With his cute whiskers and glossy fur, he looks as gentle and benign as could be. When he’s not indoors being petted by his owners, you’d probably expect Shiny the tom to be playing in the garden, perhaps chasing the occasional bird.
But things aren’t quite so perfect in the Cornish village of Little Treviscoe, where he lives. Neighbours say Shiny is terrorising the area and have branded him ‘devil cat’. Police have been called five times over his violent behaviour, which has left locals and their pets in need of medical treatment. They want the four-year-old cat to be put down.
His owners, however, insist he is innocent and the injured must have done something to provoke him. Police are powerless to act because laws designed to combat dangerous dogs don’t apply to cats. Paula Burton was taken to A&E in July after Shiny ran into her home and sank his claws into her arms and legs. The 42-year-old had bruising and cuts that required antibiotics.
She said: ‘He was hanging off my arm by his claws. He eventually let go and ran away but I had to go to hospital as my arm had become quite swollen. I love cats and I’d never normally complain – but this animal is out of control.’
Neighbour Carol Ballsdon said Shiny clawed her 90-year-old mother. She said: ‘She had a large skin tear down the arm, which we had to dress every day for three weeks, and two big puncture wounds on the back of her leg. It is just four sets of claws and a set of teeth coming at you.’
Two people are believed to have been killed after a crane collapsed at the Brazilian football stadium due to host the opening match at next year's World Cup.
The final part of the structure, which was due to be one of the centerpieces of the 2014 tournament, was being installed at the Corinthians stadium when the 500-ton crane cut through the roof of the east side stand, causing extensive damage.
One of the dead workers, 42-year-old Fabio Luis Pereira, was inside a truck when it was hit by the falling metal structure.
The other, 44-year-old Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, was said to be 'napping' during a break in an area that was supposed to have been cleared.
The accident happened at lunchtime, so few of the nearly 1,700 workers were on the site when the crane collapsed.
A stonemason who was off at a cafeteria said it was lucky the accident happened when it did.
Evadro Pereira, 32, said: 'If it hadn't been lunchtime there would have been many more deaths. It was really very scary.'
Already, public prosecutors and a workers union in Sao Paulo were demanding an investigation into conditions at the venue, saying work shouldn't resume until authorities deem the stadium safe.
The rules of staying fit seem very easy to follow. Eating well, working out, getting enough sleep and you will be the healthiest person, right? Surprisingly, it is more complicated than that. Often the very choices you make to benefit your health can be the same ones that hurt you in the end. Read the article and find out which unexpected habits can be causing you harm.
Using of hand sanitizer compulsively
If you use the hand sanitizer any time you have contact with the outside world, you should take pause. Unless you are in an especially germ full place like a hospital, soap and water will work just fine. When you are not near a sink, hand sanitizing gels can help, but be sure to always read the label. Recent study has shown that sanitizers containing triclosan might promote bacteria and virus resistance to antibiotic medications. This refers to antibacterial hand soaps as well, which contain triclosan. Instead, choose brands that contain at least 55% alcohol that will kill 98% of bacteria on contact.
Brushing teeth after every meal
Brushing immediately after every meal may seem like a good idea for keeping your teeth healthy, but it is better to hold off. Food can leave acid on your teeth that weakens the enamel and brushing while the enamel is in a weakened state can actually scrub the enamel away. To dislodge any food particles that remains after eating simply rinse your mouth out with water and save the brushing for morning and night. When you do brush, be sure to do it in a circular motion. This will improve the chances of removing harmful bacteria between the gums and teeth. On the other hand brushing back and forth or up and down, can leave behind harmful bacteria, causing gum disease but applying too much pressure can lead to receding gums.
Reasons to Drink Lemon Water
People tend to reach for the warm beverages in the morning like tea and coffee, but try and start your day with some warm lemon water. The water does not have to be always warm, but it should be purified. Simply use a half fresh lemon per large glass of water or even to taste and sip through the day. On a simple level, fresh lemons take plain old water up a notch. Here are some health benefits of drinking lemon water that elevates drinking it for reasons beyond just taste.
Support immune function
Lemons are high in antioxidant vitamin C, popular for its supportive role in healthy immune function which can reduce the risk of respiratory infection. Ascorbic acid the same as vitamin C found in lemons has anti inflammatory effects and is used as complementary support for asthma or other respiratory symptoms. Lemons also contain saponins that show antimicrobial properties and might help keep flu and cold at bay. Last but not least, ascorbic acid triggers iron absorption in the body; iron plays an important role in immune function.
Onion is a member of the Allium family and is rich in sulfur containing compounds that are responsible for its pungent odor and for many of onion’s health promoting effects.
Cardiovascular Benefits
There is evidence that sulfur compounds found in onion work in an anti clotting capacity and help prevent the unwanted clumping together of blood platelet cells. There is also evidence showing that onion’s sulfur compounds can lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and improve cell membrane function in red blood cells as well. The benefits of onion in the overall dietary context extend to prevention of heart attack. The outstanding flavonoid content of onions supports these research findings.
Bone and connective tissue benefits
Human studies have shown that onion can help increase your bone density and may have special benefit on women of menopausal age who are experiencing loss of bone density. Plus, there is evidence that women who have passed the age of menopause may be able to lower their risk of hip fracture through daily eating of onions. In this research on bone density in older women, very rare eating of onion like once a month or less did not provide much benefit. Daily consumption of onion boosts benefits for bone density. So do not skimp on onions when you are incorporating them into your diet plan. The high sulfur content of onions may provide direct benefits to your connective tissue as many of your connective tissue components require sulfur for their formation.
KARACHI: Jang/Geo Group continues to stand firm against an orchestrated campaign launched against the group on television, print and social media. Unfounded allegations were recently made against the group by a TV anchor on a private news channel.
Jang/Geo Group had been accused by the anchor of having ties with an Indian intelligence agency and using these links to plant a story against an upcoming channel in the Hindustan Times. The basis for this was a report which is alleged to be an internal inquiry of the Hindustan Times.
The Hindustan Times has denied that any internal inquiry was conducted on the story which stated that Indian citizen Dawood Ibrahim is launching a project with the help of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. The false report was also published by another media group.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has also since then barred the anchor, Zaid Hamid and senior journalist Mehmood Sham from publishing or broadcasting any defamatory material against Jang Group. The order was issued after Independent Media Corporation (IMC) had filed a case against the three respondents.
After the anchor conducted the show and the false report was printed, a campaign was launched on social media website Twitter against Jang/Geo Group. Multiple accounts were used to target Jang Group and Geo. Hashtags such as #BanGeo, #GeoIndianDog, #TraitorGeo and #JayHindKaDoosraNaamGeo were created to attack the group.
WASHINGTON: A US Congressman Mike Rogers has defended the drone strike that killed a Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief and said it would help keep American troops safe.
Rogers, whose committee oversees the intelligence community, said the slain militant, Hakimullah Mehsud, was a "bad guy" who was connected to attacks against Pakistani soldiers and to the Taliban in Afghanistan, which has forced closures of many schools for girls.
"This was a bad guy," Rogers said on CBS' "Face the Nation."
"There's some information recently that concerned us about the safety of our troops. I feel a little better for our troops today than I did before this event happened."
The Pakistani government denounced the killing as an attempt by the United States to interfere with peace talks between Pakistan's government and the Taliban.
Federal Interior Minster Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said they would review ties with Washington and some politicians also called for blocking critical US military supply lines into Afghanistan.
MIRANSHAH: With marble floors, lush green lawns and a towering minaret, the $120,000 (Rs1,27,56,000) farmhouse where feared Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud died in a US drone strike was no grubby mountain cave.
Mehsud spent his days skipping around Pakistan's rugged tribal areas to avoid the attentions of US drones. But his family, including two wives, had the use of an eight-roomed farmhouse set amid lawns and orchards growing apples, oranges, grapes and pomegranates.
As well as the single-storey house, the compound in Dandey Darpakhel village, five kilometres (three miles) north of Miranshah, was adorned with a tall minaret purely for decorative purposes. Militant sources said the property in the North Waziristan tribal area was bought for Mehsud nearly a year ago for $120,000 -- a huge sum by Pakistani standards -- by close aide Latif Mehsud, who was captured by the US in Afghanistan last month.
An AFP journalist visited the property several times when the previous owner, a wealthy landlord, lived there. With the Pakistan army headquarters for restive North Waziristan just a kilometre away, locals thought of Mehsud's compound as the "safest" place in a dangerous area. Its proximity to a major military base recalls the hideout of Osama bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad, on the doorstep of Pakistan's elite military academy.
PESHAWAR: The proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has ruled out the possibility of holding a dialogue with the Pakistan government, saying talks with the 'US slaves' were no longer possible.
“The (Pakistan) government has given us the present of Hakimullah Mehsud’s dead body,” said Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman of the banned TTP, in a media statement which has come amid optimistic statements from the Pakistan government regarding the fate of the proposed peace talks.
Shahidullah Shaid said the selection of the TTP’s successor will be made in the next couple of days. Earlier today he said the TTP had appointed an interim leader to head the group temporarily after the death of commander Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone strike.
Mehsud, who had a $5 million US government price on him, was killed along with four cadres in North Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border on Friday.
"Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani, the head of the supreme shura, has been appointed as temporary head of the TTP," Shahid said, adding that prayers for Mehsud were still going on.
The killing of Mehsud sparked a furious reaction from the Pakistani government, which accused Washington of sabotaging fledgling efforts towards peace negotiations with the Taliban.
Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar said a group of clerics had been ready to go and meet the TTP to initiate talks, which have been backed by all major political parties, when the drone struck.
"We were waiting for a meeting, while the Pakistan army and government was sitting with the US finalising deals to sell us."
"Time will tell whether we take revenge of his martyrdom or not," he said. In the past, the TTP has responded to its leaders being killed with deadly violence.
