Rat Poison Plot Captured On Camera In Italy

A mother and son have been accused of poisoning a rich elderly relative after their alleged murder attempt was caught on camera.

Elisabetta Martini, 62, and Marco Coggiola, 36, were arrested after they laced the 97-year-old woman's beverages with rat poison at her nursing home in Pinerolo, near Turin, in northern Italy.

Elisabetta Martini and Marco Coggiola

The pair allegedly carried out the plot in order to get inheritance from the relative. 

Police say the mother and son poisoned the woman on at least three occasions - adding the poison to coffee, water and a milkshake.

Doctors twice tested the woman's blood after she became ill but could not find anything wrong.

CCTV shows Coggiola appearing to hold the poison in his hand

But on the third occasion they found traces of rat poison and discovered a stash of the solution at of the home of the two accused.

The rat poison they allegedly used

Video footage at the nursing home shows Martini feeding the elderly woman a drink, allegedly spiked with the poison.

Both have been charged with attempted murder. Italian police say both have confessed to the plan.

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Rik Mayall: Comedian 'May Have Died After Fit'

Stars Mourn 'Funniest Man Of Generation'

Updated: 8:00am UK, Tuesday 10 June 2014

Comedian Adrian Edmondson has led tributes to his long-time friend and collaborator Rik Mayall, who has died aged 56.

The pair worked together on hit shows such as The Young Ones and Bottom after meeting at Manchester University.

"There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing," said Edmondson. "They were some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he's died for real. Without me. Selfish b*****d."

Mayall's CV stands alongside anyone in sitcom, rising to fame in the 1980s as Cliff Richard superfan Rick in The Young Ones.

Sir Cliff said: "I became a fan of his when he was in The Young Ones show and was always thrilled when he used my name during his series. I am so sad at his passing."

Shows like Blackadder and The New Statesman contributed to Mayall becoming one of the most recognisable comics of the modern era.

Blackadder writer Ben Elton and co-star Stephen Fry were quick to pay their respects.

"I met Rik when I was 18 and his friendship and extraordinary comic talent have been an inspiration to me ever since," said Elton.

"I owe him so much, he changed my life utterly when he asked me to co-write The Young Ones with him and he was with me on the day I met my wife. He always made me cry with laughter, now he's just made me cry."

Fry added: "Simply distraught to hear of the death of Rik Mayall. An authentic comedy genius and a prince among men."

Comic Bob Mortimer was one of the first to respond to news of Mayall's death.

He wrote on Twitter: "Last time I saw him he grabbed my crotch and said 'Not eaten yet then?' So sad … Funniest man of his generation."

Mortimer was joined by a host of fellow comedians.

"Very sad to hear of the passing of Rik Mayall," said Monty Python star Eric Idle.

"Far too young. A very funny and talented man."

Impressionist Rory Bremner too: "Oh no. Awful news about Rik Mayall - a fireball of creative comic energy and inspiration. Such brilliant raw talent."

Here are some of the other tributes made:

:: DJ Chris Moyles: "RIP Rik Mayall. Thank you for making me laugh a million times. Woof."

:: Actress Helen Lederer: "Rik Mayall, I loved you. Gutted. The man who taught me not to crash laughs, has crashed. Real love to wife, children. Massive loss."

:: DJ Chris Evans: "RIP Rik Mayall. I'm off to hit the gasman with a frying pan. It's the least I can do."

:: Comedian Jack Dee: "So shocked to hear about Rik Mayall. A wonderfully funny icon of British comedy."

:: Satirist Charlie Brooker: "Rik Mayall was just pure wiry, energetic, unpredictable humour poured into the shape of a human. You couldn't not watch him."

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Cameron Sets Out 'British Values' For Schools

'Trojan Horse': Full Statement

Updated: 10:45am UK, Monday 09 June 2014

The full statement from Park View Educational Trust on a damning Ofsted inspection of its schools as part of the checks sparked by alleged Islamist infiltration plot.

"On behalf of the staff, students and parents who have worked so hard to improve their schools, we're extremely disappointed to confirm that Ofsted has graded Park View, Golden Hillock and Nansen schools as inadequate and put them into special measures.

"We support the role of Ofsted in holding schools to account in a fair and transparent way. But we wholeheartedly dispute the validity of these gradings.

"Park View, Golden Hillock and Nansen are categorically not inadequate schools.

"Our Ofsted inspections were ordered in a climate of suspicion, created by the hoax Trojan letter and by the anonymous unproven allegations about our schools in the media.

"Ofsted inspectors came to our schools looking for extremism, looking for segregation, looking for proof that our children have religion forced upon them as part of an Islamic plot.

"The Ofsted reports find absolutely no evidence of this because this is categorically not what is happening at our schools. Our schools do not tolerate or promote extremism of any kind. We have made a major commitment to raising all students' awareness of extremism, people who know and have worked with our schools are appalled at the way we have been misrepresented.

"Our schools serve some of the most disadvantaged communities in Britain. In spite of this, 75% of students at Park View achieved at least five good GCSEs last year including English and maths. This makes it the best school of its type in England.

"Golden Hillock and Nansen are on course to get their best results ever.

"Quite simply this is because we believe our role is to break the link between demographics, deprivation and destiny. We refuse to let our students' backgrounds limit what they can achieve and who they can become.

"The speed and the ferocity with which Park View school in particular has been condemned is truly shocking.

"Park View School, where we are standing today, has helped to transform the lives of local families by realising their hope and ambition for educational success. School communities in Park View, Golden Hillock and Nansen, that have worked hard to turn round failing schools, are being condemned when they should be being celebrated.

"The problem here is not extremism, or segregation, or religious indoctrination, all the things that Ofsted looked for but failed to find in our schools. The problem here is the knee-jerk actions of some politicians that have undermined the great work we do here and undermined community cohesion across Birmingham and across many of our cities.

"They have put Muslim children from these communities at substantial risk of not being accepted as equal, legitimate and valued members of British society.

"And they have allowed suspicion to be cast on the aspirations of their parents and anyone else who believes that these children deserve the same rights and excellent standards of education as any other child.

"It is important you know that we will now be challenging all these reports through the appropriate legal channels."

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Iraq: Al Qaeda Splinter Group Seizes Mosul

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency after militants seized control of key buildings in the country's second-largest city.

Security forces abandoned their posts in Mosul after fighters armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers overran the provincial government headquarters and other buildings.

An army colonel in the local military command said: "We have lost Mosul this morning. Army and police forces left their positions and ISIL terrorists are in full control.

"It's a total collapse for the security forces."

A burning vehicle belonging to the Iraqi security services in Mosul

Mr al Maliki also said the government would arm citizens to fight the militants.

Hundreds of families have fled to the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq's north. Cars and trucks are reportedly queuing at a checkpoint on the boundary to the region.

Militant fighters are now moving south towards neighbouring Salaheedin province, according to Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al Nujaifi.

Sky News Arabia sources say around 1,400 prisoners have been released after gunmen torched several police stations in Mosul, which is a former al Qaeda stronghold.

Prisoners walk free in Mosul

Residents told the Associated Press detainees set free were seen roaming the streets in yellow jumpsuits.

The insurgents seized the government complex on Monday.

The fighters are believed to be affiliated with an al Qaeda splinter group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is behind many attacks in the country.

The group was known as al Qaeda in Iraq until ties between the two organisations were cut earlier in 2014 following a power struggle.

The violence is the worst in many years

Witnesses saw the militants hoisting black flags inscribed with the Islamic declaration used by ISIL, al Qaeda and other jihadist groups.

Government employee Um Karam said her family decided to flee on Tuesday after hearing about the the building's fall.

"The situation is chaotic inside the city and there is nobody to help us," the Christian mother-of-two said, using a nickname because of concern for her safety.

Ali Mahmoud, the media official for Nineveh province, said the fighters were able to overpower the building guards after a brief firefight.

Iraqis fleeing Nineveh province wait in their vehicles at a checkpoint

Provincial governor Atheel al Nujaifi was in a nearby guest house at the time of the attack, but managed to escape unharmed.

The violence in Iraq is the worst since the sectarian bloodletting of 2006 and 2007.

ISIL insurgents and their allies retain control of Fallujah and other parts of Anbar province, which neighbours Nineveh province.

The fighters have also launched frequent attacks in the capital Baghdad, and in other parts of the country.

Several members of the Iraqi security forces were killed last week when insurgents launched an attack on the Sunni-dominated city of Samarra.

An Iraqi Kurdish security guard frisks a man at a checkpoint

They took control of a number of districts before eventually retreating.

Insurgents also occupied a university in Anbar province, taking dozens of hostages before releasing many later on. Fifteen people remain missing.

There was also an explosion at a funeral in the central city of Baqouba for a Sunni university professor on Tuesday.

That attack has so far claimed 20 lives and left another 28 wounded.

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Alabama Beaches Closed By Huge Shark Swarm

A number of beaches in Alabama were closed on Monday because of a swarm of sharks swimming off shore.

Large numbers of sharks were seen in aerial video footage swimming in shallow waters around Alabama Point in Perdido Pass.

At times their dorsal fins were exposed.

Orange Beach safety supervisor Melvin Shepard said the swarm might have been caused by the large number of fish carcasses in the water during the red snapper hunting season.

No attacks have been reported yet

There are double red flags flying at the beach to alert swimmers to stay out of the water.

Those who disobey the warning could be fined.

So far no attacks have been reported.

Local television channel WKRG News 5 reported seeing between 100 and 150 sharks during a helicopter flight above the water over the weekend.

Since then, the channel reports, the numbers have been declining.

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Boko Haram Militants 'Seize Young Mothers'

Boko Haram gunmen have reportedly kidnapped up to 40 young mothers from an area near Chibok, the village where more than 250 schoolgirls were abducted nearly two months ago.

The exact number of women taken in the latest raid is thought to be at least 20 - although one local leader from Borno state put it as high as 40.

The kidnappings happened on Saturday in and around the village of Garkin Fulani, five miles from Chibok.

"Available information revealed that the gunmen came around noon and abducted 20 women and three young men left to keep watch on the village," said one local man.

"All the males in the settlement were away in the bush with their herd (of cattle) for grazing when the abductors came to the village.

"We tried to go after them when the news got to us about three hours later, but the vehicles we have could not go far, and the report came to us a little bit late," he said.

A separate attack in the state of Adamawa was foiled, police say

There was no immediate indication of where the women were taken and there had been no contact from the kidnappers.

A local official of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) said the young women were singled out and put into vehicles before being driven away.

Similar kidnappings for ransom have been going on in the area for some time but locals have been too afraid to speak out because of fears of reprisals from the Islamist militants, the official said.

"This is not the first time women are being kidnapped in this area and only released when we pay cattle ransom to the kidnappers. It has happened several times," he said.

A protest held in Lagos called for the return of the Chibok schoolgirls

Locals always paid the ransom but do not inform the authorities, he said.

A Borno state government official said the authorities were aware of the kidnapping of women from the village but denied knowledge of previous abductions.

"This is the first time we are hearing abduction of Fulani women and we are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the kidnap and necessary action to take," he added.

In another incident, the country's defence ministry said troops had prevented raids by Boko Haram this weekend on villages in Borno and neighbouring Adamawa state, with soldiers killing more than 50 militants on Saturday night as they were on their way to attack communities.

A policeman on the phone before the start of the Lagos rally

The military has come under rising criticism from Nigerians who say they are not being protected and are being left to fend off attacks by Boko Haram on their own.

The militant group, which wants to establish Islamic state in Nigeria, has been taking over villages in the northeast, killing and terrorising civilians and political leaders. 

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Rolf Harris 'Used Fame To Mesmerise Women'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, at Southwark Crown Court

Entertainer Rolf Harris "mesmerised" his victims with his fame and talent before sexually assaulting them, a jury has heard.

Harris, 84, who is facing 12 counts of indecent assault, was described by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC in her closing speech as being a man of "deviant sexual behaviour".

Ms Wass told the jury of six men and six women Harris's 50 years of celebrity status was no excuse for his behaviour.

Reminding them how he had burst into song during his evidence last month, she said: "All men are equal in the eyes of the law, you cannot buy your way out, you cannot bully your way out and you certainly cannot sing your way out of a criminal charge."

She said the police investigation into Harris had "uncovered more and more women" who had been abused in the "seemingly untouchable world of the famous children's entertainer".

Ms Wass said the prosecution had "no doubt" of Harris's guilt, adding the evidence against him was "compelling" and that the victims had "no motive in making it up".

She said: "It has never been acceptable for an older man, in particular one with responsibility over children, to abuse them.

"They suffered a dreadful set of experiences at the hands of Rolf Harris and neither fame, age, wealth or talent provide any excuse for this behaviour."

Ms Wass said Harris was "arrogant, brazen and didn't believe he would be challenged" as he carried out the alleged assaults over a period of almost 20 years.

She said: "There is a strikingly similar pattern of deviant behaviour. How he treats women of all ages as objects for him to abuse and take advantage of when trapped and they could not get away."

Earlier she had described his technique of molesting women, saying: "Mr Harris started with a bear hug and then rapidly moved his hands over their bodies. They were trapped and then the sexual assaults very suddenly and very swiftly took place."

Ms Wass said Harris's alleged victims had  "all given chillingly similar accounts of sexual abuse and exploitation" by him, adding all had experienced his "dark side".

Referring to the main victim, the best friend of his daughter Bindi, Ms Wass said there was "no place in which she felt safe, not even her own home".

Ms Wass dismissed Harris's defence as a "smoke screen and a red herring", labelling it as "spurious", in particular his claims that a make up artist could not have been groped by him because he is allergic to face powder.

Harris, dressed in a blue pinstriped suit and tie, listened to proceedings via a hearing loop as his wife Alwyn and daughter looked on from the public gallery.

He denies all 12 counts of indecent assault on four girls and women aged between seven or eight years old and 19.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court continues with the jury expected to retire next week.

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America's Cup: Kate Helps Sir Ben Launch UK Bid

The Duchess of Cambridge has joined Sir Ben Ainslie as he launched Britain's bid to win the America's Cup.

Kate could not conceal her passion for sailing as she eyed the trophy admiringly during the launch this lunchtime.

Sir Ben, a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, will skipper the team that aims to win the historic trophy - something a British team has never done.

Kate, who wore a Jaeger dress, has been a keen sailor since childhood and even raced and comprehensively beat Prince William in Auckland earlier this year.

The Duchess's support for the team will be a long-term committment

Their yachts were used by New Zealand in the America's Cup.

The Duchess's support for the team will be a long-term commitment and will see her "getting out there" to back the challenge, said a Kensington Palace spokeswoman.

Sir Ben was famously employed as a tactician during the last America's Cup race, helping the US Oracle team overturn an 8-1 deficit to beat New Zealand.

The sportsman said he had a burning desire since he was a child to be part of a British America's Cup bid.

Kate has been keen on sailing since childhood

He told Sky News: "The budget for the team is around £80m and that's what we need to have a chance to be successful - to get the right talent, the right designers and to build the boats.

"A proportion of that is through private investors, about 40%, and the other 60% we need to raise commercially.

"We are just starting to go out into the market after launching a team and our initial conversations are really encouraging and we expect to get there."

The Duchess of Cambridge poses with members of Ainslie Racing team

The Olympic sailor added: "We want to bring it home, it would be an amazing thing for this country."

He will skipper the team that aims to triumph in the 35th America's Cup being staged in 2017, with the entry made through the Royal Yacht Squadron.

The club hosted the first race which took place off the Isle of Wight in the mid-19th century.

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Simon Pegg Says Mayall Was His Inspiration

Rik Mayall: A Pioneer Of Alternative Comedy

Updated: 5:40pm UK, Monday 09 June 2014

A pioneer of alternative comedy, Rik Mayall was one of Britain's most loved and recognisable sitcom actors.

His comedy partnership with Adrian Edmondson helped propel him to fame in the 1980s, when his performances as pompous student and Cliff Richard devotee Rick in The Young Ones made him a regular fixture on TV screens up and down the country.

Together they went on to produce Bottom in the 1990s, with Mayall playing Richard 'Richie' Richard. The sitcom was later adapted for a series of successful UK tours.

The pair started on stage as a duo, The Dangerous Brothers, after meeting at Manchester University. They would go on to become two of the best-known faces of the Eighties.

Mayall's TV breakthrough came on A Kick Up The Eighties, which featured feckless investigative journalist Kevin Turvey.

His CV also includes appearances in Blackadder, Filthy Rich & Catflap and The New Statesman - playing conniving Conservative MP Alan B'Stard in the latter.

But it wasn't just the small screen where he made an impact. 

Love for the 1991 film Drop Dead Fred, in which Mayall played the lead role of a mischievous imaginary friend, is such that it trended on Twitter following news of his passing.

He was voted into the top 50 Comedians' Comedians in 2005 - and later ranked number 91 in a poll of Top Stand-Up Comedians.

Mayall married Scottish make-up artist Barbara Robbin in 1985, and together they had three children.

In 1998 the family feared he would die after a quad bike crash. He recovered after five days in a coma.

His television career continued up until last year when he appeared in Jonathan Creek and the sitcom Man Down.

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Rescuers Reach Man Trapped In German Cave

Rescuers have reached an injured man who is stuck in an alpine cave, but the operation to bring him out may take several days.

A rescuer makes his way down the cave. All pics: Bayerisches Rotes Kreuz

The 52-year-old researcher, who has not be named, is trapped about 1km (0.6 miles) underground inside Germany's deepest and longest cave located on the border with Austria.

Germany's mountain rescue service says the man was able to walk with help. He was expected to be gradually lifted back to the surface through five stations that were being set up in the cave.

A man was transported to the cave by helicopter

The German suffered head and chest injuries after being hit by falling rocks early on Sunday in the labyrinth-like Riesending cave system near Berchtesgaden.

Several people are in the rescue team

To reach him, a six-member team from Germany, Austria and Switzerland had to cover some difficult terrain including vertical shafts and had to squeeze through narrow passages.

The man was exploring the cave with two other people, who were not hurt, when the incident happened 6km (3.7 miles) from the entrance.

The team plans its route

One of them was able to get out and raise the alarm while the other stayed with him.

A radio-based communication system has been set up that allows rescuers to send text messages to the surface.

They had to cover some difficult terrain

Around 200 helpers from across the region are helping with the operation in a remote mountainous area in southeast Germany.

"The conditions are extremely narrow, the rescue won't be easy," doctor Christoph Specht told news channel NTV.

Rescuers were forced to squeeze through some narrow gaps

"There are only a few people in Germany who know how to handle such a rescue."

The cave, which has only been explored by researchers since 2002, is more than 19km long and up to 1.15km deep.

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