Arrived in London 3am, left by roadside, eventually taken to London Bridge to 'sleep' but had to start work 5am/5.30am.
From @KerryMP on Twitter:Source: www.itv.com
Muslim girl can marry at 15: HC - SamayLive
Ruling that a Muslim girl can marry as per her choice at the age of 15 years if she has attained puberty, the Delhi High Court has held the marriage of a minor girl valid and allowed her to stay in her matrimonial house.
"This Court notes that according to Mohammedan Law a girl can marry without the consent of her parents once she attains the age of puberty and she has the right to reside with her husband even if she is below the age of 18....," a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and S P Garg said.
Citing various Supreme Court judgements on the issue of minor Muslim girls' marriage, the bench said "In view of the above judgments, it is clear that a Muslim girl who has attained puberty i.e. 15 years can marry and such a marriage would not be a void marriage. However, she has the option of treating the marriage as voidable, at the time of her attaining the age of majority, i.e 18 years."
Accepting the 16-year-old girl's plea to allow her to stay in her matrimonial home, the bench has disposed of a habeas corpus petition filed by the girl's mother alleging that her daughter was kidnapped by a youth and forced into marriage in April last year.
The bench accepted the girl's statement she had left her parental home of her own will to marry the man of her choice and her husband should not be booked on the charge of kidnapping.
Meanwhile, to ascertain the girl's well being, the court has directed the couple and in-laws to appear before the Child Welfare Committee once in every six months till the girl attains majority.
"The Committee shall take necessary steps, including obtaining the necessary undertaking from the man(husband) in this regard. Subject to completion of these steps, the girl be allowed to live in her matrimonial home," the bench said.
The girl has been currently residing in Nirmal Chhaya, a government sponsored home for rehabilitation of poor and elderly women.
Source: english.samaylive.com
London 2012 Olympics: Bramham last chance as selectors make their choice - Daily Telegraph Blogs
Despite its disrupted schedule, next week eventing will become the first equestrian discipline to announce its team for London 2012. Selectors ripped up their protocols after the costly wet-weather cancellations of Badminton and Chatsworth, and the further loss of a month’s worth of national competitions due to waterlogging will have played havoc with the prep of even those who privately expect to be named.
Received wisdom is that four of the five eventers will be William Fox-Pitt (exact horse t.b.d. as he has so many), Mary King (Imperial Cavalier), Nicola Wilson (Opposition Buzz) and Piggy French (Jakata, who won confidently at Houghton Hall last week), with the remaining slot between five riders. These are Lucy Weigersma (choice of three, and hoping Granntevka Prince will make up for his fall at Kentucky), Zara Phillips (High Kingdom), Francis Whittington (Sir Percival), Sarah Cohen (Treason) and Tina Cook (Miners Frolic, the 2008 bronze medallist still with a little to prove after absence due to his life-threatening colitis last year).
All run at Bramham this weekend (June 7-10) which has doubled capacity, because UK-based overseas riders are inevitably short of match practice too (incredibly, Mark Todd only got his Olympic qualifying result on NZB Grass Valley two weeks ago). Bettina Hoy, once the doyenne of the German team and who controversially lost Olympic gold in 2004 on a technicality, has an outside chance if Lanfranco TSF can produce the goods on his seasonal international debut at Bramham.
Fox-Pitt starts Lionheart at Bramham. He and Oslo are among the less experienced in Fox-Pitt’s enormous string but he is thought to favour for them for the unusual challenge of Greenwich. It would be hard to think of any other rider that is in a position to discount a Burghley and Kentucky winner (the racing-bred galloper Parklane Hawk.) But the cross-country obstacles at Greenwich will be slightly under height – as Olympics often are, for the benefit of the emerging nations – and the real test will be selecting a “handy pony” suited to the relentless turns and cambers in between.
Greenwich will undoubtedly be the twistiest cross-country ever seen at a championship. A LOCOG executive told me that if you walked directly across the Park you would cross the jumping track eight times; at Badminton the pedestrian would cross just once or twice.
In dressage, the obvious team of three, Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechstolsheimer, are merely on tick-over, having all scored personal bests this spring. Only the fourth “courtesy” slot remains, which rider doubles as team reserve. This is between Richard Davison (Hiscox Artemis), who scored a promising 74.4% at Munich last week in the reduced Grand Prix Special test devised for London 2012, and Emile Faurie (Elmegardens Marquis), who will aim to better it at Fritzens this coming weekend. The squad will be confirmed in the first week of July.
In show jumping too, three of the quartet is popularly assumed to be decided – Ben Maher (Tripple X), Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) and Nick Skelton (Carlo or Big Star), Skelton being the rider that Eric Lamaze also tips to succeed him on now that his own chance of a successful gold medal defence has evaporated with the death of Hickstead.
However, while last week’s Rome Nations Cup seemed mostly to rule riders out of the British jumping squad, St Gallen brought a “new” and very serious prospect into the frame.
Last October, Tim Stockdale was prone on his hospital bed, contemplating life as an invalid with three broken vertebrae. However, London 2012 spurred him to recovery and although he frightened his fans by falling off at Royal Windsor two weeks ago, with Fresh Direct Kalico Bay he jumped a double clear in the St Gallen Nations Cup, and a further two clears gave them second place in the Grand Prix.
St Gallen was an arguably more influential track than Rome, yet Stockdale showed no ring-rustiness whatsoever. He will now almost certainly contest the final observation event at Rotterdam (June 20-24). If they can reproduce even 90% of last weekend's form, the 2010 King George V Gold Cup winners cannot be over-looked.
On paper there was an impressive top league debut in St Gallen by John Whitaker’s new partner, Maximillian, in only their 13th competition start. Whitaker usually produces his own champions but, fearing the prodigious Argento might not be quite ready, he quietly purchased a half-made jumper from Sweden in December. Maximillian showed his inexperience in the first round, but visibly grew in confidence and delivered a second-round clear. Yet in the Grand Prix two days later he accrued 21 faults. Maybe fast-tracking him to the big occasion had taken its toll mentally, or maybe Maximillian just felt tired – something selectors also have to consider with the Olympic team and individual jumping contests decided concurrently over six days.
Whitaker has won 21 championship medals, but none of them as an Olympic individual, and that still grates. In 1988, his legendary Milton was prevented from travelling to Seoul by his owners. In 1980 Ryan’s Son won team and individual silver at Rotterdam but John feels this was never recognised: Rotterdam was an “alternative” Olympic event following the mass political boycott of Moscow by all show jumping nations bar 11 from the soviet bloc that would never have got within 100 yards of a podium on any other occasion. Whitaker celebrates his 57th birthday during London and much sentimentality would be attached to his participation, but it’s hard to see how even this magician can pull something out of the hat with only three weeks to a decision.
Show jumpers from the new eastern Europe are still not a major threat, by the way, despite massive investment. The Ukraine has qualified for London but this is largely a contrived operation funded by billionaire enthusiast Alexander Onyshencko. Like the Saudis, Ukraine has bought in ready-made horses – to the extent that some were seized by authorities investigating Mr Onyshekco's financial affairs and sold at public auction earlier this spring. But, unlike the Saudis, Ukraine seems to have bought in the riders as well, notably Katharina Offel and Bjorn Nagel (formerly of Germany) and Gregory Wathelet (ex Belgium). This certainly adds to the "universality" of equestrian participation at London - at the expense of proper players such as Ireland and Italy under the strict quota applied in western Europe. What this this Formula 1-style, commercial team system will do for grass roots participation in the countries is not yet clear.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Crowds jam London for solo queen's jubilee finale - msnbc.com
LONDON (Reuters) - Cheering crowds thronged the streets of London on Tuesday for the grand finale to four days of festivities marking Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee attended by millions across Britain.
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The 86-year-old herself cut a subdued figure as she attended a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral and a celebratory lunch without Prince Philip, her husband of 64 years who was taken ill with a bladder infection on Monday.
It was one of the few grand state occasions in her life when he has not been present, taking some of the gloss of what is widely seen as a triumphant jubilee that has cemented the queen's popularity.
"Our prayers and thoughts are very much with him this morning," Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican church, said in his sermon.
Millions have attended street parties, watched a spectacular 1,000-vessel pageant on the River Thames in London on Sunday and a concert in front of Buckingham Palace on Monday, all held in honor of Elizabeth II, the only British monarch other than Queen Victoria to have reigned for 60 years.
In a rare move, the queen, who usually only appears on TV screens for a short message on Christmas Day, will deliver a special broadcast be aired at 1700 GMT to thank the nation.
Crowds began massing in huge numbers on the wide Mall avenue towards Buckingham Palace, turning the famous road into a sea of red, white and blue, for the jubilee finale when the royal family will appear on the balcony, with a fly-past by modern and former Royal Air Force aircraft.
POMP AND PAGEANTRY
After the celebrity glitz of the pop concert, Tuesday's events were more typical of the formal displays of ceremony for which British royalty is known across the globe.
Courtiers in an array of ceremonial red and golden tunics and mounted soldiers wearing shining helmets and breastplates dating from centuries past when Britain was an imperial power accompanied a parade through central London.
With Philip absent, the queen led the horse-drawn carriage procession to Buckingham Palace in an open-top 1902 State Landau with heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, while military bands played and a 60-gun salute was fired.
Charles's sons Prince Harry and Prince William with his wife Kate, in an Alexander McQueen dress, followed behind in other carriages.
Earlier Elizabeth - dressed in a fine silk tulle outfit, embroidered with tiny mint green star-shaped flowers embellished with silver thread - had arrived at Paul's Cathedral to shouts of "God save the Queen" from crowds lining the route.
A trumpet fanfare played as the monarch headed into the grand Christopher Wren-designed church, making her way up the aisle past bowing and curtsying members of the congregation.
Commentators said the church service for Elizabeth, who came to the throne aged 25 in 1952, would hold particular poignancy for the queen who as titular head of the Church of England holds her religious role close to her heart.
"We are marking today the anniversary of one historic and very public act of dedication - a dedication that has endured faithfully, calmly and generously through most of the adult lives of most of us here," said Rowan Williams.
"We are marking six decades of living proof that public service is possible and that it is a place where happiness can be found," he told the congregation, which also heard a reading from Prime Minister David Cameron.
Afterwards the royals enjoyed a lavish lunch at Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Houses of Parliament and the site for the lying-in-state of her mother, the Queen Mother, after her death in 2002.
The guests, including current and former senior politicians, enjoyed a menu featuring salmon from Uist Island north of Scotland and saddle of Welsh Cambrian Mountain lamb, along with an aptly named Jubilee sauce.
SUCCESS AND POPULARITY
The long weekend dedicated to the diamond jubilee has been seen as a success story for the monarchy, their media team and Elizabeth personally, and even typically inclement weather has failed to dampen enthusiasm of many of her subjects.
Polls suggest the crown and the queen herself are more popular than they have been for decades, with one suggesting the hereditary monarch was more in touch with her people than Cameron and his ministers.
Meanwhile the younger generation of royals, especially William, Harry and Kate, have become the darlings of the British press, once notoriously hostile to the monarchy as it threatened to implode in the 1990s following marital infidelities and the death of Charles's hugely popular first wife, Princess Diana.
Republicans have been vocal in their opposition during the jubilee but have drawn few obvious signs of public backing, although they hope that apathy to the royals felt by some could turn to hostility when the queen is gone and the less popular Charles becomes king.
If nothing else, commentators said the royals had once again provided Britons, suffering through financial hardships, deep public spending cuts and rising unemployment, an excuse to forget their woes and enjoy a party.
"With the economy and one thing or another, this has just been the most fantastic celebration," said designer Sheree Charalampous, 53, who had made her own crown, strung with pearls, pictures of corgis and a portrait of the queen.
"I really think the monarchy is now back in favor again, which is wonderful. Nobody does this sort of thing like us. It has been an amazing four days, just fantastic."
(Additional reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Paul Casciato)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com
Who needs make-up! Sam Faiers shows a more relaxed side as she enjoys romantic pool rendezvous with beau Joey Essex - Daily Mail
By Holly Thomas
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She was spotted heading to the pool at the weekend looking as though she'd spent the entire morning getting ready for the sunbathing session.
So it was refreshing to see Sam Faiers looking rather more relaxed yesterday as she enjoyed a little downtime with her on-off beau Joey Essex at their Marbella resort.
The couple looked perfectly at ease with one another, at one point nipping off to grab a bite to eat without their TOWIE castmates.
In their natural state: Sam Faiers and Joey Essex were looking relaxed by the pool at their Marbella resort yesterday
Filming taking its toll? Both looked a little tired, but glad to chill out in each others' company
Sam didn't bother to wear make-up, and covered her bikini-clad frame in a comfy t-shirt now and then when the sun became too much.
She did get up to stretch her legs and show off her tanned figure at one point however, looking far more relaxed in flip flops than she had done in heels over the weekend.
Joey looked a little restless on the sun lounger, shifting around from time to time, but ever attentive when Sam leaned over to share a quiet word.
Tender moment: Sam used her boyfriend's chest as a pillow as they drifted off together
A little help? Sam used an unconcerned Joey as a support to sit up
He was briefly distracted when a couple of young female fans came over to have a chat, but quickly resumed his prone position once they had left.
Sam was clearly quite happy to sit back and take a break from her usual role of Essex glamour queen.
Over the weekend the blonde boutique owner was spotted filming scenes for the Only Way Is Essex looking more her usual self, wearing a slashed to the navel black swimsuit.
Laid-back look: Sam didn't bother with make-up, and covered up with a loose top when the sun got too much
Ready to take a dip? Sam appeared to be contemplating a swim, while Joey hardly seemed able to move
Getting fidgety: Joey seemed to have trouble finding a comfortable position
She accessorised with a huge, gold neck piece, featuring a large circle in the middle which hung off the main plate and nestling between her breasts, drawing attention.
Sam wisely protected her face from the sun’s rays at Sisu Club and Hotel in Puerto Banus, pairing her skimpy outfit with a giant black and white striped hat and large sunglasses.
A crocheted waistcoat and sky high clogs which elongated her legs completed the look.
Bit of a distraction? Joey looked a little weary as he sat up to greet a couple of young female fans
Ready to make a move? Both looked as though they were feeling the effects of the last few days in Marbs
Blending in with the crowd: Sam was sporting none of her usual TOWIE bling, with unstyled hair and no jewelry
The overall look was significantly more high-maintenance than her low-key poolside look yesterday.
But Sam's more casual appearance clearly wasn't an issue for Joey, who was undeterred in his attentions.
The pair made a touching display of their affections during the final episode of season five last week when Joey penned a heartfelt love letter to Sam.
Time to head for the shade: Even the sun-loving pair needed a break at one point
Joey made Sam laugh as he reminded her of memories they share from when they initially got together, and displayed his childlike handwriting.
His closing words were: 'I love you and you're the love of my life.'
Joey's gesture appeared to make up for the distress he caused when he was photographed getting into a cab with another girl.
Grabbed a bite: The enamored pair went to get some food without their TOWIE castmates
What a difference some slap makes: Joey and a made-up Sam out last Thursday
Dressed to the nines: Sam's look was much more high-maintenance on Sunday
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
London 2012: MI5 expects wave of terrorism warnings before Olympics - The Guardian
The digital clock in the foyer of Thames House, the headquarters of MI5, is a constant reminder to visitors and staff of the security service's main priority over the coming weeks.
At first it was set to count down to zero, to coincide with the arrival in the UK of the Olympic torch in May. It has now been reset to a date nearer the start of the Games in London next month.
Leave has been deferred so the agency has a full complement of staff. Some non-essential duties, such as training, are likely to be suspended so there are extra bodies on hand during the busiest periods of the summer.
The Olympics has already proved a huge test for MI5, just as it has for Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch.
The threat to the UK is more diffuse now than four or five years ago, which reflects the disintegration of al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the scattering of extremists to places such as Yemen and, to a degree, Somalia.
With less infrastucture to rely upon, there has been a growth in the phenomenon of the "lone wolf" terrorist – homegrown self-starters, some of whom have researched how to become a terrorist by reading Inspire, the online magazine published by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Inspire has essentially told its followers to get on with it, rather than waiting to be asked or trained.
The loners are far harder to identify, but the police and MI5 are also aware of hundreds of networks in the UK and abroad, a small number of which pose a credible, if not immediate, terrorist threat. Some of them have been trying hard to launch an attack here over the last five years without success, and the question facing investigators is whether they can realistically try any harder for the Olympics, when security will be far tighter than usual.
Security, that is, around the Olympic village and at the venues. If there is a group out there plotting an attack, or a loner with a gun considering a rampage, they would not have to pick a sporting arena to disrupt the Games – an attack anywhere in the UK would have a huge impact.
Liaising with a myriad of other agencies across the world has been a big task: keeping them up to date with security plans in the UK, reassuring those with extra concerns – with the US and Israel thought to be chief among them – and cajoling others who should have them. Giving advice to the Home Office about who can be given security accreditation for London 2012 has involved sifting through 500,000 domestic and foreign applications – another monumental effort.
MI5 has been in a period of expansion and transition, which has coincided with, and to some extent been accelerated by, the need to protect the Games.
The security service has not recruited extra people specifically for the event because it was growing anyway after the 9/11 and 7 July attacks. Its staff of more than 3,500 means it has doubled in size in a decade, and numbers will be supplemented further with help from MI6, the secret intelligence service, and GCHQ.
The Guardian understands that MI5 has not set up a specific Olympics unit because it believes the systems it has in place are robust enough, and that it would be wrong to draw a distinction between terrorism and Olympic terrorism. Improvements in investigating methods and updates to IT systems are said to have made a real difference.
Scotland Yard and MI5 remain hopeful that the likelihood of an atrocity remains low, but as the weeks pass, they acknowledge that attitudes to risk will inevitably change. Managing these "collapsing timescales", as investigators call them, are likely to test officers to the limit, even if no specific plots are found.
In the days before the Olympics start, their teams are likely to be deluged with extra intelligence from foreign agencies, who will feel less inclined to vet potential information before it is passed on. The network of MI5 agents in the UK may also start to provide more intelligence too, for the same understandable reasons. The front end of this intelligence funnel has been expanded to cope with the extra material, with all the usual criteria applied; is the intelligence specific, is it credible, who is the source, and just as importantly – is there anything that can be done with it?
This "triage" process will help to distil the reports, and if there is any lingering concern, the police, MI5 – and potentially the Crown Prosecution Service – will have difficult judgments to make.Scotland Yard and the security agencies can convene executive liaison groups to discuss the most serious potential threats.
The questions they will have to ask include, can we let this situation run any longer? What risks are we taking if we do? Should we disrupt and do we have enough evidence to arrest and charge?
Nobody is talking openly about them, but it is believed the number of the most serious potential threats does not appear to have increased in the last few months. But some still exist.
Over the last 10 months, the police have made a series of counter-terrorism arrests in places such as Luton and Birmingham, and more are likely to follow. The threat from international terrorism is currently rated as substantial – the third highest of five levels. This is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, based within Thames House, though it is independent from MI5. When planning for the Olympics, it was presumed the level would be at the second highest available – severe.
If the threat level rises in the coming weeks, it will not be to keep people on their toes, sources say. It will go up because credible intelligence has emerged that is causing investigators immediate concern. That does not mean there is a specific plot afoot; but it might mean, with time running out, and risks to be managed, the police will make an early move. The police expect bomb hoaxes and stunts this summer, which will cause irritation. But if that is the sum of the disruption to the Games, then no one at Thames House or at New Scotland Yard will be too discomfited.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Wow just shows the magic of make up!
- caz, sussex, 05/6/2012 20:35
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