs suits both parties, because it is mutually beneficial.\n\nSuccess is alluring, and Hibs offer Lennon the chance to accumulate more achievements. He was immediately engaged in crisis management at his previous club Bolton, but will find stability, potential and accomplishment at Easter Road.\n\nThe demand will be to deliver promotion, but that will not seem daunting when the majority of the squad that pushed Rangers for a while last season then won the Scottish Cup is still in place. Lennon's task is to refine and bolster the team, when new managers are often faced with a period of overhaul.\n\nStubbs left the club on an emotional high after delivering their first Scottish Cup in 114 years, but before the final against Rangers there was a tangible sense of exasperation that promotion had been missed.\n\nHibs were entitled to feel that it was an unnecessary failure given their circumstances.\n\nThe club is about to embark on a third season in the Championship, but by most other measures they can be considered a top-flight outfit.\n\nThe budget will be significantly more than the rest of the teams in the division, the training ground at East Mains and facilities are first-class, the football side of the business is stable and well-run by George Craig, the club's head of football operations, the squad is full of talent.\n\nLennon can rely on consistently assured performances from the likes of David Gray, Darren McGregor, Paul Hanlon, Lewis Stevenson, John McGinn, Fraser Fyvie, Dylan McGeouch, James Keatings and Jason Cummings.\n\nSome minor issues remain, such as who will fill the goal next season, but the challenge is more on adding depth and strength of will to the squad and man-management.\n\nMcGinn, one of the most reliably effective players in the Championship last season, has already insisted that he remains committed to Hibs despite the failure to achieve promotion. The 21-year-old midfielder provides the kind of industry and spirit that a team can be built around.\n\nThere may be critical decisions to make, though, since Cummings is entering the final year of his contract and so represents a sellable asset. He is a regular goalscorer, though, and Stubbs had to sign Anthony Stokes on loan last January to provide some support up front.\n\nThese are tweaks compared to the amount of work Stubbs had to carry out when he was appointed two years ago.\n\nHibs are ready to be guided forward, not waiting to be rescued.\n\nWhen Lennon left Celtic two years ago, it was to pursue a career in England. The sense was that the manager and the club were ready for a change in direction, but his next choice was misjudged.\n\nBolton were heavily in debt when he joined the club in October 2014 and although relegation was avoided in his first season, the following campaign was more fraught. Once Bolton entered administration, Lennon was engaged in fire-fighting.\n\nThe upheaval at the club would have contributed to the team's failures, but Lennon will feel that he needs to re-establish his standing. Managers can be quickly marginalised when they are out of work, which would have figured in Lennon's thinking.\n\nMost prominently, though, he would have assessed the chance to build on the sense of progress and optimism at Easter Road and pursue success in the leagues and the cups as the ideal tonic for his career.\n\nFor Hibs, Lennon represents substance and profile. He is a proven manager, at least in terms of building a first-team and motivating them to success.\n\nHibs are a contemporary club in their approach to recruitment, sports science and analysis, which might have suited other candidates better, but Lennon knows what it is to thrive and deliver under pressure.\n\nSupporters will respond to his presence, which is significant when the level of season ticket sales will determine the level of budget that is available. The club had planned for two years in the Championship, so a third campaign requires resourcefulness.\n\nLennon is a captivating figure. Fans will welcome his wholeheartedness, while his standing in the media will keep attention focused on events at Easter Road. Players have a tendency to perform under his guidance, and it would not be surprising if one or two figures considered marginal by new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers find a welcome home in Leith.\n\nHibs have made a bold appointment, with a focus on achieving their short-term aim of return to the top-flight. Lennon is likely to fulfil their ambitions, and at the same time rejuvenate his own.", "summary": "Neil Lennon has been hired as the new manager for Hibernian. He has a strong background, and the team is considered to be in a strong position after two Championships. He is expected to have an easier transition than the previous manager, and step into the role of leader without complications. "}
{"article_id": "14f71296e6404651bfdcfd300ddebcf8", "article": "UK manufacturing activity contracted in April for the first time in three years, a survey has indicated, adding to fears over the economy's strength.\n\nThe Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.2 from 50.7 in March. A reading below 50 indicates falling output.\n\nIt is the first time that activity in the sector has fallen since March 2013.\n\nFirms blamed soft domestic demand, a fall in new business from overseas and uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum.\n\nA slowdown in the oil and gas industry, a major customer for UK companies, is also hitting production.\n\nThe index for new orders fell to 50.4 in April, from 51.9 the month before, matching February's three-year low.\n\nRob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: \"On this evidence manufacturing production is now falling at a quarterly pace of around 1%, and will likely act as a drag on the economy again during the second quarter and putting greater pressure on the service sector to sustain GDP growth.\n\n\"The manufacturing labour market is also being impacted, with the data signalling close to 20,000 job losses over the past three months.\"\n\nLast week, official figures showed UK economic growth slowed to 0.4% in the first quarter of the year from 0.6% in late 2015, propped up by the services sector.\n\nDavid Noble, group chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), said: \"Recent fears over a stall in the UK's manufacturing sector have now become a reality.\n\n\"An atmosphere of deep unease is building throughout the manufacturing supply chain, eating away at new orders, reducing British exports and putting more jobs at risk.\n\n\"A sense of apprehension across the sector is being caused by enduring volatility in the oil and gas industry, falling retailer confidence and the uncertainty created by the EU referendum.\"\n\nThe Markit/CIPS survey found new export orders contracted for the fourth straight month in April as the global economy continued to slow. A measure of employment in the manufacturing sector was also below the 50 mark for its fourth straight month.\n\nLee Hopley, chief economist at the manufacturers' organisation, EEF, said: \"The sharp drop to a three-year low and another month of reported job cuts could be the clearest sign yet that referendum uncertainty is starting to weigh on the real economy.\n\n\"However, this is just another straw on the back of a sector already grappling with the struggling oil and gas sector, softening domestic demand and weak order outlook from other parts of the world, all of which are failing to provide any counterbalance to the political uncertainty at home.\"", "summary": "In April, the UK manufacturing activity was contracted for the first time in three years. This is the first time that activity in the sector has fallen since March 2013. Firms blamed soft domestic demand, uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum, and a fall in new business from overseas.\n"}
{"article_id": "14f71296e6404651bfdcfd300ddebcf8", "article": "UK manufacturing activity contracted in April for the first time in three years, a survey has indicated, adding to fears over the economy's strength.\n\nThe Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.2 from 50.7 in March. A reading below 50 indicates falling output.\n\nIt is the first time that activity in the sector has fallen since March 2013.\n\nFirms blamed soft domestic demand, a fall in new business from overseas and uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum.\n\nA slowdown in the oil and gas industry, a major customer for UK companies, is also hitting production.\n\nThe index for new orders fell to 50.4 in April, from 51.9 the month before, matching February's three-year low.\n\nRob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: \"On this evidence manufacturing production is now falling at a quarterly pace of around 1%, and will likely act as a drag on the economy again during the second quarter and putting greater pressure on the service sector to sustain GDP growth.\n\n\"The manufacturing labour market is also being impacted, with the data signalling close to 20,000 job losses over the past three months.\"\n\nLast week, official figures showed UK economic growth slowed to 0.4% in the first quarter of the year from 0.6% in late 2015, propped up by the services sector.\n\nDavid Noble, group chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), said: \"Recent fears over a stall in the UK's manufacturing sector have now become a reality.\n\n\"An atmosphere of deep unease is building throughout the manufacturing supply chain, eating away at new orders, reducing British exports and putting more jobs at risk.\n\n\"A sense of apprehension across the sector is being caused by enduring volatility in the oil and gas industry, falling retailer confidence and the uncertainty created by the EU referendum.\"\n\nThe Markit/CIPS survey found new export orders contracted for the fourth straight month in April as the global economy continued to slow. A measure of employment in the manufacturing sector was also below the 50 mark for its fourth straight month.\n\nLee Hopley, chief economist at the manufacturers' organisation, EEF, said: \"The sharp drop to a three-year low and another month of reported job cuts could be the clearest sign yet that referendum uncertainty is starting to weigh on the real economy.\n\n\"However, this is just another straw on the back of a sector already grappling with the struggling oil and gas sector, softening domestic demand and weak order outlook from other parts of the world, all of which are failing to provide any counterbalance to the political uncertainty at home.\"", "summary": "The UK manufacturing sector is faced with declining economic activity, which is happening in line with an overall decline in the UK economic growth, and a slowing global economy. Experts believe this is due to several factors, but the leading problem is concern about the EU referendum. "}
{"article_id": "14f71296e6404651bfdcfd300ddebcf8", "article": "UK manufacturing activity contracted in April for the first time in three years, a survey has indicated, adding to fears over the economy's strength.\n\nThe Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.2 from 50.7 in March. A reading below 50 indicates falling output.\n\nIt is the first time that activity in the sector has fallen since March 2013.\n\nFirms blamed soft domestic demand, a fall in new business from overseas and uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum.\n\nA slowdown in the oil and gas industry, a major customer for UK companies, is also hitting production.\n\nThe index for new orders fell to 50.4 in April, from 51.9 the month before, matching February's three-year low.\n\nRob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: \"On this evidence manufacturing production is now falling at a quarterly pace of around 1%, and will likely act as a drag on the economy again during the second quarter and putting greater pressure on the service sector to sustain GDP growth.\n\n\"The manufacturing labour market is also being impacted, with the data signalling close to 20,000 job losses over the past three months.\"\n\nLast week, official figures showed UK economic growth slowed to 0.4% in the first quarter of the year from 0.6% in late 2015, propped up by the services sector.\n\nDavid Noble, group chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), said: \"Recent fears over a stall in the UK's manufacturing sector have now become a reality.\n\n\"An atmosphere of deep unease is building throughout the manufacturing supply chain, eating away at new orders, reducing British exports and putting more jobs at risk.\n\n\"A sense of apprehension across the sector is being caused by enduring volatility in the oil and gas industry, falling retailer confidence and the uncertainty created by the EU referendum.\"\n\nThe Markit/CIPS survey found new export orders contracted for the fourth straight month in April as the global economy continued to slow. A measure of employment in the manufacturing sector was also below the 50 mark for its fourth straight month.\n\nLee Hopley, chief economist at the manufacturers' organisation, EEF, said: \"The sharp drop to a three-year low and another month of reported job cuts could be the clearest sign yet that referendum uncertainty is starting to weigh on the real economy.\n\n\"However, this is just another straw on the back of a sector already grappling with the struggling oil and gas sector, softening domestic demand and weak order outlook from other parts of the world, all of which are failing to provide any counterbalance to the political uncertainty at home.\"", "summary": "UK manufacturing has contracted for the first time in three years. Soft domestic demand, a slowing domestic energy market, and political uncertainty have all been cited as potential causes. The manufacturing sector has shed 20,000 jobs and is falling at a rate of 1% per quarter.  "}
{"article_id": "14f71296e6404651bfdcfd300ddebcf8", "article": "UK manufacturing activity contracted in April for the first time in three years, a survey has indicated, adding to fears over the economy's strength.\n\nThe Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 49.2 from 50.7 in March. A reading below 50 indicates falling output.\n\nIt is the first time that activity in the sector has fallen since March 2013.\n\nFirms blamed soft domestic demand, a fall in new business from overseas and uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum.\n\nA slowdown in the oil and gas industry, a major customer for UK companies, is also hitting production.\n\nThe index for new orders fell to 50.4 in April, from 51.9 the month before, matching February's three-year low.\n\nRob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: \"On this evidence manufacturing production is now falling at a quarterly pace of around 1%, and will likely act as a drag on the economy again during the second quarter and putting greater pressure on the service sector to sustain GDP growth.\n\n\"The manufacturing labour market is also being impacted, with the data signalling close to 20,000 job losses over the past three months.\"\n\nLast week, official figures showed UK economic growth slowed to 0.4% in the first quarter of the year from 0.6% in late 2015, propped up by the services sector.\n\nDavid Noble, group chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), said: \"Recent fears over a stall in the UK's manufacturing sector have now become a reality.\n\n\"An atmosphere of deep unease is building throughout the manufacturing supply chain, eating away at new orders, reducing British exports and putting more jobs at risk.\n\n\"A sense of apprehension across the sector is being caused by enduring volatility in the oil and gas industry, falling retailer confidence and the uncertainty created by the EU referendum.\"\n\nThe Markit/CIPS survey found new export orders contracted for the fourth straight month in April as the global economy continued to slow. A measure of employment in the manufacturing sector was also below the 50 mark for its fourth straight month.\n\nLee Hopley, chief economist at the manufacturers' organisation, EEF, said: \"The sharp drop to a three-year low and another month of reported job cuts could be the clearest sign yet that referendum uncertainty is starting to weigh on the real economy.\n\n\"However, this is just another straw on the back of a sector already grappling with the struggling oil and gas sector, softening domestic demand and weak order outlook from other parts of the world, all of which are failing to provide any counterbalance to the political uncertainty at home.\"", "summary": "Concerns over UK manufacturing activity have become more tangible, with activity falling in April for the first time since March of 2013. The culprits of this economic woe are noted to be soft domestic demand, a fall in new international business, and also uncertainty ahead of the EU referendum. "}
{"article_id": "12e2247575bb460284ecaa276965b73f", "article": "English cricket\u2019s new bosses flexed their muscles when Paul Downton paid the price for a humiliating World Cup by being sacked as managing director.\n\nDownton was fired by new ECB chief executive Tom Harrison, in conjunction with chairman-elect Colin Graves, after a ring-round to each of the 14 members of the governing body\u2019s management board ahead of their spring meeting today.\n\nThe decision to sack a man who has endured a traumatic 14 months since succeeding Hugh Morris after England\u2019s Ashes whitewash was unanimous, with one board member saying Downton was just \u2018too accident prone\u2019.\n\nPaul Downton has left his role as managing director of England and Wales Cricket Board.\n\nDownton leaves his role as ECB managing director following England's shameful performance at World Cup.\n\nIt was Downton who took the huge call to sack Kevin Pietersen and then re-appointed Peter Moores, calling him \u2018the outstanding coach of his generation\u2019. He also oversaw the sacking of Alastair Cook as one-day captain.\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan immediately said he would like to speak to the ECB about the newly created job of director of England cricket and Andrew Strauss is another possible candidate.\n\nUltimately it was England\u2019s failure to negotiate the first round of the World Cup after an embarrassing defeat by Bangladesh and crushing reverses against Australia and New Zealand, coupled with disenchantment at their management style from many supporters, that did for former England and Middlesex wicketkeeper-batsman Downton.\n\n\u2018The England Cricket Department needs to deliver performance at the highest level and our structure needs to be accountable for reaching the standards we aspire to,\u2019 said Harrison in an ECB statement. \u2018The new role we are putting in place will deliver an environment where world-class performance is at the heart of everything we do.\u2019\n\nMichael Vaughan (left) immediately threw his hat in the ring to replace the departed Downton.\n\nVaughan's successor as England captain, Andrew Strauss (centre), is also thought to be a contender.\n\nThat new role will be director of England cricket, a subtle but crucial change of title which will take the business aspect of the role away from the new man and effectively make him a supremo and, possibly, head selector.\n\nThat makes James Whitaker, now the national selector, extremely vulnerable even though England won the last three Tests they played last summer and he could leave as soon as today\u2019s board meeting at Lord\u2019s.\n\nYet Harrison played down any suggestion that this makes Moores, still with much to prove in his second coming as England coach, more vulnerable and that the door could now be nudged further ajar for the return of Pietersen, who has rejoined Surrey after being apparently encouraged by Graves.\n\n\u2018This doesn\u2019t impact on Peter Moores\u2019 position at all,\u2019 Harrison said later on Sky. \u2018This is with respect to delivering an environment for the future.\u2019\n\nDownton's job description has been abolished as a result following England's dismal World Cup showing.\n\nEngland selector James Whitaker (left) and former managing director Downton during a nets session.\n\nMoores (from left to right), Downton and England captain Alastair Cook during the press conference.\n\nOCTOBER 2013.\n\nDownton, a former England wicketkeeper, is appointed managing sirector of England and Wales Cricket Board, with his position taking effect from February 1, 2014.\n\nFEBRUARY 2014.\n\nAfter the Ashes whitewash, Kevin Pietersen and head coach Andy Flower are sacked. After days of silence, the official line on Pietersen\u2019s dismissal is that the ECB wanted to \u2018create a culture\u2019 in which captain Alastair Cook had \u2018the full support of all players\u2019.\n\nMARCH 2014.\n\nEngland suffer a humiliating 45-run defeat to Holland in the World T20. Ravi Bopara top-scored for England with just 18.\n\nAPRIL 2014.\n\nDownton appoints Peter Moores, who had spent the previous four seasons as head coach at Lancashire, for a second spell as England head coach.\n\nMAY 2014.\n\nDownton and the ECB issue an apology to Pietersen for claiming he appeared \u2018disinterested\u2019 and \u2018distracted\u2019 during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.\n\nJUNE 2014.\n\nEngland lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka. The south Asian side had previously won on English soil in 1998 \u2014 in a one-off Test match.\n\nJULY-AUG 2014.\n\nEngland lose the second Test against India, but come back to win the home series 3-1. In the fifth Test, England inflict upon India their third heaviest defeat in history.\n\nDECEMBER 2014.\n\nCook is sacked as one-day captain and replaced by Eoin Morgan, marking the end of a sorry year for England in which they won just 18 of their 48 matches across all formats.\n\nFEBRUARY-MARCH 2015.\n\nEngland endure a dreadful World Cup campaign, failing to advance from the group stage and finishing behind Bangladesh, who sealed their exit with a 15-run victory.\n\nAPRIL 2015.\n\nDownton departs as ECB managing director. The ECB are to create a new role of \u2018director of England Cricket\u2019 ahead of the Ashes series.", "summary": "After less than 2 years as Managing Director of England and Wales Cricket Board, Paul Downton has been fired, and his position was abolished. A new position will be created without the business responsibilities.  This decision follows a series of losses and embarrassing World Cup display. "}
{"article_id": "12e2247575bb460284ecaa276965b73f", "article": "English cricket\u2019s new bosses flexed their muscles when Paul Downton paid the price for a humiliating World Cup by being sacked as managing director.\n\nDownton was fired by new ECB chief executive Tom Harrison, in conjunction with chairman-elect Colin Graves, after a ring-round to each of the 14 members of the governing body\u2019s management board ahead of their spring meeting today.\n\nThe decision to sack a man who has endured a traumatic 14 months since succeeding Hugh Morris after England\u2019s Ashes whitewash was unanimous, with one board member saying Downton was just \u2018too accident prone\u2019.\n\nPaul Downton has left his role as managing director of England and Wales Cricket Board.\n\nDownton leaves his role as ECB managing director following England's shameful performance at World Cup.\n\nIt was Downton who took the huge call to sack Kevin Pietersen and then re-appointed Peter Moores, calling him \u2018the outstanding coach of his generation\u2019. He also oversaw the sacking of Alastair Cook as one-day captain.\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan immediately said he would like to speak to the ECB about the newly created job of director of England cricket and Andrew Strauss is another possible candidate.\n\nUltimately it was England\u2019s failure to negotiate the first round of the World Cup after an embarrassing defeat by Bangladesh and crushing reverses against Australia and New Zealand, coupled with disenchantment at their management style from many supporters, that did for former England and Middlesex wicketkeeper-batsman Downton.\n\n\u2018The England Cricket Department needs to deliver performance at the highest level and our structure needs to be accountable for reaching the standards we aspire to,\u2019 said Harrison in an ECB statement. \u2018The new role we are putting in place will deliver an environment where world-class performance is at the heart of everything we do.\u2019\n\nMichael Vaughan (left) immediately threw his hat in the ring to replace the departed Downton.\n\nVaughan's successor as England captain, Andrew Strauss (centre), is also thought to be a contender.\n\nThat new role will be director of England cricket, a subtle but crucial change of title which will take the business aspect of the role away from the new man and effectively make him a supremo and, possibly, head selector.\n\nThat makes James Whitaker, now the national selector, extremely vulnerable even though England won the last three Tests they played last summer and he could leave as soon as today\u2019s board meeting at Lord\u2019s.\n\nYet Harrison played down any suggestion that this makes Moores, still with much to prove in his second coming as England coach, more vulnerable and that the door could now be nudged further ajar for the return of Pietersen, who has rejoined Surrey after being apparently encouraged by Graves.\n\n\u2018This doesn\u2019t impact on Peter Moores\u2019 position at all,\u2019 Harrison said later on Sky. \u2018This is with respect to delivering an environment for the future.\u2019\n\nDownton's job description has been abolished as a result following England's dismal World Cup showing.\n\nEngland selector James Whitaker (left) and former managing director Downton during a nets session.\n\nMoores (from left to right), Downton and England captain Alastair Cook during the press conference.\n\nOCTOBER 2013.\n\nDownton, a former England wicketkeeper, is appointed managing sirector of England and Wales Cricket Board, with his position taking effect from February 1, 2014.\n\nFEBRUARY 2014.\n\nAfter the Ashes whitewash, Kevin Pietersen and head coach Andy Flower are sacked. After days of silence, the official line on Pietersen\u2019s dismissal is that the ECB wanted to \u2018create a culture\u2019 in which captain Alastair Cook had \u2018the full support of all players\u2019.\n\nMARCH 2014.\n\nEngland suffer a humiliating 45-run defeat to Holland in the World T20. Ravi Bopara top-scored for England with just 18.\n\nAPRIL 2014.\n\nDownton appoints Peter Moores, who had spent the previous four seasons as head coach at Lancashire, for a second spell as England head coach.\n\nMAY 2014.\n\nDownton and the ECB issue an apology to Pietersen for claiming he appeared \u2018disinterested\u2019 and \u2018distracted\u2019 during the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.\n\nJUNE 2014.\n\nEngland lose a Test series at home to Sri Lanka. The south Asian side had previously won on English soil in 1998 \u2014 in a one-off Test match.\n\nJULY-AUG 2014.\n\nEngland lose the second Test against India, but come back to win the home series 3-1. In the fifth Test, England inflict upon India their third heaviest defeat in history.\n\nDECEMBER 2014.\n\nCook is sacked as one-day captain and replaced by Eoin Morgan, marking the end of a sorry year for England in which they won just 18 of their 48 matches across all formats.\n\nFEBRUARY-MARCH 2015.\n\nEngland endure a dreadful World Cup campaign, failing to advance from the group stage and finishing behind Bangladesh, who sealed their exit with a 15-run victory.\n\nAPRIL 2015.\n\nDownton departs as ECB managing director. The ECB are to create a new role of \u2018director of England Cricket\u2019 ahead of the Ashes series.", "summary": "Paul Downton has officially left his role as the managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board. Downtown was relieved of his duties after England's embarrassing performance at the World Cup, in which they were defeated by Bangladesh and suffered crushing reverses against Australia and New Zealand."}
{"article_id": "302c800172da420f9e2e80474a9cf5ec", "article": "With the new Avengers: Age of Ultron movie released this week,  James Haskell showed off his inner Iron Man in a serious-looking Instagram post.\n\nThe highly-anticipated movie premiered at Westfield London shopping centre on Tuesday evening with fans queuing up to see the A-list cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson.\n\nAnd the London Wasps captain joined in on the hype as he posted the photo dressed as\u00a0Downey Jr.'s character Iron Man.\n\nEngland flanker James Haskell dressed in Iron Man costume and posted it on his Instagram page.\n\nThe London Wasps captain (middle) returned to the club where he started his career for the 2012 season.\n\nHaskell posted the image on Thursday along with the message: 'Avengers movie is out so thought i would release the inner Iron Man. @UnderArmourUK #TransformYourself #IWILL #AvengersAgeOfUltron.'\n\nThe flanker returned to Wasps for the 2012 season after spells with Stade Francais,\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams\u00a0and\u00a0Highlanders in New Zealand.\n\nWindsor-born\u00a0Haskell first joined Wasps in 2002, playing eight seasons for the club and winning his first England cap five years later.\n\nBut in 2009,  he moved to Stade Francais in France and spent two seasons in the French capital before he made the move to Tokyo with the\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams following the unsuccessful 2011 World Cup.\n\nFour months in Japan with the Rams and Haskell was on the move again when he switched to New Zealand to join the Highlanders. However, he made only 12 appearances and returned to England in 2012.\n\nSince returning to Wasps, Haskell has surpassed the 100 appearances mark for the club and has become a big part of the England squad with 57 caps to-date.\n\nHaskell has played his rugby in France, Japan and New Zealand after leaving the Wasps in 2009.\n\nSince his return to England, Haskell has enjoyed his rugby and surpassed the 100 appearance mark for Wasps.", "summary": "London Wasps Captain, James Haskell dressed up as Iron Man and posted it on his Instagram during the release of \"Avengers: Age of Ultron\" at Westfield Shopping Centre in London. Haskell started his career in England but left in 2009. Now he is back, he has surpassed over 100 appearances for the Wasps. "}
{"article_id": "302c800172da420f9e2e80474a9cf5ec", "article": "With the new Avengers: Age of Ultron movie released this week,  James Haskell showed off his inner Iron Man in a serious-looking Instagram post.\n\nThe highly-anticipated movie premiered at Westfield London shopping centre on Tuesday evening with fans queuing up to see the A-list cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson.\n\nAnd the London Wasps captain joined in on the hype as he posted the photo dressed as\u00a0Downey Jr.'s character Iron Man.\n\nEngland flanker James Haskell dressed in Iron Man costume and posted it on his Instagram page.\n\nThe London Wasps captain (middle) returned to the club where he started his career for the 2012 season.\n\nHaskell posted the image on Thursday along with the message: 'Avengers movie is out so thought i would release the inner Iron Man. @UnderArmourUK #TransformYourself #IWILL #AvengersAgeOfUltron.'\n\nThe flanker returned to Wasps for the 2012 season after spells with Stade Francais,\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams\u00a0and\u00a0Highlanders in New Zealand.\n\nWindsor-born\u00a0Haskell first joined Wasps in 2002, playing eight seasons for the club and winning his first England cap five years later.\n\nBut in 2009,  he moved to Stade Francais in France and spent two seasons in the French capital before he made the move to Tokyo with the\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams following the unsuccessful 2011 World Cup.\n\nFour months in Japan with the Rams and Haskell was on the move again when he switched to New Zealand to join the Highlanders. However, he made only 12 appearances and returned to England in 2012.\n\nSince returning to Wasps, Haskell has surpassed the 100 appearances mark for the club and has become a big part of the England squad with 57 caps to-date.\n\nHaskell has played his rugby in France, Japan and New Zealand after leaving the Wasps in 2009.\n\nSince his return to England, Haskell has enjoyed his rugby and surpassed the 100 appearance mark for Wasps.", "summary": "James Haskell is a rugby player for the London Wasps. He has an extensive career with playing for other teams in France, Japan, and New Zealand. To celebrate the release of the new Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, Haskell posts an Instagram picture of him dress up as Iron Man. "}
{"article_id": "302c800172da420f9e2e80474a9cf5ec", "article": "With the new Avengers: Age of Ultron movie released this week,  James Haskell showed off his inner Iron Man in a serious-looking Instagram post.\n\nThe highly-anticipated movie premiered at Westfield London shopping centre on Tuesday evening with fans queuing up to see the A-list cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson.\n\nAnd the London Wasps captain joined in on the hype as he posted the photo dressed as\u00a0Downey Jr.'s character Iron Man.\n\nEngland flanker James Haskell dressed in Iron Man costume and posted it on his Instagram page.\n\nThe London Wasps captain (middle) returned to the club where he started his career for the 2012 season.\n\nHaskell posted the image on Thursday along with the message: 'Avengers movie is out so thought i would release the inner Iron Man. @UnderArmourUK #TransformYourself #IWILL #AvengersAgeOfUltron.'\n\nThe flanker returned to Wasps for the 2012 season after spells with Stade Francais,\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams\u00a0and\u00a0Highlanders in New Zealand.\n\nWindsor-born\u00a0Haskell first joined Wasps in 2002, playing eight seasons for the club and winning his first England cap five years later.\n\nBut in 2009,  he moved to Stade Francais in France and spent two seasons in the French capital before he made the move to Tokyo with the\u00a0Ricoh Black Rams following the unsuccessful 2011 World Cup.\n\nFour months in Japan with the Rams and Haskell was on the move again when he switched to New Zealand to join the Highlanders. However, he made only 12 appearances and returned to England in 2012.\n\nSince returning to Wasps, Haskell has surpassed the 100 appearances mark for the club and has become a big part of the England squad with 57 caps to-date.\n\nHaskell has played his rugby in France, Japan and New Zealand after leaving the Wasps in 2009.\n\nSince his return to England, Haskell has enjoyed his rugby and surpassed the 100 appearance mark for Wasps.", "summary": "London Wasps Captain James Haskell dressed up as Ironman and posted it to his Instagram account in a celebration of the new Avengers movie. Haskell returned to the Wasps in 2012 after short stints in Japan and New Zealand. He has since passed 100 appearances with the club. "}
{"article_id": "bd35a4e31c6a4123bc4f94e0cbf78981", "article": "The PSNI has launched a murder inquiry into the death of a prison officer who died 11 days after being injured in a dissident republican bomb attack.\n\nAdrian Ismay, 52, was seriously hurt after a booby-trap device exploded under his van in Belfast on 4 March.\n\nThe police said that a post-mortem examination showed he died as a \"direct result of the injuries\" of the bomb.\n\nA dissident republican group, widely referred to as the new IRA, said it carried out the attack.\n\nThe organisation said Mr Ismay was targeted for training officers at Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn, County Antrim.\n\nSue McAllister, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, spent time with the Ismay family on Wednesday.\n\nShe said they were \"devastated and beyond shock at what's happened\".\n\n\"Like all of us, they thought that he was on the mend and was doing really well,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"We thought he would make a full recovery, we expected him to come back to work in due course, so we're all shocked, but particularly Sharon and her daughters.\"\n\nMrs McAllister condemned the behaviour of some paramilitary inmates at Maghaberry Prison, who reportedly cheered, smoked cigars and mocked wardens at the high-security jail when news of Mr Ismay's death filtered through.\n\n\"This was just unacceptable behaviour by a very small number of prisoners,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"My colleagues in Maghaberry dealt with it professionally, with great fortitude and with the courage they display on a daily basis.\"\n\nShe admitted she and her colleagues in the Prison Service felt \"very angry\" on hearing the reports of the celebrations in the exercise yard of the prison.\n\n\"We encounter challenging behaviour by a small number of prisoners every day, and we deal with it with great professionalism and we do not stoop to behaving that way in response,\" she added.\n\nA man appeared in court on Saturday charged in connection with the bomb attack on Mr Ismay.\n\nDet Ch Insp Richard Campbell said it was \"yet another difficult day for the Ismay family, his friends and colleagues as they struggle to come to terms with the events of the past 12 days\".\n\nHe added: \"We have spoken to the family this morning and advised them of this development.\n\n\"We are also liaising with the Public Prosecution Service in relation to the individual who is currently charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion with intent to endanger life.\"\n\nThe PSNI have also repeated an appeal for information on two cars that police believe may have been used by the bombers - a red Citroen C3 and a silver Skoda Fabia.", "summary": "Adrian Ismay, a prison officer, died 11 days after a bomb exploded under his van. The attack was carried out by a republican group called the New IRA. According to the organization, Ismay was targeted for training officers in Maghaberry Prison. The autopsy shows that Ismay's death was directly caused by the bomb injuries. "}
{"article_id": "bd35a4e31c6a4123bc4f94e0cbf78981", "article": "The PSNI has launched a murder inquiry into the death of a prison officer who died 11 days after being injured in a dissident republican bomb attack.\n\nAdrian Ismay, 52, was seriously hurt after a booby-trap device exploded under his van in Belfast on 4 March.\n\nThe police said that a post-mortem examination showed he died as a \"direct result of the injuries\" of the bomb.\n\nA dissident republican group, widely referred to as the new IRA, said it carried out the attack.\n\nThe organisation said Mr Ismay was targeted for training officers at Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn, County Antrim.\n\nSue McAllister, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, spent time with the Ismay family on Wednesday.\n\nShe said they were \"devastated and beyond shock at what's happened\".\n\n\"Like all of us, they thought that he was on the mend and was doing really well,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"We thought he would make a full recovery, we expected him to come back to work in due course, so we're all shocked, but particularly Sharon and her daughters.\"\n\nMrs McAllister condemned the behaviour of some paramilitary inmates at Maghaberry Prison, who reportedly cheered, smoked cigars and mocked wardens at the high-security jail when news of Mr Ismay's death filtered through.\n\n\"This was just unacceptable behaviour by a very small number of prisoners,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"My colleagues in Maghaberry dealt with it professionally, with great fortitude and with the courage they display on a daily basis.\"\n\nShe admitted she and her colleagues in the Prison Service felt \"very angry\" on hearing the reports of the celebrations in the exercise yard of the prison.\n\n\"We encounter challenging behaviour by a small number of prisoners every day, and we deal with it with great professionalism and we do not stoop to behaving that way in response,\" she added.\n\nA man appeared in court on Saturday charged in connection with the bomb attack on Mr Ismay.\n\nDet Ch Insp Richard Campbell said it was \"yet another difficult day for the Ismay family, his friends and colleagues as they struggle to come to terms with the events of the past 12 days\".\n\nHe added: \"We have spoken to the family this morning and advised them of this development.\n\n\"We are also liaising with the Public Prosecution Service in relation to the individual who is currently charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion with intent to endanger life.\"\n\nThe PSNI have also repeated an appeal for information on two cars that police believe may have been used by the bombers - a red Citroen C3 and a silver Skoda Fabia.", "summary": "A murder investigation has been launched into the recent death of a prison officer injured in a bomb attack.  Reports indicate that the individual died as a direct result of his injuries.  A dissident republican party is claiming to have conducted the attack."}
{"article_id": "bd35a4e31c6a4123bc4f94e0cbf78981", "article": "The PSNI has launched a murder inquiry into the death of a prison officer who died 11 days after being injured in a dissident republican bomb attack.\n\nAdrian Ismay, 52, was seriously hurt after a booby-trap device exploded under his van in Belfast on 4 March.\n\nThe police said that a post-mortem examination showed he died as a \"direct result of the injuries\" of the bomb.\n\nA dissident republican group, widely referred to as the new IRA, said it carried out the attack.\n\nThe organisation said Mr Ismay was targeted for training officers at Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn, County Antrim.\n\nSue McAllister, director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, spent time with the Ismay family on Wednesday.\n\nShe said they were \"devastated and beyond shock at what's happened\".\n\n\"Like all of us, they thought that he was on the mend and was doing really well,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"We thought he would make a full recovery, we expected him to come back to work in due course, so we're all shocked, but particularly Sharon and her daughters.\"\n\nMrs McAllister condemned the behaviour of some paramilitary inmates at Maghaberry Prison, who reportedly cheered, smoked cigars and mocked wardens at the high-security jail when news of Mr Ismay's death filtered through.\n\n\"This was just unacceptable behaviour by a very small number of prisoners,\" said Mrs McAllister.\n\n\"My colleagues in Maghaberry dealt with it professionally, with great fortitude and with the courage they display on a daily basis.\"\n\nShe admitted she and her colleagues in the Prison Service felt \"very angry\" on hearing the reports of the celebrations in the exercise yard of the prison.\n\n\"We encounter challenging behaviour by a small number of prisoners every day, and we deal with it with great professionalism and we do not stoop to behaving that way in response,\" she added.\n\nA man appeared in court on Saturday charged in connection with the bomb attack on Mr Ismay.\n\nDet Ch Insp Richard Campbell said it was \"yet another difficult day for the Ismay family, his friends and colleagues as they struggle to come to terms with the events of the past 12 days\".\n\nHe added: \"We have spoken to the family this morning and advised them of this development.\n\n\"We are also liaising with the Public Prosecution Service in relation to the individual who is currently charged with attempted murder and causing an explosion with intent to endanger life.\"\n\nThe PSNI have also repeated an appeal for information on two cars that police believe may have been used by the bombers - a red Citroen C3 and a silver Skoda Fabia.", "summary": "Adrian Ismay was seriously injured and later died as a direct result of those injuries after a bomb exploded beneath his van. The new IRA claimed responsibility for the attack. Several inmates celebrated the death of Ismay who worked as a prison guard. Authorities are still looking for the cars used by the bombers. "}
{"article_id": "c4a977ddeb9f42b38b5fad9d418a3637", "article": "Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants to put tackling corruption at the \"top of the international agenda\" ahead of a London summit on the issue.\n\nThe international anti-corruption summit - the first of its kind - is aimed at exposing, punishing and drive out global corruption.\n\nPolitical leaders, businesses, sporting organisations, and charities will meet at Lancaster House on Thursday.\n\nMr Cameron says corruption is \"the root of so many of the world's problems\".\n\nHe also described it as \"an enemy of progress\".\n\n\"It destroys jobs and holds back economic growth, traps the poorest in desperate poverty, and undermines our security by pushing people towards extremist groups,\" he added.\n\n\"The battle against corruption will not be won overnight. It will take time, courage and determination to deliver the reforms that are necessary. But we cannot hope to solve the major global challenges we face without tackling the exploitation, fraud and dishonesty at their heart.\n\n\"For too long there has been a taboo about tackling this issue head-on. The summit will change that. Together we will push the fight against corruption to the top of the international agenda where it belongs.\"\n\nAmong the world leaders attending the summit are presidents Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg.\n\nRussia is to be represented by deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov.\n\nPanellists are expected to include World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund's managing director Christine Lagarde.\n\nUnder the prime minister's plans, leaders at the summit would pledge to expose corruption and pursue and punish those who perpetrate, facilitate or are complicit in it.\n\nCampaigners have also called for a crackdown on tax havens linked to the United Kingdom. The recent Panama Papers leak showed how some wealthy people use offshore firms to evade tax and avoid sanctions.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said: \"We are in discussions with the Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies with major financial centres about their attendance, and expect a number to join the summit.\"\n\nRobert Barrington, of anti-corruption campaigners Transparency International, said: \"The prime minister is creating a platform for governments that are serious about fighting corruption to make really significant changes and set the agenda for a generation to come.\n\n\"What is key now is that other governments are persuaded to sign up to ambitious targets and that the UK government does not give in to the usual last minute attempts by less committed countries to water down the summit's ambitions\".", "summary": "David Cameron organized the first international anti-corruption summit to fight corruption and tax havens. Political leaders, members of sporting organizations, and charities will all be present at the conference. Cameron believes anti-corruption efforts should be at the top of the international agenda.   "}
{"article_id": "c4a977ddeb9f42b38b5fad9d418a3637", "article": "Prime Minister David Cameron has said he wants to put tackling corruption at the \"top of the international agenda\" ahead of a London summit on the issue.\n\nThe international anti-corruption summit - the first of its kind - is aimed at exposing, punishing and drive out global corruption.\n\nPolitical leaders, businesses, sporting organisations, and charities will meet at Lancaster House on Thursday.\n\nMr Cameron says corruption is \"the root of so many of the world's problems\".\n\nHe also described it as \"an enemy of progress\".\n\n\"It destroys jobs and holds back economic growth, traps the poorest in desperate poverty, and undermines our security by pushing people towards extremist groups,\" he added.\n\n\"The battle against corruption will not be won overnight. It will take time, courage and determination to deliver the reforms that are necessary. But we cannot hope to solve the major global challenges we face without tackling the exploitation, fraud and dishonesty at their heart.\n\n\"For too long there has been a taboo about tackling this issue head-on. The summit will change that. Together we will push the fight against corruption to the top of the international agenda where it belongs.\"\n\nAmong the world leaders attending the summit are presidents Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg.\n\nRussia is to be represented by deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov.\n\nPanellists are expected to include World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund's managing director Christine Lagarde.\n\nUnder the prime minister's plans, leaders at the summit would pledge to expose corruption and pursue and punish those who perpetrate, facilitate or are complicit in it.\n\nCampaigners have also called for a crackdown on tax havens linked to the United Kingdom. The recent Panama Papers leak showed how some wealthy people use offshore firms to evade tax and avoid sanctions.\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said: \"We are in discussions with the Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies with major financial centres about their attendance, and expect a number to join the summit.\"\n\nRobert Barrington, of anti-corruption campaigners Transparency International, said: \"The prime minister is creating a platform for governments that are serious about fighting corruption to make really significant changes and set the agenda for a generation to come.\n\n\"What is key now is that other governments are persuaded to sign up to ambitious targets and that the UK government does not give in to the usual last minute attempts by less committed countries to water down the summit's ambitions\".", "summary": "Ahead of an upcoming London Summit, Prime Minister Cameron states he wants to place the topic of tackling corruption at the top of the agenda.  Cameron believes that corruption is the root of much of the world's problems.  Cameron went on to remark that corruption is also an enemy of progress."}
{"article_id": "75aac08a2e784973badd5fb5b4a41397", "article": "Some doctors in England are being offered thousands of pounds to cut the number of patients being sent to hospital, an investigation has found.\n\nGP practices are being paid to help local NHS groups limit the number of patient referrals and cut costs, the doctors' magazine Pulse found.\n\nAppointments affected include scans and consultations with specialists - including those for cancer patients.\n\nThe British Medical Association said such incentives were \"misguided\".\n\nAt least nine clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were offering GP practices payments for hitting targets, according to Pulse's investigation.\n\nIn one case, Birmingham South Central CCG was offering practices more than \u00c2\u00a311,000 to reduce new outpatient attendances, follow-ups, A&E attendances and emergency admissions by 1%, compared with 2014/15.\n\nIt said the schemes, which exclude cancer referrals, were designed to \"incentivise best quality practice\" and \"drive improvements in the quality of primary medical care\".\n\n\"Our priority is to ensure that patients have access to services that they need, when they need them,\" said a spokesperson for Birmingham South Central CCG.\n\nAnother CCG told Pulse it had considered the \"full impact\" of the incentive scheme and was \"confident that there is no conflict of interest\".\n\nPulse said that one scheme had already been looked at by the General Medical Council, the body which regulates medical standards in the UK, after local GP leaders expressed their concern.\n\nThe magazine pointed out that initial hospital referrals for cancer patients should happen within two weeks of a GP first suspecting the condition.\n\nDr Chand Nagpaul, chairman of the GPs committee of the doctors' trade union the British Medical Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that such schemes were a \"financial contaminant\" to patient-doctor trust.\n\nHe said: \"It's short-sighted and misguided of CCGs to introduce such mechanisms, because they do lead to the potential for patients questioning the motives of GP referrals.\n\n\"We believe it is far more appropriate for CCGs to introduce clinical pathways that ensure patients are referred appropriately rather than these crude, salesman-like bonuses which pay GPs simply to make reduction to referrals in numerical terms.\"\n\nDr Peter Melton is local GP and clinical chief officer for North East Lincolnshire CCG, which offers the equivalent of more than \u00c2\u00a36,000 to practices that reduce outpatient referrals to the same level as the 25% with the lowest referral rates (which include two-week urgent cancer referrals) in 2014/15.\n\nHe said the CCG was already among the best in England for referring suspected cancer patients to a consultant within two weeks and the scheme was not about avoiding sending people to hospital.\n\n\"It is not focussing on referral reduction per se but on better clinical and quality standards for the patient,\" he explained.\n\n\"The expectation is practices will be encouraged to investigate more locally and monitor the patient in the first instance rather than automatically refer in to a secondary care service.\"\n\nAnalysis by the BBC's Helen Briggs\n\nThe NHS is under pressure to make savings, with a target of carving out \u00c2\u00a322bn of efficiency savings by 2020.\n\nNHS leaders want to cut patient referrals that are deemed inappropriate, particularly when patients could be cared for locally.\n\nClinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are groups of GPs that work together to plan and design local health services.\n\nThere are more than 200 CCGs across England and, according to Pulse, at least nine are offering payments for keeping within targets for outpatient referrals and follow ups. It is not clear how extensive the practice is elsewhere.\n\nSome have questioned the wisdom of the move, saying patients could miss out on vital care. But CCGs have defended their stance, saying it is about good practice, not about keeping people who need treatment out of hospital.\n\nIn November the NHS advisory board said GPs in England should nearly double the number of patients referred to hospital for cancer tests.\n\nThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said delays in spotting symptoms could be costing thousands of lives each year.\n\nNHS England said: \"We explicitly want to increase not deter appropriate referrals for cancer checks.\"\n\nDr Rosie Loftus of the charity Macmillan Cancer Support described the findings outlined in Pulse as \"very worrying\".\n\n\"This is yet another sign of an NHS which is seriously over stretched and not giving GPs the resources and support they need,\" she said.\n\nNHS Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group, which offers payments for practices moving towards the average referral rate, said, like all CCGs, it wanted to reduce the number of patients being sent to hospitals unnecessarily.\n\n\"The part of the payment relating to the rate of referrals is a small part of the funding and is not designed to stop GPs referring patients who have a clinical need for hospital treatment such as cancer patients,\" said a spokesperson.", "summary": "Controversy has arisen surrounding clinical commissioning groups offering monetary incentives to GP's not to refer patients to hospitals. The groups have defended their decision as only trying to increase the treatment and follow up care provided by GP's, but critics and the NHS call it inappropriate and believe it could cost lives. "}
{"article_id": "75aac08a2e784973badd5fb5b4a41397", "article": "Some doctors in England are being offered thousands of pounds to cut the number of patients being sent to hospital, an investigation has found.\n\nGP practices are being paid to help local NHS groups limit the number of patient referrals and cut costs, the doctors' magazine Pulse found.\n\nAppointments affected include scans and consultations with specialists - including those for cancer patients.\n\nThe British Medical Association said such incentives were \"misguided\".\n\nAt least nine clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were offering GP practices payments for hitting targets, according to Pulse's investigation.\n\nIn one case, Birmingham South Central CCG was offering practices more than \u00c2\u00a311,000 to reduce new outpatient attendances, follow-ups, A&E attendances and emergency admissions by 1%, compared with 2014/15.\n\nIt said the schemes, which exclude cancer referrals, were designed to \"incentivise best quality practice\" and \"drive improvements in the quality of primary medical care\".\n\n\"Our priority is to ensure that patients have access to services that they need, when they need them,\" said a spokesperson for Birmingham South Central CCG.\n\nAnother CCG told Pulse it had considered the \"full impact\" of the incentive scheme and was \"confident that there is no conflict of interest\".\n\nPulse said that one scheme had already been looked at by the General Medical Council, the body which regulates medical standards in the UK, after local GP leaders expressed their concern.\n\nThe magazine pointed out that initial hospital referrals for cancer patients should happen within two weeks of a GP first suspecting the condition.\n\nDr Chand Nagpaul, chairman of the GPs committee of the doctors' trade union the British Medical Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that such schemes were a \"financial contaminant\" to patient-doctor trust.\n\nHe said: \"It's short-sighted and misguided of CCGs to introduce such mechanisms, because they do lead to the potential for patients questioning the motives of GP referrals.\n\n\"We believe it is far more appropriate for CCGs to introduce clinical pathways that ensure patients are referred appropriately rather than these crude, salesman-like bonuses which pay GPs simply to make reduction to referrals in numerical terms.\"\n\nDr Peter Melton is local GP and clinical chief officer for North East Lincolnshire CCG, which offers the equivalent of more than \u00c2\u00a36,000 to practices that reduce outpatient referrals to the same level as the 25% with the lowest referral rates (which include two-week urgent cancer referrals) in 2014/15.\n\nHe said the CCG was already among the best in England for referring suspected cancer patients to a consultant within two weeks and the scheme was not about avoiding sending people to hospital.\n\n\"It is not focussing on referral reduction per se but on better clinical and quality standards for the patient,\" he explained.\n\n\"The expectation is practices will be encouraged to investigate more locally and monitor the patient in the first instance rather than automatically refer in to a secondary care service.\"\n\nAnalysis by the BBC's Helen Briggs\n\nThe NHS is under pressure to make savings, with a target of carving out \u00c2\u00a322bn of efficiency savings by 2020.\n\nNHS leaders want to cut patient referrals that are deemed inappropriate, particularly when patients could be cared for locally.\n\nClinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are groups of GPs that work together to plan and design local health services.\n\nThere are more than 200 CCGs across England and, according to Pulse, at least nine are offering payments for keeping within targets for outpatient referrals and follow ups. It is not clear how extensive the practice is elsewhere.\n\nSome have questioned the wisdom of the move, saying patients could miss out on vital care. But CCGs have defended their stance, saying it is about good practice, not about keeping people who need treatment out of hospital.\n\nIn November the NHS advisory board said GPs in England should nearly double the number of patients referred to hospital for cancer tests.\n\nThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said delays in spotting symptoms could be costing thousands of lives each year.\n\nNHS England said: \"We explicitly want to increase not deter appropriate referrals for cancer checks.\"\n\nDr Rosie Loftus of the charity Macmillan Cancer Support described the findings outlined in Pulse as \"very worrying\".\n\n\"This is yet another sign of an NHS which is seriously over stretched and not giving GPs the resources and support they need,\" she said.\n\nNHS Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group, which offers payments for practices moving towards the average referral rate, said, like all CCGs, it wanted to reduce the number of patients being sent to hospitals unnecessarily.\n\n\"The part of the payment relating to the rate of referrals is a small part of the funding and is not designed to stop GPs referring patients who have a clinical need for hospital treatment such as cancer patients,\" said a spokesperson.", "summary": "To cut costs, doctors in England are being paid by the NHS to limit the number of patients admitted to the hospital. Cost-cutting measures include scans for cancer patients. Many physicians in the UK find the practice appalling, preferring a system that prioritizes people over profits. "}
{"article_id": "94cc70c2c23d4be4b93990116be9ecee", "article": "A report about a woman who said she had repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her because she had a \"fat face\" has sparked outrage among China's online community.\n\nThough the unverified story was short on details, and did not have the husband's side of the story, \"divorced because of fat face\" quickly became a top trend on microblogging network Weibo.\n\nState media picked up the story on Thursday, which was first reported in a local evening paper earlier this week.\n\nLiaoshen Wanbao reported the 49-year-old woman in Shenyang city had claimed her husband had divorced her 10 years ago because he disliked the shape of her face, said to be \"large and square\" with \"fat cheeks\".\n\nShe said it spurred her to undergo facial surgery three times at a local hospital to shave her jawbones and reshape her face into a slimmer shape.\n\nDuring the third surgery the doctors discovered that if they proceeded further her nerves may be damaged, and halted the procedure.\n\nThe woman, identified only by her surname Wang, later sued the hospital for 1.7 million yuan ($260,900; \u00c2\u00a3183,900) in damages.\n\nShe alleged the surgery had left her with soreness in her chin, and she could only eat and drink through a straw as \"when she exerted force on her lower jaw, she had the sensation that it would break\".\n\nThe hospital, however, argued that the surgeries were conducted according to regulations, and pointed out that they encouraged her to seek psychiatric help instead of a third operation, which she refused.\n\nAfter mediation the woman agreed to accept 20,000 yuan ($3,100, \u00c2\u00a32,200) as compensation, said the report.\n\nOn Weibo, some condemned the woman's husband, but others also chastised the woman.\n\nOne top-voted comment read: \"It's purely an excuse, if her face was large then why did he decide to marry her in the first place? If he stopped loving her then he should have just said so.\"\n\nIt continued: \"This woman is also very silly to have believed that her face shape was the real reason for the divorce, she is lying to herself.\"\n\nSaid another Weibo user: \"Even if you had gone for facial surgery and made your face smaller, he would still have found other reasons to divorce you.\"\n\nOne person noted the sharp difference in the compensation amount and voiced suspicions: \"1.7 million was dropped to 20,000, it makes me wonder if she really did have a problem with her jaw.\"\n\nStill others took the opportunity to crack jokes.\n\n\"What an odd reason for divorce! I wonder how square was this woman's square-shaped face? Like a television set? Microwave oven?\"\n\nPlastic surgery has long been a hot topic on Weibo. In December, users similarly expressed outrage when a Chinese man took out a newspaper advertisement pleading for his wife to go for plastic surgery.\n\nMore than seven million cosmetic surgeries were performed in China in 2014.\n\nThe industry's value, pegged at around 400bn yuan, is expected to double by 2019, according to the China Association of Plastics and Aesthetics.", "summary": "A Chinese woman has undergone three facial plastic surgeries in an attempt to make her face thinner, reportedly after her husband divorced her because of her square jaw. Although reports are incomplete and the public remains skeptical in this case, cosmetic surgeries are hugely popular and rising in popularity. "}
{"article_id": "94cc70c2c23d4be4b93990116be9ecee", "article": "A report about a woman who said she had repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her because she had a \"fat face\" has sparked outrage among China's online community.\n\nThough the unverified story was short on details, and did not have the husband's side of the story, \"divorced because of fat face\" quickly became a top trend on microblogging network Weibo.\n\nState media picked up the story on Thursday, which was first reported in a local evening paper earlier this week.\n\nLiaoshen Wanbao reported the 49-year-old woman in Shenyang city had claimed her husband had divorced her 10 years ago because he disliked the shape of her face, said to be \"large and square\" with \"fat cheeks\".\n\nShe said it spurred her to undergo facial surgery three times at a local hospital to shave her jawbones and reshape her face into a slimmer shape.\n\nDuring the third surgery the doctors discovered that if they proceeded further her nerves may be damaged, and halted the procedure.\n\nThe woman, identified only by her surname Wang, later sued the hospital for 1.7 million yuan ($260,900; \u00c2\u00a3183,900) in damages.\n\nShe alleged the surgery had left her with soreness in her chin, and she could only eat and drink through a straw as \"when she exerted force on her lower jaw, she had the sensation that it would break\".\n\nThe hospital, however, argued that the surgeries were conducted according to regulations, and pointed out that they encouraged her to seek psychiatric help instead of a third operation, which she refused.\n\nAfter mediation the woman agreed to accept 20,000 yuan ($3,100, \u00c2\u00a32,200) as compensation, said the report.\n\nOn Weibo, some condemned the woman's husband, but others also chastised the woman.\n\nOne top-voted comment read: \"It's purely an excuse, if her face was large then why did he decide to marry her in the first place? If he stopped loving her then he should have just said so.\"\n\nIt continued: \"This woman is also very silly to have believed that her face shape was the real reason for the divorce, she is lying to herself.\"\n\nSaid another Weibo user: \"Even if you had gone for facial surgery and made your face smaller, he would still have found other reasons to divorce you.\"\n\nOne person noted the sharp difference in the compensation amount and voiced suspicions: \"1.7 million was dropped to 20,000, it makes me wonder if she really did have a problem with her jaw.\"\n\nStill others took the opportunity to crack jokes.\n\n\"What an odd reason for divorce! I wonder how square was this woman's square-shaped face? Like a television set? Microwave oven?\"\n\nPlastic surgery has long been a hot topic on Weibo. In December, users similarly expressed outrage when a Chinese man took out a newspaper advertisement pleading for his wife to go for plastic surgery.\n\nMore than seven million cosmetic surgeries were performed in China in 2014.\n\nThe industry's value, pegged at around 400bn yuan, is expected to double by 2019, according to the China Association of Plastics and Aesthetics.", "summary": "A story about a woman known as Wang in Shenyang city became a trend on the Weibo network. She had facial surgery due to \u201cdivorced because of fat face.\u201d She had three surgeries at a local hospital, and later sued for damages for 1/7 million yuan. The comments on Weibo both supported and chastised."}
{"article_id": "94cc70c2c23d4be4b93990116be9ecee", "article": "A report about a woman who said she had repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her because she had a \"fat face\" has sparked outrage among China's online community.\n\nThough the unverified story was short on details, and did not have the husband's side of the story, \"divorced because of fat face\" quickly became a top trend on microblogging network Weibo.\n\nState media picked up the story on Thursday, which was first reported in a local evening paper earlier this week.\n\nLiaoshen Wanbao reported the 49-year-old woman in Shenyang city had claimed her husband had divorced her 10 years ago because he disliked the shape of her face, said to be \"large and square\" with \"fat cheeks\".\n\nShe said it spurred her to undergo facial surgery three times at a local hospital to shave her jawbones and reshape her face into a slimmer shape.\n\nDuring the third surgery the doctors discovered that if they proceeded further her nerves may be damaged, and halted the procedure.\n\nThe woman, identified only by her surname Wang, later sued the hospital for 1.7 million yuan ($260,900; \u00c2\u00a3183,900) in damages.\n\nShe alleged the surgery had left her with soreness in her chin, and she could only eat and drink through a straw as \"when she exerted force on her lower jaw, she had the sensation that it would break\".\n\nThe hospital, however, argued that the surgeries were conducted according to regulations, and pointed out that they encouraged her to seek psychiatric help instead of a third operation, which she refused.\n\nAfter mediation the woman agreed to accept 20,000 yuan ($3,100, \u00c2\u00a32,200) as compensation, said the report.\n\nOn Weibo, some condemned the woman's husband, but others also chastised the woman.\n\nOne top-voted comment read: \"It's purely an excuse, if her face was large then why did he decide to marry her in the first place? If he stopped loving her then he should have just said so.\"\n\nIt continued: \"This woman is also very silly to have believed that her face shape was the real reason for the divorce, she is lying to herself.\"\n\nSaid another Weibo user: \"Even if you had gone for facial surgery and made your face smaller, he would still have found other reasons to divorce you.\"\n\nOne person noted the sharp difference in the compensation amount and voiced suspicions: \"1.7 million was dropped to 20,000, it makes me wonder if she really did have a problem with her jaw.\"\n\nStill others took the opportunity to crack jokes.\n\n\"What an odd reason for divorce! I wonder how square was this woman's square-shaped face? Like a television set? Microwave oven?\"\n\nPlastic surgery has long been a hot topic on Weibo. In December, users similarly expressed outrage when a Chinese man took out a newspaper advertisement pleading for his wife to go for plastic surgery.\n\nMore than seven million cosmetic surgeries were performed in China in 2014.\n\nThe industry's value, pegged at around 400bn yuan, is expected to double by 2019, according to the China Association of Plastics and Aesthetics.", "summary": "China's online community is in a heated debate after news surfaced of a woman receiving multiple plastic surgeries on her face following a divorce that was due to her facial shape.  In total, the woman identified as Wang underwent three procedures, the last of which resulted in nerve damage. "}
{"article_id": "94cc70c2c23d4be4b93990116be9ecee", "article": "A report about a woman who said she had repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her because she had a \"fat face\" has sparked outrage among China's online community.\n\nThough the unverified story was short on details, and did not have the husband's side of the story, \"divorced because of fat face\" quickly became a top trend on microblogging network Weibo.\n\nState media picked up the story on Thursday, which was first reported in a local evening paper earlier this week.\n\nLiaoshen Wanbao reported the 49-year-old woman in Shenyang city had claimed her husband had divorced her 10 years ago because he disliked the shape of her face, said to be \"large and square\" with \"fat cheeks\".\n\nShe said it spurred her to undergo facial surgery three times at a local hospital to shave her jawbones and reshape her face into a slimmer shape.\n\nDuring the third surgery the doctors discovered that if they proceeded further her nerves may be damaged, and halted the procedure.\n\nThe woman, identified only by her surname Wang, later sued the hospital for 1.7 million yuan ($260,900; \u00c2\u00a3183,900) in damages.\n\nShe alleged the surgery had left her with soreness in her chin, and she could only eat and drink through a straw as \"when she exerted force on her lower jaw, she had the sensation that it would break\".\n\nThe hospital, however, argued that the surgeries were conducted according to regulations, and pointed out that they encouraged her to seek psychiatric help instead of a third operation, which she refused.\n\nAfter mediation the woman agreed to accept 20,000 yuan ($3,100, \u00c2\u00a32,200) as compensation, said the report.\n\nOn Weibo, some condemned the woman's husband, but others also chastised the woman.\n\nOne top-voted comment read: \"It's purely an excuse, if her face was large then why did he decide to marry her in the first place? If he stopped loving her then he should have just said so.\"\n\nIt continued: \"This woman is also very silly to have believed that her face shape was the real reason for the divorce, she is lying to herself.\"\n\nSaid another Weibo user: \"Even if you had gone for facial surgery and made your face smaller, he would still have found other reasons to divorce you.\"\n\nOne person noted the sharp difference in the compensation amount and voiced suspicions: \"1.7 million was dropped to 20,000, it makes me wonder if she really did have a problem with her jaw.\"\n\nStill others took the opportunity to crack jokes.\n\n\"What an odd reason for divorce! I wonder how square was this woman's square-shaped face? Like a television set? Microwave oven?\"\n\nPlastic surgery has long been a hot topic on Weibo. In December, users similarly expressed outrage when a Chinese man took out a newspaper advertisement pleading for his wife to go for plastic surgery.\n\nMore than seven million cosmetic surgeries were performed in China in 2014.\n\nThe industry's value, pegged at around 400bn yuan, is expected to double by 2019, according to the China Association of Plastics and Aesthetics.", "summary": "A woman claiming to have undergone repeated plastic surgery after her husband divorced her for having a \"fat face\" has gone viral on Weibo. The woman surnamed Wang, underwent three rounds of face-slimming surgery before doctors halted the fourth round citing fears of permanent nerve damage.  "}
{"article_id": "58b81f0f9fa34aeea9f49e9c97241063", "article": "Celebrities are putting their first face forward by snapping just one selfie and sharing it unfiltered on social media in aid of a new campaign dubbed #SelfieEsteem.\n\nFemale stars including Nancy Dell'Olio, Josie Gibson, Jamelia and Susanna Reid have all stepped up to the plate for Good Morning Britain's initiative, which launched today, as well as male contenders including Piers Morgan and Richard Madeley.\n\nAccording to a survey conducted by the ITV breakfast show, women take an average of six selfies before posting one online and men take four, such is the pressure to look their very best on social media.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGood Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, 44, shared her first unfiltered selfie (pictured) in aid of the #SelfieEsteem, which celebrates women as they are.\n\nSpeaking on the show earlier this morning, former Big Brother star Ms Gibson, 30, said: 'I take about 100 [selfies] before I get the right one. Yeah about 100, and then I\u2019ve started adding filters these days.'\n\nShe continued: 'I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the only person in the country who has suffered from low self-esteem.\n\n'I know that some of the most beautiful women have got no self-esteem at all and when you\u2019ve got low self-esteem it doesn\u2019t just ruin relationships, it also affects your life.\n\n'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time.\u00a0I\u2019ve been invited to amazing events and I\u2019ve not gone because I\u2019ve couldn\u2019t find anything to wear.\n\nNancy Dell'Olio, 53, puckered up for her close-range selfie.\n\nEx-Big Brother star Josie Gibson, 30, (pictured) uploaded her selfie in aid of the campaign and admitted, 'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time'\n\nSinger Jamelia, 34, flashed her best smile as she invited others to follow her example.\n\nFormer TOWIE star\u00a0Lydia Rose Bright, 25, looked radiant in her unfiltered snap.\n\nMs Gibson added: 'I\u2019ve got such low-self esteem and you compare yourself to all these people are in their nice little bodycons [dresses], looking great and you think \"oh I don\u2019t belong there.\"'\n\nGMB presenter Susanna Reid, 44, who also shared her first unfiltered selfie in support of the campaign, said: 'It makes me so upset to hear someone beautiful and fabulous and wonderful saying that.\n\n'No-one should be saying I don\u2019t want to go out because I\u2019m so worried about how I look.'\n\nMs Reid captioned her photo: 'We're encouraging you to post the first unfiltered selfie for @gmb #SelfieEsteem campaign (hair & make-up allowed).\"'\n\nMailOnline's US Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan grinned his way through his submission.\n\nTV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, threw a matching pose with her daughter Faith.\n\nFormer Westlife hunk Nicky Byrne, 36, looked more than happy to partake.\n\nOther stars to suspend their vanity for the sake of the campaign have included ITV presenter Ben Shephard, 40, former Westlife crooner Nicky Byrne, 36, TV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, who posed with her daughter Faith, and Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, 30.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage, while it was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin.\n\nAccording to GMB's survey - conducted on 2,000 men and 2,000 women - four out of ten women and three out of ten men avoid looking in the mirror due to low self-esteem.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage.\n\nit was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin, but perhaps it was simply good lighting at play.\n\nGMB host Kate Garraway, 47, also posed for a quick snap.\n\nBen Shephard, 40, shared a similar speedy selfie.\n\nNearly half of women and almost a third of men  are unhappy with the way they look, according to the poll, and their weight was the number one thing both sexes would like to change.\n\nThe survey also questioned 1,000 children aged eight to 17 on their self-esteem and found that 79 per cent were happy with the way they looked, and over half took selfies.\n\nDespite this, a third of women worried they were passing on body confidence issues to their children and 41 per cent of children did not think their mother was happy with the way she looked.\n\nWorryingly, it was also found that 15 per cent of women and a fifth of men had cropped, filtered, or retouched pictures of their children.\n\nFounder of the SelfEsteem Team, Natasha Devon (pictured), was delighted with the response from her campaign.\n\nSubmissions also poured in from viewers, including Leyla Carter (left) Chloe Jervis (right)\n\nCharlotte Hobbs (left) admits she usually takes ten selfies before settling on the best one, while Jackie Brown (right) was also stepping out of her comfort zone.", "summary": "Many celebrities and public figures are sharing snaps for a cause, #selfieesteem. Founded by Natasha Devon, the trend encourages sharing unfiltered photos to help fight low self-esteem partially driven by retouched social media photos. Studies indicate alarmingly high percentage of people are unhappy with their appearance and regularly edit selfies."}
{"article_id": "58b81f0f9fa34aeea9f49e9c97241063", "article": "Celebrities are putting their first face forward by snapping just one selfie and sharing it unfiltered on social media in aid of a new campaign dubbed #SelfieEsteem.\n\nFemale stars including Nancy Dell'Olio, Josie Gibson, Jamelia and Susanna Reid have all stepped up to the plate for Good Morning Britain's initiative, which launched today, as well as male contenders including Piers Morgan and Richard Madeley.\n\nAccording to a survey conducted by the ITV breakfast show, women take an average of six selfies before posting one online and men take four, such is the pressure to look their very best on social media.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGood Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, 44, shared her first unfiltered selfie (pictured) in aid of the #SelfieEsteem, which celebrates women as they are.\n\nSpeaking on the show earlier this morning, former Big Brother star Ms Gibson, 30, said: 'I take about 100 [selfies] before I get the right one. Yeah about 100, and then I\u2019ve started adding filters these days.'\n\nShe continued: 'I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the only person in the country who has suffered from low self-esteem.\n\n'I know that some of the most beautiful women have got no self-esteem at all and when you\u2019ve got low self-esteem it doesn\u2019t just ruin relationships, it also affects your life.\n\n'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time.\u00a0I\u2019ve been invited to amazing events and I\u2019ve not gone because I\u2019ve couldn\u2019t find anything to wear.\n\nNancy Dell'Olio, 53, puckered up for her close-range selfie.\n\nEx-Big Brother star Josie Gibson, 30, (pictured) uploaded her selfie in aid of the campaign and admitted, 'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time'\n\nSinger Jamelia, 34, flashed her best smile as she invited others to follow her example.\n\nFormer TOWIE star\u00a0Lydia Rose Bright, 25, looked radiant in her unfiltered snap.\n\nMs Gibson added: 'I\u2019ve got such low-self esteem and you compare yourself to all these people are in their nice little bodycons [dresses], looking great and you think \"oh I don\u2019t belong there.\"'\n\nGMB presenter Susanna Reid, 44, who also shared her first unfiltered selfie in support of the campaign, said: 'It makes me so upset to hear someone beautiful and fabulous and wonderful saying that.\n\n'No-one should be saying I don\u2019t want to go out because I\u2019m so worried about how I look.'\n\nMs Reid captioned her photo: 'We're encouraging you to post the first unfiltered selfie for @gmb #SelfieEsteem campaign (hair & make-up allowed).\"'\n\nMailOnline's US Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan grinned his way through his submission.\n\nTV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, threw a matching pose with her daughter Faith.\n\nFormer Westlife hunk Nicky Byrne, 36, looked more than happy to partake.\n\nOther stars to suspend their vanity for the sake of the campaign have included ITV presenter Ben Shephard, 40, former Westlife crooner Nicky Byrne, 36, TV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, who posed with her daughter Faith, and Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, 30.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage, while it was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin.\n\nAccording to GMB's survey - conducted on 2,000 men and 2,000 women - four out of ten women and three out of ten men avoid looking in the mirror due to low self-esteem.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage.\n\nit was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin, but perhaps it was simply good lighting at play.\n\nGMB host Kate Garraway, 47, also posed for a quick snap.\n\nBen Shephard, 40, shared a similar speedy selfie.\n\nNearly half of women and almost a third of men  are unhappy with the way they look, according to the poll, and their weight was the number one thing both sexes would like to change.\n\nThe survey also questioned 1,000 children aged eight to 17 on their self-esteem and found that 79 per cent were happy with the way they looked, and over half took selfies.\n\nDespite this, a third of women worried they were passing on body confidence issues to their children and 41 per cent of children did not think their mother was happy with the way she looked.\n\nWorryingly, it was also found that 15 per cent of women and a fifth of men had cropped, filtered, or retouched pictures of their children.\n\nFounder of the SelfEsteem Team, Natasha Devon (pictured), was delighted with the response from her campaign.\n\nSubmissions also poured in from viewers, including Leyla Carter (left) Chloe Jervis (right)\n\nCharlotte Hobbs (left) admits she usually takes ten selfies before settling on the best one, while Jackie Brown (right) was also stepping out of her comfort zone.", "summary": "Celebrities are snapping selfies of themselves without makeup in an effort to raise awareness about the lack of self-esteem among youth. Nearly half of women and a third of men are unhappy with the way they look according to recent polls. Nearly 20% of kids 8-17 are unhappy with their appearance.   "}
{"article_id": "58b81f0f9fa34aeea9f49e9c97241063", "article": "Celebrities are putting their first face forward by snapping just one selfie and sharing it unfiltered on social media in aid of a new campaign dubbed #SelfieEsteem.\n\nFemale stars including Nancy Dell'Olio, Josie Gibson, Jamelia and Susanna Reid have all stepped up to the plate for Good Morning Britain's initiative, which launched today, as well as male contenders including Piers Morgan and Richard Madeley.\n\nAccording to a survey conducted by the ITV breakfast show, women take an average of six selfies before posting one online and men take four, such is the pressure to look their very best on social media.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGood Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid, 44, shared her first unfiltered selfie (pictured) in aid of the #SelfieEsteem, which celebrates women as they are.\n\nSpeaking on the show earlier this morning, former Big Brother star Ms Gibson, 30, said: 'I take about 100 [selfies] before I get the right one. Yeah about 100, and then I\u2019ve started adding filters these days.'\n\nShe continued: 'I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the only person in the country who has suffered from low self-esteem.\n\n'I know that some of the most beautiful women have got no self-esteem at all and when you\u2019ve got low self-esteem it doesn\u2019t just ruin relationships, it also affects your life.\n\n'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time.\u00a0I\u2019ve been invited to amazing events and I\u2019ve not gone because I\u2019ve couldn\u2019t find anything to wear.\n\nNancy Dell'Olio, 53, puckered up for her close-range selfie.\n\nEx-Big Brother star Josie Gibson, 30, (pictured) uploaded her selfie in aid of the campaign and admitted, 'I\u2019ve not gone for so many opportunities because I have had such low self-esteem at the time'\n\nSinger Jamelia, 34, flashed her best smile as she invited others to follow her example.\n\nFormer TOWIE star\u00a0Lydia Rose Bright, 25, looked radiant in her unfiltered snap.\n\nMs Gibson added: 'I\u2019ve got such low-self esteem and you compare yourself to all these people are in their nice little bodycons [dresses], looking great and you think \"oh I don\u2019t belong there.\"'\n\nGMB presenter Susanna Reid, 44, who also shared her first unfiltered selfie in support of the campaign, said: 'It makes me so upset to hear someone beautiful and fabulous and wonderful saying that.\n\n'No-one should be saying I don\u2019t want to go out because I\u2019m so worried about how I look.'\n\nMs Reid captioned her photo: 'We're encouraging you to post the first unfiltered selfie for @gmb #SelfieEsteem campaign (hair & make-up allowed).\"'\n\nMailOnline's US Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan grinned his way through his submission.\n\nTV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, threw a matching pose with her daughter Faith.\n\nFormer Westlife hunk Nicky Byrne, 36, looked more than happy to partake.\n\nOther stars to suspend their vanity for the sake of the campaign have included ITV presenter Ben Shephard, 40, former Westlife crooner Nicky Byrne, 36, TV personality Michelle Heaton, 35, who posed with her daughter Faith, and Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, 30.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage, while it was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin.\n\nAccording to GMB's survey - conducted on 2,000 men and 2,000 women - four out of ten women and three out of ten men avoid looking in the mirror due to low self-esteem.\n\nSinger Rebecca Ferguson, 28, was heavily made up in her selfie, and flashed her ample cleavage.\n\nit was hard to believe Vogue Williams' snap hadn't been doctored, judging by the perfection of her skin, but perhaps it was simply good lighting at play.\n\nGMB host Kate Garraway, 47, also posed for a quick snap.\n\nBen Shephard, 40, shared a similar speedy selfie.\n\nNearly half of women and almost a third of men  are unhappy with the way they look, according to the poll, and their weight was the number one thing both sexes would like to change.\n\nThe survey also questioned 1,000 children aged eight to 17 on their self-esteem and found that 79 per cent were happy with the way they looked, and over half took selfies.\n\nDespite this, a third of women worried they were passing on body confidence issues to their children and 41 per cent of children did not think their mother was happy with the way she looked.\n\nWorryingly, it was also found that 15 per cent of women and a fifth of men had cropped, filtered, or retouched pictures of their children.\n\nFounder of the SelfEsteem Team, Natasha Devon (pictured), was delighted with the response from her campaign.\n\nSubmissions also poured in from viewers, including Leyla Carter (left) Chloe Jervis (right)\n\nCharlotte Hobbs (left) admits she usually takes ten selfies before settling on the best one, while Jackie Brown (right) was also stepping out of her comfort zone.", "summary": "Surveys conducted by GMB found that low self-esteem is a prevalent issue that negatively impacts both genders. In an effort to combat low self-esteem, GMB started the #SelfieEsteem campaign on social media. In it, they encouraged celebrities and viewers to post unedited pictures of themselves."}
{"article_id": "2c80f9196b654048b01397ebd52d3518", "article": "A Hertfordshire council is buying in water from a local landscaping company so that a town fountain can be switched on for Jubilee celebrations.\n\nThe Coronation Fountain, a landmark in Welwyn Garden City, had to be turned off due to the hosepipe ban.\n\nHowever, the council is now paying \u00c2\u00a3450 to fill it up again, so that the town looks its best for key 2012 events.\n\nIt will be working on the 4 and 5 June and when the Olympic torch relay passes through the borough on 8 July.\n\nThe fountain on Parkway in the town was built to celebrate the Queen's accession to the throne in 1952.\n\nIt is supplied by an underground tank, but had to be switched off after the water level dropped and could not be refilled.\n\nThe council is buying water from a landscaping firm which already supplies water from a natural lake source, to maintain the borough's open spaces.\n\nIt cannot be drunk so is permitted under the hosepipe ban regulations.\n\nCouncil chief executive, Michel Saminaden, said: \"They have told us that there is an abundance of water in this lake so we are probably doing them a favour by taking it.\"\n\nMr Saminaden added that the council decided against asking the Veolia water company for a special dispensation.\n\n\"I thought that wasn't the right thing to do because we would be using precious water,\" he said.\n\n\"What we are doing now is using water that is surplus and we have been told categorically that there is no problem in using it.  This is a better all round sustainable solution.\n\n\"I am extremely pleased that we have been able to find a solution which will enable everybody to see the fountain in all its glory on the occasion of these two great celebrations.\"", "summary": "The Coronation Fountain in Welwyn Garden City was turned off because of a hosepipe ban due to a water level drop. However, the council found a sustainable solution to fill it up again and restore its former glory by paying a landscape firm to get the water from an abundant natural lake source."}
{"article_id": "2c80f9196b654048b01397ebd52d3518", "article": "A Hertfordshire council is buying in water from a local landscaping company so that a town fountain can be switched on for Jubilee celebrations.\n\nThe Coronation Fountain, a landmark in Welwyn Garden City, had to be turned off due to the hosepipe ban.\n\nHowever, the council is now paying \u00c2\u00a3450 to fill it up again, so that the town looks its best for key 2012 events.\n\nIt will be working on the 4 and 5 June and when the Olympic torch relay passes through the borough on 8 July.\n\nThe fountain on Parkway in the town was built to celebrate the Queen's accession to the throne in 1952.\n\nIt is supplied by an underground tank, but had to be switched off after the water level dropped and could not be refilled.\n\nThe council is buying water from a landscaping firm which already supplies water from a natural lake source, to maintain the borough's open spaces.\n\nIt cannot be drunk so is permitted under the hosepipe ban regulations.\n\nCouncil chief executive, Michel Saminaden, said: \"They have told us that there is an abundance of water in this lake so we are probably doing them a favour by taking it.\"\n\nMr Saminaden added that the council decided against asking the Veolia water company for a special dispensation.\n\n\"I thought that wasn't the right thing to do because we would be using precious water,\" he said.\n\n\"What we are doing now is using water that is surplus and we have been told categorically that there is no problem in using it.  This is a better all round sustainable solution.\n\n\"I am extremely pleased that we have been able to find a solution which will enable everybody to see the fountain in all its glory on the occasion of these two great celebrations.\"", "summary": "A Hertfordshire council is buying water from a local landscaping firm to turn on the town's Coronation fountain. The fountain will be running on June 4th and 5th when the Olympic torch runs through the city. The water comes from a surplus that is nonpotable.   "}
{"article_id": "2c80f9196b654048b01397ebd52d3518", "article": "A Hertfordshire council is buying in water from a local landscaping company so that a town fountain can be switched on for Jubilee celebrations.\n\nThe Coronation Fountain, a landmark in Welwyn Garden City, had to be turned off due to the hosepipe ban.\n\nHowever, the council is now paying \u00c2\u00a3450 to fill it up again, so that the town looks its best for key 2012 events.\n\nIt will be working on the 4 and 5 June and when the Olympic torch relay passes through the borough on 8 July.\n\nThe fountain on Parkway in the town was built to celebrate the Queen's accession to the throne in 1952.\n\nIt is supplied by an underground tank, but had to be switched off after the water level dropped and could not be refilled.\n\nThe council is buying water from a landscaping firm which already supplies water from a natural lake source, to maintain the borough's open spaces.\n\nIt cannot be drunk so is permitted under the hosepipe ban regulations.\n\nCouncil chief executive, Michel Saminaden, said: \"They have told us that there is an abundance of water in this lake so we are probably doing them a favour by taking it.\"\n\nMr Saminaden added that the council decided against asking the Veolia water company for a special dispensation.\n\n\"I thought that wasn't the right thing to do because we would be using precious water,\" he said.\n\n\"What we are doing now is using water that is surplus and we have been told categorically that there is no problem in using it.  This is a better all round sustainable solution.\n\n\"I am extremely pleased that we have been able to find a solution which will enable everybody to see the fountain in all its glory on the occasion of these two great celebrations.\"", "summary": "To ensure that the town's fountain is switched on in time for the Jubilee, the Hertfordshire council will purchase water. The town is paying \u00a3425 for the water to fill the fountain back up to its proper operating levels."}
{"article_id": "fd3b3290114f481388e56dd43b873253", "article": "It's one of the best loved books in American literature, but To Kill a Mockingbird was also a one-hit wonder.\n\nHarper Lee's classic was published 50 years ago this summer and it remains the only novel she ever wrote.\n\nLee, 84, has never explained why she stopped writing.\n\nShe doesn't give interviews - \"Hell, no\" was her response to a request several decades ago - and that silence has only added to the intrigue.\n\nBut her close friend Thomas Lane Butts, a retired minister in her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama, says she once told him the reason.\n\nSitting on a pew in the Methodist church which the Lee family still attends, he described to me how she suddenly brought the subject up one night over dinner in New York.\n\n\"She asked me, 'You ever wonder why I didn't write anything else?' And I said, 'Along with several million other people, yes, I had wondered about that.' And she said, 'Well, what do you think?'\"\n\nSpeaking in his slow southern drawl, the Rev Butts, who just turned 80, suggested to her that she had already written a great book and therefore didn't need to compete with herself.\n\n\"And when I got through she said, 'You're all wrong.' I said, 'Alright, smart Alec. You tell me.' She said, 'I would not go through all the deprivation of privacy through which I went for this book again for any amount of money.'\n\n\"And she said, 'I did not need to write another book. I said what I wanted to say in that book.'\"\n\nHarper Lee called it a simple tale about the \"conflict of the human soul\" and Monroeville, Alabama, is where she drew her inspiration.\n\nThe story depicts the segregated South of her childhood, during the Depression. It was published at the height of the civil rights struggle.\n\nThe Rev Butts grew up 10 miles outside Monroeville. By the late 1950s, he says, he was a \"fuzzy-cheeked young preacher\" campaigning for an end to segregation.\n\nHe had met Martin Luther King Jr and signed a petition to boycott buses. The Ku Klux Klan had left a burning cross on his front lawn.\n\nHe says To Kill a Mockingbird was not well received in Monroeville when it was published.\n\n\"The people who were hard racist did not like it because of the implication of the book,\" the Rev Butts told me.\n\n\"The book revealed racism and that always frightens a racist - when you pull the cover off them.\n\n\"Those of us who stood up for civil rights were much encouraged by the book because in a very skilful and subtle way it addressed itself for justice.\"\n\nBut these days, the Rev Butts says, there is enormous civic pride in Monroeville.\n\nThe old courthouse, which Hollywood re-created for the film, now houses a museum to Harper Lee and the town's other literary icon, Truman Capote.\n\nCapote was a childhood friend of hers and is thought to be the inspiration for the Dill character in To Kill a Mockingbird.\n\nThe town's residents often try to protect Lee, allowing her to live a normal life instead of being hounded by fans or bothered with prying questions.\n\n\"Being famous I'm sure is a lot of fun for a year or two. But after a while it gets old,\" the Rev Butts says. \"She is not a recluse but she does hide from publicity.\"", "summary": "Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird was a one-hit wonder and remains the only book she ever published.  She is not a recluse but never gives interviews and hides from publicity. The author has never said why she stopped writing after the best-loved book was published."}
{"article_id": "fd3b3290114f481388e56dd43b873253", "article": "It's one of the best loved books in American literature, but To Kill a Mockingbird was also a one-hit wonder.\n\nHarper Lee's classic was published 50 years ago this summer and it remains the only novel she ever wrote.\n\nLee, 84, has never explained why she stopped writing.\n\nShe doesn't give interviews - \"Hell, no\" was her response to a request several decades ago - and that silence has only added to the intrigue.\n\nBut her close friend Thomas Lane Butts, a retired minister in her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama, says she once told him the reason.\n\nSitting on a pew in the Methodist church which the Lee family still attends, he described to me how she suddenly brought the subject up one night over dinner in New York.\n\n\"She asked me, 'You ever wonder why I didn't write anything else?' And I said, 'Along with several million other people, yes, I had wondered about that.' And she said, 'Well, what do you think?'\"\n\nSpeaking in his slow southern drawl, the Rev Butts, who just turned 80, suggested to her that she had already written a great book and therefore didn't need to compete with herself.\n\n\"And when I got through she said, 'You're all wrong.' I said, 'Alright, smart Alec. You tell me.' She said, 'I would not go through all the deprivation of privacy through which I went for this book again for any amount of money.'\n\n\"And she said, 'I did not need to write another book. I said what I wanted to say in that book.'\"\n\nHarper Lee called it a simple tale about the \"conflict of the human soul\" and Monroeville, Alabama, is where she drew her inspiration.\n\nThe story depicts the segregated South of her childhood, during the Depression. It was published at the height of the civil rights struggle.\n\nThe Rev Butts grew up 10 miles outside Monroeville. By the late 1950s, he says, he was a \"fuzzy-cheeked young preacher\" campaigning for an end to segregation.\n\nHe had met Martin Luther King Jr and signed a petition to boycott buses. The Ku Klux Klan had left a burning cross on his front lawn.\n\nHe says To Kill a Mockingbird was not well received in Monroeville when it was published.\n\n\"The people who were hard racist did not like it because of the implication of the book,\" the Rev Butts told me.\n\n\"The book revealed racism and that always frightens a racist - when you pull the cover off them.\n\n\"Those of us who stood up for civil rights were much encouraged by the book because in a very skilful and subtle way it addressed itself for justice.\"\n\nBut these days, the Rev Butts says, there is enormous civic pride in Monroeville.\n\nThe old courthouse, which Hollywood re-created for the film, now houses a museum to Harper Lee and the town's other literary icon, Truman Capote.\n\nCapote was a childhood friend of hers and is thought to be the inspiration for the Dill character in To Kill a Mockingbird.\n\nThe town's residents often try to protect Lee, allowing her to live a normal life instead of being hounded by fans or bothered with prying questions.\n\n\"Being famous I'm sure is a lot of fun for a year or two. But after a while it gets old,\" the Rev Butts says. \"She is not a recluse but she does hide from publicity.\"", "summary": "Author of the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee describes why she never wrote another book. Lee, 84, cited a lack of privacy and saying everything she needed to say in her one book as the reasons. Her book was disliked in her hometown.   "}
{"article_id": "98feb1c98a6c4dd7940b1efb2c222579", "article": "Imran Uddin used a keyboard spying device to hack into university computers and up his exam marks.\n\nA student who tried to cheat his way to a better degree by hacking into the university computers and changing his marks has been jailed.\n\nImran Uddin, 25, who was studying science, bought keyboard spying equipment on the internet which he then connected to a number of university computers.\n\nThrough the software, which recorded key strokes, he was able to find out the passwords that staff were typing in to log in to the computers. He then used those passwords to log on to their accounts himself.\n\nAfter hacking into the university computer system, Uddin changed the marks that he had been given for previous assessments.\n\nOn one paper, he upped his mark from 57 per cent, a lower second grade, to 73 per cent, a first.\n\nHe carried out his plot using keyboard \u2018shadowing\u2019 devices which look like a USB stick and can be bought for as little as \u00a349 on the internet.\n\nHe plugged these into the back of a number of staff computers at the University of Birmingham where he was studying.\n\nThe device records everything which is typed into the keyboard and saves the data. Uddin, from Birmingham, was in his final year of a bio-science course.\n\nAt the time of the hacking he was expected to achieve a 2:2 degree.\n\nHe was jailed for four months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after admitting six charges which were in breach of the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nSentencing him, Judge James Burbridge said it was unclear why Uddin had tried to change his grades.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018For reasons not entirely clear to me, whether it was monetary, or pride, or a desire to outperform others, you decided to cheat and you formed a settled intention to do that. I consider your actions were planned and persistent.\u2019\n\nHe warned that Uddin\u2019s behaviour could have undermined public confidence in the degree system. The judge added that he felt compelled to put Uddin behind bars as a \u2018deterrence\u2019 to others.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018This kind of conduct undermines, or has the potential to undermine, public confidence in the degree system, set up by this university. I have decided I cannot pass a suspended sentence because there needs to be an element of deterrence.\u2019\n\nUddin was found out after staff discovered the devices when several computers were upgraded on October 7 last year.\n\nWhen they removed the protective casing from the computers in the bio-science building, the spying devices were discovered.\n\nStaff then began checking other university computer equipment and a further three spying devices were found.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said: \u2018It is effectively a case where the defendant has hacked into a number of computers at the university where he was studying for a degree in bio-science.\u2019\n\nMiss Rai said one tracker had been attached to a computer in a \u2018staff only\u2019 area to obtain the password of employee Christine Chapman, who had access to exam grade software.\n\nUddin (police mugshot, left, and outside court, right), who is married, was yesterday jailed for four months after admitting six breaches to the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nBirmingham Crown Court (pictured) heard how Uddin attached a 'shadowing' keyboard device at the back of a number of university computers in order to steal staff passwords.\n\nAn investigation by university staff revealed that Uddin had changed the marks on five pieces of his coursework. His home was searched by police and analysis of his computer revealed that he had carried out searches for keyboard cheating devices on the online marketplace eBay.\n\nBalbir Singh, defending, said Uddin had felt pressure because he was the first person in his family to have gone to university.\n\nAs a result of the need he felt to succeed, \u2018he could not see clearly\u2019, Mr Singh said.\n\nHe added: \u2018It is very unlikely that any other university will touch him after this. This is not a case where he was hopelessly failing and was not going to be able to succeed.\u2019", "summary": "Imran Uddin has been jailed for four months after staff at Birmingham University discovered keyboard spying devices attached to their computers. Uddin purchased the devices from eBay and attached them to staff computers in order to change his grades. "}
{"article_id": "98feb1c98a6c4dd7940b1efb2c222579", "article": "Imran Uddin used a keyboard spying device to hack into university computers and up his exam marks.\n\nA student who tried to cheat his way to a better degree by hacking into the university computers and changing his marks has been jailed.\n\nImran Uddin, 25, who was studying science, bought keyboard spying equipment on the internet which he then connected to a number of university computers.\n\nThrough the software, which recorded key strokes, he was able to find out the passwords that staff were typing in to log in to the computers. He then used those passwords to log on to their accounts himself.\n\nAfter hacking into the university computer system, Uddin changed the marks that he had been given for previous assessments.\n\nOn one paper, he upped his mark from 57 per cent, a lower second grade, to 73 per cent, a first.\n\nHe carried out his plot using keyboard \u2018shadowing\u2019 devices which look like a USB stick and can be bought for as little as \u00a349 on the internet.\n\nHe plugged these into the back of a number of staff computers at the University of Birmingham where he was studying.\n\nThe device records everything which is typed into the keyboard and saves the data. Uddin, from Birmingham, was in his final year of a bio-science course.\n\nAt the time of the hacking he was expected to achieve a 2:2 degree.\n\nHe was jailed for four months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after admitting six charges which were in breach of the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nSentencing him, Judge James Burbridge said it was unclear why Uddin had tried to change his grades.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018For reasons not entirely clear to me, whether it was monetary, or pride, or a desire to outperform others, you decided to cheat and you formed a settled intention to do that. I consider your actions were planned and persistent.\u2019\n\nHe warned that Uddin\u2019s behaviour could have undermined public confidence in the degree system. The judge added that he felt compelled to put Uddin behind bars as a \u2018deterrence\u2019 to others.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018This kind of conduct undermines, or has the potential to undermine, public confidence in the degree system, set up by this university. I have decided I cannot pass a suspended sentence because there needs to be an element of deterrence.\u2019\n\nUddin was found out after staff discovered the devices when several computers were upgraded on October 7 last year.\n\nWhen they removed the protective casing from the computers in the bio-science building, the spying devices were discovered.\n\nStaff then began checking other university computer equipment and a further three spying devices were found.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said: \u2018It is effectively a case where the defendant has hacked into a number of computers at the university where he was studying for a degree in bio-science.\u2019\n\nMiss Rai said one tracker had been attached to a computer in a \u2018staff only\u2019 area to obtain the password of employee Christine Chapman, who had access to exam grade software.\n\nUddin (police mugshot, left, and outside court, right), who is married, was yesterday jailed for four months after admitting six breaches to the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nBirmingham Crown Court (pictured) heard how Uddin attached a 'shadowing' keyboard device at the back of a number of university computers in order to steal staff passwords.\n\nAn investigation by university staff revealed that Uddin had changed the marks on five pieces of his coursework. His home was searched by police and analysis of his computer revealed that he had carried out searches for keyboard cheating devices on the online marketplace eBay.\n\nBalbir Singh, defending, said Uddin had felt pressure because he was the first person in his family to have gone to university.\n\nAs a result of the need he felt to succeed, \u2018he could not see clearly\u2019, Mr Singh said.\n\nHe added: \u2018It is very unlikely that any other university will touch him after this. This is not a case where he was hopelessly failing and was not going to be able to succeed.\u2019", "summary": " A 25-year-old science student was charged with using shadowing devices purchased on the internet to change his grades.  The devices were discovered after the university performed a routine update."}
{"article_id": "98feb1c98a6c4dd7940b1efb2c222579", "article": "Imran Uddin used a keyboard spying device to hack into university computers and up his exam marks.\n\nA student who tried to cheat his way to a better degree by hacking into the university computers and changing his marks has been jailed.\n\nImran Uddin, 25, who was studying science, bought keyboard spying equipment on the internet which he then connected to a number of university computers.\n\nThrough the software, which recorded key strokes, he was able to find out the passwords that staff were typing in to log in to the computers. He then used those passwords to log on to their accounts himself.\n\nAfter hacking into the university computer system, Uddin changed the marks that he had been given for previous assessments.\n\nOn one paper, he upped his mark from 57 per cent, a lower second grade, to 73 per cent, a first.\n\nHe carried out his plot using keyboard \u2018shadowing\u2019 devices which look like a USB stick and can be bought for as little as \u00a349 on the internet.\n\nHe plugged these into the back of a number of staff computers at the University of Birmingham where he was studying.\n\nThe device records everything which is typed into the keyboard and saves the data. Uddin, from Birmingham, was in his final year of a bio-science course.\n\nAt the time of the hacking he was expected to achieve a 2:2 degree.\n\nHe was jailed for four months at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday after admitting six charges which were in breach of the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nSentencing him, Judge James Burbridge said it was unclear why Uddin had tried to change his grades.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018For reasons not entirely clear to me, whether it was monetary, or pride, or a desire to outperform others, you decided to cheat and you formed a settled intention to do that. I consider your actions were planned and persistent.\u2019\n\nHe warned that Uddin\u2019s behaviour could have undermined public confidence in the degree system. The judge added that he felt compelled to put Uddin behind bars as a \u2018deterrence\u2019 to others.\n\nJudge Burbridge said: \u2018This kind of conduct undermines, or has the potential to undermine, public confidence in the degree system, set up by this university. I have decided I cannot pass a suspended sentence because there needs to be an element of deterrence.\u2019\n\nUddin was found out after staff discovered the devices when several computers were upgraded on October 7 last year.\n\nWhen they removed the protective casing from the computers in the bio-science building, the spying devices were discovered.\n\nStaff then began checking other university computer equipment and a further three spying devices were found.\n\nMadhu Rai, prosecuting, said: \u2018It is effectively a case where the defendant has hacked into a number of computers at the university where he was studying for a degree in bio-science.\u2019\n\nMiss Rai said one tracker had been attached to a computer in a \u2018staff only\u2019 area to obtain the password of employee Christine Chapman, who had access to exam grade software.\n\nUddin (police mugshot, left, and outside court, right), who is married, was yesterday jailed for four months after admitting six breaches to the Computer Misuse Act.\n\nBirmingham Crown Court (pictured) heard how Uddin attached a 'shadowing' keyboard device at the back of a number of university computers in order to steal staff passwords.\n\nAn investigation by university staff revealed that Uddin had changed the marks on five pieces of his coursework. His home was searched by police and analysis of his computer revealed that he had carried out searches for keyboard cheating devices on the online marketplace eBay.\n\nBalbir Singh, defending, said Uddin had felt pressure because he was the first person in his family to have gone to university.\n\nAs a result of the need he felt to succeed, \u2018he could not see clearly\u2019, Mr Singh said.\n\nHe added: \u2018It is very unlikely that any other university will touch him after this. This is not a case where he was hopelessly failing and was not going to be able to succeed.\u2019", "summary": "Imran Uddin, a 25-year-old student at the University of Birmingham, was sentenced to 4 months in prison for hacking into university computers and changing his grades. He bought keyboard spying devices, connected them to several computers to get the passwords, and logged into the accounts himself. Later he was found out after several computer upgrades."}
{"article_id": "b6c205d481654a9887690b363229dba7", "article": "Britain's Adam Peaty defended his 50m breaststroke title with another stunning display to complete a World Aquatics Championships double-double.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nPeaty, 22, who also retained his 100m title on Monday, finished in 25.99 seconds - just short of the world record 25.95 he set in the semi-final.\n\nBrazil's Joao Gomes Junior took silver and South African Cameron van der Burgh was third.\n\n\"I'm feeling very good. I'm so, so happy with my displays,\" Peaty said.\n\nHe was speaking to the BBC after taking part in the 4x100m mixed medley relay final, in which defending champions Britain finished fifth. USA won in a world record time of three minutes 38.56 seconds. Australia took silver, with China and Canada in joint third.\n\nIt was a different story in his individual race, earlier. Peaty was level with his rivals in the first few strokes before he pulled away after 30 metres. The City of Derby swimmer appeared set to break the world record for a third time in two days, but narrowly fell short.\n\nThe Briton suggested \"equilibrium\" was key to his successes.\n\n\"I'm a massive believer that all areas of your life need to be equal for you to perform at your best,\" he added. \"Lifestyle, family and friendships. If one is out then you are not going to be at that level.\"\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nVan der Burgh, the 2009 and 2013 world champion in the 50m breaststroke, paid tribute to Peaty's powerful performances.\n\n\"I think I have to retire and give it a few years and come back when he's older,\" joked the 29-year-old.\n\n\"It's really impressive. It's not even breaststroke anymore, he's swimming like a new kind of stroke, like a metamorphosis between [butter]fly and breast.\n\nFormer British swimmer Mark Foster told BBC Sport that Peaty's display was \"immense\".\n\n\"There not enough words to describe how good he is,\" he said.\n\n\"Under 26 seconds for the second time - only four hundredths of a second off his best time. It was, again, an immense swim.\"\n\nKaren Pickering, British 2001 world 4x200m freestyle gold medallist\n\nWe all know how strong Peaty is.\n\nIn his semi-final he was a little bit lower in the water as he set his world record. Because he's not quite as high as he is in the 100m, he has a quicker turnover. He can keep that up for 50m, but not for a 100m - that's why he went to 25.95 seconds.\n\nYou couldn't do that in the 100m because of the build-up of lactic acid. But because it's Adam Peaty, he might be able to manage that in a year.\n\nWatch the full interview on BBC Radio 5 live's page\n\nRebecca Adlington, double Olympic champion at Beijing 2008\n\nHe is the poster boy for swimming across the world, not just in Britain\n\nAdam gets the biggest cheer from the crowd for a non-Hungarian for the whole meet.\n\nEveryone wants to see him do well because he's such a likeable character.\n\nNo-one is even close to him, so you ask yourself how much more can he improve.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nWelsh swimmer Georgia Davies booked her place in Thursday's 50m backstroke final with a British record time of 27.49 seconds.\n\n\"I've not done a PB in this since the Glasgow Commonwealths in 2014,\" she told BBC Sport. \"The depth here is incredible. You can't leave anything behind.\"\n\nBrazil's Etien Medeiros was the fastest qualifier, winning the second semi-final in 27.18.\n\nDuncan Scott reached the 100m freestyle final after finishing third in his semi-final in a time of 48.10 seconds.\n\nThe 20-year-old finished behind winner Frenchman Mehdy Metella, who touched home in 47.65. United States swimmer Caleb Dressel won the other semi-final in 47.66.\n\nTeam-mate Max Litchfield reached the 200 individual medley (IM) final after finishing second in his semi-final in a time of 1:56.70. He is third fastest overall, with Japan's Kosuke Hagino, who won 400m IM gold in Rio, leading the pack after recording 1:56.04.\n\n\"We're always in the mix - it'll be a tough race,\" Litchfield told BBC Sport. \"It'll be nice to get a little bit of revenge after finishing fourth in the 400m IM at Rio 2016.\"\n\nSouth Africa's Chad le Clos stormed to victory in the 200m butterfly final in one minute 53.33 seconds. Home favourite Laszlo Cseh closed the gap to the London 2012 champion in the final few metres, but had to settle for silver.\n\nLe Clos was in tears during the medal ceremony. His father Bert, who became a celebrity because of his interviews during London 2012, and mother Geraldine were present in the Budapest arena. The pair had been receiving treatment for cancer.\n\n\"Last year, my family's health is more important than gold medals,\" said the 25-year-old swimmer, who finished fourth in the event at Rio 2016.\n\nThe biggest shock of the evening came in the 200m freestyle final where United States' Katie Ledecky lost for the first time in 13 finals when she was beaten to gold by Italy's Federica Pellegrini.", "summary": "The results are in for the World Aquatics Championships. Most notable is Adam Peaty from Britain who successfully defended multiple titles and maintained the support of his peers. Overall, the swimmers felt that competition was strong but there was lots of support and encouragement. "}
{"article_id": "b6c205d481654a9887690b363229dba7", "article": "Britain's Adam Peaty defended his 50m breaststroke title with another stunning display to complete a World Aquatics Championships double-double.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nPeaty, 22, who also retained his 100m title on Monday, finished in 25.99 seconds - just short of the world record 25.95 he set in the semi-final.\n\nBrazil's Joao Gomes Junior took silver and South African Cameron van der Burgh was third.\n\n\"I'm feeling very good. I'm so, so happy with my displays,\" Peaty said.\n\nHe was speaking to the BBC after taking part in the 4x100m mixed medley relay final, in which defending champions Britain finished fifth. USA won in a world record time of three minutes 38.56 seconds. Australia took silver, with China and Canada in joint third.\n\nIt was a different story in his individual race, earlier. Peaty was level with his rivals in the first few strokes before he pulled away after 30 metres. The City of Derby swimmer appeared set to break the world record for a third time in two days, but narrowly fell short.\n\nThe Briton suggested \"equilibrium\" was key to his successes.\n\n\"I'm a massive believer that all areas of your life need to be equal for you to perform at your best,\" he added. \"Lifestyle, family and friendships. If one is out then you are not going to be at that level.\"\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nVan der Burgh, the 2009 and 2013 world champion in the 50m breaststroke, paid tribute to Peaty's powerful performances.\n\n\"I think I have to retire and give it a few years and come back when he's older,\" joked the 29-year-old.\n\n\"It's really impressive. It's not even breaststroke anymore, he's swimming like a new kind of stroke, like a metamorphosis between [butter]fly and breast.\n\nFormer British swimmer Mark Foster told BBC Sport that Peaty's display was \"immense\".\n\n\"There not enough words to describe how good he is,\" he said.\n\n\"Under 26 seconds for the second time - only four hundredths of a second off his best time. It was, again, an immense swim.\"\n\nKaren Pickering, British 2001 world 4x200m freestyle gold medallist\n\nWe all know how strong Peaty is.\n\nIn his semi-final he was a little bit lower in the water as he set his world record. Because he's not quite as high as he is in the 100m, he has a quicker turnover. He can keep that up for 50m, but not for a 100m - that's why he went to 25.95 seconds.\n\nYou couldn't do that in the 100m because of the build-up of lactic acid. But because it's Adam Peaty, he might be able to manage that in a year.\n\nWatch the full interview on BBC Radio 5 live's page\n\nRebecca Adlington, double Olympic champion at Beijing 2008\n\nHe is the poster boy for swimming across the world, not just in Britain\n\nAdam gets the biggest cheer from the crowd for a non-Hungarian for the whole meet.\n\nEveryone wants to see him do well because he's such a likeable character.\n\nNo-one is even close to him, so you ask yourself how much more can he improve.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nWelsh swimmer Georgia Davies booked her place in Thursday's 50m backstroke final with a British record time of 27.49 seconds.\n\n\"I've not done a PB in this since the Glasgow Commonwealths in 2014,\" she told BBC Sport. \"The depth here is incredible. You can't leave anything behind.\"\n\nBrazil's Etien Medeiros was the fastest qualifier, winning the second semi-final in 27.18.\n\nDuncan Scott reached the 100m freestyle final after finishing third in his semi-final in a time of 48.10 seconds.\n\nThe 20-year-old finished behind winner Frenchman Mehdy Metella, who touched home in 47.65. United States swimmer Caleb Dressel won the other semi-final in 47.66.\n\nTeam-mate Max Litchfield reached the 200 individual medley (IM) final after finishing second in his semi-final in a time of 1:56.70. He is third fastest overall, with Japan's Kosuke Hagino, who won 400m IM gold in Rio, leading the pack after recording 1:56.04.\n\n\"We're always in the mix - it'll be a tough race,\" Litchfield told BBC Sport. \"It'll be nice to get a little bit of revenge after finishing fourth in the 400m IM at Rio 2016.\"\n\nSouth Africa's Chad le Clos stormed to victory in the 200m butterfly final in one minute 53.33 seconds. Home favourite Laszlo Cseh closed the gap to the London 2012 champion in the final few metres, but had to settle for silver.\n\nLe Clos was in tears during the medal ceremony. His father Bert, who became a celebrity because of his interviews during London 2012, and mother Geraldine were present in the Budapest arena. The pair had been receiving treatment for cancer.\n\n\"Last year, my family's health is more important than gold medals,\" said the 25-year-old swimmer, who finished fourth in the event at Rio 2016.\n\nThe biggest shock of the evening came in the 200m freestyle final where United States' Katie Ledecky lost for the first time in 13 finals when she was beaten to gold by Italy's Federica Pellegrini.", "summary": "Adam Peaty defended his 50m breaststroke title, nearly breaking his world record in the World Aquatics championship. A huge upset at the meet came when the reigning 200m freestyle champion Katie Ledecky loat to Italy's Federica Pellegrini. Chad Le Clos won the 200m butterfly despite having both parents undergoing cancer treatment. "}
{"article_id": "b6c205d481654a9887690b363229dba7", "article": "Britain's Adam Peaty defended his 50m breaststroke title with another stunning display to complete a World Aquatics Championships double-double.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nPeaty, 22, who also retained his 100m title on Monday, finished in 25.99 seconds - just short of the world record 25.95 he set in the semi-final.\n\nBrazil's Joao Gomes Junior took silver and South African Cameron van der Burgh was third.\n\n\"I'm feeling very good. I'm so, so happy with my displays,\" Peaty said.\n\nHe was speaking to the BBC after taking part in the 4x100m mixed medley relay final, in which defending champions Britain finished fifth. USA won in a world record time of three minutes 38.56 seconds. Australia took silver, with China and Canada in joint third.\n\nIt was a different story in his individual race, earlier. Peaty was level with his rivals in the first few strokes before he pulled away after 30 metres. The City of Derby swimmer appeared set to break the world record for a third time in two days, but narrowly fell short.\n\nThe Briton suggested \"equilibrium\" was key to his successes.\n\n\"I'm a massive believer that all areas of your life need to be equal for you to perform at your best,\" he added. \"Lifestyle, family and friendships. If one is out then you are not going to be at that level.\"\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nVan der Burgh, the 2009 and 2013 world champion in the 50m breaststroke, paid tribute to Peaty's powerful performances.\n\n\"I think I have to retire and give it a few years and come back when he's older,\" joked the 29-year-old.\n\n\"It's really impressive. It's not even breaststroke anymore, he's swimming like a new kind of stroke, like a metamorphosis between [butter]fly and breast.\n\nFormer British swimmer Mark Foster told BBC Sport that Peaty's display was \"immense\".\n\n\"There not enough words to describe how good he is,\" he said.\n\n\"Under 26 seconds for the second time - only four hundredths of a second off his best time. It was, again, an immense swim.\"\n\nKaren Pickering, British 2001 world 4x200m freestyle gold medallist\n\nWe all know how strong Peaty is.\n\nIn his semi-final he was a little bit lower in the water as he set his world record. Because he's not quite as high as he is in the 100m, he has a quicker turnover. He can keep that up for 50m, but not for a 100m - that's why he went to 25.95 seconds.\n\nYou couldn't do that in the 100m because of the build-up of lactic acid. But because it's Adam Peaty, he might be able to manage that in a year.\n\nWatch the full interview on BBC Radio 5 live's page\n\nRebecca Adlington, double Olympic champion at Beijing 2008\n\nHe is the poster boy for swimming across the world, not just in Britain\n\nAdam gets the biggest cheer from the crowd for a non-Hungarian for the whole meet.\n\nEveryone wants to see him do well because he's such a likeable character.\n\nNo-one is even close to him, so you ask yourself how much more can he improve.\n\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\nWelsh swimmer Georgia Davies booked her place in Thursday's 50m backstroke final with a British record time of 27.49 seconds.\n\n\"I've not done a PB in this since the Glasgow Commonwealths in 2014,\" she told BBC Sport. \"The depth here is incredible. You can't leave anything behind.\"\n\nBrazil's Etien Medeiros was the fastest qualifier, winning the second semi-final in 27.18.\n\nDuncan Scott reached the 100m freestyle final after finishing third in his semi-final in a time of 48.10 seconds.\n\nThe 20-year-old finished behind winner Frenchman Mehdy Metella, who touched home in 47.65. United States swimmer Caleb Dressel won the other semi-final in 47.66.\n\nTeam-mate Max Litchfield reached the 200 individual medley (IM) final after finishing second in his semi-final in a time of 1:56.70. He is third fastest overall, with Japan's Kosuke Hagino, who won 400m IM gold in Rio, leading the pack after recording 1:56.04.\n\n\"We're always in the mix - it'll be a tough race,\" Litchfield told BBC Sport. \"It'll be nice to get a little bit of revenge after finishing fourth in the 400m IM at Rio 2016.\"\n\nSouth Africa's Chad le Clos stormed to victory in the 200m butterfly final in one minute 53.33 seconds. Home favourite Laszlo Cseh closed the gap to the London 2012 champion in the final few metres, but had to settle for silver.\n\nLe Clos was in tears during the medal ceremony. His father Bert, who became a celebrity because of his interviews during London 2012, and mother Geraldine were present in the Budapest arena. The pair had been receiving treatment for cancer.\n\n\"Last year, my family's health is more important than gold medals,\" said the 25-year-old swimmer, who finished fourth in the event at Rio 2016.\n\nThe biggest shock of the evening came in the 200m freestyle final where United States' Katie Ledecky lost for the first time in 13 finals when she was beaten to gold by Italy's Federica Pellegrini.", "summary": "Athletes reflect on their impressive performances at this year's World Aquatics Championships. Swimmers from all over the world competed in a variety of solo and medley races. "}
{"article_id": "a23c8027fce646de9c068bbf1d759c36", "article": "A proposal to introduce life sentences for the offence of careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs does not go far enough, according to the parents of one victim.\n\nChris and Sue Moores's son Wayne died when his motorbike was struck by a drink driver in 2010.\n\nThe couple spoke out in response to consultation on proposed reform of sentencing for driving offences.\n\nThey believe increased sentences should be backed up by manslaughter charges.\n\nMr Moores, 28, was killed by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Donna Hackett on the M4 near Swindon.\n\nHackett, then aged 26, fled and was found by police asleep in a ditch. She served half of a six-year jail term after she was found guilty of causing death by careless driving while drunk.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice consultation suggests offenders who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs could soon be handed a life sentence - an increase on the current 14-year upper limit.\n\nSource: Crown Prosecution Service\n\nBut Mr and Mrs Moores, from Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, also want the offence to be upgraded to a charge of manslaughter.\n\nMr Moores said: \"Somebody can drive drunk and kill my son. Why is that not manslaughter?\n\n\"Nothing can prepare a parent for seeing their child in the mortuary. That will stay with me every day, every day that vision comes into my mind.\n\n\"Our life is ruined.\"\n\nMrs Moores added: \"There's nothing careless about drink driving. I don't want anybody else to feel like us.\"\n\nMs Hackett, who lived in Radnor Street, Swindon, at the time of the offence, appealed against her sentence in September 2011, but was refused.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: \"We are determined to make sure those who kill whilst driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs face the full force of the law.\n\n\"That is why we are consulting on plans that will see the maximum sentence for a number of offences in this area increase from 14 years to life.\"\n\nA response to the Ministry of Justice consultation, which closes on 1 February, is due to be published by May.", "summary": "The Ministry of Justice is considering changes from 14 years to life in prison as the maximum sentence for Careless driving under the influence that causes a death. Parents of one such victim believe that the charges should also be raised to Manslaughter in alignment with the increased sentencing. "}
{"article_id": "a23c8027fce646de9c068bbf1d759c36", "article": "A proposal to introduce life sentences for the offence of careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs does not go far enough, according to the parents of one victim.\n\nChris and Sue Moores's son Wayne died when his motorbike was struck by a drink driver in 2010.\n\nThe couple spoke out in response to consultation on proposed reform of sentencing for driving offences.\n\nThey believe increased sentences should be backed up by manslaughter charges.\n\nMr Moores, 28, was killed by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Donna Hackett on the M4 near Swindon.\n\nHackett, then aged 26, fled and was found by police asleep in a ditch. She served half of a six-year jail term after she was found guilty of causing death by careless driving while drunk.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice consultation suggests offenders who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs could soon be handed a life sentence - an increase on the current 14-year upper limit.\n\nSource: Crown Prosecution Service\n\nBut Mr and Mrs Moores, from Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, also want the offence to be upgraded to a charge of manslaughter.\n\nMr Moores said: \"Somebody can drive drunk and kill my son. Why is that not manslaughter?\n\n\"Nothing can prepare a parent for seeing their child in the mortuary. That will stay with me every day, every day that vision comes into my mind.\n\n\"Our life is ruined.\"\n\nMrs Moores added: \"There's nothing careless about drink driving. I don't want anybody else to feel like us.\"\n\nMs Hackett, who lived in Radnor Street, Swindon, at the time of the offence, appealed against her sentence in September 2011, but was refused.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: \"We are determined to make sure those who kill whilst driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs face the full force of the law.\n\n\"That is why we are consulting on plans that will see the maximum sentence for a number of offences in this area increase from 14 years to life.\"\n\nA response to the Ministry of Justice consultation, which closes on 1 February, is due to be published by May.", "summary": "Twenty-eight-year-old Wayne died when a drunk driver, Donna Hackett, struck his motorbike in 2010. Hackett served half of a six-year jail term after being found guilty of causing death by careless driving while drunk. However, the Ministry of Justice consultation suggests offenders could soon be handed a life sentence."}
{"article_id": "a23c8027fce646de9c068bbf1d759c36", "article": "A proposal to introduce life sentences for the offence of careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs does not go far enough, according to the parents of one victim.\n\nChris and Sue Moores's son Wayne died when his motorbike was struck by a drink driver in 2010.\n\nThe couple spoke out in response to consultation on proposed reform of sentencing for driving offences.\n\nThey believe increased sentences should be backed up by manslaughter charges.\n\nMr Moores, 28, was killed by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Donna Hackett on the M4 near Swindon.\n\nHackett, then aged 26, fled and was found by police asleep in a ditch. She served half of a six-year jail term after she was found guilty of causing death by careless driving while drunk.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice consultation suggests offenders who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs could soon be handed a life sentence - an increase on the current 14-year upper limit.\n\nSource: Crown Prosecution Service\n\nBut Mr and Mrs Moores, from Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, also want the offence to be upgraded to a charge of manslaughter.\n\nMr Moores said: \"Somebody can drive drunk and kill my son. Why is that not manslaughter?\n\n\"Nothing can prepare a parent for seeing their child in the mortuary. That will stay with me every day, every day that vision comes into my mind.\n\n\"Our life is ruined.\"\n\nMrs Moores added: \"There's nothing careless about drink driving. I don't want anybody else to feel like us.\"\n\nMs Hackett, who lived in Radnor Street, Swindon, at the time of the offence, appealed against her sentence in September 2011, but was refused.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: \"We are determined to make sure those who kill whilst driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs face the full force of the law.\n\n\"That is why we are consulting on plans that will see the maximum sentence for a number of offences in this area increase from 14 years to life.\"\n\nA response to the Ministry of Justice consultation, which closes on 1 February, is due to be published by May.", "summary": "The Ministry of Justice is considering adding life sentences to the list of consequences facing intoxicated drivers. A far cry from the current 14-year limit, the new sentencing option would significantly change the landscape of driving under the influence, also adding manslaughter to the potential list of charges.  "}
{"article_id": "a23c8027fce646de9c068bbf1d759c36", "article": "A proposal to introduce life sentences for the offence of careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs does not go far enough, according to the parents of one victim.\n\nChris and Sue Moores's son Wayne died when his motorbike was struck by a drink driver in 2010.\n\nThe couple spoke out in response to consultation on proposed reform of sentencing for driving offences.\n\nThey believe increased sentences should be backed up by manslaughter charges.\n\nMr Moores, 28, was killed by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Donna Hackett on the M4 near Swindon.\n\nHackett, then aged 26, fled and was found by police asleep in a ditch. She served half of a six-year jail term after she was found guilty of causing death by careless driving while drunk.\n\nThe Ministry of Justice consultation suggests offenders who cause death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs could soon be handed a life sentence - an increase on the current 14-year upper limit.\n\nSource: Crown Prosecution Service\n\nBut Mr and Mrs Moores, from Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, also want the offence to be upgraded to a charge of manslaughter.\n\nMr Moores said: \"Somebody can drive drunk and kill my son. Why is that not manslaughter?\n\n\"Nothing can prepare a parent for seeing their child in the mortuary. That will stay with me every day, every day that vision comes into my mind.\n\n\"Our life is ruined.\"\n\nMrs Moores added: \"There's nothing careless about drink driving. I don't want anybody else to feel like us.\"\n\nMs Hackett, who lived in Radnor Street, Swindon, at the time of the offence, appealed against her sentence in September 2011, but was refused.\n\nA Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: \"We are determined to make sure those who kill whilst driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs face the full force of the law.\n\n\"That is why we are consulting on plans that will see the maximum sentence for a number of offences in this area increase from 14 years to life.\"\n\nA response to the Ministry of Justice consultation, which closes on 1 February, is due to be published by May.", "summary": "A new proposal to impose life sentences for killing someone while under the influence of alcohol doesn't go far enough according to Mr. and Mrs. Moores, whose son was killed by a drunk driver back in 2010. They believe that Manslaughter should also be added.  "}
{"article_id": "15fd2d07a7f348b89c3b1e47ae375f13", "article": "Nine British nationals have been detained in Turkey after allegedly trying to enter Syria illegally.\n\nThe group, reported to be three men, two women and four children aged from two to 11, was held at Reyhanli, in Hatay province, near the Syrian border.\n\nTheir intention in travelling to the region, where areas are controlled by Islamic State (IS) militants or an al-Qaeda affiliate, is not clear.\n\nThe Foreign Office has said it is in contact with the Turkish authorities.\n\nThe BBC's Mark Lowen said the information about the ages of the children had not been independently verified and it was too early to know where the group were intending to head to.\n\n\"Were they heading for one of the more moderate groups in Syria. Were they heading for the area controlled by al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate? Or were they heading to so-called Islamic State territory?\" he said.\n\nThe group was taken to a police station in southern Turkey overnight, and then sent to the foreigners department awaiting deportation to the UK.\n\nThey have undergone medical examinations and had their finger-prints taken.\n\nThe United Nations estimates the number of foreign fighters joining militant groups is more than 25,000, from 100 different nations.\n\nAbout 600 Britons are believed to have gone to Syria or Iraq since IS seized control of large swathes of territory there.\n\nMost are thought to have volunteered as fighters for the militant Islamist group.\n\nAround half are believed to have later returned to the UK, the Metropolitan Police has said.\n\nThe latest detentions come two weeks after three British teenagers were stopped from travelling into Syria from Turkey.\n\nThe three - two aged 17 and one 19, from north-west London - were arrested following a tip-off from British police and flown back to the UK. They have since been released on police bail.\n\nThey had flown to Turkey from Barcelona and were arrested at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul.\n\nFadi Hakura, Turkey analyst for Chatham House, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the recent arrests showed the Turkish government was \"taking more effective measures to control the flow of fighters and supporters into Syria\".\n\nHe said there was now \"more enhanced security and intelligence cooperation between Turkey and its Western counterparts, especially with the exchange of names that Turkey needs to prohibit [IS supporters] from crossing into Syria\".\n\nThe Turkish government has said it cannot make a 560-mile border watertight and will act when it has prior warning.\n\nIn February this year there were recriminations between British police and Turkish officials after three London schoolgirls disappeared from Turkey, apparently having crossed the border into Syria.\n\nShamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16 had flown to Istanbul and travelled to the border region.\n\nTurkish officials said they had not been warned promptly enough by British police to intercept them - Scotland Yard denied this.", "summary": "The Turkish government is working to detain foreign travelers attempting to illegally enter Islamic State Militant controlled Syria. 9 arrests were made just two weeks after the last arrest of 3 teenagers attempting to cross the border. Officials believe over 25,000 foreigners have joined the militant groups as fighters. "}
{"article_id": "15fd2d07a7f348b89c3b1e47ae375f13", "article": "Nine British nationals have been detained in Turkey after allegedly trying to enter Syria illegally.\n\nThe group, reported to be three men, two women and four children aged from two to 11, was held at Reyhanli, in Hatay province, near the Syrian border.\n\nTheir intention in travelling to the region, where areas are controlled by Islamic State (IS) militants or an al-Qaeda affiliate, is not clear.\n\nThe Foreign Office has said it is in contact with the Turkish authorities.\n\nThe BBC's Mark Lowen said the information about the ages of the children had not been independently verified and it was too early to know where the group were intending to head to.\n\n\"Were they heading for one of the more moderate groups in Syria. Were they heading for the area controlled by al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate? Or were they heading to so-called Islamic State territory?\" he said.\n\nThe group was taken to a police station in southern Turkey overnight, and then sent to the foreigners department awaiting deportation to the UK.\n\nThey have undergone medical examinations and had their finger-prints taken.\n\nThe United Nations estimates the number of foreign fighters joining militant groups is more than 25,000, from 100 different nations.\n\nAbout 600 Britons are believed to have gone to Syria or Iraq since IS seized control of large swathes of territory there.\n\nMost are thought to have volunteered as fighters for the militant Islamist group.\n\nAround half are believed to have later returned to the UK, the Metropolitan Police has said.\n\nThe latest detentions come two weeks after three British teenagers were stopped from travelling into Syria from Turkey.\n\nThe three - two aged 17 and one 19, from north-west London - were arrested following a tip-off from British police and flown back to the UK. They have since been released on police bail.\n\nThey had flown to Turkey from Barcelona and were arrested at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul.\n\nFadi Hakura, Turkey analyst for Chatham House, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the recent arrests showed the Turkish government was \"taking more effective measures to control the flow of fighters and supporters into Syria\".\n\nHe said there was now \"more enhanced security and intelligence cooperation between Turkey and its Western counterparts, especially with the exchange of names that Turkey needs to prohibit [IS supporters] from crossing into Syria\".\n\nThe Turkish government has said it cannot make a 560-mile border watertight and will act when it has prior warning.\n\nIn February this year there were recriminations between British police and Turkish officials after three London schoolgirls disappeared from Turkey, apparently having crossed the border into Syria.\n\nShamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16 had flown to Istanbul and travelled to the border region.\n\nTurkish officials said they had not been warned promptly enough by British police to intercept them - Scotland Yard denied this.", "summary": "None British nationals were detained after attempting to enter Syria through Turkey. Cooperation between Turkey and the West has gotten better regarding illegal border crossings, but there are still people slipping through. Many British nationals are volunteering to join Islamic extremist groups such as ISIS. "}
{"article_id": "15fd2d07a7f348b89c3b1e47ae375f13", "article": "Nine British nationals have been detained in Turkey after allegedly trying to enter Syria illegally.\n\nThe group, reported to be three men, two women and four children aged from two to 11, was held at Reyhanli, in Hatay province, near the Syrian border.\n\nTheir intention in travelling to the region, where areas are controlled by Islamic State (IS) militants or an al-Qaeda affiliate, is not clear.\n\nThe Foreign Office has said it is in contact with the Turkish authorities.\n\nThe BBC's Mark Lowen said the information about the ages of the children had not been independently verified and it was too early to know where the group were intending to head to.\n\n\"Were they heading for one of the more moderate groups in Syria. Were they heading for the area controlled by al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate? Or were they heading to so-called Islamic State territory?\" he said.\n\nThe group was taken to a police station in southern Turkey overnight, and then sent to the foreigners department awaiting deportation to the UK.\n\nThey have undergone medical examinations and had their finger-prints taken.\n\nThe United Nations estimates the number of foreign fighters joining militant groups is more than 25,000, from 100 different nations.\n\nAbout 600 Britons are believed to have gone to Syria or Iraq since IS seized control of large swathes of territory there.\n\nMost are thought to have volunteered as fighters for the militant Islamist group.\n\nAround half are believed to have later returned to the UK, the Metropolitan Police has said.\n\nThe latest detentions come two weeks after three British teenagers were stopped from travelling into Syria from Turkey.\n\nThe three - two aged 17 and one 19, from north-west London - were arrested following a tip-off from British police and flown back to the UK. They have since been released on police bail.\n\nThey had flown to Turkey from Barcelona and were arrested at Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul.\n\nFadi Hakura, Turkey analyst for Chatham House, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the recent arrests showed the Turkish government was \"taking more effective measures to control the flow of fighters and supporters into Syria\".\n\nHe said there was now \"more enhanced security and intelligence cooperation between Turkey and its Western counterparts, especially with the exchange of names that Turkey needs to prohibit [IS supporters] from crossing into Syria\".\n\nThe Turkish government has said it cannot make a 560-mile border watertight and will act when it has prior warning.\n\nIn February this year there were recriminations between British police and Turkish officials after three London schoolgirls disappeared from Turkey, apparently having crossed the border into Syria.\n\nShamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16 had flown to Istanbul and travelled to the border region.\n\nTurkish officials said they had not been warned promptly enough by British police to intercept them - Scotland Yard denied this.", "summary": "Around 600 British nationals are believed to have gone to Syria or Iraq since IS seized control of large areas of territory. The Turkish government takes action to prevent citizens from illegally crossing the border when they receive warning prior to the incident, but they have not been able to intercept everyone. "}
{"article_id": "e53a5dad7de549729c853216c64b9b44", "article": "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton enjoyed some downtime with husband Bill on Saturday afternoon, taking a stroll near their Chappaqua, New York, home.\n\nMeanwhile, her two 'Scooby' campaign vans got some TLC of their own at a local body shop, where they were also hand washed.\n\nThe aspiring leader of the free world and her husband were spotted wearing blue ball caps - Hillary's bearing the Clinton Foundation logo- and matching dark blue shirts as they soaked in the sun and walked hand-in-hand through a nearby park.\n\nMrs Clinton will hit the campaign trail again today in New Hampshire, where she'll hold a round table at a family-owned business this afternoon.\n\nShe'll participate in another tomorrow morning at a community college during her two-day swing through the Granite State.\n\nScroll down for videos.\n\nEXCLUSIVE: Hilary Clinton and husband Bill go for a stroll \u00a0while holding hands in a park in Chappaqua, New York.\u00a0The aspiring leader of the free world and her husband were spotted wearing blue ball caps - Hillary's bearing the Clinton Foundation logo - and matching dark blue polo shirts as they soaked in the sun.\n\nCHECK-UP: The Scooby vans had made the 1,000 miles trip back from Iowa since Hillary flew home commercial last week.\n\nSPARKLING: The secret of keeping the Scooby fleet immaculate is regular washing.\n\nTUNE-UP: Clinton's presidential campaign prepared to hit the road again on Saturday, taking the two armored Scooby vans to a car shop for inspection.\n\nMrs. Clinton will hit the campaign trail again today in New Hampshire, where she'll hold a round table at a family-owned business this afternoon.\n\nClinton is seen here on Saturday, walking with her Secret Service agent.\u00a0She's currently on a two-day swing through the Granite State.\n\nClinton starts the second leg of her endeavor to win the vote of 'everyday' Americans on the heels of a news report showing she makes more money for an hour's worth of work than the country's top CEOs.\n\nThe former secretary of state was banking $300,000 for paid appearances\u00a0before she ditched the speaking circuit for an offensive on the White House.\n\nThe average CEO's hourly rate is $54,213, the Washington Examiner, pointed out.\n\nShe makes more on the days she's paid a premium to give remarks than big wigs of the likes of Ralph Lauren,\u00a0Kinder Morgan Energy Partners co-founder Richard Kinder and former Vornado president and CEO Michael\u00a0Fascitelli.\n\nTaken in the context of a full work week, though, Clinton's rate drops far below what corporate heads are hauling in.\n\nShe receives checks for just over a tenth of what America's highest paid CEO, John Hammergren of medical supply company McKesson Corporation, earns in a week.\n\nBill joined her for the outing and walked alongside her with his Secret Service agent.\n\nFirst Scooby tour: Vans made return trip after Hillary left on Wednesday and were in Chappaqua on Saturday.\n\nA multimillionaire who has spent the better part of the last two and a half decades living in Washington, D.C. and New York, Clinton has struggled to shed her image as an up-tight politician who cares more about winning the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, than she does boosting blue collar workers.\n\nThe negative connotations kept Clinton her from beating Barack Obama in 2008 and already threatening to wreck her second attempt at the nation's highest elected office.\n\nWhile driving with one of her aides from New York to Iowa for a first round of campaigning last week, the two women stopped off at Chipotle for lunch. They work dark sunglasses, kept quiet and went unrecognized. It took security camera footage to prove they were ever there.\n\nOnce in Iowa, Clinton's campaign vetted and planted fans of the Democrat in a coffee shop it knew she would make an unannounced stop at and hold what appeared at the time to be an impromptu round table discussion.\n\nThe back-to-back incidents were widely panned as further proof that Clinton is out-of-touch.\n\nClinton skipped the long ride home and returned via commercial aircraft. She sat in the coach section, though, and was photographed dragging around her own luggage.\n\nWEEKEND OUTING: Hillary wasn't the only one spending time with her husband. Huma Abedin, her closest aide, was with her husband Anthony Weiner, notorious for sabotaging his own political career by sending explicit pictures. The couple ignored the chance to go to Chipotle, two doors down from this New York taco restaurant.\n\nBRUSH-UP: Meanwhile, the two rest of the enoturage for the vans she's been riding around in got some TLC at a local car wash.\n\nCAR WASH: The vehicles were also washed by hand.\u00a0Clinton skipped the long ride home last week from Iowa and returned via commercial aircraft. She'll make the short drive from New York to New Hampshire in her motorcade today, however.\n\nCLOSELY-GUARDED: The Hillary motorcade includes these - now sparkling - Chevy Suburbans.", "summary": "Presidential candidate Hillary Cliton takes a short break from campaigning to spend time with her husband and have her campaign vans serviced. Her campaign plans to reach the average American have been challenged by her out of touch image and high celebrity type earnings for appearances. "}
{"article_id": "e53a5dad7de549729c853216c64b9b44", "article": "Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton enjoyed some downtime with husband Bill on Saturday afternoon, taking a stroll near their Chappaqua, New York, home.\n\nMeanwhile, her two 'Scooby' campaign vans got some TLC of their own at a local body shop, where they were also hand washed.\n\nThe aspiring leader of the free world and her husband were spotted wearing blue ball caps - Hillary's bearing the Clinton Foundation logo- and matching dark blue shirts as they soaked in the sun and walked hand-in-hand through a nearby park.\n\nMrs Clinton will hit the campaign trail again today in New Hampshire, where she'll hold a round table at a family-owned business this afternoon.\n\nShe'll participate in another tomorrow morning at a community college during her two-day swing through the Granite State.\n\nScroll down for videos.\n\nEXCLUSIVE: Hilary Clinton and husband Bill go for a stroll \u00a0while holding hands in a park in Chappaqua, New York.\u00a0The aspiring leader of the free world and her husband were spotted wearing blue ball caps - Hillary's bearing the Clinton Foundation logo - and matching dark blue polo shirts as they soaked in the sun.\n\nCHECK-UP: The Scooby vans had made the 1,000 miles trip back from Iowa since Hillary flew home commercial last week.\n\nSPARKLING: The secret of keeping the Scooby fleet immaculate is regular washing.\n\nTUNE-UP: Clinton's presidential campaign prepared to hit the road again on Saturday, taking the two armored Scooby vans to a car shop for inspection.\n\nMrs. Clinton will hit the campaign trail again today in New Hampshire, where she'll hold a round table at a family-owned business this afternoon.\n\nClinton is seen here on Saturday, walking with her Secret Service agent.\u00a0She's currently on a two-day swing through the Granite State.\n\nClinton starts the second leg of her endeavor to win the vote of 'everyday' Americans on the heels of a news report showing she makes more money for an hour's worth of work than the country's top CEOs.\n\nThe former secretary of state was banking $300,000 for paid appearances\u00a0before she ditched the speaking circuit for an offensive on the White House.\n\nThe average CEO's hourly rate is $54,213, the Washington Examiner, pointed out.\n\nShe makes more on the days she's paid a premium to give remarks than big wigs of the likes of Ralph Lauren,\u00a0Kinder Morgan Energy Partners co-founder Richard Kinder and former Vornado president and CEO Michael\u00a0Fascitelli.\n\nTaken in the context of a full work week, though, Clinton's rate drops far below what corporate heads are hauling in.\n\nShe receives checks for just over a tenth of what America's highest paid CEO, John Hammergren of medical supply company McKesson Corporation, earns in a week.\n\nBill joined her for the outing and walked alongside her with his Secret Service agent.\n\nFirst Scooby tour: Vans made return trip after Hillary left on Wednesday and were in Chappaqua on Saturday.\n\nA multimillionaire who has spent the better part of the last two and a half decades living in Washington, D.C. and New York, Clinton has struggled to shed her image as an up-tight politician who cares more about winning the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, than she does boosting blue collar workers.\n\nThe negative connotations kept Clinton her from beating Barack Obama in 2008 and already threatening to wreck her second attempt at the nation's highest elected office.\n\nWhile driving with one of her aides from New York to Iowa for a first round of campaigning last week, the two women stopped off at Chipotle for lunch. They work dark sunglasses, kept quiet and went unrecognized. It took security camera footage to prove they were ever there.\n\nOnce in Iowa, Clinton's campaign vetted and planted fans of the Democrat in a coffee shop it knew she would make an unannounced stop at and hold what appeared at the time to be an impromptu round table discussion.\n\nThe back-to-back incidents were widely panned as further proof that Clinton is out-of-touch.\n\nClinton skipped the long ride home and returned via commercial aircraft. She sat in the coach section, though, and was photographed dragging around her own luggage.\n\nWEEKEND OUTING: Hillary wasn't the only one spending time with her husband. Huma Abedin, her closest aide, was with her husband Anthony Weiner, notorious for sabotaging his own political career by sending explicit pictures. The couple ignored the chance to go to Chipotle, two doors down from this New York taco restaurant.\n\nBRUSH-UP: Meanwhile, the two rest of the enoturage for the vans she's been riding around in got some TLC at a local car wash.\n\nCAR WASH: The vehicles were also washed by hand.\u00a0Clinton skipped the long ride home last week from Iowa and returned via commercial aircraft. She'll make the short drive from New York to New Hampshire in her motorcade today, however.\n\nCLOSELY-GUARDED: The Hillary motorcade includes these - now sparkling - Chevy Suburbans.", "summary": "Hillary Clinton enjoyed some downtime with her husband Bill Clinton before starting the second leg of her campaign. During her upcoming events, Clinton will be attempting to shake her reputation as a wealthy, up-tight politician so she can try to win the votes of  'everyday' Americans who kept her out of office in 2008."}
{"article_id": "fff3805552f8494a93d9f149be98a250", "article": "A congregation in North Yorkshire has spent thousands of pounds building heated bat lofts in an attempt to lure the creatures out of their church.\n\nA colony has been roosting in St Hilda's Church at Ellerburn, close to the North York Moors.\n\nBut despite the church's best efforts the bats are not moving and are soiling the altar and church furniture, leaving the church with an \"appalling smell\".\n\nThe creatures are protected by law and cannot be wilfully disturbed.\n\nVolunteers at the church have been working for the past decade to keep the altar, stonework and woodwork clean.\n\nBut the bats, roosting in the higher areas of the church continually soil the interior of the building with urine and faeces.\n\nChurch warden Liz Cowley said keeping the 11th Century building in good shape was difficult.\n\nShe said: \"You can see the urine marks (on the altar), they won't go away.\n\n\"If people were coming in here damaging an ancient building like this, you would say it was criminal damage.\n\n\"The smell is appalling, it's a combination of ammonia from the urine and a musty smell from the droppings that catches at the back of the throat.\"\n\nMembers of the church had spent \u00c2\u00a310,000 trying to get the bats to move and had paid for specially-built lofts nearby.\n\nThe Rev Paul Mothersdale, the Rector of St Hilda's Church, said a lot of money had been invested in trying to persuade the bats to move out of the church.\n\nThe Rev Mothersdale said: \"We've tried to do everything that English Nature, or Natural England, have wanted us to do.\n\n\"Money has been spent, not only by the congregation, not only out of church funds, but local people have mucked in and helped.\n\n\"And yet we're no further forward, we're still as we were 10 years ago.\"\n\nLucy Bellini, of Natural England, said the bats had to be carefully monitored.\n\nMs Bellini said: \"It is a really regionally important roost.\n\n\"Because of that we need to be sure that there are replacement roosts that are suitable and that the bats have found and are aware of and can move to before we allow the church to seal up access points and move the bats out of the church.\"", "summary": "A historic 11th century Church in England has spent 10 years and over 10,000 pounds in an attempt to rehome a large roost of legally protected bats. Despite their efforts, the bats have not moved and continue to damage the church, and any more direct methods are illegal. "}
{"article_id": "fff3805552f8494a93d9f149be98a250", "article": "A congregation in North Yorkshire has spent thousands of pounds building heated bat lofts in an attempt to lure the creatures out of their church.\n\nA colony has been roosting in St Hilda's Church at Ellerburn, close to the North York Moors.\n\nBut despite the church's best efforts the bats are not moving and are soiling the altar and church furniture, leaving the church with an \"appalling smell\".\n\nThe creatures are protected by law and cannot be wilfully disturbed.\n\nVolunteers at the church have been working for the past decade to keep the altar, stonework and woodwork clean.\n\nBut the bats, roosting in the higher areas of the church continually soil the interior of the building with urine and faeces.\n\nChurch warden Liz Cowley said keeping the 11th Century building in good shape was difficult.\n\nShe said: \"You can see the urine marks (on the altar), they won't go away.\n\n\"If people were coming in here damaging an ancient building like this, you would say it was criminal damage.\n\n\"The smell is appalling, it's a combination of ammonia from the urine and a musty smell from the droppings that catches at the back of the throat.\"\n\nMembers of the church had spent \u00c2\u00a310,000 trying to get the bats to move and had paid for specially-built lofts nearby.\n\nThe Rev Paul Mothersdale, the Rector of St Hilda's Church, said a lot of money had been invested in trying to persuade the bats to move out of the church.\n\nThe Rev Mothersdale said: \"We've tried to do everything that English Nature, or Natural England, have wanted us to do.\n\n\"Money has been spent, not only by the congregation, not only out of church funds, but local people have mucked in and helped.\n\n\"And yet we're no further forward, we're still as we were 10 years ago.\"\n\nLucy Bellini, of Natural England, said the bats had to be carefully monitored.\n\nMs Bellini said: \"It is a really regionally important roost.\n\n\"Because of that we need to be sure that there are replacement roosts that are suitable and that the bats have found and are aware of and can move to before we allow the church to seal up access points and move the bats out of the church.\"", "summary": "A Church in North Yorkshire is struggling with a bat problem. The congregation has tried many different non-lethal t tactics to remove the bats, but none of them \n have worked. Animal experts are looking for another roost before the Church moves the bats and seals up openings. "}
{"article_id": "fff3805552f8494a93d9f149be98a250", "article": "A congregation in North Yorkshire has spent thousands of pounds building heated bat lofts in an attempt to lure the creatures out of their church.\n\nA colony has been roosting in St Hilda's Church at Ellerburn, close to the North York Moors.\n\nBut despite the church's best efforts the bats are not moving and are soiling the altar and church furniture, leaving the church with an \"appalling smell\".\n\nThe creatures are protected by law and cannot be wilfully disturbed.\n\nVolunteers at the church have been working for the past decade to keep the altar, stonework and woodwork clean.\n\nBut the bats, roosting in the higher areas of the church continually soil the interior of the building with urine and faeces.\n\nChurch warden Liz Cowley said keeping the 11th Century building in good shape was difficult.\n\nShe said: \"You can see the urine marks (on the altar), they won't go away.\n\n\"If people were coming in here damaging an ancient building like this, you would say it was criminal damage.\n\n\"The smell is appalling, it's a combination of ammonia from the urine and a musty smell from the droppings that catches at the back of the throat.\"\n\nMembers of the church had spent \u00c2\u00a310,000 trying to get the bats to move and had paid for specially-built lofts nearby.\n\nThe Rev Paul Mothersdale, the Rector of St Hilda's Church, said a lot of money had been invested in trying to persuade the bats to move out of the church.\n\nThe Rev Mothersdale said: \"We've tried to do everything that English Nature, or Natural England, have wanted us to do.\n\n\"Money has been spent, not only by the congregation, not only out of church funds, but local people have mucked in and helped.\n\n\"And yet we're no further forward, we're still as we were 10 years ago.\"\n\nLucy Bellini, of Natural England, said the bats had to be carefully monitored.\n\nMs Bellini said: \"It is a really regionally important roost.\n\n\"Because of that we need to be sure that there are replacement roosts that are suitable and that the bats have found and are aware of and can move to before we allow the church to seal up access points and move the bats out of the church.\"", "summary": "A church in North Yorkshire has spent the past 10 years trying to remove bats from their 11th Century building to no avail. The bats, which are protected by law and cannot be disturbed, are damaging the altar with their droppings and causing an unpleasant smell for the congregation to endure. "}
{"article_id": "18cba9a8f2f64055a707452638182303", "article": "Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a \"crime surge\".\n\nMayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period.\n\nThe city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody.\n\nSix officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Batts had \"served this city with distinction\" since becoming police chief in October 2012.\n\nBut referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said \"too many continue to die\".\n\n\"The focus has been too much on the leadership of the department and not enough on the crime fighting,\" she told reporters, adding: \"We need to get the crime surge under control.\"\n\nThe city has seen a sharp increase in violence since Freddie Gray's death on 19 April, with 155 homicides this year, a 48% increase over the same period last year.\n\nOn Tuesday, the police department announced that an outside organisation will review its response to the civil unrest that followed Mr Gray's death.\n\nThe US justice department is also conducting a civil rights review of the Baltimore force and Mr Batts has been criticised by the city's police union.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the union released its report into the police handling of the rioting.\n\nIt said officers had complained \"that they lacked basic riot equipment, training, and, as events unfolded, direction from leadership\".\n\nThe report also said \"officers repeatedly expressed concern that the passive response to the civil unrest had allowed the disorder to grow into full scale rioting\".\n\nRecent events had \"placed attention on police leadership\", Ms Rawlings-Blake said, but denied her decision was influenced by the union report.\n\nMr Davis, who is taking over immediately as interim police chief, praised his \"friend\" Mr Batts and said he was a \"true reform commissioner\".\n\nMayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Davis would \"bring accountability to police, hold officers who act out of line accountable for their actions\".", "summary": "After the death of an African American man in police custody, Baltimore's crime rate increased dramatically and civil unrest lead to many riots. After multiple outside investigations and the scrutiny of the people, the Mayor has replaced the Police Commissioner and has appointed Kevin Davis as interim Commissioner."}
{"article_id": "18cba9a8f2f64055a707452638182303", "article": "Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a \"crime surge\".\n\nMayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period.\n\nThe city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody.\n\nSix officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Batts had \"served this city with distinction\" since becoming police chief in October 2012.\n\nBut referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said \"too many continue to die\".\n\n\"The focus has been too much on the leadership of the department and not enough on the crime fighting,\" she told reporters, adding: \"We need to get the crime surge under control.\"\n\nThe city has seen a sharp increase in violence since Freddie Gray's death on 19 April, with 155 homicides this year, a 48% increase over the same period last year.\n\nOn Tuesday, the police department announced that an outside organisation will review its response to the civil unrest that followed Mr Gray's death.\n\nThe US justice department is also conducting a civil rights review of the Baltimore force and Mr Batts has been criticised by the city's police union.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the union released its report into the police handling of the rioting.\n\nIt said officers had complained \"that they lacked basic riot equipment, training, and, as events unfolded, direction from leadership\".\n\nThe report also said \"officers repeatedly expressed concern that the passive response to the civil unrest had allowed the disorder to grow into full scale rioting\".\n\nRecent events had \"placed attention on police leadership\", Ms Rawlings-Blake said, but denied her decision was influenced by the union report.\n\nMr Davis, who is taking over immediately as interim police chief, praised his \"friend\" Mr Batts and said he was a \"true reform commissioner\".\n\nMayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Davis would \"bring accountability to police, hold officers who act out of line accountable for their actions\".", "summary": "The mayor of Baltimore fired the police chief and replaced him with his deputy. According to the mayor, crime in the city was unacceptable. Riots in the city after a man died in police custody and a surge in homicide rates were cited as reasons for the firing.   "}
{"article_id": "18cba9a8f2f64055a707452638182303", "article": "Baltimore's mayor has sacked the US city's police chief, saying his leadership had become a distraction from fighting a \"crime surge\".\n\nMayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she was replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with his deputy, Kevin Davis, for an interim period.\n\nThe city was rocked by riots in April when a black man died after suffering injuries in police custody.\n\nSix officers were charged over the death of the 25-year-old, Freddie Gray.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Mayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Batts had \"served this city with distinction\" since becoming police chief in October 2012.\n\nBut referring to the city's high homicide rate, she said \"too many continue to die\".\n\n\"The focus has been too much on the leadership of the department and not enough on the crime fighting,\" she told reporters, adding: \"We need to get the crime surge under control.\"\n\nThe city has seen a sharp increase in violence since Freddie Gray's death on 19 April, with 155 homicides this year, a 48% increase over the same period last year.\n\nOn Tuesday, the police department announced that an outside organisation will review its response to the civil unrest that followed Mr Gray's death.\n\nThe US justice department is also conducting a civil rights review of the Baltimore force and Mr Batts has been criticised by the city's police union.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the union released its report into the police handling of the rioting.\n\nIt said officers had complained \"that they lacked basic riot equipment, training, and, as events unfolded, direction from leadership\".\n\nThe report also said \"officers repeatedly expressed concern that the passive response to the civil unrest had allowed the disorder to grow into full scale rioting\".\n\nRecent events had \"placed attention on police leadership\", Ms Rawlings-Blake said, but denied her decision was influenced by the union report.\n\nMr Davis, who is taking over immediately as interim police chief, praised his \"friend\" Mr Batts and said he was a \"true reform commissioner\".\n\nMayor Rawlings-Blake said Mr Davis would \"bring accountability to police, hold officers who act out of line accountable for their actions\".", "summary": "Baltimore's mayor is replacing Police Commissioner Anthony Batts with deputy Kevin Davis for an interim period that is effective immediately. The city was rocked by riots after 25-year-old, Freddie Grey, died after suffering injuries in police custody. Due to the sharp increase in violence seen after the incident, Batts has been criticized by the city's police union."}
{"article_id": "0f1d41fcf8934fdf8fc993851ba9c6c4", "article": "Leeds striker Steve Morison admits he has never experienced anything like the current circus surrounding the SkyBet Championship side.\n\nSix players - Mirco Antenucci, Giuseppe Bellusci, Dario Del Fabro, Marco Silvestri, Souleymane Doukara and Edgar Cani - withdrew from the squad on the eve of Saturday's trip to Charlton citing injuries, and this is just the latest incident in another turbulent period at Elland Road.\n\nA 'freakish set of events' was how beleaguered boss Neil Redfearn described the sextet's absence after the game but Morison, who scored Leeds' goal in the 2-1 defeat at The Valley, told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: 'We're around it every day.\n\nLeeds United striker Steve Morison (centre) admits he is surprised by the chaos at Elland Road at the moment.\n\nGiuseppe Bellusci and three other Italians were among those who withdrew form the Leeds squad.\n\nSouleymane Doukara was another player that withdrew as part of the latest drama at Elland Road.\n\n'People draw their own conclusions over what happened (with the withdrawals). It's a tough situation and you have to take everything at face value, but it's been like it all season in one way or another.'\n\nWhen asked if there was a split in the camp, the 31-year-old added: 'It's just been one of those seasons where every day something different has happened.\n\n'I've never known anything like it in football and I've played for teams scrapping for their lives - Millwall last year - and teams that have been promoted. I've played in the Premier League with a bunch of Championship players that should never have stayed up and the one thing we had ultimately was a team and team spirit.\n\n'Sometimes you can get away with being very, very average - I would class myself as an average footballer - but I've had a team around me and it works.'\n\nFormer Leeds captain Trevor Cherry, meanwhile, branded the players who withdrew at short notice from Saturday's match a 'disgrace' and called for them to be sacked by the club.\n\nItalian quartet Antenucci, Bellusci, Del Fabro and Silvestri, Frenchman Doukara and Albanian Cani all told Redfearn they were injured and could not travel to London.\n\nAccording to the manager, Silvestri had been rested since sustaining a knock but had been expected to recover, while Antenucci and Cani declared themselves unfit after training on Thursday with the rest pulling out following a 'light' session on Friday.\n\nBut Cherry was unimpressed and wants the players out of Elland Road.\n\n'I would sack them and take the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) on,' he said on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek.\n\n'I don't think players can do that, it's scandalous and it's just another story for Leeds United that is disgraceful.'\n\nStriker Antenucci used Twitter to defend himself, as did goalkeeper Silvestri who posted a picture of a cut on his back suffered against Norwich on Tuesday night.\n\nHowever, Cherry questioned if they were legitimate reasons to withdraw.\n\n'In the old days you used to play with anything, cuts or one thing or another,' he said.\n\n'The managers had a big say in whether you were fit or not. You didn't just come in and say 'I've got a headache, I'm going home'. I'm sure with George Graham or Don Revie, I can't imagine what would have happened if you'd have done that.'\n\nThe withdrawals continued the chaos that has plagued Leeds.\n\nMirco Antenucci was also among the six players to withdraw from the squad ahead of the defeat by Charlton.\n\nNeil Redfearn had a depleted squad to pick from when six players withdrew ahead of the Charlton game.\n\nRedfearn's position has become increasingly threatened over recent weeks, despite leading the club to Championship safety after taking over from ill-fated predecessors David Hockaday and Darko Milanic.\n\nHe saw assistant Steve Thompson lose his job without warning on April 2 and his own deal, which expires at the end of the season, looks increasingly unlikely to be renewed under the club's current regime.\n\nClub president Massimo Cellino has been banned since January after being found guilty of not paying tax on a yacht in Italy, but is due to return in a fortnight's time.\n\nCherry, who played for Leeds between 1972 and 1982, was left to lament the situation at his old club.\n\n'It's a club that's a shambles and has been a shambles for 10 years,' the ex-England defender said.\n\n'We just stutter from disaster to disaster, joke to joke. If it wasn't sickening it would be funny. You couldn't write a book about Leeds United and what's happened.\n\n'Personally, I don't know the Italian guy but I don't think he realises the size of the club, it's just a little play thing and he's making a mess of it in my opinion.'", "summary": "Leeds United striker Steve Morison expressed surprise at the chaos ruling Elland Road at the moment. This response comes after the club experienced a \"freakish set of events\" in which six players withdrew from the squad the evening before they were set to play Charlton. All cited injuries, but some connected to Leeds aren't convinced. "}
{"article_id": "0f1d41fcf8934fdf8fc993851ba9c6c4", "article": "Leeds striker Steve Morison admits he has never experienced anything like the current circus surrounding the SkyBet Championship side.\n\nSix players - Mirco Antenucci, Giuseppe Bellusci, Dario Del Fabro, Marco Silvestri, Souleymane Doukara and Edgar Cani - withdrew from the squad on the eve of Saturday's trip to Charlton citing injuries, and this is just the latest incident in another turbulent period at Elland Road.\n\nA 'freakish set of events' was how beleaguered boss Neil Redfearn described the sextet's absence after the game but Morison, who scored Leeds' goal in the 2-1 defeat at The Valley, told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: 'We're around it every day.\n\nLeeds United striker Steve Morison (centre) admits he is surprised by the chaos at Elland Road at the moment.\n\nGiuseppe Bellusci and three other Italians were among those who withdrew form the Leeds squad.\n\nSouleymane Doukara was another player that withdrew as part of the latest drama at Elland Road.\n\n'People draw their own conclusions over what happened (with the withdrawals). It's a tough situation and you have to take everything at face value, but it's been like it all season in one way or another.'\n\nWhen asked if there was a split in the camp, the 31-year-old added: 'It's just been one of those seasons where every day something different has happened.\n\n'I've never known anything like it in football and I've played for teams scrapping for their lives - Millwall last year - and teams that have been promoted. I've played in the Premier League with a bunch of Championship players that should never have stayed up and the one thing we had ultimately was a team and team spirit.\n\n'Sometimes you can get away with being very, very average - I would class myself as an average footballer - but I've had a team around me and it works.'\n\nFormer Leeds captain Trevor Cherry, meanwhile, branded the players who withdrew at short notice from Saturday's match a 'disgrace' and called for them to be sacked by the club.\n\nItalian quartet Antenucci, Bellusci, Del Fabro and Silvestri, Frenchman Doukara and Albanian Cani all told Redfearn they were injured and could not travel to London.\n\nAccording to the manager, Silvestri had been rested since sustaining a knock but had been expected to recover, while Antenucci and Cani declared themselves unfit after training on Thursday with the rest pulling out following a 'light' session on Friday.\n\nBut Cherry was unimpressed and wants the players out of Elland Road.\n\n'I would sack them and take the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) on,' he said on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek.\n\n'I don't think players can do that, it's scandalous and it's just another story for Leeds United that is disgraceful.'\n\nStriker Antenucci used Twitter to defend himself, as did goalkeeper Silvestri who posted a picture of a cut on his back suffered against Norwich on Tuesday night.\n\nHowever, Cherry questioned if they were legitimate reasons to withdraw.\n\n'In the old days you used to play with anything, cuts or one thing or another,' he said.\n\n'The managers had a big say in whether you were fit or not. You didn't just come in and say 'I've got a headache, I'm going home'. I'm sure with George Graham or Don Revie, I can't imagine what would have happened if you'd have done that.'\n\nThe withdrawals continued the chaos that has plagued Leeds.\n\nMirco Antenucci was also among the six players to withdraw from the squad ahead of the defeat by Charlton.\n\nNeil Redfearn had a depleted squad to pick from when six players withdrew ahead of the Charlton game.\n\nRedfearn's position has become increasingly threatened over recent weeks, despite leading the club to Championship safety after taking over from ill-fated predecessors David Hockaday and Darko Milanic.\n\nHe saw assistant Steve Thompson lose his job without warning on April 2 and his own deal, which expires at the end of the season, looks increasingly unlikely to be renewed under the club's current regime.\n\nClub president Massimo Cellino has been banned since January after being found guilty of not paying tax on a yacht in Italy, but is due to return in a fortnight's time.\n\nCherry, who played for Leeds between 1972 and 1982, was left to lament the situation at his old club.\n\n'It's a club that's a shambles and has been a shambles for 10 years,' the ex-England defender said.\n\n'We just stutter from disaster to disaster, joke to joke. If it wasn't sickening it would be funny. You couldn't write a book about Leeds United and what's happened.\n\n'Personally, I don't know the Italian guy but I don't think he realises the size of the club, it's just a little play thing and he's making a mess of it in my opinion.'", "summary": "Leeds United has had a chaotic season, culminating in 6 players withdrawing for medical reasons. They have been met with heavy criticism, and some believe the team have become a joke. Team manager Neil Redfearn job may be in jeopardy, but he says it's just been a series of unrelated events."}
{"article_id": "f3b2dd83b7cf4039a0da15c41f0309b0", "article": "Green party leader Natalie Bennett has been forced to distance herself from a bizarre online site run by her boyfriend.\n\nJim Jepps used a blog called The Daily Maybe to defend 'rape fantasies', describe paedophiles as 'complex human beings' and question why teachers who have relationships with pupils are put on the sex offenders register.\n\nThe couple met five years ago when Ms Bennett contacted him to correct something he had written about her, but now the Green party stresses they do not 'want to be associated' with his internet rants.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGreen party leader Natalie Bennett has distanced herself from the bizarre blog posts of her boyfriend Jim Jepps, insisting he is a 'private individual not involved in party politics'\n\nMs Bennett's profile has soared in recent months, buoyed by rising poll ratings and Green party membership in England passing 60,000 for the first time.\n\nHowever, little is known about her private life, in contrast to the spouses of David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg who have been frequently seen on the campaign trail.\n\nMs Bennett has been dating Mr Jepps for five years, after meeting online. He continued blogging on the Daily Maybe site until 2011.\n\nHe quit the Socialist Workers Party in around 2003 and later joined the Greens.\n\nBizarrely, he left the party in 2012, the year Ms Bennett replaced the more high-profile Caroline Lucas as Green leader.\n\nOn his website, Mr Jepps appears to have deliberately courted controversy with a series of controversial blog posts, often related to sex, rape or paedophiles.\n\nIn one post, seen by MailOnline, he joked that gay sex is not a sin 'unless you do it really well or claim it on expenses'.\n\nIn 2007, he tackled a news story about demands for music books written by a paedophile to be withdrawn, because the recorder lessons were used to groom victims.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'We can burn these books as a public statement against the author (who is in jail for his crimes) or try to understand that whatever monstrous acts individuals commit they are still complex human beings for all that.\n\n'Good, evil, interesting and banal by turns - not devils who can taint everything they touch with evil.'\n\nHe also dismissed a case in which a blogger was charged with obscenity for writing an article imagining the kidnap and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud.\n\n'Either I'm hopelessly jaded or getting depraved and corrupted is a lot duller than I remember\u2026 Personally I didn't find it that shocking.'\n\nMr Jepps quit the Green party in 2012, the same year Ms Bennett became leader after replacing Caroline Lucas (left)\n\nAccording to the Sunday Mirror another posting included: 'New Poll: Sex with pupils - good idea/bad idea? Personally I'm ambivalent and would appreciate any guidance.\n\n'It seems to me the sex offenders register is a sledgehammer to crack a nut sometimes. When you have a teacher who kissed a 17-year-old placed on the same register as Gary Glitter it does make you wonder how useful the list is, no matter how creepy that teacher might be.'\n\nAnother post entitled 'Even monsters have feelings' is said to have covered the case of Austrian schoolgirl Natascha Kampusch, who was kidnapped aged 10 by Wolfgang P\u0159iklopil and held in a cellar for.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'These are two people who had a long term and human relationship.'\n\nMs Bennett and Mr Jepp reportedly share a flat she bought for \u00a3249,950 in 2007 in North London.\n\nLast night the Green Party distanced itself from Mr Jepp's remarks.\n\nA spokesman said: 'The Daily Maybe was a personal blog written by Mr Jepps until 2011.\n\n'The party does not endorse the views expressed and would not want to be associated with them. Jim Jepps has not been a member of the party since 2012.'\n\nMs Bennett said: 'Jim is a private individual not involved in party politics. I will not be commenting on words he's said or written.'", "summary": "Although Green Party leader, Natalie Bennet is in a relationship with blogger Jim Jepps, the Green Party distances itself from Jepps\u2019 private blog. Jepps\u2019 blog contains controversial posts related to rape, sex, and pedophiles. Natalie Bennet states that Jepps is not involved in party politics, and has not been a Green Party member since 2012."}
{"article_id": "f3b2dd83b7cf4039a0da15c41f0309b0", "article": "Green party leader Natalie Bennett has been forced to distance herself from a bizarre online site run by her boyfriend.\n\nJim Jepps used a blog called The Daily Maybe to defend 'rape fantasies', describe paedophiles as 'complex human beings' and question why teachers who have relationships with pupils are put on the sex offenders register.\n\nThe couple met five years ago when Ms Bennett contacted him to correct something he had written about her, but now the Green party stresses they do not 'want to be associated' with his internet rants.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGreen party leader Natalie Bennett has distanced herself from the bizarre blog posts of her boyfriend Jim Jepps, insisting he is a 'private individual not involved in party politics'\n\nMs Bennett's profile has soared in recent months, buoyed by rising poll ratings and Green party membership in England passing 60,000 for the first time.\n\nHowever, little is known about her private life, in contrast to the spouses of David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg who have been frequently seen on the campaign trail.\n\nMs Bennett has been dating Mr Jepps for five years, after meeting online. He continued blogging on the Daily Maybe site until 2011.\n\nHe quit the Socialist Workers Party in around 2003 and later joined the Greens.\n\nBizarrely, he left the party in 2012, the year Ms Bennett replaced the more high-profile Caroline Lucas as Green leader.\n\nOn his website, Mr Jepps appears to have deliberately courted controversy with a series of controversial blog posts, often related to sex, rape or paedophiles.\n\nIn one post, seen by MailOnline, he joked that gay sex is not a sin 'unless you do it really well or claim it on expenses'.\n\nIn 2007, he tackled a news story about demands for music books written by a paedophile to be withdrawn, because the recorder lessons were used to groom victims.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'We can burn these books as a public statement against the author (who is in jail for his crimes) or try to understand that whatever monstrous acts individuals commit they are still complex human beings for all that.\n\n'Good, evil, interesting and banal by turns - not devils who can taint everything they touch with evil.'\n\nHe also dismissed a case in which a blogger was charged with obscenity for writing an article imagining the kidnap and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud.\n\n'Either I'm hopelessly jaded or getting depraved and corrupted is a lot duller than I remember\u2026 Personally I didn't find it that shocking.'\n\nMr Jepps quit the Green party in 2012, the same year Ms Bennett became leader after replacing Caroline Lucas (left)\n\nAccording to the Sunday Mirror another posting included: 'New Poll: Sex with pupils - good idea/bad idea? Personally I'm ambivalent and would appreciate any guidance.\n\n'It seems to me the sex offenders register is a sledgehammer to crack a nut sometimes. When you have a teacher who kissed a 17-year-old placed on the same register as Gary Glitter it does make you wonder how useful the list is, no matter how creepy that teacher might be.'\n\nAnother post entitled 'Even monsters have feelings' is said to have covered the case of Austrian schoolgirl Natascha Kampusch, who was kidnapped aged 10 by Wolfgang P\u0159iklopil and held in a cellar for.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'These are two people who had a long term and human relationship.'\n\nMs Bennett and Mr Jepp reportedly share a flat she bought for \u00a3249,950 in 2007 in North London.\n\nLast night the Green Party distanced itself from Mr Jepp's remarks.\n\nA spokesman said: 'The Daily Maybe was a personal blog written by Mr Jepps until 2011.\n\n'The party does not endorse the views expressed and would not want to be associated with them. Jim Jepps has not been a member of the party since 2012.'\n\nMs Bennett said: 'Jim is a private individual not involved in party politics. I will not be commenting on words he's said or written.'", "summary": "Green party leader Natalie Bennett has been forced to distance herself from the controversial blog comments of her boyfriend Jim Jepps. Jepps has taken positions in favor of rape fantasies, has defended child rapists, and has advocated for placing teachers who have relationships with their students on the sex offender list. The party has called Jepps an individual who is not involved in party politics. "}
{"article_id": "f3b2dd83b7cf4039a0da15c41f0309b0", "article": "Green party leader Natalie Bennett has been forced to distance herself from a bizarre online site run by her boyfriend.\n\nJim Jepps used a blog called The Daily Maybe to defend 'rape fantasies', describe paedophiles as 'complex human beings' and question why teachers who have relationships with pupils are put on the sex offenders register.\n\nThe couple met five years ago when Ms Bennett contacted him to correct something he had written about her, but now the Green party stresses they do not 'want to be associated' with his internet rants.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nGreen party leader Natalie Bennett has distanced herself from the bizarre blog posts of her boyfriend Jim Jepps, insisting he is a 'private individual not involved in party politics'\n\nMs Bennett's profile has soared in recent months, buoyed by rising poll ratings and Green party membership in England passing 60,000 for the first time.\n\nHowever, little is known about her private life, in contrast to the spouses of David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg who have been frequently seen on the campaign trail.\n\nMs Bennett has been dating Mr Jepps for five years, after meeting online. He continued blogging on the Daily Maybe site until 2011.\n\nHe quit the Socialist Workers Party in around 2003 and later joined the Greens.\n\nBizarrely, he left the party in 2012, the year Ms Bennett replaced the more high-profile Caroline Lucas as Green leader.\n\nOn his website, Mr Jepps appears to have deliberately courted controversy with a series of controversial blog posts, often related to sex, rape or paedophiles.\n\nIn one post, seen by MailOnline, he joked that gay sex is not a sin 'unless you do it really well or claim it on expenses'.\n\nIn 2007, he tackled a news story about demands for music books written by a paedophile to be withdrawn, because the recorder lessons were used to groom victims.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'We can burn these books as a public statement against the author (who is in jail for his crimes) or try to understand that whatever monstrous acts individuals commit they are still complex human beings for all that.\n\n'Good, evil, interesting and banal by turns - not devils who can taint everything they touch with evil.'\n\nHe also dismissed a case in which a blogger was charged with obscenity for writing an article imagining the kidnap and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud.\n\n'Either I'm hopelessly jaded or getting depraved and corrupted is a lot duller than I remember\u2026 Personally I didn't find it that shocking.'\n\nMr Jepps quit the Green party in 2012, the same year Ms Bennett became leader after replacing Caroline Lucas (left)\n\nAccording to the Sunday Mirror another posting included: 'New Poll: Sex with pupils - good idea/bad idea? Personally I'm ambivalent and would appreciate any guidance.\n\n'It seems to me the sex offenders register is a sledgehammer to crack a nut sometimes. When you have a teacher who kissed a 17-year-old placed on the same register as Gary Glitter it does make you wonder how useful the list is, no matter how creepy that teacher might be.'\n\nAnother post entitled 'Even monsters have feelings' is said to have covered the case of Austrian schoolgirl Natascha Kampusch, who was kidnapped aged 10 by Wolfgang P\u0159iklopil and held in a cellar for.\n\nMr Jepps wrote: 'These are two people who had a long term and human relationship.'\n\nMs Bennett and Mr Jepp reportedly share a flat she bought for \u00a3249,950 in 2007 in North London.\n\nLast night the Green Party distanced itself from Mr Jepp's remarks.\n\nA spokesman said: 'The Daily Maybe was a personal blog written by Mr Jepps until 2011.\n\n'The party does not endorse the views expressed and would not want to be associated with them. Jim Jepps has not been a member of the party since 2012.'\n\nMs Bennett said: 'Jim is a private individual not involved in party politics. I will not be commenting on words he's said or written.'", "summary": "Natalie Bennett, leader of the green party, has recently had to distance herself from a website created by her boyfriend, Jim Jepps.  The bizarre site, a blog titled The Daily Maybe, reportedly defends those individuals who have \"rape fantasies\" and refers to pedophiles as \"complex human beings.\""}
{"article_id": "3437e88f01a7470b8e227c785ff0bf0d", "article": "A man has admitted killing his wife of 25 years while she slept.\n\nAsghar Buksh, 55, repeatedly struck mother-of-six Nasreen Buksh over the head with a heavy blunt object which has never been found.\n\nHe admitted culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility after saying he had no recollection of the killing at Dixon Avenue, Glasgow, on 24 September last year.\n\nBuksh will be sentenced on 27 June.\n\nThe High Court in Glasgow heard that 43-year-old Mrs Buksh died after being struck on the head at least five times.\n\nPathologists told the court that the lack of defensive injuries and the position of her body suggested she was assaulted as she slept.\n\nFollowing the attack, Buksh went to Cathcart Police Station and told an officer: \"I've come to hand myself in. I think my wife's dead. I hit her on the head. I did it.\"\n\nThe court was told that three psychiatrists described Buksh as suffering from an acute stress disorder at the time.\n\nProsecutor Gordon Lamont said: \"The accused and his wife had been married for 25 years, but over the last 10 or 11 years their relationship appears to have broken down and they became increasingly estranged, albeit, still residing under the one roof.\n\n\"They slept separately and Mrs Buksh routinely slept on the sofa in the living room. Their children report that they barely spoke to each other.\"\n\nMr Lamont said the problems in the marriage intensified after Mrs Buksh went to Pakistan on holiday in May last year.\n\nHe said she had become involved with another man and was making plans to move to Pakistan.\n\nThe court also heard that two days before he killed his wife, Buksh went to Paisley Police Office and spoke with a support officer saying he feared his wife was going to take their youngest child, aged 10, to Pakistan and not return.\n\nHe also made an emergency doctor's appointment and said he was suffering from stress and not sleeping.\n\nHe was prescribed medication for stress.\n\nDefence counsel Sarah Livingstone said: \"My client has no memory of this incident. His amnesia is absolutely genuine.\n\n\"This is not a case where this man was a bad husband, there was no domestic abuse. This was an unhappy marriage, but however, unhappy it was it didn't justify killing his wife.\n\n\"He suffered an acute stress reaction. Three psychiatrists all agree that he was suffering from an abnormality of the mind.\"\n\nJudge Lord Burns deferred sentence on Buksh until 27 June at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.", "summary": "A man has plead guilty of killing his wife, but claimed he has no recollection of it. They had been married for 25 years, but the couple was barely speaking to each other, there were reports of infidelity and concerns about custody. Multiple specialists have confirmed his amnesia claim. "}
{"article_id": "3437e88f01a7470b8e227c785ff0bf0d", "article": "A man has admitted killing his wife of 25 years while she slept.\n\nAsghar Buksh, 55, repeatedly struck mother-of-six Nasreen Buksh over the head with a heavy blunt object which has never been found.\n\nHe admitted culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility after saying he had no recollection of the killing at Dixon Avenue, Glasgow, on 24 September last year.\n\nBuksh will be sentenced on 27 June.\n\nThe High Court in Glasgow heard that 43-year-old Mrs Buksh died after being struck on the head at least five times.\n\nPathologists told the court that the lack of defensive injuries and the position of her body suggested she was assaulted as she slept.\n\nFollowing the attack, Buksh went to Cathcart Police Station and told an officer: \"I've come to hand myself in. I think my wife's dead. I hit her on the head. I did it.\"\n\nThe court was told that three psychiatrists described Buksh as suffering from an acute stress disorder at the time.\n\nProsecutor Gordon Lamont said: \"The accused and his wife had been married for 25 years, but over the last 10 or 11 years their relationship appears to have broken down and they became increasingly estranged, albeit, still residing under the one roof.\n\n\"They slept separately and Mrs Buksh routinely slept on the sofa in the living room. Their children report that they barely spoke to each other.\"\n\nMr Lamont said the problems in the marriage intensified after Mrs Buksh went to Pakistan on holiday in May last year.\n\nHe said she had become involved with another man and was making plans to move to Pakistan.\n\nThe court also heard that two days before he killed his wife, Buksh went to Paisley Police Office and spoke with a support officer saying he feared his wife was going to take their youngest child, aged 10, to Pakistan and not return.\n\nHe also made an emergency doctor's appointment and said he was suffering from stress and not sleeping.\n\nHe was prescribed medication for stress.\n\nDefence counsel Sarah Livingstone said: \"My client has no memory of this incident. His amnesia is absolutely genuine.\n\n\"This is not a case where this man was a bad husband, there was no domestic abuse. This was an unhappy marriage, but however, unhappy it was it didn't justify killing his wife.\n\n\"He suffered an acute stress reaction. Three psychiatrists all agree that he was suffering from an abnormality of the mind.\"\n\nJudge Lord Burns deferred sentence on Buksh until 27 June at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.", "summary": "Asghar Buksh turned himself on after beating his wife to death with a blunt object. Nasreen Buksh was seeing another man and making plans to move to Pakistan to be with him. Pyschiatrists diagnosed Mr. Bush with stress related \"abnormality of the mind\". "}
{"article_id": "3437e88f01a7470b8e227c785ff0bf0d", "article": "A man has admitted killing his wife of 25 years while she slept.\n\nAsghar Buksh, 55, repeatedly struck mother-of-six Nasreen Buksh over the head with a heavy blunt object which has never been found.\n\nHe admitted culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility after saying he had no recollection of the killing at Dixon Avenue, Glasgow, on 24 September last year.\n\nBuksh will be sentenced on 27 June.\n\nThe High Court in Glasgow heard that 43-year-old Mrs Buksh died after being struck on the head at least five times.\n\nPathologists told the court that the lack of defensive injuries and the position of her body suggested she was assaulted as she slept.\n\nFollowing the attack, Buksh went to Cathcart Police Station and told an officer: \"I've come to hand myself in. I think my wife's dead. I hit her on the head. I did it.\"\n\nThe court was told that three psychiatrists described Buksh as suffering from an acute stress disorder at the time.\n\nProsecutor Gordon Lamont said: \"The accused and his wife had been married for 25 years, but over the last 10 or 11 years their relationship appears to have broken down and they became increasingly estranged, albeit, still residing under the one roof.\n\n\"They slept separately and Mrs Buksh routinely slept on the sofa in the living room. Their children report that they barely spoke to each other.\"\n\nMr Lamont said the problems in the marriage intensified after Mrs Buksh went to Pakistan on holiday in May last year.\n\nHe said she had become involved with another man and was making plans to move to Pakistan.\n\nThe court also heard that two days before he killed his wife, Buksh went to Paisley Police Office and spoke with a support officer saying he feared his wife was going to take their youngest child, aged 10, to Pakistan and not return.\n\nHe also made an emergency doctor's appointment and said he was suffering from stress and not sleeping.\n\nHe was prescribed medication for stress.\n\nDefence counsel Sarah Livingstone said: \"My client has no memory of this incident. His amnesia is absolutely genuine.\n\n\"This is not a case where this man was a bad husband, there was no domestic abuse. This was an unhappy marriage, but however, unhappy it was it didn't justify killing his wife.\n\n\"He suffered an acute stress reaction. Three psychiatrists all agree that he was suffering from an abnormality of the mind.\"\n\nJudge Lord Burns deferred sentence on Buksh until 27 June at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.", "summary": "A 55-year-old man has admitted to killing his wife while she was sleeping. Despite the confession, he claims to have no memory of the incident. "}
{"article_id": "84fa3eec483747ba97c6b025c53e3005", "article": "A call to deselect a UKIP member of the Welsh assembly has been rejected by the party's ruling body.\n\nA letter sent by party activists in north Wales claimed Michelle Brown has been \"abrasive and discourteous\" to them.\n\nIt was sent to UKIP's national executive committee (NEC) before a row over racial slurs about a Labour MP, for which Ms Brown apologised.\n\nBut UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said the letter did not follow proper process.\n\nA UKIP assembly group spokesman said the letter was written by a group with a \"long-standing grudge\" against the AM.\n\nThe ruling NEC body discussed the issue at a meeting on Friday, where they also decided to allow a controversial anti-Islam campaigner to run for the UKIP leadership.\n\nMr Oakden said: \"A member of the NEC had contacted the person that is putting this forward and said to them they need to follow the proper process of completing the necessary forms and submitting them to the NEC.\n\n\"Members simply emailing the NEC saying we want you to do this is not the correct disciplinary process for the party, by any stretch of the imagination.\n\n\"A member of the NEC has gone back and given advice on what they need to do.\"\n\nShaun Owen, secretary of UKIP's Delyn branch, wrote to the NEC saying: \"For some time we have been appalled by the abrasive and discourteous manner of Ms Brown towards UKIP locally.\n\n\"Her lack of effort in pursuing the aims of the party both locally and nationally is of concern to members across the region.\"\n\nMr Owen added he believed members would stop supporting UKIP if Ms Brown remained in the role.\n\nHowever, a spokesman for the party's assembly group dismissed the letter as written by a \"tiny and insignificant group\".\n\nIn February, Ms Brown denied an allegation she had smoked recreational drugs in a hotel room.\n\nLater that month, she said she had acted \"with propriety\" after it was revealed she had discussed how an advert for a job in her assembly office could be changed to help her brother get an interview for the post.\n\nMeanwhile, UKIP's NEC confirmed that 11 hopefuls in the contest to succeed Paul Nuttall as leader will be able to run as candidates.\n\nThe list includes Anne Marie Waters, the founder of the Sharia Watch pressure group, who has described Islam as evil.\n\nUKIP AM David Rowlands had said Ms Waters is probably \"too extreme\" to be allowed to stand but she claimed the party was trying to \"ostracise\" her.\n\nOther candidates who have also cleared the NEC's vetting process and are going forward to a vote of the membership include Welsh activist John Rees-Evans, London Assembly member Peter Whittle and Scottish MEP David Coburn.\n\nMr Nuttall resigned after the general election in June when the party failed to win any seats and saw its vote plummet.", "summary": "A letter has been sent to UKIP of Welsh to remove Michelle Brown claiming Brown was abrasive. The chairman responded the letter did not follow the process.  At the same meeting other candidates were chosen including the founder of the Sharia Watch."}
{"article_id": "84fa3eec483747ba97c6b025c53e3005", "article": "A call to deselect a UKIP member of the Welsh assembly has been rejected by the party's ruling body.\n\nA letter sent by party activists in north Wales claimed Michelle Brown has been \"abrasive and discourteous\" to them.\n\nIt was sent to UKIP's national executive committee (NEC) before a row over racial slurs about a Labour MP, for which Ms Brown apologised.\n\nBut UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said the letter did not follow proper process.\n\nA UKIP assembly group spokesman said the letter was written by a group with a \"long-standing grudge\" against the AM.\n\nThe ruling NEC body discussed the issue at a meeting on Friday, where they also decided to allow a controversial anti-Islam campaigner to run for the UKIP leadership.\n\nMr Oakden said: \"A member of the NEC had contacted the person that is putting this forward and said to them they need to follow the proper process of completing the necessary forms and submitting them to the NEC.\n\n\"Members simply emailing the NEC saying we want you to do this is not the correct disciplinary process for the party, by any stretch of the imagination.\n\n\"A member of the NEC has gone back and given advice on what they need to do.\"\n\nShaun Owen, secretary of UKIP's Delyn branch, wrote to the NEC saying: \"For some time we have been appalled by the abrasive and discourteous manner of Ms Brown towards UKIP locally.\n\n\"Her lack of effort in pursuing the aims of the party both locally and nationally is of concern to members across the region.\"\n\nMr Owen added he believed members would stop supporting UKIP if Ms Brown remained in the role.\n\nHowever, a spokesman for the party's assembly group dismissed the letter as written by a \"tiny and insignificant group\".\n\nIn February, Ms Brown denied an allegation she had smoked recreational drugs in a hotel room.\n\nLater that month, she said she had acted \"with propriety\" after it was revealed she had discussed how an advert for a job in her assembly office could be changed to help her brother get an interview for the post.\n\nMeanwhile, UKIP's NEC confirmed that 11 hopefuls in the contest to succeed Paul Nuttall as leader will be able to run as candidates.\n\nThe list includes Anne Marie Waters, the founder of the Sharia Watch pressure group, who has described Islam as evil.\n\nUKIP AM David Rowlands had said Ms Waters is probably \"too extreme\" to be allowed to stand but she claimed the party was trying to \"ostracise\" her.\n\nOther candidates who have also cleared the NEC's vetting process and are going forward to a vote of the membership include Welsh activist John Rees-Evans, London Assembly member Peter Whittle and Scottish MEP David Coburn.\n\nMr Nuttall resigned after the general election in June when the party failed to win any seats and saw its vote plummet.", "summary": "UKIP Welsh assembly member, Michelle Brown, is under scrutiny. While the call to have her deselected has been shut down, it does highlight relevant concerns about Ms. Brown's ability to fulfill her post. Accusations of recreational drug use, nepotism, and the use of racist language are the most relevant concerns brought forward thus far. "}
{"article_id": "84fa3eec483747ba97c6b025c53e3005", "article": "A call to deselect a UKIP member of the Welsh assembly has been rejected by the party's ruling body.\n\nA letter sent by party activists in north Wales claimed Michelle Brown has been \"abrasive and discourteous\" to them.\n\nIt was sent to UKIP's national executive committee (NEC) before a row over racial slurs about a Labour MP, for which Ms Brown apologised.\n\nBut UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said the letter did not follow proper process.\n\nA UKIP assembly group spokesman said the letter was written by a group with a \"long-standing grudge\" against the AM.\n\nThe ruling NEC body discussed the issue at a meeting on Friday, where they also decided to allow a controversial anti-Islam campaigner to run for the UKIP leadership.\n\nMr Oakden said: \"A member of the NEC had contacted the person that is putting this forward and said to them they need to follow the proper process of completing the necessary forms and submitting them to the NEC.\n\n\"Members simply emailing the NEC saying we want you to do this is not the correct disciplinary process for the party, by any stretch of the imagination.\n\n\"A member of the NEC has gone back and given advice on what they need to do.\"\n\nShaun Owen, secretary of UKIP's Delyn branch, wrote to the NEC saying: \"For some time we have been appalled by the abrasive and discourteous manner of Ms Brown towards UKIP locally.\n\n\"Her lack of effort in pursuing the aims of the party both locally and nationally is of concern to members across the region.\"\n\nMr Owen added he believed members would stop supporting UKIP if Ms Brown remained in the role.\n\nHowever, a spokesman for the party's assembly group dismissed the letter as written by a \"tiny and insignificant group\".\n\nIn February, Ms Brown denied an allegation she had smoked recreational drugs in a hotel room.\n\nLater that month, she said she had acted \"with propriety\" after it was revealed she had discussed how an advert for a job in her assembly office could be changed to help her brother get an interview for the post.\n\nMeanwhile, UKIP's NEC confirmed that 11 hopefuls in the contest to succeed Paul Nuttall as leader will be able to run as candidates.\n\nThe list includes Anne Marie Waters, the founder of the Sharia Watch pressure group, who has described Islam as evil.\n\nUKIP AM David Rowlands had said Ms Waters is probably \"too extreme\" to be allowed to stand but she claimed the party was trying to \"ostracise\" her.\n\nOther candidates who have also cleared the NEC's vetting process and are going forward to a vote of the membership include Welsh activist John Rees-Evans, London Assembly member Peter Whittle and Scottish MEP David Coburn.\n\nMr Nuttall resigned after the general election in June when the party failed to win any seats and saw its vote plummet.", "summary": "A call to dismiss Michelle Brown from the Welsh assembly failed after members of the review committee cited improper procedure to the complaint. Eleven other candidates will be running for the leadership position in UKIP, some more extreme than Ms. Brown.   "}
{"article_id": "84fa3eec483747ba97c6b025c53e3005", "article": "A call to deselect a UKIP member of the Welsh assembly has been rejected by the party's ruling body.\n\nA letter sent by party activists in north Wales claimed Michelle Brown has been \"abrasive and discourteous\" to them.\n\nIt was sent to UKIP's national executive committee (NEC) before a row over racial slurs about a Labour MP, for which Ms Brown apologised.\n\nBut UKIP chairman Paul Oakden said the letter did not follow proper process.\n\nA UKIP assembly group spokesman said the letter was written by a group with a \"long-standing grudge\" against the AM.\n\nThe ruling NEC body discussed the issue at a meeting on Friday, where they also decided to allow a controversial anti-Islam campaigner to run for the UKIP leadership.\n\nMr Oakden said: \"A member of the NEC had contacted the person that is putting this forward and said to them they need to follow the proper process of completing the necessary forms and submitting them to the NEC.\n\n\"Members simply emailing the NEC saying we want you to do this is not the correct disciplinary process for the party, by any stretch of the imagination.\n\n\"A member of the NEC has gone back and given advice on what they need to do.\"\n\nShaun Owen, secretary of UKIP's Delyn branch, wrote to the NEC saying: \"For some time we have been appalled by the abrasive and discourteous manner of Ms Brown towards UKIP locally.\n\n\"Her lack of effort in pursuing the aims of the party both locally and nationally is of concern to members across the region.\"\n\nMr Owen added he believed members would stop supporting UKIP if Ms Brown remained in the role.\n\nHowever, a spokesman for the party's assembly group dismissed the letter as written by a \"tiny and insignificant group\".\n\nIn February, Ms Brown denied an allegation she had smoked recreational drugs in a hotel room.\n\nLater that month, she said she had acted \"with propriety\" after it was revealed she had discussed how an advert for a job in her assembly office could be changed to help her brother get an interview for the post.\n\nMeanwhile, UKIP's NEC confirmed that 11 hopefuls in the contest to succeed Paul Nuttall as leader will be able to run as candidates.\n\nThe list includes Anne Marie Waters, the founder of the Sharia Watch pressure group, who has described Islam as evil.\n\nUKIP AM David Rowlands had said Ms Waters is probably \"too extreme\" to be allowed to stand but she claimed the party was trying to \"ostracise\" her.\n\nOther candidates who have also cleared the NEC's vetting process and are going forward to a vote of the membership include Welsh activist John Rees-Evans, London Assembly member Peter Whittle and Scottish MEP David Coburn.\n\nMr Nuttall resigned after the general election in June when the party failed to win any seats and saw its vote plummet.", "summary": "A small group has accused UKIP member Michelle Brown of inappropriate behavior and called for her dismissal. The request was denied partially due to the informal method of the complaint, so it is possible the group will try again. Ms Brown has had several controversies but seems secure for now. "}
{"article_id": "532b122b3bf54cf5a694141c313af07d", "article": "The daughter of Chicago socialite Sheila Von Wiese-Mack accused of brutally murdering her mother during a Bali vacation will turn over a 'significant percentage' of her $1.3million trust fund to care for her newborn daughter.\n\nVanessa Favia, attorney for 19-year-old Heather Mack, has filed court documents for her client agreeing to turn over funds for the care of four-month-old Stella.\n\nCBS reports the petition asks for around a half a million dollars to be transferred to Stella, who was born in Kerobakan Prison and who has urgent needs, including clothing and baby wipes.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nChild care: A US-based attorney for Heather Mack, 19, who is accused of murdering her socialite mother in Bali, has filed for about half a million dollars to be transferred to Mack's daughter Stella from Mack's trust fund.\n\nHeather Mack smiles at her baby daughter Stella before her sentencing hearing in Denpasar, Bali, in March.\n\nMack wept as prosecutors said she should be sentenced to 15 years - but spared her the death penalty.\n\n'What ever your opinion of the adults in this case, I believe everyone would agree that the baby bears no culpability in this truly sad affair,' Favia said in a press release.\n\nMack filed a claim in court back in February that her uncle, Wiese-Mack's brother and trustee of her estate, had blocked her access to the funds, according to NBC.\n\nA judge ordered\u00a0$150,000 be released to pay for Mack's defense, along with another $2,240 for living expenses, but required that Mack not share the money with anyone.\n\nIndonesian officials accused Mack of helping her 21-year-old boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, murder her mother at a luxury Bali hotel before stuffing her body in a suitcase last August.\n\nThe pair are awaiting sentencing, with prosecutors having asked for a sentence of 15 years for Mack and 18 for Schaefer.\n\nChief Prosecutor Eddy Arta Wijaya said Mack 'committed sadistic acts to her own mother,' but wanted her to be spared the death penalty 'because she repeatedly expressed remorse and has a newborn baby.'\n\nThe 21-year-old gazes at his baby daughter, held by a relative, before his sentence demand hearing.\n\nMack claimed her daughter - who had to return to hospital shortly after her birth with jaundice - has six fingers on her left hand.\n\nSince being held in jail, the 19-year-old from Chicago has been keeping her newborn Stella with her in the crowded cell in Bali's Kerobokan prison.\n\nIn a bizarre comment from her holding cell last week, Mack said with a grin that Stella has six fingers on her left hand, saying, 'But don't worry, she's OK, thank you.'\n\nAs she waited in the cell, nervously puffing on a cigarette, Mack added that she and her co-accused boyfriend were married 'in spirit.'\n\nShe said: 'He has made us a ring each to wear from his side of the prison.'\n\nShe held up a hand revealing a red plastic ring. 'Tommy's is blue,' she added.\n\nJail sentences of less than 20 years for each of the defendants are far more lenient than the death penalty or lifetime in prison that many had expected to be handed down for the gruesome crime.\n\nSchaefer has admitted to hitting Wiese-Mack with the metal handle of a fruit bowl in self-defense while his girlfriend has been accused of helping him to force the body into a suitcase, which was then loaded into the trunk of a taxi they had ordered.\n\nThe couple did not board the taxi, however, instead leaving the hotel by a rear exit.\n\nThey tried to leave Bali through the airport but they did not have their passports, which were being held in a safe deposit box at the hotel.\n\nMack and Schaefer were arrested the following day at another Bali hotel.\n\nMack, who said during an earlier court hearing that she did not wish her mother dead, said they panicked after Schaefer\u2019s attack with the metal bowl.\n\nShe said they thought about\u00a0either calling the police or taking the body in a suitcase to the US Consulate. She did not explain why they did not do either one.\n\nWhen the prison gates opened to allow the couple to exit last month, onlookers were surprised to see Schaefer carrying baby Stella - the first time he had been seen with her.\n\nShortly after the baby's birth Mack was being accused by prison sources of failing to wash the child properly.\n\nMack said she intended to continue breastfeeding for two years.\n\nThe baby was born on March 17 and had to be treated in the jail clinic and then in hospital after developing a high fever and jaundice.\n\nThe child was later allowed to be taken back to the prison with her mother.\n\nMack is allowed to keep her baby with her in her cell - which she is sharing with eight other women - until the child is two years old.\n\nShe revealed there was another prison baby, aged seven months, in a separate cell.", "summary": "Heather Mack, 19, and her 21-year-old boyfriend Tommy Schaefer are accused of murdering her socialite mother while on vacation in Bali. While the case may seem straightforward, it's complicated by the fact that Mack is currently trying to care for her newborn daughter Stella while in also incarcerated in Bali's Kerobokan prison."}
{"article_id": "532b122b3bf54cf5a694141c313af07d", "article": "The daughter of Chicago socialite Sheila Von Wiese-Mack accused of brutally murdering her mother during a Bali vacation will turn over a 'significant percentage' of her $1.3million trust fund to care for her newborn daughter.\n\nVanessa Favia, attorney for 19-year-old Heather Mack, has filed court documents for her client agreeing to turn over funds for the care of four-month-old Stella.\n\nCBS reports the petition asks for around a half a million dollars to be transferred to Stella, who was born in Kerobakan Prison and who has urgent needs, including clothing and baby wipes.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nChild care: A US-based attorney for Heather Mack, 19, who is accused of murdering her socialite mother in Bali, has filed for about half a million dollars to be transferred to Mack's daughter Stella from Mack's trust fund.\n\nHeather Mack smiles at her baby daughter Stella before her sentencing hearing in Denpasar, Bali, in March.\n\nMack wept as prosecutors said she should be sentenced to 15 years - but spared her the death penalty.\n\n'What ever your opinion of the adults in this case, I believe everyone would agree that the baby bears no culpability in this truly sad affair,' Favia said in a press release.\n\nMack filed a claim in court back in February that her uncle, Wiese-Mack's brother and trustee of her estate, had blocked her access to the funds, according to NBC.\n\nA judge ordered\u00a0$150,000 be released to pay for Mack's defense, along with another $2,240 for living expenses, but required that Mack not share the money with anyone.\n\nIndonesian officials accused Mack of helping her 21-year-old boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, murder her mother at a luxury Bali hotel before stuffing her body in a suitcase last August.\n\nThe pair are awaiting sentencing, with prosecutors having asked for a sentence of 15 years for Mack and 18 for Schaefer.\n\nChief Prosecutor Eddy Arta Wijaya said Mack 'committed sadistic acts to her own mother,' but wanted her to be spared the death penalty 'because she repeatedly expressed remorse and has a newborn baby.'\n\nThe 21-year-old gazes at his baby daughter, held by a relative, before his sentence demand hearing.\n\nMack claimed her daughter - who had to return to hospital shortly after her birth with jaundice - has six fingers on her left hand.\n\nSince being held in jail, the 19-year-old from Chicago has been keeping her newborn Stella with her in the crowded cell in Bali's Kerobokan prison.\n\nIn a bizarre comment from her holding cell last week, Mack said with a grin that Stella has six fingers on her left hand, saying, 'But don't worry, she's OK, thank you.'\n\nAs she waited in the cell, nervously puffing on a cigarette, Mack added that she and her co-accused boyfriend were married 'in spirit.'\n\nShe said: 'He has made us a ring each to wear from his side of the prison.'\n\nShe held up a hand revealing a red plastic ring. 'Tommy's is blue,' she added.\n\nJail sentences of less than 20 years for each of the defendants are far more lenient than the death penalty or lifetime in prison that many had expected to be handed down for the gruesome crime.\n\nSchaefer has admitted to hitting Wiese-Mack with the metal handle of a fruit bowl in self-defense while his girlfriend has been accused of helping him to force the body into a suitcase, which was then loaded into the trunk of a taxi they had ordered.\n\nThe couple did not board the taxi, however, instead leaving the hotel by a rear exit.\n\nThey tried to leave Bali through the airport but they did not have their passports, which were being held in a safe deposit box at the hotel.\n\nMack and Schaefer were arrested the following day at another Bali hotel.\n\nMack, who said during an earlier court hearing that she did not wish her mother dead, said they panicked after Schaefer\u2019s attack with the metal bowl.\n\nShe said they thought about\u00a0either calling the police or taking the body in a suitcase to the US Consulate. She did not explain why they did not do either one.\n\nWhen the prison gates opened to allow the couple to exit last month, onlookers were surprised to see Schaefer carrying baby Stella - the first time he had been seen with her.\n\nShortly after the baby's birth Mack was being accused by prison sources of failing to wash the child properly.\n\nMack said she intended to continue breastfeeding for two years.\n\nThe baby was born on March 17 and had to be treated in the jail clinic and then in hospital after developing a high fever and jaundice.\n\nThe child was later allowed to be taken back to the prison with her mother.\n\nMack is allowed to keep her baby with her in her cell - which she is sharing with eight other women - until the child is two years old.\n\nShe revealed there was another prison baby, aged seven months, in a separate cell.", "summary": "Heather Mack, a 19-year-old socialite accused of murdering her mother in Bali, is being held in a crowded Kerobakan prison with her four-month-old baby. Mack is facing up to 15 years in prison, and has requested half a million dollars from her trust fund to care for her infant daughter. "}
{"article_id": "532b122b3bf54cf5a694141c313af07d", "article": "The daughter of Chicago socialite Sheila Von Wiese-Mack accused of brutally murdering her mother during a Bali vacation will turn over a 'significant percentage' of her $1.3million trust fund to care for her newborn daughter.\n\nVanessa Favia, attorney for 19-year-old Heather Mack, has filed court documents for her client agreeing to turn over funds for the care of four-month-old Stella.\n\nCBS reports the petition asks for around a half a million dollars to be transferred to Stella, who was born in Kerobakan Prison and who has urgent needs, including clothing and baby wipes.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nChild care: A US-based attorney for Heather Mack, 19, who is accused of murdering her socialite mother in Bali, has filed for about half a million dollars to be transferred to Mack's daughter Stella from Mack's trust fund.\n\nHeather Mack smiles at her baby daughter Stella before her sentencing hearing in Denpasar, Bali, in March.\n\nMack wept as prosecutors said she should be sentenced to 15 years - but spared her the death penalty.\n\n'What ever your opinion of the adults in this case, I believe everyone would agree that the baby bears no culpability in this truly sad affair,' Favia said in a press release.\n\nMack filed a claim in court back in February that her uncle, Wiese-Mack's brother and trustee of her estate, had blocked her access to the funds, according to NBC.\n\nA judge ordered\u00a0$150,000 be released to pay for Mack's defense, along with another $2,240 for living expenses, but required that Mack not share the money with anyone.\n\nIndonesian officials accused Mack of helping her 21-year-old boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, murder her mother at a luxury Bali hotel before stuffing her body in a suitcase last August.\n\nThe pair are awaiting sentencing, with prosecutors having asked for a sentence of 15 years for Mack and 18 for Schaefer.\n\nChief Prosecutor Eddy Arta Wijaya said Mack 'committed sadistic acts to her own mother,' but wanted her to be spared the death penalty 'because she repeatedly expressed remorse and has a newborn baby.'\n\nThe 21-year-old gazes at his baby daughter, held by a relative, before his sentence demand hearing.\n\nMack claimed her daughter - who had to return to hospital shortly after her birth with jaundice - has six fingers on her left hand.\n\nSince being held in jail, the 19-year-old from Chicago has been keeping her newborn Stella with her in the crowded cell in Bali's Kerobokan prison.\n\nIn a bizarre comment from her holding cell last week, Mack said with a grin that Stella has six fingers on her left hand, saying, 'But don't worry, she's OK, thank you.'\n\nAs she waited in the cell, nervously puffing on a cigarette, Mack added that she and her co-accused boyfriend were married 'in spirit.'\n\nShe said: 'He has made us a ring each to wear from his side of the prison.'\n\nShe held up a hand revealing a red plastic ring. 'Tommy's is blue,' she added.\n\nJail sentences of less than 20 years for each of the defendants are far more lenient than the death penalty or lifetime in prison that many had expected to be handed down for the gruesome crime.\n\nSchaefer has admitted to hitting Wiese-Mack with the metal handle of a fruit bowl in self-defense while his girlfriend has been accused of helping him to force the body into a suitcase, which was then loaded into the trunk of a taxi they had ordered.\n\nThe couple did not board the taxi, however, instead leaving the hotel by a rear exit.\n\nThey tried to leave Bali through the airport but they did not have their passports, which were being held in a safe deposit box at the hotel.\n\nMack and Schaefer were arrested the following day at another Bali hotel.\n\nMack, who said during an earlier court hearing that she did not wish her mother dead, said they panicked after Schaefer\u2019s attack with the metal bowl.\n\nShe said they thought about\u00a0either calling the police or taking the body in a suitcase to the US Consulate. She did not explain why they did not do either one.\n\nWhen the prison gates opened to allow the couple to exit last month, onlookers were surprised to see Schaefer carrying baby Stella - the first time he had been seen with her.\n\nShortly after the baby's birth Mack was being accused by prison sources of failing to wash the child properly.\n\nMack said she intended to continue breastfeeding for two years.\n\nThe baby was born on March 17 and had to be treated in the jail clinic and then in hospital after developing a high fever and jaundice.\n\nThe child was later allowed to be taken back to the prison with her mother.\n\nMack is allowed to keep her baby with her in her cell - which she is sharing with eight other women - until the child is two years old.\n\nShe revealed there was another prison baby, aged seven months, in a separate cell.", "summary": "Heather Mack will turn over a portion of her trust fund to take care of her newborn daughter. She was sentenced to 15 years after being accused of murdering her mother. But because she intends on breastfeeding her newborn, Heather was allowed to keep the baby in her cell for two years. "}
{"article_id": "e1bf92b382b44b7d8a012889c0b7e60e", "article": "North Charleston police are facing growing accusations that killer cop Michael Slager would have got away with a cover up had a bystander video not emerged - as questions emerge over his colleagues' conduct after the shooting.\n\nSeven of Slager's fellow cops responded to his call forback-up after the shooting - as handcuffed Walter Scott lay dead or dying with five bullet wounds to the back.\n\nBut the fact that his wounds were to the back do not feature in subsequent accounts of the shooting given to the media, or in the force's incident report filed after the shooting.\n\nOfficers also told an internal report that they gave Scott CPR, but the video only shows them checking his pulse and standing over his body.\n\nOne officer is also present when Slager picks up an object - allegedly his Taser - and puts it near Scott's body.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nQuestions: Officer Clarence Haberdashem searches Walter Scott's handcuffed body in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He later told colleagues that he administered CPR.\n\nScott's father said of the incident: 'It would have never come to light [had video not emerged]. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with many others.'\n\nSlager's former attorney had initially claimed that the officer fired on Scott during a struggle for his Taser and had felt threatened.\n\n'When confronted, Officer Slager reached for his Taser \u2014 as trained by the department \u2014 and then a struggle ensued,' David Aylor said.\n\n'The driver tried to overpower Officer Slager in an effort to take his Taser. [He] felt threatened and reached for his department-issued firearm and fired his weapon.'\n\nOn Wednesday North Charleston Mayor Keith Sumney refused to answer a question on Slager's fellow officers' culpability, saying it would be addressed in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division [SLED] investigation.\n\nThere are also questions over discrepancies between responding officers' version of events in an internal incident report and what the witness video shows.\n\nIt is not known what accounts those officers gave to the subsequent SLED investigation.\n\nThe video of the shooting shows Officer Clarence Haberdasham\u00a0was the first to arrive on scene as Scott lay handcuffed on the ground.\n\nAs Haberdasham arrives, Slager runs back to position where he fired the fatal shots and appears to retrieve a dark object - claimed to be his Taser - and places it next to Scott's body.\n\nHaberdasham dons a pair of blue gloves, checks Scott's pulse, goes through his pockets and speaks on his radio and then walks away.\n\nRadio records show that an officer\u00a0reported that Scott had gunshot wounds to the chest and right side and was 'unresponsive'. He later added that the vicitm had wounds to the back.\u00a0Both Slager and Haberdasham stand over Scott's body, which remains handcuffed and face down.\n\nThe same officer's account of events as reported in the NCPD incident report obtained by BuzzFeed\u00a0is two sentences. The second reads: 'I attempted to render aid to the victim by applying pressure to the gunshot wounds and directing the best route for EMS and fire to get to the victim faster.'\n\nAftermath: Officer Slager is pictured standing over Walter Scott and feeling for a pulse after he put the man's fallen body in handcuffs. According to police reports, officers performed CPR on the 50-year-old father - but the cop was not filmed giving any medical assistance.\n\nPOLICE VERSION.\n\nPolice officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday.\n\nHe said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light.\n\nHe said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager.\n\nThe officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement.\n\nAccording to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott.\n\nAt that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said.\n\nHe added that his actions were in line with procedure.\n\nPolice then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down.\u00a0He took my Taser.'\n\nHis department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim.\n\nWHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS.\n\nSlager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back.\n\nThe footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser.\n\nWires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body.\n\nAs Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back.\n\nThe video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body.\n\nFootage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him.\n\nIt is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse.\n\nA black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid.\n\nThey are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.\n\nThe report is signed off by Sergeant James Gann. He states: 'I arrived on scene and observed that Officer Haberdasham was administering first aid to the driver. I exited my vehicle and assisted Officer Haberdasham with first aid and CPR to the driver.'\n\nHe says they continued to give CPR until EMS arrived and Scott was pronounced dead.\n\nThere is no evidence in Feidin Santana's video that Scott received CPR.\n\nA second video of the scene shows two other police officers arriving at the scene and getting out a medical kit. But they do not give CPR.\n\nSix other officers' version of what happened after the shooting is recorded in the incident report.\n\nThey were: R. Terrell, J Bariss, M Cooper, R Killin, B Williams, and Sgt Webb.\n\nThey all say that they heard Slager's call for help and arrived at the scene later.\n\nGann says the crime scene was handed over to SLED, who then concluded their crime scene investigation that day.\n\nEdward Bryant III, president of the North Charleston NAACP, also told the Los Angeles Times that he suspects North Charleston cops have covered up other shootings.\n\nHe said; 'This incident fits a pattern of abuse that has gone on for years. There is a code of conduct to cover their behinds. We call it Code Blue.'\n\nMarc Moria, President of the\u00a0president of the National Urban League, told the Washington Post: 'But for this video, this would have been another coverup, another fabrication, another lie told by a police officer when the police officer was clearly in the wrong.'\n\nThe discrepancies were also discussed on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning.\n\nHost Joe Scarborough said: 'That cop is two feet away when he dropped the taser next to the dead body. I'm sorry, what cop is okay with that?'\n\nMika Brzezinski added: 'There should be more charges'\n\nAfter Officer Michael Slager was charged with murder on Tuesday and terminated from the North Charleston Police on Wednesday, his department released his personnel file.\n\nSome 100 pages including his job application, training records, firearm test scores and work appraisals were published online.\n\nAmong the details were that Slager had graduated from\u00a0Lenape High School in Medford, N.J, in 2001 and was a waiter at an Italian restaurant before he joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2003.\n\nHe spent six years with the Coast Guard working as a mechanic and engineer and then became involved in security on board vessels.\n\nHe was hired by the North Charleston Police Department in December 2009 and attended the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for a nine-week training course.\n\nMajor Florence McCants told Yahoo News\u00a0that Slager 'didn't create any issues nor was he an award winner in any of the categories'.\n\nSlager also took course in first-aid and use of a Taser, according to his personnel records.", "summary": "A bystander video is shedding light on the Walter Scott case, indicating that more officers may have attempted to cover up Michael Slager's misconduct. Slager initially claimed to have fired shots after Scott attempted to wrestle his Taser away- a story that is corroborated by fellow officers. However, the bystander video reveals another story. "}
{"article_id": "e1bf92b382b44b7d8a012889c0b7e60e", "article": "North Charleston police are facing growing accusations that killer cop Michael Slager would have got away with a cover up had a bystander video not emerged - as questions emerge over his colleagues' conduct after the shooting.\n\nSeven of Slager's fellow cops responded to his call forback-up after the shooting - as handcuffed Walter Scott lay dead or dying with five bullet wounds to the back.\n\nBut the fact that his wounds were to the back do not feature in subsequent accounts of the shooting given to the media, or in the force's incident report filed after the shooting.\n\nOfficers also told an internal report that they gave Scott CPR, but the video only shows them checking his pulse and standing over his body.\n\nOne officer is also present when Slager picks up an object - allegedly his Taser - and puts it near Scott's body.\n\nScroll down for video.\n\nQuestions: Officer Clarence Haberdashem searches Walter Scott's handcuffed body in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He later told colleagues that he administered CPR.\n\nScott's father said of the incident: 'It would have never come to light [had video not emerged]. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with many others.'\n\nSlager's former attorney had initially claimed that the officer fired on Scott during a struggle for his Taser and had felt threatened.\n\n'When confronted, Officer Slager reached for his Taser \u2014 as trained by the department \u2014 and then a struggle ensued,' David Aylor said.\n\n'The driver tried to overpower Officer Slager in an effort to take his Taser. [He] felt threatened and reached for his department-issued firearm and fired his weapon.'\n\nOn Wednesday North Charleston Mayor Keith Sumney refused to answer a question on Slager's fellow officers' culpability, saying it would be addressed in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division [SLED] investigation.\n\nThere are also questions over discrepancies between responding officers' version of events in an internal incident report and what the witness video shows.\n\nIt is not known what accounts those officers gave to the subsequent SLED investigation.\n\nThe video of the shooting shows Officer Clarence Haberdasham\u00a0was the first to arrive on scene as Scott lay handcuffed on the ground.\n\nAs Haberdasham arrives, Slager runs back to position where he fired the fatal shots and appears to retrieve a dark object - claimed to be his Taser - and places it next to Scott's body.\n\nHaberdasham dons a pair of blue gloves, checks Scott's pulse, goes through his pockets and speaks on his radio and then walks away.\n\nRadio records show that an officer\u00a0reported that Scott had gunshot wounds to the chest and right side and was 'unresponsive'. He later added that the vicitm had wounds to the back.\u00a0Both Slager and Haberdasham stand over Scott's body, which remains handcuffed and face down.\n\nThe same officer's account of events as reported in the NCPD incident report obtained by BuzzFeed\u00a0is two sentences. The second reads: 'I attempted to render aid to the victim by applying pressure to the gunshot wounds and directing the best route for EMS and fire to get to the victim faster.'\n\nAftermath: Officer Slager is pictured standing over Walter Scott and feeling for a pulse after he put the man's fallen body in handcuffs. According to police reports, officers performed CPR on the 50-year-old father - but the cop was not filmed giving any medical assistance.\n\nPOLICE VERSION.\n\nPolice officer Michael Slager said in a statement earlier this week that his encounter with Walter Scott began at around 9.30am on Saturday.\n\nHe said he pulled Scott's Mercedes over as a routine traffic stop for a broken brake light.\n\nHe said Scott then ran away into a vacant grassy lot where, at some point during the chase, the victim confronts Slager.\n\nThe officer then tried to use his Taser to subdue Scott, but claims the suspect grabbed the stun gun during the struggle, according to the statement.\n\nAccording to police reports, Slager fired the stun gun, but it did not stop Scott.\n\nAt that point, the officer fired at Scott several times because he 'felt threatened,' Slager's statement said.\n\nHe added that his actions were in line with procedure.\n\nPolice then said Slager reported on his radio moments after the struggle: 'Shots fired and the subject is down.\u00a0He took my Taser.'\n\nHis department said the officers then performed CPR and delivered first aid to the victim.\n\nWHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS.\n\nSlager's account has been called into question after the video appears to show him shooting Scott in the back.\n\nThe footage begins in the vacant lot apparently moments after Slager fires his Taser.\n\nWires which administer the electrical current appear to be extending from Scott's body.\n\nAs Scott turns to run, Slager draws his pistol and, only when he is 15 to 20 feet away, starts to fire the first of the eight shots at his back.\n\nThe video shows Slager handcuffing Scott's lifeless body.\n\nFootage then appears to show Slager jogging back to the point where the Taser fell to the ground, bringing it over to Scott's body around 30 feet away and dropping it next to him.\n\nIt is only after two-and-a-half minutes that Slager is seen placing his hand on Scott's neck in an apparent attempt to check his pulse.\n\nA black colleague then arrives and puts on blue medical gloves before handling the body, but is not seen performing first aid.\n\nThey are joined by a third officer, who also does not appear to tend to the victim.\n\nThe report is signed off by Sergeant James Gann. He states: 'I arrived on scene and observed that Officer Haberdasham was administering first aid to the driver. I exited my vehicle and assisted Officer Haberdasham with first aid and CPR to the driver.'\n\nHe says they continued to give CPR until EMS arrived and Scott was pronounced dead.\n\nThere is no evidence in Feidin Santana's video that Scott received CPR.\n\nA second video of the scene shows two other police officers arriving at the scene and getting out a medical kit. But they do not give CPR.\n\nSix other officers' version of what happened after the shooting is recorded in the incident report.\n\nThey were: R. Terrell, J Bariss, M Cooper, R Killin, B Williams, and Sgt Webb.\n\nThey all say that they heard Slager's call for help and arrived at the scene later.\n\nGann says the crime scene was handed over to SLED, who then concluded their crime scene investigation that day.\n\nEdward Bryant III, president of the North Charleston NAACP, also told the Los Angeles Times that he suspects North Charleston cops have covered up other shootings.\n\nHe said; 'This incident fits a pattern of abuse that has gone on for years. There is a code of conduct to cover their behinds. We call it Code Blue.'\n\nMarc Moria, President of the\u00a0president of the National Urban League, told the Washington Post: 'But for this video, this would have been another coverup, another fabrication, another lie told by a police officer when the police officer was clearly in the wrong.'\n\nThe discrepancies were also discussed on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning.\n\nHost Joe Scarborough said: 'That cop is two feet away when he dropped the taser next to the dead body. I'm sorry, what cop is okay with that?'\n\nMika Brzezinski added: 'There should be more charges'\n\nAfter Officer Michael Slager was charged with murder on Tuesday and terminated from the North Charleston Police on Wednesday, his department released his personnel file.\n\nSome 100 pages including his job application, training records, firearm test scores and work appraisals were published online.\n\nAmong the details were that Slager had graduated from\u00a0Lenape High School in Medford, N.J, in 2001 and was a waiter at an Italian restaurant before he joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2003.\n\nHe spent six years with the Coast Guard working as a mechanic and engineer and then became involved in security on board vessels.\n\nHe was hired by the North Charleston Police Department in December 2009 and attended the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for a nine-week training course.\n\nMajor Florence McCants told Yahoo News\u00a0that Slager 'didn't create any issues nor was he an award winner in any of the categories'.\n\nSlager also took course in first-aid and use of a Taser, according to his personnel records.", "summary": "A North Charleston Police Officer was charged with murder after a video went public showing him shooting an unarmed black man in the back and failing to provide CPR. His actions do not match his, and other responding officers reports, and is considered an attempted coverup. "}
{"article_id": "9748bf127ca74011b21fcea01135e263", "article": "Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United team-mate Marouane Fellaini has gone from Old Trafford scapegoat to one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe.\n\nFellaini was one of the stars of United's Manchester derby demolition of neighbours City on Sunday and was recently described as almost undroppable by manager Louis van Gaal.\n\nNow Rooney has revealed his admiration for the former Everton forward, saying: 'He is getting used in the right way. He is a handful for defenders to mark.\n\nMarouane Fellaini has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent week at Manchester United.\n\n'We like to play out from the back and if teams are pressing us then we have him as an option.\n\n'He is probably the best in world football at bringing the ball down and getting us out of that pressure and further up the pitch. He is being used in the right way by the manager and he is repaying the manager with goals and good performances.'\n\nFellaini was signed from Everton by Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes in the summer of 2013 but endured a terrible first season as he suffered with injuries and tried and failed to establish himself as a holding midfield player.\n\nWayne Rooney hailed his Belgian team-mate as one of the best in world football at the moment.\n\nFellaini has proved a handful for defences and was instrumental in wins over Manchester City and Liverpool.\n\nNow the Belgian has emerged as a potent attacking weapon under Van Gaal, used as a second striker behind Rooney. On Sunday, City couldn't cope with him just as Liverpool had suffered at his hands at Anfield three weeks earlier.\n\n'Last year was awful for him but in fairness he kept his head down worked hard and come through that tough period,' reflected Rooney.\n\n'He is showing now what he did at Everton and why Manchester United bought him.\n\n'He is a quality player. He is a different option for us. It is starting to show on the pitch.\n\n'It was tough for him but he had the whole team's support. We knew he was working hard and it wasn't just him struggling last season a lot of us were.\n\n'He was the one who took most of the blame for it. It was hard for him. Thankfully the manager has shown faith in him.\n\n'He is big and he is strong and always a goal threat which he is showing now. He is awkward to mark. It is great for him and we hope it continues.'\n\nFellaini wheels away after heading in at the far post to beat Joe Hart and give United the lead in the derby.\n\nUnited are now in third place in the Barclays Premier League after six league wins in a row. This weekend they travel to Chelsea with renewed hope.\n\n'We said earlier on in the season that we were working on things and it was going to take time,' added Rooney.\n\n'It is starting to show now, the training we have been putting in.\n\n'We have been working really hard.\n\n'Each game is different and we have been training for each game in a different way depending on how the opposition plays. There is no detail left unturned. We have been prepared really well.'\n\n'We are confident going to Chelsea.\n\n'We are in a good run of form and have beaten some good teams. It is a big test for us at Chelsea.\n\nLouis van Gaal suggested that Fellaini is almost undroppable at the moment and hailed his rebirth.\n\n'They are top of the league and it is always tough at Stamford Bridge. They are in a very commanding position. We just have to try and win our games and finish as high as we can.\n\n'We are still a work in progress. We are still learning. It is great how things are going and the performances we are putting in but it is has to continue.\n\n'There is more space in the bigger games out those kinds of teams like to attack. We felt against City we could capitalise on it. We have found it tougher when teams have sat back and defended.'", "summary": "Wayne Rooney praises Belgian teammate, Marouane Fellaini as one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. Although he wasn't really considered a great player at first, Rooney explains that their manager, Louis van Gaal saw Fellaini's potential and utilized him in the right way. Their team has become unstoppable ever since. "}
{"article_id": "9748bf127ca74011b21fcea01135e263", "article": "Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United team-mate Marouane Fellaini has gone from Old Trafford scapegoat to one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe.\n\nFellaini was one of the stars of United's Manchester derby demolition of neighbours City on Sunday and was recently described as almost undroppable by manager Louis van Gaal.\n\nNow Rooney has revealed his admiration for the former Everton forward, saying: 'He is getting used in the right way. He is a handful for defenders to mark.\n\nMarouane Fellaini has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent week at Manchester United.\n\n'We like to play out from the back and if teams are pressing us then we have him as an option.\n\n'He is probably the best in world football at bringing the ball down and getting us out of that pressure and further up the pitch. He is being used in the right way by the manager and he is repaying the manager with goals and good performances.'\n\nFellaini was signed from Everton by Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes in the summer of 2013 but endured a terrible first season as he suffered with injuries and tried and failed to establish himself as a holding midfield player.\n\nWayne Rooney hailed his Belgian team-mate as one of the best in world football at the moment.\n\nFellaini has proved a handful for defences and was instrumental in wins over Manchester City and Liverpool.\n\nNow the Belgian has emerged as a potent attacking weapon under Van Gaal, used as a second striker behind Rooney. On Sunday, City couldn't cope with him just as Liverpool had suffered at his hands at Anfield three weeks earlier.\n\n'Last year was awful for him but in fairness he kept his head down worked hard and come through that tough period,' reflected Rooney.\n\n'He is showing now what he did at Everton and why Manchester United bought him.\n\n'He is a quality player. He is a different option for us. It is starting to show on the pitch.\n\n'It was tough for him but he had the whole team's support. We knew he was working hard and it wasn't just him struggling last season a lot of us were.\n\n'He was the one who took most of the blame for it. It was hard for him. Thankfully the manager has shown faith in him.\n\n'He is big and he is strong and always a goal threat which he is showing now. He is awkward to mark. It is great for him and we hope it continues.'\n\nFellaini wheels away after heading in at the far post to beat Joe Hart and give United the lead in the derby.\n\nUnited are now in third place in the Barclays Premier League after six league wins in a row. This weekend they travel to Chelsea with renewed hope.\n\n'We said earlier on in the season that we were working on things and it was going to take time,' added Rooney.\n\n'It is starting to show now, the training we have been putting in.\n\n'We have been working really hard.\n\n'Each game is different and we have been training for each game in a different way depending on how the opposition plays. There is no detail left unturned. We have been prepared really well.'\n\n'We are confident going to Chelsea.\n\n'We are in a good run of form and have beaten some good teams. It is a big test for us at Chelsea.\n\nLouis van Gaal suggested that Fellaini is almost undroppable at the moment and hailed his rebirth.\n\n'They are top of the league and it is always tough at Stamford Bridge. They are in a very commanding position. We just have to try and win our games and finish as high as we can.\n\n'We are still a work in progress. We are still learning. It is great how things are going and the performances we are putting in but it is has to continue.\n\n'There is more space in the bigger games out those kinds of teams like to attack. We felt against City we could capitalise on it. We have found it tougher when teams have sat back and defended.'", "summary": "Marouane Fellaini was signed from Everton in the summer of 2013 by Manchester United. He has been hailed by his teammate, Wayne Rooney as one of the best football players in the world. The manager of Manchester United, Louis van Gaal, has suggested that Fellaini is undroppable at the moment. "}
{"article_id": "9748bf127ca74011b21fcea01135e263", "article": "Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United team-mate Marouane Fellaini has gone from Old Trafford scapegoat to one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe.\n\nFellaini was one of the stars of United's Manchester derby demolition of neighbours City on Sunday and was recently described as almost undroppable by manager Louis van Gaal.\n\nNow Rooney has revealed his admiration for the former Everton forward, saying: 'He is getting used in the right way. He is a handful for defenders to mark.\n\nMarouane Fellaini has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes in recent week at Manchester United.\n\n'We like to play out from the back and if teams are pressing us then we have him as an option.\n\n'He is probably the best in world football at bringing the ball down and getting us out of that pressure and further up the pitch. He is being used in the right way by the manager and he is repaying the manager with goals and good performances.'\n\nFellaini was signed from Everton by Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes in the summer of 2013 but endured a terrible first season as he suffered with injuries and tried and failed to establish himself as a holding midfield player.\n\nWayne Rooney hailed his Belgian team-mate as one of the best in world football at the moment.\n\nFellaini has proved a handful for defences and was instrumental in wins over Manchester City and Liverpool.\n\nNow the Belgian has emerged as a potent attacking weapon under Van Gaal, used as a second striker behind Rooney. On Sunday, City couldn't cope with him just as Liverpool had suffered at his hands at Anfield three weeks earlier.\n\n'Last year was awful for him but in fairness he kept his head down worked hard and come through that tough period,' reflected Rooney.\n\n'He is showing now what he did at Everton and why Manchester United bought him.\n\n'He is a quality player. He is a different option for us. It is starting to show on the pitch.\n\n'It was tough for him but he had the whole team's support. We knew he was working hard and it wasn't just him struggling last season a lot of us were.\n\n'He was the one who took most of the blame for it. It was hard for him. Thankfully the manager has shown faith in him.\n\n'He is big and he is strong and always a goal threat which he is showing now. He is awkward to mark. It is great for him and we hope it continues.'\n\nFellaini wheels away after heading in at the far post to beat Joe Hart and give United the lead in the derby.\n\nUnited are now in third place in the Barclays Premier League after six league wins in a row. This weekend they travel to Chelsea with renewed hope.\n\n'We said earlier on in the season that we were working on things and it was going to take time,' added Rooney.\n\n'It is starting to show now, the training we have been putting in.\n\n'We have been working really hard.\n\n'Each game is different and we have been training for each game in a different way depending on how the opposition plays. There is no detail left unturned. We have been prepared really well.'\n\n'We are confident going to Chelsea.\n\n'We are in a good run of form and have beaten some good teams. It is a big test for us at Chelsea.\n\nLouis van Gaal suggested that Fellaini is almost undroppable at the moment and hailed his rebirth.\n\n'They are top of the league and it is always tough at Stamford Bridge. They are in a very commanding position. We just have to try and win our games and finish as high as we can.\n\n'We are still a work in progress. We are still learning. It is great how things are going and the performances we are putting in but it is has to continue.\n\n'There is more space in the bigger games out those kinds of teams like to attack. We felt against City we could capitalise on it. We have found it tougher when teams have sat back and defended.'", "summary": "Wayne Rooney commends teammate and fellow striker Marouane Fellaini for his remarkable improvement. Manchester United now sits in third place thanks in part to Fellaini's increased performance. Rooney believes that the manager is using Fellaini in the right way and the team is being rewarded for it.   "}
{"article_id": "4f36bb563c2949a58db7198e337e64c1", "article": "The trial of a group of cult members in China who beat a woman to death at a McDonald's restaurant has opened in the city of Yantai in Shandong province.\n\nThe woman, 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan, is alleged to have been killed last May simply for refusing to hand over her phone number to cult members.\n\nThe murder, filmed on CCTV and on mobile phones, sparked outrage.\n\nThe  Church of the Almighty God cult is banned in China but claims to have millions of members.\n\nFollowing the brutal killing in May, Chinese authorities said that they detained hundreds of members of the cult, reports the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.\n\nInterviewed in prison later, one of the defendants, Zhang Lidong showed no remorse.\n\nHe said: \"I beat her with all my might and stamped on her too. She was a demon. We had to destroy her.\"\n\nThe group had entered a small McDonalds branch in Zhaoyuan in Shandong province last May soliciting phone numbers and hoping to recruit members to their cult.\n\nMs Wu was waiting in the restaurant with her seven-year-old son and when she refused to give her number, an act which prompted the beating while they screamed at other diners to keep away or they would face the same fate.\n\nThe public face of the Church of the Almighty God is a website full of uplifting hymns and homilies. But its core belief is that God has returned to earth as a Chinese woman to wreak the apocalypse.\n\nThe only person who claims direct contact with this god is a former physics teacher, Zhao Weishan, who founded the cult 25 years ago and has since fled to the United States, says BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie.\n\nNo-one knows exactly where he is, but much of the website's message of outright hostility to the Chinese government is delivered in English as well as Chinese. The cult complains that religious faith has suffered from persecution by the Communist Party.\n\nSince the McDonald's murder, public outrage has forced the authorities to increase pressure on the Church of the Almighty God with almost daily arrests and raids.", "summary": "Members of the Church of the Almighty God cult are set to stand trial in Shandong province for the murder of 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan. It has been alleged that Shuoyan was killed by cult members in a McDonald's for refusing to give them her phone number. "}
{"article_id": "4f36bb563c2949a58db7198e337e64c1", "article": "The trial of a group of cult members in China who beat a woman to death at a McDonald's restaurant has opened in the city of Yantai in Shandong province.\n\nThe woman, 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan, is alleged to have been killed last May simply for refusing to hand over her phone number to cult members.\n\nThe murder, filmed on CCTV and on mobile phones, sparked outrage.\n\nThe  Church of the Almighty God cult is banned in China but claims to have millions of members.\n\nFollowing the brutal killing in May, Chinese authorities said that they detained hundreds of members of the cult, reports the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.\n\nInterviewed in prison later, one of the defendants, Zhang Lidong showed no remorse.\n\nHe said: \"I beat her with all my might and stamped on her too. She was a demon. We had to destroy her.\"\n\nThe group had entered a small McDonalds branch in Zhaoyuan in Shandong province last May soliciting phone numbers and hoping to recruit members to their cult.\n\nMs Wu was waiting in the restaurant with her seven-year-old son and when she refused to give her number, an act which prompted the beating while they screamed at other diners to keep away or they would face the same fate.\n\nThe public face of the Church of the Almighty God is a website full of uplifting hymns and homilies. But its core belief is that God has returned to earth as a Chinese woman to wreak the apocalypse.\n\nThe only person who claims direct contact with this god is a former physics teacher, Zhao Weishan, who founded the cult 25 years ago and has since fled to the United States, says BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie.\n\nNo-one knows exactly where he is, but much of the website's message of outright hostility to the Chinese government is delivered in English as well as Chinese. The cult complains that religious faith has suffered from persecution by the Communist Party.\n\nSince the McDonald's murder, public outrage has forced the authorities to increase pressure on the Church of the Almighty God with almost daily arrests and raids.", "summary": "The trial of cult members belonging to the Church of the Almighty God began in Yantai. Cult members beat to death the mother of a seven-year-old boy after she refused to hand over her phone number to the cult. The public is outraged.   "}
{"article_id": "4f36bb563c2949a58db7198e337e64c1", "article": "The trial of a group of cult members in China who beat a woman to death at a McDonald's restaurant has opened in the city of Yantai in Shandong province.\n\nThe woman, 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan, is alleged to have been killed last May simply for refusing to hand over her phone number to cult members.\n\nThe murder, filmed on CCTV and on mobile phones, sparked outrage.\n\nThe  Church of the Almighty God cult is banned in China but claims to have millions of members.\n\nFollowing the brutal killing in May, Chinese authorities said that they detained hundreds of members of the cult, reports the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.\n\nInterviewed in prison later, one of the defendants, Zhang Lidong showed no remorse.\n\nHe said: \"I beat her with all my might and stamped on her too. She was a demon. We had to destroy her.\"\n\nThe group had entered a small McDonalds branch in Zhaoyuan in Shandong province last May soliciting phone numbers and hoping to recruit members to their cult.\n\nMs Wu was waiting in the restaurant with her seven-year-old son and when she refused to give her number, an act which prompted the beating while they screamed at other diners to keep away or they would face the same fate.\n\nThe public face of the Church of the Almighty God is a website full of uplifting hymns and homilies. But its core belief is that God has returned to earth as a Chinese woman to wreak the apocalypse.\n\nThe only person who claims direct contact with this god is a former physics teacher, Zhao Weishan, who founded the cult 25 years ago and has since fled to the United States, says BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie.\n\nNo-one knows exactly where he is, but much of the website's message of outright hostility to the Chinese government is delivered in English as well as Chinese. The cult complains that religious faith has suffered from persecution by the Communist Party.\n\nSince the McDonald's murder, public outrage has forced the authorities to increase pressure on the Church of the Almighty God with almost daily arrests and raids.", "summary": "Members of a banned cult called Church of the Almighty God have gone to trial for beating a woman to death. The cult has existed for 25 years, and claims God is reborn as a Chinese woman to start the apocalypse. Police have increased raids and arrests of cult members since the murder."}
{"article_id": "4f36bb563c2949a58db7198e337e64c1", "article": "The trial of a group of cult members in China who beat a woman to death at a McDonald's restaurant has opened in the city of Yantai in Shandong province.\n\nThe woman, 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan, is alleged to have been killed last May simply for refusing to hand over her phone number to cult members.\n\nThe murder, filmed on CCTV and on mobile phones, sparked outrage.\n\nThe  Church of the Almighty God cult is banned in China but claims to have millions of members.\n\nFollowing the brutal killing in May, Chinese authorities said that they detained hundreds of members of the cult, reports the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.\n\nInterviewed in prison later, one of the defendants, Zhang Lidong showed no remorse.\n\nHe said: \"I beat her with all my might and stamped on her too. She was a demon. We had to destroy her.\"\n\nThe group had entered a small McDonalds branch in Zhaoyuan in Shandong province last May soliciting phone numbers and hoping to recruit members to their cult.\n\nMs Wu was waiting in the restaurant with her seven-year-old son and when she refused to give her number, an act which prompted the beating while they screamed at other diners to keep away or they would face the same fate.\n\nThe public face of the Church of the Almighty God is a website full of uplifting hymns and homilies. But its core belief is that God has returned to earth as a Chinese woman to wreak the apocalypse.\n\nThe only person who claims direct contact with this god is a former physics teacher, Zhao Weishan, who founded the cult 25 years ago and has since fled to the United States, says BBC China Editor Carrie Gracie.\n\nNo-one knows exactly where he is, but much of the website's message of outright hostility to the Chinese government is delivered in English as well as Chinese. The cult complains that religious faith has suffered from persecution by the Communist Party.\n\nSince the McDonald's murder, public outrage has forced the authorities to increase pressure on the Church of the Almighty God with almost daily arrests and raids.", "summary": "The trial of a group of cult members who beat a woman, 37-year-old Wu Shuoyan, to death at a McDonald's restaurant because she refused to hand over her phone number. The Chinese authorities said they detained some members of the Church of the Almighty God cult following the killing. \n\n\n"}
{"article_id": "3eb979f8906f44d6965d2d191dd56a65", "article": "England had to settle for a draw after an extraordinary final session on the fifth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.\n\nPakistan seemed to be cruising to a draw before debutant Adil Rashid - who returned 0-163 in the first innings - turned the match with five wickets.\n\nNeeding 99 to win, England sent out Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the top four.\n\nBut they were eventually beaten by the fading light, finishing 25 runs short of a famous victory on 74-4.\n\nThe tourists could not find the boundary frequently enough before the umpires brought the teams off, with Joe Root 33 not out.\n\nHowever, this was a hugely impressive performance from England and one that will fill them with confidence ahead of the second Test in Dubai, which begins on Thursday.\n\nAfter England concluded their innings on 598-9 in the morning, Pakistan looked assured at 113-3 shortly after tea, leading by 38 with seven second-innings wickets remaining.\n\nBut the match turned when veteran batsman Younus Khan, playing in his 102nd Test match, mistimed a wild heave to give Rashid his first Test wicket - caught at point by Stokes.\n\nRashid - whose figures in the first innings were the worst ever by a debutant - then quickly added a second victim, having Asad Shafiq caught behind for six.\n\nThe door was opened for England, and Rashid and Moeen Ali barged through it as they polished off the last five wickets for 14 runs.\n\nPakistan skipper Misbah ul-Haq - who had played with restraint for his 51 - inexplicably aimed an uncharacteristic slog at Moeen and was bowled.\n\nMoeen then removed Wahab Riaz caught behind, before Rashid claimed the final three wickets - all superbly caught at first slip by James Anderson.\n\nEngland sensed an unlikely victory, but their reorganised batting order could not score quickly enough as Pakistan's tactic of spin from both ends and fielders on the boundary brought them regular wickets.\n\nMakeshift opener Buttler was trapped lbw for four, Moeen and Stokes were caught on the boundary in quick succession, and Jonny Bairstow was stumped attempting a big shot.\n\nHowever, in truth it was mistakes earlier in the match that ultimately proved more costly as England fell just short of their first win on the subcontinent since beating India in Kolkata in 2012.\n\nIn Pakistan's first innings, Ian Bell dropped Mohammad Hafeez (98) and Shafiq (107) at slip early in their innings.\n\nAnd Shoaib Malik, who made 245, was dismissed off a no-ball by Stuart Broad.\n\nEngland captain Alastair Cook, whose record-breaking 263 in the first innings was ultimately in vain, admitted England were frustrated to come so close to victory.\n\n\"We'd have liked another three or four overs at the end but that's the way it goes,\" he said. \"I can't fault the guys for hanging in there on that wicket.\n\n\"The pitch did deteriorate and spun more today which gave us hope, so it's a bit of a bittersweet finish. We knew we had to put the pressure on Pakistan and then on the last day you never know.\n\n\"We played a good game and so did Pakistan. They were a bit sloppy today and we put them under pressure.\n\n\"It was brilliant from Adil Rashid who I think got some unfair criticism after the first innings. He's a very fine bowler.\"\n\nOverall this was a vastly improved overseas display from England, who were whitewashed 3-0 on their last tour of the United Arab Emirates and have not won any of their last three away series.\n\nIn contrast to their limp displays with the bat in the 2012 series against Pakistan and more recent overseas disappointments in Australia and West Indies, England's victory charge was built on a superb total of 598-9 declared in their first innings.\n\nResuming on 569-8, England added 29 quick runs in the morning session, with Rashid out for 12 in his maiden Test innings.\n\nBut the innings hinged on Cook's magnificent 263, the longest-ever innings by an Englishman, compiled over days two, three and four.\n\nEngland's pace bowlers also showed that they could be threatening on the dusty, spin-friendly tracks of the UAE, with Ben Stokes taking 4-57 in the first innings and Anderson also taking four wickets over the course of the match.\n\nWith England's new-look opening partnership of Cook and Moeen adding 113 for the first wicket in the first innings, and the under-pressure Bell scoring a half-century at number three, England will head to Dubai knowing that many parts of their team are in good working order.\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"Many people will be watching and listening and wondering why they can't continue and I agree with them. This goes back to last night when they came off and you wonder was there a real threat to the players then. It shouldn't take the shine off what has been a good day from England and Adil Rashid.\"\n\nFormer England spinner Graeme Swann: \"I am proud of the way England played. The only way they were going to win this game was to persevere and stick it at - and they did that even though they didn't get the result in the end.\n\n\"I'm really pleased for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who copped a load of stick in the first innings. I don't buy into the Pakistan time-wasting because anyone in their shoes would do the same.\"\n\nRichard Oelmann: Umpires had no choice with current rules - Rules need changing though. England would have done the same as Pakistan if positions reversed.\n\nChris Tudor: England have been 'saved by the bell' loads of times. No-one complained when play stopped at EXACTLY 6:30pm at Cardiff in 2009.\n\nJonathan Wilson: England robbed. Cook out off a no ball delayed things. Lbw in Pakistan inns not given. England win if these called correctly.\n\nRachel T: England will take huge heart from being within an ace of winning, having been almost written off beforehand.\n\nFlemming Jensen: Get rid of the light meter. Also, Pakistan being allowed to meander along at an over rate of less than 12 is an utter disgrace.", "summary": "After a tight, controversial match in Abu Dhabi, England and Pakistan ended their first Test in a draw. Players from both teams had highs and lows during the match, but overall England is left in an improved position from their last tour where they lost all three matches. "}
{"article_id": "3eb979f8906f44d6965d2d191dd56a65", "article": "England had to settle for a draw after an extraordinary final session on the fifth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.\n\nPakistan seemed to be cruising to a draw before debutant Adil Rashid - who returned 0-163 in the first innings - turned the match with five wickets.\n\nNeeding 99 to win, England sent out Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the top four.\n\nBut they were eventually beaten by the fading light, finishing 25 runs short of a famous victory on 74-4.\n\nThe tourists could not find the boundary frequently enough before the umpires brought the teams off, with Joe Root 33 not out.\n\nHowever, this was a hugely impressive performance from England and one that will fill them with confidence ahead of the second Test in Dubai, which begins on Thursday.\n\nAfter England concluded their innings on 598-9 in the morning, Pakistan looked assured at 113-3 shortly after tea, leading by 38 with seven second-innings wickets remaining.\n\nBut the match turned when veteran batsman Younus Khan, playing in his 102nd Test match, mistimed a wild heave to give Rashid his first Test wicket - caught at point by Stokes.\n\nRashid - whose figures in the first innings were the worst ever by a debutant - then quickly added a second victim, having Asad Shafiq caught behind for six.\n\nThe door was opened for England, and Rashid and Moeen Ali barged through it as they polished off the last five wickets for 14 runs.\n\nPakistan skipper Misbah ul-Haq - who had played with restraint for his 51 - inexplicably aimed an uncharacteristic slog at Moeen and was bowled.\n\nMoeen then removed Wahab Riaz caught behind, before Rashid claimed the final three wickets - all superbly caught at first slip by James Anderson.\n\nEngland sensed an unlikely victory, but their reorganised batting order could not score quickly enough as Pakistan's tactic of spin from both ends and fielders on the boundary brought them regular wickets.\n\nMakeshift opener Buttler was trapped lbw for four, Moeen and Stokes were caught on the boundary in quick succession, and Jonny Bairstow was stumped attempting a big shot.\n\nHowever, in truth it was mistakes earlier in the match that ultimately proved more costly as England fell just short of their first win on the subcontinent since beating India in Kolkata in 2012.\n\nIn Pakistan's first innings, Ian Bell dropped Mohammad Hafeez (98) and Shafiq (107) at slip early in their innings.\n\nAnd Shoaib Malik, who made 245, was dismissed off a no-ball by Stuart Broad.\n\nEngland captain Alastair Cook, whose record-breaking 263 in the first innings was ultimately in vain, admitted England were frustrated to come so close to victory.\n\n\"We'd have liked another three or four overs at the end but that's the way it goes,\" he said. \"I can't fault the guys for hanging in there on that wicket.\n\n\"The pitch did deteriorate and spun more today which gave us hope, so it's a bit of a bittersweet finish. We knew we had to put the pressure on Pakistan and then on the last day you never know.\n\n\"We played a good game and so did Pakistan. They were a bit sloppy today and we put them under pressure.\n\n\"It was brilliant from Adil Rashid who I think got some unfair criticism after the first innings. He's a very fine bowler.\"\n\nOverall this was a vastly improved overseas display from England, who were whitewashed 3-0 on their last tour of the United Arab Emirates and have not won any of their last three away series.\n\nIn contrast to their limp displays with the bat in the 2012 series against Pakistan and more recent overseas disappointments in Australia and West Indies, England's victory charge was built on a superb total of 598-9 declared in their first innings.\n\nResuming on 569-8, England added 29 quick runs in the morning session, with Rashid out for 12 in his maiden Test innings.\n\nBut the innings hinged on Cook's magnificent 263, the longest-ever innings by an Englishman, compiled over days two, three and four.\n\nEngland's pace bowlers also showed that they could be threatening on the dusty, spin-friendly tracks of the UAE, with Ben Stokes taking 4-57 in the first innings and Anderson also taking four wickets over the course of the match.\n\nWith England's new-look opening partnership of Cook and Moeen adding 113 for the first wicket in the first innings, and the under-pressure Bell scoring a half-century at number three, England will head to Dubai knowing that many parts of their team are in good working order.\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"Many people will be watching and listening and wondering why they can't continue and I agree with them. This goes back to last night when they came off and you wonder was there a real threat to the players then. It shouldn't take the shine off what has been a good day from England and Adil Rashid.\"\n\nFormer England spinner Graeme Swann: \"I am proud of the way England played. The only way they were going to win this game was to persevere and stick it at - and they did that even though they didn't get the result in the end.\n\n\"I'm really pleased for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who copped a load of stick in the first innings. I don't buy into the Pakistan time-wasting because anyone in their shoes would do the same.\"\n\nRichard Oelmann: Umpires had no choice with current rules - Rules need changing though. England would have done the same as Pakistan if positions reversed.\n\nChris Tudor: England have been 'saved by the bell' loads of times. No-one complained when play stopped at EXACTLY 6:30pm at Cardiff in 2009.\n\nJonathan Wilson: England robbed. Cook out off a no ball delayed things. Lbw in Pakistan inns not given. England win if these called correctly.\n\nRachel T: England will take huge heart from being within an ace of winning, having been almost written off beforehand.\n\nFlemming Jensen: Get rid of the light meter. Also, Pakistan being allowed to meander along at an over rate of less than 12 is an utter disgrace.", "summary": "England was unable to beat Pakistan in their sporting bout, which took place in Abu Dhabi. However, the performance that ended in a draw is still a vast improvement over their previous performance in the 2012 series against Pakistan. English players will be entering their second bout with Pakistan in Dubai with increased confidence. "}
{"article_id": "3eb979f8906f44d6965d2d191dd56a65", "article": "England had to settle for a draw after an extraordinary final session on the fifth day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.\n\nPakistan seemed to be cruising to a draw before debutant Adil Rashid - who returned 0-163 in the first innings - turned the match with five wickets.\n\nNeeding 99 to win, England sent out Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the top four.\n\nBut they were eventually beaten by the fading light, finishing 25 runs short of a famous victory on 74-4.\n\nThe tourists could not find the boundary frequently enough before the umpires brought the teams off, with Joe Root 33 not out.\n\nHowever, this was a hugely impressive performance from England and one that will fill them with confidence ahead of the second Test in Dubai, which begins on Thursday.\n\nAfter England concluded their innings on 598-9 in the morning, Pakistan looked assured at 113-3 shortly after tea, leading by 38 with seven second-innings wickets remaining.\n\nBut the match turned when veteran batsman Younus Khan, playing in his 102nd Test match, mistimed a wild heave to give Rashid his first Test wicket - caught at point by Stokes.\n\nRashid - whose figures in the first innings were the worst ever by a debutant - then quickly added a second victim, having Asad Shafiq caught behind for six.\n\nThe door was opened for England, and Rashid and Moeen Ali barged through it as they polished off the last five wickets for 14 runs.\n\nPakistan skipper Misbah ul-Haq - who had played with restraint for his 51 - inexplicably aimed an uncharacteristic slog at Moeen and was bowled.\n\nMoeen then removed Wahab Riaz caught behind, before Rashid claimed the final three wickets - all superbly caught at first slip by James Anderson.\n\nEngland sensed an unlikely victory, but their reorganised batting order could not score quickly enough as Pakistan's tactic of spin from both ends and fielders on the boundary brought them regular wickets.\n\nMakeshift opener Buttler was trapped lbw for four, Moeen and Stokes were caught on the boundary in quick succession, and Jonny Bairstow was stumped attempting a big shot.\n\nHowever, in truth it was mistakes earlier in the match that ultimately proved more costly as England fell just short of their first win on the subcontinent since beating India in Kolkata in 2012.\n\nIn Pakistan's first innings, Ian Bell dropped Mohammad Hafeez (98) and Shafiq (107) at slip early in their innings.\n\nAnd Shoaib Malik, who made 245, was dismissed off a no-ball by Stuart Broad.\n\nEngland captain Alastair Cook, whose record-breaking 263 in the first innings was ultimately in vain, admitted England were frustrated to come so close to victory.\n\n\"We'd have liked another three or four overs at the end but that's the way it goes,\" he said. \"I can't fault the guys for hanging in there on that wicket.\n\n\"The pitch did deteriorate and spun more today which gave us hope, so it's a bit of a bittersweet finish. We knew we had to put the pressure on Pakistan and then on the last day you never know.\n\n\"We played a good game and so did Pakistan. They were a bit sloppy today and we put them under pressure.\n\n\"It was brilliant from Adil Rashid who I think got some unfair criticism after the first innings. He's a very fine bowler.\"\n\nOverall this was a vastly improved overseas display from England, who were whitewashed 3-0 on their last tour of the United Arab Emirates and have not won any of their last three away series.\n\nIn contrast to their limp displays with the bat in the 2012 series against Pakistan and more recent overseas disappointments in Australia and West Indies, England's victory charge was built on a superb total of 598-9 declared in their first innings.\n\nResuming on 569-8, England added 29 quick runs in the morning session, with Rashid out for 12 in his maiden Test innings.\n\nBut the innings hinged on Cook's magnificent 263, the longest-ever innings by an Englishman, compiled over days two, three and four.\n\nEngland's pace bowlers also showed that they could be threatening on the dusty, spin-friendly tracks of the UAE, with Ben Stokes taking 4-57 in the first innings and Anderson also taking four wickets over the course of the match.\n\nWith England's new-look opening partnership of Cook and Moeen adding 113 for the first wicket in the first innings, and the under-pressure Bell scoring a half-century at number three, England will head to Dubai knowing that many parts of their team are in good working order.\n\nFormer England captain Michael Vaughan: \"Many people will be watching and listening and wondering why they can't continue and I agree with them. This goes back to last night when they came off and you wonder was there a real threat to the players then. It shouldn't take the shine off what has been a good day from England and Adil Rashid.\"\n\nFormer England spinner Graeme Swann: \"I am proud of the way England played. The only way they were going to win this game was to persevere and stick it at - and they did that even though they didn't get the result in the end.\n\n\"I'm really pleased for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who copped a load of stick in the first innings. I don't buy into the Pakistan time-wasting because anyone in their shoes would do the same.\"\n\nRichard Oelmann: Umpires had no choice with current rules - Rules need changing though. England would have done the same as Pakistan if positions reversed.\n\nChris Tudor: England have been 'saved by the bell' loads of times. No-one complained when play stopped at EXACTLY 6:30pm at Cardiff in 2009.\n\nJonathan Wilson: England robbed. Cook out off a no ball delayed things. Lbw in Pakistan inns not given. England win if these called correctly.\n\nRachel T: England will take huge heart from being within an ace of winning, having been almost written off beforehand.\n\nFlemming Jensen: Get rid of the light meter. Also, Pakistan being allowed to meander along at an over rate of less than 12 is an utter disgrace.", "summary": "The English cricket team had to settle for a draw against Pakistan. England fell just short of their first win on the subcontinent since beating India in 2012. England heads to Dubai knowing that their team is healthy and in working order.  "}
{"article_id": "8a87811f45754cd1b17c00e03d1f2773", "article": "In telly terms, the FA Cup has had quite - what they like to call in the trade - a 'journey\u2019 this season. This weekend saw its TV channel sidekicks deliver a double header with a new ally to help set the scene.\n\nThis no doubt will have the purists, and perhaps even some fans of the four teams involved, spitting at the very mention. But with Wembley on board for both games, I doubt the BBC and BT Sport will have minded presenting their coverage from HQ. However, on Saturday evening, Ian Wright was dead sheepish about it in the BBC\u2019s on-site studio.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t like semi finals at Wembley\u2019, said Wrighty squirming awkwardly in his seat at the prospect of it. Well, some twenty four hour or so later, Wembley was certainly delighted to host them.\n\nArsenal players celebrate during the victory over Reading which saw the Gunners reach the FA Cup final.\n\nFabian Delph (centre) is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring against Liverpool at Wembley.\n\nWembley Stadium was a great setting for this weekend's two FA Cup semi-final clashes.\n\nPrior to that first clash on Saturday between Arsenal and Reading, there had also been disgruntled talk from inside the Emirates Stadium. This time about the fact the match clashed with the big Premier league game between Chelsea and Manchester United. Yes, over on Sky Sports, you could have witnessed business as usual at Stamford Bridge. With a first half that Jamie Redknapp at one point described as \u2018difficult to watch\u2019.\n\nIf you weren\u2019t watching Chelsea's victory, what you could see instead was what turned out to be a genuine sporting event, a real footballing occasion.\n\nAlongside Wright, the extremely engaging Jason Roberts hoped his old club Reading wouldn\u2019t treat their premature trip to north west London as \u2018a day out' and believed there was a chance the Royals could win against Arsenal.\n\nWell, they most certainly set aside the chance for some selfies and instead contributed wholly to a cracking game of football. A clash that was bursting out of the telly screen with atmosphere as the sun soaked some thrilling football and the crowd generated a groundswell of excitement.\n\nReading, pictured celebrating after Garath McCleary's goal, contributed to a great encounter on Saturday.\n\nWhat\u2019s more, there were also a couple of errors that led to two memorable moments in the coverage. Firstly, when a film about the infamous 1990 FA Cup Semi Finals failed, Gary Lineker was left with a spare few minutes to fill. Which he did with a great chat about his guests' Cup Final Wembley memories.\n\n\u2018It\u2019s a wonderful experience, winning an FA Cup, isn\u2019t it Wrighty?\u2019, observed Lineker before turning to the distinctly pot free Alan Shearer. \u2018Don\u2019t start again, Gary!\u2019, barked Al, his brief annoyance serving only to make the moment even funnier for his fellow ex pros.\n\nAnd then there was Reading\u2019s Adam Federici. I was amazed at the end of the game when the director went through the familiar montage of close ups, and while doing so chose to cut away from manager Steve Clarke beginning to console his crestfallen keeper. A few minutes later, they did decide to show it, though. I almost wished they hadn\u2019t as it was nearly too harrowing to watch the poor fella\u2019s suffering. Nevertheless it was compelling stuff, and helped seal that first semi final as something a bit special.\n\nReading goalkeeper Adam Federici (centre) is consoled by Royals boss Steve Clarke after the final whistle.\n\nCome Sunday, and the man who would be drawing the camera\u2019s unblinking gaze was this time established right from the get go. As soon as Steven Gerrard was announced in the starting line up, there was no doubt which player was going to be at the heart of BT Sport\u2019s story.\n\nAlthough it wasn\u2019t  all about the outgoing captain. They opened their coverage with a lovely little film in which two young fans - Villa\u2019s Tom and Liverpool\u2019s John-Paul (naturally!) - recreated each team\u2019s cup runs in their back gardens. We then saw the two young stars walking up Wembley way together, helping to remind us about the supporter\u2019s part in the occasion.\n\nThis was reiterated with a pre-match lap of the pitch by host Jake Humphrey and his pundits which really drew those of us at home into the moment. It also enabled us to hear the Villa fans give Robbie Savage a, shall we say, robust welcome as he approached their end!\n\nFormer Birmingham City midfielder Robbie Savage (right) received a robust welcome from the Villa faithful.\n\nFrom the moment we first saw Stevie G trotting out onto the pitch to warm up, right up until the moment  commentator Ian Darke exclaimed \u2018off the line, Gerrard\u2019s header\u2019, the outgoing skipper was very rarely far from the centre of attention. Come the final whistle, the Liverpool captain was clearly reluctant to be.\n\nIt was something BT handled very cleverly by using their inset box innovation to show the on pitch interview with Man of the Match Fabian Delph as the main shot showed Gerrard sullenly leaving the Wembley turf for possibly the last time.\n\nYet another moment that made Wembley the ideal setting for an FA Cup semi-final TV audience to enjoy even more magic from this season\u2019s tournament? I\u2019ll leave that thought with you.\n\nMuch of the attention was on Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard during Sunday's semi-final clash on BT Sport.", "summary": "This weekend's two FA Cup semi-finals were at Wembley Stadium. The football game came with memorable moments including a montage of close-ups that showed Reading's goalkeeper, Adam Federici, being consoled by Steve Clarke after the final whistle. "}
{"article_id": "8a87811f45754cd1b17c00e03d1f2773", "article": "In telly terms, the FA Cup has had quite - what they like to call in the trade - a 'journey\u2019 this season. This weekend saw its TV channel sidekicks deliver a double header with a new ally to help set the scene.\n\nThis no doubt will have the purists, and perhaps even some fans of the four teams involved, spitting at the very mention. But with Wembley on board for both games, I doubt the BBC and BT Sport will have minded presenting their coverage from HQ. However, on Saturday evening, Ian Wright was dead sheepish about it in the BBC\u2019s on-site studio.\n\n\u2018I don\u2019t like semi finals at Wembley\u2019, said Wrighty squirming awkwardly in his seat at the prospect of it. Well, some twenty four hour or so later, Wembley was certainly delighted to host them.\n\nArsenal players celebrate during the victory over Reading which saw the Gunners reach the FA Cup final.\n\nFabian Delph (centre) is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring against Liverpool at Wembley.\n\nWembley Stadium was a great setting for this weekend's two FA Cup semi-final clashes.\n\nPrior to that first clash on Saturday between Arsenal and Reading, there had also been disgruntled talk from inside the Emirates Stadium. This time about the fact the match clashed with the big Premier league game between Chelsea and Manchester United. Yes, over on Sky Sports, you could have witnessed business as usual at Stamford Bridge. With a first half that Jamie Redknapp at one point described as \u2018difficult to watch\u2019.\n\nIf you weren\u2019t watching Chelsea's victory, what you could see instead was what turned out to be a genuine sporting event, a real footballing occasion.\n\nAlongside Wright, the extremely engaging Jason Roberts hoped his old club Reading wouldn\u2019t treat their premature trip to north west London as \u2018a day out' and believed there was a chance the Royals could win against Arsenal.\n\nWell, they most certainly set aside the chance for some selfies and instead contributed wholly to a cracking game of football. A clash that was bursting out of the telly screen with atmosphere as the sun soaked some thrilling football and the crowd generated a groundswell of excitement.\n\nReading, pictured celebrating after Garath McCleary's goal, contributed to a great encounter on Saturday.\n\nWhat\u2019s more, there were also a couple of errors that led to two memorable moments in the coverage. Firstly, when a film about the infamous 1990 FA Cup Semi Finals failed, Gary Lineker was left with a spare few minutes to fill. Which he did with a great chat about his guests' Cup Final Wembley memories.\n\n\u2018It\u2019s a wonderful experience, winning an FA Cup, isn\u2019t it Wrighty?\u2019, observed Lineker before turning to the distinctly pot free Alan Shearer. \u2018Don\u2019t start again, Gary!\u2019, barked Al, his brief annoyance serving only to make the moment even funnier for his fellow ex pros.\n\nAnd then there was Reading\u2019s Adam Federici. I was amazed at the end of the game when the director went through the familiar montage of close ups, and while doing so chose to cut away from manager Steve Clarke beginning to console his crestfallen keeper. A few minutes later, they did decide to show it, though. I almost wished they hadn\u2019t as it was nearly too harrowing to watch the poor fella\u2019s suffering. Nevertheless it was compelling stuff, and helped seal that first semi final as something a bit special.\n\nReading goalkeeper Adam Federici (centre) is consoled by Royals boss Steve Clarke after the final whistle.\n\nCome Sunday, and the man who would be drawing the camera\u2019s unblinking gaze was this time established right from the get go. As soon as Steven Gerrard was announced in the starting line up, there was no doubt which player was going to be at the heart of BT Sport\u2019s story.\n\nAlthough it wasn\u2019t  all about the outgoing captain. They opened their coverage with a lovely little film in which two young fans - Villa\u2019s Tom and Liverpool\u2019s John-Paul (naturally!) - recreated each team\u2019s cup runs in their back gardens. We then saw the two young stars walking up Wembley way together, helping to remind us about the supporter\u2019s part in the occasion.\n\nThis was reiterated with a pre-match lap of the pitch by host Jake Humphrey and his pundits which really drew those of us at home into the moment. It also enabled us to hear the Villa fans give Robbie Savage a, shall we say, robust welcome as he approached their end!\n\nFormer Birmingham City midfielder Robbie Savage (right) received a robust welcome from the Villa faithful.\n\nFrom the moment we first saw Stevie G trotting out onto the pitch to warm up, right up until the moment  commentator Ian Darke exclaimed \u2018off the line, Gerrard\u2019s header\u2019, the outgoing skipper was very rarely far from the centre of attention. Come the final whistle, the Liverpool captain was clearly reluctant to be.\n\nIt was something BT handled very cleverly by using their inset box innovation to show the on pitch interview with Man of the Match Fabian Delph as the main shot showed Gerrard sullenly leaving the Wembley turf for possibly the last time.\n\nYet another moment that made Wembley the ideal setting for an FA Cup semi-final TV audience to enjoy even more magic from this season\u2019s tournament? I\u2019ll leave that thought with you.\n\nMuch of the attention was on Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard during Sunday's semi-final clash on BT Sport.", "summary": "For this weekend's FA semi-finals event, BBC and BT Sports did the coverage on-site at Wembly stadium. And the TV networks did a stellar job of presenting every aspect of the game through the telly screens of fans who weren't able to be there in person by incorporating montages, interviews, and a live audience. "}
{"article_id": "2ade281594b94155aa8c344f1302c0a6", "article": "The town of Reading may have been swept up in FA Cup euphoria, but Steve Clarke has instructed his players to approach this weekend's semi-final like any other day at work.\n\nIt has been 88 years since the Royals last reached the last-four juncture and the SkyBet Championship side travel to Wembley facing the unenviable task of overcoming in-form Arsenal.\n\nReading are striving to make the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, leading to excitement understandably building in Berkshire - if not the club's Hogwood Park training ground.\n\nReading overcame League One side Bradford with a 3-0 replay win to progress to FA Cup semi-final.\n\nClarke, a winner as player and coach at Chelsea, has told his players not to get caught up in the occasion, with progression the only objective.\n\n'I think when you go through to semi-finals, the only way to enjoy it is to win the game,' the Reading manager said.\n\n'You can't go to Wembley and play the occasion. It is not about playing the occasion, we're playing Arsenal.\n\n'For us, it has to be a day of work. We have to go there focused only on what happens on the pitch.\n\nThe Royals face Premier League giants Arsenal in crunch clash on Saturday at Wembley.\n\n'The supporters can go and enjoy the day, that's their little reward for a cup run.\n\n'For us, it is to go there with a mentality that we are there to do a job and if we do that right we can go through.'\n\nClarke is confident his players can make history on Saturday, even though few outsiders share his faith.\n\nOne bookmaker has them at 14/1 to win and Reading's manager accepts they will have to play the 'perfect game' to overcome an Arsenal side on the back of eight straight league wins.\n\nIt has been 88 years since Reading last made an appearance in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.\n\n'They look strong, well-balanced,' Clarke said. 'They're winning games.\n\n'They have terrific players. Great problems for us to solve.\n\n'Maybe they have left their run too late to catch Chelsea at the top but certainly a good chance to finish the season strongly.'\n\nReading have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the semi-final, with Pavel Pogrebnyak fit after a slight calf complaint ruled him out of Tuesday's 1-0 loss to table-topping Bournemouth.\n\nSteve Clarke was appointed Reading manager in December 2014 to replace Nigel Adkins.\n\nClarke felt defeat was harsh on his side, stretching a run of winless matches to five since winning the quarter-final replay against Bradford.\n\n'Cup competitions, one-off games, we seem to have approached it with a little bit more freedom, a little less nervousness, if you like,' the Royals boss said.\n\n'I think the league campaign has been disappointing. There is sort of a feeling of doom and gloom around the league campaign this year which is never nice.\n\nReading have struggled in the Championship but have brought FA Cup euphoria to the town with their great run.\n\n'I think that is reflected in the game (against Bournemouth), when we are knocking at the door in the last 10 minutes and knocking on the door very, very much.\n\n'Bournemouth, because they're on a winning run, know how to get over the line and win at the moment.\n\n'We're struggling in the league a little bit to find a way to win games, whereas in the cup we've been good.\n\n'We've known how to win the cup games so hopefully that continues on Saturday.'", "summary": "Chelsea coach Clark is cautioning his team against getting caught up in the euphoria of advancing to the semi-finals.  He instructs the to consider it just another day at work.  Although few others share his belief, Clark believes his team will prove victorious."}
{"article_id": "2ade281594b94155aa8c344f1302c0a6", "article": "The town of Reading may have been swept up in FA Cup euphoria, but Steve Clarke has instructed his players to approach this weekend's semi-final like any other day at work.\n\nIt has been 88 years since the Royals last reached the last-four juncture and the SkyBet Championship side travel to Wembley facing the unenviable task of overcoming in-form Arsenal.\n\nReading are striving to make the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, leading to excitement understandably building in Berkshire - if not the club's Hogwood Park training ground.\n\nReading overcame League One side Bradford with a 3-0 replay win to progress to FA Cup semi-final.\n\nClarke, a winner as player and coach at Chelsea, has told his players not to get caught up in the occasion, with progression the only objective.\n\n'I think when you go through to semi-finals, the only way to enjoy it is to win the game,' the Reading manager said.\n\n'You can't go to Wembley and play the occasion. It is not about playing the occasion, we're playing Arsenal.\n\n'For us, it has to be a day of work. We have to go there focused only on what happens on the pitch.\n\nThe Royals face Premier League giants Arsenal in crunch clash on Saturday at Wembley.\n\n'The supporters can go and enjoy the day, that's their little reward for a cup run.\n\n'For us, it is to go there with a mentality that we are there to do a job and if we do that right we can go through.'\n\nClarke is confident his players can make history on Saturday, even though few outsiders share his faith.\n\nOne bookmaker has them at 14/1 to win and Reading's manager accepts they will have to play the 'perfect game' to overcome an Arsenal side on the back of eight straight league wins.\n\nIt has been 88 years since Reading last made an appearance in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.\n\n'They look strong, well-balanced,' Clarke said. 'They're winning games.\n\n'They have terrific players. Great problems for us to solve.\n\n'Maybe they have left their run too late to catch Chelsea at the top but certainly a good chance to finish the season strongly.'\n\nReading have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the semi-final, with Pavel Pogrebnyak fit after a slight calf complaint ruled him out of Tuesday's 1-0 loss to table-topping Bournemouth.\n\nSteve Clarke was appointed Reading manager in December 2014 to replace Nigel Adkins.\n\nClarke felt defeat was harsh on his side, stretching a run of winless matches to five since winning the quarter-final replay against Bradford.\n\n'Cup competitions, one-off games, we seem to have approached it with a little bit more freedom, a little less nervousness, if you like,' the Royals boss said.\n\n'I think the league campaign has been disappointing. There is sort of a feeling of doom and gloom around the league campaign this year which is never nice.\n\nReading have struggled in the Championship but have brought FA Cup euphoria to the town with their great run.\n\n'I think that is reflected in the game (against Bournemouth), when we are knocking at the door in the last 10 minutes and knocking on the door very, very much.\n\n'Bournemouth, because they're on a winning run, know how to get over the line and win at the moment.\n\n'We're struggling in the league a little bit to find a way to win games, whereas in the cup we've been good.\n\n'We've known how to win the cup games so hopefully that continues on Saturday.'", "summary": "The Reading Royals FC are looking to make history and reach their first FA cup final ever. It has been 88 years since the club reached the quarterfinals, and team manager Steve Clark has urged his players to treat the occasion as just another day at the office. "}
{"article_id": "2ade281594b94155aa8c344f1302c0a6", "article": "The town of Reading may have been swept up in FA Cup euphoria, but Steve Clarke has instructed his players to approach this weekend's semi-final like any other day at work.\n\nIt has been 88 years since the Royals last reached the last-four juncture and the SkyBet Championship side travel to Wembley facing the unenviable task of overcoming in-form Arsenal.\n\nReading are striving to make the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, leading to excitement understandably building in Berkshire - if not the club's Hogwood Park training ground.\n\nReading overcame League One side Bradford with a 3-0 replay win to progress to FA Cup semi-final.\n\nClarke, a winner as player and coach at Chelsea, has told his players not to get caught up in the occasion, with progression the only objective.\n\n'I think when you go through to semi-finals, the only way to enjoy it is to win the game,' the Reading manager said.\n\n'You can't go to Wembley and play the occasion. It is not about playing the occasion, we're playing Arsenal.\n\n'For us, it has to be a day of work. We have to go there focused only on what happens on the pitch.\n\nThe Royals face Premier League giants Arsenal in crunch clash on Saturday at Wembley.\n\n'The supporters can go and enjoy the day, that's their little reward for a cup run.\n\n'For us, it is to go there with a mentality that we are there to do a job and if we do that right we can go through.'\n\nClarke is confident his players can make history on Saturday, even though few outsiders share his faith.\n\nOne bookmaker has them at 14/1 to win and Reading's manager accepts they will have to play the 'perfect game' to overcome an Arsenal side on the back of eight straight league wins.\n\nIt has been 88 years since Reading last made an appearance in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.\n\n'They look strong, well-balanced,' Clarke said. 'They're winning games.\n\n'They have terrific players. Great problems for us to solve.\n\n'Maybe they have left their run too late to catch Chelsea at the top but certainly a good chance to finish the season strongly.'\n\nReading have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the semi-final, with Pavel Pogrebnyak fit after a slight calf complaint ruled him out of Tuesday's 1-0 loss to table-topping Bournemouth.\n\nSteve Clarke was appointed Reading manager in December 2014 to replace Nigel Adkins.\n\nClarke felt defeat was harsh on his side, stretching a run of winless matches to five since winning the quarter-final replay against Bradford.\n\n'Cup competitions, one-off games, we seem to have approached it with a little bit more freedom, a little less nervousness, if you like,' the Royals boss said.\n\n'I think the league campaign has been disappointing. There is sort of a feeling of doom and gloom around the league campaign this year which is never nice.\n\nReading have struggled in the Championship but have brought FA Cup euphoria to the town with their great run.\n\n'I think that is reflected in the game (against Bournemouth), when we are knocking at the door in the last 10 minutes and knocking on the door very, very much.\n\n'Bournemouth, because they're on a winning run, know how to get over the line and win at the moment.\n\n'We're struggling in the league a little bit to find a way to win games, whereas in the cup we've been good.\n\n'We've known how to win the cup games so hopefully that continues on Saturday.'", "summary": "It has been 88 years since the Reading Royals reached the FA Cup Semi-Finals. Their manager, Steve Clarke instructed the team to go into the game just like any other work day. Although playing in the semi-finals at Wembley is a special occasion, the only way to enjoy is to win, according to Clarke. "}
{"article_id": "423df8e4d9004e028cebb47f06bd1e35", "article": "A 6,000-year-old \"eco-home\" has been discovered close to Stonehenge, archaeologists have revealed.\n\nThe shelter - in a hollow left behind by a fallen tree - at Blick Mead was used over a 90-year period from 4336 BC, it is believed.\n\nArchaeologist David Jacques, said: \"They... used the stump of the tree, about three metres high, as a wall.\"\n\nThe finds are being shown to United Nations heritage experts, who are currently visiting Stonehenge.\n\nArchaeologists are concerned a planned 2.9km tunnel being considered for the nearby A303 main road will damage the site.\n\nDiscoveries have also shown stones were warmed up by the Mesolithic Period inhabitants and used in a hearth to emit heat in the earthy snug.\n\nMr Jacques, a senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, has worked at Blick Mead for over a decade, making a number of discoveries about the inhabitants.\n\nThe tree stump created a wall height similar to a \"modern bungalow\".\n\n\"They've draped probably animal skins or thatch around the basin and connected it to a post so it's a very comfortable snug little place,\" he said.\n\nThe wooden wall of the hollow was lined with flints and the large earthy pit created by the tree root lined with cobbles and decorated with \"exotic\" stones from outside the area.\n\n\"There are some clever and sophisticated things going on, the hot stones that they put into this little type of alcove wouldn't have been on fire,\" explained Mr Jacques.\n\n\"It looks more like these people have been using these hot stones as a type of storage heater so that you've got a lot of warmth coming off them.\"\n\nMr Jacques will meet the UN experts later to ask for the route to be moved closer to Salisbury and for hydrological assessments to be made.\n\n\"It's very likely the water flow would be reduced in and around the site,\" he said.\n\n\"It would take out all the organics and destroy all the animal bone we've been finding which is crucial for finding where they have been living and for getting radiocarbon dates from all the organics like pollen and wood.\n\n\"This is massively important for reconstructing what the landscape would have looked like.\"\n\nAndy Rhind-Tutt, former mayor and chairman of Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust said: \"I sincerely hope the team delivering the long-awaited A303 improvement look seriously at an alternative alignment south of Salisbury and away from this unequalled archaeological landscape.\n\n\"It would be criminal to destroy such a rich heritage and connection with our ancestors for the sake of blocking the view to the passing public of Stonehenge.\"", "summary": "The discovery of the remains of a 6,000 year old home in a hollow tree stump near Stonehenge could affect the route of the A303 tunnel. The current proposed route would divert water runoff and damage the archeological site, which is considered an important link to understanding our ancestors. "}
{"article_id": "423df8e4d9004e028cebb47f06bd1e35", "article": "A 6,000-year-old \"eco-home\" has been discovered close to Stonehenge, archaeologists have revealed.\n\nThe shelter - in a hollow left behind by a fallen tree - at Blick Mead was used over a 90-year period from 4336 BC, it is believed.\n\nArchaeologist David Jacques, said: \"They... used the stump of the tree, about three metres high, as a wall.\"\n\nThe finds are being shown to United Nations heritage experts, who are currently visiting Stonehenge.\n\nArchaeologists are concerned a planned 2.9km tunnel being considered for the nearby A303 main road will damage the site.\n\nDiscoveries have also shown stones were warmed up by the Mesolithic Period inhabitants and used in a hearth to emit heat in the earthy snug.\n\nMr Jacques, a senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, has worked at Blick Mead for over a decade, making a number of discoveries about the inhabitants.\n\nThe tree stump created a wall height similar to a \"modern bungalow\".\n\n\"They've draped probably animal skins or thatch around the basin and connected it to a post so it's a very comfortable snug little place,\" he said.\n\nThe wooden wall of the hollow was lined with flints and the large earthy pit created by the tree root lined with cobbles and decorated with \"exotic\" stones from outside the area.\n\n\"There are some clever and sophisticated things going on, the hot stones that they put into this little type of alcove wouldn't have been on fire,\" explained Mr Jacques.\n\n\"It looks more like these people have been using these hot stones as a type of storage heater so that you've got a lot of warmth coming off them.\"\n\nMr Jacques will meet the UN experts later to ask for the route to be moved closer to Salisbury and for hydrological assessments to be made.\n\n\"It's very likely the water flow would be reduced in and around the site,\" he said.\n\n\"It would take out all the organics and destroy all the animal bone we've been finding which is crucial for finding where they have been living and for getting radiocarbon dates from all the organics like pollen and wood.\n\n\"This is massively important for reconstructing what the landscape would have looked like.\"\n\nAndy Rhind-Tutt, former mayor and chairman of Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust said: \"I sincerely hope the team delivering the long-awaited A303 improvement look seriously at an alternative alignment south of Salisbury and away from this unequalled archaeological landscape.\n\n\"It would be criminal to destroy such a rich heritage and connection with our ancestors for the sake of blocking the view to the passing public of Stonehenge.\"", "summary": "A 6,000-year-old home has been discovered near Stonehenge. Archeologists discovered features in the home such as a stone fireplace. The home, as well as many animal bones, are at risk of being destroyed by the new A303 highway being built. "}
{"article_id": "423df8e4d9004e028cebb47f06bd1e35", "article": "A 6,000-year-old \"eco-home\" has been discovered close to Stonehenge, archaeologists have revealed.\n\nThe shelter - in a hollow left behind by a fallen tree - at Blick Mead was used over a 90-year period from 4336 BC, it is believed.\n\nArchaeologist David Jacques, said: \"They... used the stump of the tree, about three metres high, as a wall.\"\n\nThe finds are being shown to United Nations heritage experts, who are currently visiting Stonehenge.\n\nArchaeologists are concerned a planned 2.9km tunnel being considered for the nearby A303 main road will damage the site.\n\nDiscoveries have also shown stones were warmed up by the Mesolithic Period inhabitants and used in a hearth to emit heat in the earthy snug.\n\nMr Jacques, a senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, has worked at Blick Mead for over a decade, making a number of discoveries about the inhabitants.\n\nThe tree stump created a wall height similar to a \"modern bungalow\".\n\n\"They've draped probably animal skins or thatch around the basin and connected it to a post so it's a very comfortable snug little place,\" he said.\n\nThe wooden wall of the hollow was lined with flints and the large earthy pit created by the tree root lined with cobbles and decorated with \"exotic\" stones from outside the area.\n\n\"There are some clever and sophisticated things going on, the hot stones that they put into this little type of alcove wouldn't have been on fire,\" explained Mr Jacques.\n\n\"It looks more like these people have been using these hot stones as a type of storage heater so that you've got a lot of warmth coming off them.\"\n\nMr Jacques will meet the UN experts later to ask for the route to be moved closer to Salisbury and for hydrological assessments to be made.\n\n\"It's very likely the water flow would be reduced in and around the site,\" he said.\n\n\"It would take out all the organics and destroy all the animal bone we've been finding which is crucial for finding where they have been living and for getting radiocarbon dates from all the organics like pollen and wood.\n\n\"This is massively important for reconstructing what the landscape would have looked like.\"\n\nAndy Rhind-Tutt, former mayor and chairman of Amesbury Museum and Heritage Trust said: \"I sincerely hope the team delivering the long-awaited A303 improvement look seriously at an alternative alignment south of Salisbury and away from this unequalled archaeological landscape.\n\n\"It would be criminal to destroy such a rich heritage and connection with our ancestors for the sake of blocking the view to the passing public of Stonehenge.\"", "summary": "A 6,000-year-old home has been discovered at Blink Mead close to Stonehedge. The house was built in a hallow left by a fallen tree and used the tree stump as a wall. Construction of a 2.9km tunnel is being considered for the nearly A303 main road, which archeologists are concerned would damage the historical site. "}
{"article_id": "82122851ae16478e935765ccf52db8a1", "article": "Egypt's internet activists have played a key role in the pro-democracy protests from the outset, but they tell the BBC that the online campaigning is evolving to suit their real-life activism in Tahrir Square.\n\nThis revolution is the result of someone sending a Facebook invitation to many people.  I got it like other people on our network.  The buzz around it was then created on different social media websites and with videos.  I was here on 25 January when riot police forced us out and by the 28th, we were back following the violence.  I've been sleeping here most of the time since.\n\nOur social network was established in 2005, when there was a democratic opening around the time of the presidential elections. People from different backgrounds all met through blogging and hoped to use technology for social change.  It meant we have all gained good contacts, experience and strong networks.\n\nI like to think the social network is the people itself.  Things like Facebook, Twitter, SMS and phones are just social tools.  When they blocked Facebook and shut down technology, our network still operated because it's about people.  Internet activists are also people and a lot of our organising, social work and relationships are developed offline.\n\nThis is something that people dreamt of but didn't anticipate happening in reality.  If anything, it shows that all the effort we put in over the past few years has not been wasted.  It has climaxed into this critical mass of people you see in the square.\n\nAt the moment I'm not getting a lot of internet connection.  I'm trying not to drain my phone battery. We're still using it to distribute footage people are bringing to us that we've sorted through.\n\nI hope the internet will continue to play a complementary role in activism.  At the moment we physically exist in downtown Cairo and I hope that when we have finished this sit-in, we will have won the right to organise ourselves outside the internet.\n\nTwitter: Amr Gharbeia\n\nI was involved in this revolution from the first day, 25 January, and I've now been spending my nights here for a while. For the past five years, I was very active online, blogging and tweeting.  As we live under emergency laws in Egypt it has been very difficult to meet or communicate except on the internet. I'd never been part of a demonstration on the ground.\n\nAt first we were mocking the event on 25 January.  We questioned whether it was really possible to have a \"Facebook revolution\". I came on the 25th because I felt it was my duty as a citizen and I couldn't believe how it turned into something so different from what we've seen before.  I was walking among the people and weeping.\n\nNow I sometimes just tweet to update people about what's going on or to call for a million-man demonstration or a day to remember our martyrs.  I'm well-known among bloggers for my long articles and constant tweets, but once I was here I stopped communicating this way so much. I felt it was totally different to have real freedom rather than just hypothetical freedom or internet freedom.\n\nBlogging and tweeting has been important as we were building our minds.  This regime stopped us from doing that.  We had have poor education and no national cultural programmes.  I am so proud now, especially when I think of our young martyrs.  In Egypt we have suffered a lot and it's about time that we start to live like real people.\n\nTwitter: Nawara Negm\n\nI'm not writing my blog right now.  We're just using Twitter as it's easy and flexible to do from your mobile.  If we have a lot of action here I might do as many as 20 or 30 tweets a day.  We also use Bambuser for live-streaming from our mobiles here in Tahrir Square.\n\nThe internet gave us our backbone but it is not because of Facebook that this happened.  It was the force used by the police that brought everybody together.  If they had let us leave peacefully on 25 January, this would never have happened.  It got worse with the violence on 28th: The shootings, the tear gas, the killings, the brutality.  When they cut the internet and mobile phone lines this only increased people's anger.\n\nIn the square we have organised our lives well. We have a co-ordinating committee telling us where there have been attacks and a group doing cleaning.  We have some people singing and some praying. We have Christians, Muslims, agnostics, leftists and rightists and we all live together well.   In our community we're trying to set an example of how we can all live together.  It's like a city inside the city here.  We are the kernel of the revolution.\n\nBlog: MaLek X (in Arabic)\n\nThe revolution was publicised on the internet.  The spark was Facebook.  People were really sceptical about it because they didn't think you could have a revolution where you named the date, but now I look around me and I am really proud of the Egyptian people and the initiative.  I'm sure that those who named the date didn't think things would go this far.\n\nTo begin with on 25 January, we had mostly young people of all classes who somehow use the internet.  You have internet cafes even in the poorest areas of Egypt so even less well-educated people have access, especially to Facebook.  A lot was also achieved through word of mouth - people telling their friends and neighbours.  The independent media took a middle-ground to begin with as everyone was watching their backs but now they have got onboard.\n\nAfter our huge turnout on the first Tuesday, demonstrations continued for the next two days and we publicised further action for Friday on the internet.  That day they cut our communications and took our cameras so we had an information blackout and the violence was unbelievable. A lot of people died.\n\nStill the threshold of fear and pain had been broken and we have kept up momentum since. Now older people especially come up to us when we're collecting trash or whatever in the square and they say: \"We're really proud of you... You did what we didn't manage to do for 60 years.\"\n\nPeople have called this the \"Facebook Revolution\" because it gave us a form of expression even when people were too scared to talk in big groups about political issues.  We had already set up Facebook pages for people who were tortured to death.  We found it was a way to talk without being tracked.\n\nIn the square we have bridged a lot of gaps.  I've been living here since 29 January with tens of thousands of other people.  I put my head down to sleep and I don't know the people sleeping around me. I have wonderful conversations with people from all over Egypt who normally I would never have talked to.\n\nWe're finally getting to know each other. It's wonderful.", "summary": "The internet has helped give voice and coordinate the pro-democracy movement in Egypt amid government backlash. Some are calling it the Facebook Revolution, because it has enabled protestors to communicate freely and plan their protests. Now, as the movement advances and develops, the internet continues to play an important role in other ways. "}
{"article_id": "82122851ae16478e935765ccf52db8a1", "article": "Egypt's internet activists have played a key role in the pro-democracy protests from the outset, but they tell the BBC that the online campaigning is evolving to suit their real-life activism in Tahrir Square.\n\nThis revolution is the result of someone sending a Facebook invitation to many people.  I got it like other people on our network.  The buzz around it was then created on different social media websites and with videos.  I was here on 25 January when riot police forced us out and by the 28th, we were back following the violence.  I've been sleeping here most of the time since.\n\nOur social network was established in 2005, when there was a democratic opening around the time of the presidential elections. People from different backgrounds all met through blogging and hoped to use technology for social change.  It meant we have all gained good contacts, experience and strong networks.\n\nI like to think the social network is the people itself.  Things like Facebook, Twitter, SMS and phones are just social tools.  When they blocked Facebook and shut down technology, our network still operated because it's about people.  Internet activists are also people and a lot of our organising, social work and relationships are developed offline.\n\nThis is something that people dreamt of but didn't anticipate happening in reality.  If anything, it shows that all the effort we put in over the past few years has not been wasted.  It has climaxed into this critical mass of people you see in the square.\n\nAt the moment I'm not getting a lot of internet connection.  I'm trying not to drain my phone battery. We're still using it to distribute footage people are bringing to us that we've sorted through.\n\nI hope the internet will continue to play a complementary role in activism.  At the moment we physically exist in downtown Cairo and I hope that when we have finished this sit-in, we will have won the right to organise ourselves outside the internet.\n\nTwitter: Amr Gharbeia\n\nI was involved in this revolution from the first day, 25 January, and I've now been spending my nights here for a while. For the past five years, I was very active online, blogging and tweeting.  As we live under emergency laws in Egypt it has been very difficult to meet or communicate except on the internet. I'd never been part of a demonstration on the ground.\n\nAt first we were mocking the event on 25 January.  We questioned whether it was really possible to have a \"Facebook revolution\". I came on the 25th because I felt it was my duty as a citizen and I couldn't believe how it turned into something so different from what we've seen before.  I was walking among the people and weeping.\n\nNow I sometimes just tweet to update people about what's going on or to call for a million-man demonstration or a day to remember our martyrs.  I'm well-known among bloggers for my long articles and constant tweets, but once I was here I stopped communicating this way so much. I felt it was totally different to have real freedom rather than just hypothetical freedom or internet freedom.\n\nBlogging and tweeting has been important as we were building our minds.  This regime stopped us from doing that.  We had have poor education and no national cultural programmes.  I am so proud now, especially when I think of our young martyrs.  In Egypt we have suffered a lot and it's about time that we start to live like real people.\n\nTwitter: Nawara Negm\n\nI'm not writing my blog right now.  We're just using Twitter as it's easy and flexible to do from your mobile.  If we have a lot of action here I might do as many as 20 or 30 tweets a day.  We also use Bambuser for live-streaming from our mobiles here in Tahrir Square.\n\nThe internet gave us our backbone but it is not because of Facebook that this happened.  It was the force used by the police that brought everybody together.  If they had let us leave peacefully on 25 January, this would never have happened.  It got worse with the violence on 28th: The shootings, the tear gas, the killings, the brutality.  When they cut the internet and mobile phone lines this only increased people's anger.\n\nIn the square we have organised our lives well. We have a co-ordinating committee telling us where there have been attacks and a group doing cleaning.  We have some people singing and some praying. We have Christians, Muslims, agnostics, leftists and rightists and we all live together well.   In our community we're trying to set an example of how we can all live together.  It's like a city inside the city here.  We are the kernel of the revolution.\n\nBlog: MaLek X (in Arabic)\n\nThe revolution was publicised on the internet.  The spark was Facebook.  People were really sceptical about it because they didn't think you could have a revolution where you named the date, but now I look around me and I am really proud of the Egyptian people and the initiative.  I'm sure that those who named the date didn't think things would go this far.\n\nTo begin with on 25 January, we had mostly young people of all classes who somehow use the internet.  You have internet cafes even in the poorest areas of Egypt so even less well-educated people have access, especially to Facebook.  A lot was also achieved through word of mouth - people telling their friends and neighbours.  The independent media took a middle-ground to begin with as everyone was watching their backs but now they have got onboard.\n\nAfter our huge turnout on the first Tuesday, demonstrations continued for the next two days and we publicised further action for Friday on the internet.  That day they cut our communications and took our cameras so we had an information blackout and the violence was unbelievable. A lot of people died.\n\nStill the threshold of fear and pain had been broken and we have kept up momentum since. Now older people especially come up to us when we're collecting trash or whatever in the square and they say: \"We're really proud of you... You did what we didn't manage to do for 60 years.\"\n\nPeople have called this the \"Facebook Revolution\" because it gave us a form of expression even when people were too scared to talk in big groups about political issues.  We had already set up Facebook pages for people who were tortured to death.  We found it was a way to talk without being tracked.\n\nIn the square we have bridged a lot of gaps.  I've been living here since 29 January with tens of thousands of other people.  I put my head down to sleep and I don't know the people sleeping around me. I have wonderful conversations with people from all over Egypt who normally I would never have talked to.\n\nWe're finally getting to know each other. It's wonderful.", "summary": "Internet activists in Egypt tell the BBC how influential technology is in their organizing efforts. Through Facebook and other social media platforms, Egyptian activists started a wave of protests. Activists also stated that social media is harder for authorities to track. "}
{"article_id": "82122851ae16478e935765ccf52db8a1", "article": "Egypt's internet activists have played a key role in the pro-democracy protests from the outset, but they tell the BBC that the online campaigning is evolving to suit their real-life activism in Tahrir Square.\n\nThis revolution is the result of someone sending a Facebook invitation to many people.  I got it like other people on our network.  The buzz around it was then created on different social media websites and with videos.  I was here on 25 January when riot police forced us out and by the 28th, we were back following the violence.  I've been sleeping here most of the time since.\n\nOur social network was established in 2005, when there was a democratic opening around the time of the presidential elections. People from different backgrounds all met through blogging and hoped to use technology for social change.  It meant we have all gained good contacts, experience and strong networks.\n\nI like to think the social network is the people itself.  Things like Facebook, Twitter, SMS and phones are just social tools.  When they blocked Facebook and shut down technology, our network still operated because it's about people.  Internet activists are also people and a lot of our organising, social work and relationships are developed offline.\n\nThis is something that people dreamt of but didn't anticipate happening in reality.  If anything, it shows that all the effort we put in over the past few years has not been wasted.  It has climaxed into this critical mass of people you see in the square.\n\nAt the moment I'm not getting a lot of internet connection.  I'm trying not to drain my phone battery. We're still using it to distribute footage people are bringing to us that we've sorted through.\n\nI hope the internet will continue to play a complementary role in activism.  At the moment we physically exist in downtown Cairo and I hope that when we have finished this sit-in, we will have won the right to organise ourselves outside the internet.\n\nTwitter: Amr Gharbeia\n\nI was involved in this revolution from the first day, 25 January, and I've now been spending my nights here for a while. For the past five years, I was very active online, blogging and tweeting.  As we live under emergency laws in Egypt it has been very difficult to meet or communicate except on the internet. I'd never been part of a demonstration on the ground.\n\nAt first we were mocking the event on 25 January.  We questioned whether it was really possible to have a \"Facebook revolution\". I came on the 25th because I felt it was my duty as a citizen and I couldn't believe how it turned into something so different from what we've seen before.  I was walking among the people and weeping.\n\nNow I sometimes just tweet to update people about what's going on or to call for a million-man demonstration or a day to remember our martyrs.  I'm well-known among bloggers for my long articles and constant tweets, but once I was here I stopped communicating this way so much. I felt it was totally different to have real freedom rather than just hypothetical freedom or internet freedom.\n\nBlogging and tweeting has been important as we were building our minds.  This regime stopped us from doing that.  We had have poor education and no national cultural programmes.  I am so proud now, especially when I think of our young martyrs.  In Egypt we have suffered a lot and it's about time that we start to live like real people.\n\nTwitter: Nawara Negm\n\nI'm not writing my blog right now.  We're just using Twitter as it's easy and flexible to do from your mobile.  If we have a lot of action here I might do as many as 20 or 30 tweets a day.  We also use Bambuser for live-streaming from our mobiles here in Tahrir Square.\n\nThe internet gave us our backbone but it is not because of Facebook that this happened.  It was the force used by the police that brought everybody together.  If they had let us leave peacefully on 25 January, this would never have happened.  It got worse with the violence on 28th: The shootings, the tear gas, the killings, the brutality.  When they cut the internet and mobile phone lines this only increased people's anger.\n\nIn the square we have organised our lives well. We have a co-ordinating committee telling us where there have been attacks and a group doing cleaning.  We have some people singing and some praying. We have Christians, Muslims, agnostics, leftists and rightists and we all live together well.   In our community we're trying to set an example of how we can all live together.  It's like a city inside the city here.  We are the kernel of the revolution.\n\nBlog: MaLek X (in Arabic)\n\nThe revolution was publicised on the internet.  The spark was Facebook.  People were really sceptical about it because they didn't think you could have a revolution where you named the date, but now I look around me and I am really proud of the Egyptian people and the initiative.  I'm sure that those who named the date didn't think things would go this far.\n\nTo begin with on 25 January, we had mostly young people of all classes who somehow use the internet.  You have internet cafes even in the poorest areas of Egypt so even less well-educated people have access, especially to Facebook.  A lot was also achieved through word of mouth - people telling their friends and neighbours.  The independent media took a middle-ground to begin with as everyone was watching their backs but now they have got onboard.\n\nAfter our huge turnout on the first Tuesday, demonstrations continued for the next two days and we publicised further action for Friday on the internet.  That day they cut our communications and took our cameras so we had an information blackout and the violence was unbelievable. A lot of people died.\n\nStill the threshold of fear and pain had been broken and we have kept up momentum since. Now older people especially come up to us when we're collecting trash or whatever in the square and they say: \"We're really proud of you... You did what we didn't manage to do for 60 years.\"\n\nPeople have called this the \"Facebook Revolution\" because it gave us a form of expression even when people were too scared to talk in big groups about political issues.  We had already set up Facebook pages for people who were tortured to death.  We found it was a way to talk without being tracked.\n\nIn the square we have bridged a lot of gaps.  I've been living here since 29 January with tens of thousands of other people.  I put my head down to sleep and I don't know the people sleeping around me. I have wonderful conversations with people from all over Egypt who normally I would never have talked to.\n\nWe're finally getting to know each other. It's wonderful.", "summary": "Activists in Egypt tell their stories of how they've used social media to further pro-democracy protests in Tahrir Square. Communicating outside of the internet has been difficult due to the violent political regime. Instead, citizens are turning to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and personal blogs to share footage and ideas about the revolution. "}
{"article_id": "094ba204fcad42d9b13a888c50e0d61d", "article": "Edinburgh's winter festivals generated more than \u00a3241m for the city, according to organisers. Almost one million people visited the city during the six-week festival period over Christmas and Hogmanay. Organisers said almost 890,000 people visited the Edinburgh's Christmas events in 2014/15, contributing \u00a3199.5m to the local economy. The three-day Hogmanay celebrations attracted more than 150,000 people, creating an economic impact of \u00a341.8m. Charlie Wood, Edinburgh's Christmas festival director, said: \"This is great news for Edinburgh. The revenue generated does not go to the events themselves, the event organisers or to Edinburgh city council. \"This is money, which is going to the businesses of Edinburgh, be it retail, accommodation, food, drink, shopping and entertainment.\"", "summary": "Edinburgh's Christmas and Hogmanay festivals generated over 241 million pounds for the city over the six-week festival period. The money went mostly to small businesses in the local economy which is great for the city as a whole. "}
{"article_id": "975160e2274c49e3abe326d8e6c5e367", "article": "The fate of ailing department store BHS is likely to be decided later on Thursday, with an announcement expected from administrators Duff & Phelps.\n\nBHS entered administration in April. Since then, efforts have been continuing to rescue it from closure and save the jobs of its 11,000 staff.\n\nLast week, a surprise late bid led by retail veteran Greg Tufnell transformed the race to acquire the retailer.\n\nHis team, said to be backed by Portuguese money, is the front-runner.\n\nBut if a deal cannot be struck, the business may still have to be liquidated.\n\nThe remaining bidders have faded into the background. Another consortium led by Matalan tycoon John Hargreaves and Turkish retail entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroglu has reportedly run into difficulties, while other suitors have apparently failed to impress with their proposals.\n\nSome of those involved in the different bids have impressive retailing histories.\n\nBut then Sir Philip Green, who controlled BHS from 2000 to 2015, also had a brilliant track record. And he ended up selling the business for \u00c2\u00a31.\n\nSo what are the chances of saving BHS from the liquidators? And just who are the people aiming to do it?\n\nIn the public eye, Greg Tufnell is easily overshadowed by his more famous brother Phil, the former England cricketer.\n\nBut that could change if his bid for BHS is successful, because he hopes to become the firm's next chairman.\n\nAnd as far as his credentials for the job are concerned, the 54-year-old executive certainly talks the talk.\n\nHe describes himself as \"a highly experienced managing director with Mothercare and Arcadia, a blend of entrepreneur, strategist and hands-on operator with significant commercial business turnaround, acquisition and fund-raising experience\".\n\nHis record shows that he was buying and merchandising director at Next from 1991 to 1994.\n\nHe then spent three years as managing director of menswear retailer Burton, part of the Arcadia group, followed by another three years as managing director of Mothercare.\n\nHe currently appears to occupy a portfolio of different jobs, including the chairmanships of leather accessories brand Zatchels and recruitment consultancy hga Group.\n\nEarlier this month, he registered a new firm, Richess Group, at Companies House.\n\nIts other directors are Nick de Scossa, a Swiss banker, and Lisbon-based entrepreneur Jose Maria Soares Bento.\n\nUntil Mr Tufnell's bid turned up, many observers had assumed that BHS would be snapped up by Matalan founder Mr Hargreaves.\n\nBut it appears that the cost of a deal may have proved too high. Sources say Mr Hargreaves was asked to improve his offer and balked.\n\nLike Sir Philip Green, 71-year-old John Hargreaves also enjoys the life of the super-rich. He has an estimated fortune of \u00c2\u00a31bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nBut in stark contrast to the ebullient Sir Philip, Mr Hargreaves is described by industry insiders as quiet-spoken, someone who shuns the limelight.\n\nMr Hargreaves is no longer directly involved in the business he founded. He sold his 69% stake in Matalan in 2000, then in 2006 took it private through Missouri Bidco, a company 53.5% owned by him and his family.\n\nAs a partner in Mr Hargreaves' bid, there is also Cafer Mahiroglu, the owner of Select Fashions. At 50, he is the youngest of these High Street players.\n\nMr Mahiroglu's family owns a music store chain in Turkey and, crucially, factories across Turkey, Romania and Vietnam, which supply about 80% of Select's clothing merchandise.\n\nNames that had been mentioned included Poundstretcher boss Aziz Tayub and Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, although Mr Ashley's proposal was reportedly rejected for being too low.\n\nOne factor that has complicated matters is that BHS has been selling off much of its stock in a discount sale, reducing the value of its assets and making it more expensive for any new owner to replenish the items.\n\nIf no deal can be struck, Duff & Phelps have already lined up three firms to act as liquidators. Alteri, Hilco and Gordon Brothers would then break up the business and sell it off piecemeal.\n\nThe 164-store chain includes about 40 loss-making shops. Freed from the need to take them all, many other bidders might be prepared to cherry-pick parts of the once-prosperous empire.", "summary": "Potential investors are deciding the fate of BHS, a failing department store with 164 locations. There are several ultra-rich businessmen who have made bids, although the details vary and no deal has been made. If no sales agreement is made, the company has arrangements for their assets to be liquidated. "}
{"article_id": "975160e2274c49e3abe326d8e6c5e367", "article": "The fate of ailing department store BHS is likely to be decided later on Thursday, with an announcement expected from administrators Duff & Phelps.\n\nBHS entered administration in April. Since then, efforts have been continuing to rescue it from closure and save the jobs of its 11,000 staff.\n\nLast week, a surprise late bid led by retail veteran Greg Tufnell transformed the race to acquire the retailer.\n\nHis team, said to be backed by Portuguese money, is the front-runner.\n\nBut if a deal cannot be struck, the business may still have to be liquidated.\n\nThe remaining bidders have faded into the background. Another consortium led by Matalan tycoon John Hargreaves and Turkish retail entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroglu has reportedly run into difficulties, while other suitors have apparently failed to impress with their proposals.\n\nSome of those involved in the different bids have impressive retailing histories.\n\nBut then Sir Philip Green, who controlled BHS from 2000 to 2015, also had a brilliant track record. And he ended up selling the business for \u00c2\u00a31.\n\nSo what are the chances of saving BHS from the liquidators? And just who are the people aiming to do it?\n\nIn the public eye, Greg Tufnell is easily overshadowed by his more famous brother Phil, the former England cricketer.\n\nBut that could change if his bid for BHS is successful, because he hopes to become the firm's next chairman.\n\nAnd as far as his credentials for the job are concerned, the 54-year-old executive certainly talks the talk.\n\nHe describes himself as \"a highly experienced managing director with Mothercare and Arcadia, a blend of entrepreneur, strategist and hands-on operator with significant commercial business turnaround, acquisition and fund-raising experience\".\n\nHis record shows that he was buying and merchandising director at Next from 1991 to 1994.\n\nHe then spent three years as managing director of menswear retailer Burton, part of the Arcadia group, followed by another three years as managing director of Mothercare.\n\nHe currently appears to occupy a portfolio of different jobs, including the chairmanships of leather accessories brand Zatchels and recruitment consultancy hga Group.\n\nEarlier this month, he registered a new firm, Richess Group, at Companies House.\n\nIts other directors are Nick de Scossa, a Swiss banker, and Lisbon-based entrepreneur Jose Maria Soares Bento.\n\nUntil Mr Tufnell's bid turned up, many observers had assumed that BHS would be snapped up by Matalan founder Mr Hargreaves.\n\nBut it appears that the cost of a deal may have proved too high. Sources say Mr Hargreaves was asked to improve his offer and balked.\n\nLike Sir Philip Green, 71-year-old John Hargreaves also enjoys the life of the super-rich. He has an estimated fortune of \u00c2\u00a31bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nBut in stark contrast to the ebullient Sir Philip, Mr Hargreaves is described by industry insiders as quiet-spoken, someone who shuns the limelight.\n\nMr Hargreaves is no longer directly involved in the business he founded. He sold his 69% stake in Matalan in 2000, then in 2006 took it private through Missouri Bidco, a company 53.5% owned by him and his family.\n\nAs a partner in Mr Hargreaves' bid, there is also Cafer Mahiroglu, the owner of Select Fashions. At 50, he is the youngest of these High Street players.\n\nMr Mahiroglu's family owns a music store chain in Turkey and, crucially, factories across Turkey, Romania and Vietnam, which supply about 80% of Select's clothing merchandise.\n\nNames that had been mentioned included Poundstretcher boss Aziz Tayub and Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, although Mr Ashley's proposal was reportedly rejected for being too low.\n\nOne factor that has complicated matters is that BHS has been selling off much of its stock in a discount sale, reducing the value of its assets and making it more expensive for any new owner to replenish the items.\n\nIf no deal can be struck, Duff & Phelps have already lined up three firms to act as liquidators. Alteri, Hilco and Gordon Brothers would then break up the business and sell it off piecemeal.\n\nThe 164-store chain includes about 40 loss-making shops. Freed from the need to take them all, many other bidders might be prepared to cherry-pick parts of the once-prosperous empire.", "summary": "Retailer BHS is flailing and other companies are bidding on it to save it from bankruptcy. The leading bidder is Greg Tufnell, however, if a deal cannot be struck the business will be liquidated. The next closest bidder is Matalan founder Mr. Hargreaves.  "}
{"article_id": "975160e2274c49e3abe326d8e6c5e367", "article": "The fate of ailing department store BHS is likely to be decided later on Thursday, with an announcement expected from administrators Duff & Phelps.\n\nBHS entered administration in April. Since then, efforts have been continuing to rescue it from closure and save the jobs of its 11,000 staff.\n\nLast week, a surprise late bid led by retail veteran Greg Tufnell transformed the race to acquire the retailer.\n\nHis team, said to be backed by Portuguese money, is the front-runner.\n\nBut if a deal cannot be struck, the business may still have to be liquidated.\n\nThe remaining bidders have faded into the background. Another consortium led by Matalan tycoon John Hargreaves and Turkish retail entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroglu has reportedly run into difficulties, while other suitors have apparently failed to impress with their proposals.\n\nSome of those involved in the different bids have impressive retailing histories.\n\nBut then Sir Philip Green, who controlled BHS from 2000 to 2015, also had a brilliant track record. And he ended up selling the business for \u00c2\u00a31.\n\nSo what are the chances of saving BHS from the liquidators? And just who are the people aiming to do it?\n\nIn the public eye, Greg Tufnell is easily overshadowed by his more famous brother Phil, the former England cricketer.\n\nBut that could change if his bid for BHS is successful, because he hopes to become the firm's next chairman.\n\nAnd as far as his credentials for the job are concerned, the 54-year-old executive certainly talks the talk.\n\nHe describes himself as \"a highly experienced managing director with Mothercare and Arcadia, a blend of entrepreneur, strategist and hands-on operator with significant commercial business turnaround, acquisition and fund-raising experience\".\n\nHis record shows that he was buying and merchandising director at Next from 1991 to 1994.\n\nHe then spent three years as managing director of menswear retailer Burton, part of the Arcadia group, followed by another three years as managing director of Mothercare.\n\nHe currently appears to occupy a portfolio of different jobs, including the chairmanships of leather accessories brand Zatchels and recruitment consultancy hga Group.\n\nEarlier this month, he registered a new firm, Richess Group, at Companies House.\n\nIts other directors are Nick de Scossa, a Swiss banker, and Lisbon-based entrepreneur Jose Maria Soares Bento.\n\nUntil Mr Tufnell's bid turned up, many observers had assumed that BHS would be snapped up by Matalan founder Mr Hargreaves.\n\nBut it appears that the cost of a deal may have proved too high. Sources say Mr Hargreaves was asked to improve his offer and balked.\n\nLike Sir Philip Green, 71-year-old John Hargreaves also enjoys the life of the super-rich. He has an estimated fortune of \u00c2\u00a31bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nBut in stark contrast to the ebullient Sir Philip, Mr Hargreaves is described by industry insiders as quiet-spoken, someone who shuns the limelight.\n\nMr Hargreaves is no longer directly involved in the business he founded. He sold his 69% stake in Matalan in 2000, then in 2006 took it private through Missouri Bidco, a company 53.5% owned by him and his family.\n\nAs a partner in Mr Hargreaves' bid, there is also Cafer Mahiroglu, the owner of Select Fashions. At 50, he is the youngest of these High Street players.\n\nMr Mahiroglu's family owns a music store chain in Turkey and, crucially, factories across Turkey, Romania and Vietnam, which supply about 80% of Select's clothing merchandise.\n\nNames that had been mentioned included Poundstretcher boss Aziz Tayub and Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, although Mr Ashley's proposal was reportedly rejected for being too low.\n\nOne factor that has complicated matters is that BHS has been selling off much of its stock in a discount sale, reducing the value of its assets and making it more expensive for any new owner to replenish the items.\n\nIf no deal can be struck, Duff & Phelps have already lined up three firms to act as liquidators. Alteri, Hilco and Gordon Brothers would then break up the business and sell it off piecemeal.\n\nThe 164-store chain includes about 40 loss-making shops. Freed from the need to take them all, many other bidders might be prepared to cherry-pick parts of the once-prosperous empire.", "summary": "The BHS empire is under significant duress. The once-prosperous department store has been in administration since April, and a decision about the chain's fate is likely to emerge on Thursday. Aside from retail store and stock concerns, the livelihoods of BHS's 11,000 employees are also on the line if it has to be liquidated. "}
{"article_id": "975160e2274c49e3abe326d8e6c5e367", "article": "The fate of ailing department store BHS is likely to be decided later on Thursday, with an announcement expected from administrators Duff & Phelps.\n\nBHS entered administration in April. Since then, efforts have been continuing to rescue it from closure and save the jobs of its 11,000 staff.\n\nLast week, a surprise late bid led by retail veteran Greg Tufnell transformed the race to acquire the retailer.\n\nHis team, said to be backed by Portuguese money, is the front-runner.\n\nBut if a deal cannot be struck, the business may still have to be liquidated.\n\nThe remaining bidders have faded into the background. Another consortium led by Matalan tycoon John Hargreaves and Turkish retail entrepreneur Cafer Mahiroglu has reportedly run into difficulties, while other suitors have apparently failed to impress with their proposals.\n\nSome of those involved in the different bids have impressive retailing histories.\n\nBut then Sir Philip Green, who controlled BHS from 2000 to 2015, also had a brilliant track record. And he ended up selling the business for \u00c2\u00a31.\n\nSo what are the chances of saving BHS from the liquidators? And just who are the people aiming to do it?\n\nIn the public eye, Greg Tufnell is easily overshadowed by his more famous brother Phil, the former England cricketer.\n\nBut that could change if his bid for BHS is successful, because he hopes to become the firm's next chairman.\n\nAnd as far as his credentials for the job are concerned, the 54-year-old executive certainly talks the talk.\n\nHe describes himself as \"a highly experienced managing director with Mothercare and Arcadia, a blend of entrepreneur, strategist and hands-on operator with significant commercial business turnaround, acquisition and fund-raising experience\".\n\nHis record shows that he was buying and merchandising director at Next from 1991 to 1994.\n\nHe then spent three years as managing director of menswear retailer Burton, part of the Arcadia group, followed by another three years as managing director of Mothercare.\n\nHe currently appears to occupy a portfolio of different jobs, including the chairmanships of leather accessories brand Zatchels and recruitment consultancy hga Group.\n\nEarlier this month, he registered a new firm, Richess Group, at Companies House.\n\nIts other directors are Nick de Scossa, a Swiss banker, and Lisbon-based entrepreneur Jose Maria Soares Bento.\n\nUntil Mr Tufnell's bid turned up, many observers had assumed that BHS would be snapped up by Matalan founder Mr Hargreaves.\n\nBut it appears that the cost of a deal may have proved too high. Sources say Mr Hargreaves was asked to improve his offer and balked.\n\nLike Sir Philip Green, 71-year-old John Hargreaves also enjoys the life of the super-rich. He has an estimated fortune of \u00c2\u00a31bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.\n\nBut in stark contrast to the ebullient Sir Philip, Mr Hargreaves is described by industry insiders as quiet-spoken, someone who shuns the limelight.\n\nMr Hargreaves is no longer directly involved in the business he founded. He sold his 69% stake in Matalan in 2000, then in 2006 took it private through Missouri Bidco, a company 53.5% owned by him and his family.\n\nAs a partner in Mr Hargreaves' bid, there is also Cafer Mahiroglu, the owner of Select Fashions. At 50, he is the youngest of these High Street players.\n\nMr Mahiroglu's family owns a music store chain in Turkey and, crucially, factories across Turkey, Romania and Vietnam, which supply about 80% of Select's clothing merchandise.\n\nNames that had been mentioned included Poundstretcher boss Aziz Tayub and Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, although Mr Ashley's proposal was reportedly rejected for being too low.\n\nOne factor that has complicated matters is that BHS has been selling off much of its stock in a discount sale, reducing the value of its assets and making it more expensive for any new owner to replenish the items.\n\nIf no deal can be struck, Duff & Phelps have already lined up three firms to act as liquidators. Alteri, Hilco and Gordon Brothers would then break up the business and sell it off piecemeal.\n\nThe 164-store chain includes about 40 loss-making shops. Freed from the need to take them all, many other bidders might be prepared to cherry-pick parts of the once-prosperous empire.", "summary": "The department store BHS is up for bid on Thursday, with the lead by Greg Tuffnell. Other bidders have faded, like John Hargreaves and Cafer Mahiroglu. Tuffnell hopes to be chariman and has the credentials. If the bid fails, Duff & Phelps have lined up three liquidators"}
{"article_id": "d5974b0899c84a7eac8d8c681c8f697a", "article": "DNA in dog mess could be used to catch owners who fail to clear up their pet's mess. A firm in north Wales wants to bring the PooPrints service from the United States to the UK with up to 15 councils reportedly interested in the scheme. Councils could make owners in problem areas register their dogs to a database which involves a mouth swab taken. Then, DNA could be taken from mess left on a street, path or grass and used to find a match on the database. Gary Downie, managing director of Streetkleen Bio in Ruthin, Denbighshire, believes local authorities can use new powers granted by the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing Act 2014 to force dog owners to comply. \"The purpose of the system is to get cleaner, safer open spaces,\" he said. Councils the company is in talks with include Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, Aberdeen and Cheshire East.", "summary": "DNA in dog poop can now be used to catch owners who fail to clean up their dog's mess. Under new powers granted by the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing Act of 2014, councils could make dog owners register their dogs to a database via a mouth swab. "}
{"article_id": "fc0759c80e584fa4b407d74b350f2c6c", "article": "(CNN)The number of new HIV infections in a rural Indiana county has grown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The institute is working with state health leaders to control the \"severe outbreak,\" which has spread among users of a prescription opioid called Opana.\n\nThe outbreak has been ongoing since mid-December. As of Friday, 142 people have tested positive for HIV, with 136 confirmed cases and six more with preliminary positive test results, all in rural Scott and Jackson counties. This is a huge number of cases for an area that has a population of only a few thousand people.\n\nThe CDC and state health leaders held a news conference Friday to talk about the new numbers and about the growing threat of the spread of disease from IV drug use, especially in isolated rural areas that have sparse health resources.\n\nScott County, the epicenter of the outbreak, has only one doctor who deals with infectious disease, but the doctor is not an HIV specialist, the State Department of Health said. Since the rampant HIV outbreak was first noticed in mid-December, the state has tried to flood the area with additional resources. Indiana declared a public health emergency in that county in March.\n\nIndiana University has sent health volunteers to provide a clinic, open once a week to help treat people and test them for HIV. These workers are also going door to door to try to educate the population about the danger of sharing needles.\n\nSo far, 33 patients have visited the temporary clinic, which is starting to see patients return to seek treatment.\n\nIt's no coincidence that many of the cases of the newly infected there are younger people \"who weren't around in the '80s and '90s when HIV was at its peak,\" Dr. Jonathan Mermin said. In the 1980s, doctors were seeing an average of 35,000 new HIV infections among IV drug users, and that figure has been down 90% nationally, he said. So people aren't as aware about the danger of sharing needles.\n\nMermin is the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Education will be key, he emphasized. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence also signed a 30-day executive order that allows for a needle exchange. It was set to expire Friday, but he extended the order another 30 days Tuesday. Needle exchanges have been scientifically shown to reduce new infections.\n\nThe state is also offering job services to people in the area. Dr. Joan Duwve, the chief medical consultant with the Indiana State Department of Health, spoke at length about how communities all along the Ohio River in her state and in Kentucky and West Virginia have seen a huge problem with prescription drug abuse, particularly in areas where there \"is not a lot to do.\"\n\nMany family members, across generations, live in the same house and will use the drugs together as \"a community activity,\" Duwve said. And this has led to more needle sharing, which spreads infection. She said this has been a problem for these areas for at least a decade.\n\nAnother reason this infection has spread so rapidly is the nature of the drug itself. Opana, as the prescription opioid is known, needs to be injected more than once a day. Duwve said residents have reported injecting it four to 10 times a day to stay under its influence. When people start to feel the drug wear off after about four hours, they begin to feel sick and go into withdrawal. Often they'll turn to an injecting partner in the same house who will share their needle and their drug to give the person relief from these symptoms.\n\nThe other problem with this drug is that it requires a larger-gauge needle that exposes users to more blood, which increases the risk of infection.\n\nHealth leaders worry about the spread of HIV and other diseases such as hepatitis C around the country as the number of illegal prescription drug users has grown. There has been a 150% increase in hepatitis C between 2010 and 2013, the majority of the increase believed to be from injection drug abusers, the CDC said.\n\n\"The situation in Indiana should serve as a warning not to let our guard down,\" Mermin said. \"This is a powerful reminder\" that HIV and other infectious diseases \"can gain ground at any time, unless you remain vigilant.\"", "summary": "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that the opioid crisis in rural Scott, Indiana, has grown. The culprit, a prescription opioid called Opana, is being used interveineously by residents. Both the lack of clean needles and the composition of the drug itself has contributed to a startling string of new HIV infections."}
{"article_id": "fc0759c80e584fa4b407d74b350f2c6c", "article": "(CNN)The number of new HIV infections in a rural Indiana county has grown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The institute is working with state health leaders to control the \"severe outbreak,\" which has spread among users of a prescription opioid called Opana.\n\nThe outbreak has been ongoing since mid-December. As of Friday, 142 people have tested positive for HIV, with 136 confirmed cases and six more with preliminary positive test results, all in rural Scott and Jackson counties. This is a huge number of cases for an area that has a population of only a few thousand people.\n\nThe CDC and state health leaders held a news conference Friday to talk about the new numbers and about the growing threat of the spread of disease from IV drug use, especially in isolated rural areas that have sparse health resources.\n\nScott County, the epicenter of the outbreak, has only one doctor who deals with infectious disease, but the doctor is not an HIV specialist, the State Department of Health said. Since the rampant HIV outbreak was first noticed in mid-December, the state has tried to flood the area with additional resources. Indiana declared a public health emergency in that county in March.\n\nIndiana University has sent health volunteers to provide a clinic, open once a week to help treat people and test them for HIV. These workers are also going door to door to try to educate the population about the danger of sharing needles.\n\nSo far, 33 patients have visited the temporary clinic, which is starting to see patients return to seek treatment.\n\nIt's no coincidence that many of the cases of the newly infected there are younger people \"who weren't around in the '80s and '90s when HIV was at its peak,\" Dr. Jonathan Mermin said. In the 1980s, doctors were seeing an average of 35,000 new HIV infections among IV drug users, and that figure has been down 90% nationally, he said. So people aren't as aware about the danger of sharing needles.\n\nMermin is the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Education will be key, he emphasized. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence also signed a 30-day executive order that allows for a needle exchange. It was set to expire Friday, but he extended the order another 30 days Tuesday. Needle exchanges have been scientifically shown to reduce new infections.\n\nThe state is also offering job services to people in the area. Dr. Joan Duwve, the chief medical consultant with the Indiana State Department of Health, spoke at length about how communities all along the Ohio River in her state and in Kentucky and West Virginia have seen a huge problem with prescription drug abuse, particularly in areas where there \"is not a lot to do.\"\n\nMany family members, across generations, live in the same house and will use the drugs together as \"a community activity,\" Duwve said. And this has led to more needle sharing, which spreads infection. She said this has been a problem for these areas for at least a decade.\n\nAnother reason this infection has spread so rapidly is the nature of the drug itself. Opana, as the prescription opioid is known, needs to be injected more than once a day. Duwve said residents have reported injecting it four to 10 times a day to stay under its influence. When people start to feel the drug wear off after about four hours, they begin to feel sick and go into withdrawal. Often they'll turn to an injecting partner in the same house who will share their needle and their drug to give the person relief from these symptoms.\n\nThe other problem with this drug is that it requires a larger-gauge needle that exposes users to more blood, which increases the risk of infection.\n\nHealth leaders worry about the spread of HIV and other diseases such as hepatitis C around the country as the number of illegal prescription drug users has grown. There has been a 150% increase in hepatitis C between 2010 and 2013, the majority of the increase believed to be from injection drug abusers, the CDC said.\n\n\"The situation in Indiana should serve as a warning not to let our guard down,\" Mermin said. \"This is a powerful reminder\" that HIV and other infectious diseases \"can gain ground at any time, unless you remain vigilant.\"", "summary": "Indiana declared a public health emergency due to high numbers of new HIV infections in rural counties. The spread is believed to be from sharing needles by those abusing a prescription opioid medication. The CDC has established a clinic and provided assistance and education in hopes of stopping the spread. "}
{"article_id": "197ac2ec9f4247bca556023c0593c113", "article": "Sacked: But Jeremy Clarkson will not face prosecution over the incident which got him sacked from Top Gear.\n\nJeremy Clarkson will not face prosecution over the attack on a Top Gear producer which led to him being sacked from the hit BBC show.\n\nPolice had opened an investigation into the incident, which took place at a hotel in Hawes, North Yorkshire last month after Clarkson had been filming Top Gear in the area.\n\nHowever, after the victim Oisin Tymon said that he did not want to press charges, officers have now decided to drop the probe without taking action against Clarkson.\n\nA North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: \u2018North Yorkshire Police has now completed its routine enquiries following the incident at Hawes involving Mr Jeremy Clarkson, and we will not be pursuing this matter any further.\n\n\u2018North Yorkshire Police takes a thorough and victim-led approach to all investigations.\n\n\u2018Last week, the person at the centre of the incident, Mr Tymon, said that he did not wish the police to take action on his behalf.\n\n\u2018However, at that point we still needed to speak to some members of the public who were present at the time of the incident, who had been affected by the event, and whose views also needed to be considered.\n\n\u2018Now that all the interviews are complete, we have properly established that there is no need for further police action.\u2019\n\nThe incident, described as a 'fracas' by BBC officials, occurred when Clarkson discovered that the hotel where he was staying could not serve him a hot meal following a day's filming.\n\nAn official report found that the 54-year-old presenter punched Mr Tymon in the mouth before being dragged away by a witness, causing the producer to go to A&E for emergency treatment.\n\nHe also verbally abused him for 20 minutes, blaming Mr Tymon for failing to ensure that he could get a steak at the hotel.\n\nVictim: Oisin Tymon told police he did not wish to press charges against Mr Clarkson.\n\nMr Clarkson was suspended as Top Gear presenter as soon as news of the fight came to light, and after the report was released the BBC announced that it would not renew his contract.\n\nHe has repeatedly apologised to Mr Tymon both in public and privately, and the producer told North Yorkshire Police he did not want to see Mr Clarkson prosecuted.\n\nDespite his sacking, Mr Clarkson is set to take part in a series of Top Gear Live shows alongside co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May, although the performances will be rebranded.\n\nThe BBC has said that Top Gear is likely to continue in some form, but Mr Hammond and Mr May are not expected to return.\n\nThe star initially received widespread public support - including from his friend, Prime Minister David Cameron - in the aftermath of the incident, while one million people signed a petition calling for the BBC to reinstate him.\n\nTrio: Mr Clarkson is still set to appear in Top Gear live shows alongside Richard Hammond and James May.\n\nBut director-general Tony Hall said 'a line has been crossed' and that 'there cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another'.\n\nLord Hall has faced death threats since he announced that Mr Clarkson would be sacked, and has had bodyguards assigned to protect him and his family.\n\nIt is not yet known what Mr Clarkson's next move will be - he has been linked with a move to another channel, while the decision to continue the live shows has prompted speculation that he could continue to work with Mr Hammond and Mr May.\n\nIt has also been suggested that Top Gear boss Andy Wilman, a childhood friend of Mr Clarkson, could be leaving the show, after an email to staff which was widely interpreted as a farewell to Top Gear was leaked last week.\n\nLast week it emerged that Mr Hammond and Mr May were each selling off several classic motorbikes from their extensive collections.\n\nThe 12 cycles have a guide price estimate of \u00a366,000, but the novelty value could push up the price far beyond that - though Mr May insisted the sale was not linked to Mr Clarkson's dismissal.\n\nThe co-presenter has mocked his own newfound unemployment since the incident, recently posting a video of cooking tips in which he instructs viewers how to make a shepherd's pie.", "summary": "Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson will not face prosecution over attacking one of the producers of the show. Although Clarkson was sacked from the program, the victim, Mr. Tymon did not want to press charges. Tymon was punched and verbally abused by Clarkson after finding out that he couldn't get a steak after filming. "}
{"article_id": "197ac2ec9f4247bca556023c0593c113", "article": "Sacked: But Jeremy Clarkson will not face prosecution over the incident which got him sacked from Top Gear.\n\nJeremy Clarkson will not face prosecution over the attack on a Top Gear producer which led to him being sacked from the hit BBC show.\n\nPolice had opened an investigation into the incident, which took place at a hotel in Hawes, North Yorkshire last month after Clarkson had been filming Top Gear in the area.\n\nHowever, after the victim Oisin Tymon said that he did not want to press charges, officers have now decided to drop the probe without taking action against Clarkson.\n\nA North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: \u2018North Yorkshire Police has now completed its routine enquiries following the incident at Hawes involving Mr Jeremy Clarkson, and we will not be pursuing this matter any further.\n\n\u2018North Yorkshire Police takes a thorough and victim-led approach to all investigations.\n\n\u2018Last week, the person at the centre of the incident, Mr Tymon, said that he did not wish the police to take action on his behalf.\n\n\u2018However, at that point we still needed to speak to some members of the public who were present at the time of the incident, who had been affected by the event, and whose views also needed to be considered.\n\n\u2018Now that all the interviews are complete, we have properly established that there is no need for further police action.\u2019\n\nThe incident, described as a 'fracas' by BBC officials, occurred when Clarkson discovered that the hotel where he was staying could not serve him a hot meal following a day's filming.\n\nAn official report found that the 54-year-old presenter punched Mr Tymon in the mouth before being dragged away by a witness, causing the producer to go to A&E for emergency treatment.\n\nHe also verbally abused him for 20 minutes, blaming Mr Tymon for failing to ensure that he could get a steak at the hotel.\n\nVictim: Oisin Tymon told police he did not wish to press charges against Mr Clarkson.\n\nMr Clarkson was suspended as Top Gear presenter as soon as news of the fight came to light, and after the report was released the BBC announced that it would not renew his contract.\n\nHe has repeatedly apologised to Mr Tymon both in public and privately, and the producer told North Yorkshire Police he did not want to see Mr Clarkson prosecuted.\n\nDespite his sacking, Mr Clarkson is set to take part in a series of Top Gear Live shows alongside co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May, although the performances will be rebranded.\n\nThe BBC has said that Top Gear is likely to continue in some form, but Mr Hammond and Mr May are not expected to return.\n\nThe star initially received widespread public support - including from his friend, Prime Minister David Cameron - in the aftermath of the incident, while one million people signed a petition calling for the BBC to reinstate him.\n\nTrio: Mr Clarkson is still set to appear in Top Gear live shows alongside Richard Hammond and James May.\n\nBut director-general Tony Hall said 'a line has been crossed' and that 'there cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another'.\n\nLord Hall has faced death threats since he announced that Mr Clarkson would be sacked, and has had bodyguards assigned to protect him and his family.\n\nIt is not yet known what Mr Clarkson's next move will be - he has been linked with a move to another channel, while the decision to continue the live shows has prompted speculation that he could continue to work with Mr Hammond and Mr May.\n\nIt has also been suggested that Top Gear boss Andy Wilman, a childhood friend of Mr Clarkson, could be leaving the show, after an email to staff which was widely interpreted as a farewell to Top Gear was leaked last week.\n\nLast week it emerged that Mr Hammond and Mr May were each selling off several classic motorbikes from their extensive collections.\n\nThe 12 cycles have a guide price estimate of \u00a366,000, but the novelty value could push up the price far beyond that - though Mr May insisted the sale was not linked to Mr Clarkson's dismissal.\n\nThe co-presenter has mocked his own newfound unemployment since the incident, recently posting a video of cooking tips in which he instructs viewers how to make a shepherd's pie.", "summary": "Jeremy Clarkson was fired by the BBC after an incident in North Yorkshire where he allegedly punched a producer for not ensuring he had a meal available after work. Although the police investigated, the victim declined to press charges and the investigation was dropped. "}
{"article_id": "f1d84317501a4ba285f0e81384471f6e", "article": "Sport funding in Scotland is facing a 20% reduction over a three-year period, a move described as \"heartbreaking\" by the national agency.\n\nsportscotland says it has yet to decide where the cuts will fall amid concerns that elite athletes could suffer.\n\nThe cuts are being blamed on reduced government spending and a drop in National Lottery ticket sales - a major contributor to sports backing.\n\nGoverning bodies are bracing themselves for potential job losses.\n\nAbout 60% of funding is made up from Scottish Government money, with lottery sales making up the rest.\n\nIn the year ending 2015, total revenue was \u00a365.1m, which is divided up and awarded to 52 sports.\n\nBy the end of next year, that figure will have fallen to \u00a351.8m - a cut to the Scottish sporting budget of 20% in just three years.\n\nsportscotland chairman Mel Young said: \"It's heartbreaking to me because I know the effort the sport governing bodies and the community that's around it; the volunteers and the mums and dads.\n\n\"And, to have to say that we're having to cut some money back is, I believe, not the right way to go.\"\n\nFormer badminton player Susan Egelstaff, a double bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games [in 2002 and 2006] and an Olympian, fears the cuts will have \"a huge impact\".\n\n\"What that means in the future is that Scotland will be constantly playing catch-up,\" she said. \"It's almost impossible to catch up if you fall too far behind the leading nations.\"\n\nThe Scottish Government said sport and physical activity play a \"key role\" in a healthy Scotland and that \"significant\" investment would continue in those areas.\n\n\"Having successfully delivered the Commonwealth Games [in 2014] we are now focusing on protecting or raising investment in areas intended to decrease health inequality and improve life chances, and the small reduction in the sport budget allows us to support those priorities,\" Minister for Sport Aileen Campbell said.\n\n\"There is on-going support for active lifestyles through capital investment in cycling and walking, and over the last 10 years we have invested \u00a3168m in sport infrastructure - from grassroots to the elite performance which has increased the facilities and opportunities to get people active and achieve on the world stage at both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.\"", "summary": "Funding for sports in Scotland is facing a 20% reduction over the next three years. The budget is divided between 52 different sports and lesser-played sports like badminton may face the most cuts. The Scottish government says physical activity plays a key role and funding will continue. "}
{"article_id": "f1d84317501a4ba285f0e81384471f6e", "article": "Sport funding in Scotland is facing a 20% reduction over a three-year period, a move described as \"heartbreaking\" by the national agency.\n\nsportscotland says it has yet to decide where the cuts will fall amid concerns that elite athletes could suffer.\n\nThe cuts are being blamed on reduced government spending and a drop in National Lottery ticket sales - a major contributor to sports backing.\n\nGoverning bodies are bracing themselves for potential job losses.\n\nAbout 60% of funding is made up from Scottish Government money, with lottery sales making up the rest.\n\nIn the year ending 2015, total revenue was \u00a365.1m, which is divided up and awarded to 52 sports.\n\nBy the end of next year, that figure will have fallen to \u00a351.8m - a cut to the Scottish sporting budget of 20% in just three years.\n\nsportscotland chairman Mel Young said: \"It's heartbreaking to me because I know the effort the sport governing bodies and the community that's around it; the volunteers and the mums and dads.\n\n\"And, to have to say that we're having to cut some money back is, I believe, not the right way to go.\"\n\nFormer badminton player Susan Egelstaff, a double bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games [in 2002 and 2006] and an Olympian, fears the cuts will have \"a huge impact\".\n\n\"What that means in the future is that Scotland will be constantly playing catch-up,\" she said. \"It's almost impossible to catch up if you fall too far behind the leading nations.\"\n\nThe Scottish Government said sport and physical activity play a \"key role\" in a healthy Scotland and that \"significant\" investment would continue in those areas.\n\n\"Having successfully delivered the Commonwealth Games [in 2014] we are now focusing on protecting or raising investment in areas intended to decrease health inequality and improve life chances, and the small reduction in the sport budget allows us to support those priorities,\" Minister for Sport Aileen Campbell said.\n\n\"There is on-going support for active lifestyles through capital investment in cycling and walking, and over the last 10 years we have invested \u00a3168m in sport infrastructure - from grassroots to the elite performance which has increased the facilities and opportunities to get people active and achieve on the world stage at both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.\"", "summary": "The country of Scotland is potentially facing a 20% reduction in sports funding over the next three years.  The expected cuts are being blamed on a reduction in government spending.  Bodies of government are preparing for an increase in possible job losses."}
{"article_id": "f1d84317501a4ba285f0e81384471f6e", "article": "Sport funding in Scotland is facing a 20% reduction over a three-year period, a move described as \"heartbreaking\" by the national agency.\n\nsportscotland says it has yet to decide where the cuts will fall amid concerns that elite athletes could suffer.\n\nThe cuts are being blamed on reduced government spending and a drop in National Lottery ticket sales - a major contributor to sports backing.\n\nGoverning bodies are bracing themselves for potential job losses.\n\nAbout 60% of funding is made up from Scottish Government money, with lottery sales making up the rest.\n\nIn the year ending 2015, total revenue was \u00a365.1m, which is divided up and awarded to 52 sports.\n\nBy the end of next year, that figure will have fallen to \u00a351.8m - a cut to the Scottish sporting budget of 20% in just three years.\n\nsportscotland chairman Mel Young said: \"It's heartbreaking to me because I know the effort the sport governing bodies and the community that's around it; the volunteers and the mums and dads.\n\n\"And, to have to say that we're having to cut some money back is, I believe, not the right way to go.\"\n\nFormer badminton player Susan Egelstaff, a double bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games [in 2002 and 2006] and an Olympian, fears the cuts will have \"a huge impact\".\n\n\"What that means in the future is that Scotland will be constantly playing catch-up,\" she said. \"It's almost impossible to catch up if you fall too far behind the leading nations.\"\n\nThe Scottish Government said sport and physical activity play a \"key role\" in a healthy Scotland and that \"significant\" investment would continue in those areas.\n\n\"Having successfully delivered the Commonwealth Games [in 2014] we are now focusing on protecting or raising investment in areas intended to decrease health inequality and improve life chances, and the small reduction in the sport budget allows us to support those priorities,\" Minister for Sport Aileen Campbell said.\n\n\"There is on-going support for active lifestyles through capital investment in cycling and walking, and over the last 10 years we have invested \u00a3168m in sport infrastructure - from grassroots to the elite performance which has increased the facilities and opportunities to get people active and achieve on the world stage at both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.\"", "summary": "Funding is important in sports, as sports and physical activities play a key role in people's health. Scotland has been facing a 20% reduction in sports funding over 3 years. But certain measures are being put in place to restore the balance."}
{"article_id": "f1d84317501a4ba285f0e81384471f6e", "article": "Sport funding in Scotland is facing a 20% reduction over a three-year period, a move described as \"heartbreaking\" by the national agency.\n\nsportscotland says it has yet to decide where the cuts will fall amid concerns that elite athletes could suffer.\n\nThe cuts are being blamed on reduced government spending and a drop in National Lottery ticket sales - a major contributor to sports backing.\n\nGoverning bodies are bracing themselves for potential job losses.\n\nAbout 60% of funding is made up from Scottish Government money, with lottery sales making up the rest.\n\nIn the year ending 2015, total revenue was \u00a365.1m, which is divided up and awarded to 52 sports.\n\nBy the end of next year, that figure will have fallen to \u00a351.8m - a cut to the Scottish sporting budget of 20% in just three years.\n\nsportscotland chairman Mel Young said: \"It's heartbreaking to me because I know the effort the sport governing bodies and the community that's around it; the volunteers and the mums and dads.\n\n\"And, to have to say that we're having to cut some money back is, I believe, not the right way to go.\"\n\nFormer badminton player Susan Egelstaff, a double bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games [in 2002 and 2006] and an Olympian, fears the cuts will have \"a huge impact\".\n\n\"What that means in the future is that Scotland will be constantly playing catch-up,\" she said. \"It's almost impossible to catch up if you fall too far behind the leading nations.\"\n\nThe Scottish Government said sport and physical activity play a \"key role\" in a healthy Scotland and that \"significant\" investment would continue in those areas.\n\n\"Having successfully delivered the Commonwealth Games [in 2014] we are now focusing on protecting or raising investment in areas intended to decrease health inequality and improve life chances, and the small reduction in the sport budget allows us to support those priorities,\" Minister for Sport Aileen Campbell said.\n\n\"There is on-going support for active lifestyles through capital investment in cycling and walking, and over the last 10 years we have invested \u00a3168m in sport infrastructure - from grassroots to the elite performance which has increased the facilities and opportunities to get people active and achieve on the world stage at both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.\"", "summary": "Scotland is reducing funding for sports by 20% over a three-year period. This decision was made to prioritize investments in other areas that intend to decrease health inequality and improve life chances. Critics of the budget cut say that this will put Scotland behind other countries in terms of sports achievements. "}
{"article_id": "658c33365a264d1ebb7adace464406e9", "article": "Another election is probably the last thing the public want to hear about after what we've just gone through but that's exactly what the parties at the assembly are gearing up for next year.\n\nThe Conservatives have been given a huge confidence boost and will feel in a position to challenge in more constituencies next year, rather than just on the list.\n\nAt the party's weekly press briefing, I asked the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, who was elected on the list, whether he'd stand as a constituency candidate in his home turf of the Vale of Glamorgan but he said he hadn't thought about it.\n\nPresumably those are the kind of decisions they will now feel more confident contemplating.\n\nThe party will also have a huge amount of new data on voters which it'll be able to call upon and the belief that campaigning hard on the NHS helped the Tories cross the line in places like the Vale of Clwyd and Gower.\n\nThe Conservatives feel it's them, rather than any of the other opposition parties, who have become the repository of votes from those who are disaffected by the state of the NHS.\n\nWelsh Labour are going to hold a \"short sharp\" analysis into what went wrong.\n\nCarwyn Jones was in line with most of the criticism of Ed Miliband when he told AMs that the party needed to appeal to small business owners who are not millionaires but who work hard.\n\nWhat will be more difficult is countering the argument on the NHS, which the former minister Alun Davies believes is already lost.\n\nAnother potential difficulty for Welsh Labour will be dealing with unhappiness within the party over council re-organisation.\n\nBernie Attridge, the deputy leader of Flintshire Council, has tweeted saying the party needs to be careful on local government reform if it wants to retain the support of grassroots councillors.\n\nIt also seems to have been the case that Labour lost more votes to UKIP than the Conservatives, which is another challenge to overcome.\n\nBut Labour will at least have the advantage that it will be David Cameron, and not Ed Miliband, carrying out the latest round of public sector cuts that are likely to take effect sooner rather than later.\n\nThe question is whether Carwyn Jones is going to be able to turn that to his advantage when his own record in government will be under scrutiny.\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokesman, Simon Thomas, also in the party's weekly press briefing, said he believed Leanne Wood could portray herself as an alternative first minister because of the way she emotionally connected with people in the campaign.\n\nThe party now has a year to make that a credible proposition after it failed to gain any new seats and came fourth, behind UKIP, in the overall share of the vote, despite her unprecedented profile.\n\nHe also said that on the campaign trail people wanted to know what Plaid was going to do about the NHS and that people \"did not see the strengths\" of its arguments.\n\nThe Welsh Liberal Democrats are still licking their wounds but in a \"je ne regrette rien\" moment, the leader Kirsty Williams said she had no regrets over the coalition.\n\nShe has admitted the party failed to communicate what they were standing for. It will now hold a series of meetings across Wales as it tries to rally members for an election that it'll be able to fight unshackled of being in coalition government which was clearly a burden to many of them.", "summary": "\nAlthough not what people are hoping for, the parties at the assembly are gearing up for an election next year. The Conservatives have been given a huge confidence boost. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are still licking their wounds, but Kirsty Williams says she has no regrets over the coalition.\n"}
{"article_id": "658c33365a264d1ebb7adace464406e9", "article": "Another election is probably the last thing the public want to hear about after what we've just gone through but that's exactly what the parties at the assembly are gearing up for next year.\n\nThe Conservatives have been given a huge confidence boost and will feel in a position to challenge in more constituencies next year, rather than just on the list.\n\nAt the party's weekly press briefing, I asked the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, who was elected on the list, whether he'd stand as a constituency candidate in his home turf of the Vale of Glamorgan but he said he hadn't thought about it.\n\nPresumably those are the kind of decisions they will now feel more confident contemplating.\n\nThe party will also have a huge amount of new data on voters which it'll be able to call upon and the belief that campaigning hard on the NHS helped the Tories cross the line in places like the Vale of Clwyd and Gower.\n\nThe Conservatives feel it's them, rather than any of the other opposition parties, who have become the repository of votes from those who are disaffected by the state of the NHS.\n\nWelsh Labour are going to hold a \"short sharp\" analysis into what went wrong.\n\nCarwyn Jones was in line with most of the criticism of Ed Miliband when he told AMs that the party needed to appeal to small business owners who are not millionaires but who work hard.\n\nWhat will be more difficult is countering the argument on the NHS, which the former minister Alun Davies believes is already lost.\n\nAnother potential difficulty for Welsh Labour will be dealing with unhappiness within the party over council re-organisation.\n\nBernie Attridge, the deputy leader of Flintshire Council, has tweeted saying the party needs to be careful on local government reform if it wants to retain the support of grassroots councillors.\n\nIt also seems to have been the case that Labour lost more votes to UKIP than the Conservatives, which is another challenge to overcome.\n\nBut Labour will at least have the advantage that it will be David Cameron, and not Ed Miliband, carrying out the latest round of public sector cuts that are likely to take effect sooner rather than later.\n\nThe question is whether Carwyn Jones is going to be able to turn that to his advantage when his own record in government will be under scrutiny.\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokesman, Simon Thomas, also in the party's weekly press briefing, said he believed Leanne Wood could portray herself as an alternative first minister because of the way she emotionally connected with people in the campaign.\n\nThe party now has a year to make that a credible proposition after it failed to gain any new seats and came fourth, behind UKIP, in the overall share of the vote, despite her unprecedented profile.\n\nHe also said that on the campaign trail people wanted to know what Plaid was going to do about the NHS and that people \"did not see the strengths\" of its arguments.\n\nThe Welsh Liberal Democrats are still licking their wounds but in a \"je ne regrette rien\" moment, the leader Kirsty Williams said she had no regrets over the coalition.\n\nShe has admitted the party failed to communicate what they were standing for. It will now hold a series of meetings across Wales as it tries to rally members for an election that it'll be able to fight unshackled of being in coalition government which was clearly a burden to many of them.", "summary": "The Welsh Liberal Democrats lost more seats to the rival UKIP party than the Conservative party did. Many have pointed out the poor condition of the NHS as a cause for the shift. The Liberal Democrats also failed to deliver a compelling message to voters. "}
{"article_id": "658c33365a264d1ebb7adace464406e9", "article": "Another election is probably the last thing the public want to hear about after what we've just gone through but that's exactly what the parties at the assembly are gearing up for next year.\n\nThe Conservatives have been given a huge confidence boost and will feel in a position to challenge in more constituencies next year, rather than just on the list.\n\nAt the party's weekly press briefing, I asked the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies, who was elected on the list, whether he'd stand as a constituency candidate in his home turf of the Vale of Glamorgan but he said he hadn't thought about it.\n\nPresumably those are the kind of decisions they will now feel more confident contemplating.\n\nThe party will also have a huge amount of new data on voters which it'll be able to call upon and the belief that campaigning hard on the NHS helped the Tories cross the line in places like the Vale of Clwyd and Gower.\n\nThe Conservatives feel it's them, rather than any of the other opposition parties, who have become the repository of votes from those who are disaffected by the state of the NHS.\n\nWelsh Labour are going to hold a \"short sharp\" analysis into what went wrong.\n\nCarwyn Jones was in line with most of the criticism of Ed Miliband when he told AMs that the party needed to appeal to small business owners who are not millionaires but who work hard.\n\nWhat will be more difficult is countering the argument on the NHS, which the former minister Alun Davies believes is already lost.\n\nAnother potential difficulty for Welsh Labour will be dealing with unhappiness within the party over council re-organisation.\n\nBernie Attridge, the deputy leader of Flintshire Council, has tweeted saying the party needs to be careful on local government reform if it wants to retain the support of grassroots councillors.\n\nIt also seems to have been the case that Labour lost more votes to UKIP than the Conservatives, which is another challenge to overcome.\n\nBut Labour will at least have the advantage that it will be David Cameron, and not Ed Miliband, carrying out the latest round of public sector cuts that are likely to take effect sooner rather than later.\n\nThe question is whether Carwyn Jones is going to be able to turn that to his advantage when his own record in government will be under scrutiny.\n\nPlaid Cymru's education spokesman, Simon Thomas, also in the party's weekly press briefing, said he believed Leanne Wood could portray herself as an alternative first minister because of the way she emotionally connected with people in the campaign.\n\nThe party now has a year to make that a credible proposition after it failed to gain any new seats and came fourth, behind UKIP, in the overall share of the vote, despite her unprecedented profile.\n\nHe also said that on the campaign trail people wanted to know what Plaid was going to do about the NHS and that people \"did not see the strengths\" of its arguments.\n\nThe Welsh Liberal Democrats are still licking their wounds but in a \"je ne regrette rien\" moment, the leader Kirsty Williams said she had no regrets over the coalition.\n\nShe has admitted the party failed to communicate what they were standing for. It will now hold a series of meetings across Wales as it tries to rally members for an election that it'll be able to fight unshackled of being in coalition government which was clearly a burden to many of them.", "summary": "The Conservatives were recently given a rather significant confidence boost as an announcement of another election would come next year.  The question remains if Carwyn Jones can overcome scrutiny over his current time in government.   Many also believe the Democrats are licking their wounds over their current coalition."}
{"article_id": "73a12c43e31346bf8c563bf8050d0b9b", "article": "WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in May at Camp Bucca in Iraq, naval officials said Thursday. U.S. guards patrol at Camp Bucca in Iraq in May. The Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises. The division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent, the Navy said. The six guards will face courts-martial. Seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment, according to a statement from the commander of U.S. Naval Forces-Central Command. The courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at Camp Bucca, which is in southern Iraq near the Kuwaiti border. The guards accused in the case are assigned to Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 4.", "summary": "The US Navy has charged six guards with assaulting detainees. The guards will face courts-martial which are expected to start in 30 days at camp Bucca.  "}
{"article_id": "3c226723cecb476391bf3d51e45a238d", "article": "Boston (CNN)Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bombs tore through their bodies: singeing flesh, shattering bones, shredding muscles and severing limbs. But on Tuesday, jurors also began to hear about the holes his bombs left in the hearts of the survivors and the families of the dead.\n\nNow that he has been found guilty on every count, the jury must decide whether Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev, 21, should live or die for what he has done.\n\nThis is the victim impact part of the case, and the testimony was heartbreaking. Four young people are gone, and grief fills the spaces they once occupied.\n\nA father with a shock of white hair cried for the daughter he called \"Princess.\"\n\n\"Krystle was the light of my life. She was extremely smart, hardworking, beautiful, every father's dream. I miss her a lot,\" said William A. Campbell Sr., dabbing at his eyes as he described his daughter, a 29-year-old restaurant manager who was killed in the first blast at the 2013 Boston Marathon.\n\nShe was the one who could round up the family and put on big celebrations, he said.\n\n\"Nobody fills that boot now.\"\n\nOthers are expected to come and cry for Lingzi Lu, \"a jolly soul,\" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini said, quoting the slain Chinese grad student's father.\n\nMore tears will be shed for Martin Richard, who was 8 and looked just like his dad. And for Sean Collier, who was remembered at his memorial service by these words: \"Big heart, big smiles, big service. All love.\"\n\n\"Dzhokhar Tsarnaev murdered each one of them in a way that they had time to feel pain, they had time to be scared and frightened, but they had no time to say good-bye,\" Pellegrini told the jury.\n\n\"And that is the very essence of terror.\"\n\nTimeline of bombings, manhunt and aftermath.\n\nTo understand the toll Tsarnaev's bombs took, jurors must know the stories of his victims, the prosecutor said.\n\n\"These young women, this young man and this little boy, all of them were loved and they loved in return,\" Pellegrini said. \"Before he murdered them in some of the cruelest ways imaginable, they were sons, they were daughters, they were grandchildren, they were brothers and they were sisters.\"\n\nJurors saw photograph after photograph of smiling, happy people with arms around siblings at weddings and birthday parties and family gatherings.\n\nThere was the photo of Campbell as a little girl in a red tap-dancing outfit. And then came the one that made her father smile through his tears. She was a little older and wearing a baseball uniform.\n\n\"She traded that in for a bat,\" Campbell said. \"She wasn't really a girly girl, but she loved to whitewater, camp, play baseball. She had a good arm on her. I was very proud of her.\"\n\nBy contrast, jurors also were left with an indelible image of Tsarnaev, taken when he was in a holding cell in the very courthouse where the trial is being held. It is dated July 10, 2013 -- the day of his arraignment on charges he deliberately set off the deadly bombs at the Boston Marathon.\n\nHe glares into the camera defiantly, his middle finger raised in a profane salute.\n\n\"This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged,\" Pellegrini said. \"Without remorse, he remains untouched by the grief and the loss that he caused.\"\n\nTsarnaev saw the people he killed as \"the enemy,\" she said. As a result, two women and a man never reached the age of 30, and a little boy never made it to the third grade.\n\n\"He knew they were innocents. He even called them that,\" Pellegrini added, referring to the message Tsarnaev scrawled onto the sides of a boat where he hid from police after the bombings.\n\n\"But it didn't stop him from murdering them.\"\n\nThe people who were maimed by Tsarnaev's bombs are also testifying during the sentencing phase of the trial as prosecutors try to show the impact on victims of the attacks.\n\nThe stories they told on the witness stand were even more gripping and horrific than the stories told during the guilt phase of Tsarnaev's trial.\n\nWhen the first of the two bombs went off, Gillian Reny, a senior in high school, was standing near the woman she came to know was  Krystle Campbell.\n\n\"There was a complete, utter chilling silence and then chaos. Chaos like I'd never seen and never hope to see again,\" she said. The force of the blast knocked her to the ground. When she looked around, she saw blood and muscle everywhere. Her shin bone had snapped and was protruding.\n\n\"Muscle was everywhere. It was the most horrifying image I could imagine. Just seeing that on my own body,\" she said, and began to cry. \"I remember looking around and it just seemed like there were bodies everywhere, blood everywhere.\"\n\nWere you bleeding? she was asked.\n\n\"Yes, enormously. Looking down at the blood I was just shocked that much blood could come out of someone,\" she said. \"I was terrified that I was going to die. I did not know that I could be that injured and survive.\"\n\nShe said she began to scream.\n\nHer bone-chilling cries could be heard on a video played in court -- the most graphic of many graphic images the jury has been shown.\n\nDoctors were able to save Reny's leg, but others weren't so lucky.\n\nCeleste Corcoran lost both legs, one below the knee and the other above the knee. An amputation above the knee is the most difficult injury to recover from, jurors have learned at this trial.\n\nCorcoran was at the finish line, waiting for her sister to cross.\n\n\"And then our whole world just exploded,\" she said. \"I unfortunately remember every single detail.\"\n\nShe remembers being knocked to the ground, hearing nothing and then screams, and seeing blood everywhere.\n\n\"It's kind of hard to explain but I want to get it right for all of you to understand,\" she told the jury. She said it was \"a surreal, out-of-body experience.\"  She remembers thinking, \"What was that?\" and wishing she could turn back time by five minutes.\n\nHer husband bent over her and told her it was a terrorist attack. By then, she began to feel pain worse than anything she had imagined. She wondered if she would die.\n\n\"It hurt too much. I just didn't care,\" she said. \"I remember thinking I was going to die, that no one could go through that much pain.  I knew it was very bad and I was thinking, 'Is this it? Am I going to die?' I remember thinking I wanted to die. The pain was too much. I wanted to die.\"\n\nAnd then, she said, \"the mom in me\" took over. She remembers telling herself: \" 'Hell no, I don't want to die. I have too much living to do. Don't let this be the end. This can't be the end.'\"\n\nShe remembers feeling relief once she arrived at the hospital, even as she signed the form authorizing doctors to take both her legs.\n\n\"Can I get on with my life? Absolutely,\" she said.\n\nBut she can never forget she's a double amputee.\n\n\"There's always a level of discomfort. Right now I'm not comfortable,\" she said from the witness stand. \"The bottoms of my limbs, there's this constant numb burning sensation. The only way I can describe it is it's like you have the worst athlete's foot in my life.\"\n\nSometimes, she feels a stabbing sensation where her toes and calves used to be.\n\n\"You don't realize until you're a double amputee how many dips and hills and inclines there are,\" she said. \"Inclines are very hard.\"\n\nDaily life is literally an uphill battle.\n\nOpinion: What Tsarnaev deserves.\n\nCNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.", "summary": "Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, has been found guilty on every count. Now the jury must decide whether the 21-year-old deserves to die for his actions. The bombing killed four people, including an eight-year-old child, and severely injured multiple other runners who participated in the  2013 marathon. "}
{"article_id": "3c226723cecb476391bf3d51e45a238d", "article": "Boston (CNN)Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bombs tore through their bodies: singeing flesh, shattering bones, shredding muscles and severing limbs. But on Tuesday, jurors also began to hear about the holes his bombs left in the hearts of the survivors and the families of the dead.\n\nNow that he has been found guilty on every count, the jury must decide whether Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev, 21, should live or die for what he has done.\n\nThis is the victim impact part of the case, and the testimony was heartbreaking. Four young people are gone, and grief fills the spaces they once occupied.\n\nA father with a shock of white hair cried for the daughter he called \"Princess.\"\n\n\"Krystle was the light of my life. She was extremely smart, hardworking, beautiful, every father's dream. I miss her a lot,\" said William A. Campbell Sr., dabbing at his eyes as he described his daughter, a 29-year-old restaurant manager who was killed in the first blast at the 2013 Boston Marathon.\n\nShe was the one who could round up the family and put on big celebrations, he said.\n\n\"Nobody fills that boot now.\"\n\nOthers are expected to come and cry for Lingzi Lu, \"a jolly soul,\" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini said, quoting the slain Chinese grad student's father.\n\nMore tears will be shed for Martin Richard, who was 8 and looked just like his dad. And for Sean Collier, who was remembered at his memorial service by these words: \"Big heart, big smiles, big service. All love.\"\n\n\"Dzhokhar Tsarnaev murdered each one of them in a way that they had time to feel pain, they had time to be scared and frightened, but they had no time to say good-bye,\" Pellegrini told the jury.\n\n\"And that is the very essence of terror.\"\n\nTimeline of bombings, manhunt and aftermath.\n\nTo understand the toll Tsarnaev's bombs took, jurors must know the stories of his victims, the prosecutor said.\n\n\"These young women, this young man and this little boy, all of them were loved and they loved in return,\" Pellegrini said. \"Before he murdered them in some of the cruelest ways imaginable, they were sons, they were daughters, they were grandchildren, they were brothers and they were sisters.\"\n\nJurors saw photograph after photograph of smiling, happy people with arms around siblings at weddings and birthday parties and family gatherings.\n\nThere was the photo of Campbell as a little girl in a red tap-dancing outfit. And then came the one that made her father smile through his tears. She was a little older and wearing a baseball uniform.\n\n\"She traded that in for a bat,\" Campbell said. \"She wasn't really a girly girl, but she loved to whitewater, camp, play baseball. She had a good arm on her. I was very proud of her.\"\n\nBy contrast, jurors also were left with an indelible image of Tsarnaev, taken when he was in a holding cell in the very courthouse where the trial is being held. It is dated July 10, 2013 -- the day of his arraignment on charges he deliberately set off the deadly bombs at the Boston Marathon.\n\nHe glares into the camera defiantly, his middle finger raised in a profane salute.\n\n\"This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged,\" Pellegrini said. \"Without remorse, he remains untouched by the grief and the loss that he caused.\"\n\nTsarnaev saw the people he killed as \"the enemy,\" she said. As a result, two women and a man never reached the age of 30, and a little boy never made it to the third grade.\n\n\"He knew they were innocents. He even called them that,\" Pellegrini added, referring to the message Tsarnaev scrawled onto the sides of a boat where he hid from police after the bombings.\n\n\"But it didn't stop him from murdering them.\"\n\nThe people who were maimed by Tsarnaev's bombs are also testifying during the sentencing phase of the trial as prosecutors try to show the impact on victims of the attacks.\n\nThe stories they told on the witness stand were even more gripping and horrific than the stories told during the guilt phase of Tsarnaev's trial.\n\nWhen the first of the two bombs went off, Gillian Reny, a senior in high school, was standing near the woman she came to know was  Krystle Campbell.\n\n\"There was a complete, utter chilling silence and then chaos. Chaos like I'd never seen and never hope to see again,\" she said. The force of the blast knocked her to the ground. When she looked around, she saw blood and muscle everywhere. Her shin bone had snapped and was protruding.\n\n\"Muscle was everywhere. It was the most horrifying image I could imagine. Just seeing that on my own body,\" she said, and began to cry. \"I remember looking around and it just seemed like there were bodies everywhere, blood everywhere.\"\n\nWere you bleeding? she was asked.\n\n\"Yes, enormously. Looking down at the blood I was just shocked that much blood could come out of someone,\" she said. \"I was terrified that I was going to die. I did not know that I could be that injured and survive.\"\n\nShe said she began to scream.\n\nHer bone-chilling cries could be heard on a video played in court -- the most graphic of many graphic images the jury has been shown.\n\nDoctors were able to save Reny's leg, but others weren't so lucky.\n\nCeleste Corcoran lost both legs, one below the knee and the other above the knee. An amputation above the knee is the most difficult injury to recover from, jurors have learned at this trial.\n\nCorcoran was at the finish line, waiting for her sister to cross.\n\n\"And then our whole world just exploded,\" she said. \"I unfortunately remember every single detail.\"\n\nShe remembers being knocked to the ground, hearing nothing and then screams, and seeing blood everywhere.\n\n\"It's kind of hard to explain but I want to get it right for all of you to understand,\" she told the jury. She said it was \"a surreal, out-of-body experience.\"  She remembers thinking, \"What was that?\" and wishing she could turn back time by five minutes.\n\nHer husband bent over her and told her it was a terrorist attack. By then, she began to feel pain worse than anything she had imagined. She wondered if she would die.\n\n\"It hurt too much. I just didn't care,\" she said. \"I remember thinking I was going to die, that no one could go through that much pain.  I knew it was very bad and I was thinking, 'Is this it? Am I going to die?' I remember thinking I wanted to die. The pain was too much. I wanted to die.\"\n\nAnd then, she said, \"the mom in me\" took over. She remembers telling herself: \" 'Hell no, I don't want to die. I have too much living to do. Don't let this be the end. This can't be the end.'\"\n\nShe remembers feeling relief once she arrived at the hospital, even as she signed the form authorizing doctors to take both her legs.\n\n\"Can I get on with my life? Absolutely,\" she said.\n\nBut she can never forget she's a double amputee.\n\n\"There's always a level of discomfort. Right now I'm not comfortable,\" she said from the witness stand. \"The bottoms of my limbs, there's this constant numb burning sensation. The only way I can describe it is it's like you have the worst athlete's foot in my life.\"\n\nSometimes, she feels a stabbing sensation where her toes and calves used to be.\n\n\"You don't realize until you're a double amputee how many dips and hills and inclines there are,\" she said. \"Inclines are very hard.\"\n\nDaily life is literally an uphill battle.\n\nOpinion: What Tsarnaev deserves.\n\nCNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.", "summary": "Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been found guilty on every count. A jury will now decide if he deserves the death penalty for his atrocious attack. The jury heard the stories of those families who lost a loved one and of those who were maimed.   "}
{"article_id": "3c226723cecb476391bf3d51e45a238d", "article": "Boston (CNN)Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bombs tore through their bodies: singeing flesh, shattering bones, shredding muscles and severing limbs. But on Tuesday, jurors also began to hear about the holes his bombs left in the hearts of the survivors and the families of the dead.\n\nNow that he has been found guilty on every count, the jury must decide whether Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev, 21, should live or die for what he has done.\n\nThis is the victim impact part of the case, and the testimony was heartbreaking. Four young people are gone, and grief fills the spaces they once occupied.\n\nA father with a shock of white hair cried for the daughter he called \"Princess.\"\n\n\"Krystle was the light of my life. She was extremely smart, hardworking, beautiful, every father's dream. I miss her a lot,\" said William A. Campbell Sr., dabbing at his eyes as he described his daughter, a 29-year-old restaurant manager who was killed in the first blast at the 2013 Boston Marathon.\n\nShe was the one who could round up the family and put on big celebrations, he said.\n\n\"Nobody fills that boot now.\"\n\nOthers are expected to come and cry for Lingzi Lu, \"a jolly soul,\" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini said, quoting the slain Chinese grad student's father.\n\nMore tears will be shed for Martin Richard, who was 8 and looked just like his dad. And for Sean Collier, who was remembered at his memorial service by these words: \"Big heart, big smiles, big service. All love.\"\n\n\"Dzhokhar Tsarnaev murdered each one of them in a way that they had time to feel pain, they had time to be scared and frightened, but they had no time to say good-bye,\" Pellegrini told the jury.\n\n\"And that is the very essence of terror.\"\n\nTimeline of bombings, manhunt and aftermath.\n\nTo understand the toll Tsarnaev's bombs took, jurors must know the stories of his victims, the prosecutor said.\n\n\"These young women, this young man and this little boy, all of them were loved and they loved in return,\" Pellegrini said. \"Before he murdered them in some of the cruelest ways imaginable, they were sons, they were daughters, they were grandchildren, they were brothers and they were sisters.\"\n\nJurors saw photograph after photograph of smiling, happy people with arms around siblings at weddings and birthday parties and family gatherings.\n\nThere was the photo of Campbell as a little girl in a red tap-dancing outfit. And then came the one that made her father smile through his tears. She was a little older and wearing a baseball uniform.\n\n\"She traded that in for a bat,\" Campbell said. \"She wasn't really a girly girl, but she loved to whitewater, camp, play baseball. She had a good arm on her. I was very proud of her.\"\n\nBy contrast, jurors also were left with an indelible image of Tsarnaev, taken when he was in a holding cell in the very courthouse where the trial is being held. It is dated July 10, 2013 -- the day of his arraignment on charges he deliberately set off the deadly bombs at the Boston Marathon.\n\nHe glares into the camera defiantly, his middle finger raised in a profane salute.\n\n\"This is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, unconcerned, unrepentant and unchanged,\" Pellegrini said. \"Without remorse, he remains untouched by the grief and the loss that he caused.\"\n\nTsarnaev saw the people he killed as \"the enemy,\" she said. As a result, two women and a man never reached the age of 30, and a little boy never made it to the third grade.\n\n\"He knew they were innocents. He even called them that,\" Pellegrini added, referring to the message Tsarnaev scrawled onto the sides of a boat where he hid from police after the bombings.\n\n\"But it didn't stop him from murdering them.\"\n\nThe people who were maimed by Tsarnaev's bombs are also testifying during the sentencing phase of the trial as prosecutors try to show the impact on victims of the attacks.\n\nThe stories they told on the witness stand were even more gripping and horrific than the stories told during the guilt phase of Tsarnaev's trial.\n\nWhen the first of the two bombs went off, Gillian Reny, a senior in high school, was standing near the woman she came to know was  Krystle Campbell.\n\n\"There was a complete, utter chilling silence and then chaos. Chaos like I'd never seen and never hope to see again,\" she said. The force of the blast knocked her to the ground. When she looked around, she saw blood and muscle everywhere. Her shin bone had snapped and was protruding.\n\n\"Muscle was everywhere. It was the most horrifying image I could imagine. Just seeing that on my own body,\" she said, and began to cry. \"I remember looking around and it just seemed like there were bodies everywhere, blood everywhere.\"\n\nWere you bleeding? she was asked.\n\n\"Yes, enormously. Looking down at the blood I was just shocked that much blood could come out of someone,\" she said. \"I was terrified that I was going to die. I did not know that I could be that injured and survive.\"\n\nShe said she began to scream.\n\nHer bone-chilling cries could be heard on a video played in court -- the most graphic of many graphic images the jury has been shown.\n\nDoctors were able to save Reny's leg, but others weren't so lucky.\n\nCeleste Corcoran lost both legs, one below the knee and the other above the knee. An amputation above the knee is the most difficult injury to recover from, jurors have learned at this trial.\n\nCorcoran was at the finish line, waiting for her sister to cross.\n\n\"And then our whole world just exploded,\" she said. \"I unfortunately remember every single detail.\"\n\nShe remembers being knocked to the ground, hearing nothing and then screams, and seeing blood everywhere.\n\n\"It's kind of hard to explain but I want to get it right for all of you to understand,\" she told the jury. She said it was \"a surreal, out-of-body experience.\"  She remembers thinking, \"What was that?\" and wishing she could turn back time by five minutes.\n\nHer husband bent over her and told her it was a terrorist attack. By then, she began to feel pain worse than anything she had imagined. She wondered if she would die.\n\n\"It hurt too much. I just didn't care,\" she said. \"I remember thinking I was going to die, that no one could go through that much pain.  I knew it was very bad and I was thinking, 'Is this it? Am I going to die?' I remember thinking I wanted to die. The pain was too much. I wanted to die.\"\n\nAnd then, she said, \"the mom in me\" took over. She remembers telling herself: \" 'Hell no, I don't want to die. I have too much living to do. Don't let this be the end. This can't be the end.'\"\n\nShe remembers feeling relief once she arrived at the hospital, even as she signed the form authorizing doctors to take both her legs.\n\n\"Can I get on with my life? Absolutely,\" she said.\n\nBut she can never forget she's a double amputee.\n\n\"There's always a level of discomfort. Right now I'm not comfortable,\" she said from the witness stand. \"The bottoms of my limbs, there's this constant numb burning sensation. The only way I can describe it is it's like you have the worst athlete's foot in my life.\"\n\nSometimes, she feels a stabbing sensation where her toes and calves used to be.\n\n\"You don't realize until you're a double amputee how many dips and hills and inclines there are,\" she said. \"Inclines are very hard.\"\n\nDaily life is literally an uphill battle.\n\nOpinion: What Tsarnaev deserves.\n\nCNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.", "summary": "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber, has been found guilty on all counts. Now, it's time to hear from the families of the victims who lost their lives. The testimony of victim impact began last Tuesday, and will help jurors decide is Tsarnaev should receive the death penalty for his actions. "}
{"article_id": "1d6de9a1cfdc48f989f485d297fe294e", "article": "Teenagers in foster care in Scotland are being moved too often, according to a campaign group.\n\nResearch carried out by the Fostering Network suggests almost half of fostered young people are already living with their third foster family since going into care.\n\nThe group has warned that 750 more foster carers are \"urgently\" needed to meet the demands of the care system.\n\nIt urged people to \"open their hearts and homes\" to vulnerable youngsters.\n\nCurrently, more than 5,500 children are in foster care in Scotland, living with 4,400 families and carers.\n\nThe Fostering Network surveyed 250 children, teenagers and foster carers across Scotland and discovered that many young people had failed to find stability.\n\nAlmost half were already living with their third family, a quarter were with their fourth family and about 20 were living with their 10th family since going into care.\n\nThere was a particular need for homes to be found for vulnerable teenagers, siblings and disabled children, the study found.\n\nCarla, 23, was taken into care at the age of 12 and had eight foster homes before moving in with the Randalls.\n\n\"Looking back now I realised that the Randalls saved my life,\" she said. \"I never understood the extent of the neglect and abuse I had endured until I came to live with a 'normal' loving family.\n\n\"They were just always themselves, the smallest details meant so much to me.\n\n\"They nurtured a young, angry, untrusting teenager to become a positive, empathetic and successful young woman.\"\n\nThe Fostering Network said instability had a detrimental effect on the child's education and wellbeing, while finding a stable foster carer from the outset could lead to improved relationships and a happier childhood.\n\nSara Lurie, director of the Fostering Network Scotland, said: \"As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care.\n\n\"We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.\n\n\"In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.\n\n\"A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they'd believe in the ambition of their biological family members.\"\n\nApologies for the delay, see below as requested.\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Giving young people security is paramount and we have done a great deal of work with our partners across local government and the third sector to improve how we intervene early when there is a problem within families to find appropriate solutions quickly.\n\n\"We have also expanded the age at which young people can remain in foster care as part of the continuing care provisions and the support available when they transition into independent living.\"", "summary": "Surveys conducted by the Fostering Network in Scotland found that teenagers within the foster care system were being moved between homes too often, which can have a detrimental effect on a child's education and well-being. In an effort to address this issue, the Fostering Network has urged citizens to \"open their hearts and homes\" and be stable foster carers to children in the foster care system."}
{"article_id": "1d6de9a1cfdc48f989f485d297fe294e", "article": "Teenagers in foster care in Scotland are being moved too often, according to a campaign group.\n\nResearch carried out by the Fostering Network suggests almost half of fostered young people are already living with their third foster family since going into care.\n\nThe group has warned that 750 more foster carers are \"urgently\" needed to meet the demands of the care system.\n\nIt urged people to \"open their hearts and homes\" to vulnerable youngsters.\n\nCurrently, more than 5,500 children are in foster care in Scotland, living with 4,400 families and carers.\n\nThe Fostering Network surveyed 250 children, teenagers and foster carers across Scotland and discovered that many young people had failed to find stability.\n\nAlmost half were already living with their third family, a quarter were with their fourth family and about 20 were living with their 10th family since going into care.\n\nThere was a particular need for homes to be found for vulnerable teenagers, siblings and disabled children, the study found.\n\nCarla, 23, was taken into care at the age of 12 and had eight foster homes before moving in with the Randalls.\n\n\"Looking back now I realised that the Randalls saved my life,\" she said. \"I never understood the extent of the neglect and abuse I had endured until I came to live with a 'normal' loving family.\n\n\"They were just always themselves, the smallest details meant so much to me.\n\n\"They nurtured a young, angry, untrusting teenager to become a positive, empathetic and successful young woman.\"\n\nThe Fostering Network said instability had a detrimental effect on the child's education and wellbeing, while finding a stable foster carer from the outset could lead to improved relationships and a happier childhood.\n\nSara Lurie, director of the Fostering Network Scotland, said: \"As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care.\n\n\"We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.\n\n\"In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.\n\n\"A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they'd believe in the ambition of their biological family members.\"\n\nApologies for the delay, see below as requested.\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Giving young people security is paramount and we have done a great deal of work with our partners across local government and the third sector to improve how we intervene early when there is a problem within families to find appropriate solutions quickly.\n\n\"We have also expanded the age at which young people can remain in foster care as part of the continuing care provisions and the support available when they transition into independent living.\"", "summary": "Due to the limited available space, children in Foster care in Scotland are being moved around too often. Right now, about 750 more foster carers are needed. People are being advised to open their hearts and minds to help these children have a better home and life."}
{"article_id": "1d6de9a1cfdc48f989f485d297fe294e", "article": "Teenagers in foster care in Scotland are being moved too often, according to a campaign group.\n\nResearch carried out by the Fostering Network suggests almost half of fostered young people are already living with their third foster family since going into care.\n\nThe group has warned that 750 more foster carers are \"urgently\" needed to meet the demands of the care system.\n\nIt urged people to \"open their hearts and homes\" to vulnerable youngsters.\n\nCurrently, more than 5,500 children are in foster care in Scotland, living with 4,400 families and carers.\n\nThe Fostering Network surveyed 250 children, teenagers and foster carers across Scotland and discovered that many young people had failed to find stability.\n\nAlmost half were already living with their third family, a quarter were with their fourth family and about 20 were living with their 10th family since going into care.\n\nThere was a particular need for homes to be found for vulnerable teenagers, siblings and disabled children, the study found.\n\nCarla, 23, was taken into care at the age of 12 and had eight foster homes before moving in with the Randalls.\n\n\"Looking back now I realised that the Randalls saved my life,\" she said. \"I never understood the extent of the neglect and abuse I had endured until I came to live with a 'normal' loving family.\n\n\"They were just always themselves, the smallest details meant so much to me.\n\n\"They nurtured a young, angry, untrusting teenager to become a positive, empathetic and successful young woman.\"\n\nThe Fostering Network said instability had a detrimental effect on the child's education and wellbeing, while finding a stable foster carer from the outset could lead to improved relationships and a happier childhood.\n\nSara Lurie, director of the Fostering Network Scotland, said: \"As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care.\n\n\"We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.\n\n\"In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.\n\n\"A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they'd believe in the ambition of their biological family members.\"\n\nApologies for the delay, see below as requested.\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Giving young people security is paramount and we have done a great deal of work with our partners across local government and the third sector to improve how we intervene early when there is a problem within families to find appropriate solutions quickly.\n\n\"We have also expanded the age at which young people can remain in foster care as part of the continuing care provisions and the support available when they transition into independent living.\"", "summary": "Scottish teens in foster care are being moved too much. According to new research, almost half of all teens in Scottish foster care are with their third family, a quarter were with their fourth. Instability at home is detrimental to teenagers' development into healthy adults. "}
{"article_id": "1d6de9a1cfdc48f989f485d297fe294e", "article": "Teenagers in foster care in Scotland are being moved too often, according to a campaign group.\n\nResearch carried out by the Fostering Network suggests almost half of fostered young people are already living with their third foster family since going into care.\n\nThe group has warned that 750 more foster carers are \"urgently\" needed to meet the demands of the care system.\n\nIt urged people to \"open their hearts and homes\" to vulnerable youngsters.\n\nCurrently, more than 5,500 children are in foster care in Scotland, living with 4,400 families and carers.\n\nThe Fostering Network surveyed 250 children, teenagers and foster carers across Scotland and discovered that many young people had failed to find stability.\n\nAlmost half were already living with their third family, a quarter were with their fourth family and about 20 were living with their 10th family since going into care.\n\nThere was a particular need for homes to be found for vulnerable teenagers, siblings and disabled children, the study found.\n\nCarla, 23, was taken into care at the age of 12 and had eight foster homes before moving in with the Randalls.\n\n\"Looking back now I realised that the Randalls saved my life,\" she said. \"I never understood the extent of the neglect and abuse I had endured until I came to live with a 'normal' loving family.\n\n\"They were just always themselves, the smallest details meant so much to me.\n\n\"They nurtured a young, angry, untrusting teenager to become a positive, empathetic and successful young woman.\"\n\nThe Fostering Network said instability had a detrimental effect on the child's education and wellbeing, while finding a stable foster carer from the outset could lead to improved relationships and a happier childhood.\n\nSara Lurie, director of the Fostering Network Scotland, said: \"As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care.\n\n\"We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.\n\n\"In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.\n\n\"A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they'd believe in the ambition of their biological family members.\"\n\nApologies for the delay, see below as requested.\n\nA Scottish government spokeswoman said: \"Giving young people security is paramount and we have done a great deal of work with our partners across local government and the third sector to improve how we intervene early when there is a problem within families to find appropriate solutions quickly.\n\n\"We have also expanded the age at which young people can remain in foster care as part of the continuing care provisions and the support available when they transition into independent living.\"", "summary": "Currently, there are 5500 children in foster care in Scotland.  Of those, half of the foster teenagers are being moved from one foster home to another as much as three times since entering the system.  A survey showed that many foster children have failed to find stability."}
{"article_id": "7003129c4b77441b96743d87085f4d58", "article": "Historical Chinese documents have helped scientists to track the decline of the world's rarest primates.\n\nToday, China has between 26 and 28 Hainan gibbons left, but government records that date back to the 17th Century show that gibbons were once widespread across half of the country.\n\nThe apes began to disappear from the documents about 150 years ago, corresponding with population growth.\n\nThe study is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.\n\nHainan gibbons are now limited to a few isolated patches of forest in the south west of China.\n\nThey live in just four social groups, one of which was only discovered a few weeks ago.\n\nUnderstanding this population crash has been difficult, but the old government documents have helped to reveal when and how the numbers fell.\n\nDr Sam Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London, said: \"China is one of the few places in the world that has a very very rich, long historical record.\n\n\"Because it has had such a complex bureaucracy for so long, there has been a lot of need for reporting - not just numbers of households for tax purposes and things like that, but also in terms of the kinds of  natural resources that were available in the immediate environment.\"\n\nThese included records of animals, including gibbons, he said.\n\n\"We looked at the pattern of disappearance of gibbons through time and how that varied from place to place and the different environmental conditions and human pressures that were also present in these places.\"\n\nThe archives show that gibbons were a common sight in about 20 provinces in China well into the 17th and 18th Century.\n\nHowever, Dr Turvey said it was \"a stark contrast to their very imperilled position today\".\n\n\"We see a really steep increase in population decline and real population collapse across China about 100-150 years ago,\" he added.\n\n\"And this correlates with demographic expansion in China towards the end of the Imperial era and through the 20th Century, and the massive increase in deforestation and human population growth through the time of the Chinese Republic and the establishment of the communist party.\"\n\nThe researchers said a better understanding of the animals' decline would help them to establish a conservation plan for the country's last few Hainan gibbons.\n\nDr Turvey said: \"It is an incredible privilege to be able to see gibbons in China in the wild.\n\n\"The Hainan gibbon is such as rare species, but knowing that this species is still hanging on there gives you hope that conservation will be able to bring that population back from the brink.\"\n\nFollow Rebecca on Twitter", "summary": "Thanks to China's extensive historical records, scientists have been able to track the population decline of the rarest primate in the world. The Hainan gibbon was once widespread across the country, but due to deforestation and human population growth, there are now between 26 to 28 of the animals left. "}
{"article_id": "7003129c4b77441b96743d87085f4d58", "article": "Historical Chinese documents have helped scientists to track the decline of the world's rarest primates.\n\nToday, China has between 26 and 28 Hainan gibbons left, but government records that date back to the 17th Century show that gibbons were once widespread across half of the country.\n\nThe apes began to disappear from the documents about 150 years ago, corresponding with population growth.\n\nThe study is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.\n\nHainan gibbons are now limited to a few isolated patches of forest in the south west of China.\n\nThey live in just four social groups, one of which was only discovered a few weeks ago.\n\nUnderstanding this population crash has been difficult, but the old government documents have helped to reveal when and how the numbers fell.\n\nDr Sam Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London, said: \"China is one of the few places in the world that has a very very rich, long historical record.\n\n\"Because it has had such a complex bureaucracy for so long, there has been a lot of need for reporting - not just numbers of households for tax purposes and things like that, but also in terms of the kinds of  natural resources that were available in the immediate environment.\"\n\nThese included records of animals, including gibbons, he said.\n\n\"We looked at the pattern of disappearance of gibbons through time and how that varied from place to place and the different environmental conditions and human pressures that were also present in these places.\"\n\nThe archives show that gibbons were a common sight in about 20 provinces in China well into the 17th and 18th Century.\n\nHowever, Dr Turvey said it was \"a stark contrast to their very imperilled position today\".\n\n\"We see a really steep increase in population decline and real population collapse across China about 100-150 years ago,\" he added.\n\n\"And this correlates with demographic expansion in China towards the end of the Imperial era and through the 20th Century, and the massive increase in deforestation and human population growth through the time of the Chinese Republic and the establishment of the communist party.\"\n\nThe researchers said a better understanding of the animals' decline would help them to establish a conservation plan for the country's last few Hainan gibbons.\n\nDr Turvey said: \"It is an incredible privilege to be able to see gibbons in China in the wild.\n\n\"The Hainan gibbon is such as rare species, but knowing that this species is still hanging on there gives you hope that conservation will be able to bring that population back from the brink.\"\n\nFollow Rebecca on Twitter", "summary": "Hainan gibbons in China have been decreasing precipitously in population ever since the 1800s, new records show. The decline accelerated in the 20th century with massive human population growth and deforestation. Today China has roughly 28 of the gibbons left.  "}
{"article_id": "7003129c4b77441b96743d87085f4d58", "article": "Historical Chinese documents have helped scientists to track the decline of the world's rarest primates.\n\nToday, China has between 26 and 28 Hainan gibbons left, but government records that date back to the 17th Century show that gibbons were once widespread across half of the country.\n\nThe apes began to disappear from the documents about 150 years ago, corresponding with population growth.\n\nThe study is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.\n\nHainan gibbons are now limited to a few isolated patches of forest in the south west of China.\n\nThey live in just four social groups, one of which was only discovered a few weeks ago.\n\nUnderstanding this population crash has been difficult, but the old government documents have helped to reveal when and how the numbers fell.\n\nDr Sam Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London, said: \"China is one of the few places in the world that has a very very rich, long historical record.\n\n\"Because it has had such a complex bureaucracy for so long, there has been a lot of need for reporting - not just numbers of households for tax purposes and things like that, but also in terms of the kinds of  natural resources that were available in the immediate environment.\"\n\nThese included records of animals, including gibbons, he said.\n\n\"We looked at the pattern of disappearance of gibbons through time and how that varied from place to place and the different environmental conditions and human pressures that were also present in these places.\"\n\nThe archives show that gibbons were a common sight in about 20 provinces in China well into the 17th and 18th Century.\n\nHowever, Dr Turvey said it was \"a stark contrast to their very imperilled position today\".\n\n\"We see a really steep increase in population decline and real population collapse across China about 100-150 years ago,\" he added.\n\n\"And this correlates with demographic expansion in China towards the end of the Imperial era and through the 20th Century, and the massive increase in deforestation and human population growth through the time of the Chinese Republic and the establishment of the communist party.\"\n\nThe researchers said a better understanding of the animals' decline would help them to establish a conservation plan for the country's last few Hainan gibbons.\n\nDr Turvey said: \"It is an incredible privilege to be able to see gibbons in China in the wild.\n\n\"The Hainan gibbon is such as rare species, but knowing that this species is still hanging on there gives you hope that conservation will be able to bring that population back from the brink.\"\n\nFollow Rebecca on Twitter", "summary": "Historical Chinese government documents show that although the world's rarest primates were once widespread across half of the country, their numbers are now declining.  The remaining primates, Hainan Gibbons, are now isolated to small patches of forest in China's southwest region.  Researchers continue to study the decline in the species."}
{"article_id": "78bb8d70ea224917afcd41e9fd8539ef", "article": "Golfers at Dundee's public courses have been banned from bringing their dogs with them after complaints from fellow players and staff. It follows reports of dog fouling and damage at the Camperdown and Caird Park courses. Dogs can still be walked across the courses but not if owners are playing a round of the game at the time. A spokesman for Leisure and Culture Dundee said the rules were changed on 20 April. He said: \"This change reflects the concerns of many players and staff about dog fouling and damage being caused to the courses, particularly greens and bunkers. \"The new management rules, which do not affect the Right to Roam legislation, are clearly signed at the courses and on the Leisure and Culture Dundee website. \"Most golf courses in Scotland do not allow players to bring dogs with them.\"", "summary": "Golfers at Dundee's public courses can no longer bring their dogs with them while they play golf. This rule comes after reports of dog-related damage to bunkers and greens at the Camperdown and Caird Park courses. Owners can still walk dogs on courses if they aren't playing golf.  "}
{"article_id": "4daa620469d748ee84f354e260b82a90", "article": "All four schools run by a Telford academy trust have been put in special measures within a week.\n\nInspectors criticised teaching and leadership at the Phoenix Academy and Lakeside Academy following visits in February, rating both schools inadequate in all areas.\n\nWrockwardine Wood and Sutherland academies, also run by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, were put in special measures earlier this week.\n\nThe trust has not commented.\n\nOfsted criticised the trust's lack of support to the schools and said each was now considering an alternative sponsor.\n\nInspectors said pupils' achievement at the Phoenix Academy had dropped since it became an academy in 2013 and their latest report rated it inadequate in all areas.\n\nA report in 2013, before it converted, rated the secondary school as \"requiring improvement\", while Lakeside was rated \"good\" in 2012 under its former name the Lord Silkin School.\n\nIn the latest report, inspectors said the curriculum at Phoenix Academy was \"inadequate\", while \"weak teaching\" meant pupils were not sufficiently challenged and were often \"disengaged and disruptive\".\n\nThere was particular criticism of standards in English and maths which the watchdog said were limiting pupils' achievements in other areas.\n\nOfsted's report said governors, managers and teachers had developed a \"culture of low expectations\", while leaders had failed to act decisively to halt the decline in pupils' achievement.\n\nThere was, however, some praise for the acting head teacher. Inspectors said he had introduced a number of improvement measures and some were \"beginning to have an impact\".\n\nA report on Lakeside School highlighted similar concerns, criticising teachers for not sufficiently challenging pupils and for having \"over generous\" predictions of their achievement.\n\nInspectors said many pupils, whether high achievers or those with special educational needs, were \"not making the progress they should\" and achievements at GCSE were well below the national average.\n\nGovernors were also criticised for not holding leaders to account, while the report said management had failed to effectively monitor either pupils or teachers.\n\nInspectors, did however highlight new initiatives to improve literacy which they said were \"beginning to have a positive impact\".", "summary": "Pheonix Academy and Lakeside Academy have received criticism after inspectors reported both schools as inadequate in all areas. Reports say that pupils have not been making adequate progress and their achievements were well below the national average. However, there was praise for the improvement measures introduced by the acting head teacher at Pheonix Academy."}
{"article_id": "4daa620469d748ee84f354e260b82a90", "article": "All four schools run by a Telford academy trust have been put in special measures within a week.\n\nInspectors criticised teaching and leadership at the Phoenix Academy and Lakeside Academy following visits in February, rating both schools inadequate in all areas.\n\nWrockwardine Wood and Sutherland academies, also run by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, were put in special measures earlier this week.\n\nThe trust has not commented.\n\nOfsted criticised the trust's lack of support to the schools and said each was now considering an alternative sponsor.\n\nInspectors said pupils' achievement at the Phoenix Academy had dropped since it became an academy in 2013 and their latest report rated it inadequate in all areas.\n\nA report in 2013, before it converted, rated the secondary school as \"requiring improvement\", while Lakeside was rated \"good\" in 2012 under its former name the Lord Silkin School.\n\nIn the latest report, inspectors said the curriculum at Phoenix Academy was \"inadequate\", while \"weak teaching\" meant pupils were not sufficiently challenged and were often \"disengaged and disruptive\".\n\nThere was particular criticism of standards in English and maths which the watchdog said were limiting pupils' achievements in other areas.\n\nOfsted's report said governors, managers and teachers had developed a \"culture of low expectations\", while leaders had failed to act decisively to halt the decline in pupils' achievement.\n\nThere was, however, some praise for the acting head teacher. Inspectors said he had introduced a number of improvement measures and some were \"beginning to have an impact\".\n\nA report on Lakeside School highlighted similar concerns, criticising teachers for not sufficiently challenging pupils and for having \"over generous\" predictions of their achievement.\n\nInspectors said many pupils, whether high achievers or those with special educational needs, were \"not making the progress they should\" and achievements at GCSE were well below the national average.\n\nGovernors were also criticised for not holding leaders to account, while the report said management had failed to effectively monitor either pupils or teachers.\n\nInspectors, did however highlight new initiatives to improve literacy which they said were \"beginning to have a positive impact\".", "summary": "Inspectors have placed all four Telford Academy Trust schools under special measures. Inspectors cited an inadequate curriculum and weak teaching as significant school problems. Problems that have culminated in a culture of low expectations.  "}
{"article_id": "4daa620469d748ee84f354e260b82a90", "article": "All four schools run by a Telford academy trust have been put in special measures within a week.\n\nInspectors criticised teaching and leadership at the Phoenix Academy and Lakeside Academy following visits in February, rating both schools inadequate in all areas.\n\nWrockwardine Wood and Sutherland academies, also run by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, were put in special measures earlier this week.\n\nThe trust has not commented.\n\nOfsted criticised the trust's lack of support to the schools and said each was now considering an alternative sponsor.\n\nInspectors said pupils' achievement at the Phoenix Academy had dropped since it became an academy in 2013 and their latest report rated it inadequate in all areas.\n\nA report in 2013, before it converted, rated the secondary school as \"requiring improvement\", while Lakeside was rated \"good\" in 2012 under its former name the Lord Silkin School.\n\nIn the latest report, inspectors said the curriculum at Phoenix Academy was \"inadequate\", while \"weak teaching\" meant pupils were not sufficiently challenged and were often \"disengaged and disruptive\".\n\nThere was particular criticism of standards in English and maths which the watchdog said were limiting pupils' achievements in other areas.\n\nOfsted's report said governors, managers and teachers had developed a \"culture of low expectations\", while leaders had failed to act decisively to halt the decline in pupils' achievement.\n\nThere was, however, some praise for the acting head teacher. Inspectors said he had introduced a number of improvement measures and some were \"beginning to have an impact\".\n\nA report on Lakeside School highlighted similar concerns, criticising teachers for not sufficiently challenging pupils and for having \"over generous\" predictions of their achievement.\n\nInspectors said many pupils, whether high achievers or those with special educational needs, were \"not making the progress they should\" and achievements at GCSE were well below the national average.\n\nGovernors were also criticised for not holding leaders to account, while the report said management had failed to effectively monitor either pupils or teachers.\n\nInspectors, did however highlight new initiatives to improve literacy which they said were \"beginning to have a positive impact\".", "summary": "Four schools that are overseen by Telford Academy trust have reportedly been put into special measures in the short span of one week.  Due to what is felt to be a lack of support for the schools, which is limiting students, each is currently looking for a new sponsor.  "}
{"article_id": "649b09bfce674ca1bfd66a519fcdf59a", "article": "A campaign group website says over a million people in the European Union have signed a petition against trade negotiations with the United States.\n\nThe petition calls on the EU and its member states to stop the talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.\n\nIt also says they should not ratify a similar deal that has already been done between the EU and Canada.\n\nIt says some aspects pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.\n\nOne of the concerns mentioned in the petition is the idea of tribunals that foreign investors would be able to use in some circumstances to sue governments.\n\nThere is a great deal of controversy over exactly what this system, known as Investor State Dispute Settlement, would enable companies to do, but campaigners see it as an opportunity for international business to get compensation for government policy changes that adversely affect them.\n\nThis kind of provision exists in many bilateral trade and investment agreements.\n\nFriends of the Earth have published new research on the impact they have had on EU countries.\n\nInformation about these cases is not always made public, but the group says that going back to 1994, foreign investors have sought compensation of almost \u20ac30bn (\u00a324bn) from 20 states. Where the results are known (a small minority of the total), the tribunals have awarded total compensation of \u20ac3.5bn (about \u00a32.8bn).\n\nIn Britain, the possible implications of this provision for the National Health Service have been especially controversial.  Campaigners believe that the investor tribunals would make it harder to reverse any decisions to contract services out to international healthcare firms.\n\nJohn Hilary of War on Want said:  TTIP  \"will make it impossible for any future government to repeal the Health & Social Care Act and bring the NHS back into public hands\".\n\nThe petition lists a number of other areas where its signatories believes European standards would suffer if the TTIP negotiations are completed and the Canada deal is ratified:  employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer protection.\n\nThe European Commission says the EU will not have to sacrifice its high standards. It also says investor protection provisions are important for investment flows and have in general worked well. But it accepts there is a need for improvement and is trying to achieve that in its bilateral negotiations.\n\nThe petition has been organised as an exercise called a European Citizens' Initiative which can lead to a public hearing in the European Parliament and require the European Commission to give a formal response explaining why it is accepting or rejecting what the petitioners call for.\n\nThe European Commission has already said that the petition doesn't qualify as such an Initiative. Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to this decision.", "summary": "A petition calling to stop discussions of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and the European Union has been signed by over a million EU citizens. The petition lists concerns that standards over employment, social, environmental, privacy, and consumer protection would suffer if the negotiations were completed. "}
{"article_id": "649b09bfce674ca1bfd66a519fcdf59a", "article": "A campaign group website says over a million people in the European Union have signed a petition against trade negotiations with the United States.\n\nThe petition calls on the EU and its member states to stop the talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.\n\nIt also says they should not ratify a similar deal that has already been done between the EU and Canada.\n\nIt says some aspects pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.\n\nOne of the concerns mentioned in the petition is the idea of tribunals that foreign investors would be able to use in some circumstances to sue governments.\n\nThere is a great deal of controversy over exactly what this system, known as Investor State Dispute Settlement, would enable companies to do, but campaigners see it as an opportunity for international business to get compensation for government policy changes that adversely affect them.\n\nThis kind of provision exists in many bilateral trade and investment agreements.\n\nFriends of the Earth have published new research on the impact they have had on EU countries.\n\nInformation about these cases is not always made public, but the group says that going back to 1994, foreign investors have sought compensation of almost \u20ac30bn (\u00a324bn) from 20 states. Where the results are known (a small minority of the total), the tribunals have awarded total compensation of \u20ac3.5bn (about \u00a32.8bn).\n\nIn Britain, the possible implications of this provision for the National Health Service have been especially controversial.  Campaigners believe that the investor tribunals would make it harder to reverse any decisions to contract services out to international healthcare firms.\n\nJohn Hilary of War on Want said:  TTIP  \"will make it impossible for any future government to repeal the Health & Social Care Act and bring the NHS back into public hands\".\n\nThe petition lists a number of other areas where its signatories believes European standards would suffer if the TTIP negotiations are completed and the Canada deal is ratified:  employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer protection.\n\nThe European Commission says the EU will not have to sacrifice its high standards. It also says investor protection provisions are important for investment flows and have in general worked well. But it accepts there is a need for improvement and is trying to achieve that in its bilateral negotiations.\n\nThe petition has been organised as an exercise called a European Citizens' Initiative which can lead to a public hearing in the European Parliament and require the European Commission to give a formal response explaining why it is accepting or rejecting what the petitioners call for.\n\nThe European Commission has already said that the petition doesn't qualify as such an Initiative. Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to this decision.", "summary": "An online group has claimed that over one million residents in the EU have signed a petition that calls for the EU to stop trade negotiations with the US.  The group claims that the negotiations are a threat to democracy as well as the rule of law."}
{"article_id": "649b09bfce674ca1bfd66a519fcdf59a", "article": "A campaign group website says over a million people in the European Union have signed a petition against trade negotiations with the United States.\n\nThe petition calls on the EU and its member states to stop the talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership or TTIP.\n\nIt also says they should not ratify a similar deal that has already been done between the EU and Canada.\n\nIt says some aspects pose a threat to democracy and the rule of law.\n\nOne of the concerns mentioned in the petition is the idea of tribunals that foreign investors would be able to use in some circumstances to sue governments.\n\nThere is a great deal of controversy over exactly what this system, known as Investor State Dispute Settlement, would enable companies to do, but campaigners see it as an opportunity for international business to get compensation for government policy changes that adversely affect them.\n\nThis kind of provision exists in many bilateral trade and investment agreements.\n\nFriends of the Earth have published new research on the impact they have had on EU countries.\n\nInformation about these cases is not always made public, but the group says that going back to 1994, foreign investors have sought compensation of almost \u20ac30bn (\u00a324bn) from 20 states. Where the results are known (a small minority of the total), the tribunals have awarded total compensation of \u20ac3.5bn (about \u00a32.8bn).\n\nIn Britain, the possible implications of this provision for the National Health Service have been especially controversial.  Campaigners believe that the investor tribunals would make it harder to reverse any decisions to contract services out to international healthcare firms.\n\nJohn Hilary of War on Want said:  TTIP  \"will make it impossible for any future government to repeal the Health & Social Care Act and bring the NHS back into public hands\".\n\nThe petition lists a number of other areas where its signatories believes European standards would suffer if the TTIP negotiations are completed and the Canada deal is ratified:  employment, social, environmental, privacy and consumer protection.\n\nThe European Commission says the EU will not have to sacrifice its high standards. It also says investor protection provisions are important for investment flows and have in general worked well. But it accepts there is a need for improvement and is trying to achieve that in its bilateral negotiations.\n\nThe petition has been organised as an exercise called a European Citizens' Initiative which can lead to a public hearing in the European Parliament and require the European Commission to give a formal response explaining why it is accepting or rejecting what the petitioners call for.\n\nThe European Commission has already said that the petition doesn't qualify as such an Initiative. Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to this decision.", "summary": "Over a million people have signed a petition to bar trade negotiations with the US. One of the gripes in the petition mentions tribunals of foreign investors that would be able to sue foreign governments. There is precedent for foreign companies demanding monies from foreign governments. "}
{"article_id": "91394827e78e484084a81a6fae226b3a", "article": "When Jack Wilshere was first showing signs of his enormous potential at Luton Town\u2019s academy, the big boys down the road soon came calling.\n\nEveryone was into little Wilshere, with West Ham (the team his dad Andy supports), Tottenham and Arsenal all offering to give Luton\u2019s academy kid a shot at the highest level.\n\nWilshere was a Hitchin boy, spotted early by Luton\u2019s scouts before Arsenal took him to their Hale End academy at nine. At 16, he made his first-team debut for Arsene Wenger\u2019s side.\n\nCharlie Patino, 11, and his family must weigh up offers from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.\n\nLike Arsenal star Jack Wilshere he is a talented midfelder who has been spotted at Luton Town.\n\nSoon it will be decision time for another Luton discovery as 11-year-old Charlie Patino and his parents Julio and Katy weigh up offers from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. Like Jack, he is a midfielder.\n\nThe Patinos are a level-headed family, absorbing the enormity of the offers on the table from three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League before they come to a decision at the end of the season.\n\n\u2018We just want what\u2019s best for Charlie, to give him the best chance of being a professional footballer if that is what he wants to do,\u2019 said dad Julio on Wednesday.\n\n\u2018He is a dedicated boy, he works hard at school, gets good grades and is committed to playing football. He just loves it.\u2019\n\nCharlie took to the game at an early age, developing a feel for the ball that was far more advanced than his peers. \u2018Other parents have commented on it in the past,\u2019 admitted Julio.\n\nThe big clubs have played everything by the book, formalising their interest with official communication to Luton and offering to meet FIFA\u2019s compensation guidelines.\n\nThe transfer fee involved is \u00a310,000, a sizeable amount to spend on a player who offers potential and promise after six years with Luton.\n\nThere are no guarantees that Charlie, who is a season ticket holder at Luton with his dad, will go on to make the grade when he eventually makes a decision.\n\nCharlie, pictured with his sister Lily and dog Truffles, would cost \u00a310,000 and is a season ticket holder at Luton.\n\n11-year-old analyses Spanish football and his style of play has been influenced by favourite team Barcelona.\n\nJulio\u2019s parents are both Spanish. They moved to England in the Sixties before their son was born in England. Charlie watches live La Liga games on Sky Sports.\n\nJulio, who is a supporter of La Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna, added: \u2018Charlie doesn\u2019t watch the Spanish football, he analyses it. His mind is ticking away, watching the player movements and asking why they made certain decisions. He is very intelligent. He would say his favourite team is Barcelona and he has definitely been influenced as a player by the Spanish style of football.\u2019\n\nCharlie\u2019s formal training began at the age of five when he joined St Albans City Youth, a team close to his parents\u2019 home in London Colney, Hertfordshire.\n\nSoon enough he was invited to play for Luton, often playing in age groups one or two years above because of his outstanding ability with the ball.\n\nHe has a superior touch and a great feel for the ball, making the game appear effortless. He trains six times a week, spending more than 10 hours a week playing in various age groups at Luton\u2019s highly respected academy before playing a game on a Sunday for the club.\n\nJulio, who works in the telecommunications industry, and mum Katy, who works for Marks & Spencer, insist their son has been unaffected by the interest from London\u2019s three biggest clubs, who made their initial moves a few months ago.\n\nCharlie has often played in age groups one or two years above because of his outstanding ability on the ball.\n\nHe trains six hours a week, spending more than 10 hours a week at Luton (pictured Kenilworth Road)\n\nThe Patino family have already visited the training grounds of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea with their son, listening to the sales pitches and making it clear that they will take their time.\n\n\u2018Charlie is only 11 but he gets it and he knows what is happening to him,\u2019 added his dad. \u2018He knows that this is a big opportunity to train with a top club, even though there are no guarantees at the end of it.\u2019\n\nThe Patinos have been guided through the process by Luton, with the club\u2019s chief executive Gary Sweet making sure that they have been kept fully informed.\n\nJulio intends to continue to take his son to Kenilworth Road next season even though Charlie will be settling into his new club.\n\n\u2018Everybody at Luton has been fantastic and it is a very impressive set-up,\u2019 he added. \u2018They have really looked after Charlie over the years.\u2019\n\nThe Patino family live near London Colney and have visited Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea's training grounds.", "summary": "Charlie Patino is an 11 year old from London Colney who has shown potential to be a pro football player. At his age he has already been approached by three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, who have made offers even without any guarantee he will eventually play for them. "}
{"article_id": "91394827e78e484084a81a6fae226b3a", "article": "When Jack Wilshere was first showing signs of his enormous potential at Luton Town\u2019s academy, the big boys down the road soon came calling.\n\nEveryone was into little Wilshere, with West Ham (the team his dad Andy supports), Tottenham and Arsenal all offering to give Luton\u2019s academy kid a shot at the highest level.\n\nWilshere was a Hitchin boy, spotted early by Luton\u2019s scouts before Arsenal took him to their Hale End academy at nine. At 16, he made his first-team debut for Arsene Wenger\u2019s side.\n\nCharlie Patino, 11, and his family must weigh up offers from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.\n\nLike Arsenal star Jack Wilshere he is a talented midfelder who has been spotted at Luton Town.\n\nSoon it will be decision time for another Luton discovery as 11-year-old Charlie Patino and his parents Julio and Katy weigh up offers from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham. Like Jack, he is a midfielder.\n\nThe Patinos are a level-headed family, absorbing the enormity of the offers on the table from three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League before they come to a decision at the end of the season.\n\n\u2018We just want what\u2019s best for Charlie, to give him the best chance of being a professional footballer if that is what he wants to do,\u2019 said dad Julio on Wednesday.\n\n\u2018He is a dedicated boy, he works hard at school, gets good grades and is committed to playing football. He just loves it.\u2019\n\nCharlie took to the game at an early age, developing a feel for the ball that was far more advanced than his peers. \u2018Other parents have commented on it in the past,\u2019 admitted Julio.\n\nThe big clubs have played everything by the book, formalising their interest with official communication to Luton and offering to meet FIFA\u2019s compensation guidelines.\n\nThe transfer fee involved is \u00a310,000, a sizeable amount to spend on a player who offers potential and promise after six years with Luton.\n\nThere are no guarantees that Charlie, who is a season ticket holder at Luton with his dad, will go on to make the grade when he eventually makes a decision.\n\nCharlie, pictured with his sister Lily and dog Truffles, would cost \u00a310,000 and is a season ticket holder at Luton.\n\n11-year-old analyses Spanish football and his style of play has been influenced by favourite team Barcelona.\n\nJulio\u2019s parents are both Spanish. They moved to England in the Sixties before their son was born in England. Charlie watches live La Liga games on Sky Sports.\n\nJulio, who is a supporter of La Liga strugglers Deportivo La Coruna, added: \u2018Charlie doesn\u2019t watch the Spanish football, he analyses it. His mind is ticking away, watching the player movements and asking why they made certain decisions. He is very intelligent. He would say his favourite team is Barcelona and he has definitely been influenced as a player by the Spanish style of football.\u2019\n\nCharlie\u2019s formal training began at the age of five when he joined St Albans City Youth, a team close to his parents\u2019 home in London Colney, Hertfordshire.\n\nSoon enough he was invited to play for Luton, often playing in age groups one or two years above because of his outstanding ability with the ball.\n\nHe has a superior touch and a great feel for the ball, making the game appear effortless. He trains six times a week, spending more than 10 hours a week playing in various age groups at Luton\u2019s highly respected academy before playing a game on a Sunday for the club.\n\nJulio, who works in the telecommunications industry, and mum Katy, who works for Marks & Spencer, insist their son has been unaffected by the interest from London\u2019s three biggest clubs, who made their initial moves a few months ago.\n\nCharlie has often played in age groups one or two years above because of his outstanding ability on the ball.\n\nHe trains six hours a week, spending more than 10 hours a week at Luton (pictured Kenilworth Road)\n\nThe Patino family have already visited the training grounds of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea with their son, listening to the sales pitches and making it clear that they will take their time.\n\n\u2018Charlie is only 11 but he gets it and he knows what is happening to him,\u2019 added his dad. \u2018He knows that this is a big opportunity to train with a top club, even though there are no guarantees at the end of it.\u2019\n\nThe Patinos have been guided through the process by Luton, with the club\u2019s chief executive Gary Sweet making sure that they have been kept fully informed.\n\nJulio intends to continue to take his son to Kenilworth Road next season even though Charlie will be settling into his new club.\n\n\u2018Everybody at Luton has been fantastic and it is a very impressive set-up,\u2019 he added. \u2018They have really looked after Charlie over the years.\u2019\n\nThe Patino family live near London Colney and have visited Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea's training grounds.", "summary": "11-year-old Charlie Patino is being compared to Jack Wilshere for having the same potential to make it into the big leagues. Just like Wilshere, Patino also played for Luton Town's academy and caught the interest of teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham. Patino's parents are weighing the options before deciding where to go. "}
{"article_id": "29b6d2e34b35470d92bb9be43c1897ee", "article": "Diageo, the world's biggest Scotch whisky distiller, has invested in an Australian distillery to help it expand into new export markets. Distill Ventures, which is part of the Diageo group, said it was investing an unspecified sum in Melbourne-based Starward Whisky. This marks the second whisky investment for Distill, which was set up to back early-stage brands and help them grow. Last week, it announced investment in Denmark-based Stauning Whisky. David Gates, Diageo's global head of premium core spirits, said: \"Australian whisky has rightly been gaining increasing global recognition recently and Starward has developed a uniquely positioned whisky to capture this opportunity.\" Frank Lampen, co-founder of Distill Ventures, added: \"The Starward team are exactly the types of entrepreneur we love working with. \"Their vision for the future is really exciting and this investment will enable increased production of their signature single malts and continued development of their innovation pipeline.\" Last year Diageo had a 37% share of the Scotch whisky market in terms of volumes.", "summary": "Distill ventures, which is part of the Diageo group, has invested an unspecified sum in Melbourne-based Starward Whisky. The Diageo group is the largest Scotch distiller in the world and the investment will give Diageo exposure to a new market for further expansion.  "}
{"article_id": "9e58291d3d234e4eb2ba38f90326eca3", "article": "An Oxford college has moved away from its founding principles of providing degrees for working-class adults and mature students, students have warned.\n\nIt comes after Ruskin College's governing body agreed to cut two of its six BA programmes and one of its three MA courses to save money.\n\nCollege principal Chris Wilkes said the decision was related to \"low student numbers rather than any other reason\".\n\nHe said it would continue to focus on adult education.\n\nFamous Ruskin College alumni include former deputy prime minister John Prescott and Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire.\n\nBA English Studies, BA History with Social Sciences and MA Women's Studies are being discontinued.\n\nAnne Hughes, 63, from Thame in Oxfordshire, has been studying BA English Studies part-time at the college for two years.\n\nShe said she was \"absolutely distraught\" it was being cut.\n\nShe is physically disabled and has depression, and said she chose to study at the college because it worked with \"disadvantaged, disabled and mature students\".\n\nThe college also offers bespoke timetables, unlike some other places of higher education, she added.\n\nOnline petitions have been set up in a bid to save the English faculty and the Women's Studies course.\n\nOne signatory, Jenny Lewis, wrote on the first petition: \"[Tutors] Helen Kidd and Tom Sherry are carrying on the great Ruskin tradition of bringing opportunities to those that otherwise would not have them.\"\n\nStudent and activist Saskia Ritchie, who set up the second petition, said Ruskin had been set up for \"people who would traditionally be excluded from academia\" and gives \"access to truly excellent learning opportunities\".\n\nMr Wilkes said the college would lose about 25 students as a result of the cuts.\n\nHe added degrees had been on offer at the college for about 10 years and were \"relatively new\" considering the college's 116-year history.\n\n\"Our focus will continue to be on educating adults and I think what we're doing is just renewing our offer but doing it in a different way, fulfilling our mission in a different way, to perhaps how we've done it in the past,\" Mr Wilkes added.\n\nThe college previously lost funding from the Skills Development Agency.", "summary": "Ruskin College, a sub-college of Oxford, is cutting two BA programs and one MA program to save money. The school will lose 25 students as a result of the cuts. There have been several student protests in response.    "}
{"article_id": "9e58291d3d234e4eb2ba38f90326eca3", "article": "An Oxford college has moved away from its founding principles of providing degrees for working-class adults and mature students, students have warned.\n\nIt comes after Ruskin College's governing body agreed to cut two of its six BA programmes and one of its three MA courses to save money.\n\nCollege principal Chris Wilkes said the decision was related to \"low student numbers rather than any other reason\".\n\nHe said it would continue to focus on adult education.\n\nFamous Ruskin College alumni include former deputy prime minister John Prescott and Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire.\n\nBA English Studies, BA History with Social Sciences and MA Women's Studies are being discontinued.\n\nAnne Hughes, 63, from Thame in Oxfordshire, has been studying BA English Studies part-time at the college for two years.\n\nShe said she was \"absolutely distraught\" it was being cut.\n\nShe is physically disabled and has depression, and said she chose to study at the college because it worked with \"disadvantaged, disabled and mature students\".\n\nThe college also offers bespoke timetables, unlike some other places of higher education, she added.\n\nOnline petitions have been set up in a bid to save the English faculty and the Women's Studies course.\n\nOne signatory, Jenny Lewis, wrote on the first petition: \"[Tutors] Helen Kidd and Tom Sherry are carrying on the great Ruskin tradition of bringing opportunities to those that otherwise would not have them.\"\n\nStudent and activist Saskia Ritchie, who set up the second petition, said Ruskin had been set up for \"people who would traditionally be excluded from academia\" and gives \"access to truly excellent learning opportunities\".\n\nMr Wilkes said the college would lose about 25 students as a result of the cuts.\n\nHe added degrees had been on offer at the college for about 10 years and were \"relatively new\" considering the college's 116-year history.\n\n\"Our focus will continue to be on educating adults and I think what we're doing is just renewing our offer but doing it in a different way, fulfilling our mission in a different way, to perhaps how we've done it in the past,\" Mr Wilkes added.\n\nThe college previously lost funding from the Skills Development Agency.", "summary": "To streamline costs, an Oxford college has discontinued offering two of its six BA and one of its three MA degrees.  Among those degrees discontinued are BA English Studies, BA History of Social Science, and MA Women's Studies.  The college expects to lose 25 students due to the cuts."}
{"article_id": "9e58291d3d234e4eb2ba38f90326eca3", "article": "An Oxford college has moved away from its founding principles of providing degrees for working-class adults and mature students, students have warned.\n\nIt comes after Ruskin College's governing body agreed to cut two of its six BA programmes and one of its three MA courses to save money.\n\nCollege principal Chris Wilkes said the decision was related to \"low student numbers rather than any other reason\".\n\nHe said it would continue to focus on adult education.\n\nFamous Ruskin College alumni include former deputy prime minister John Prescott and Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover in Derbyshire.\n\nBA English Studies, BA History with Social Sciences and MA Women's Studies are being discontinued.\n\nAnne Hughes, 63, from Thame in Oxfordshire, has been studying BA English Studies part-time at the college for two years.\n\nShe said she was \"absolutely distraught\" it was being cut.\n\nShe is physically disabled and has depression, and said she chose to study at the college because it worked with \"disadvantaged, disabled and mature students\".\n\nThe college also offers bespoke timetables, unlike some other places of higher education, she added.\n\nOnline petitions have been set up in a bid to save the English faculty and the Women's Studies course.\n\nOne signatory, Jenny Lewis, wrote on the first petition: \"[Tutors] Helen Kidd and Tom Sherry are carrying on the great Ruskin tradition of bringing opportunities to those that otherwise would not have them.\"\n\nStudent and activist Saskia Ritchie, who set up the second petition, said Ruskin had been set up for \"people who would traditionally be excluded from academia\" and gives \"access to truly excellent learning opportunities\".\n\nMr Wilkes said the college would lose about 25 students as a result of the cuts.\n\nHe added degrees had been on offer at the college for about 10 years and were \"relatively new\" considering the college's 116-year history.\n\n\"Our focus will continue to be on educating adults and I think what we're doing is just renewing our offer but doing it in a different way, fulfilling our mission in a different way, to perhaps how we've done it in the past,\" Mr Wilkes added.\n\nThe college previously lost funding from the Skills Development Agency.", "summary": "Ruskin College has discontinued three of the degree programs that they offered, stating the decision was due to low student numbers. These programs include BA in English Studies, BA in History with Social Sciences, and MA in Women's Studies."}
{"article_id": "19608dddf09d46f382c2bbff489c50f9", "article": "An inquest into an IRA massacre of 10 Protestant workers has been delayed because there is no coroner to hear it.\n\nRepublicans ambushed a mini-bus carrying the men at Kingsmill in County Armagh in 1976 and murdered them after checking what religion they were.\n\nSenior coroner John Leckey is retiring this year and told a preliminary hearing of the inquest in Belfast that no replacement has been appointed.\n\nHis retirement could leave only one coroner in Northern Ireland.\n\nKingsmill is among dozens of inquests dating from the early days of the Troubles that face delay because not enough money is available to investigate or there is nobody to oversee fresh hearings.\n\nMr Leckey said: \"I feel for the bereaved families, not exclusively Kingsmill but for other inquests I am involved in.\n\n\"It is a disappointment that is widespread.\"\n\nA lawyer for some of the Kingsmill victims' families said they would be pressing Stormont's justice department for more resources to allow an inquest to go ahead.\n\nKaren Armstrong, a sister of one of the murdered men, said the lack of resources was \"a political problem\".\n\n\"We are not going to lie down and accept it,\" she said.\n\n\"We will fight until we get another date and they have to make sure there are enough coroners in Northern Ireland to deal with our and many other cases.\"\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy said he would be asking Justice Minister David Ford to ensure the matter was referred to the relevant authorities so that \"action can be taken as soon as possible\".\n\n\"Justice has been denied for almost 40 years and it is totally unacceptable that this inquest should be delayed further due to the unavailability of a coroner,\" he said.\n\n\"This was one of the most shocking and cruel events of the Troubles and the inquest must be treated with the seriousness this crime merits.\"\n\nA Department of Justice spokesman said: \"Officials are actively working to ensure that all necessary resources are provided for the conduct of inquests in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"There are currently three full-time coroners in Northern Ireland. In addition, one High Court judge and one County Court judge have also been appointed as coroners.\"", "summary": "Due to no coroner being available to hear it, an inquest into the IRA massacre of 10 Protestant workers has been delayed.  When senior coroner John Leckey retired earlier this year, Northern Ireland is left with only one coroner.  Disappointment about the situation is widespread."}
{"article_id": "19608dddf09d46f382c2bbff489c50f9", "article": "An inquest into an IRA massacre of 10 Protestant workers has been delayed because there is no coroner to hear it.\n\nRepublicans ambushed a mini-bus carrying the men at Kingsmill in County Armagh in 1976 and murdered them after checking what religion they were.\n\nSenior coroner John Leckey is retiring this year and told a preliminary hearing of the inquest in Belfast that no replacement has been appointed.\n\nHis retirement could leave only one coroner in Northern Ireland.\n\nKingsmill is among dozens of inquests dating from the early days of the Troubles that face delay because not enough money is available to investigate or there is nobody to oversee fresh hearings.\n\nMr Leckey said: \"I feel for the bereaved families, not exclusively Kingsmill but for other inquests I am involved in.\n\n\"It is a disappointment that is widespread.\"\n\nA lawyer for some of the Kingsmill victims' families said they would be pressing Stormont's justice department for more resources to allow an inquest to go ahead.\n\nKaren Armstrong, a sister of one of the murdered men, said the lack of resources was \"a political problem\".\n\n\"We are not going to lie down and accept it,\" she said.\n\n\"We will fight until we get another date and they have to make sure there are enough coroners in Northern Ireland to deal with our and many other cases.\"\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy said he would be asking Justice Minister David Ford to ensure the matter was referred to the relevant authorities so that \"action can be taken as soon as possible\".\n\n\"Justice has been denied for almost 40 years and it is totally unacceptable that this inquest should be delayed further due to the unavailability of a coroner,\" he said.\n\n\"This was one of the most shocking and cruel events of the Troubles and the inquest must be treated with the seriousness this crime merits.\"\n\nA Department of Justice spokesman said: \"Officials are actively working to ensure that all necessary resources are provided for the conduct of inquests in Northern Ireland.\n\n\"There are currently three full-time coroners in Northern Ireland. In addition, one High Court judge and one County Court judge have also been appointed as coroners.\"", "summary": "A 40-year inquest has been halted due to the lack of a coroner. Only one coroner was left in Northern Ireland after the senior coroner retired. Families of the victims are demanding justice. The county is now appointing judges as coroners.   "}
{"article_id": "2550949dbb23499a837b10f16ebd56f1", "article": "Rare drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, which are part of the Queen's royal collection, have gone on show. The works at Nottingham Castle include a chalk portrait of St Anne, sketches of bodies and plants, plus some technical drawings. The artist made only around 20 paintings during his lifetime, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, but left many more drawings. In total, there are almost 600 drawings by da Vinci in the Royal Collection. They were originally bound into a single album, thought to have been acquired in the 17th Century by Charles II. Experts believe Leonardo's drawings are the richest, most wide-ranging and most technically brilliant of any artist. The exhibition is on show at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery until 9 October.", "summary": "Rare drawings by Leonardo da Vinci have gone on show in Nottingham castle. The drawings are part of the Queens Royal Collection. There are over 600 drawings in the collection and the exhibition is on show until October 9th.   "}
{"article_id": "b14baa3916194510a74f074f415ce10a", "article": "BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A Bangkok Airways plane crashed at an airport at a resort island in Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring 37 people Tuesday, aviation officials said. Rescue workers inspect the Bangkok Airways plane at Samui airport on Thailand's Ko Samui. The plane carrying 68 people and four crew members skidded and then crashed after landing at Koh Samui airport, officials with the civil aviation department said. The ATR-72 turboprop had taken off from the town of Krabi on the west coast Thailand for its trip to the resort island of Koh Samui. Air traffic control warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed, aviation officials said. Seven people were seriously injured and emergency officials were working to free the plane's co-pilot who was trapped in the plane, officials said. CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report.", "summary": "A Bangkok Airways plane crashed killing the pilot and seriously injuring seven people. Air traffic control had warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed. The plane skidded then crashed shortly after landing.  "}
{"article_id": "20e2986b31f649d4bd02689346e73b4d", "article": "Maverick Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor has insisted that he is happy to stay and fight for his place at White Hart Lane and rejected reports linking him with a move away.\n\nTaking to Twitter on Tuesday night, the 31-year-old Togo international expressed his gratitude at being able to play in the Premier League and labeled the division 'the best in the world.'\n\nAdebayor joined Spurs in 2011 from Manchester City, initially on loan before an impressive first season tally of 18 goals, convinced the club to make the switch permanent for \u00a35million the following summer.\n\nTottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor rides the challenge of Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren (left)\n\nAdebayor takes to Twitter to pledge his future to Tottenham and insists he will fight for his place in the team.\n\nAdebayor gives an underwhelming performance against League One side Sheffield United in the League Cup.\n\nThe striker's significantly more modest form since then, however, coupled with the meteoric rise of homegrown star Harry Kane, have left Adebayor little more than a bit-part in the Spurs machine.\n\nThis season, he has made just 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring only twice and has been criticised for several underwhelming performances, in particular his showing against League One's Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup semi-final.\n\nYet, the former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City hitman remains adamant that he will see out the remainder of his contract in north London.\n\nAdebayor's last Premier League goal for Spurs came during a 1-2 defeat by Newcastle back in October last year.\n\nAdebayor has made just 10 appearances in all competitions this season and scored only twice.\n\nAdebayor might be deemed surplus to requirements due to the breakthrough of homegrown star Harry Kane.", "summary": "The 31-year-old Emmanual Adebayor took to Twitter Tuesday night, denying recent reports that he was moving away, stating that he would fight to stay at White Hart Lane.  Adebayor is adamant about finishing the remainder of his contract with north London."}
{"article_id": "20e2986b31f649d4bd02689346e73b4d", "article": "Maverick Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor has insisted that he is happy to stay and fight for his place at White Hart Lane and rejected reports linking him with a move away.\n\nTaking to Twitter on Tuesday night, the 31-year-old Togo international expressed his gratitude at being able to play in the Premier League and labeled the division 'the best in the world.'\n\nAdebayor joined Spurs in 2011 from Manchester City, initially on loan before an impressive first season tally of 18 goals, convinced the club to make the switch permanent for \u00a35million the following summer.\n\nTottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor rides the challenge of Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren (left)\n\nAdebayor takes to Twitter to pledge his future to Tottenham and insists he will fight for his place in the team.\n\nAdebayor gives an underwhelming performance against League One side Sheffield United in the League Cup.\n\nThe striker's significantly more modest form since then, however, coupled with the meteoric rise of homegrown star Harry Kane, have left Adebayor little more than a bit-part in the Spurs machine.\n\nThis season, he has made just 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring only twice and has been criticised for several underwhelming performances, in particular his showing against League One's Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup semi-final.\n\nYet, the former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City hitman remains adamant that he will see out the remainder of his contract in north London.\n\nAdebayor's last Premier League goal for Spurs came during a 1-2 defeat by Newcastle back in October last year.\n\nAdebayor has made just 10 appearances in all competitions this season and scored only twice.\n\nAdebayor might be deemed surplus to requirements due to the breakthrough of homegrown star Harry Kane.", "summary": "Emmanuel Adebayor took to Twitter to announce his intention to fight for his place on the Tottenham squad. The striker's status has diminished since 2011 with the rise of Harry Kane and several seasons of underwhelming performances. Adebayor only made 10 appearances this season, scoring 2 goals.  "}