'El Chapo,' one of the world's biggest drug kingpins

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl-fkVymLF-GiVv8UYv8KlyZn74IBjkjZdRwNTVSFHPPua70nie_e_vFHCXgfO4CCB70aPU_1j_2IID4YyhZauL9UP7nmlHGVODGyqOWxFSL_kYQMB35YWvkybSJgIoiExl4xrfYWm0E/s1600/thfthfr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl-fkVymLF-GiVv8UYv8KlyZn74IBjkjZdRwNTVSFHPPua70nie_e_vFHCXgfO4CCB70aPU_1j_2IID4YyhZauL9UP7nmlHGVODGyqOWxFSL_kYQMB35YWvkybSJgIoiExl4xrfYWm0E/s320/thfthfr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the world’s biggest drug kingpins, gained folklore status during his decade-plus on the lam, evading authorities thanks to his skill at building secret tunnels from his assorted mountain hide-outs, urban safe houses and seaside apartments — as well as his ability to bribe, cajole and kill.<br /> <br /> He was captured in February of 2014, a major victory for Mexican government and law enforcement.<br /> <br /> Sometime July 11, Guzman broke out of a maximum-security prison for the second time, making his way through another tunnel, a mile-long passageway to an empty house under construction 50 miles west of the capital.</div>

'El Chapo,' one of the world's biggest drug kingpins

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the world’s biggest drug kingpins, gained folklore status during his decade-plus on the lam, evading au...

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El Chapo's seemingly tailor-made prison escape tunnel may have cost millions

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19VfPrnw_BPnVt8us5LEveJ8hv4GYkvWnIOANnc7PLJIXbdCKpiObUPyLf52bLb425jwCX61Qase6IxPaG3f0AAgUETceoHGHnKRRD98jB_hqsdRFtVCxL1Pi0Ob8b71bRli6ptlA-ms/s1600/ygigyiygiy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19VfPrnw_BPnVt8us5LEveJ8hv4GYkvWnIOANnc7PLJIXbdCKpiObUPyLf52bLb425jwCX61Qase6IxPaG3f0AAgUETceoHGHnKRRD98jB_hqsdRFtVCxL1Pi0Ob8b71bRli6ptlA-ms/s640/ygigyiygiy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>A photo released by the attorney general of Mexico is said to show the end of a tunnel used by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to escape from the Altiplano prison near Mexico City. (AFP / Getty Images)</b></td></tr> </tbody></table> he elaborate tunnel believed to have played a central part in the daring escape of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a Mexican prison likely cost the kingpin millions of dollars and took as long as a year to construct, a former federal official says.<br /> <br /> “I would say that the construction of that tunnel started days after Chapo Guzman was sent there,” Michael S. Vigil, former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Agency, told The Times on Monday.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmGeqfeRHQFnI20F02_wZE3xp1nhy7rJEPVlB7Sd7Zf4vMoZKDOkX4bXTgoG4VBEB5DBdRq9tamYVYsmXDqfj8RUnahWT573QhfsaFKrn5pN4t5CKbnSH4NVyYhWX-kWonjbWLe6X0o8/s1600/300x169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmGeqfeRHQFnI20F02_wZE3xp1nhy7rJEPVlB7Sd7Zf4vMoZKDOkX4bXTgoG4VBEB5DBdRq9tamYVYsmXDqfj8RUnahWT573QhfsaFKrn5pN4t5CKbnSH4NVyYhWX-kWonjbWLe6X0o8/s1600/300x169.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://tod24.blogspot.com/2015/07/el-chapo-one-of-worlds-biggest-drug.html" target="_blank">'El Chapo,' one of the world's biggest drug kingpins</a></b></td></tr> </tbody></table> Vigil, who has been briefed on the investigation, says construction on the tunnel may have begun as early as a year ago, soon after Guzman was sent to Altiplano, a maximum-security prison about 50 miles west of Mexico City.<br /> The secret passage was nearly a mile long and was about 5 feet, 6 inches high, just tall enough for Guzman, who is believed to be 5 feet, 5 inches at most, to stand up.<br /> “Guzman has hired some of the best individuals that deal with mining technology, and he provides them with the resources to buy the best equipment,” Vigil said. “They tailor-made the tunnel for him.”<br /> Guzman escaped from a 20-inch-square opening inside his prison shower and descended about 30 feet to make his way to the mile-long tunnel, which led to a house under construction and surrounded by empty fields.<br /> <br /> Photos show the tunnel was reinforced by a wooden frame and contained lights and a ventilation system made out of PVC pipes, Vigil said. Workers also used GPS technology to accurately route the entrance to his cell and a motorcycle-adapted rail system to move the large amounts of dirt being excavated, he said.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKYT1pX-S9-j72ip8KArKw0KWd1xJ8qQpyuTfDAMOG87NYA1qMSDNO3b07swqrQL-DbfgTid0MYGNn5Q2F0KzFSsNXDJk9QMOd7VPwcgii40T6YdXjJBDtp_v0UfNICnrGbd5Wy3ZKSI/s1600/dgdgd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKYT1pX-S9-j72ip8KArKw0KWd1xJ8qQpyuTfDAMOG87NYA1qMSDNO3b07swqrQL-DbfgTid0MYGNn5Q2F0KzFSsNXDJk9QMOd7VPwcgii40T6YdXjJBDtp_v0UfNICnrGbd5Wy3ZKSI/s640/dgdgd.png" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Guzman has become particularly adept at using tunnels and secret passageways to evade authorities – and to run his estimated $1-billion drug cartel.<br /> <br /> “Guzman has always utilized tunnels, primarily to funnel tons of drugs into the U.S. consumer market,” Vigil said. His Sinaloa cartel, Mexico’s largest and most lucrative trafficker of heroin, cocaine and marijuana, is believed to control a network of hundreds of miles of tunnels and drainage systems along the U.S.-Mexico border.<br /> <br /> Last year, as officials closed in on Guzman, he slipped down a hydraulic-powered escape hatch in the bottom of a bathtub and fled through the vast sewer and drainage system underneath the city of Culiacan. He was on the lam for several more weeks before the Mexican marines captured him in Mazatlan.<br /> Tunnels used by the Mexican drug cartels<br /> Caption Tunnels used by the Mexican drug cartels<br /> Marco Ugarte / Associated Press<br /> <br /> A federal police officer inspects a drainage pipe outside the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City. Mexico's most powerful drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, escaped from a maximum security prison through a tunnel that opened into the shower area of his cell, the country's top security official announced.<br /> Tunnels used by the Mexican drug cartels<br /> Caption Tunnels used by the Mexican drug cartels<br /> Guillermo Arias / Associated Press<br /> <br /> A Mexican army soldier using a flashlight shows reporters a tunnel connecting warehouses on either side of California's border with Mexico in Tijuana. More than 75 such underground passages have been found along the border since 2008, concentrated largely in California and Arizona.<br /> <br /> “I’m sure that he had already surveyed the drainage system in the event that he had to make an escape,” Vigil said. “Chapo Guzman does not leave anything to chance.”<br /> <br /> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-americas-chapo-guzman-tunnel-20150713-story.html#navtype=outfit" target="_blank">Source</a></span></i></div>

El Chapo's seemingly tailor-made prison escape tunnel may have cost millions

A photo released by the attorney general of Mexico is said to show the end of a tunnel used by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to es...

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Methodist Church apologises for abuse spanning decades

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEqY4VzdEDsVT_IGyweTsGx-jsBUdGwY-dvSY4Je3cdd9zpt3ju3sb4IG1yBPCxe2eQCHJ3nTTsLDIzBc8_k_JEbrEsLa2UAKxYUnUAufhaDbgkoWv4TFzNmFiQnc6APiBj58r8ggqN4/s1600/_83268140_006508633-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEqY4VzdEDsVT_IGyweTsGx-jsBUdGwY-dvSY4Je3cdd9zpt3ju3sb4IG1yBPCxe2eQCHJ3nTTsLDIzBc8_k_JEbrEsLa2UAKxYUnUAufhaDbgkoWv4TFzNmFiQnc6APiBj58r8ggqN4/s320/_83268140_006508633-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="story-body__introduction"> The UK's Methodist Church has made a public apology after an investigation uncovered reports of nearly 2,000 alleged abusers - including 914 allegations involving sexual abuse.</div> An independent inquiry looked at the Church's response to complaints and allegations dating back to 1950.<br /> General secretary, the Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, said abuse was "a deep source of grief and shame to the Church".<br /> A law firm representing some of the victims welcomed the apology.<br /> <h2 class="story-body__crosshead"> 'Worthless and devalued'</h2> The Church commissioned the review - which took three years to complete - because it said it wanted to be open about the past and to have stronger safeguarding procedures in the future.<br /> In total, it identified 1,885 cases - with reported abuse including alleged sexual, physical, emotional and domestic abuse, as well as cases of neglect. <br /> The report recorded a "case" as an individual perpetrator or alleged perpetrator - but said there were "multiple" responses relating to some individuals.<br /> Allegations of sexual abuse formed the largest number of cases.<br /> Ministers or lay employees were involved in 26% of the alleged cases of abuse, the investigation found. <br /> That figure increased to 33% when Church members, such as worship leaders and local preachers, were also included.<br /> <br /> One of the cases concerned the grooming of teenage girls on Facebook, while another involved a minister allegedly making sexual advances to children. Another involved a Methodist youth officer who had indecent images of children on his computer. <br /> One of the abuse survivors who responded to the survey said: "I have learnt that it is impossible to recover from sexual abuse when no-one recognises the seriousness of it. My Church did not want a scandal, my parents did not want a scandal.<br /> "I was left to feel worthless and devalued, while the man was left to get on with his life and for all I know repeat the crime with someone else. I was emotionally and physically devastated."<br /> Another welcomed the review, saying: "I want to prevent the Church and other people from handling things wrong in the future. I don't want other girls to suffer like I have."<br /> Review chairman Jane Stacey, former deputy chief executive of the children's charity Barnardo's, called for a culture change in the Church. <br /> <figure class="media-landscape full-width has-caption"></figure> <span class="media-caption__text"> The report notes that a high number does not necessarily indicate more a</span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOEFhCIQwME_oJHrtxRcE66nFld9t13hIEWpHvggHPSMv7-h-409dpc9JoOiWWajSwrOFCe1LKQpnUoGQDe-4rqGxIcDaH0ugBBo_I3jjCrRkq5Mim5TggOZfwU4IQ7nmQF0x-YG2C3Y/s1600/_83268093_b632a0ee-f160-4d13-b03b-61d1c28f279a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOEFhCIQwME_oJHrtxRcE66nFld9t13hIEWpHvggHPSMv7-h-409dpc9JoOiWWajSwrOFCe1LKQpnUoGQDe-4rqGxIcDaH0ugBBo_I3jjCrRkq5Mim5TggOZfwU4IQ7nmQF0x-YG2C3Y/s1600/_83268093_b632a0ee-f160-4d13-b03b-61d1c28f279a.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> <b><span class="media-caption__text">The report notes that a high number does not necessarily indicate more abuse occurred, saying "in at least one district with high figures it was because of diligent and thorough record-keeping and reporting" </span></b><br /> <br /> Ministers of religion were in an "almost unique position of trust" at "very vulnerable times" in people's lives, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, calling for "more robust accountability structures".<br /> She added: "Some of the individual case reviewers who looked at the material that was submitted to the review found themselves questioning, and really being quite upset, at the volume coming through.<br /> "I think society at large needs to understand there is a lot more abuse but also areas of concern than people ever thought - and the Church is no exception."<br /> Ms Stacey said 503 cases were being followed up by the safeguarding team within the Methodist Church. Of those, 61 have had contact with the police, and there are six ongoing police investigations.<br /> Rev Atkins, who is also secretary of the Methodist Conference, said: "On behalf of the Methodist Church in Britain I want to express an unreserved apology for the failure of its current and earlier processes fully to protect children, young people and adults from physical and sexual abuse inflicted by some ministers.<br /> "The abuse that has been inflicted by some Methodists on children, young people and adults is and will remain a deep source of grief and shame to the Church." <br /> <h2 class="story-body__crosshead"> 'Most vulnerable'</h2> A law firm representing a group of individuals taking action against the Methodist Church welcomed the apology.<br /> The claimants allege they were abused by a church missionary in Africa during the 1980s.<br /> Nichola Marshall, head of international abuse at law firm Leigh Day, said: "It has taken my clients over 30 years to have the courage to come forward with their allegations of abuse against the Methodist Church.<br /> "It must never again be the case that the reputation of institutions take precedence over the welfare of society's most vulnerable."<br /> David Greenwood, chairman of the Stop Church Child Abuse campaign, said: "The cases examined are only the ones documented in the past. Many will not have been recorded. We will never know how many cases have not been handled properly."<br /> The Church is expected to also make a public apology at its annual conference in June.<br /> </div>

Methodist Church apologises for abuse spanning decades

The UK's Methodist Church has made a public apology after an investigation uncovered reports of nearly 2,000 alleged abusers - inc...

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Church child abuse review completed

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonByHCE_a4W-tr84yh3wP3LQwCMW0Wa6ImP2EYk8VBIq9mgL6wVbvaWHRY6ub9Dm1JdvndBz4NjXE6Ef4X8KrFEKzTZ0kczoZsgz0VxnCQSWcFG40B_V707xfzw4_PlosSvZBnBCUOFk/s1600/_47364271_archbishop_getty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonByHCE_a4W-tr84yh3wP3LQwCMW0Wa6ImP2EYk8VBIq9mgL6wVbvaWHRY6ub9Dm1JdvndBz4NjXE6Ef4X8KrFEKzTZ0kczoZsgz0VxnCQSWcFG40B_V707xfzw4_PlosSvZBnBCUOFk/s1600/_47364271_archbishop_getty.jpg" /></a></div> <b>Thirteen cases which needed formal action have been identified following a Church of England review into child abuse in the church.</b><br /> <br /> About 40,000 diocesan files dating back more than 30 years were examined during the investigation. <br /> The review was launched in 2007 following claims the church had covered up abuse dating back decades. <br /> Six of the cases were referred to police, who said they were unable to take any further action. <br /> As a result of the review of 40,747 files, 11 cases were referred to the authorities. Eight involved a member of the clergy and three involved a non-ordained person holding some form of church office. <br /> Five of the cases had originally been investigated by police and some had resulted in convictions, the church said. <br /> Action by the statutory authorities was not possible in two further cases, relating to members of clergy, but they were deemed by the reviewers to warrant formal disciplinary actions by the church. <br /> The individuals involved in those cases will be referred to the Independent Safeguarding Authority for consideration for inclusion on their barred list. <br /> <b>Vigilance</b><br /> The other six cases were referred to the police for investigation but they said they were unable to take further action. <br /> In three of these cases, a risk management strategy has been put in place by the diocese's multi-agency child protection management group. There are no cases where a police investigation is still ongoing. <br /> The review involved the examination of personnel files held on diocesan staff, clergy, and lay ministers. <br /> Some 900 letters were sent to bishops, senior clergy and diocesan staff asking for further information. <br /> Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, Bishop of Hereford and chair of the church's central safeguarding liaison group, said: "While no such review can be perfect, and we can never let our vigilance slip in this vital area of concern, we have done all we can to ensure that it has been as comprehensive as possible. <br /> "It indicates there are no outstanding issues of which the church has previously been made aware relating to any clergy or other office holders' suitability to work with children that have not now been investigated by the police or other relevant professional authority." <br /> He added there was no room for complacency and the church remained committed continually to developing procedures for safeguarding vulnerable people. <br /> In 2007, three people were jailed for abuse dating back decades. In each instance, the church had been alerted but failed to take action. <br /> <br /> <br /></div>

Church child abuse review completed

Thirteen cases which needed formal action have been identified following a Church of England review into child abuse in the church. Ab...

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Archbishop of Canterbury promises sex abuse inquiry

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxYjqmx-RxfC2bxoBpa43_VdZhZ3W6Ul8vlebuEpyFX5-GrSzzkJaINmm2Eb_rJfBO9ODR7hsEjt9DPj2WruFXi53mMIRjNvQgjB-hgDwPHAqd8UuRnxTmKLAreBGRdL7vWOURSP2OUI/s1600/_84223618_84223617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxYjqmx-RxfC2bxoBpa43_VdZhZ3W6Ul8vlebuEpyFX5-GrSzzkJaINmm2Eb_rJfBO9ODR7hsEjt9DPj2WruFXi53mMIRjNvQgjB-hgDwPHAqd8UuRnxTmKLAreBGRdL7vWOURSP2OUI/s320/_84223618_84223617.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <b>The Archbishop of Canterbury has promised to investigate sex abuse in the Church of England if the judge-led abuse inquiry does not look into it within six months.</b><br /> <br /> <div class="story-body__introduction"> The Archbishop of Canterbury has promised to investigate sex abuse in the Church of England if the judge-led abuse inquiry does not look into it within six months.</div> Justin Welby made the promise during a private meeting with survivors of clerical abuse earlier this week.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://tod24.blogspot.com/2015/07/child-sexual-abuse-inquiry-could-last.html" target="_blank"><b>The independent inquiry into child sex abuse</b></a> led by Justice Lowell Goddard is expected to last five years.<br /> <br /> Lambeth Palace said the archbishop wanted the Church to be reviewed first.<br /> <br /> But it said if this did not happen within six months, the archbishop would instigate an "independently-led past cases review".<br /> <br /> The Bishop of Norwich, the Right Revered Graham James, said the archbishop was one of the first to ask for a national inquiry into abuse and "from all indications" it appears the Church will be first to be examined.<br /> <br /> In 2010, the Church published the results of a <a href="http://tod24.blogspot.com/2015/07/church-child-abuse-review-completed.html" target="_blank"><b>three-year investigation</b></a> into abuse in the Church of England, spanning a 30-year period. <br /> It uncovered just 13 cases which needed reporting to the authorities, prompting survivors to say the investigation was inadequate.<br /> BBC religious affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt said for this reason not all survivors of abuse wanted the Church to investigate itself.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbhdHyPAJ0GWmytyDlWobx22zOIyqTeuJfKs1pBXQH6zJYtU_zybjmjxdI-wpO-oeDcYK96Eu0wV6iLzumad9JwaHtomhPRyCchQulCWWYaHpfrg-y2huFifl5cuPpNh3ndDMNJ8Mkco/s1600/_84225052_hawes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbhdHyPAJ0GWmytyDlWobx22zOIyqTeuJfKs1pBXQH6zJYtU_zybjmjxdI-wpO-oeDcYK96Eu0wV6iLzumad9JwaHtomhPRyCchQulCWWYaHpfrg-y2huFifl5cuPpNh3ndDMNJ8Mkco/s320/_84225052_hawes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Marilyn Hawes, who was one of five people representing survivors' groups at the Lambeth Palace meeting, said the archbishop had been compassionate and focused.<br /> The founder of Enough Abuse UK, which she set up after three of her four children were abused by a Church of England headteacher, said she had "every hope and belief" he would follow through on his words.<br /> But if he didn't, they would start "banging drums again and making a noise," she said, "because this is about a safer society and an environment called the church where people have to feel safe."<br /> She described the day of the meeting as a "momentous one for the survivor community," adding that there needed to be an emphasis on abuse prevention in future.<br /> "If we don't care for our children, then actually we care for nothing and nobody, and the people who should lead that are the Church," she said.<br /> The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, who speaks for the Church on safeguarding issues, acknowledged sex abuse had been covered up in the past.<br /> "There are cases where that undoubtedly has happened and we've been slowly but surely uncovering more of them," he said.<br /> "When the home secretary first called we said 'please, take the Church first' because we've been calling for this kind of inquiry earlier as well."<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PFC2RwfDGVFn1L7FDraxp3s2ug3zfyEUwvF1LUWOhbSCZ6s3XIZuxzlKa-JK5o_f1LwpmYDGdQbfFjT4_uY2tb1us6RE-6kbBSqmjr5FpOgkQqjHXRDKZhulUIaZxEgqlBRL5F6EDJM/s1600/_84224578_f94424ad-f943-4870-b253-5afc398534ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PFC2RwfDGVFn1L7FDraxp3s2ug3zfyEUwvF1LUWOhbSCZ6s3XIZuxzlKa-JK5o_f1LwpmYDGdQbfFjT4_uY2tb1us6RE-6kbBSqmjr5FpOgkQqjHXRDKZhulUIaZxEgqlBRL5F6EDJM/s320/_84224578_f94424ad-f943-4870-b253-5afc398534ce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <h2 class="story-body__crosshead"> Institutions scrutinised</h2> Home Secretary Theresa May ordered the independent inquiry into abuse in England and Wales in July 2014, following claims of a high-level cover-up of child sex abuse involving public figures, including politicians and clergy.<br /> The inquiry, which was given statutory powers and a new panel in February, was opened earlier this week by Justice Goddard, who is a New Zealand High Court judge.<br /> It will investigate whether "public bodies and other non-state institutions have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales".<br /> Justice Goddard has issued a call for anyone with information about sexual abuse cases to come forward, urging institutions responsible for caring for children, which may come under scrutiny, to take a "proactive stance towards the inquiry".<br /> She has written to more than 240 institutions, including the police, National Health Service and churches, asking for any documents that could be used in the inquiry.<br /> <h2 class="story-body__crosshead"> 'Inadequate' inquiry</h2> The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the 2010 case review came after a three-year investigation by the Church of England into child abuse.<br /> About 40,000 diocesan files dating back more than 30 years were examined during the inquiry.<br /> Victims of alleged abuse in the Church of England compared this with <a class="story-body__link" href="http://tod24.blogspot.com/2015/07/methodist-church-apologises-for-abuse.html" target="_blank">a recent review of historical abuse cases</a> by the much smaller Methodist church, which showed more than 900 such allegations going back to 1950, our correspondent added.<br /> The Methodist Church's investigation uncovered reports of nearly 2,000 cases of abuse - including 914 allegations involving sexual abuse.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33495726" target="_blank">Source</a></div>

Archbishop of Canterbury promises sex abuse inquiry

The Archbishop of Canterbury has promised to investigate sex abuse in the Church of England if the judge-led abuse inquiry does not look...

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Child sexual abuse inquiry 'could last until 2020'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="story-body__introduction"> The sexual abuse of children has left "scars" on victims and society, the chair of an inquiry into historical abuse in England and Wales has said.</div> Justice Lowell Goddard was speaking as she opened the independent inquiry, which she said could last until 2020.<br /> It will examine how public bodies handled their duty of care to protect children from abuse.<br /> Justice Goddard said there were suggestions that one child out of every 20 in the UK had been sexually abused.<br /> She said many who are sexually abused as a child do not tell adults - and that if they do "their reports may go unheeded". <br /> There may also have been systematic under-recording and mis-recording of child sex abuse by the police and other agencies, she added, meaning that "the true picture may be even worse than the current figures indicate". <br /> Speaking about the scale of the problem, she said: "The need for accurate recording is one of the issues that the inquiry will have to confront." <br /> The inquiry was first announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in July 2014. <br /> It followed claims of a high-level cover-up of historical child sex abuse involving public figures, including politicians.<br /> <h2 class="story-body__crosshead"> 'Unique opportunity'</h2> The New Zealand High Court judge, who led an inquiry into police handling of child abuse cases in her own country, was the third person named to chair the inquiry - her two predecessors resigned over concerns about their links with the establishment. <br /> In <a class="story-body__link-external" href="https://www.csa-inquiry.independent.gov.uk/sites/default/files/inquiry-opening-statement.pdf">her opening remarks</a>, she said the task ahead was daunting, but that it could expose past failures of institutions to defend children. <br /> Justice Goddard said the sexual abuse of children "has left permanent scars not only on successive generations, has left permanent scars not only on victims themselves, but on society as a whole".<br /> But she added: "This inquiry provides a unique opportunity to expose past failures of institutions to protect children, to confront those responsible, to uncover systemic failures... and to make recommendations that will help prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in the future."<br /> Justice Goddard also said it was important to emphasise that this was the largest and most ambitious public inquiry ever established in England and Wales.<br /> Despite the size of the investigation, she was "determined to ensure that it does not become bogged down in the delays that have bedevilled some other public inquiries in this jurisdiction".</div>

Child sexual abuse inquiry 'could last until 2020'

The sexual abuse of children has left "scars" on victims and society, the chair of an inquiry into historical abuse in England...

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Greece Submits Reform Proposals To European Creditors

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4W881B1eOszxeWkeAxa9L6a0z-jTRKOdR7MFiC9Slo5UI7rmWzZKUdOVEzuZTrw12EJRvUdu-27WxF8AycqIXuRFx_ZZMRfKxhVnFA9zjXrPr7NltSrlOwvk22bzeolwdheMBsduwvY8/s1600/n-GREECE-large570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A man waves a Greek flag and uses a megaphone in front of the Greek parlaiment during a pro-european rally on July 9, 2015 in Athens, Greece. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) | Christopher Furlong via Getty Images" border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4W881B1eOszxeWkeAxa9L6a0z-jTRKOdR7MFiC9Slo5UI7rmWzZKUdOVEzuZTrw12EJRvUdu-27WxF8AycqIXuRFx_ZZMRfKxhVnFA9zjXrPr7NltSrlOwvk22bzeolwdheMBsduwvY8/s400/n-GREECE-large570.jpg" title="Greece Submits Reform Proposals To European Creditors" width="400" /></a></div> ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece finally met a deadline that counted on Thursday, delivering a series of sweeping proposals to its creditors before midnight to set off a mad rush toward a weekend deal to stave off a financial collapse of the nation.<br /> The package of reforms raised hopes that Greece can get a rescue deal that will prevent a catastrophic exit from the euro after key creditors said they were open to discussing how to ease the country's debt load, a long-time sticking point in their talks.<br /> In a significant about-face, the government caved into demands for a new round of austerity measures, including sales tax hikes and cuts in state spending for pensions that the left-leaning Greek government had long resisted.<br /> <br /> In the text of proposals sent by Athens late Thursday, the government conceded to demands it had previously refused to accept — mostly on moving various categories of goods and services to higher sales tax rates — in exchange for a new 53.5 billion-euro ($59 billion) bailout package.<br /> Many of the proposed reforms were harsher than those roundly rejected by the Greek public in a bailout referendum last Sunday. But the government said, in return, it "would seek a commitment from creditors to negotiate ... further measures to restructure the long-term debt."<br /> <br /> The government scheduled an emergency vote in parliament late Friday to win backing for the belt-tightening plan and said it believed it had the support needed for an endorsement.<br /> After months of foot-dragging despite impending chaos, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met a midnight deadline with more than an hour to spare. The spokesman for eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem tweeted that it was "important for institutions to consider these (proposals) in their assessment" of the Greek situation.<br /> Finance officials from the European institutions and the International Monetary Fund were to fine-comb through the package on Friday before the 19 eurozone finance ministers assess it on Saturday.<br /> In ideal circumstances, a summit of all 28 European Union leaders would be able to approve it on Sunday.<br /> Earlier Thursday, Donald Tusk of Poland, who chairs the EU summits, indicated that European officials would make an effort to address Greece's key request for debt relief.<br /> "The realistic proposal from Greece will have to be matched by an equally realistic proposal on debt sustainability from the creditors. Only then will we have a win-win situation," Tusk said.<br /> <img alt="greece" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3171984/thumbs/o-GREECE-570.jpg?7" /> Pro-European Union protesters gather in front of the Greek parliament in Athens on July 9, 2015. (LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em></em></span>Greece has long argued its debt is too high to be paid back and that the country requires some form of debt relief. The International Monetary Fund agrees with the premise, but key European states like Germany have resisted the idea.<br /> <br /> On Thursday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the possibility of some kind of debt relief would be discussed over coming days, though he cautioned it may not provide much help.<br /> "The room for maneuver through debt reprofiling or restructuring is very small," he said.<br /> Making Greece's debt more sustainable would likely involve lowering the interest rates and extending the repayment dates on its bailout loans. Germany and many other European countries rule out an outright debt cut, arguing it would be illegal under European treaties.<br /> <br /> Tsipras met with finance ministry officials and his cabinet throughout the day Thursday to finalize his country's plan, a day after his government requested a new three-year aid program from Europe's bailout fund and promised to immediately enact reforms, including to taxes and pensions, in return.<br /> The last-minute maneuvers come as Greece's financial system teeters on the brink of collapse. It has imposed restrictions on banking transactions since June 29, limiting cash withdrawals to 60 euros ($67) per day to stanch a bank run. Banks and the stock market have been shut for just as long.<br /> <br /> The closures, which have been extended through Monday, have led to daily lines at ATM machines and have hammered businesses. Payments abroad have been banned without special permission.<br /> "Can you see anybody in the shop? Nobody's coming in, because everyone's living off a drip," said Magda Petridi, a fortune teller who runs a shop selling good luck charms, aromatic oils and trinkets. "Until a month ago business was going pretty well."<br /> <img alt="greece" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3171986/thumbs/o-GREECE-570.jpg?2" /> A pensioner solves a crossword puzzle as he waits to enter a bank in Athens, July 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em></em></span>Pensioners without bank cards have been particularly hard hit as they have struggled to access their accounts. Some branches have been opened so the elderly and unemployed without bank cards can withdraw a maximum weekly sum of 120 euros each. Hundreds lined up outside banks Thursday morning, many facing hours-long waits in the heat.<br /> Meanwhile, many ATMs had a shortage of 20 euro notes, effectively reducing the daily withdrawal limit to 50 euros.<br /> If Tsipras does not get a deal, Greece faces an almost inevitable collapse of the banking system, which would be the first step for the country to fall out of the euro.<br /> "I believe he will have to get an agreement. We will pay dearly for it, but at least we'll get an agreement," said mechanic Pantelis Niarchos, walking down the street in central Athens.<br /> After months of fruitless negotiations with Tsipras' government, elected in January on promises to repeal bailout austerity, the skeptical eurozone creditor states had insisted they wanted to see a detailed, cost-accounted plan of reforms.<br /> Greece's financial institutions have been kept afloat so far by emergency liquidity assistance from the European Central Bank. But the ECB has not increased the amount in days, leaving the lenders in a stranglehold despite capital controls.<br /> <br /> German ECB governing council member Jens Weidmann argued Greek banks should not get more emergency credit from the central bank unless a bailout deal is struck.<br /> He said it was up to eurozone governments and Greek leaders themselves to rescue Greece.<br /> The central bank "has no mandate to safeguard the solvency of banks and governments," he said in a speech.<br /> The ECB capped emergency credit to Greek banks amid doubt whether the country will win further rescue loans from other countries. The banks closed and limited ATM withdrawals because they had no other way to replace deposits.<br /> Weidmann said he welcomed the fact that central bank credit "is no longer being used to finance capital flight caused by the Greek government."<br /> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/09/greece-submits-reform-proposal_n_7764964.html" target="_blank">Source </a></div>

Greece Submits Reform Proposals To European Creditors

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece finally met a deadline that counted on Thursday, delivering a series of sweeping proposals to its credito...

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South Carolina governor: Confederate flag comes down Friday

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzBmMyRbiFuWL-XQGok0Mi3_JTavwDkTUw0jRlPEkuNlJLBjCFumC8A_gP5RcnkE6c_QAOcXuU0hSkUZ2zwS5GmRk2ofobyNrc0UgGpi8mvohT6Zg4tPJiQR4Tv7jJVIk9u1iAxV0G0Q/s1600/governor-nikki-haley-signs-bill-20150709-205714-247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="COLUMBIA, SC - JULY 9: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley receives applause after signing a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state house grounds July 9, 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina. Debate on the flag was reignited three weeks ago after the mass murder at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) " border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzBmMyRbiFuWL-XQGok0Mi3_JTavwDkTUw0jRlPEkuNlJLBjCFumC8A_gP5RcnkE6c_QAOcXuU0hSkUZ2zwS5GmRk2ofobyNrc0UgGpi8mvohT6Zg4tPJiQR4Tv7jJVIk9u1iAxV0G0Q/s320/governor-nikki-haley-signs-bill-20150709-205714-247.jpg" title="South Carolina governor: Confederate flag comes down Friday" width="320" /></a></div> COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Saying South Carolina's history has forever changed, Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill Thursday to relegate the Confederate flag to the state's "relic room," more than 50 years after the rebel banner began flying at the Statehouse to protest the civil rights movement.<br /><br />Compelled to act by the slaughter of nine African-Americans at a church Bible study, Gov. Nikki Haley praised lawmakers for acknowledging that the long-celebrated symbol is too painful and divisive to keep promoting.<br /><br />"The Confederate flag is coming off the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse," Haley said before signing the bill. "We will bring it down with dignity and we will make sure it is stored in its rightful place."<br /><br />Police then surrounded the rebel flag with barricades and rope, a siege of sorts that will end Friday after the banner is furled for the last time at a 10 a.m. ceremony.<br /><br />South Carolina's leaders first flew the battle flag over the Statehouse dome in 1961 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It remained there to represent official opposition to the civil rights movement.<br /><br />Mass protests against the flag decades later led to a compromise in 2000 with lawmakers who insisted that it symbolized Southern heritage and states' rights. They agreed then to move it to a 30-foot pole next to a Confederate monument out front.<br /><br />But even from that lower perch, the flag was clearly visible in the center of town, and flag supporters remained a powerful bloc in the state.<br /><br />The massacre 22 days ago of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney and eight others inside Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church suddenly changed this dynamic, not only in South Carolina but around the nation.<br /><br />Police said the killings were racially motivated. By posing with the Confederate flag before the shootings, suspect Dylann Storm Roof, who has not yet entered a plea to nine counts of murder, showed that the flag also has symbolized white supremacy and racial oppression.<br /><br />Haley moved first, calling lawmakers to vote the flag down. Very quickly thereafter, Republican leaders in other states who have long cultivated the votes of Confederate flag supporters announced that Civil War symbols no longer deserve places of honor.<br /><br />"These nine pens are going to the families of the Emanuel Nine," Haley said after signing the bill into law. "Nine amazing individuals who have forever changed South Carolina history."<br /><br />The governor said the way the victims welcomed the gunman into their Bible study, and the forgiveness survivors expressed when the suspect later appeared in court, have inspired change nationwide.<br /><br />"Nine people took in someone who did not look like them or act like them. And with true love and true faith and acceptance, they sat and prayed with him for an hour. That love and faith was so strong that it brought grace to them and the families," Haley said.<br /><br />"We saw the families show the world what true grace and forgiveness look like," she added. "That set off an action of compassion by people in South Carolina and all over this country. They stopped looking at their differences and started looking at their similarities."<br /><br />The flag removal bill passed easily in the Senate, where the Rev. Pinckney served, but then stalled as House members proposed dozens of amendments. Any changes could have delayed the flag's removal and blunted momentum for change.<br /><br />The debate stretched on for more than 13 hours as representatives shared anger, tears and memories of their ancestors. Flag supporters talked about grandparents passing down family treasures. Some lamented that the flag had been "hijacked" or "abducted" by racists.<br /><br />Rep. Mike Pitts recalled playing with a Confederate ancestor's cavalry sword while growing up, and said the flag reminds him of dirt-poor Southern farmers who fought Yankees, not because they hated blacks, but because their land was being invaded.<br /><br />Black Democrats, frustrated at being asked to honor those who fought for slavery, offered their own family histories.<br /><br />Rep. Joe Neal traces his ancestry to four brothers, brought to America in chains and bought by a slave owner named Neal who pulled them apart from their families.<br /><br />"The whole world is asking, is South Carolina really going to change, or will it hold to an ugly tradition of prejudice and discrimination and hide behind heritage as an excuse for it?" Neal said.<br /><br />Rep. Jenny Horne, a white Republican who said she is a descendant of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, scolded her party members for stalling.<br /><br />"I cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on Friday," she shouted. "For the widow of Sen. Pinckney and his two young daughters, that would be adding insult to injury and I will not be a part of it!"<br /><br />The bill ultimately passed by a 93-27 vote — well above the two-thirds supermajority needed to make changes to the state's "heritage" symbols.<br /><br />Republican Rep. Rick Quinn said he was satisfied after lawmakers promised to find money — perhaps millions of dollars —for a special display in the state's Confederate Relic Room for the flag being removed, as well as the one taken down from the dome in 2000.<br /><br />"It's just like the conclusion of the war itself," Pitts said Thursday afternoon after the vote. "The issue was settled, and the nation came back together to move on."<br /><br />But Republican Rep. Jonathon Hill, who voted against removing the flag, said he fears a larger movement has begun to eliminate Civil War-era history.<br /><br />"Hopefully it ends here, and we move forward, and we can put all of this behind us," Hill said.<br /><br />Some groups are already seeking to do just that. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will consider ending its 15-year boycott of South Carolina's economy at its national convention this weekend. The NCAA, which honored that ban, said it will resume holding championship events in the state.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/south-carolinas-confederate-flag-removed-week-150437498.html" target="_blank">Source</a></div>

South Carolina governor: Confederate flag comes down Friday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Saying South Carolina's history has forever changed, Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill Thursday to relegate the Co...

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Headteacher convicted of having sex with two underage boys

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline description"> Anne Lakey, 55, from Stanley, County Durham, is convicted 13 charges of indecent assault </h2> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3Dtss73KZ1_aWJyT_qeUCftwL8F8xvOMa5BHjrj66icgxYlqfe6_MRvIFVx2JRVot35nenaQuGajHhdjPc2PGGGVTW3xfHAi8w7ijlHulCMXnpeTDCydili3YtHNYZDyb6EzHIOTeOQ/s1600/Anne-Lakey-_3351081b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3Dtss73KZ1_aWJyT_qeUCftwL8F8xvOMa5BHjrj66icgxYlqfe6_MRvIFVx2JRVot35nenaQuGajHhdjPc2PGGGVTW3xfHAi8w7ijlHulCMXnpeTDCydili3YtHNYZDyb6EzHIOTeOQ/s320/Anne-Lakey-_3351081b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="artImageExtras"> <div class="ingCaptionCredit"> <b><span class="caption">Anne Lakey arriving at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday</span> <span class="credit">Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA</span></b></div> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="firstPar"> A nationally acclaimed headmistress is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of abusing two teenage boys. </div> <div class="secondPar"> Anne Lakey was found guilty on all 13 counts by a majority verdict after almost 12 hours deliberation. </div> <div class="thirdPar"> The 55-year-old "inspirational" superhead was Chief Executive of the Durham Federation of Schools </div> <div class="fifthPar"> She was accused by two men, both now aged 41, of having sex with them when they were teenagers. </div> <div class="body"> The first man came forward in December 2012, sending an email to Lakey's school and the police with details of her abuse, branding her a "disgusting sexual monster." <br /> She seduced him at her home in Stanley, County Durham, while her then husband, Eamonn Toland was away on business. <br /> He told police he went to her house when he was 13 and still wearing his school uniform. <br /> He said she emerged from the bath and allowed her towel to drop before inviting him onto her marital bed and taking his virginity. <br /> He claimed they then began a fully-fledged sexual affair. <br /> Describing what had happened in court, he said: "She took the towel off and was completely naked, I was stood next to her and we laid down on the bed and touched each other. She said something along the lines of “come on then” and I laid down on top of her." <br /> He said he was still wearing his school uniform when they had sex. <br /> "We used to tell each other that we loved each other," he told the jury, adding: "We would lock the door and go upstairs and have sex … once maybe twice a week for several weeks, if not a couple of months." <br /> The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, recalled an occasion when he was forced to hide in a cupboard when Lakey's husband returned home unexpectedly. <br /> In December 2014 a second man came forward and told police that Lakey sneaked him into her tent on a camping trip and took his virginity while her husband slept 25 yards away in his own tent. <br /> He said he lost his virginity to her on that night in 1989, but said he was left in a mess of emotions. <br /> He told the court: "The atmosphere of having sex for the first time, being in a woman's tent with her husband 20 yards away was a mess of confusing feelings and images. It was a tumultuous night. <br /> "I sneaked back outside the tent, it was a mixed experience. I was sort of happy with my little self that I had lost my virginity before I was 16 which seemed important at the time. <br /> "But everything was over so quickly and I felt it should have been more interesting than that. Everything was a great mess of emotions as I left the tent." <br /> In her evidence Lakey said she was "devastated" that her career had been shot down as it reached its peak. <br /> Her voice broke with emotion as she replied : "Absolutely not" when asked by her barrister Tim Roberts, QC, whether she had sex with the boys. <br /> She denied any kind of sexual relationship with the first boy although did accept having sex with the second but only when he had turned 18. <br /> The teacher described herself as a Christian adding: "I'm a mum, I have a daughter, I have a husband of 21 years, I live with my family, my dog, my two cats, my allotment, my two hens. <br /> "And yes, I did have a career." <br /> Lakey married her 39-year-old husband David in 1994 and their daughter Eleanor, 20, was born later the same year. <br /> Mr Lakey is younger than the victims in the case and was 19 when he married the then 35-year-old Lakey, who is 16 years his senior. <br /> Lakey, of Stanley, County Durham, denied six counts of indecent assault between April 30th 1987 and 18th May 1990 with the first complainant and seven counts of indecent assault between July 31st 1989 and May 4th 1990 with the second complainant. <br /> As the first of 13 verdicts were announced Anne Lakey turned to the public gallery and stared at her husband David, who returned her gaze. <br /> They remained with their eyes locked on each other as each of guilty verdicts was announced. <br /> She was given bail but will be sentenced on Wednesday when she faces a maximum of 14-years in prison. </div> <h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline description">  </h2> </div>

Headteacher convicted of having sex with two underage boys

Anne Lakey, 55, from Stanley, County Durham, is convicted 13 charges of indecent assault  Anne Lakey arriving at Teesside Crown Co...

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Underage sex conviction: Why older women have sex with young boys

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <b>As a headteacher is jailed for eight years after having sex with two underage boys, Radhika Sanghani explores what's going on in the minds of female sex offenders</b><br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ayrc-UJ_g-XgsSMhcD5b_W1W5b9NLT8lhm9EJu5lYgSWjNqRYKGbCmiXNrgjax1706FGVKD0GD4U_vhXXTIqGyp2H4oJDLmKtGQrLRU6La4yUjbBXz5cCBE5CUgj0LCHzEyeWH3M6Cs/s1600/Anne-Lakey-_3351081b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ayrc-UJ_g-XgsSMhcD5b_W1W5b9NLT8lhm9EJu5lYgSWjNqRYKGbCmiXNrgjax1706FGVKD0GD4U_vhXXTIqGyp2H4oJDLmKtGQrLRU6La4yUjbBXz5cCBE5CUgj0LCHzEyeWH3M6Cs/s320/Anne-Lakey-_3351081b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="artImageExtras"> <div class="ingCaptionCredit"> <span class="caption">Anne Lakey arriving at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday</span> <span class="credit">Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA</span></div> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="firstPar"> A 55-year-old headteacher has been convicted of having sex with two underage girls and taking their virginities. One was just 13 years old. <br /> <div class="secondPar"> When you hear that statement, chances are you think of a vile sex offender – a man who abused his position of power, groomed his victims and deserves his eight-year jail sentence. </div> <div class="thirdPar"> But what about when I tell you that I lied. It wasn’t a man who groomed underage girls. It was a female head teacher called<b> <a href="http://tod24.blogspot.com/2015/07/headteacher-convicted-of-having-sex.html" target="_blank">Anne Lakey who has been found guilty of having underage sex with two boys</a> </b>back in the 1980s, when she was a history teacher in her late 20s. </div> <div class="fourthPar"> It’s likely that the label ‘sex offender’ doesn’t jump to mind for Lakey – but that’s exactly what she is. </div> <div class="fifthPar"> As a society, we tend to view cases of male and female sex offenders differently. We’re so used to hearing about male offenders that our reactions are honed – disgust, outrage and pity for the victim. </div> But when it’s a female offender, it’s different. Normally it’s portrayed as the woman falling in love with the boy so we see it as a strange but romantic affair where age is just an obstacle. We don’t always see her as a sex offender or the boy as a victim. <br /> <h3 class="was-h3"> <span style="color: red;">We say 'cor... lucky him' </span></h3> Clinic psychologist Dr Jacquie Hetherton explains: “Women are stereotypically kind and loving and gentle and that doesn’t fit with our view of abusers. When we hear about examples in the news, we think, maybe the child misinterpreted it? <br /> “We’re more likely to give these interpretations. We think ‘it can’t be that harmful for the child’, but research shows it is for people when they realise what happened. They feel used and abused. <br /> “People tend to go, ‘it can’t be that bad’, and ‘cor... lucky him’, especially if it’s an attractive teacher,” says Dr Hetherton. “Society kind of endorses or supports [how the perpetrator sees the situation].” <br /> Typically, when an older woman offends by having a relationship with someone she’s in charge of professionally, they fit into a psychological category known as the ‘teacher-lover’. Dr Hetherton explains: “These women feel they’re inducting the person into a loving relationship. They frame it that way and over look that they’re a child. <br /> “They may see it as an affair and a viable way of expressing their sexuality. They might see the adolescent as responsible especially if they initiated it or seemed to enjoy it. Women are very into the idea of the big romance and if they think it’s reciprocated they can put it into their heads as, it’s a big love story. That’s something women are particularly vulnerable to.” <br /> <h3 class="was-h3"> Manipulation disguised as 'love' </h3> It explains why these women offend. Unlike the other types of female perpetrators – ‘pre-disposed offenders,’ who have a history of being abused themselves, or ‘male coerced offenders,’ who sexually abuse younger people because a man is coercing them into it – these types of women convince themselves they’re in love. <br /> That’s not necessarily the case. Anthony Beech, criminological psychology professor at the University of Birmingham, explains his thinking: “The teachers are entitled. They think they can have sex with anyone they want. It’s power imbalance and manipulation. There’s a narcissism – I can do what I want because I’m the most important person going.” <br /> But what about women such as<b> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11432172/Teacher-banned-from-classroom-after-sleeping-with-private-school-pupil.html" target="_blank">26-year-old teacher Ruth Vaughan who kissed a student at a leavers’ ball</a> </b>and had a sexual affair with him after he started university? She was banned from teaching for three years, and the relationship was deemed inappropriate even though the student wasn’t underage when they began being sexually active. <br /> <img height="387" name="Ruth Vaughan" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03210/Ruth_Vaughan_3210303b.jpg" width="620" /> _{Ruth Vaughan} <br /> The National Council for Teaching and Leadership found her guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, though they acknowledged her conduct was “at the lower end of the possible spectrum,” and the incidents did not involve grooming. <br /> What could have been going on in her mind? “It probably comes down to a connection,” says Dr Hetherton. “We can all feel connections with people but where we say it’s not appropriate and put the brakes on, they don’t put those brakes on. I think they frame it in their minds in a way that’s positive. <br /> “Some are very attractive and you think, you can get a man your own age, what are you doing? But it’s about having a connection with that person.” <br /> <h3 class="was-h3"> Many people are sexually attracted to teens </h3> It means that this type of ‘teacher-lover’ doesn’t always have deep-rooted mental issues. She could be any one of us. <br /> Donald Findlater, director of research at the<b> <a href="http://www.lucyfaithfull.org.uk/" target="_blank">Lucy Faithfull Foundation</a>, </b>which researches sex abuse, estimates that 10 to 15 per cent of adults will have occasional sexual interest in a teenager. <br /> “It’s important to recognise that lots of people are capable,” he says. “But most people recognise the inappropriateness and professional boundaries and manage their behaviour. [Offenders are] not inherently different from lots of us, but they choose not to monitor an appropriate boundary.” <br /> What’s worse is that there’s been an increase.<b> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/oct/04/uk-female-child-sex-offenders" target="_blank">A 2009 study found up to 64,000 women in the UK are ‘child-sex offenders’</a></b>, though it’s estimated there are just hundreds in jails as opposed to thousands of male sex offenders. <br /> It seems there’s a story in the news every week about a female teacher or adult having sex with a younger boy, and Findlater thinks the rise is due to technology: <br /> “People are increasingly less clear about where professional boundaries should be. The immediacy that can be available from a text message or social media is making significant changes to all of our sex lives but certainly those of young professionals.” <br /> <h3 class="was-h3"> Child victims are vulnerable. They will be harmed </h3> It brings to mind the case of <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10578951/Female-history-teacher-who-shared-bed-with-two-schoolboys-banned-from-classroom-for-sexual-misconduct.html" target="_blank">29-year-old teacher Emma Harfield who was banned from the classroom for life after sharing a bed with two schoolboys.</a> </b>Though no sexual contact took place, a report found she “clearly crossed the professional boundaries that would be expected from any teacher /student relationship." <br /> Harfield had contacted a student over Skype, and bought one an iPad and a laptop. Similarly Vaughan contacted a student over Facebook. It shows a clear blurring of boundaries that's specific to our modern age. <br /> But Prof Beech suggests another reason for the rise in cases of female offenders could be a change in social behaviour: “One of the things from a sociological reason is women are becoming more like men, with the rise in drinking and violence.” <br /> Female sex offenders tend to be younger than their male counterparts, and so they could be more similar to men with their sex habits, and more inclined to feel entitled to have sex with whoever they want. <br /> The only real solution is therapy. Most female sex offenders are characterised by emotional dependency, low self-esteem, poor self-identity and a fear of men. Psychological help is necessary, and the goal is to make them realise that their ‘affairs’ as they might see them are actually damaging the younger victim. <br /> “It’s important they see they’re still a child and vulnerable,” stresses Dr Hetherton. “That they are pushing them into sexual acts they may not be ready for.” <br /> But the other issue is society. Our stereotypical attitudes towards female sex offenders allow them to continue offending – by not viewing them as serious criminals or excusing and justifying their behaviour, we create a culture where they can get away with their crimes. <br /> It’s why Dr Hetherton says: “We do have to challenge our views. Female sex offending is such a taboo area, but at the moment, we're giving women a lot more leeway."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11694528/female-sex-offenders-Why-older-women-sleep-with-young-boys.html" target="_blank">Source  </a></div> </div>

Underage sex conviction: Why older women have sex with young boys

As a headteacher is jailed for eight years after having sex with two underage boys, Radhika Sanghani explores what's going on in the...

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The Latest: Defending champion Djokovic reaches Wimbledon semifinals for 6th straight year

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE4DgZMij_zPH_uPor8IuEuJBFEHsWRW5wAA87Y7xGklRnLeN8WZjDO2v6KWzHQsWIbwc1eTKT11jaKnkkHRENZ5OWYJGwRMld7EvL_CwEau-pmXkinHAwm5zF2cxhItwT9po7GSICno/s1600/www.usnews.com+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiE4DgZMij_zPH_uPor8IuEuJBFEHsWRW5wAA87Y7xGklRnLeN8WZjDO2v6KWzHQsWIbwc1eTKT11jaKnkkHRENZ5OWYJGwRMld7EvL_CwEau-pmXkinHAwm5zF2cxhItwT9po7GSICno/s320/www.usnews.com+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <b>Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Marin Cilic of Croatia during their singles match against at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Wednesday July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) </b><br /> <br /> LONDON (AP) — The Latest from Wimbledon (all times local):<br /> ___<br /> 6:56 p.m.<br /> Defending champion Novak Djokovic is back in the Wimbledon semifinals for the sixth straight year.<br /> The top-seeded Serb beat U.S. Open champion Maric Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Wednesday on Centre Court.<br /> Djokovic, a two-time champion at the All England Club, will next face either Stan Wawrinka or Richard Gasquet, who were in the fifth set on Court 1.<br /> ___<br /> 6:45 p.m.<br /> Vasek Pospisil was docked a first serve because of a time violation, and he was none too happy about it.<br /> The Canadian was playing Andy Murray on Wednesday in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Centre Court when the chair umpire gave Pospisil a warning for taking too long to serve in the second set.<br /> Pospisil, who lost 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, later drew a second violation in the third set and was penalized a first serve. Players have 30 seconds to serve after the previous point.<br /> "I think a lot of times these umpires, they seem to just want to be seen. I don't know why they do it at a time like that," Pospisil said. "I was right about to serve the ball. If he would have waited one second longer, I would have served."<br /> Neither the warning nor the penalty seemed to affect his play, even though Pospisil was broken each time.<br /> "Of course, anytime somebody gives you a violation, it's going to have some kind of effect. It's a direct influence on the match, he gives me a violation," Pospisil said. "But I don't think it affected me mentally very much."<br /> ___<br /> 5:20 p.m.<br /> Andy is not the only Murray in the semifinals at Wimbledon this year — so is his older brother, Jamie, in men's doubles.<br /> Andy reached the final four in the men's singles by beating Vasek Pospisil on Centre Court on Wednesday, a day after Jamie and partner John Peers of Australia made it that far in doubles.<br /> The Murrays are the first brothers to reach the semifinals in singles and doubles at the same Wimbledon since John and Neale Fraser did it in 1962.<br /> The Frasers both reached the singles semifinals and the doubles semifinals, with different partners. But neither reached the final in either event that year.<br /> ___<br /> 4:37 p.m.<br /> Andy Murray is through, and will next face Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semifinals.<br /> Murray, the 2013 champion, beat Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 Wednesday on Centre Court, finishing it off with the roof closed after a pair of rain delays.<br /> Federer advanced to his 10th semifinal match at the All England Club by beating Gilles Simon of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. Federer is 9-0 at that stage in southwest London.<br /> ___<br /> 4:06 p.m.<br /> Roger Federer is one win away from another Wimbledon final.<br /> The seven-time champion beat Gilles Simon of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the 10th time. Federer is 9-0 at that stage at the All England Club.<br /> Although Federer won in straight sets on Court 1, his serve was broken for the first time at this year's tournament. It didn't matter much, because Federer broke right back and then served out the second set.<br /> Federer will play either Andy Murray or Vasek Pospisil in Friday's semifinals. Murray was leading that match 6-4, 7-5, 1-2 when Federer won.<br /> ___<br /> 3:32 p.m.<br /> Play at Wimbledon has restarted after a rain delay of about 30 minutes, with the Centre Court roof closed.<br /> Andy Murray is leading Vasek Pospisil on Centre Court 6-4, 3-4, while Roger Federer is leading Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-5 on Court 1.<br /> ___<br /> 2:58 p.m.<br /> Play in the men's quarterfinals at Wimbledon has been suspended again because of rain.<br /> Andy Murray is leading Vasek Pospisil on Centre Court 6-4, 3-4, while Roger Federer is leading Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-5 on Court 1.<br /> ___<br /> 2:55 p.m.<br /> Gilles Simon broke Roger Federer's serve for the first time at this year's Wimbledon tournament.<br /> Trailing 5-4 with Federer serving for the second set, Simon won four straight points to get back on serve.<br /> Federer still leads Wednesday's quarterfinal match 6-3, 5-5.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2015/07/08/the-latest-mens-quarterfinals-day-at-wimbledon" target="_blank">Source</a>  <br /> <br /></div>

The Latest: Defending champion Djokovic reaches Wimbledon semifinals for 6th straight year

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Marin Cilic of Croatia during their singles match against at the All England Lawn Tennis Cha...

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Russia says Clinton hacking accusations 'unfounded'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrfIheJ1ElEJ1OY-FztOxSsjcDDTWeu9utrAMu7ZDKl7mUQQnHKxwFKfFnG-8bMDt84RTarh2MBIwg5YpFjgqL_tSHxwBGrNNiUQp-tuG2kHt0npEdISvA-3z83M-XbcHRUjH11zlVsU/s1600/s1.reutersmedia.net+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrfIheJ1ElEJ1OY-FztOxSsjcDDTWeu9utrAMu7ZDKl7mUQQnHKxwFKfFnG-8bMDt84RTarh2MBIwg5YpFjgqL_tSHxwBGrNNiUQp-tuG2kHt0npEdISvA-3z83M-XbcHRUjH11zlVsU/s320/s1.reutersmedia.net+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event in Iowa City, Iowa, United States, July 7, 2015. </b></td></tr> </tbody></table>  <span id="articleText"><span class="focusParagraph"><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span>he Kremlin accused U.S. presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Wednesday of making unfounded and inappropriate remarks by including Russia among countries she said were sponsoring hacking.<br /> </span>Clinton said on Tuesday that hacking posed a broad threat to U.S. security and business and that Russia, North Korea, Iran and China had "directly or indirectly sponsored" hacking.<br /> <br /> Asked about her comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "This is an absolutely inappropriate statement and an unfounded accusation."<br /> "Hacking is an international problem and speaking of government sponsorship is a completely unfounded accusation," he said, describing the comments as "unconstructive" in the context of calls for cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.<br /> <br /> China has played down Clinton's remarks against Beijing.<br /> Clinton, a Democrat, said her worries started when as U.S. secretary of state she heard businesses express concern that confidential information was being "vacuumed up through intrusive hacking".<br /> She has also said the United States must be "much smarter" about how it deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there is no substitute for "constant engagement".</span><br /> <br /> <span id="articleText"><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/07/08/usa-cyber-clinton-russia-idINKCN0PI1RF20150708" target="_blank">Source</a>  </span></div>

Russia says Clinton hacking accusations 'unfounded'

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event in Iowa City, Iowa, United States, July 7, 2015. ...

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United blames travel-snarling system outage on router problem

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JRnmrhgtBTnkH38ReayDN6sqW2hPv30Gtz92haEXsHdBu5qqMwWbgSHRbmvZG88LgbGp1F4HCoENsUc7OzQP8cEEP4DRB1-54eWlwzBvaOyncPEezZOzaFqUqCP_DrybAomtFYdD1Vs/s1600/750x422+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JRnmrhgtBTnkH38ReayDN6sqW2hPv30Gtz92haEXsHdBu5qqMwWbgSHRbmvZG88LgbGp1F4HCoENsUc7OzQP8cEEP4DRB1-54eWlwzBvaOyncPEezZOzaFqUqCP_DrybAomtFYdD1Vs/s320/750x422+%2528450+x+250%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Passengers wait in long lines at the United Airlines terminal at LAX after a nationwide flight stoppage on July 8.(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)</b></td></tr> </tbody></table>  <span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>n issue with a router caused the grounding of United Airlines flights nationwide early Wednesday morning, the airline said, creating delays and long lines at airport terminals.<br /> <br /> The router problem “degraded network connectivity for various applications,” said Jennifer Dohm, United spokeswoman.<br /> <br /> The airline requested a ground stop for U.S. departures at 5:26 a.m. PDT; the order was lifted at 6:47 a.m.“We fixed the router issue, which is enabling us to restore normal functions,” Dohm said in an email.  Ten flights out of Los Angeles International Airport were delayed, said Katherine Alvarado, airport spokeswoman. She said all United passengers should check their flight time with the airline before coming to LAX.<br /> <br /> United’s glitch occurred shortly before a technical issue caused a halt in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Department of Homeland Security said there was no indication these incidents were related or were the result of a hack.<br /> <br /> <aside class="trb_panelmod_container" data-load-type="noop" data-panelmod-type="relatedContent" data-role="panelmod_container imgsize_ratiosizecontainer"><br /></aside> The problems were the latest malfunction for United since the carrier switched to the computer systems used by merger partner Continental Airlines in 2012. A little over a month ago, United briefly grounded all flights.<br /> <br /> Immediately after the ground stop was lifted Wednesday, lines of passengers wrapped around LAX United Terminal 7. Children sat on suitcases and played games on smartphones or listened to music on headphones. Airport staff ran among the lines to find customers who didn’t need to check baggage, and to hand out bottles of water.<br /> <br /> “My biggest issue is United’s website has the flight coming in on time,” said Tracey Swafford, 30, who arrived at LAX at 6:30 a.m. for an 8:12 a.m. flight to Panama. “We didn’t get an alert until we got here.”Mike Adler and his wife arrived at Boston’s Logan International Airport about 6 a.m. PDT Wednesday, ready to begin their vacation to Los Angeles. What they found were long, snaking lines and frustrated travelers at the United counters.<br /> <br /> Adler, 41, said he soon discovered that the airline was having technical problems -- flight attendants were writing luggage tags by hand and converting pre-printed boarding passes into scribbled pieces of paper. “It’s frustrating on the front end of your vacation to get to an airport and see incredibly long lines,” he said. “It’s one thing when weather causes your plane to be delayed, when it’s things they don’t have control over … but it’s an entirely different thing for their entire system go to down.”<br /> “It just weakens your trust in whether they really can run an airline of this size,” he said.<br /> <br /> United already lags in popularity compared with airlines such as Delta, and Wednesday’s bad publicity might not help, said Seth Kaplan, managing partner for publication Airline Weekly.<br /> “United has not established that kind of reputation as being an extraordinarily reliable airline,” he said. “Even though it has overall improved in recent years, these very visible incidents are going to do nothing to help that reputation.”<br /> But, he added, it was possible for the airline to recover from the incidents.<br /> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-united-flights-grounded-20150708-story.html" target="_blank">source</a> </div>

United blames travel-snarling system outage on router problem

Passengers wait in long lines at the United Airlines terminal at LAX after a nationwide flight stoppage on July 8.(Al Seib / Los Ange...

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