NowMyNews

A new figure has emerged in the story of a Boston bomber's conversion to violent extremist Islam - a 23-year-old boxer from Canada who Tamerlan Tsarnaev met online and may have visited during his trip to Russia last year. William Plotnikov, a Muslim convert from Toronto, could have spurred Tsarnaev to direct his against the United States, new reports reveal. The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reports that Tamerlan went to Dagestan - a Russia republic torn by jihadist terrorism - to join an Islamic militia and fight against Russian forces in July 2012. One day after Plotnikov was killed by Russian security forces, Tamerlan fled to Moscow. The next day he was back to the United States. Another contact Tamerlan had in Dagestan - Makhmud Mansur Nidal, 19 - was also killed by Russian forces during his six-month visit to to the war-torn region. Tamerlan's family blames a red-haired Armenian convert known only as 'Misha' for turning the 26-year-old to extremist Islam. Howeve

A secret court is controlling £2billion of assets of thousands of elderly and mentally impaired people and paying them a paltry rate of interest. The controversial actions of the Court of Protection were criticised by an MP last night as ‘bordering on malpractice’. The interest rate – currently much less than they would receive in an ordinary bank account – means that the value of the financial estates are falling rapidly because the rate of inflation is 2.8 per cent. An investigation by the Daily Mail has uncovered a litany of other complaints about the court, which came under fire last week after it emerged it had jailed a woman for defying its orders over the fate of her elderly father in a care home. The allegations include claims that: The court’s officials frittered away people’s money by charging exorbitant fees; Officials have raided homes in search of documents and read private emails; The billions controlled by the court are being used to offset the national debt through an

Chaps, if you want to convince your other half you’re a ‘real man’, there’s an easy way to do it. Get rid of a spider for her. Fifty-two per cent of women say a real man shouldn’t be scared of spiders. But it seems chaps aren’t quite up to the challenge – only 10 per cent think the same. In a survey of 2,000 people to find their definition of a ‘real man’, it was one of the few areas where the genders were split. Loving: Women want a real man to cook, remove spiders and use a washing machine Men can forget the stereotypical belief that women are looking for a good looking mate with a healthy bank balance and a big car. They want their men to eat quiche, know how to cook it and do domestic chores, according to a survey of 2,000 women. It highlights the differences between what men think a 'new man' is - and what women think. Tempting: Women want men to eat quiche and to be able to cook it As far as women are concerned, he should have a sense of tradition and an understand

The Duchess of Cambridge has given her first ever video message to make an emotional appeal for support for 'inspirational' children's hospices. In the message, aired for the first time today, the Duchess pleaded to people to support Children's Hospice Week. The week, which runs until Friday, is run by UK children's palliative care charity Together for Short Lives. Scroll down for video Seen with a picture of her wedding day, the Duchess urged people to support the hospices that carry out such inspirational work In the video, which lasts just under two minutes, pregnant Kate, who is Royal Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), said she had seen first-hand the 'transformational' work done for children and their families. Wearing a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar, she said: 'As Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices I have been fortunate to see at first hand the remarkable work that they do for children and y

The Duchess of Cambridge is considering giving birth at a hospital near her family home, it has been reported. It had been expected that the Royal baby would be born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. It is where Princess Diana gave birth to the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. But friends of Kate Middleton have said she and her family want the baby to be born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, where she and her sister Pippa were born. A source told the Telegraph: 'Their thinking is that she will be based at her parents’ house during the later stages of her pregnancy and they do not want her to have to travel miles to Paddington when she goes into labour.' The Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading has recently opened a £3 million, assisted by Marcus Setchell. It has been reported that Kate intends to live at her parents house in Bucklebury for the first six weeks after the birth. The baby is due in July. Kate was treated for severe morning sickne

A secret court is controlling £2billion of assets of thousands of elderly and mentally impaired people and paying them a paltry rate of interest, the Mail reveals today. The controversial actions of the Court of Protection, which one MP has criticised as 'bordering on malpractice', are supposed to uphold the interests of 16,000 vulnerable people - but many claim they destroy the value of savings. Here SUE REID tells the story of Neil Barker, a successful businessman whose finances have been at the mercy of the court since he was injured in a horrific accident. Neil Barker is, in many ways, a lucky man. At 36, he has a loving girlfriend, Valeria, a five-bedroom house overlooking the park in a smart West London suburb — and he’s made a dramatic recovery from a motorbike crash ten years ago which left him with brain injuries. All he wants to do is to get on with his life as a successful computer consultant and property restorer — without interference from the State. But a huge su

Decades before Michael Jackson passed away from a drug overdose, his former maid says workers at his Los Angeles estate had found the singer 'dead' on two separate occasions. According to revelations made by Adrian McManus, who worked as Jackson's personal maid in the 1990s, she and other staffers on the Neverland estate would come upon the singer passed out after taking dozens of pills prescribed by his medical staff, who would spend hours locked in a room with the singer. Speaking to the Mirror Sunday, McManus recalled one occasion in 1993 when she knocked on the door to Jackson's room but received no response. Bombshell claims: Michael Jackson's (left) former maid Adrian McManus (right) revealed that his staff would sometimes find the singer passed out and looking 'dead' after taking drugs The housekeeper went in and discovered the pop star lying on the bed motionless with his eyes open. McManus recalled that Jackson was very pale and appeared n

David Cameron has denied being a Thatcherite - despite arguing in an interview that 'we are all Thatcherites now'. The Prime Minister said he was a 'tremendous supporter' of his Tory predecessor Margaret Thatcher. But asked directly whether he was a Thatcherite, Mr Cameron replied: 'No...Other people might call me that. I think the label's now... it's slightly become... labels now don't quite mean what they did then.' Supporter: David Cameron and Margaret Thatcher. He said he was not a Thatcherite describing it as a 'label' Cameron and Thatcher: 'The battles she won for our country were so important' said the Prime Minister He added: 'I was a tremendous Mrs Thatcher supporter... The battles she won were so important for our country, but there are now different challenges and things that need to be dealt with.' More... 'They're a bunch of waifs and strays': Ken Clarke goes on the offensive against 'ra

Its bleak buildings and concrete warren of grey high-rise blocks was the perfect setting for a gritty Michael Caine crime thriller and music videos for street cred pop bands. Once there were 1,200 families living on the notorious crime-ridden Heygate estate in south London, but now just a few remain as they wait for the bulldozers to move in. Last month, Southwark Council sold the estate, which was completed in 1974, for £50 million having spent £44 million moving most of the 3,000 residents out. Scroll down for video Doomed estate: A couple walk past the Heygate estate in south London which is due to be demolished in 2015 Apocalyptic: Looking like a deserted ghost town, with empty flats and graffiti-strewn walkways the estate became a dilapidated disaster area Abandoned: The grey concrete blocks of the estate lie empty with windows boarded up and graffiti daubed on the walls Left behind: Once it was a much-loved garden, but now it is overgrown and abandoned after the es