Essex charity which helped Jaywick goes into administration - essexcountystandard.co.uk

Essex charity which helped Jaywick goes into administration - essexcountystandard.co.uk

Essex charity which helped Jaywick goes into administration

2:57pm Tuesday 31st July 2012 in Countywide news

A NORTH Essex-based charity which helped communities on the coast has been placed in administration.
The future of projects run by CoastNet, including the long-term Reaching Jaywick scheme, are now under threat.
Administrators Chantrey Vellacott DFK, which has an office in Colchester, is talking with parties to see if any of the projects can be transferred and kept going.
But in the meantime all eight staff, based in Rowhedge and Plymouth, have been made redundant.
CoastNet chairman John Lant said: "We are very sad to see the charity being forced to take this difficult decision but the Trustees acted decisively and responsibly once the scale of the financial challenges facing CoastNet were identified.”

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Source: www.essexcountystandard.co.uk

TOWIE stars told by ITV bosses: Stop moaning or you're fired - Metro.co.uk

It was reported last week that several TOWIE stars have been threatening to strike because they feel they are underpaid and overworked, with Billi Mucklow, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Mario Falcone being cited as the most dissatisfied of the group.

The trio allegedly complained about the attention given to their co-stars Gemma Collins and James ‘Arg’ Argent, whose new relationship has dominated TOWIE at the expense of other cast members’ airtime.

But it now seems that the reality stars have now been put back in their place by show chiefs.

‘Bosses aren’t prepared to take any nonsense,’ an insider said of the latest developments.

‘They know some cast members have been complaining about long hours and low pay but have told them to stop whingeing and get on with it.

‘Producers are particularly annoyed about time-keeping and the way some of them treat production staff. The stars have been told they have to start arriving on time and must be respectful to the crew.’

Speaking to The Sun, the source continued: ‘They have been told nobody is bigger than the show - and if they don’t like it they should leave as there are loads of people who’d replace them in a heartbeat.

‘Even though the cast only get paid £80 a day, they earn thousands from personal appearances and deals they wouldn’t get if they weren’t on the show, so producers feel in a strong position.’

Despite the ongoing rows, there is one person who appears unperturbed by the thought of working for TOWIE producers - former star of the show, Amy Childs.

Having left the series last year to star in Celebrity Big Brother and her own Channel 5 series, the pouty redhead has now declared she is open to the idea of going back.

‘I've always said never say never with TOWIE,’ Amy told Digital Spy.

‘You never know, if it comes back in ten years again, I could be going back on it.

‘TOWIE’s a good show. I wouldn't go back on it now, but maybe one day the [ex-cast] of TOWIE could come back and I'll be one of them.’

Source: www.metro.co.uk

Lucy Mecklenburgh: "I'm scared of getting married" - Daily Mirror

Lucy Mecklenburgh, 20, has told Closer magazine how new rumours that her fiance and TOWIE co-star, Mario Falcone, 24, has been sending sex texts to other women have left her feeling emotional and confused.

In a recent episode of the reality show we saw her childhood friend, Sam Faiers, tell Lucy about the rumours whereupon Mario retaliated by accusing both Sam and her boyfriend Joey Essex of cheating on each other.

Ooh, Essex is a right rumour den, isn't it? The amount of time everyone spends spreading rumours, it's a wonder they have any time for cheating.

Quite why Mario would want to stray, we have no idea

Mario proposed to Lucy during the show's Marbella special in June, and she tearfully accepted, but the allegations have hit a nerve after Mario admitted sending flirty messages to other girls in February leading to the couple splitting briefly.

Lucy told Closer, "I do want to get married, but I'm a bit scared. I'd happily say let's get married in five years, but I don't think that's what Mario wants.

"I'm not ready for all the questions about the wedding and I don't want to plan it."

Which is probably not what Mario wants to hear. Although getting engaged at 20 years old when you've only just got back together with your sex-texting ex would probably give us the heebie jeebies too.

Lucy practising a 'wifely' pose

 

She continues, "I'm genuinely really happy and I trust Mario. He's with me every single night so I'd know if he was having an affair!

"Unfortunately, being in the position we are in rumours start that get out of control. But as long as we're honest with each other, that's all that matters."

Lucy also talks about her amazing size 8 figure: "Like any girl, there are days I'd like to change parts of my body - but, generally, I'm confident and happy with how I look.

"My favourite body part is my waist, as it's 24 inches. My least favourite part is my legs - I used to get called 'stumpy legs' when I was younger because I've got a long body and short legs. I look ridiculous when I stand next to Lydia as she's so leggy."

You can read the full interview in this week's Closer magazine, out today.

This week's Closer magazine is out today

 

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

London 2012 Workers stay at home to avoid the crush - Daily Telegraph

London 2012 Workers stay at home to avoid the crush - Daily Telegraph

One MP said: “The economic effects of the Games — on public finances and GDP — could well be negative and I think this is something that people should turn their attention to after the Games.”

The Government has set a target for half of all London-based civil servants to either work from home, work from another office, change their working hours or alter their route to work during the games. An estimated 800 Ministry of Justice staff worked from home yesterday, while around 400 London-based Department for Work and Pensions staff relocated to offices outside London.

Thousands of staff at taxpayer-owned RBS are expected to work from home during the Olympics. A spokesman for the bank said: “Some of our staff have the option of working from home on the 'exceptionally busy’ days which have been highlighted to us by the Olympics organisers. Flexible working is already part of our culture within RBS, so this will not be particularly new for employees.”

Critics said staff should be at their desks “getting on with their jobs” so soon after the bank saw an IT meltdown leave customers unable to make payments.

Priti Patel, MP for Witham, said: “In light of everything that’s been going on with banking and RBS, I would have thought the only focus should be on getting on with doing their jobs in the office.”

Train companies said routes into central London from areas such as Brighton, Kent and the South West were quieter than usual yesterday.

As well as fewer workers travelling into London, almost two million residents of the capital are expected to leave the city during the Olympics.

According to Experian, a travel website, around 10 per cent fewer people visited London’s West End last Friday and Saturday compared with the same weekend last year.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Kent County Council apologises after being found guilty of maladministration - Kent Online

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by political editor Paul Francis

Social services chiefs have issued a public apology after a council watchdog criticised them over two cases involving people in residential care.

Kent County Council said that in both cases, the criticism was not related to the quality of care they had received, but to the arrangements made for their care.

The local government ombudsman said KCC was guilty of maladministration over the case involving an elderly woman discharged from hospital who needed respite care.

Her daughter found a place at a home on the council's approved list but social services refused to pay the fees for four weeks.

Senior managers said the council's policy was only to agree short-term care where it was in a council-run home or had been pre-paid.

That was contrary to government policy and KCC had failed to correct its mistake when the daughter had complained, said ombudsman Anne Seex.

KCC said it recognised that it had got things wrong and had agreed to pay the costs of £1,560.

Cllr Graham Gibbens, KCC Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: "It is important that we take responsibility for the things we got wrong in each case.

"We have apologised wholeheartedly in both cases and have taken lessons from both cases.

"In both situations, members of staff were working within the guidance that was issued at the time. However, while this might offer some kind of explanation, it is no excuse and we are constantly striving to improve the way we work in adult social care."

Changes had since been made that meant that services had improved, he added.

In a second case, KCC was found guilty of maladministration causing injustice after a case involving the transition of a child to adult social services.

Monday, July 30 2012

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Kent’s Olympic stars: Ellen Gandy vows to impress in 200m - Kent News

Ellen Gandy Credit: Andy Hooper / NOPP

Monday, July 30, 2012
9:15 AM

Swimmer refuses to get down after eighth place in 100m

Bromley swimming star Ellen Gandy was philosophical after finishing eighth in the final of the Olympic 100m butterfly at the Aquatics Centre on Sunday evening.

Racing from lane one, the 20-year-old finished in a time of 57.76sec, while the race was won by American Dana Vollmer who smashed the world record with an incredible time of 55.98 - the first woman to break 56 seconds.

Gandy admitted: “I would have liked to have gone a bit faster but you know that was an amazing swim by Dana Vollmer and it’s great to be a part of that.

“I really wanted to get in amongst that race and it felt a lot faster but I guess being on the outside on butterfly you can’t really tell where people are.”

She added: “I’ve just got to move on from the disappointment and pick myself up for the 200.”

The Beckenham Swimming Club star is ranked fourth in the world at 200m butterfly and said: “I definitely feel that my strength is in the 200 and I just want to get stuck into that now.”

The preliminary round of the 200m butterfly is on Tuesday morning with the semi-finals that night and the final on Wednesday evening.

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Source: www.kentnews.co.uk

Kent City Council to meet Tuesday to consider new taxes for streets, parks - Bainbridge Island Review

The Kent City Council will have a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31 at City Hall, 220 Fourth Ave. S., to consider a proposed funding package for streets and parks, including whether to refer a property tax measure to voters on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The council must submit the measure to King County Elections by Aug. 7 to get on the November ballot.

Four items are on the agenda for Tuesday:

• Discussion on funding for parks, streets

• Resolution calling on city administration to conduct a third party efficiency study

• Discussion and possible action on business tax resolution or ordinance

• Discussion and possible action on placing levy lid lift on November ballot

After meeting last week with city officials, the Kent Chamber of Commerce came out Monday in support of a proposed property tax levy to pay for street and park repairs if the council does not tie in an additional business tax as part of a funding package.

Instead of a business tax, the chamber wants the council to adopt a $20 per year car tab fee on Kent residents.

The council formed citizen committees earlier this year to come up with recommendations for parks and street funding and to help prioritize projects. Those recommendations went to an ad-hoc committee of council members Dennis Higgins, Dana Ralph and Elizabeth Albertson.

That three-member committee recommended to the full council a six-year property tax levy lid lift of 37 cents per $1,000 assessed property value or about $111 per year on a $300,000 home.

The levy would raise about $29 million over six years, $18.3 million for parks and $10.7 million for streets as 23 cents per $1,000 would go to parks each year and 14 cents per $1,000 to streets. The levy would expire after six years. The ballot measure would describe the park and street projects to be paid for and require a simple majority.

Higgins told the Kent Reporter earlier this month that a property tax levy alone would not cover the long-term street maintenance needs.

The committee also recommended that a new business tax be implemented to raise as much as $4 million to $6 million per year; and that city administrators find $2 million per year in efficiencies in the city budget to go toward street maintenance.

The options for a business tax could be a per employee tax similar to what the city of Renton does; a business and occupation tax or a business license fee.

Andrea Keikkala, executive director of the chamber, issued a media release Monday about the chamber's position on the proposed taxes.

Keikkala said councilmembers Albertson, Bill Boyce, Higgins and Mayor Suzette Cooke met July 24 with chamber officers and representatives from Boeing, REI, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, Continental Mills, Veolia Transportation, Cascade Gasket & Manufacturing, Bowen Scarff Ford Lincoln Mercury, Sysco Food Services and WCP Solutions to discuss street maintenance funding proposals and alternatives.

The attending businesses agreed to the following proposal, which also has been passed with the unanimous support of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors:

"The city should not delay, or tie additional business taxes to, the proposed levy lid lift campaign. The decision on the levy is time critical to get on the November ballot, while the ability to apply a tax on businesses is councilmatic and can be voted on by the council at any time. A delay in voting on the levy hurts the funding for critical infrastructure projects.

We understand that the proposed levy of $.37/$1,000 of assessed valuation will be allocated .23 cents per $1,000 to parks and the remainder to streets. Businesses would pay approximately 40 percent of the property tax money collected.

The chamber supports the proposed levy on its own, but not if it is tied to additional business taxes.

The city should pass a $20 car tab fee. This will raise approximately $1.4 million annually for street maintenance and will allow time to determine if a business tax is needed or how best to be implemented.

The city should work towards finding $2 million in efficiencies in the budget or have the budget audited for such efficiencies. An independent audit will be educational and one of the biggest assets for a campaign to the business community to raise revenue in the future.

Maintenance on streets and money collected should be phased in. Since the city has been operating at approximately $1 million per year in street maintenance, we believe the projects should be phased in with smaller amounts initially that will match the new revenue sources and increase as new revenue sources are identified including retaining more of the state gas tax funds and other funding mechanisms that the state Legislature may identify in coming sessions.

The city and business community should lobby at the state and federal levels to capture our appropriate share of state gas taxes, large truck license fees and internet sales taxes.

We understand and are willing participants in continued dialog regarding the need for additional street maintenance and it's funding. The chamber will work with business and community members to determine the most acceptable solutions."

 

Contact Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter Steve Hunter at shunter@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600, ext. 5052.

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Source: www.pnwlocalnews.com

London passes Olympic travel test - Financial Times

Last updated: July 30, 2012 7:43 pm

By Mark Odell, Transport Correspondent

Source: www.ft.com

Language law will split Ukraine, opposition warns - Reuters UK

Language law will split Ukraine, opposition warns - Reuters UK

By Richard Balmforth

KIEV | Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:15pm BST

KIEV (Reuters) - Opposition politicians walked out of Ukraine's parliament in protest on Monday after warning that a law making Russian the official language in parts of the former Soviet republic would set citizens at each other's throats.

President Viktor Yanukovich's Party of the Regions rushed the bill through parliament earlier this month in what opponents saw as an attempt to rally public support in Russian-speaking regions ahead of an October parliamentary election.

The move led to street protests in the capital Kiev and brawls in parliament. The chamber went into recess until September, leaving the bill in limbo, but last week parliament said it would reconvene for an extra session on Monday.

Arseny Yatseniuk, leader of the opposition Front of Change party, described the bill as a "crime against Ukraine and the Ukrainian state" during the special session on Monday.

"We regard this as an anti-constitutional manoeuvre - it does not exist for us as a law," he said.

Ivan Zayats, a deputy of Our Ukraine, another opposition party, said: "This law will set Ukrainians of the left bank against the right, north against south."

Opposition lawmakers then left the special sitting in protest, before parliament - dominated by the Party of the Regions - voted against any changes to the bill, which has passed its second and final reading.

POWER BASE

The way is now clear for parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn to send the bill to Yanukovich for his final signature. Lytvyn won a vote of confidence from parliament on Monday despite having formally resigned over the language row.

Yanukovich has not yet expressed his view on the bill, but his popularity would take a hard knock in his eastern Ukraine power base if he failed to sign it into law.

About 1,000 opposition protesters attempted to rally near parliament on Monday but were barred from getting close to the main building.

While Ukrainian is the only state language, the bill would make Russian an official regional language in predominantly Russian-speaking areas in the industrialised east and southern regions such as Crimea where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based.

Opponents of the bill, who regard the Ukrainian language as a touchstone of sovereignty and independence from Russia, say it will mean that knowledge and usage of Ukrainian will die out in those areas.

Passions remain high, however, and the law is likely to be a high-profile issue in the October 28 election when Yanukovich's Party of the Regions will have to work hard to maintain its majority after unpopular government policies on pensions, taxation and the cost of home utilities.

With former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko still in jail on a charge of abuse of office, Yatseniuk, whose party has united with her Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party, has effectively become head of the opposition.

(Additional reporting by Natalya Zinets; Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: uk.reuters.com

PEGI video game ratings become law - The Guardian

Retailers that sell video games to children are now liable for imprisonment or a fine, under a tough new age-classification system designed to crack down on violent and unsuitable content.

Under the new rules that came into force on Monday, all games sold in the UK will now be regulated under a system called PEGI, the Pan European Game Information scheme, which makes it illegal to sell 12-rated video games to children under that age for the first time.

Until now the British Board of Film Classification has provided 15 and 18 certificates that are legally enforceable. But there had never been the equivalent for 12-rated games, making it technically legal for children to buy them.

The PEGI system, which is viewed in the industry as adopting stricter ratings, will see small diagrams introduced to give shoppers guidance on references to sex, drugs, fear, gambling or online gaming elements in each title. There will also be indicators for bad language, discrimination and violence.

"Today's simplification of the ratings system benefits both industry and consumers and will help ensure that the millions of games sold in the UK each year are being played by the audiences they were intended for," said culture minister Ed Vaizey.

Backers of the new regime said that the shift to a single system would help consumers, and especially parents, make informed decisions.

The government moved to tighten video game content rules following recommendations made by Tanya Byron's Safer Children in a Digital World and Reg Bailey's Letting Children be Children review.

Under the regulations, retailers could face a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to £5,000 for selling a game to someone under the age-rating classification.

The new system will end the BBFC's role in rating video games. All video games will be rated under the PEGI system by the Video Standards Council, unless the title contains explicit sexual content.

In the event that a title may require an R18 rating, the BBFC would classify the game.

"We very much believe that the sole adoption of PEGI will provide a clear and consistent direction on age ratings for parents and will be a vital tool in helping them to understand they types of games that their children should be playing," said Dr Jo Twist, chief executive of the Association of UK Interactive Entertainment.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Homeless charities warn of increase in Kent thanks to welfare cuts - thisiskent.co.uk

MORE people will be forced on to the streets in West Kent because of welfare cuts and a lack of affordable housing, according to those who work with the homeless.

Their predictions come as Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's housing strategy for the next five years said homelessness in the borough would rise.

1. ENORMOUS PRESSURE: John Handley, chief executive of The Bridge Trust

Two West Kent charities are concerned homeless levels will surge due to welfare handout changes and increased pressure on households leading to relationship breakdowns.

John Handley, chief executive of homeless charity The Bridge Trust, said the issue was already becoming a bigger problem across the country and blamed "devastating cuts and changes" to welfare.

His organisation has seen an increase in the number of people it has dealt with. In 2011-2012 the charity helped 49 people into accommodation, up from 39 people the previous year.

Mr Handley said: "There is an enormous amount of pressure on households due to ever-reducing jobs and increasing costs."

The borough council's housing strategy to 2017 predicted homelessness would rise due to changes in legislation and "as a result of the regeneration work".

Referring to the latter point, one man who lives at the YMCA, identified only as Ian, said: "There's not a lot of accommodation around here and then there's a lot being lost in Sherwood and Rusthall. People are struggling because of that.

"There are more people on the street here than people realise and I think it's going to increase. There's just no accommodation."

The borough council has seen an increase in the number of homelessness applications, where people declare themselves unable to remain in their home, and a rise in the number of people requiring emergency accommodation.

Its housing options manager Jane Rogers said: "There are a number of factors that are causing the increase, the main one being the current economic climate which has led to unemployment and families being under additional strain. This leads to more relationship breakdowns.

"Another factor is welfare reform – when the effects of the Welfare Reform Act start to be felt in the next year or so we believe we will see more homelessness among people who cannot afford their rent, in both the private and social rented sector."

In a bid to tackle homelessness the council plans to improve links with private landlords, increase specialist advice, develop closer links to social services, improve housing advice available to young people, make presentations in schools, continue working with local churches to support the winter shelter scheme, and monitor the effect of welfare changes and affordable homes allocation.

A lack of affordable housing in the affluent West Kent area is also a factor which could impact on homelessness. The West Kent Homelessness Strategy for 2011 to 2016, drawn up by councils in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, predicted a shortfall of 1,368 affordable homes in the area for the next 14 years.

The Bridge Trust has seen an increase in the number of people it has helped find accommodation, and between April and June, usually a quiet time of the year, had a constant waiting list for beds.

Homeless charity Porchlight, which provides supported housing in Tonbridge, echoed concerns over more homelessness and rough sleeping.

In 2011 a rough sleeping count found nine people sleeping on the streets in Tunbridge Wells. Tonbridge currently has seven.

Chris Coffey, strategic manager for the rough sleeper team, said: "The decline from a stable home environment can take a long time but combining current financial pressures with other issues such as mental ill health or alcohol dependency will see many relationships break down and individuals left with no option but to sleep rough."

Source: www.thisiskent.co.uk

Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division cricket round-up - Kent Online

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James Hockley spurred Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division leaders Hartley Country Club to a six-wicket victory at Bexley on Saturday.

The former Kent player (pictured) hit 101 off 124 balls as Hartley, after bowling out the home side for 219, reached their target with 11.3 overs to spare. Charlie Hemphrey chipped in with a breezy 40 for Hartley, for whom Sam Weller took the bowling honours with 5-52.

Sevenoaks Vine kept the pressure on Hartley with a 17-run victory over Tunbridge Wells at the Nevill, where Fabian Cowdrey was prominent with bat and ball. He made 68 as the Sevenoaks side set a target of 248-8 and then picked up three wickets to help remove the home side for 231. Skipper Evert Bekker top-scored for Wells with 62.

Third-placed Blackheath's title hopes took a jolt as they lost by two wickets at home to lowly Canterbury. Australian opener Tim Bishop, with an impressive 113 from 129 balls, led Canterbury's successful run chase after Blackheath had made 250-9. Following Bishop's departure Stuart Sinclair (48) took up the reins to see Canterbury home in the last over.

Fellow strugglers Beckenham recorded an impressive 120-run home win over Lordswood. After choosing to bat Beckenham piled up 257-4, thanks mainly to a maiden Premier Division century from Will MacVicar and 70 from Alex Blake. Lordswood were never in the hunt in reply as they dismissed for 139, with Johan Malcolm claiming 5-36 and Raza Ali Dar 4-17.

Bickley Park scored a six-wicket success over local rivals Bromley. The latter made 235-4 batting first, with Wayne Morgan (78) and Richard Clinton (65 not out) the chief contributors. James Lincoln then masterminded the run chase with a well-crafted 84.

Monday, July 30 2012

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Kent’s Olympic stars: Ellen Gandy vows to impress in 200m - Kent News

Ellen Gandy Credit: Andy Hooper / NOPP

Monday, July 30, 2012
9:15 AM

Swimmer refuses to get down after eighth place in 100m

Bromley swimming star Ellen Gandy was philosophical after finishing eighth in the final of the Olympic 100m butterfly at the Aquatics Centre on Sunday evening.

Racing from lane one, the 20-year-old finished in a time of 57.76sec, while the race was won by American Dana Vollmer who smashed the world record with an incredible time of 55.98 - the first woman to break 56 seconds.

Gandy admitted: “I would have liked to have gone a bit faster but you know that was an amazing swim by Dana Vollmer and it’s great to be a part of that.

“I really wanted to get in amongst that race and it felt a lot faster but I guess being on the outside on butterfly you can’t really tell where people are.”

She added: “I’ve just got to move on from the disappointment and pick myself up for the 200.”

The Beckenham Swimming Club star is ranked fourth in the world at 200m butterfly and said: “I definitely feel that my strength is in the 200 and I just want to get stuck into that now.”

The preliminary round of the 200m butterfly is on Tuesday morning with the semi-finals that night and the final on Wednesday evening.

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Source: www.kentnews.co.uk

Mom’s in the middle of chaos, again - Independent Online

Patricia Heaton fans will be pleased to know the funny and talented actress is back on the box, in The Middle.

Most of us first saw her on Everybody Loves Raymond as Debra. She plays a housewife who feels let down by the matrimonial system. She constantly feels as if the work she puts in at home, which includes cleaning and looking after the kids without her husband’s help, is not appreciated.

Her hubby, Ray, plays the clown at every opportunity, so much so she sometimes feels he is one of the kids, too. Then come the never-ending visits from his relatives who make the couple’s business theirs, too. When Debra can’t take it anymore she takes it out on her Ray.

Interestingly, Heaton moved to the other show and plays an identical role to the one in Everybody Loves Raymond.

In The Middle, which airs every Wednesday on Comedy Central, Heaton takes on the role of Frankie Heck, who is, you guessed it, the wife and mother of, again not one or two, but three, impossible kids.

The element of semi-dysfunctional family and relatives is also brought into The Middle. However, unlike in Everybody Loves Raymond, Heaton is the lead character and the entire storyline revolves around her.

While this is all good and well, and perhaps she stays employed and relevant, you have to wonder if she made the right decision in accepting the part. Indeed it is a big show, but then we can’t deny that she runs the risk of being typecast. You may be wondering what the fuss is about, but any actor worth their salt knows they are better off not working than being type-cast. You become that character and nothing else. Look at Jean-Claude Van Damme and his career. After a few years as the guy who lost a brother and is out for revenge, people kind off got tired of it and went looking for more meaningful stories. Don’t even get me started on Sylvester Stallone.

In comedy many actors have been stuck in one role in different shows for years. This has corroded their careers and made them undesirable for mould-breaking roles. Tasha Smith comes to mind. If you’ve watched a few Tyler Perry films then you know Smith. She’s the loudmouth with a drinking and temper problem in all the roles he’s cast her in. You will find her as a ’hood rat in Daddy’s Little Girls and a psycho in Why Did I Get Married? But beyond that, you’ll not see her in anything serious.

Is Heaton headed that way? Time will tell.

• The Middle,Wednesdays at 7.40pm on Comedy Central (channel 122).

Source: www.iol.co.za

Kent County Council plea for more South East grammar schools - Worldnews.com

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The 18th century was dominated by wars with France, during which the Medway became the primary base for a fleet that could act along the Dutch and French coasts. When the theatre of operation moved to the Atlantic, this role was assumed by ...
Source: article.wn.com

United Kingdom: Guarantors Not Always Guaranteed - Mondaq

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Hubby brought his girlfriend to the matrimonial home - Jamaica Observer

Dear Mrs Macaulay,

I am currently residing in the United Kingdom. I have been married for 14 years. In January 2010 my husband told me he would be going to Jamaica for a family birthday party, but I subsequently discovered that he had booked a family holiday for himself, his ex girlfriend, and her teenage daughter. They spent a full two weeks in our matrimonial home that we had built together in Jamaica

We had remortgaged our home here in the United Kingdom and also borrowed loans to build that house. The affair caused unrest in the relationship and he moved out. Now he is filing for divorce here.

I am looking for some support with reference to gaining information on jointly owned properties in Jamaica, where the owners reside overseas. This is because my husband is trying to tell me that the house in Jamaica is his and I am not entitled to half. While he was vacationing in Jamaica he told family members that he and I were already divorced, and that he has sole ownership of the house. How do I ensure that I am fairly treated and get what is rightly mine.

It is always sad when a marriage or settled relationship breaks up and it is even sadder when it is of such a long duration. It also is particularly painful when the break-up is the result of lies and unfaithfulness, and in your case, your spouse was particularly disrespectful.

However, you should not despair. You will recover from the pain of your husband's disrespectful and abhorrent conduct, because any man who would take his paramour and illicitly cohabit with her in the matrimonial home is not worth a moment of your time.

It doesn't matter that you both ordinarily reside in the UK. What is relevant is who are the persons registered on the certificate of title as the proprietors of the property and with what kind of tenancy. If you are both registered as joint tenants, then you both own the premises — the whole of it in undivided shares — and you will each, on a breakdown, generally be entitled to a 50/50 on the severance of the joint tenancy. So in these circumstances, if he wants to solely own the house and you agree, then he will have to buy your 50 per cent share at the real market value, following a valuation of the premises by a licensed valuator.

If you do not agree, you can try to buy him out, or if neither of you can buy the other out, the property will have to be sold on the open market and the net proceeds shared between you 50/50.

If you are registered as tenants-in-common, then you each own 50 per cent share individually and independently of each other. The possibility of either of you buying the other out would also apply in these circumstances and failing this, a sale in the open market.

If you both cannot agree on what steps to take towards the partitioning and division of your interests in the property, then you must, of course, apply to the court here in Jamaica for a declaration of your respective interests, and for orders for the interests to be partitioned and by what means you will each obtain your respective interest as declared by the court.

If only his name appears on the title, you must quickly apply to the court here for a declaration of your respective interests in the premises and for the consequential orders you require to obtain your full interest as declared by the court. These would generally be that either of you can buy the other's interest and failing this, that the property be sold on the open market after a valuation by a licensed valuator agreed by you both, or chosen by the registrar of the Supreme Court if you fail to agree. Then, your attorney-at-law should have carriage of any such sale and he or she shall then pay out the net proceeds to the parties as ordered by the court.

I'm telling you to apply quickly because you did not say that you were both registered on the title and I thought it best to mention this latter circumstance, just in case. You must act quickly in order to lessen the chances of him effecting a transfer of the property to himself and some other persons in order to deprive you of your share. Though this will not deprive you of your interest, it adds complications. So I advise that you must quickly file your application as I have mentioned because if he then makes any attempt to sell it, or obtain a loan using it as surety for the loan, or transfer it wholly or a partial interest of it after your application has been filed, then he will be committing an offence under the Property (Rights of Spouses) Act.

If he is charged and convicted he will be liable to be fined $1,000,000 maximum or sentenced to a maximum term of imprisonment for 12 months, or both. The level of sentence will, of course, depend on how egregious the judge considers his actions to be.

The court can also order that the sale, transfer or other dealing which has not yet been completed be restrained or if he had received monies, that he pays the monies into court to be dealt with as the court will determine. If the property is disposed of after the court order is made, it is, the Act says, void, and the court will have to decide what is to be done about any person who purports to have an interest in the premises and who makes such a claim.

Another matter which I must touch on is the fact that you both ordinarily reside in the UK and you have another home there. Yet you refer to this property in Jamaica as your matrimonial home. The Property (Rights of Spouses) Act refers to a family home, which is what I suppose you mean. The fact of living in the UK is not a problem that will bar you having any interest in it. I am sure it was for your use whenever you came home to Jamaica.

"Family home" is defined by the Act as the dwelling house that is completely owned by either of you or both of you and which is generally used, or used "from time to time" by you as spouses as the only or principal family residence. You must also show that while you were here in Jamaica it was your only or the principal place of your residence, in order to bring it within the meaning in the Act.

It really does not matter what your husband believes and what he has told his mistress and any other persons, what matters is what you do now about ensuring that the court here determines your interest in this property and makes an order giving you and upholding that interest. Remember, you clearly contributed to the acquisition of this home in Jamaica because you re-mortgaged your home in the UK and also borrowed monies in order to build the Jamaican home.

If there are outstanding sums due on these loans in the UK they must, of course, be paid off from the gross proceeds of sale either of the UK property or the Jamaican one before the net proceeds are divided in the proportions are ordered by the court.

So please get a lawyer in Jamaica and move on with your claim, especially as your husband has applied for divorce. Do not waste any time.

Margarette May Macaulay is an attorney-at-law, Supreme Court mediator, notary public and women's and children's rights advocate. Send questions via e-mail to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com; or write to All Woman, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5. Mrs Macaulay cannot give personal advice outside of this column.

DISCLAIMER:

The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and must not be relied upon as an alternative to legal advice from your own attorney.

Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com

Hundreds protest toughening Spain's abortion law - The Guardian

HAROLD HECKLE

Associated Press= MADRID (AP) — Hundreds of Spaniards protested Sunday against the conservative government's proposal to roll back women's abortion rights, including in cases where the fetus is deformed.

The protesters in Madrid included one young woman who wrote the slogan "Judges and priests away from my body" on her belly.

Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has said he will ask Parliament to change the existing law, including implementing a requirement for parental permission in cases where 16- and 17-year-olds want to end pregnancies.

Gallardon said the changes also make it harder for women to abort fetuses with physical deformities.

"The malformation of a fetus can no longer be a case for abortion," Gallardon said in a recent interview published by the La Razon newspaper.

In 2010, Spain's Socialist government changed the law to allow abortions without restrictions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and for 16- and 17-year-olds without parental permission.

Gallardon's right-leaning Popular Party won a landslide victory in November and has promised to carry out its campaign pledge to tighten abortion laws.

A poll by Metroscopia commissioned and published by El Pais newspaper on Sunday said that Gallardon's proposal was unpopular, even among conservative voters.

It said 65 percent of Popular Party voters and 64 percent of practicing Roman Catholics disagreed with the proposal to make aborting fetuses with malformations illegal.

A total of 81 percent of those polled disagreed with Gallardon's proposal, the poll said.

The poll surveyed 1,000 adults above 18 years of age and had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Hubby brought his girlfriend to the matrimonial home - Jamaica Observer

Hubby brought his girlfriend to the matrimonial home - Jamaica Observer

Dear Mrs Macaulay,

I am currently residing in the United Kingdom. I have been married for 14 years. In January 2010 my husband told me he would be going to Jamaica for a family birthday party, but I subsequently discovered that he had booked a family holiday for himself, his ex girlfriend, and her teenage daughter. They spent a full two weeks in our matrimonial home that we had built together in Jamaica

We had remortgaged our home here in the United Kingdom and also borrowed loans to build that house. The affair caused unrest in the relationship and he moved out. Now he is filing for divorce here.

I am looking for some support with reference to gaining information on jointly owned properties in Jamaica, where the owners reside overseas. This is because my husband is trying to tell me that the house in Jamaica is his and I am not entitled to half. While he was vacationing in Jamaica he told family members that he and I were already divorced, and that he has sole ownership of the house. How do I ensure that I am fairly treated and get what is rightly mine.

It is always sad when a marriage or settled relationship breaks up and it is even sadder when it is of such a long duration. It also is particularly painful when the break-up is the result of lies and unfaithfulness, and in your case, your spouse was particularly disrespectful.

However, you should not despair. You will recover from the pain of your husband's disrespectful and abhorrent conduct, because any man who would take his paramour and illicitly cohabit with her in the matrimonial home is not worth a moment of your time.

It doesn't matter that you both ordinarily reside in the UK. What is relevant is who are the persons registered on the certificate of title as the proprietors of the property and with what kind of tenancy. If you are both registered as joint tenants, then you both own the premises — the whole of it in undivided shares — and you will each, on a breakdown, generally be entitled to a 50/50 on the severance of the joint tenancy. So in these circumstances, if he wants to solely own the house and you agree, then he will have to buy your 50 per cent share at the real market value, following a valuation of the premises by a licensed valuator.

If you do not agree, you can try to buy him out, or if neither of you can buy the other out, the property will have to be sold on the open market and the net proceeds shared between you 50/50.

If you are registered as tenants-in-common, then you each own 50 per cent share individually and independently of each other. The possibility of either of you buying the other out would also apply in these circumstances and failing this, a sale in the open market.

If you both cannot agree on what steps to take towards the partitioning and division of your interests in the property, then you must, of course, apply to the court here in Jamaica for a declaration of your respective interests, and for orders for the interests to be partitioned and by what means you will each obtain your respective interest as declared by the court.

If only his name appears on the title, you must quickly apply to the court here for a declaration of your respective interests in the premises and for the consequential orders you require to obtain your full interest as declared by the court. These would generally be that either of you can buy the other's interest and failing this, that the property be sold on the open market after a valuation by a licensed valuator agreed by you both, or chosen by the registrar of the Supreme Court if you fail to agree. Then, your attorney-at-law should have carriage of any such sale and he or she shall then pay out the net proceeds to the parties as ordered by the court.

I'm telling you to apply quickly because you did not say that you were both registered on the title and I thought it best to mention this latter circumstance, just in case. You must act quickly in order to lessen the chances of him effecting a transfer of the property to himself and some other persons in order to deprive you of your share. Though this will not deprive you of your interest, it adds complications. So I advise that you must quickly file your application as I have mentioned because if he then makes any attempt to sell it, or obtain a loan using it as surety for the loan, or transfer it wholly or a partial interest of it after your application has been filed, then he will be committing an offence under the Property (Rights of Spouses) Act.

If he is charged and convicted he will be liable to be fined $1,000,000 maximum or sentenced to a maximum term of imprisonment for 12 months, or both. The level of sentence will, of course, depend on how egregious the judge considers his actions to be.

The court can also order that the sale, transfer or other dealing which has not yet been completed be restrained or if he had received monies, that he pays the monies into court to be dealt with as the court will determine. If the property is disposed of after the court order is made, it is, the Act says, void, and the court will have to decide what is to be done about any person who purports to have an interest in the premises and who makes such a claim.

Another matter which I must touch on is the fact that you both ordinarily reside in the UK and you have another home there. Yet you refer to this property in Jamaica as your matrimonial home. The Property (Rights of Spouses) Act refers to a family home, which is what I suppose you mean. The fact of living in the UK is not a problem that will bar you having any interest in it. I am sure it was for your use whenever you came home to Jamaica.

"Family home" is defined by the Act as the dwelling house that is completely owned by either of you or both of you and which is generally used, or used "from time to time" by you as spouses as the only or principal family residence. You must also show that while you were here in Jamaica it was your only or the principal place of your residence, in order to bring it within the meaning in the Act.

It really does not matter what your husband believes and what he has told his mistress and any other persons, what matters is what you do now about ensuring that the court here determines your interest in this property and makes an order giving you and upholding that interest. Remember, you clearly contributed to the acquisition of this home in Jamaica because you re-mortgaged your home in the UK and also borrowed monies in order to build the Jamaican home.

If there are outstanding sums due on these loans in the UK they must, of course, be paid off from the gross proceeds of sale either of the UK property or the Jamaican one before the net proceeds are divided in the proportions are ordered by the court.

So please get a lawyer in Jamaica and move on with your claim, especially as your husband has applied for divorce. Do not waste any time.

Margarette May Macaulay is an attorney-at-law, Supreme Court mediator, notary public and women's and children's rights advocate. Send questions via e-mail to allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com; or write to All Woman, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5. Mrs Macaulay cannot give personal advice outside of this column.

DISCLAIMER:

The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and must not be relied upon as an alternative to legal advice from your own attorney.

Source: www.jamaicaobserver.com

Dear Anthea, keep your chin up and your smile perfect - Daily Telegraph

Anthea Turner already has the perfect smile. I hope she takes pains to wear it, and deal with Grant Bovey directly, or through mediation. Why give mercenary investors in broken marriages the pleasure of profiting out of her misery?

• I can picture a dozen interested parties focusing their beady eyes on Professor Paul Frampton had he still been married. The British physicist, 68, is being held in an Argentine jail, accused of drug smuggling. Prof Frampton thought he had met a 32-year-old glamour model, Denise Milani, on a dating website, but was in fact chatting to a gang who were using her identity, unbeknown to her. He was then lured to Buenos Aires – a long way to go for a hot date, but our absent-minded professor duly obliged – and was asked by someone claiming to be the model’s friend, to carry a suitcase, which he says he didn’t know contained 4lb of cocaine. Prof Frampton now hopes to persuade the local authorities that he suffers from “gullibility disorder”. I’ll say he does: it is a condition other men share, and it’s also known under another name: “There’s no fool like an old fool” syndrome. I hope the Argentines will fall for the professor’s line of defence.

• We couldn’t afford tickets to the Olympics, so we made do instead with the Lowland Games. Held each year in Somerset, the day-long event dwarfs anything in London, I’m sure. How could Team GB compare with Crewkerne Young Farmers’ Club, with their playful motto, “stand up and be counted, or lie down and be mounted”? Watching Tom Daley dive must be thrilling; but we saw the river raft race, where youngsters sailed contraptions made of barrels and fell into the icy water. We watched ferrets race, and alpacas graze, and observed the thatcher, Dunbar Bunce, erect a wendy house of straw. There were tugs of war, a Hawker Sea Fury vintage warplane display, and a bouncy castle. I was about to watch the mud-wrestling, when my husband approached, a glint in his eye. I legged it: the next event was the wife-carrying competition.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Matrimonial trials to soon resume in Essex County - Philadelphia Daily News

Matrimonial trials to soon resume in Essex County - Philadelphia Daily News

NEWARK, N.J. - Matrimonial trials will soon resume in Essex County, several months after they were put on hold due to a shortage of judges.

The Star-Ledger (http://bit.ly/MLqC4d) reports that County Assignment Judge Patricia Costello notified the county Bar Association on Friday that she hopes to resume the cases, which include divorce proceedings, on Sept. 1. She said that can happen because state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner has agreed to temporarily transfer three Superior Court judges to the county.

Costello suspended matrimonial trials last December, citing the judge shortage caused by a political standoff between Gov. Chris Christie and state Sen. Ronald Rice. "Complex" civil trials , such as product liability cases , were also suspended at that time, but resumed in March after court officials employed a patchwork of temporary measures.

Criminal trials and family court cases involving domestic violence, parental rights or juvenile cases were never affected by Costello's directives. But overall, the civil and matrimonial trials that were suspended account for about 15 percent of the court docket.

The dispute between Christie and Rice began about 19 months ago.

Citing reservations about Christie's approach to education reform, Rice used senatorial courtesy in a bid to block the permanent appointment of acting state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf. Meanwhile, Christie refused to act on any of the proposed Essex judicial nominees.

Rabner's decision to transfer the three judges means there will now be 10 judicial vacancies among the county's 44 allotted positions.

Two of the judges being transferred , Wayne Forrest, who is now assigned to Mercer County, and Miguel de la Carrera from Passaic County , will serve in the family division, while the third , Michael Hubner from Morris County , will serve in the civil division.

In a related move, Judge Michelle Hollar-Gregory , who has been serving in the criminal division in Essex County , was reassigned to the civil division.

,,,

Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/starledger

Source: www.philly.com

London 2012: Cadel Evans out and Fabian Cancellara a doubt for time trial - The Guardian

The 2011 Tour de France champion, Cadel Evans of Australia, has withdrawn from the Olympic time trial while Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara will have a health check before deciding whether to start Wednesday's event at Hampton Court.

The Australian Olympic Committee said Evans, who finished 79th in the road race, is too tired to compete in Wednesday's race against the clock. Evans struggled with his physical condition earlier this month, failing to defend his Tour de France title.

Cancellara's crash at Richmond's Star and Garter corner in Saturday's road race was a turning point in the race won by Alexander Vinokourov of Kazakhstan, and it has left the Swiss with heavy bruising to the right collarbone that he fractured in April.

The Swiss should start as one of the favourites on Wednesday, together with Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, and the defending world champion Tony Martin, but he left the finish of Saturday's race with his arm in a sling having completed the course after piling into the barriers on the sharp right-hander. "Happy [nothing] is broken but the pain will be on! For the time trial nothing is sure yet," he said on Twitter. "Have no words left. The tears are stronger than the pain."

The Swiss broke his collarbone in the Tour of Flanders in early April but had returned to his best for the Tour de France, in which he won the opening prologue time trial and led the race for a week before Wiggins took over. He was unable to match the Londoner in the first long time trial of the race, however, although he showed searing form at the finish of the first road race stage in Seraing, finishing second to Peter Sagan.

On Saturday he had looked to be one of the strongest in the latter stages of the road race, which boded well for the time trial, until his crash. Evans, meanwhile, suffered from an unspecified illness in the final week of the Tour de France and rode the men's road race on Saturday in order to assist the Australian team, finishing 79th.

Wiggins is unbeaten in long time trials – as opposed to briefer prologues – this season, having taken single stages in the Tour of the Algarve, Paris-Nice, the Tour of Romandie, Dauphiné Libéré and two at the Tour de France. He is confident in his chances of adding a fourth gold medal to his tally of two individual pursuit golds and a team pursuit gold, in addition to the bronzes he won in Sydney in the team pursuit and Athens in the madison. That would give him a higher medal tally than any other British Olympian, moving ahead of Sir Steve Redgrave's six.

The Great Britain men's road race team dispersed on Saturday evening, with only Froome and Wiggins remaining in their Surrey hotel. Mark Cavendish has a packed racing schedule over the next few days, with criteriums – appearance races of about 100km in Belgium on Sunday, France on Monday and Holland on Tuesday. He will then line up at the start of the Eneco Tour in the Low Countries next week, with rumours persisting that he may start the Tour of Britain in early September. His priority this year has been to honour the world champion's jersey by wearing it in as many races as possible and that is set to continue for five more weeks.

David Millar packed his personal effects – luggage from the Tour de France, Olympic kit and all – in to a taxi after Saturday's race finished on The Mall and headed straight for his mother's house in west London. He will enjoy a brief holiday with his wife Nicole and their daughter in Somerset before joining Cavendish at the Eneco Tour. He will also race the GP Ouest France in Plouay, Brittany, and is expected to lead the Garmin team in the inaugural world championship time trial on 15 September.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

London 2012 Olympics: Lizzie Armitstead's tough choice to compete in road race vindicated - Daily Telegraph

“I have always loved riding both track and road,” says Armitstead, “and to be honest I would love to have tried doing both but the omnium has become such a specific event that the training does not really coincide with what I have done today. Maybe I can do both in Rio [de Janeiro].”

That is not a threat to be taken lightly. Armitstead is one of that select group of riders in the world who could genuinely contemplate winning medals in both and that list would be headed by yesterday’s winner, Marianne Vos herself, who is a former world and Olympics points champion as well as a world road champion and five time runner-up. Remarkably, Vos is also the reigning world cyclo-cross champion, a title she has won on four other occasions.

In many ways Armitstead is Vos Mark II. The Dutch woman is still only 25, despite having a cupboard full of medals, so clashes between the two great all-rounders of women’s cycling can only become more and more frequent.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

London 2012: how the Olympics suckered the Left - Daily Telegraph Blogs

The London Olympics are the most Right-wing major event in Britain’s modern history. Billions of pounds are taken from poor and middle-income taxpayers and service users to build temples to a corporate and sporting elite. Democratic, grassroots sport is stripped of money to fund the most rarefied sport imaginable. The police and the state are turned into the enforcement arm of Coca-Cola. How did this event suddenly become the toast of the Left?

Corporations who make people fat and sick – or, in one case, actually maimed and killed them – are allowed to launder their images; the London Paralympics, in a detail you simply could not make up, are sponsored by Atos, the firm repeatedly accused of bullying disabled people off benefits. Meanwhile, the main sponsors – the people of Britain – are largely excluded from the event they paid for.

Not just the Games itself, but many other parts of their own city, are sealed off from them. Some of them are evicted and their houses destroyed; others find overnight and without warning that their homes are to be converted into military missile sites, so terrorist planes can be made to kill ordinary Londoners instead of Olympic luminaries. Protestors against any of this are arrested and detained on the flimsiest of pretexts. Almost every promise ever made by the organisers – from the budget to the ‘greenest games ever,’ from the number of jobs that will be created to the number of new houses that will be built – turns out to be false.

The Left should be up in arms about the Olympics, as should any democrat. But as it turns out, all it takes is a few nurses dancing round beds, some coloured lights spelling out the words NHS and we all go weak at the knees and collapse into the IOC’s embrace. Worse, actually: any criticism of the opening ceremony was described by one left-wing newspaper today as “extremist!”

My favourite line was from the Guardian columnist Richard Williams who wrote: “Cameron and his gang will surely not dare to continue the dismemberment of the NHS after this.” Hmm. If dismemberment is indeed their intention, are they really going to be stopped by a sound and light show? This isn’t a new dawn for Britain. It’s a night’s entertainment.

I can’t quite decide whether this is a genuine Diana moment – when the public hysteria is real – or whether it is confined largely to the media. I’ve been there myself – I covered the Beijing Olympics and I know how contagious and seductive the cossetted, enclosed media atmosphere can be. That's how you get reality drifts like Williams'. I’ve been out and about today outside the Olympic bubble and most people I’ve been talking to seem to be taking it a lot more calmly than the papers.

I’ve also had disappointingly few hate emails and tweets after my mixed review yesterday of the great event. One person objected to my gentle mockery of Shami Chakrabarti’s participation. I like Shami a lot, but someone who campaigns for human rights should never have allowed herself to be used to polish the image of an event with such a long record of trampling on human rights. The abuses in London, of course, are comparatively small – but only four years ago in Beijing, thousands of people were made homeless and entire areas starved of water for the duration of the Games so that the Olympic areas could look fresh and green.

Whatever the truth about the mood is, it will pass. I attended the Beijing opening ceremony, as it happens. I wrote some of the same sort of faintly overawed copy that we're seeing in this weekend's newspapers. I can’t remember very much about that night now.

 

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Woman dies before Crawley Hospital charity abseil - BBC News

29 July 2012 Last updated at 06:41 ET

A woman in her 90s has died moments before she was due to take part in a charity abseil in West Sussex.

The woman, who has not been named, collapsed on the roof of Crawley Hospital on Saturday.

Paramedics were called to the scene but they could not resuscitate her. The event was cancelled after the incident.

The woman was one of about 50 people due to take part in the 70ft (21.3m) abseil in aid of 4SIGHT, also known as West Sussex Association for the Blind.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "She hadn't started the abseil but she was up on the roof when she appears to have suffered some sort of medical episode."

A spokeswoman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, which sent three crews to the scene, said: "We were called to reports of a person who had collapsed from a suspected cardiac arrest at the hospital.

"It was to do with an abseil team for a charity event."

The charity 4SIGHT said the woman had previously taken part in other similar events.

A spokesperson said they were extremely saddened and their thoughts were with her family.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

London police warn tourists over fake officers - Reuters UK

LONDON | Sun Jul 29, 2012 4:52pm BST

LONDON (Reuters) - Police on Sunday warned tourists in London to beware of people pretending to be plain-clothes officers and stealing credit cards and cash during the Olympics, and said they arrested more touts for illegally reselling Games tickets.

The capital's Metropolitan Police Service said it arrested three men aged between 27 and 35 years on Saturday on charges of impersonating a police officer and conspiracy to steal.

"There have been a number of incidents where criminals have impersonated police officers to take money off unsuspecting tourists," said Detective Superintendent Steve Osborn.

"Officers would never take money from you, they would never take you to a cashpoint and ask you for money. They are unlikely to ask to see your bank cards and would never need to ask you for your pin number," he added.

Saturday's arrests were made in central London's Russell Square, where London 2012 organisers are running a transport service for media covering the Games.

Police said there was no direct connection between the arrests and the Olympics, but noted such con-men could be attracted to London by the lure of extra tourists during the Games.

The London force also said it had arrested another three people for illegally reselling Olympic tickets, known as touting in Britain and scalping in the United States, after nabbing 16 on Friday and Saturday.

Two of those held on Sunday were arrested outside Horse Guards Parade in central London, site of the beach volleyball tournament.

Three more people have been charged with various offences in connection with a mass alternative cycle ride that officers stopped near the Olympic stadium in east London on Friday evening, the police said.

Officers arrested 182 cyclists taking part in the "Critical Mass" ride for ignoring an order to stay away from the Olympic Park while the opening ceremony was underway.

All but four of those arrested have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

(Reporting by Tim Castle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Source: uk.reuters.com

Swimmer airlifted to hospital and three rescuers treated for injuries after she was pulled unconscious from sea - Daily Mail

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 02:44 EST, 29 July 2012 | UPDATED: 03:18 EST, 29 July 2012

A woman was airlifted to hospital and three others were also injured in a desperate struggle to save her.

The woman was pulled unconscious from the water after getting into difficulties at Camber Sands, near Rye, East Sussex, just before 5pm yesterday.

It appears that during the struggle to help the woman, the three people who were with her waded in but swallowed seawater themselves.

Sea rescue: The woman was pulled unconscious from the sea after getting into difficulties at Camber Sands, East Sussex, just before 5pm yesterday. File picture

The woman was treated on the beach and then airlifted by air ambulance to hospital in Brighton, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said.

The three other people, whose ages and sex have not been disclosed, were rushed by road ambulance to hospital but their conditions were not thought to be serious.

An MCA spokesman said: 'At 4.41pm, Dover Coastguard was called by a member of the public to say that a lady appeared to be in difficulty.

'She had been pulled unconscious from the water which was thigh-deep at Camber Sands. There was a doctor on the beach.

Dramatic: The Kent Air Ambulance rushed the victim to hospital, while the three who pulled her from the water were taken by road for treatment. File picture

'She was treated on the beach and taken by Kent Air Ambulance at 5.37pm to hospital in Brighton.

'Three other people who were with her were taken to hospital by road ambulance.'

The sea state was described as good and there were no warning flags in place at the time of incident, the spokesman added.

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Was alcohol involved by any chance?

- the Hulks little sister, MK, 29/7/2012 19:07

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Since when have the words "illness", "injury" and "condition" all become interchangable? Near drowning is a condition that can lead to an illness, but is definetely not an injury. A broken arm is an injury.

- Patrick, Belfast, 29/7/2012 10:04

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Glad it was in the uk and the health care will be free not charged to a credit card like some countries

- down trodden, uk no more, 29/7/2012 09:47

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Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

London 2012's Eric the Eel uncovered: Niger rower finishes last (but he was only 90 seconds behind the winner) - Daily Mail

• 35-year-old only took up rowing three months ago
• Sir Steve Redgrave criticises decision to give him wild card entry
  

By Ian Garland

PUBLISHED: 12:50 EST, 29 July 2012 | UPDATED: 15:16 EST, 29 July 2012

A 35-year-old African rower has stolen the hearts of the London 2012 crowd, after battling to a last place finish in the single sculls - just three months after he took up the sport.

The crowd at Eton Dorney roared Niger's Hamadou Djibo Issaka across the finish line, 100 seconds behind the repecharge winner.

His achievement has made him London Games' answer to Eric the Eel, the swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who made headlines when he finished last in the 100 metres freestyle at the Sydney Games in 2000.

Hamadou Djibo Issaka of Niger has become an early hero of the London 2012 Olympics - this Games' answer to Eric the Eel

Issaka charges across the finish line at Eton Dorney, 100 seconds behind the heat winner - just three months after he took up rowing

Issaka is at the Games courtesy of a wild card from the IOC Tripartite Commission, which allows each National Olympic Committee up to five athletes to participate at a summer games.

Previously a swimmer, he was handpicked by the Niger Swimming Federation, who sent him to Egypt to try rowing.

After finding his feet, he then went for more training at the International Rowing Development Centre in Tunisia for two months.

His achievements in the past 12 weeks have earned him the status of the landlocked Saharan nation's national rowing champion.

The crowd roared as the grinning 35-year-old crossed the line and then slumped, exhausted in his boat

A giant screen tracked Issaka's performance as he tried in vain to catch the other rowers

His early success faded fast on Saturday as he was quickly outclassed by the other rowers in his heat.

But Issaka was thrilled with his performance.

MEET JENNET THE JELLYFISH

First there was Eric the eel — now meet Jennet the Jellyfish, competing in the same event as Britain's Rebecca Adlington.

Jennet Saryyeva of Turkmenistan finished a minute and 18 seconds behind the rest of the competitors in her 400m freestyle heat.

Her time of 5min 40.29sec is two seconds outside her personal best. Eric ‘the eel’ Moussambani shot to fame at the 2000 Games in sydney when he swam the 100m freestyle in 1min 52.72sec — more than twice the time of the faster competitors and even outside the 200m world record.

It was, however, a new personal best and a national record for Equatorial Guinea.

Grinning ear-to-ear as he climbed out of his boat, he told reporters: 'It went well. I passed the finish line, it was great.'

'There were so many people encouraging me.'

'I was happy to finish under their applause. Really, I'm happy for the whole country.'

Not everyone was happy to see Djibo Issaka at the Olympics, however.

Steve Redgrave, a five-time Olympic rowing gold medalist, is a critic of the decision to allow him to row.

He said: 'There are better scullers from different countries who are not allowed to compete because of the different countries you've got.'

But Matt Smith, general secretary of world governing body FISA, insists he was added to the program and didn't take the place of another rower.

And he's proud of the way the crowd took to the underdog, adding: 'We are so proud. It's given us a new country, and a big boost. As far as rowing is concerned it's fantastic. And we are really happy about the response from the spectators.'

Issaka, meanwhile has had the experience of a lifetime.

On Friday, instead of being tucked up in bed before his early-morning heat the next day, he was inside the Olympic Stadium attending the opening ceremony. He had been advised not to but he couldn't resist.

'It was magnificent,' he said. 'I had never seen fireworks before in my life!'

He certainly didn't produce any fireworks in Sunday's race. But it will probably go down as one of the moments of the London Games.

'I'm preparing for the next competition,' he said. 'I'm happy with how things have gone.'

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Source: www.dailymail.co.uk