Friday, 8 August 2014

MAN KILLED AS E-CIGARETTE EXPLODES



Fire service warnings about dangers of e-cigarette

"A man was killed when a charging E-cigarette exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he is believed to have been using", Merseyside's fire service said.

David Thomson, 62, was found in the living room of a house in Penkett Road, Wallasey.

"A small fire in the bedroom of the property had gone out before firefighters arrived", Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said.

The exact cause of death is yet to be established, with an inquest now due.

Mixing warning
An MFRS spokesman said: "The subsequent fire investigation identified that an e-cigarette that had been charging in the bedroom exploded, caught fire and ignited the oxygen tube of an oxygen concentrator, which may have been in use by the occupier."

Myles Platt, MFRS area manager said: "The investigation into the cause of this fire is continuing but at this stage it is thought that the charging device being used at the time may not have been the one supplied with the e-cigarette".

"We urge people to always use electrical equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and guidance, always ensure that no electrical items are left charging overnight or left unattended for a long period when being charged, and do not mix parts from different e-cigarettes".

"Only use the original charger or electrical cables supplied and ensure you purchase electrical items from a reputable source."

Since January, nine fires involving e-cigarettes have been recorded on Merseyside.

Service representatives are speaking to people in the Wallasey area to give advice about the safe use of e-cigarettes following Tuesday's fire.

FLASH FLOODING IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE (ENGLAND) TRAPS DRIVERS AND CUTS OFF POWER

Rescue crews tried to restart cars that had stalled in the flooding.

Homes evacuated after flash flooding

Torrential rain in Cambridgeshire caused a riverbank to collapse, left 856 homes without power, trapped drivers and closed two supermarkets.

The weather also hit Norfolk and Lincolnshire, where homes were evacuated and an air display cancelled.

BBC Weather said 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour, damaging the banks of the River Nene in March.

A Tesco shopper said water was "pouring through the ceiling near the fresh fish counter".

'Engines cutting out'

Richard Mayer, 32, became trapped in his car at Bar Hill while he was visiting to buy a home in the area.

Speaking from the vehicle he said: "Water is lapping over the kerb now. People can walk through it, but it's far more than you'd want to drive through. I'm sitting in my car on the pavement in order to maintain some height just down from the Bar Hill roundabout near Tesco".
"There are cars everywhere and the flooding is getting worse as people are trying to drive through it, but their engines are cutting out which is causing them to block the road."


Drivers were being advised to avoid the A428 westbound between Hardwick and Dry Drayton, which is blocked due to flooding

More than 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour confirmed BBC Weather

Fire service group commander Ryan Stacey said: "We have seven crews currently in the March, Doddington and Wisbech St Mary areas, assisting with evacuating residents, salvaging and pumping water out of homes. The exact number of properties affected cannot be confirmed, but we understand that we are assisting currently at least 60 properties."

He warned: "Don't try to drive through standing water - as well as the water damaging your car, there may be hazards under the water you can't see."

A rest centre was opened in St John the Evangelist Parish Hall in Queens Street, March.

There have also been reports of flash flooding in west Norfolk.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said officers have been dealing with about 40 flood-related calls with ongoing incidents in Swaffham, Necton, Outwell and Downham Market.

The heavy rain caused subsidence on parts of the riverbank in March and flooding in The Ship Inn cellar

Police in Cambridgeshire urged people to avoid driving on the county's roads unless absolutely necessary due to the "deluge of rain currently being experienced".

Ch Insp Nick Night said: "We are assisting partner agencies including the Highways Agency, Fire and Rescue Service, Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council with road closures, evacuating residents and pulling vehicles out of flood water.

"We do not have a stock of sandbags, so please do not call 999 requesting any."

The UK Power Network said it had been working to restore power to homes and about 400 homes were still without power at about 21:00 BST on Friday.

Bungalows in Poplar Close in March in Cambridgeshire were flooded

VICTORIAN'S EXAM SYSTEM FAILS PUPILS- SAYS ETON'S HEADMASTER



Too much focus on tests and exams is damaging education in England argues Eton headmaster Tony Little

Exams in England are "unimaginative, little changes from Victorian times" and fail to get pupils ready for the modern workplace, warns Eton's headmaster.

Too much focus on grades means exams can eclipse an all-round education, argues Tony Little, in the Radio Times.

Mr Little says the pressure is on for England to emulate highly academic school systems in east Asia.

But he warns against copying "the same straitjacket the Chinese are trying to wriggle out of".

Mr Little describes the current exam system as obliging students "to sit alone at their desks in preparation for a world in which, for most of the time, they will need to work collaboratively".

'A different tune'

He also highlights a recent poll which suggests that nearly three-quarters of parents are worried that Britain is on the slide compared with east Asian countries that perform better in international comparison tests.

"The pressure is on, we must all do better - whether we are public schools, state schools, free schools or academies - and especially in league tables."

But, he suggests, the current drive to bring England's education system more into line with those in countries like Singapore and China, may be misguided.

He says that just occasionally "a voice can be heard singing a different tune".

He welcomes a controversial letter sent last month by two teachers at a Lancashire primary school to their 11-year-old pupils after their test results.

The letter, from Rachel Tomlinson head of Barrowford Primary School in Nelson, Lancashire and teacher Amy Birkett, told the children to enjoy their results but said they should be aware that there are many ways of being smart besides performing well in exams.

Mr Little says he was interested in the public response to the letter - either as an overdue and necessary support for the children, or as a betrayal of their futures.

He concludes that while a sharp focus on performance is a good thing there is more to education than "jostling for position in a league table".

He repeats a recent conversation with the head of a leading school in Shanghai who felt his pupils' education "was stifled" by the highly demanding Chinese equivalent of A-levels.

Exam 'treadmill'

The head was concerned that his students lacked "the ability to develop, amend and present an idea, the capacity to think laterally. And where did he look for inspiration? To Britain".

The Department for Education responded: "We make no apology for holding schools to account for the results their pupils achieve in national tests and public examinations.

"Parents deserve to know that their children are receiving the very best possible teaching. But all good schools know that there is no tension between academic success and an excellent all-round education.

"We know constant testing is unpopular and we are ending the exam treadmill by returning A-levels to linear exams at the end of two years.

"This will ensure students gain a deep understanding of their subjects and end the culture of constant assessment and resits.

"Our reforms will ensure we have an exam system which prepares young people to succeed in modern Britain."

MILEY CYRUS NEARLY MAKES OUT WITH FAN THAT GRABBED HER BOOBS

Miley gets hands on with a very lucky Smiler.

You can never say that Miley Cyrus isn’t hands-on with her fans…in fact, she’s a little too hands-on.

During a fan meet and greet at her Bangerz tour stop at Nassau Coliseum in New York, Miley made one fans dream come true, by letting him grab hold of her boobs.

Yep, that’s right, the never-shy pop star posed for the cameras with Smiler David wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight to her chest as she puts on a “surprised” look.


But the fun was just getting started between these two. According to Splash News, the photo agency who took the pics, David asked Miley to be his “first and last kiss with a girl,” which prompted Miley to jokingly reply saying that he would be her “first and last kiss with a boy.”

The two then embrace, mouths open, tongues out going in for a big old kiss.


David certainly got his money worth (it’s reportedly $995 for a meet and greet) as the “We Can’t Stop” singer posed for two more pictures, with her hugging David and giving the camera a traditional prom pose.



                                                                                                                          -Source: MTV

EMINEM AND RIHANNA'S MONSTER TOUR KICKOFF RECAP


Eminem And Rihanna’s Monster Tour Kickoff Wasn’t Short On F-Bombs And Crotch Grabbing
Rih and Em didn't tone it down for opening night at the Rose Bowl Stadium.



Let’s say that Eminem and Rihanna didn’t keep it PG when their Monster Tour kicked off at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Thursday night, but you may have probably expected as much. The expletives started flying within the first minute of the show, and the frequent collaborators kept it raw and uncensored for the entirety of the night.

Over the course of two and a half hours, they ran through a comprehensive set list, that included classics like “Umbrella” and “Stan,”   up to recent hits like “Diamonds” and “Rap God.” There was a ‘little thing for everyone who came out. Here’s what went down at Em and Rihanna’s Monster Tour opening night.

They teamed up for a hilarious opening skit.
It’s been a minute since we watched “8 Mile,” so it’s easy to forget that Eminem can flex his acting chops when necessary. The show began with an opening skit that finds Rih being lead into a maximum security prison (by “Sopranos” actors Michael Imperioli) to visit an insane captive in isolation.

Naturally, that prisoner turns out to be Eminem, who immediately launches into a hilarious tirade about why the hell it took Rihanna so long to show up. After ranting about being forced to eat dry cereal, and being imprioned so long that he can’t remember his age, Rih calls him an “ungrateful f–k” and storms out…leaving him to beg for her to come back. We give this one five gold stars.



There were a lot of F-bombs to count.
We’re not saying that we expected a PG-rated show from these two people who brought us “Love the Way You Lie” and “The Monster,” but they really didn’t hold back when it came to language. During the first 10 minutes of the show, we estimate that Em and Rih had already spit out the F-word about 15 times in various forms. That includes when Rihanna called Eminem  an “ungrateful f–k” in the opening skit, five minutes when later she urged the crowd to “make some noise for this motherf—er,” and again when she wanted to know “how the f–k California was doing tonight.”

Fans were treated to a couple of Rih-lly awesome remixes.
To be honest, Em and Rihanna didn’t spend quite as much time on stage together as we had hoped — they both performed pretty long solo sets (and the crowd even started chanting for Shady to come out at some point) — but they did treat the audience to some new renditions of classics. One of Eminem’s most infamous singles “Stan,” for example, got some new life with Rihanna singing Dido’s vocals, as well as “Airplanes,” where she replaced Paramore’s Hayley Williams.

Related: Here’s Eminem And Rihanna’s Monster Tour Set List

Eminem really dipped into his classics.
Our survey of the audience found that fans ranged from those who were seeing Em live for the first time, to those who were already on their fifth show. Wherever they fell on the spectrum, though, they had to be pleased with the extensive set list, which hit recent releases like “Berzerk” and “Rap God,” and looped all the way back to The Marshall Mathers LP and The Slim Shady LP with cuts like “Marshall Mathers, “Just Don’t Give A F–k,” “Criminal” and “The Real Slim Shady.”





Rihanna wore a lot of clothing.
What the f@$! was that about? Since BadGadRiRi has refused to return to Instagram, we’ve had to get our fill of her salacious photos from Twitter, or via posts from other celebrities. So, on Thursday night we were really hoping to catch an eye-full of Rih on stage, but unfortunately the 26-year-old kept it pretty demure with her outfit choices. She hit the stage in a pair of yellow and black flaming harem pants, with a matching jacket and crop top. And halfway through the show she switched into a short black dress with lace trim, under an oversized black jacket covered in patches. Definitely not what we were expecting.

But she definitely did plenty of crotch-grabbing and booty poppin’.
Clearly we were surprised by Rih’s decision to cover up for the Monster Tour, but at least she didn’t stop grabbing her crotch and grinding her behind everywhere. The crotch-grabbing happened during just about every song except “You Da One,” and it happened extra during “Birthday Cake” and “Phresh Out the Runway.” The booty poppin’…well, that was for most songs minus the slow, emotional numbers like “Stan.”

They saved ‘The Monster’ for a grand finale.
Didn’t think they were gonna give it up so soon, did ya? After running through approximately 47 songs between them, they finally closed the night with their recent collaboration, and had the audience screaming.


                                                                                                                         -Source: MTV

IRAQ: US AIR STRIKE ON ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS IN IRAQ


The United States has carried out air strikes on Islamist militants in Iraq, as James Robbins reports.
The US has launched an air strike against militants from the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Iraq.
The Pentagon said its aircraft attacked artillery being used against Kurdish forces defending the city of Irbil.
The Sunni Muslim group IS, formerly known as Isis, now has control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people from minority groups have fled their homes due to the militants' advance. IS has also seized Iraq's largest dam.

According to US officials, the dam is a vital part of Iraq's infrastructure as it controls water levels on the Tigris River and is a key source of water and electricity generation for the Iraqi people.
The air strike targeted IS artillery near the Khazer checkpoint outside of the city of Irbil


Struggle for Iraq: In maps

According to the Pentagon statement, two F/A-18 aircraft from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on mobile artillery near Irbil, where US personnel are based.

The air strike is the first time the US has been directly involved in a military operation in Iraq since American troops withdrew in late 2011.

No time limit has been set for air strikes, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, but he insisted that a "prolonged military conflict that includes US involvement is not on the table."

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the world needed to wake up to the threat posed by the IS group.

Its "campaign of terror against the innocent, including the Yazidi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque targeted acts of violence show all the warning signs of genocide," he said.

IS fighters seized Qaraqosh, Iraq's biggest Christian town, earlier this week, causing many thousands to flee.

The militants' advance has also forced tens of thousands of Yazidis to leave their homes and escape to a nearby mountain.

'Carefully and responsibly'

Speaking from the White House on Thursday, President Obama said "America is coming to help" the people of Iraq.

He accused IS fighters of attempting the systematic destruction of entire populations.

At the same time, he announced that US military planes had already carried out air drops of food and water, at the request of the Iraqi government, to the many displaced Yazidis who are in need of supplies.

Britain and France have also pledged humanitarian support, with the UK sending £8m ($13.5m) of emergency aid.

The United Nations says it is working on opening a humanitarian corridor in northern Iraq to allow stranded people to flee.

Analysis: 
Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence correspondent

Rapid intervention in the north was a special case merited by the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, but how much more support might the Americans give to the Kurds?

Amid all the talk of centrifugal forces in Iraq, the Kurdish north has the greatest degree of autonomy - some would argue it is already half-way out of the door of the Iraqi state.

Such a move would have huge implications for Turkey, Syria and Iran who all have Kurdish minorities.

Marzio Babille, Unicef's representative in Iraq, said the Yazidis were in an extremely precarious situation because of the "very aggressive and brutal" IS militants.

He said there were many "logistical and strategic difficulties", but added that a humanitarian corridor needed to be established.

Meanwhile all US airlines and a growing list of other carriers are not flying over Iraq due to the situation.
The US air strike reportedly targeted IS artillery being used against Kurdish fighters in Irbul

Tens of thousands of Yazidis and Christians have been displaced because of the IS advance

                                                                                                                         -SOURCE: BBC News

OBAMA AUTHORISES IRAQ AIR STRIKES ON ISLAMISTS FIGHTERS


The US president told Iraq's minorities: "America is coming"

US President Barack Obama says he has authorised air strikes against Islamic militants in northern Iraq but will not send US troops back to the country.

He said Islamic State (IS) fighters would be targeted to prevent the slaughter of religious minorities, or if they threaten US interests.

Strikes have not yet begun, but the US has made humanitarian air drops to Iraqis under threat from the militants.

IS has seized Qaraqosh, Iraq's biggest Christian town, forcing locals to flee.

The Sunni Muslim group, formerly known as Isis, has been gaining ground in northern Iraq and Syria for several months.

Islamic State fighters have taken control of large parts of northern Iraq since launching an offensive in June
Around 50,000 Yazidis are thought to have been trapped on a mountain after fleeing IS fighters

In a rapid advance in June the group took control of the northern city of Mosul and advanced south towards Baghdad.

It now controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria and says it has created an Islamic caliphate in its territory.

'Coming to help'

Speaking at the White House, Mr Obama said US military aircraft had already dropped food and water to members of the Yazidi religious minority community trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters.

The UN estimates that about 200,000 civilians have been displaced from the town of Sinjar and about 50,000 Yazidis are thought to have been trapped on the mountain.

The Yazidis face starvation and dehydration if they remain on the mountain, and slaughter at the hands of the IS if they flee, officials have warned.
Jump media player
Media player help

Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yazidis are understood to have fled their homes in northern Iraq, as James Robbins reports

Mr Obama said the Iraqi government had requested assistance and the US would act "carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide".

US air strikes would target IS fighters if they threaten Baghdad or move towards the Kurdish capital of Irbil, where there is a significant presence of US diplomats and military advisers, Mr Obama said.

In addition, he authorised strikes "if necessary" to help Iraqi government forces break the siege at Mount Sinjar and rescue the trapped civilians.

"The only lasting solution is reconciliation among Iraqi communities and stronger Iraqi security forces," Mr Obama added.


Analysis: Tom Esslemont, BBC News, Washington

For a president still busy withdrawing his troops from Afghanistan, the situation in northern Iraq has proved decisive.

Doing nothing here was not an option and the US could not turn a blind eye to what Mr Obama called the systematic destruction of Christians and Yazidis.

He employed strong language to seek justification. It was, he said, to prevent acts of genocide.

It is a hugely symbolic and potent term for a president who a year ago decided against military intervention in Syria. And that was after a red line had been crossed and chemical weapons had been used.

This time, just across the border, the White House has a specific goal - the protection of US assets and embassy personnel in Iraq and to bring urgent relief to the civilians affected.

But to critics it is too limited an operation that will do little to diminish the power of the Islamic State jihadists.


The president spoke hours after the UN Security Council met. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply appalled" by the situation.

As many as 100,000 Christians are believed to have fled their homes ahead of the IS advance, and most of them are thought to have gone toward the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Kurdish forces have been fighting IS for weeks, but on Wednesday it appeared they had abandoned their posts in Qaraqosh. Eyewitnesses said the militants had taken down crosses in churches and burned religious manuscripts.


Watch, read and interact


The rise of the Islamic State


Last month, hundreds of Christian families fled Mosul after rebels gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a special tax, or be executed.

Iraq is home to one of the world's most ancient Christian communities, but numbers have dwindled amid growing sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has faced calls from Sunni Arab, Kurdish and some Shia Arab leaders to step down because of his handling of the security crisis, as well as what they say are the sectarian and authoritarian policies he pursued during his previous two terms in office.

But as leader of the bloc that won the most seats in April's parliamentary elections, Mr Maliki has demanded the right to attempt to form a governing coalition.


Iraq's minorities
Iraq's Christian population has plummeted in recent years

Christians
The majority are Chaldeans, part of the Catholic Church
Numbers have fallen from around 1.5 million since the US-led invasion in 2003 to 350,000-450,000
In Nineveh, they live mainly in towns such as Qaraqosh (also known as Baghdida), Bartella, Al-Hamdaniya and Tel Kef