Huhne's Ex-Wife Declared 'I Want To Nail Him'

Chris Huhne's wife revealed to the press that she had taken his speeding points in revenge for his affair with another woman, a court has heard.

Vicky Pryce was warned by a journalist that the revelation would inflict "maximum and perhaps fatal damage" on the senior Liberal Democrat.

But the economist and mother of three replied: "I have no doubt as I definitely want to nail him. More than ever actually and I would like to do it soon."

The declaration was contained in an email between Pryce, a former government adviser, and Isabel Oakeshott, a reporter for The Sunday Times.

Their exchanges before the story broke were revealed on the first day of Pryce's trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

The case went ahead 24 hours after Huhne pleaded guilty to lying to police about the speeding offence, which was committed in 2003.

After repeated denials, the former energy secretary finally admitted his then wife had taken the points for him so he could avoid prosecution.

Huhne has now officially resigned as an MP after switching his plea to guilty and being warned he faces a likely prison sentence.

Pryce denies perverting the course of justice, claiming she was coerced into taking the points, and is now being tried alone.

Chris Huhne and girlfriend Carina Trimingham leaving court on Monday

Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said the points swap came to light only in 2011 because the defendant had wanted to ruin her former husband's career.

The jury heard she was furious after Huhne abruptly ended their 26-year marriage and left her for PR consultant Carina Trimingham.

Pryce was told the bombshell news of the MP's affair - and that he had been rumbled by the press - as she watched a World Cup football match.

A year later, in March 2011, she tipped off the Sunday Times about their points swap and started considering the best way to destroy her ex via the press.

"Her revenge in the end was to pass the story of the 2003 points to the newspaper so they would publish it and destroy his political career," Mr Edis said. "It was Pryce's plan that she would get her revenge by putting an end to all that.

"She would publish what she and he had done together without complaint in 2003 so she would get her revenge for the undoubtedly very bad way he had treated her."

Ms Oakeshott recommended that the paper ran several pieces, including a front page story and news features.

"This is what I strongly recommend you do, given your dual objectives of bringing Chris down ... without seriously damaging your own reputation in the process," she said.

She later warned about the risk of criminal proceedings, after which Pryce wrote: "I would need some reassurance that it would bring Chris down."

Ms Oakeshott replied: "The bottom line is that this story will bring Chris down if you are prepared to go on the record, with the minor risk this carries.

"I think you can make yourself out to be very much the honourable one, saying it has very much been on your conscience ever since, saying you knew it was wrong but you were bullied into it."

Attempts by Pryce and the newspaper to elicit a confession from Huhne by recording phone calls were played to the court.

The jury heard the politician urging his ex-wife to "stop telling ridiculous stories" and "maliciously briefing the press" in a bid to blacken his name.

Pryce, at times angry and swearing as the MP continues to deny the crime, insisted she was not behind the newspaper speculation.

"Why would I tell anyone about me taking your points? It's not in my interests. Are you a moron?", she said.

Huhne repeatedly warned her not to talk to journalists and said the story would not come out if they do not "stand it up".

During the calls, Pryce also made several digs at Huhne's new partner Ms Trimingham, calling her "your f****** man".

In the four conversations, she told Huhne she did not want to "perjure" herself by denying the story, saying: "It's one of the things that always worried me when you made me take them in the first place."

Mr Edis said: "You might come to the conclusion that these telephone calls are two manipulative people trying unsuccessfully to manipulate each other."

The QC explained that the marital coercion defence could only apply if Pryce was made to feel that she had no choice but to take the points.

He said the jury would have to decide whether she was "weak-minded" and forced to help her husband, or a "strong-minded and manipulative" woman acting of her own free will.

"From the emails, she is certainly quite a subtle, clever person," he said.

He also pointed out that, in 2003, Pryce was a very senior civil servant and an economist with a good career in her own right who was free to support herself if her marriage ended.

The case has now been adjourned and will resume on Thursday.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lindsey Vonn: US Olympic Skier Hurt In Crash

US Olympian Lindsey Vonn has been taken to hospital by helicopter after being injured in a crash in the super-G race at the World Ski Championships in Austria.

Vonn, a four-time overall World Cup champion, lost balance on her right leg as she landed after a jump. Her ski came off immediately, and she slid off course and careered into a gate before coming to a stop.

The American was treated on the slope for 12 minutes before being taken to hospital by helicopter.

Vonn hovers above the mountain en route to hospital

The US ski team has said it has no immediate information on her condition.

Vonn returned to the circuit in January after almost a month out while she recovered from an intestinal illness that kept her in hospital for two days in November.

Vonn moments before her crash

The US star skier trailed Tina Maze of Slovenia, who won gold, by 0.12 seconds shortly before the crash.

The race, which was postponed for three and a half hours because of fog, continued after another 15-minute delay.

Several racers had struggled with the conditions - and Fabienne Suter of Switzerland said: "It's not a very difficult course but in some parts you couldn't see anything."

The 2014 Winter Olympics - which Vonn would be expected to compete at - starts in almost exactly a year in Sochi, Russia.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Richard III: King's Face Is Revealed

The face of King Richard III has been unveiled to the world after a skeleton found under a council car park was confirmed as that of the 15th century king.

A facial reconstruction of the monarch has been released by the Richard III Society after it was confirmed that a skeleton unearthed in Leicester was that of the king who died in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The image is based on a CT scan taken by experts at the University of Leicester, who discovered the king's skeleton during an archaeological dig last September with the help of the society.

The skeleton was found in the remains of the choir of the Greyfriars church

King Richard III's skeleton was found in the remains of the choir of the Greyfriars church, which now lies under a social services car park in the city.

The facial reconstruction was unveiled at The Society of Antiquaries at Burlington House in Piccadilly, London.

The earliest surviving portrait of Richard III

Researchers said they had concluded "beyond reasonable doubt" that the skeleton, which showed evidence of an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, was the monarch.

DNA samples from Michael Ibsen - a Canadian-born furniture maker who is a direct descendant of Richard's sister, Anne of York - provided further certainty.

This plaque near Leicester Catherdral has been proved incorrect

The skeleton, with severe trauma to the skull, was unearthed on the first day of a three-week dig at the site of what is believed to have been the choir of Greyfriars Church.

Historical records show the long-lost church was the burial site of the monarch, following his brutal death at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

The remains were found in good condition - with feet missing - at a depth of 68cm. The hand were crossed over the front of the pelvis and there was no evidence of a coffin or shroud found.

The king's remains will now be reinterred at Leicester Cathedral, the nearest consecrated ground, in keeping with archaeological practice.

Shakespeare portrayed Richard III as a hunchbacked tyrant but modern historians argue that the king was the victim of Tudor propaganda.

Michael Ibsen helped identify his ancestor

His brief reign from 1483 saw liberal reforms, including the introduction of the right to bail and the lifting of restrictions on books and printing presses.

Richard III was the last Plantagenet monarch, a Yorkist defeated by Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

India Rape Trial: Victim's Friend In Court

A man who was with the student who died after being gang-raped in India "will go to any lengths to ensure the guilty are punished", according to his father.

The woman's companion appeared in court on Tuesday as a prosecution witness in the trial of five men accused of fatally assaulting her.

The 23-year-old medical student died in a Singapore hospital on December 29 from massive internal injuries she sustained during the rape a fortnight earlier.

The attack has caused outrage across India and put the country's attitude to women under the spotlight.

As he accompanied his 28-year-old son into the courtroom, the father said: "My son will go to any lengths to ensure that the guilty are punished. He will cooperate and is prepared to answer any questions posed by the defence."

Reporters are not allowed in to the court but the father, who, like his son, cannot be named for legal reasons, passed information about the proceedings to those outside.

Reporters were later allowed to watch the son being brought out of the court to identify a bus in which the attack took place. He has been left in a wheelchair as a result of injuries he sustained at the time of the attack.

He was later expected to be cross-examined by lawyers for the five accused, who all deny murder, rape and robbery charges.

A sixth defendant has also pleaded not guilty. He will appear in a juvenile court.

The woman and the student had spent the evening at the cinema and were allegedly lured on to the bus after failing to flag down a motorised rickshaw as they tried to get home.

As well as taking turns to rape the woman and violating her, the group are accused of attacking her companion so badly that he is still unable to walk properly.

Her companion is the main witness in a case that is being held in a special fast-track court in Delhi.

The judge has banned all reporting of proceedings inside the courtroom and ordered lawyers not to speak to journalists. Photographers were told they were forbidden to take pictures of the man as he identified the bus.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

One Million Dollar Bionic Man Makes Its Debut

A million-dollar bionic man - complete with artificial organs, synthetic blood and robot limbs - is set to go on display at the Science Museum in central London.

Costing almost £640,000 ($1m), it is cheaper than the Six Million Dollar Man from the cult 1970s TV series, but the 6ft 6in (2m) humanoid nonetheless has a lot in common with the screen version.

The artificial man was assembled by a team of leading robotics experts for a new Channel 4 documentary, How To Build A Bionic Man.

It incorporates some of the latest advances in mechanical limbs, as well as an artificial pancreas, kidney, spleen and trachea, and a functional blood circulatory system.

The bionic man with robotics expert Rich Walker (L)

The man's head features a pair of retinal implants behind his brown irises, to allow him to sense objects in front of him, cochlear implants to allow him to hear and is covered with artificial skin.

He even has artificial intelligence and a speech synthesis system allowing him to understand simple statements and respond to questions.

The finished "man" can walk and talk, and apparently says his name is Rex and informs people that he likes Ralph Lauren and rap music.

Lee Majors played The Six Million Dollar Man in the US TV show

All of his components could theoretically be welded to a human body to replace missing or worn out parts.

The aim was to show how close medicine has got to what seemed like pure science fiction only a couple of decades ago.

Although the bionic man was built for Channel 4, it is going on display at the Science Museum to allow people to see close up how quickly the science of bionics is progressing.

Clare Matterson, of the Wellcome Trust, which is supporting the exhibition, said: "Throughout history people have always sought to enhance themselves to overcome disabilities or to become 'bigger, better, stronger and faster'.

"Science is making aspirations and even fantasy ever more possible. We only have to look back at last summer's Paralympics to see how transforming technology has become."

The 1970s show The Six Million Dollar Man featured a former astronaut whose body was largely rebuilt with artificial parts after he suffered a near-death accident.

Lee Majors played Colonel Steve Austin, whose bionic left eye allowed him to see miles into the distance. His bionic left arm allowed him to lift bulldozers and his bionic legs allowed him to run at 90mph. The show's catchphrase was: "We can rebuild him."

The Science Museum exhibit opens on Thursday and aims to explore how perceptions of human identity change as progress is made in bionics.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snow Falls Again As Wintry Weather Returns

Fresh snowfalls and gale force winds are again causing disruption in parts of the UK, just weeks after severe weather caused transport problems and closed hundreds of schools.

A band of snow, which hit Scotland on Tuesday morning, is expected to continue moving down the country and is predicted to reach East Anglia before the end of the day.

Falls of up to 10cm (3.94in) were expected in places by this afternoon, along with 60 to 70mph winds.

Earlier Tuesday, the snow caused gridlock in northern parts of the country, with traffic in Sheffield reduced to a standstill.

Sky North of England Correspondent Mike McCarthy said the city was brought to an "absolutely grinding halt" for a number of hours.

"Just before rush hour, the rain came very heavily and washed away the grit. That then froze on the ground and then there were very sodden and intense blizzards in Sheffield," he said.

McCarthy said it was a very difficult time for people trying to get to work.

"Hundreds of people were stuck in the snow. Journeys that would normally take half an hour took between two and three hours."

He added schools in Sheffield closed or opened late because of the snow.

Snow showers cover Selkirk in the Borders and Southern Scotland

To the northwest, Manchester Airport was forced to suspend runway operations for a period on Tuesday morning to clear snow.

Two flights were cancelled, while another was diverted to Liverpool, as flurries made their way south.

The snow is also expected to hit the South East later in the day but is more likely to fall as rain in London. Strong winds mean blizzards are likely.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - to "be aware" - for severe weather in large parts of the country.

The Highways Agency has urged caution on the roads but said motorways and A-roads were running well.

A spokesman said the A628 Woodhead Pass, in Derbyshire, was closed following visibility problems.

The cold weather is expected to cling on during the next few days with temperatures dipping to -4C overnight.

Snow showers are expected to ease off in many regions on Wednesday, largely affecting the North Sea coastal areas and the western fringes of England and Wales. They are likely to stay put over Scotland all week.

Wintry conditions brought parts of the country to a standstill at the end of January.

Hundreds of drivers were forced to spend the night in their cars on the M6 in Lancashire after more than a foot of snow fell.

The cold snap was followed by widespread floods caused by melting snow and heavy rain.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kate Back To Duties As Pregnancy Progresses

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duchess of Cambridge is to meet women recovering from substance abuse at a project in London, St James' Palace has announced.

The Duchess' aides said: "The Action on Addiction programme at Hope House offers a safe, secure and comfortable place for women to recover from substance dependence and receive additional support for other compulsive disorders."

"Her Royal Highness will meet clients and staff at the 23-bed residential treatment centre."

When she visits the project on February 19, Kate will be approaching the half-way mark of her pregnancy.

At 19 weeks it would be possible for William and Kate to discover the sex of their baby.

Approaching 20 weeks, an unborn child's ears and eyes, which will be closed, are in their final position and the mother may feel movement in her stomach.

Kate's last public engagement was to the National Portrait Gallery in January where, alongside Prince William, she unveiled her first official portrait.

Kate selected Action on Addiction as one of her first patronages, alongside East Anglia's Children's Hospices, The Art Room and the National Portrait Gallery.

She also chose to become a volunteer in the Scout Association.

On Valentine's Day last year Kate travelled to an Action on Addiction project to meet recovering alcoholics at a dry bar in Liverpool.

It was one of the Duchess' first solo engagements, conducted while Prince William was working in the Falkland Islands as a search and rescue pilot.

Weeks earlier the Duchess had privately visited the headquarters on Action on Addiction to gain an in depth understanding of the charity's work.

The 12-24 week programme at Hope House is for women aged 18 or over who have undergone detoxification and first stage treatment.

During the programme, clients participate in daily groups and workshops where they share experiences, as well as one-to-one counselling in private therapy rooms.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indian Girl Rock Band Quit After Fatwa

An Indian high school all-girl rock band has quit after a senior Muslim cleric issued a fatwa against them and branded them "indecent".

The teenagers became victims of an online hate campaign and were called "sluts" and "prostitutes" on social networking sites.

Separatists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where the band are from, accused them of "Western-style cultural waywardness".

The group's music teacher and manager Adnan Mattoo said the three members of Pragaash, which means First Light in Kashmiri, were so scared by the backlash they had decided to disband.

Mr Mattoo said: "First, the girls had decided to quit live performance due to an online hate campaign and concentrate on making an album. But after an edict by the government's own cleric, these girls are saying goodbye to music."

One of the members has fled to another city.

Her mother, who did not wish to be named, said: "My daughter had been depressed and irritable so we decided to send her away to another city for some time."

Pragaash comprised drummer Farah Deeba, bass guitarist Aneeqa Khalid and singer and guitarist Noma Nazir.

Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah urged the band to continue

They played in public for the first time in December in Srinagar, the main city in Kashmir.

It won them third place in an annual Battle of the Bands rock show organised by an Indian paramilitary force as part of a campaign to win hearts and minds in the region.

Soon after the show Kashmiri pages on social networking sites like Facebook hotly debated the band.

Some questioned whether the performance was appropriate in the Muslim-dominated region.

Many backed the girls but others were abusive and called for them and their families to be expelled from the region.

At the weekend Omar Abdullah, the region's top elected official, promised a police probe into the threats and wrote on Twitter that "the talented teenagers should not let themselves be silenced by a handful of morons."

On Sunday Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad, Kashmir's state-appointed cleric, issued a fatwa ordering the girls to "stop from these activities and not to get influenced by the support of political leadership".

Kashmir's main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, criticised Abdullah for selectively supporting freedom of expression and said the band's concert was "a step toward diverting young girls toward Westernisation".

The alliance distanced itself from the cleric's edict, however, and denied the girls were under threat.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tia Sharp: Neighbour Charged Over Murder Hunt

A neighbour of the grandmother of murdered schoolgirl Tia Sharp has been charged with wasting police time.

Paul Meehan, 40, from Croydon, south London, will appear at Croydon Magistrates' Court on February 28.

Tia's body was found in the loft of her grandmother Christine Sharp's house in New Addington in August last year, more than a week after she went missing.

Christine Sharp's boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, is charged with murdering Tia between August 2 and 11.

Stuart Hazell is charged with the schoolgirl's murder

A plea hearing has been listed for March 8 at the Old Bailey, and a trial date has been set for May 7.

Christine Sharp was arrested on suspicion of murder but in December she was told she would face no further action in relation to the case.

The disappearance of the schoolgirl sparked a huge search around the Croydon area with family members leading the campaign.

Police officers had previously visited Christine Sharp's home, but it was only days into the search that Tia's body was discovered hidden in the loft.

Christine Sharp faces no further action over Tia's murder

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Magdalene Laundries: Ireland PM Apologises

Ireland's prime minister has apologised to thousands of women sent to Catholic-run workhouses were they were subjected to a regime of hard work and prayer.

The Magdalene laundries started in the late 1700s as places to rehabilitate so-called "fallen" women.

A committee - led by Martin McAleese, the husband of former Irish president Mary McAleese - was set up 18 months ago to investigate exactly what role the Irish state played in the institutions between 1922 and 1996.

It found that more than 2,100 women, more than a quarter of those who were held in the Magdalene laundries for whom records survived, were sent in directly by the state.

The Irish government has always previously denied direct involvement in the system, which was run by four religious congregations: Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, The Good Shepherds, The Sisters of Mercy and the Religious Sisters of Charity.

But as the report was published, Irish PM Enda Kenny said: "To those resident who went into the Magdalene laundries from a variety of ways, 26% from state involvement, I'm sorry for those people that they lived in that kind of environment."

He said action should have been taken before to clear the names and reputations of the women put to work in the laundries.

"That the stigma, that the branding together of the residents, all 10,000 needs to be removed and should have been removed long before this and I'm really sorry that that never happened, and I regret that never happened," Mr Kenny said.

The report found that many of the women sent to the laundries went there after becoming involved with the courts or police.

Government inspectors routinely carried out checks at the institutions and the state paid welfare and other payments to women in laundries.

Survivors described the atmosphere in the institutions as "cold, with a rigid and uncompromising regime of physically demanding work and prayer, with many instances of verbal censure, scoldings or even humiliating put-downs".

However, it also noted that none of the 118 women that spoke to the committee made any allegations of sexual abuse against those who ran the laundries and compared them favourably to the Industrial School system in which physical punishment and abuse was "prevalent".

"Some of the women of the women the committee met stated clearly that the laundries were their only refuge in times of great personal difficulty," the report said.

More than 10,000 women, aged from nine to 89, were sent to eight of the ten laundries from which records were available between 1992 and 1996.

Advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes (JFM) said it was aware of at least 988 women who were buried in laundry plots in cemeteries across Ireland, meaning they stayed in the institutions until death. The inquiry could only confirm 879.

Dr Katherine O'Donnell, director of the Women's Study Centre at University College Dublin, said: "The state sent girls and women into the Magdalene laundry system through courts and mother-and-baby homes.

"They never checked on those girls and women to see if in fact they ever left."

More follows...

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More