George Michael's philanthropy comes to light after his death

 

Tales of George Michael's philanthropy have come to light in the wake of his death - including how he funded a couple's IVF treatment.

Former Deal or No Deal producer Richard Osman, who now co-presents Pointless, told how one contestant's partner had said she needed £15,000 for treatment.
The next day the singer phoned in to donate the money, Osman tweeted.
Other stories of Michael's benevolence, including a £50,000 Sport Relief donation, have emerged on social media.
In a string of tweets celebrating Michael's music and humour, comedian and author David Walliams tweeted that the star had supported his 2006 cross-Channel swim to the tune of £50,000.


Osman tweeted in the hours following news that Michael had been found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on Christmas Day, aged 53.
The presenter wrote: "A woman on 'Deal Or No Deal' told us she needed £15k for IVF treatment.
"George Michael secretly phoned the next day and gave her the £15k."
The beneficiary was later reported to be Lynette Gillard, 38, from Bolton, whose partner Steve Davies had appeared on the show in 2008.

'Restores your faith'

She told the Telegraph: "For many years I wondered who would have been so generous and now I know. What more can I say other than 'Thank you George'."
At the time, in 2008, Mr Davies had told the Manchester Evening News: "Thank you is not enough. It restores your faith in humankind.
"All the bad news you read about and then something like this happens."

Michael's donations ranged in scope from major charities and appeals to individual acts of kindness.
The proceeds from sales of Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, his 1991 live duet with Sir Elton John, were donated to HIV and children's charities, including the Terence Higgins Trust.
It tweeted: "Thank you to George Michael for all he did for the LGBT community and to educate about HIV. RIP George."

Children's charities

Wham! royalties from Last Christmas went to Ethiopian famine relief efforts, while the founder of the children's helpline charity Childline, Dame Esther Rantzen, said Michael had donated proceeds from the song Jesus to a Child to the cause.
Children's charities were also at the fore when he donated each year to Capital Radio's appeal.
Former presenter Mick Brown tweeted: "Every Easter at Capital when I was on air with Chris Tarrant for help a London child, George would call in at 3.30pm with a £100,000 donation."

Berlin attack suspect Anis Amri killed in Milan

The fingerprints of the dead man match Amri's, reports in the Italian media say.

German officials have confirmed Amri's fingerprints were found inside the truck that was used in Monday evening's attack.

The attack took place at a Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the west of the German capital.

Investigators are trying to establish whether the gun used in the shooting in Milan is the same weapon used to kill the Polish driver of the truck, who was found dead with stab and gun wounds in the cab

ISIS magazine told jihadis to ‘CRUSH’ victims in Nice-style attack ONE MONTH before Berlin

The magazine been published in multiple languages including English, Russian, Pashto, Turkish, French, German and Uyghur, reaching a global network of jihadi’s that Sir Stuart Peach referred to in his first speech as Chief of the Defence staff, last week.

During his speech, Sir Stuart said: “Terrorists are hiding in plain sight on a global scale" as they are "moving in migrant flows.”

Drawing the attention of its jihadi readers, the article said: “The target should be on a road that offers the ability to accelerate to a high speed, which will inflict maximum damage.

“If one is rich enough, then it is best if the militant buys a vehicle. The second most preferable option is to rent one.”

In a previous edition of the magazine, ISIS urged jihadis to launch attacks on a wide range of victims including taxi passengers and "the old man waiting in line to buy a sandwich".

The jihadis said: "The blood of the disbelievers is halal, and killing them is a form of worship to Allah.”

Berlin attack: Police say lorry crash 'probably terror attack'

German police are investigating a "probable terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

They have detained the driver, who security sources reportedly say is an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker.

He arrived in Germany in February as a refugee, the DPA news agency said.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to the police for minor crimes, but not terror links.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," Berlin Police said on Twitter.

Live: Latest updates

Berlin witnesses describe devastation

German politicians had avoided branding the bloodshed a terror attack in the hours immediately following, but Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television, "there are many things pointing to one".

What happened?

The market is at Breitscheidplatz, close to the Kurfuerstendamm, the main shopping street in Berlin's west.

The crash happened in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which was damaged in a World War Two bombing raid and preserved as a symbol of peace.

The truck, which was loaded with steel beams, veered into the market at 20:14 local time (19:14 GMT),one of its busiest times. It crashed through wooden huts and stands packed with tourists and locals.

According to the DPA news agency, police believe the lorry drove 50-80 metres (160-260 ft) through the market area.

What do we know about the suspect?

German media say the lorry driver was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and had entered the country as a refugee in the past year.

Die Welt said special forces had stormed a hangar at Berlin's Tempelhof airport where they believed the suspect - who the German newspaper identified as a 23-year-old Pakistani - had been living in a shelter before the attack.

The driver was reportedly seized after leaving his truck and fleeing on foot.

Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel told Die Welt that the man ran down the street towards the Tiergarten, a large public park.

A witness followed him at a distance for more than a mile (2 km), and called the police, who quickly detained him near the Victory Column monument.

The police spokesman speculated that the driver may have wanted to "find shelter in the darkness of the park".

Where did the lorry come from?

Police confirmed that a passenger was found dead in the lorry, and said he was a Polish national. There are fears he may have been the original driver of the vehicle, and that he was subject to a hijacking.

Ariel Zurawski, the Polish owner of the lorry, confirmed that his driver was missing and had been unreachable since 16:00 (15:00 GMT) on Monday.

Indonesia air force plane crashes, killing all 13 on board

An Indonesian air force Hercules C-130 aeroplane has crashed in remote Papua province in the east of the country, killing everyone on board.

Three pilots and 10 other military personnel died, officials say.

Air force chief of staff Agus Supriatna told MetroTV that bad weather was suspected to have caused the crash.

The Hercules was carrying food supplies from Timika to Wamena when it came down in mountainous terrain near to its destination early on Sunday.

The wreckage has been located and the bodies of the dead are being brought to Wamena, Ivan Ahmad Riski Titus, operational director of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told Reuters.

The flight had left Timika at 05:35 (20:35 GMT Saturday) and was expected to land in Wamena at 06:13.

"The tower in Wamena has spotted the plane, but it was not certain that the plane saw the runway," said deputy air force chief of staff Hadiyan Sumintaatmadja.

Personnel from the air force base in Jayapura, the regional capital, were on standby to assist the team at the crash site.

Indonesia has a poor air safety record.

In June 2015, the same type of plane belonging to the country's air force crashed near a residential neighbourhood shortly after taking off from Medan.

All 12 crew and 109 passengers on board were killed, along with 22 people on the ground.

Chinese activist Zheng Churan: 'Hey Trump, feminists are watching you"

 

 

One of China's most prominent women's rights activists has written a letter warning US President-elect Donald Trump against "sexist behaviour".

Zheng Churan says "feminists around the world are watching" Mr Trump for signs of "straight man cancer".
The Chinese term refers to sexual discrimination and male chauvinism.
She was among five women dubbed the "Feminist Five", who were detained by Chinese authorities last year for their activism.
Ms Zheng said she wanted to point out Mr Trump's "sexual discrimination" in her open letter as she found that in China "the general opinion from society is that they don't think it's a big deal".

• Viewpoint: 'Why every woman should be offered menstrual leave'
• China's detained 'guerrilla feminists'
• China's feminists undeterred by detentions

'China doesn't care' about Trump's behaviour

Ms Zheng believes there has not been enough outrage in China about aspects of Mr Trump's behaviour towards women.
"They say Trump is a crazy man, but he is better than Hillary Clinton who is a cheater," she told the BBC.
"(They think) feminism and gender equality should make a concession for a country's development. I think it is very horrible, and it is wrong."
Ms Zheng said she was worried Mr Trump would crack down on US women's rights activists, mirroring the clampdown she herself has faced in recent years in China.
"My real goal is to make people who support Trump's behaviour to realise that even feminists in... China are all concerned about it, and we aspire to fight back instead of just sitting there."

What she told Trump

In her letter, which she posted to Mr Trump on Monday as well as posted online (in Chinese), Ms Zheng says: "We are far away in China, but we have seen reports of your sexist behaviour.
"Gender equality is a global issue and the feminist movement will not stop just because of 'straight man cancer'.
"If those with 'straight man cancer' carelessly insult, discriminate, or are violent towards women, they will be made to pay a price for their actions and words.
"We hope you know that feminists around the world are watching you."
Ms Zheng also encloses a list of top "straight man cancer" types of behaviour, culled from a poll she conducted online with more than 10,000 respondents.
They include "using double standards" to judge women and "underestimating women's creativity and scientific knowledge".

Who is Zheng Churan?

The 27-year-old is known for her vocal activism on a range of women's rights issues in China.
One of the BBC's 100 Women this year, one of her latest campaigns is for companies to offer every woman menstrual leave.
She and four other women activists were detained in the run-up to International Women's Day in China last year.
They were eventually let go several weeks later after calls for their release by the UK's Foreign Office, the EU and the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power.

PROTECT YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM

PROTECT YOUR SKELETAL SYSTEM

MAIN  SOLUTION 

• Provide a synergistic blend of natural, powerful ingredients formulated to help build the connective tissue foundation of degraded joints.

• Infuse vitamin C for collagen building and prevention of joint infections.

• Infuse additional herbal components with proven anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce painful inflammation.

Do you suffer from joint pain or joint inflammation? Have you been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, gout, or another related joint condition? Are you looking for some relief from your daily pain, aching, frustration, and fatigue from struggling with joint illness?

Recent research from the Arthritis Foundation of America shows a growing problem with joint health in adults. In the last 20 years, the number of Americans with arthritis or chronic joint pain has doubled to 66 million! The disease has disabled over 10 million Americans and women are twice as likely to develop the disease as men.

Unfortunately, many of the current conventional treatments for joint conditions, such as NSAIDS (non steroid anti inflammatory drugs), COX-2 Inhibitors, and Salicylates, can cause serious side effects. Patients undergoing these treatments may suffer from gastrointestinal bleeding, cardiovascular problems, kidney problems, and skin reactions. Additionally there are many more “minor” side effects that are likely to occur.

Scientists at FKC focus on utilizing the least toxic method for healing to avoid harmful side effects and further complications. They design natural formulations to work gently but effectively to allow and encourage the body to heal itself.

FKC’s Response

FKC scientists developed Joint Again by utilizing a powerful blend of natural ingredients clinically proven though extensive international research to be effective in treating joint conditions. Joint Again is one of the leading testimony products at FKC with countless examples from people around the world who have expressed their new lease on life due to the life changing results of this powerful product. FKCscientists set out to create a harmony of ingredients and therefore carefully took into account the balanced combination of Glucosamine, Vitamin C, Boswella Extract, and Curcumin, needed for maximum effectiveness. 

Joint Again includes a high level of glucosamine to ensure optimum tissue building response. Research suggests glucosamine must be supplemented in a relatively high dose to be effective at rebuilding damaged joint tissue. Boswella, a nature herb and ingredient in Joint Again, is a strong suppressor of inflammatory diseases, shown to be effective in treatment of joint and arthritic conditions. Curcumin, an active ingredient from the Indian spice Turmeric, is a powerful polyphenol antioxidant, anti-infection, and anti-inflammatory herb also proven to be effective in improving joint conditions. Finally, Vitamin C, chemically known as ascorbic acid, is an essential antioxidant nutrient and has a well known structural role in building collagen fibers in joints as well as promoting anti-infection and anti-inflammation.

Another advantage of a natural approach to healing is that, unlike conventional drugs, natural formulations can be used longer and with greater frequency than conventional drug therapies due to the nontoxic nature of their ingredients. This means that unlike cycles of conventional drug therapies that create side effects and allow short term use due to possible toxicity, FKC products can be used more safely until you regain your health. FKC products are often used proactively to maintain healthy joints.

Joint Again was designed to:

• Provide a synergistic blend of natural, powerful ingredients formulated to help build the connective tissue foundation of degraded joints.

• Infuse vitamin C for collagen building and prevention of joint infections.

• Infuse additional herbal components with proven anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce painful inflammation.

Please click on the ingredients below for a more detailed description of each ingredient. Some essential background information is provided for each ingredient. 

Quality
FKC uses the highest quality products and manufacturing. All FKChealth products are developed in the US and are manufactured in the US in accordance with the strictest FDA GMP regulations.

More Scientific Information Related to Joint Again

Joints Health Status in America:
Recent research released from the Arthritis Foundation of America show a serious problem with the joints health in adults. The annual cost of arthritis to the USA economy is $86 billion per year. The disease has disabled over 10 million people in America alone, affecting all ages, including children. In fact there are 300,000 children with arthritis. Women, unfortunately, are twice as likely to develop the disease as men. 

Reversing Arthritis: 
Arthritis is a degenerative disease indicative of the health of the afflicted individual. Even healthy people can have symptoms so minimal that it barely interferes with their lives. However, with proper nutrition and an active life style the disease can be tempered to a manageable level. It is true that some people inherit the predisposition to arthritis and it strikes them early in life. It is also true that many people with arthritis have remedied their disease with proper nutrition and a healthy life style. Just like most degenerative diseases, arthritis can often be treated. Replacement of missing nutrients essential for joints is the first key to recovery.
 

Joints Nutrition:
The health of joints is directly affected by the availability of nutrients used to build the structural components of a joint. When these nutrients are not adequately provided, the joints will suffer from gradual degradation. The joints typically cannot regenerate fast enough to keep the joint supple and functional.

Glucosamine is a fundamental and natural structural component in the cartilage of joints. Cartilage is composed of a mesh of collagen protein fibers and proteoglycan molecules hydrated with water. Proteoglycans are proteins extensively coated with sugar fibers. Proteoglycan sugar fibers are known as glycosaminoglycans which are long fibers of different sugars. Glucosamine is one these sugars. So, if we look at a joint at the molecular level under an electron microscope, we will see a forest of glucosamine fibers hydrated like a sponge with water. The water provides the cushion effect so that joints can withstand the tremendous pressures applied to them during physical movement every day.

For joints to be healthy they must always have enough glucosamine and water. A cell's natural ability to make glucosamine appears to deteriorate as we age. This aging begins in the early twenties and starts to manifest symptoms in the mid-thirties. A decrease in the quantity of glucosamine synthesized by cells will also decrease the quantity of water available in joints. The result is a degenerative weakening of joints which may be the root of joint disease. How early in life this insufficiency in glucosamine and water can start depends on genetic influences.

As the joints begin to degrade, an inflammation also develops. This inflammation is the beginning of arthritis and the pain experienced as one of the symptoms. As inflammation continues, the joints begin to by a chronically active inflammatory system which gradually destroys the structure of joints.

Inflammation of the joints can be reduced or eliminated with drugs or natural herbs. The choice is yours, toxic drugs that treat symptoms temporarily without healing or natural herbs that treat symptoms without toxicity and allow joints to heal themselves slowly and naturally. FKC subscribes to natural nutrients and herbs and we will only recommend what is natural and non-toxic.

Glucosamine supplementation can be effective in alleviating degenerating cartilage symptoms to the gradual decline in the aging body’s inability to build glucosamine. Since glucosamine is not naturally found in food it becomes an important supplement in older age or when arthritis strikes. In these cases, glucosamine is analogous to a vitamin, it can be provided as a nutraceuticalsupplement

SRI LANKA NEW -Wild park at  Ridiyagama Safari Park

It was a one-day trip to cover a holiday which fallen in middle of the week. 

Visit was multipurpose such as visit our friend’s homes, taste homemade “ruhunu meekiri” (Curd), have a sea bath in southern coast and last but not least to visit “Ridiyagama Safari Park”.

Park Entrance

Ridiyagama Safari Park is the latest tourist attraction in Walawe basin closed proximity to Ridiyagama Tank located nearly 250 k.m from the capital.

Map

These are the three routes shown in google map from Tangalle – RSP. We used route number 3 via Ambalantota on our arrival and route number 1 via Padalangala, Barawakumbuka, Wetiya Junction, Angunakolapelessa, Ranna on return trip.

Road conditions

Route No1 and Route No2            -              GOOD

Route No3                                     -              POOR (Ambalantota Ridiyagama section)

However, Route No3 is along the Ridiyagama Tank is a good experience. You can have a bath from the canal which take water out from the Ridiyagama Tank as villagers, that would be really enjoyable.

RSP

Its first phase has just commenced out and more facilities are yes to develop. Following sections are functioning right now.

Lions area                            - Around 8 lions live in the bounded area

Herbivores area                    - This is the richest section various type of deers, Zebra, Camel, donkey, hippopotamus  live there. It seems most of animals have well adopted to the environment as they live very freely as jungle.

RSP is bordered by Ridiyagama Tank

Elephants area                  - This area is still under construction. Four elephants live there under inspection of their masters.  These elephants are mainly from Pinnawala and Dehiwala national Zoological Garden. 

RSP operation

They use special bus service to provide rides to visitors. On busy days when demand increased they take additional busses outside (seems not a good approach) and allow private vehicles along with guides.

It takes around hour to complete the ride. In busy days you may need to wait in queue (max one hour) due to lack of busses.

Operational staff is young, friendly and helpful and guides are very resourceful, they increase the awareness of the visitors while making some fun out of it.

Photo Credit
Sajith Samarasena

Nearby Places

Madunagala buddhist hermitage and Madunagala hot water wells 

Afghan Vice-President Dostum accused of sex assault

 

A senior official in Afghanistan says he was violently kidnapped and sexually molested by Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum late last month.

The accusation came from Ahmad Eshchi, the former governor of General Dostum's home province of Jowzjan in the north.
He said the vice-president and 10 other men assaulted him while he was forcibly kept at the former warlord's residence for five days.
Gen Dostum described the accusation as a "provocation".

He said Mr Eshchi was detained not by him, but by the country's intelligence service - on charges of involvement in insecurity in Jowzjan.
The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised a thorough investigation into the accusations.
Both the European Union and the United States called for an investigation into the reported mistreatment of the former governor, who re-emerged on Saturday after disappearing for two weeks.
Gen Dostum is an ethnic Uzbek and a former warlord blamed for some of the worst atrocities in Afghanistan's long-running civil war. He joined the country's national unity government in 2014.

Trump picks climate sceptic Pruitt for environment chief

US President-elect Donald Trump will name an outspoken critic of President Obama's climate change policies to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, 48, is seen as an ally of the fossil fuel industry.

He has been a key player in legal challenges against EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.

Democrats and environmentalists in the US have expressed dismay, calling Mr Pruitt a climate change denier.

Mr Pruitt's appointment has not yet been formally announced, but Mr Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared to confirm it on Wednesday evening.

"Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record... We look forward to the confirmation hearings,'' she said.

• Trump: Time's Person of the Year
• The people around Donald Trump
• Five political minefields
• What is climate change?

What Scott Pruitt believes

Mr Pruitt has sued the EPA on several occasions, most recently over Mr Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

He called the move "an unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats' authority over states' energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power plants".

And, writing in the National Review in May, Mr Pruitt said of climate change: "That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind."

There is consensus among the majority of scientists in the field that carbon emissions from human activities are a key driver of rising temperatures and that the impact of climate change will be severe.

Mr Trump, in a speech on energy on the campaign trail in May, castigated the Obama administration's environmental initiatives. He promised to scrap "any regulation that is outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers, or contrary to the national interest".

He also pledged to "cancel" the Paris climate deal, which came into force in November. The landmark agreement commits governments to moving their economies away from fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions in a bid to contain global temperature rise.

But last month, in an apparent softening, he acknowledged in a meeting with the New York Times that there was "some connectivity" between human activity and climate change.