Cinnamon Challenge: Doctors Warn Of Dangers

Doctors in America have warned that a cinnamon-eating craze popular with teenagers is potentially harmful.

The "Cinnamon Challenge" involves trying to swallow one teaspoon of cinnamon without water, often while being filmed.

Numerous videos of teenagers attempting the prank have been posted on YouTube.  

But a report published in the May issue of the Pediatrics journal said 30 American youngsters had required medical treatment after ingesting the spice last year.

Cinnamon, which is made from tree bark, is a caustic substance that can cause scarring in the lungs, the report said. 

Other symptoms can include choking, throat irritation, respiratory trouble and collapsed lungs.

There is no suggestion eating cinnamon in small quantities is harmful.

Dr Stephen Pont, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the report was "a call to arms to parents and doctors to be aware of things like the Cinnamon Challenge".

Dejah Reed, 16, who spent four days in hospital after attempting the Cinnamon Challenge and now suffers from shortness of breath, said: "I was laughing very hard and I coughed it out and I inhaled it into my lungs. I couldn't breathe". 

She added she had read about the challenge on Facebook and thought it would be "cool" to attempt it.

"It is not cool, it's dangerous," she said.

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Chris Huhne Faces £108,000 Costs Bill

Disgraced former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce are expected to be freed on electronic tags next month.

The pair could be free as early as May 3 after serving just a quarter of their eight-month prison sentences for perverting the course of justice over a speeding offence in 2003.

Their imminent release emerged as it was revealed Huhne is facing a claim to pay more than £100,000 in prosecution costs over the penalty points swap.

Prosecutors are demanding a total of £108,541.15 from the ex-energy secretary, who fought for months to have the case against him thrown out.

After his attempts failed, Huhne - on the day his trial was due to start - finally admitted giving penalty points to Pryce in a bid to avoid prosecution.

Pryce continued to protest her innocence but was eventually convicted after a retrial when a jury rejected her insistence she was coerced into taking the points.

Huhne's girlfrend Carina Trimingham was at the costs hearing (file pic)

During the first trial and then a second, it was revealed that she exposed the swap herself out of revenge after Huhne left her for another woman.

The mother-of-five, who has three children with the politician, admitted to a journalist that she wanted to "nail him" for walking out on their 26-year marriage.

Their identical prison sentences in March completed the drama started by the infidelity of a top Lib Dem once tipped as a future party leader.

Huhne was allowed out of prison for the costs hearing on Monday and was supported in the public gallery by his father and girlfriend Carina Trimingham.

Southwark Crown Court his legal team had offered to pay £25,000 towards the case but prosecutor Andrew Edis QC insisted the six-figure claim was "just and reasonable".

He said: "All of this occurred because Mr Huhne decided to do everything he could to try and get away with what he had done and gave in only at the last minute when defeat was inevitable.

Vicky Pryce outside court before she was jailed

"This was essentially predominantly caused by Mr Huhne's decision to make two applications - first to apply to dismiss on the grounds of insufficiency of evidence and secondly to apply to stay the proceedings as an abuse of process."

He said an "enormous amount of work" was done by the Crown Prosecution Service, counsel, and the police because of Huhne's assertions.

The former politician's barrister John Kelsey-Fry QC argued that it was "simply unjust and unreasonable" to expect him to pay "every single possible penny that anybody could think of".

"In our view, a reasonable, indeed arguably generous, but reasonable figure which we would have been prepared to offer had the door not been closed on the day of sentence, would be £25,000," he said.

Pryce, who was found guilty of perverting the course of justice at a re-trial and also given an eight-month jail sentence, was not in court for the costs hearing.

The CPS is seeking a total of £48,695.56 from the former top economist and her legal team are in the process of agreeing how much she should be liable to pay.

The amounts could increase slightly to include the cost of the latest hearing.

Mr Justice Sweeney is expected to make a ruling in the case next week.

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Boston Bombs: Suspects' Father Planning US Trip

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

The father of the surviving Boston bombing suspect has said he hopes to travel to the US to help his younger son who remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was injured in a shootout with police as he hid in a boat in a back garden before being captured.

His older brother and suspected fellow bomber Tamerlan, 26, was killed after a gun battle earlier on Friday from which Dzokhar escaped.

The younger sibling is reportedly beginning to respond in writing to questions from investigators - he is unable to speak due to a gunshot wound to the throat.

The suspects' father has insisted his sons are innocent and the attacks were orchestrated to frame them.

Speaking to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Anzor Tsarnaev repeated his wife's claims that his elder son was under surveillance by the FBI and accused them of staging a 'pre-planned show' to set the brothers up.

Mr Tsarnaev, who is living in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, said he had last spoken to Tamerlan after the marathon bombings.

Anzor Tsarnaev has insisted his sons did not carry out the bombings

He said his son told him he had received a phone call informing he was a suspect, although this is disputed by the FBI.

He said: "Tamerlan told me that they suspected him. My son said it's their problem. If they suspected him, why would they speak about it openly?

"They wanted to frame Tamerlan, and Dzhokhar was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tamerlan was taking him to school, when they started shooting at them.

"At first it was a Mercedes, now a Honda, none of this happened - it's all lies. There is not a single video confirming they were shooting the police.

"It's a set-up, a political order, a Hollywood show."

An FBI spokesman reiterated the bureau's only previous contact with Tamerlan Tsarnaev was an interview in 2011.

At that time, they were investigating a tip-off from their Russian counterparts that Tamerlan was a "follower of radical Islam" who may have been preparing to travel to Russia to join unspecified underground groups.

The FBI said it found no evidence of terrorist activity, but both of Tamerlan's parents insist he was still being watched.

Mr Tsarnaev said: "It started two years ago. They constantly kept my Tamerlan under surveillance. The FBI came and said they were taking preventative measures, so that the streets wouldn't be blown up.

"They said that they know what they eat, where they go, what they are doing.  This was a pre-planned show for the world to see."

Bombing suspects: Tamerlan (L) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Mr Tsarnaev acknowledged Tamerlan had become more devout in recent years, but denied he held radical Islamist views.

He said: "Tamerlan did get religious after getting married. He went to the mosque every Friday. He prayed five times a day. He was a righteous Muslim, and could not have done what he is accused of."

Mr Tsarnaev's family lived briefly in Dagestan before moving to the United States a decade ago. The father had only recently returned there.

Tamerlan last visited Russia in January 2012, ostensibly to renew his passport, but travel records show he stayed for six months.

His father said his son, who had a wife and young child, talked about moving his family to Dagestan and had seemed reluctant to return to the US.

"He didn't want to leave, he said that he wanted to bring his family over here. He didn't like it there, although he was a famous boxer in Boston.

"Tamerlan changed jobs a few times: he delivered post, he changed tyres, he was a boxing trainer and in recent months a baby-sitter - he stayed at home with his three-year-old child.

"His wife worked. She looked after disabled people."

He said of his younger son: "Dzhokhar was an 'A-grade' student at Cambridge. He worked as a lifeguard at a pool. He had big plans: to become a doctor, to open a business, to come over here.

"He said, Dad, don't worry.  I'll finish studying and come over, I'll help you."

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Space Junk Could Be Harpooned During Clean-Up

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

European space experts are meeting to try to solve the growing problem of space junk.

The cloud of debris from 60 years of rocket launches threatens satellites and astronauts as it orbits the Earth, prompting the European Space Agency to look at ways of cleaning up the night sky.

British engineers at the satellite company Astrium have developed a harpoon that could be launched from a chase satellite to catch junk, reel it in and then send it plummeting through the atmosphere where it would safely burn up.

They have a prototype system which has passed tests on an old rifle range. Fired at 60mph the harpoon punches through the aluminium panels used to clad satellites.

Inventor Dr Jaime Reed told Sky News it could begin space trials in just four years' time.

"There's a lot of stuff up there already that can - and will - come back to Earth," he said. "New satellites pose a threat to future satellites, so it's something we need to look at and address."

Space debris can range from tiny fragments of metal to defunct satellites and spent rocket parts.

Nasa estimates there are 22,000 pieces the size of a cricket ball and another 500,000 the size of a marble orbiting the planet. Just a small lump smashing into a satellite at 35,000mph would blow it apart.

A telecommunications satellite was destroyed in a collision in 2009, while astronauts on the International Space Station are ordered into their escape pod every few months because of debris passing nearby.

Space junk will eventually get dragged down to Earth but it is difficult to predict where and when.

In 1979, the space station Skylab crashed into the Australian desert.

Dr Reed said large pieces of debris could be captured and fired through the atmosphere to land in the Pacific Ocean.

"When objects come down to Earth, they do so in an uncontrolled fashion, which means they could fall to the ground almost anywhere on the globe," he said.

"The advantage of our system is that it allows us to send space junk into unpopulated areas.

"It's a very robust and reliable method. We mustn't create any more debris and we must have something that is very safe, and that's the reason we've come up with the space harpoon."

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Paedophile Hunting Group Leads To Arrests

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky Reporter

A group of parents who aim to trap potential paedophiles by posing as teenagers online has told Sky News it is providing a valuable service.

The mothers and fathers from the Midlands have set up around 80 fake profiles on Facebook, chatrooms and dating websites pretending to be underage girls. 

They then collect information about possible sex offenders and arrange to meet them.

Instead of a teenage girl turning up, the target is confronted by a team of adults, a video camera and a dossier of the alleged offences.

Police have confirmed that four arrests have been made as a result of the video evidence gathered by the group.

They have confronted individuals in Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

The leader of the group, known as 'Scumm Buster', told Sky News he had set up the group in January after finding out a friend had been abused as a child.

He said all the members had children and wanted to keep them safe.

He added that the group had approached police to make sure they were gathering the right kind of evidence to help prosecutions.

When asked whether their actions were counterproductive, Scumm Buster said: "We know we are ruining people's lives, but they don't seem to care that they are ruining children's lives."

But police forces have warned the activities could interfere with criminal proceedings.

In a statement, Leicestershire Police said: "The main focus of any paedophile investigation has to be the victim - protecting the victim, getting justice for the victim.

"Unfortunately, these kinds of public naming and shaming activities can actually have a negative effect on victims of child abuse.

"While we understand the strong feelings that motivate this kind of activity, it can seriously affect the chances of success in court, preventing victims from getting justice and increasing the chances of offenders walking free.

"The best thing people can do, if they have evidence of child abuse or paedophile activity, is report it to the police, Crimestoppers or the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) so that we can conduct a thorough investigation and make sure measures are put in place to ensure the safety of any potential victims."

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Cyprus: Man Admits Killing David Lee Collins

A man facing manslaughter charges over the death of a British soldier in a Cyprus nightclub has changed his plea to guilty, a court official has confirmed.

Briton Mohammed Abdulkadir Osman,19, had previously denied stabbing Fusilier David Lee Collins to death in an Ayia Napa bar on November 4, 2011.  

Fusilier Collins, who served with 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, based at Dhekelia, had been due to fly to Afghanistan the following day.

He died after being stabbed during a brawl with Osman.

A post-mortem examination concluded that Fusilier Collins died from a "ruptured heart caused by a sharp instrument", the Cyprus Mail reported.

The paper added a police search of the Adams Beach hotel room Osman had shared with two friends unearthed 11 flick-knives, two brass knuckle dusters and a quantity of high-strength cannabis.

Fusilier Collins died after drinking in Black &White nightclub, Ayia Napa

Osman admitted manslaughter at a court hearing in Larnaca, court registrar Photini Larcou said.

She added that charges against two of his friends, who were also arrested at the time of the incident, have been dropped. 

Ayia Napa, a clubbing resort that is popular with young tourists, has a reputation for drug use, heavy drinking and occasional violence.

Around 3,000 British military personnel are stationed in Cyprus at bases retained after the former British colony gained independence in 1960.

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Boston Bomb Suspect 'Responding To Questions'

The surviving Boston marathon bomb suspect is beginning to respond to questions from investigators, reports say.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in a critical but stable condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, where some of those wounded in the blasts are also being treated.

The 19-year-old is said to have a wound to his throat - reportedly caused by a gunshot through his mouth that exited the back of his neck - which prevents him from speaking.

But major US news networks say he is responding to questions in writing.

He is under armed guard in hospital and federal prosecutors are preparing to file criminal charges against him.

Tamerlan died in a gunfight - his wife apparently suspected nothing

Dzhokhar is also reported to have been shot in the leg during a shootout with law enforcement the night before his arrest.

His older brother and fellow suspect Tamerlan, 26, died in that gunfight.

A lawyer for Tamerlan's wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, said US authorities have also asked to speak with his client.

Amato DeLuca said Mrs Russell Tsarnaev did not suspect her husband of anything, and nothing seemed amiss after the explosions.

Three people died and more than 180 others were injured in the twin blasts at the marathon, the worst bombing to take place in the US since 9/11.

Dzhokhar leaves the boat he was hiding in

One of the hospitals treating the wounded was Boston Medical Centre, which said 11 of the injured were still there, including one who was critically ill and three in a serious condition.

The Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball and several affiliated organisations have contributed more than £400,000 to One Fund Boston, established to help people most affected by the blasts last Monday.

After Tamerlan was killed early on Friday, Dzhokhar escaped, triggering an hours-long manhunt that shut down Boston.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked in a backyard late on Friday night.

It has also emerged police chiefs believe the Tsarnaev brothers were planning further attacks.

A forensics team examines the boat on Monday

Commissioner Ed Davis said officers found a large stockpile of weapons and more than 250 rounds of ammunition at the scene of the earlier gun battle.

"They had IEDs," he said, referring to improvised explosives devices. "They had homemade hand grenades that they were throwing at the officers.

"The scene was loaded with unexploded improvised explosive devices that actually we had to point out to the arriving officers and clear the area."

He said one IED was found in a Mercedes the brothers had abandoned. "This was as dangerous as it gets in urban policing," Commissioner Davis said.

There was a manhunt for Dzhokhar, who escaped after the first gun battle

The city's residents have been asked to observe a moment of silence at 2.50pm local time, exactly a week after the first of two bombs went off within seconds of each other near the marathon finish line.

A private funeral has been taking place for Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant worker who was among the dead.

A memorial service will be held at Boston University for another victim, Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China. The youngest person to die was eight-year-old Martin Richard.

Mr Davis said federal authorities were trying to track down how and where the two suspects obtained the firearms and explosive devices.

Three people were killed in the twin bombings

The two were ethnic Chechens who had been living in the United States for a decade.

Dzhokhar became a US citizen in 2012, while his older brother's application was reportedly held up.

Tamerlan began posting militant videos on social media sites in recent years, and travelled to Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, in 2012. Both Russian regions host separatist rebel groups.

The brothers' social media pages appeared to express sympathy with the struggle in Chechnya, which has been ravaged by two wars since 1994 between Russia and increasingly Islamist-leaning separatist rebels.

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Boston Bombings: Funeral For Krystle Campbell

Mourners are gathering at a funeral mass for Krystle Campbell, one of the three people killed in the Boston marathon bombings.

Ms Campbell, 29, died with Lu Lingzi, 23, and Martin Richard, eight, last Monday when two devices exploded near the finish line of the race in the heart of the city.

Despite it being billed as a private funeral, a long queue of people formed outside St Joseph's Church in Medford, north of Boston, hours before the service.

A guard of honour lined up outside the entrance of the church as Ms Campbell's coffin was carried from a hearse through the doors.

The website Boston.com reported photographs from throughout the young restaurant manager's life have been on display at St Joseph's.

Ms Campbell, a restaurant manager, died with two others in the blasts

In the confused aftermath of the attacks, Ms Campbell's parents had been mistakenly told that their daughter - who had gone to watch a friend finish the race - was one of those being treated by medics. They later learned she was in fact among the dead.

Her mother, Patty, paid an emotional tribute last week, saying: "She was a wonderful person and everyone who knew her loved her.

"She was always smiling and was such a hard-worker in everything she did. This just doesn't make any sense."

Ms Campbell's funeral is the first to be held in the wake of the killings.

A silence will be held in memory of all the victims at 2.50pm local time, exactly a week after the first of the two bombs went off seconds apart.

Lu Lingzi, 23, and eight-year-old Martin Richard also lost their lives

Bells will ring across the city and state of Massachusetts after the minute-long tribute. President Barack Obama will also be observing a moment of silence, the White House said.

Hours after that, a memorial service is due to be held for Ms Lingzi, a graduate student from China.

More than 180 others were hurt in the attacks, at least 14 of whom lost all or part of a limb. Doctors have said all of those injured now appear likely to survive.

There are 51 people in hospital, with three in a critical condition - including a police officer who nearly bled to death in a shoot-out with the suspects.

Law enforcement officials say two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - ethnic Chechens from Russia - planted the devices among spectators at the race before they were tracked down later in the week.

After Tamerlan, 26, was killed in the gunfight in the early hours of Friday, 19-year-old Dzhokhar escaped, triggering a manhunt that brought Boston grinding to a halt.

It ended with the teenager's capture in a boat parked next to a house. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck.

The motive for the bombings remains unclear but Tsarnaev, who is unable to talk because of the throat injury, has been able to write responses to questions from his hospital bed.

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Missing April Jones: Police Search Called Off

Police searching for five-year-old April Jones have completed their search in and around the Welsh town where she went missing.

The youngster vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth on October 1 last year.

In the six months since her disappearance, police officers and specialist search teams from across the country have scoured an area spanning more than 60sq km.

They have explored hundreds of points of interest including mountains, gorges, streams and waterfalls, and vowed not to end their search until "all viable lines of enquiry were complete".

Mark Bridger denies murdering the schoolgirl

A spokesman for Dyfed Powys Police, which previously described the search as "extremely challenging", said a "reactive team of specialist officers is available to respond to any new information that is received".

Mark Bridger is facing trial charged with abducting and murdering the schoolgirl and unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

He pleaded not guilty in January, when his barrister Brendan Kelly QC told Mold Crown Court that Bridger is "probably responsible" for her death.

The 47-year-old was arrested the day after April's disappearance.

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British Bali Drug Woman Loses Legal Aid Bid

A British woman in jail in Bali has lost a legal battle to win funding to help her overturn her death sentence for drug smuggling.

More follows...

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