Cheney Feared 'Homeland-Style' Death Plot

Dick Cheney has said he once feared terrorists may try to kill him using a device near his heart - similar to a plot in the Homeland TV show.

The former US vice president said he was concerned someone could attempt to hack into his implanted defibrillator.

So he had his doctor turn off its wireless function in case they tried to send a fatal shock to the heart.

Mr Cheney, who has a history of heart trouble, had the device put in six years ago to replace an older one.

The defibrillator can detect irregular heartbeats and control them with electrical jolts.

Mr Cheney, 72, said his doctor, cardiologist Jonathan Reiner, disabled the wireless function over the terror fears.

A few years later, the politician watched an episode of the Homeland, starring British actor Damian Lewis, in which such a scenario was part of the plot.

He told CBS' 60 Minutes: "I was aware of the danger, if you will, that existed, but I found it credible.

"Because I know from the experience we had and the necessity for adjusting my own device that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible."

Homeland stars Damian Lewis and Claire Danes

Mr Cheney, who was vice president from 2001 to 2009, suffered the first of five heart attacks at age 37.

He underwent a heart transplant last year at the age of 71.

Mr Reiner said he was worried that Mr Cheney could not stand the pressure that came from the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Medical tests seen that morning showed he had elevated levels of potassium in his blood, a condition called hyperkalemia, which could lead to abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac arrest.

The medic said he watched news coverage of the day's events on television and thought: "Oh, great, the vice president is going to die tonight from hyperkalemia."

Mr Cheney underwent numerous heart-related procedures over the years, including angioplasties, catheterizations and a quadruple bypass operation.

However, he said the health problems never affected his job performance during his eight years as vice president in George W Bush's administration.

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Ten Parachutists Killed In Belgium Plane Crash

Ten parachutists and a pilot have died after the plane they were in crashed shortly after taking off in Belgium.

The plane had just lifted into the air from Temploux aerodrome, near Namur, but came down about ten minutes later in a field, the local mayor told AFP.

The aircraft came down between the small villages of Marchovlette and Fernelmont and burst into flames just before 4pm local time (3pm BST) on Saturday.

There were reports that one of the wings had fallen off.

One witness told Belgium's Sud Presse newspaper: "The plane flew over my house and I saw pieces fall from the plane.

"Then the plane pitched, and nose dived, crashing about 200 yards away."

Jean-Claude Nihoul, Mayor of Fernelmont, told Sud Presse: "Three parachutes open ground show that three people tried to jump," adding that "it is a tragedy that we had never known in the region."

The reason for the accident is not yet known but investigators have been summoned to the site to find out what happened. Efforts are also being made to confirm the identities of those who died.

Firefighters rushed to the scene, some 75 km (47 miles) south-east of Brussels, but are understood to have been unable to save any of those on board.

Mayor of Fernelmont, Jean-Claude Nihoul, said: "The plane took off from Temploux aerodrome with 10 parachutists and probably a pilot on board and crashed around 10 minutes later in a field.

"All those on board are unfortunately dead. The toll is 10 or 11 victims."

Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo confirmed the news soon after, saying his thoughts were with the families of the victims. He later visited the scene with his interior minister.

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Pyjamas 'Selfie' Led To Armed Robbers' Capture

A gang of armed robbers were caught when one of them posed for photos dressed in the same pair of cartoon sheep pyjama bottoms he had worn during one of the raids.

The men created a Blackberry Messenger group called Armed Robbers and took several pictures of themselves, including one showing one of them wearing a balaclava and posing with a handgun, a police spokesman said.

Terry Sullivan, 24, Thomas Balderston, 24, and Christopher Heath, 31, all of Ernest Road, Chatham, and Christopher Aldred, 23, of Kellaway Road, Chatham, were convicted at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

Their desire to parade themselves as gangsters led to their arrest

They terrified staff in seven newsagents in Kent and Sussex by wearing balaclavas, brandishing knives, and in some instances a handgun, stealing money from the safe and taking cigarettes, scratch cards and stamps between April and June last year.

Police said they also attacked a house in Boston, Lincolnshire, with the intention of stealing from the owner but she fought them off and they fled the scene.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Despite trying to avoid detection some of the men could not keep their actions to themselves, creating a Blackberry Messenger group named Armed Robbers and taking numerous 'selfies', one of which showed them posing with a handgun."

Thomas Balderston and Terry Sullivan

Detectives raided Sullivan's home and found images on his mobile phone of him posing in the same bright blue pyjama bottoms, covered with pictures of cartoon sheep, worn in one of the robberies.

Officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate arrested the men who were charged with possessing a firearm with the intention of committing an offence and conspiracy to rob.

Heath and Sullivan admitted their guilt at Maidstone Crown Court and Balderston and Aldred were found guilty following a trial.

Detective sergeant Andy Nicoll said: "The crimes carried out by these four men were violent and often terrified the victims.

Christopher Aldred and Christopher Heath

"The offenders were forceful, threatening and brazen and left the staff in those shops feeling that if they did not comply, then serious harm would come to them.

"Despite showing a level of forensic awareness some of the men became sloppy, taking selfies on their mobile phones.

"Whether this was narcissistic or not, it became their downfall and before long there was a wealth of unquestionable evidence stacking up against them.

"The men's desire to parade themselves as gangsters ultimately led them to jail."

The gang will be sentenced next month.

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Maradona Assets To Be Frozen Over £33m Debt

Argentinian football legend Diego Maradona has been informed by Italian tax officials that his assets will be frozen to help repay £33m of debt.

Equitalia, Italy's tax collection agency, served Maradona the legal papers while he was staying at a hotel in Milan.

He reportedly signed the documents without incident.

Maradona's debt stems from his time at Italian club Napoli when he guided the team to its only two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990.

He is best remembered in the UK for scoring the controversial "Hand of God" goal in Argentina's 2-1 World Cup win over England in 1986.

Maradona's infamous "hand of God"

Previously Maradona has refused to pay the debt, claiming it was the club's responsibility.

Italian officials have used a variety of unconventional tactics to get the money back.

These have included seizing Rolex watches at public events and confiscating expensive earrings while he attended a weight loss clinic.

His fellow Argentine Lionel Messi is another high-profile footballer to run into legal problems over tax evasion.

Messi, who plays for FC Barcelona and is widely recognised as the best player in the world, owes the Spanish government £3.4m in unpaid taxes.

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Tech Billionaire Admits Buying Bond Submarine

The submarine car driven by James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me is to be converted into a real-life amphibious vehicle, says its new owner.

Tech Billionaire Elon Musk has admitted he was the mystery buyer who bought the Lotus Esprit, made famous in the 1977 Bond film, for £616,000 at a London auction last month.

His identity was initially kept secret until automotive blog Jalopnik named Musk as the buyer on Thursday night.

The 42-year-old has since confirmed the purchase and revealed his grand plan for the car.

Roger Moore drove the vehicle in the 1977 film

"It was amazing as a little kid in South Africa to watch James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me drive his Lotus Esprit off a pier, press a button and have it transform into a submarine underwater," Musk said in a statement.

"I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform. What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real."

In the film, Bond drives the car off a pier into the water where it sinks to the bottom before transforming into a submarine.

Several versions of the vehicle were used in the film

Several versions of the car were used during filming and Musk's purchase is an operational underwater vehicle but does not work on land.

It is known as a "wet submarine", where upon entering the ocean the interior fills with water requiring the driver to wear a wetsuit and mask. 

In real life, the vehicle's underwater fins are non-retractable and it has no wheels.

Musk is the co-founder of electric car maker Tesla Motors and private space exploration firm SpaceX.

Elon Musk

In early August he unveiled plans for a Hyperloop transport system capable of reaching speeds of 760mph.

The system would enable people to travel 400 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes at near supersonic speeds.

He first made his millions when he sold Zip2 to US computer maker Compaq for more than $300m (£194m) in 1999.

His next company, X.com eventually merged with PayPal, the online payments firm bought by internet auction giant eBay in 2002.

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Boy Sought Over University Sex Attacks

Police have said a boy, who could be as young as 12, may be responsible for a string of sex attacks around a university campus.

Two of the assaults happened on the same day, within 15 minutes of each other, and a third happened around two weeks later.

Greater Manchester Police are linking the attacks which have taken place in the last month near The University of Manchester and have released an evofit of the youngster they are looking for.

Police on Saturday said the attacker's young age made the assaults "very worrying" and dismissed the idea that they may have been a prank.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Larkin said: "While we cannot be precise about the offender's age, we believe from the descriptions given to us by the women he assaulted that he was between 12 and 15-years-old, and it is obviously very unusual and very worrying that someone someone so young is committing such appalling attacks on women.

"What we can be certain about is that the women are traumatised as a result of what happened and are being offered support by specially trained officers.

"Whatever the young boy's motivation, this is not a practical joke or a prank.

"His actions are disturbing and he has caused the three women he assaulted a lot of upset. That is why it is so important we find whomever is responsible.

"We cannot allow these sexual assaults to escalate and we need to find him."

The first two attacks took place within 15 minutes of each other on Saturday September 21.

A 27-year-old was approached from behind and grabbed in Lloyd Street North at 6.15pm before she screamed and the offender ran off.

The next incident followed in Oxford Road, close to the old BBC building, when a 21-year-old woman was approached by a boy who made lewd comments.

She carried on walking on Moss Lane East and was sexually assaulted by her assailant who was described as a young Asian boy aged 12 who wore green jeans and glasses.

The third attack took place at the Manchester Science Park in Lloyd Street North at about 2.15pm on Saturday October 5.

A 32-year-old woman was approached by two young boys and sexually assaulted by one of them described as being Asian, 12 to 13 years old, of slim build, with a small frame who wore baggy trousers and carried a rucksack on his back.

She pushed the boy away but he approached her again and sexually assaulted her for a second time before running off towards Pencroft Way in company with the second child, also described as a young Asian boy.

Anyone with information should phone police on 0161 856 4223 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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SNP: Salmond Challenges Cameron To TV Debate

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Alex Salmond has challenged David Cameron to a TV duel on Scottish independence within months, ahead of the referendum next year.

In his speech at the SNP conference in Perth, Scotland's First Minister said he wants a debate with the Prime Minister soon after he publishes a white paper on independence on November 26.

Up to now, Mr Cameron has been resisting demands from Mr Salmond for a TV debate on independence, offering Tory and LibDem Coalition ministers instead.

But raising the stakes in the independence battle ahead, Mr Salmond declared: "So here's the deal Prime Minister.

"We'll publish the white paper then you and I must debate. First Minister to Prime Minister. The choice is yours.

"Step up to the plate - or step out of this debate!

"After that I will take on whichever of your substitutes you care to put up."

Voters in Scotland will decide if the country remains part of the UK in a referendum on September 18, 2014.

Mr Salmond told his party activists with that crunch vote now less than a year away they were the "independence generation".

He said: "As we move into this crucial year for Scotland we accept, indeed relish, the challenge to furnish the people of Scotland with the information necessary to assess the opportunities of independence."

Mr Salmond said the independence white paper would "spell out" what would happen between the referendum and Scotland becoming independent in spring 2016, if there was a Yes vote.

It will also "set out the why of independence" and reveal the SNP's "vision of Scotland", he said.

Mr Cameron has offered Tory and LibDem ministers for a debate

Mr Salmond branded the Prime Minister's refusal to debate with him "untenable", claiming Mr Cameron had "promised a respectful debate" but had then turned the "full guns of the Whitehall machine on Scotland", with the UK Government publishing a series of papers against independence.

But the SNP leader's message to those opposed to independence was simple.

"We intend to win this referendum," the First Minister said.

He told SNP activists: "In less than one year's time we can stop imagining, and we can start building. Building the Scotland we know is possible."

Mr Salmond said a Yes vote in the referendum, to be held on September 18, was "not about a victory for the SNP, or even a victory for the Yes campaign".

Instead he stated: "It will be, above all, an act of national self confidence and national self belief."

Mr Salmond insisted that the more people knew about independence the more likely they were to back this, saying: "When the people hear the can do optimism of the Yes campaign up against the can't do dirge of the No campaign then they vote Yes."

But he said under the current constitutional set-up, Scotland was "paying a heavy price for Westminster decisions".

He pledged one of the first acts of an SNP government in an independent Scotland would be to abolish the so-called bedroom tax - changes to housing benefit which mean those deemed to have extra rooms lose some of their cash.

This affects some 80,000 Scottish households, with Mr Salmond saying: "The bedroom tax is becoming a symbol of why independence is necessary."

He also vowed an SNP Government would bring the recently privatised Royal Mail back into public ownership.

The First Minister said its sale was "the latest instalment in Westminster's privatisation obsession" and added: "If elected in an independent Scotland I give this pledge - an SNP Government will bring our Royal Mail back into public hands."

Mr Salmond claimed independence would give Scots a "government which is on their side".

He also pledged an SNP government in an independent Scotland would act to improve pay.

He contrasted this with the Westminster Government that people in Scotland had "overwhelmingly rejected" which was "giving tax cuts to millionaires at the same time as cutting the income of the low paid".

Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael criticisied the SNP's record

But he said if Scotland left the UK and elected an SNP Government, it would establish a Fair Work Commission, adding the "central pillar" of this group's work would be to set a minimum wage guarantee.

"This guarantee will ensure a minimum wage that rises, at the very least, in line with inflation," Mr Salmond told the conference.

"Let us pledge that never again will the wages of the lowest paid in Scotland fail to keep up with the cost of living."

But new Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said: "The SNP has had 80 years to work up its independence position, so it is surprising that it has taken them this long to produce their White Paper. Let's hope the wait will have been worth it.

"Scots deserve answers based on fact, not assertion. In areas like pensions, financial services and defence sector jobs where they would have the power to act, the Scottish Government should answer the detailed questions about what independence would mean.

"In those areas where it could not act alone, but would need to negotiate with others - including on the terms of EU membership and where it wants to share arrangements with the rest of the UK on the currency that Scotland would use and welfare systems - the Scottish Government should acknowledge that fact, too.

"So far, the SNP's track record has been to say anything and do anything to win the referendum.

"The public must have the full facts and details to make up their own minds if they want to remain within a UK family that has served us well for 300 years, or to leave it forever."

Scottish Labour deputy leader Anas Sarwar said Mr Salmond "didn't have a single thing to say about people's lives today" claiming his speech was "just empty promises about an imagined world after independence".

The Labour MP hit out and said: "When will our First Minister stop acting like he is in opposition and realise he is in Government? This speech was all about the powers he wants, not about what he will do with the powers he's got.

"Scotland remains on pause while the nationalists dream up goodies for the referendum campaign that they know they won't have to deliver on.

"At the start of his conference, the First Minister asked the people of Scotland who they trust. After days of uncosted promises and baseless assertions, the answer won't be Alex Salmond and the SNP."

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Mystery Blonde Girl: Greece Charity In Appeal

An international search is under way to identify the parents of a blonde girl found in the care of a couple on a Roma camp in Greece.

DNA tests have shown the four-year-old is not related to the pair - and their accounts of how she came to be living with them differ.

Police found the girl, who recognises the name Maria, during a raid on the camp, in Farsala, central Greece, on Wednesday.

She has now been taken into the care of a Greek charity called The Smile Of The Child, which has put out a Europe-wide alert.

A poster released to help find the girl's parents

A statement from the charity said: "The features of the girl and the controversial claims of the persons who claimed to be the parents of the child led the authorities to collect a DNA sample test.

"The results of DNA testing proved that these people are not the biological parents of the child.

"The Smile of the Child in co-operation with national police authorities is taking all necessary steps to inform the competent actors at national and international level."

The director of The Smile Of The Child praised an observant prosecutor who went on the camp raid along with dozens of police.

Costas Giannopoulos told Greece's Skai TV: "She saw a little blonde head poking out from under the bedclothes. It struck her as odd, and that's how it all started."

The girl recognises the name Maria

Vassilis Halatsis, the police chief handling the case, told Sky News that despite a flood of local and international calls to domestic media and social groups, no parent has come forward to claim the child.

"That makes the case so much more difficult for us," he said.

He said authorities will release pictures of the arrested gypsy couple on Monday and hope it will unravel the mystery surrounding Maria.

Another reason detectives suspect the case could be part of an international trafficking ring is that Greek police records show a related kidnapping case in 2009, the year Maria was born.

Apparently, the couple's various excuses included that the girl was found in a blanket and that she was handed to them by strangers. They later claimed she had a foreign father.

Maria is described as: born around 2009, white, with blue eyes, long blonde hair, 100cm tall and weighing 17kg.

The couple - a 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman - have been arrested and are now under investigation for abduction and falsifying identity and family certificates.

They claimed to have 14 children, police said, and had registered different numbers with authorities in three different parts of Greece. Including Maria, the couple only actually had four.

The woman is also said to have claimed to have given birth to six children within a space of less than 10 months.

Police say they also found drugs and unregistered firearms in other parts of the camp, which is about 170 miles (280km) north of Athens.

Officers are now working on the theory that, because of her appearance, Maria may be northern or eastern European.

Her discovery has given hope to the family of Ben Needham - one of the longest-running missing persons cases in British history.

The boy disappeared from outside his grandparent's farmhouse on the Greek island of Kos in 1991.

Ben Needham vanished in Greece 22 years ago

Ben's sister Leighanna told Sky News: "I believe that the camp the little girl was found in was looked at (during the investigation into her brother's disappearance).

"But 22 years ago, the Greek police were scared of the gypsies and pretty much point-blank refused to go into the camps...so our inquiries into these camps never fully got covered."

The case, which some people have likened to the Madeleine McCann disappearance, has raised concerns about how easy it appeared to be for people to get official documents for children who are not their own.

A spokesman for Madeleine's family said: "This gives Kate and Gerry great hope that Madeleine could be found alive."

The Smile Of The Child director Costas Giannopoulos said Maria was being examined by doctors.

"We are shocked by how easy it is for people to register children as their own," he told the Greek TV station Skai.

"There is much more to investigate ... and I believe police will unravel a thread that doesn't just have to do with the girl."

Greece has only acquired a central system of registration for births in the last five months.

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Titanic Violin Sells For Record £900,000

The violin famously played by the Titanic's bandmaster as the liner sank beneath the waves has sold for a world record price of £900,000 at auction.

Wallace Hartley has become part of the doomed ship's legend after leading his fellow musicians in playing as the vessel went down, most famously the hymn Nearer My God To Thee.

Hartley and his seven fellow band members all died in the tragedy on April 14 1912, when the cruiser hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank, killing 1,500 people.

His violin, which had been a gift from his fiancee Maria Robinson, was apparently found in a case strapped to his body when it was recovered from the icy waters.

Its re-emergence in 2006, when it was reportedly discovered in an attic in Yorkshire, prompted heated debate over its authenticity.

An engraving from Wallace Hartley's fiance Maria Robinson on the violin

Titanic specialist auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son say nearly seven years of research and tests have proved it to be the genuine article.

Now the violin - accompanied by a leather luggage case initialed WHH - has been sold alongside a host of items from the ship at an auction in Devizes, Wiltshire.

Andrew Aldridge, a valuer with the auctioneer, said worldwide interest in the instrument meant it was likely to break the world record fee for a single piece of memorabilia from the Titanic.

The violin had a reserve price of between £200,000 and £300,000, but sold for triple that amount.

Mr Aldridge said: "It symbolises love, with a young man strapping it to his body because it was an engagement present from his fiancee. It also epitomises bravery. He knew there would be no lifeboats.

"It symbolises everything that's good about people, not just Wallace Hartley and his band, but all the men, women and children who lost their lives."

A photograph showing bodies being buried at sea could fetch £5,000

The previous record sale saw a 32ft plan of the Titanic used in the 1912 inquiry into the sinking of the ship fetch £220,000 two years ago.

The violin has been on exhibition at Titanic museums in the US and Northern Ireland.

Mr Aldridge also took the violin to Mr Hartley's hometown of Dewsbury, Yorkshire, this week ahead of its sale.

"I hope it stays in the UK and goes on exhibition," he said. "There have buyers in the UK but also in the US and Asia so it could go anywhere."

Among the other items on sale is a photograph showing victims being buried at sea.

The black and white image of bodies in sacks piled three high on deck is expected to fetch up to £5,000.

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Fears For Two Children Missing With Father

A manhunt is under way after a father disappeared with his toddler and baby.

Staffordshire Police said they are concerned for the welfare of two children who were taken by their father from a hotel in Hanley, Stoke on Trent.

Saleem Tahir, 40, is understood to have grabbed Na'llah Khan, aged two, and her brother Sulailman, 10 months and fled.

Tahir was seen with the children in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham at 8pm on Friday night, but other than that have remained at large.

Police issued an urgent appeal asking for anyone who has seen Mr Tahir or the children to get in touch.

A spokesman for Staffordshire police said: "Have you seen these two children? Please call Staffordshire Police on 101."

More follows...

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