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Showing posts from April 23, 2013

British holidaymaker, 43, drowns while swimming

A British tourist has drowned at a beach on the holiday island of Lanzarote. Steve Potter, 43, was spotted floating face down in the water after leaving friends on the beach to go for a swim. He was seen to be in trouble in the sea and dragged out of the water unconscious, but died at the shoreline after failing to respond to efforts to revive him. Famara beach in Lanzarote is a popular spot for families and holidaymakers who enjoy surfing and kitesurfing The results of an autopsy have been sent to an investigating judge put in charge of a routine inquiry into the incident, but have not yet been made public. A source said: 'He appears to have disappeared out of sight and reappeared a few minutes later floating face down in the water. 'There's nothing to suggest this was anything other than a tragic accident although we haven't been told the exact cause of death.' More... Father and step-mother 'forced boys, 10 and 12, to sleep in hellhole cellar while ste

Tokyo in 101 faces: Photographer charts Japanese life from cradle to grave

Some are old enough to remember the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, while others are old enough to hold memories of bombing raids destroying much of the same city in 1945. Others are of an age to remember the catastrophic Kanto earthquake and tsunami in 1923 which wiped out up to 135,000 Tokyo residents. There are even some that were born before the city's main railway station opened. But some are not old enough to have explored Tokyo's vast urban sprawl at all yet. A fascinating new collection of pictures from a Finnish photographer features Tokyo residents from the cradle (almost) to the grave featuring 101 photos of different people of every age from newborn babies to 100 year olds. Toddlers: These two pictures featured in 100 Years in Tokyo show two of the city's youngest residents - they are both aged two Teenagers: This pair are both aged 16. The are among 2,500 strangers approached to have their picture taken by Petri Artturi Asikainen Growing up: This p

Wal-Mart's 2012 pay for CEO Mike Duke totals $20.7 million

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. gave its CEO Mike Duke a pay package in 2012 worth $20.7 million, a 14 per cent increase from the year before, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing on Monday. Mr Duke's pay package far exceeds the earnings of his employees, with the average worker making $8.81 an hour, according to estimates. With an average work week of 34 hours, that comes to an annual $15,576 in income. The company has long been criticized for its low wages but in December Mr Duke offered his assurances that the company, based in Bentonville, Ark., paid a competitive wage. Taste of success: President and CEO of Walmart Mike Duke, in Dec, received a pay package in 2012 worth $20.7 million In addition to the outrage over the low wages paid for the giant discount retailer, the company has been battling negative press alleging poor working conditions and inadequate health insurance for employees. Past research has shown how Walmart spends an average of $3,500 per

Toddler died of sudden childhood death syndrome

A mother awoke to find her toddler daughter dead beside her after the child had climbed under the duvet to be close to her, an inquest heard. Sienna-Louise Burns-Hainesborough, aged 15 months, died from sudden childhood death syndrome, the coroner said. The child's mother Kirsty Hainesborough, 24, got the whole family to sleep downstairs in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, because she was worried about some trouble in the street earlier in the day. Happy family: Kirsty Hainesborough (right) holding her daughter Sienna Louise who died after after getting under the duvet as she slept. Her fiance Christopher Burns is holding their other child, Lily Kirsty put Sienna and her sister Lily to sleep on one sofa with their father Christopher Burns, 30, while she slept on another, the inquest in Cleethorpes Town Hall was told. But in the morning the distraught mother found Sienna's lifeless body at her feet under the duvet after the young child snuggled in with her during the night. More...

The real worth of $5: Video reveals how far your money

f you like a beer or two to relax at the end of the day then, bizarrely, you might want to consider moving to China. Although its a country not known for its brewing traditions, just $5 (£3.28) will get you a whopping 12 bottles of Tsingtao or Moutai beer in the People's Republic. That compares to just two bottles of Newcastle Brown ale the same amount will get you in a British off-licence, and four small 12-oz cabs of Pabst Blue Ribbon from an American liquor store. Scroll down for video Who's ready for a party? Just $5 dollars will buy you this impressive haul of lager from a Chinese supermarket Enough for a quiet night in maybe: The same amount will get you four tins of Blue Ribbon from a U.S. store The students' favourite: In UK money it works out as £3.28, enough for just two bottles of Newkie Brown No wonder they work so hard: ¥496 will only get a Japanese salaryman a single tin of Sapporo after a long day But if you think that's unfair, pity the p

Young father died when his car crashed into a lorry

A young father was killed in a horror crash as he sped to rescue his fiancée after she was attacked in a nightclub, an inquest has heard. Geoffrey Firkins, 21, died when his Vauxhall Corsa collided with a lorry and a Peugeot 206 in the early hours of February 7 last year. North Staffordshire Coroners Court heard heard today how minutes earlier, he had received a phone call from fiancée Katie Evans, 21, telling him she had been assaulted during a night-out with friends. Mr Firkins, from Chell Heath, Stoke-on-Trent, was not wearing a seatbelt as he drove to collect her from nearby Hanley. In his efforts to reach her, he overtook a Peugeot 206 and clipped the car causing his vehicle to slide into a lorry travelling in the opposite direction. He crashed on the A53 in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, and later died in hospital from multiple injuries. Mr Firkins, a factory worker, had been with Miss Evans for three years and the couple had a son, two-and-a-half-year-old Cody-Jay together. The coup

Bill Gates 'disrespects' South Korea's female president

Bill Gates has found himself at the centre of a cultural row after he was accused of disrespecting the South Korean president by his 'rude' handshake yesterday. The Microsoft founder has been heavily criticised by the country's media because he shook President Park Geun-hye hand, while keeping his left in his trouser pocket. Korean newspapers attacked the billionaire for his casual style and pictures of the meeting were splashed across the front page of the country's national newspapers today. This picture of Bill Gates shaking hands with South Korean President Park Geun-hye with his left in his pocket was splashed across the country's newspapers on Tuesday with the media accusing him of 'disrespecting' the leader The Presidential palace has not commented on the handshake furore Some publications cropped out his pocketed hand, while others highlighted it. The JoongAng newspaper wrote: 'Cultural difference, or an act of disrespect?' while other

Gambler, 26, who called himself the 'Betfair King'

A gambler who allegedly conned family friends out of £620,000 through a bogus betting scheme spent thousands of pounds shopping for designer clothes at Harrods and Ralph Lauren. Elliott Short, 26, who lived in Chelsea, central London, was said to have claimed he was able to place successful bets on races and make large sums of money using a layered betting scheme. But the horse racing expert lost more than £1million of his own money and cash given by investors through unsuccessful gambling and lavish lifestyle, Southwark Crown Court heard. Christopher Antoniou allegedly invested £200,000 in Short’s betting system, hoping for huge profits - but he never saw the cash again and began to become suspicious after reading an article about the scheme in a newspaper. The story in the now-defunct News of the World, which claimed Short had made £21million from his scheme, was rubbished by Betfair - which said the figures given by Short were impossible. Mr Antoniou often visited Short to talk ove

Women's basketball team the Boston Bombers

Up until last week the Boston Bombers were just a basketball team out of New England. The city's only semi-professional women's basketball team has changed their name after abruptly closing their Facebook page and website in a bid to disassociate themselves from last week's horrific attack. They revealed their new name of the Boston Bulldogs on Tuesday. Name change: Boston's only semi-professional women's basketball team is changing their name from the Boston Bombers following Monday's horrific attack 'We was planning on changing it once the Boston incident happened,' a team spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline. The Bombers were one of more than 40 teams part of the Women's Blue Chip League, a non-salaried league that provided its players with advanced exposure for opportunities to compete in the next level. More... Nike forced to drop 'Boston Massacre' t-shirts from shelves after uproar 'Disgusting' Facebook group called '

Florida accountant 'stole $170K from her boss

A former accountant is accused of stealing nearly $170,000 from her boss to pay for her breast implants, furniture and a divorce. Volusia County Sheriff's deputies say it was a $1,000 discrepancy that finally tipped Steffani Lariscy's boss in Florida to her six-digit theft that accumulated over a three-year period. The 37-year-old was arrested in North Carolina on Thursday after allegedly making a run for it when confronted for what was thought to be a much smaller $1,000 theft at Robbins Camper Sales in Ormond Beach. Extra numbers: Former accountant Steffani Lariscy has been arrested in North Carolina after allegedly stealing $169,822.63 from her boss in Florida over a three-year period The store's owner now says that $1,000 theft quickly turned into $11,000 before eventually $169,822.63 was discovered missing from April of 2009 to February 2012. An anonymous source told investigators 'Lariscy had a lot of unexplained cash at her house and had been bragging about i