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By admin, on May 16th, 2012
Coconut crab may sound tasty, but this is no restaurant dish, this is something served up only in the virtual blogging world, the question is what’s on the menu? If there were a category for random news blogs, then this is where you’d find Coconut Crab.
Delivering regularly updated news stories, Coconut Crab can whet your appetite for finance, environment, politics, and the latest from the internet. Find out what Robotic fish are used for and the sweet smelling products that have survived the recession. Which news stories will get the Coconut Crab treatment next? Only one way to find out!
By Alan, on May 10th, 2013
Three women were found alive after spending ten years caged inside of a small worn down home. During their captivity, the women were only allowed outdoors for a few times when they stepped into a nearby garage under disguise.
The women were raped repeatedly during this time by a former bus driver aged 52. The man is due to make a court appearance on Thursday and is the only suspect to date. Although there are many questions left to be answered about how Ariel Castro was able to hide the women for so long, some of the horrors that the three women suffered for the past decade are now being told.
According to police, the women were bound up by chains and ropes and were kept separately from each other. They suffered multiple occasions of psychological and sexual abuse and suffered miscarriages during their time with Castro.
Castro has been charged thus far with four kidnapping counts including the three captives and the four year old daughter that was born to a victim. He was also charged with three counts of rape against the captives.
Castro and the women have also given long statements to police that helped make it easier to build a strong case to use against him in court. However, none of the women indicated that Castro’s brothers had anything to do with the kidnapping or rape even though they were originally arrested on Monday. Prosecutors therefore did not bring up any charges against them.
One mystery is still how the women were hidden in plain sight for so long even thought the community searched for the missing girls vigilantly for many years. The women are now in their twenties and thirties but were kidnapped at ages 4, 16, and 20.
By Alan, on May 1st, 2013
An incident involving three foreign climbers and local Sherpa guides on Mount Everest is being investigated by Nepalese mountaineering officials. The two renown European climbers had a high altitude brawl with the Nepalese guides in an incident described as being terrifying, by one of the mountaineers.
As they approached the 7.470 meters (24,500 feet) Camp Three on Saturday, Ueli Steck, a climbing record holder from Sweden, and Simone Moro, a four-time climber of the world’s highest peaks, from Italy, had a fight with the guides.
Speaking to AFP by telephone, an American eyewitness, who requested anonymity, said that the two, together with Jonathan Griffith, a British photographer, were asked to wait at some point on the mountain as the Nepalese set up some climbing ropes.
According to the witness, the two, who were using an undisclosed route to climb the mountain, without supplementary oxygen, ignored the guides, and proceeded with their climb. They went ahead and climbed the mountain despite the protest from the Nepalese, dislodging some ice, which hit one of the guides on the head. This made the group very angry.
Upon reaching the camp, the Nepalese attacked the climbers in their tents, hurling stones at them, and an argument, which turned into fisticuffs, ensued. The eyewitness recounts the terrifying nature of the incident in which the climbers almost lost their lives.
Moro wrote on his website that it was unlikely that the ice that hit the group was as a result of their climb. He said that the mob that attacked him was out of control, and instantly became aggressive, punching, kicking, and hurling stones at the climbers.
He said that his group could not have been the cause of incident, which interfered with the Sherpa’s rope-tying activities. These ropes are set so that other climbers can use them later to climb the mountain.
Local official told AFP that the incident had elicited an investigation by the police, and a meeting to reconcile the Sherpas and the climbers was held on Monday afternoon. Anish Gupta of Cho-Oyo Trekking, based in Kathmandu said that their clients disagreed with the guides and proceeded to climb over icy terrain.
By Alan, on April 22nd, 2013
Pupils who attended schools taught by TV weatherman Fred Talbot have been asked to come forth as witnesses for the police who have arrested him on historical child sex abuse allegations. Four pupils of Altrincham Grammar School for Boys have brought claims against him for abuses in the 70’s and 80’s, leading to this arrest. The police have also ascertained that he taught as schools in Tyne and Wear, in the late 60’s and early 70’s. All former pupils of these schools should contact the police.
While teaching Biology at Altrincham School, Mr. Talbot is suspected of 3 counts of indecency assault and 4 counts of forcing a child to commit gross indecency. The media frenzy over the issue has led to the gathering of information about his teaching at the Saltwell and Slatyford schools in Tyne and Wear. Students who went to these schools in the late 60’s and early 70’s have been asked to contact the authorities, and all information will be given in utmost confidentiality. Mr. Talbot is currently out on bail.
Mr. Talbot is best known for his work on “This Morning”, an ITV programme, when it was hosted by Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley. The large floating map of the British Isles, at Albert Dock, in Liverpool was the stage that he used to present his weather reports, when he worked for ITV’s Granada reports Programme.
By Alan, on April 22nd, 2013
David Cameron says to “. . . vote conservative and get good value for money.” The Prime Minister is out there drumming up support for his administration in advance of the May 2 local elections when 27 county councils and seven unitary authorities will have the voting booths open, with a total of 2,362 seats up for re-election or replacement.
The main issue in the May 2 elections will be council tax, as each local council is responsible for allocation of the money available to its own constituency. Cameron praised the efforts of local councils to put their funds to the best possible use, and said they (the councils) had done a good job of delivering more for less.
He added that localising council tax gives each authority more incentive to make cuts in back-office expenditures rather than cutting front line public services. However local councils need to be even more scrupulous about how their money is spent, suggesting that they could share a lot of executives and senior management to save a lot on payroll.
Though many of the political pundits are suggesting that changes are in the wind and Cameron’s party could suffer, the PM himself said he’s not in the forecasting business; he’s just trying to persuade voters that (his) conservative approach is the way the UK needs to go.
By Alan, on April 10th, 2013
The university in London which was banned from accepting applications from international students from outside of the EU has had its licence reinstated following a UK Home Office inspection.
There are conditions, however, and the London Metropolitan University is now on a probationary period lasting 12 months to ensure that it fully complies with the rules and during this time the number of students who can enrol here from outside of the EU is strictly limited.
It was the first UK university to have its sponsor licence revoked when it was taken away in August last year after immigration officials discovered during a survey that one in four students were studying there despite not having the papers or permission to stay in the UK.
Over the past 6 months the Home Office has made a series of inspections and the university has demonstrated that they have made the required improvements to both its administration and enrolment systems. The Home Office also decreed that the university now meets all the requirements set out that are needed to sponsor those international student from outside the EEA, European Economic Area.
Mark Harper, the Immigration Minister, said that it was in the best interest of these international students that all the institutions took their immigration responsibilities very seriously and also demonstrate how they are complying with these rules.
He went on to say that it was for this reason that the sponsorship system was set up in the first place, and they have been working closely with the staff at the university to make sure that the standards at London Met had been improved. Mr Harper added that London Met now meets the standards required and thus they were able to grant them their licence and that he was happy to continue welcoming the best and brightest students into the UK’s world class universities.
By Alan, on April 3rd, 2013
The prime minister has recently pressed upon the need for the United Kingdom to keep its Trident nuclear deterrent, declaring that it would be stupid to do away with a currently well defended Britain should a confrontation arise. This comes in the wake of growing concern over the actions of North Korea who are threatening a nuclear attack on the US.
The insistence of David Cameron that the UK will keep Trident came at the same time that the US announced that they would be shifting a superior missile defense system to Guam, in the Northern Pacific in response to North Korea’s threat. The PM referred to this action and said that threat’s such as these underlined the need for the UK to keep it’s deterrent in place.
He also said that the need for a nuclear deterrent was as significant today as it had ever been and was even more prevalent now than when the authorities embarked on this programme over 6 decades ago. joint threat of North Korea and Iran has several experts worried as whilst the latter’s nuclear programme is still in its infancy its continuing defiance to halt its experiments are falling on deaf ears, and quite what the North Korean’s have up their sleeves is anyone’s guess.
The extremely unpredictable and intense regime of North Korea recently performed its 3rd nuclear test, and could already have a stockpile of hardware sufficient to create a lot more nuclear weapons in the future. This past year has seen North Korea revealing a lengthy assortment of ballistic missiles which it claims are far reaching enough to hit the US, a scary prospect indeed.
By Alan, on March 25th, 2013
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has published a scathing report, telling of the delays that people go through when renewing their Visas. This has brought some sense of vindication to Australians who have suffered from the experience.
According to a select Home Affairs committee, if nothing is done to rectify the situation, it would take 24 years just to clear the delayed applications submitted to the UKBA from Asylum seekers and prospective immigrants. These cases are equivalent to the population of Iceland.
Last year, the pending applications reached a total of 313,000 within the period of July and September, with 4 new types of delayed applications coming to light. A campaign was launched by TNT magazine, and Aussie and Kiwi expatriates publication, demanding that UKBA rectifies the situation.
The Editor, Carol Driver, has supported the findings of inefficiency that was released in the report. She further states that the process of extending a visa, or requesting for stay, should not be this difficult. She says that their readers have written an overwhelming number of letters complaining about the laxity, and that the UKBA needs to be overhauled.
The report shows that it has taken the UKBA 10 months to process applications that should take a mere 45 minutes. People who cannot afford to pay for premium services have to surrender their passports to the border Agency until the Visas are approved.
One cannot make enquiries about applications, for the first 6 months. The online petition by TNT Magazine has asked for a hotline to be set up for purposes of updating applicants. Those eligible for work should also have their visas processed in 3 months. Due to the laxity at UKBA, people who would like to travel to, and work in the UK, cannot do so, and cannot get the rights to claim for benefits.
By Alan, on March 19th, 2013
With winter still well in control, balmy days with bees going about their business seems an awful long way off but they are very hot topic up in Newcastle this Saturday when 2 events take place at the city’s Great North Museum which is focussing on their alarmingly dwindling numbers and what we can do about it.
A joint venture between Newcastle University and Friends of the Earth, Building the Buzz brings together a plethora of experts from across the northern area to debate the current plight of the British Bee, from gardens through to the government.
Next month the Beacon Centre on the city’s Westgate Road plays host to the 56th annual North of England’s Beekeepers Association convention and on the agenda is another look at the recent slump in the bee population. The popular Radio 4 show Gardener’s Question Time will be recorded at this convention and the theme of the show will be, unsurprisingly, bees.
There are several reasons given for the decline of British bees, and use of pesticides, pollution and the loss of foraging and habitat are the ones that crop up again and again. Many do not realise the importance of the humble bee in the food chain, when in fact they play a vital role in the pollination of numerous crops.
The event at the Great North Museum will have contributions from Quentin Given and Sandra Bell from the Friends of Earth ‘Bee Cause’ campaign along with Newcastle University’s Pier Paoli. Chi Onwurah, the MP for Newcastle Central, will be in attendnce to help with a planting sessions which is the first step in the creation of 2 bee meadows within the grounds of the university.
By admin, on March 7th, 2013
 If you own a caravan that you rent out to the general public as opposed to keeping it solely for personal use then you need to have a good public liability cover in place. You can either get this as a separate policy or as part of your general caravan insurance package and cover yourself for up to £2m should an incident occur within the caravan which you are then deemed liable for.
Unfortunately, as many have found to their detriment, this is commonly overlooked and many have ended up in court and have had to try and find the compensation awarded to the third party out of their own pocket, meaning they have had to sell their caravans or remortgage their homes to make the payment ordered by the court.
In a society that is becoming a free for all as far as suing someone is concerned, public liability cover has never been more important, as people are being hypnotised by the sheer volume of adverts offering compensation claims on a no win no fee basis, so the only loser is the poor sap that finds themselves on the wrong end of a compensation claim and has to deal with the consequences.
If you are at all unsure about any aspect of public liability cover then check out publicliabilitycover.org as this specialist guide will give you all the information you could ever wish to know regarding this most vital but often overlooked insurance. The cover you need will protect you from such eventualities as personal injury, accidental loss or damage caused to possessions that are in your caravan at the time.
Another area that is covered is if something happens to your caravan which then inadvertently causes damage to another caravan on the site. This could be due to a fire, or a gas explosion, and as it originated in your van you will have to recompense the other owners. Likewise, if their car is parked near the van and suffers damage your public liability insurance will protect you.
By far, the vast majority of claims are made for personal injury, and if a tenant suffers an injury due to a fault in your caravan you are liable. This could be something simple that you haven’t noticed, such as the edge of a carpet sticking up that causes them to trip, or a more serious fault with a piece of equipment such as a cooker that causes them harm through burning etc.
Check out the T’s and C’s carefully on your policy to ensure you are fully covered if you have your caravan on a site abroad and also make sure that you have some kind of maintenance scheme in place as you cannot be expected to go back and forwards to Spain, France etc to ensure all is well, and the best sites, both home and away, have a service you pay for to check out your van regularly and ensure that it is fit to rent out.
By Alan, on March 2nd, 2013
A man that spent twenty years running from the law in the US has finally been placed in jail with a five year sentence for stealing a security van in Suffolk that had £1.2m contained in it. Eddie Maher, aged 57, has been sought after by the police ever since the van that he was supposed to be driving disappeared from outside of the Lloyds Bank back in January of 1993. He was finally found in the state of Missouri in the US in February of last year.
Maher was born in Essex originally and placed a last minute guilty plea on the charge at the Southwark Crown Court. The day that the theft occurred he was on a delivery run to the bank with his partner Peter Bunn. Bunn’s responsibility was to carry the cash out of the van and into the bank.
Prosecutor of the case, Richard Southern QC, explained that Bunn said that when they got to the bank in Felixstowe the bank was not open yet. Therefore, they had to wait awhile. He said that when he got inside of the bank he tried to call Maher to tell him that it would take some time to complete the transfer.
However, he was unable to get a hold of Maher and then became concerned because the radio signal was not as strong as it should have been. He then walked outside of the bank and discovered that the van and Maher was gone.
It was thought at the time that Maher took the van to Landguard Point and then moved 30 stacks of cash out of the van and into a vehicle that he stole to use as a getaway vehicle. While he lived in the US he chose to use several false identities to build a new life.
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