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Trio held in PM death threats probe

Friday, August 22, 2008

Police are reported to be probing death threats against Gordon Brown

Three men arrested on suspicion of terror offences are linked to an investigation into threats to kill the Prime Minister, police sources said.
No plot was in place but there were calls for the death of Gordon Brown on an extremist jihad website in January.
The internet hosts many websites from groups and individuals, claiming allegiance to al Qaida and Osama bin Laden and routinely issue warnings and threats to political leaders in the UK and the US over the Wests involvement in the Middle East.
The three suspects, aged 21, 22 and 23, were all arrested on August 14. They are all from Blackburn, Lancashire, and were held under the Terrorism Act 2006.
Two were arrested at Manchester Airport as they were about to board a flight to Finland. The third suspect was arrested in Accrington, Lancashire.
Counter-terrorist officers from Greater Manchester and Lancashire are now in Scandinavia continuing their investigations.
Police have until Thursday to charge the men, release them or seek an extension to their custody.
Detectives have been granted up to next Thursday to hold the three suspects as they carry out investigations.
The swoop came as a culmination of a counter-terrorism operation between Lancashire Police and Greater Manchester Police's Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU).
Lancashire Police have refused to comment at this stage

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Mother and grandfather accused of killing girl, 4

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

'Killed by accident': Rose Ron, 4

A girl of four who vanished three months ago may have been murdered by her mother and grandfather, police fear.
Rose Ron is thought to have died at the hands of Marie Pisam, 23, and Roni Ron, who were also lovers.
The grandfather, 45, has admitted accidentally killing her – but has withdrawn another statement saying he put her body in a suitcase and dumped it in a river.
'He confessed he gave the child a blow, a blow he did not expect to have such a result,' his lawyer, Revital Swid, said.

'He panicked, was very worried about his partner's reaction and took action to conceal the body.'
Rose vanished from Netanya in Israel in May but the alarm was raised two weeks ago, when her great-grandmother said she had not seen her for months.
Ron and his one-time daughter-in-law Pisam, with whom he has two children, have been held since.
The case has unearthed a history of abuse for most of Rose's short life.
As a baby she was taken to Israel by her mother and French father, Benjamin.
But Pisam fell for Benjamin's father and stayed in Netanya, while he and Rose returned to France.
Later, Rose came to live with Pisam, after her father allegedly abused her.
Ron has claimed Pisam had nothing to do with Rose's death
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panic
a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals
conceal
to hide; withdraw or remove from observation; cover or keep from sight: He concealed the gun under his coat

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Cats in a bit of a flap

Tuesday, August 26, 2008


Chasing birds might be a little easier for these cats now they have grown wings of their own.
The moggies developed the furry flaps on their backs during a spell of hot weather in China's western Sichuan province.
The harmless growths are down to a genetic mutation, according to experts
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moggy
a cat
mutation
a sudden departure from the parent type in one or more heritable characteristics, caused by a change in a gene or a chromosome

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Sahara, the Arctic seal who hates cold water

by JOEL TAYLOR - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Sahara the seal takes a dip

There is nothing worse than stumbling bleary-eyed into the shower in the morning and being greeted with a deluge of icy cold
water.
So, spare a thought for Sahara, the two-year-old seal who hated cold Arctic water so much, he swam thousands of miles to warmer climes in Morocco.
Having been saved - twice - Sahara is now being treated for his fear of ice by having half a tonne of it a day poured into his enclosure at a Cornish sanctuary

'We think he recognises ice from when he was a pup. He was scared - it's like he remembers,' said Rachael Vine from the National Seal Sanctuary in Gweek.
'He likes to crunch and chew it, which is slightly weird. We don't think it will be long now before Sahara is a proper ice-loving seal again.'
Hooded seal Sahara was first rescued off the coast of Morocco last year and taken to the sanctuary, where he recovered from dehydration. The pup was returned to Orkney but, instead of swimming to his native cold habitat, he sought out the warm waters of Spain instead.
Again the sanctuary brought him back - and devised a novel way to help him cool down for his own safety.
'It's like a pub ice machine but it's bigger. It's working at maximum capacity,' added Miss Vine.
His species is used to temperatures of between minus 10ºC (14ºF) and 10ºC (50ºF) but he still fled to the other side of the pool when the ice went in.
There are also plans to build him a £250,000 refrigerated enclosure to accommodate his adult frame.
Sahara is expected to reach 400kg (63st) in a few years. For now, the treatment seems to be working. Miss Vine added: 'He will come out to sit in the ice. We haven't seen this before. We don't know if they do it in the wild
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enclosure
something that encloses, as a fence or wall
sanctuary
a sacred or holy place
dehydration
an abnormal loss of water from the body, esp. from illness or physical exertion

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Hillary backs Barack to win

by AIDAN RADNEDGE - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton took to the stage at the Democrats' convention on Tuesday – with delegates hoping she would heal the damage caused by her nomination battle with Barack Obama.
With Republicans keen to exploit any whiff of tension between them, Mrs Clinton's keynote speech was expected to encourage her die-hard supporters to get behind Mr Obama's presidential bid.
Mr Obama, 47, will formally accept the party's nomination in Denver, Colorado, Wednesday after emerging victorious from his contest with the former First Lady

The convention kicked off on Monday with a speech by Mr Obama's wife Michelle. Her husband – on campaigning duties in the US mid-west – joined the event in a video link-up as his wife outlined his plans for the November ballot.
'That's why he's running – to end the war in Iraq responsibly, to build an economy that lifts every family, to make health care available for every American and to make sure every child gets a world-class education all the way from pre-school to college,' she said.
Her speech included a nod to Mrs Clinton, praising her for inspiring the nation's children to 'dream a little bigger'.
Mrs Clinton, 60, later returned the compliment, telling delegates: 'Didn't Michelle Obama do a wonderful job tonight?'
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keen to
eager,enthusiastic

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Rushdie writer 'sorry' for lies

by SARAH GETTY - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Salman Rushdie

A former police officer has apologised to Sir Salman Rushdie for telling lies in a book about the author.
Ronald Evans, a convicted fraudster, helped protect the author after he received death threats for writing The Satanic Verses in 1989.
In his book On Her Majesty's Service, Mr Evans claimed Sir Salman tried to profit from the fatwa that was put on his head, and that he had been suicidal.

Another lie was that Sir Salman's third wife, Elizabeth West, married him for his money.
Mr Evans - sacked from the police after being convicted of fraud in 2005 for fiddling expenses - his ghost writer, Douglas Thompson, and John Blake Publishing admitted 11 falsehoods in London's High Court.
They apologised for causing 'hurt and damage'.
Mr Justice Teare made a declaration of falsity against the three.
Sir Salman did not seek damages but said: 'I'm gratified by this outcome. These were appalling lies.'
The publisher pulped the first 4,000 copies of Mr Evans's book and is correcting two chapters
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fraudster
one who commits fraud
gratify
to give pleasure to (a person or persons) by satisfying desires or humoring inclinations or feelings: Her praise will gratify all who worked so hard to earn it

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Mugabe hands Olympic medalist $100,000 cash reward

Fri Aug 29, 12:38 pm ET

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (L) congratulates swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Kirsty Coventry (R) in Harare August 29, 2008. Mugabe presented an award of $100,000 for Coventry's achievements in the Beijing Olympics.(Stringer/Reuters)

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Friday handed the country's only Olympic medalist in Beijing a $100,000 cash reward for her performance at the games.
Swimmer Kirsty Coventry smashed the world record to win gold in the women's 200 meters backstroke. She also captured three silver medals.
Mugabe handed the U.S-based swimmer the cash at a ceremony in Harare carried live on state television.
"Our national spirit must exude joy and pleasure and say you have done well, daughter of Zimbabwe. We are proud of you, we wish you well. She's our golden girl ... take care of her," he said at the ceremony.
The U.S. dollars, scarce in a country struggling with an economic crisis marked by a severe shortage of foreign currency, were carried in a briefcase by Zimbabwe's central bank governor.
Other members of Zimbabwe's Olympic team received between $2,000 and $10,000 each.
(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe)
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exude
to project or display conspicuously or abundantly; radiate: to exude cheerfulness
scarce
insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant: Meat and butter were scarce during the war -
seldom met with; rare: a scarce book -
Synonyms 1. deficient. 2. uncommon, infrequent —
Antonyms 1. abundant —

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Wave goodbye to boring surfing

by AIDAN RADNEDGE - Sunday, August 31, 2008
Some like it hot, some like it almost freezing, while others enjoy death-defying heights or stomach-churning speeds.
Surfers pride themselves on their free spirits - and so-called 'extreme surfers' are even more ambitious in their search for the ultimate adrenaline rush.

Daredevil stuff: Pipeline, Hawaii, as pictured in Extreme Surf

Now a glossy new study promises to identify the world's most challenging - or intimidating - waves for those daredevils.
Those who can't stand the heat are best advised to avoid Andhra Pradesh in India, where surfers enjoy 45°C temperatures. At the other end of the thermometer - and the map - Low Island in the South Shetlands has welcomed surfers with temperatures of just 1°C

And then there is the 20m (70ft) Teahupoo, pronounced 'choo-poo', meaning 'hot head', off Tahiti - described by world champion surfer Andy Irons as 'the balls to the wall, craziest wave in the world'.
Extreme Surf author Benjamin Marcus says Teahupoo is perhaps the 'heaviest' wave in the world - or, in surfing slang, the 'gnarliest'.

Thrill-seeker: Garrett MacNamra surfs the Jaws wave in Hawaii

Other eye-catching contenders to do before you, er, die include the 1.7km (5,700ft) long wave at Matanchen Bay in Mexico and the roaring 'Jaws' and 'Pipeline' in Hawaii.
The new guide, published by Pavilion, also traces the history of surfing. British explorer James Cook told how he watched Polynesians riding the waves around the Hawaiian islands in 1776.
He said of one man: 'He felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea
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defy
to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly: to defy parental authority
Synonyms 1. dare, brave, flout, scorn -
daredevil
a recklessly daring person

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Rabbits: breeding like rabbits

by JOEL TAYLOR - Sunday, August 31, 2008
Looking after just one baby rabbit must be hard work. But imagine caring for 26 Thumpers - and giant ones at that.

Bunny girl: Denise McGill with some of the bumper litter

Well, welcome to Denise McGill's world. The breeder is having to cope with the simultaneous arrival of two enormous litters.
Continental giant rabbits Jemima - who weighed 9kg (20lb) when pregnant - and Bobbin had a litter of 14, but one died.
On the same day, bunnies Alice and Merlin became parents of nine babies

Shortly afterwards, Millie and Rooney rounded off the baby boom with a litter of four kits.
Mrs McGill said: 'For the rabbits to give birth to so many kits and bring them up is absolutely incredible.' The 47-year-old, who got her first continental giant rabbit seven years ago, was stunned when the mothers gave birth on June 29.
'They were only like sausages when they were born. They are now the size of normal rabbits and will obviously get much bigger,' she said.
And the new arrivals - who will be re-homed - certainly don't go unnoticed.
'They have been drinking a litre of goats' milk a day and every other day I go through a 25kg sack of rabbit food,' said Mrs McGill, of Fulwood, Lancashire
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bumper
adjective -
unusually abundant: Bumper crops reaped a big profit for local farmers
litter
a number of young brought forth by a multiparous animal at one birth: a litter of six kittens
multiparous
producing more than one at a birth

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This gallery is a load of rubbish

by JO STEELE - Sunday, August 31, 2008
Two artists have beaten the credit crunch by building a gallery out of rubbish.

Folke Köebberling and Martin Kaltwasser created the elaborate Amphis space in countryside near Cambridge
Forty volunteers helped build it using donated old doors, windows, furniture and school desks. It will host art displays and film screenings
'We're very proud. It's the first building we've made totally out of garbage and cost next to nothing,' said Mr Köebberling, who believes 'one person's trash is another person's treasure'
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elaborate
worked out with great care and nicety of detail; executed with great minuteness: elaborate preparations; elaborate care