Freddie Flintoff Wins First Heavyweight Fight

Flintoff Swaps Lord's For The Ring

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Saturday 01 December 2012

By Charlie Thomas, Sports Presenter

What to do when you hang up the boots? It's the perennial dilemma for the professional sportsman. And the answer these days comes in a variety of forms.

You might choose to replace the discipline of training by going into coaching, or management.

Miss the dressing room banter? You could head for the studio and take up punditry.

There's always the celebrity circuit of dancing in sequined suits or eating bugs in Australian jungles.

And if you're a cricketer you might well think about becoming a correspondent, as Mike Atherton and Derek Pringle have done with notable success.

Few, though, plunge feet first into a completely different sport, which was what made Freddie Flintoff's desire to take up boxing so compelling.

Would he fall flat on his face or would he reveal skills hitherto hidden? In other words, was this just reality TV in another guise?

But then Freddie's life has never run according to most normal rules.

Comparisons with that other great England all-rounder Ian Botham followed him throughout his playing career, and Freddie also seems to share Sir Ian's maverick appetite for new experiences.

Where Beefy replaced life on the road with marathon charity walks over the Alps or the length of Britain, Freddie chose to raise money for Sport Relief by breaking various unlikely world records, like the farthest distance to score a bullseye and popping the most party poppers in a minute.

To his credit, Flintoff appears to have thrown himself into his latest sporting incarnation with complete professionalism.

Few expected him to win last night; most, especially his wife Rachel and trainer Barry McGuigan, were simply hoping he didn't get badly hurt.

But while there was scant evidence that Freddie had missed his calling by becoming a cricketer rather than a boxer, Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch told Sky News he was impressed by Flintoff's fitness and dedication.

The irony is that Freddie is probably fitter now than at any time during his professional cricketing career.

Had he shown such dedication to the gym in his younger years it's probable that he wouldn't have suffered the weight-related injuries that cut short his playing days.

But then again, he wouldn't have been Freddie Flintoff then would he?

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snow Starts To Fall As Britain Shivers

A dusting of snow has fallen across parts of the UK, with more predicted over this weekend.

The frosty conditions are in contrast to the torrential rain and windy weather that played havoc in some parts of the Midlands and in North Wales at the start of the week.

Around 1cm of snow has settled in parts of northern England and Scotland, including Cumbria, Teesside and County Durham, while 2.5cm has covered the Pennines and the Southern Uplands.

In the midlands, southern England and Wales temperatures are below freezing, and as low as -5C in some areas.

The frosty weather is expected to last for the next few days, with more snow predicted in the north and Scotland tomorrow night.

Snow and ice follow torrential rain and floods earlier in the week

The freezing temperatures have brought with them a risk of ice, following the recent heavy rainfall.

:: Upload your weather photos and videos

The Met Office issued a low-level warning of severe weather, affecting much of the UK for the morning.

It said: "Due to the recent wet weather there is an increased risk of icy patches, even on roads that have been treated with salt, where water run off/seepage may wash off any earlier salt treatment.

"The public should be aware of the risk of ice on roads and pavements."

Patroller Andy Smith warned the weekend would be "winter's first serious test for drivers and their cars".

"Ice is the real concern, as it's been so wet recently, and it's very hard to distinguish between a puddle on the road and treacherous black ice."

Forecasters expect more snow this weekend

Sky News weather presenter Jo Wheeler said: "For much of the day, it will be sunny for most.

"Snow showers will continue to run into northern and eastern Scotland, and may occasionally run into North Sea coasts.

"Top temperatures will reach 5 or 6 Celsius. In western parts, cloud will increase and temperatures will rise as rain spreads off the Atlantic.

"Progress will be slow, however, and it will be Sunday before that rain makes much impact on mainland UK, by which time, there is the risk of seeing some snow on the leading edge.

"For the bulk of the country, there will be a fine end to the day followed by a cold and frosty night, and a bright start to Sunday morning."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Former Corrie Star Faces Child Sex Charges

Former Coronation Street actor Andrew Lancel will appear in court later this month to face five counts of indecent assault on a child under 16.

Merseyside Police said the 42-year-old had been charged under his real name - Andrew Watkinson.

He was charged under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The charges relate to "historic" child sex offences, the force said.

Lancel, from Gateacre in Liverpool, is best known for his appearance as the scheming businessman Frank Foster in the ITV1 soap.

His Corrie career began in November 2010 when he was cast as Foster, a business associate of Carla Connor.

Lancel's role ended in March this year when his character was found murdered.

Lancel also played DI Neil Manson in The Bill, and starred alongside Helen Baxendale in Cardiac Arrest.

He has been bailed to appear at South Sefton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, December 19.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leveson: 50,000 Sign Hacked Off Petition

An online petition demanding the Government act on Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations in full has attracted 50,000 supporters in less than 24 hours.

Support for the petition launched by Hacked Off, the group campaigning for victims of phone hacking, has doubled overnight.

It comes as the Culture Secretary warned newspaper editors not to drag their feet in acting on Lord Justice Leveson's calls for setting up a new press watchdog.

Maria Miller will meet the newspaper industry's most powerful editors next week to push for urgent action on the task they have been given.

Lord Hunt of Wirral, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, who will also attend, told The Times he wanted a speedy industry resolution to help persuade the public and MPs that laws were not needed to underpin the new independent regulator.

Paul Dacre has acknowledged that swift action is needed

"There's an awful lot we can agree on and I have suggested to the industry (that we) all read the report, digest it and seek out the common ground and unite with one voice," he said.

Ms Miller's warning will come the day before editors on the Code of Practice Committee, chaired by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, meet to decide how to tackle the Leveson recommendations.

Mr Dacre said: "Lord Justice Leveson has set us a number of challenges: our task is to address them as urgently as possible."

It comes as reports emerged that Foreign Secretary William Hague warned Cabinet colleagues earlier this week that a "Leveson law" would undermine the UK's ability to address freedom of speech issues globally, particularly on cases like the jailing of punk band Pussy Riot in Russia.

A government source told The Daily Telegraph: "It was a very serious presentation. He warned that Britain demonstrating that we have a free press is part of our ability to say we believe in democracy."

Best-selling novelist JK Rowling at the inquiry last November

But David Cameron is under intense pressure to drop his opposition to a law backing up the new watchdog the press has been tasked with devising.

The Prime Minister is facing a backlash from victims of media intrusion over his resistance to legislation.

Author JK Rowling has said that she felt "duped and angry" by Mr Cameron's hesitance to "cross the Rubicon" and introduce a press law.

The Harry Potter author, who gave evidence about press intrusion into her family's privacy to the inquiry, said: "If the Prime Minister did not wish to change the regulatory system even to the moderate, balanced and proportionate extent proposed by Lord Leveson, I am at a loss to understand why so much public money has been spent and why so many people have been asked to relive extremely painful episodes on the stand in front of millions."

The most high-profile victims of phone hacking refused to meet the Culture Secretary yesterday, saying they felt let down by Mr Cameron's response.

Gerry McCann said it was time for politicians to 'do the right thing'

Despite the boycott, Ms Miller last night met the leaders of the Hacked Off campaign and described the talks as frank..

Madeleine McCann's father Gerry said giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry would have been "almost useless" if the proposals were not implemented in full, and urged the Prime Minister to "do the right thing".

London bombing hero Paul Dadge, a victim of phone hacking, said he was very disappointed with Mr Cameron's stance and called on him to back the public rather than the press.

Christopher Jefferies, the landlord wrongly arrested for the murder of Joanna Yeates, warned it would be a "disaster" if the recommendation on legislation was ignored, and said he would feel "let down" by Mr Cameron.

Lord Justice Leveson condemned the "culture of reckless and outrageous journalism" that dominated sections of the press for decades as he unveiled the findings of his 16-month inquiry on Thursday.

The Appeal Court judge called for a new watchdog with statutory underpinning to be given the power to require prominent apologies and impose fines of as much as £1m.

Mr Cameron immediately voiced "serious concerns and misgivings" about legislative action, and said the press should be given a "limited period of time" to show it could get its own house in order.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "Many of the victims of sections of the press will be feeling utterly betrayed by David Cameron."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

New York Good Cop Explains Act Of Kindness

It was meant to be a private gesture, but the New York policeman who bought a homeless man a $100 (£62) pair of boots has won international and official praise.

Officer Larry DePrimo appeared before throngs of reporters and cameras on Thursday after being awarded a pair of cufflinks by his boss, NYPD Commisioner Ray Kelly.

The 25-year-old explained that he had been inspired by his grandfather to buy the anonymous barefoot man a pair of shoes, after encountering him during his beat near Times Square on a cold evening in early November.   

"He told me when I was much younger, 'If you are going to do something, do it 100%. And do it, or don't do it at all,'" Officer DePrimo said.

"I didn't really think anything of it at the time," he added. "What sticks out in my mind is he was such a kind gentleman that I had to help him. I wanted to."

Larry DePrimo's family home in Suffolk County, where the officer lives in a basement apartment, was also besieged by satellite trucks and journalists.    

And both he and the tourist who secretly snapped the photo - a civilian police worker from Arizona - were doing the rounds of US breakfast TV shows on Friday.

Jennifer Foster posted the image to the NYPD's Facebook Page and kicked off the internet phenomenon which has seen millions viewing the story and thousands of 'likes' and positive comments.

Officer Larry DePrimo pictured in 2011 on the NYPD Facebook page

But amid all the praise, there has been inevitable cynicism and some concern for the unidentified man at the centre of the modern-day fairytale of New York. 

"I walked by this man in Union Square Wednesday, November 21," wrote Melissa Gallaher-Smith. "And he was again barefoot. I remember very clearly because his pants were also hiked up and his feet were very large."

Several others reported seeing the same man - always without shoes. One told how she had bought a pair for him on a previous occasion, leading to speculation among others that he may be working some kind of scam.

Homeless charities also waded in, praising Officer DePrimo's actions but pointing out it is not in line with the NYPD's usual treatment of vagrants.

Patrick Markee, from the Coalition for the Homeless told the LA Times that successive New York mayors had sought to clean the city's streets of rough sleepers.

"It was a really moving photo and a moving story," he said, "and a stark contrast to a mayor who has largely ignored the homeless crisis that has spiralled out of control on his watch."

Whatever the truth of the situation, others argue, it does not detract from the young officer's caring and inspirational gesture.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Floods: £120m Extra Cash For Defences

The Government has announced £120m of new funding for flood defences which it says will improve protection for up to 60,000 homes.

It comes amid clean-up operations across the UK in the aftermath of the recent flooding which devastated communities in the South West, Midlands, Wales and North East.

Ministers said £60m will targeted at areas where improving defences against flooding could unlock investment and growth in the area, and the rest will go to speed up delivery of up to 50 schemes already in the pipeline.

They believe the money, which will be delivered between next year and 2015, will not only boost defences, but also provide £1bn in economic benefits.

Potential projects which could benefit from the funding targeted at unlocking economic benefits include Leeds, where the riverside area is regularly threatened by floods and defences could protect 250 businesses, employing more than 100,000 people, and more than 3,100 homes.

The money is in addition to the £2bn being spent on flooding and coastal erosion this spending period up to 2015 - half of which is for capital projects such as flood defences.

But ministers have faced criticism that they have cut flood defence spending at a time when their own advisers say hundreds of millions of pounds more cash is needed to help the UK cope with greater risk of flooding as the climate changes.

This summer, Government climate advisers said flood defence spending is 12% below levels in the last spending review period, with a gap opening up of £860m between money pledged for 2011/15 and what is needed to maintain protection.

Figures released this week by the Environment Agency showed some 1,600 properties were flooded during the recent bout of bad weather, while flood defences had protected more than 54,000 homes.

More follows...

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK To Withhold £21m Aid Due For Rwanda

The UK will be withholding £21m of aid to Rwanda amid concerns the state is supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Announcing the decision, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the money, which was due to be handed over next month, would not be released because President Paul Kagame's regime had breached agreements.

"The Government has already set out its concerns over credible and compelling reports of Rwandan involvement with M23 in DRC," she said.

"This evidence constitutes a breach of the partnership principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and, as a result, I have decided not to release the next payment of budget support to Rwanda.

"We are committed to finding lasting solutions to the conflict in this region and will work with the Governments of Rwanda and DRC to secure a peaceful resolution to the situation in eastern DRC."

She added that the department will provide a further £18m of immediate humanitarian support in DR Congo, providing emergency food for 100,000 people, clean water and education.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame

Violence in DR Congo has been spiralling, with reports of summary executions by the rebel M23 group and growing numbers of refugees.

Rwanda has been accused of equipping them with sophisticated weaponry, including night vision goggles and 120mm mortars.

Last week, the rebel group seized Goma - a crucial provincial capital in eastern Congo - sparking international concern.

The UN has around 1,400 peacekeepers in and around Goma but it could do nothing to stop the rebels' advance through the lakeside city of one million people because they do not have a mandate to engage them.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Rwandan President Paul Kagame to contact the M23 leaders and halt their advance amid fears their next target is Bukavi, another provincial capital, south of Goma.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has also called for a "cessation of hostilities" and urged the rebel group to engage in talks to avoid further bloodshed.

However, the rebels have refused to withdraw from Goma and have threatened to march all the way to the Congolese capital Kinshasa, about 950 miles (1,500km) away.

The fighting has left thousands of people displaced

The UK suspended the last tranche of £16m of aid in July after an interim UN report highlighted Rwanda's role in backing the insurgents.

However, Ms Greening's predecessor, Andrew Mitchell, controversially reinstated the aid on his last day in the job. He authorised £8m as direct budgetary support, and diverted the other half to specific development programmes.

Pressure to halt aid payments intensified again earlier this month when UN experts presented more evidence of Rwanda's involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman denied that the decision to reinstate aid in September had been a mistake. He also insisted the decision was not taken by Mr Mitchell alone, but was a "Government decision".

TaxPayers' Alliance campaign manager Robert Oxley demanded an urgent re-examination of the UK's aid policy.

He said: "It's appalling that British taxpayers' money has gone directly to a government involved in a proxy war that has brought untold misery to hundreds of thousands of people.

"This announcement leaves a huge question mark over why DfID, and specifically Andrew Mitchell, reinstated the aid programme to the Rwandan government which was fanning the flames of conflict in DRC."

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: Snow On The Way As Britain Shivers

A light dusting of snow is expected to fall across parts of the country tonight with up to 4cm forecast to fall in some areas.

Upland areas such as the Pennines, the North Yorkshire Moors and north east Scotland, could be blanketed in white by tomorrow.

Temperatures are expected to plummet to a freezing -5C tonight leaving icy conditions on the roads which are expected to last until Sunday afternoon.

Sky's weather forecaster, Chris England, said: "A band of showers spreading from north-west Scotland to north Wales and the north Midlands overnight will bring a centimetre or two of snow to the mountains, and perhaps a light dusting to lower levels of northern England later as temperatures fall to freezing and below.

"There's a small chance of some snow across central England and Wales for a time tomorrow morning, especially over the highest ground, but most places, if they get wet at all, will see rain.

"Icy surfaces forming where the showers leave the ground wet will be a bigger problem tonight and early tomorrow".

On Sunday, a rain-band spreading from the west will bring a spell of snow to northern hills, and perhaps to some lower levels for a time, but the snow won't amount to a great deal away from the Scottish peaks  and will mostly turn to rain quite rapidly.

The wintry weather is in contrast to the torrential rain and floods have caused havoc in some parts of the Midlands and in North Wales.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pensioner Dies After Stones Thrown At House

Four boys have been arrested by detectives investigating the death of a pensioner after youths hurled stones at her house.

Joyce Moulson, 84, collapsed around 10 minutes after her terraced home in Bradford was attacked on Tuesday night.

She was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead soon after she arrived.

The boys - two aged 12 and two aged 13 - were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

One of the 13 year olds has been released without charge.

Local residents described Ms Moulson as "a lovely old lady who always had time for you".

A post-mortem established the cause of death as heart-related illness - further tests are being carried out.

A friend and close neighbour said: "She was helpful, chatty and always had time for you and a tale to tell."

The woman, who asked not to be named, added: "She was just a lovely old lady. I heard the kids outside last night and basically ignored it because I'm so used to it now."

Nicola Taylor, 29, who lives on the other side of the road, said: "It's devastating. She must've been really, really scared.

"There's always a lot of kids hanging round on the corner. It's quite scary. We were really worried when we heard what had happened."

Another neighbour, Laura Schofield, 26, said: "I heard sirens last night but that's just a normal thing here."

Julie Taylor, who owns a shop near Mrs Moulson's house in Fair Road, said: "Youths are always jumping on the wall outside her house and in the garden. Some of them have no respect.

"I didn't know her personally but used to see her coming and going from her house. I'm shocked."

Police are patrolling the Wibsey area of Bradford following the incident, which happened at around 6pm.

Officers are also studying CCTV footage, a police spokesman said.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen Toyboy Jailed For Killing Lover's Son

The teenage lover of a former Army medic has been jailed for five years for killing her three-year-old son.

Cameron Rose, who was 16 at the time, swung the child by his leg and his head smashed into a wall, while the boy's mother, Sadie Henry, was out on the school run with her other son.

When paramedics arrived at Miss Henry's home in Erith, Kent, Rhys Lawrie's face was so swollen they were unable to open his eyes to shine a light into the pupils. He was also found to have suffered a broken leg.

It was the second time in a week that Rose had attacked Rhys, who suffered from epilepsy so badly it left him barely able to walk.

Just four days before the killing in January last year, he had hit the boy hard enough to cause a brain injury but the boy was discharged from hospital.

Miss Henry, 28, lied to police, paramedics and hospital staff about the attacks because she was trying to hide her relationship with her schoolboy lover.

Rose, who was attending a school for emotionally disturbed children when he began the affair, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Rhys Lawrie suffered from epilepsy

Sentencing him, The Recorder of London, Judge Peter Beaumont, told him: "Rhys died a dreadful, violent death at your hands and that must not be forgotten."

The couple had met at a bonfire party but they kept their relationship quiet and although Rose spent every weekend at Miss Henry's home he told his parents he was staying with friends.

The court had heard how she continued her relationship with Rose in secret after Rhys' death despite having been told that she must not have anything to do with him.

Miss Henry broke off the affair when Rose was arrested for murder in September 2011. She was cautioned for trying to cover up the relationship.

She told the court: "I felt guilty because my three-year-old son died and the person I cared about saw him die.

"I thought he died from natural causes. I thought I should have been there."

Rose, who had previously been found guilty of arson and had been cautioned twice for damaging his home, claimed the injuries were accidental and that the boy had suffered a fit.

He grinned as he came into court and gave a thumbs-up sign to the Recorder of London. The teenager has been kept in solitary confinement at Feltham Young Offenders' Centre after other inmates learned about the killing.

20.48 | 0 komentar | Read More