MI6 Man Padlocked in Bag

The inquest into the death of Gareth Williams, the MI6 employee found dead in his flat last week, was open and adjourned today, but not before we learned that his body was discovered in a large sports holdall which was locked by a padlock.

Mr Williams’s body was found on August 23rd after Police called at his residence to do a welfare check. Williams was an expert in codes, and was on secondment from  Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) with MI6 at the time of his death.

The speculation in the British newspapers over his private life, has caused distress to his family and was apparently based on information received from the Secret Intelligence service.

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman adjourned the inquest for a week.

Olympic Mascots Wenlock & Mandeville Revealed

The new London 2012 Olympic Mascots have ben revealed for the first time a few minutes ago. The figures designed by Iris Advertising are based on figures created from the to last drops of steel from the last girder for the Olympic stadium and have a backstory that will thrill children all over the globe with the hope that the mascots will not only make money for the London Games but will also inspire kids to take up sport. Read more

Cesc Arsenal Departure A Real Possibility

Every Arsenal supporter today feels the inevitable is about happen as Spanish football ace Cesc Fabregas is rumoured once more to be leaving the club for his boyhood home Barcelona FC. The midfield star is currently training in Spain but is due to be returning to the UK for talks with Arsene Wenger about his future in the English Premier League.
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Kanye West Death Hoax

Someone erroneously reported that Kanye West had been killed in a car crash yesterday on Twitter. “RIP Kanye West” is still trending on micro blogging social media site today. We can report that the rapper is ok, and has been online on his blog posting al day (does Kanye do his own blogging?). This latest ‘hoax story’ led to millions searching for Kanye death on Google in the USA last night and will probably carry on for a while as the rest of the world catches up.

This latest caper in a week were Twitter and other social media outlets such as Facebook have been instrumental in driving the news agenda, provoking a furious backlash against Daily Mail Columnist, Jan Moir, who’s column last Friday on the death of Boyzone star Stephen Gately, and the way in which it brought to light the Carter-Ruck injunction shows that information now moves at the speed of quick around the globe in a matter of hours.

Many news commentators this week have speculated that the ability of social media to distribute information has led to a culture of online bullying, however like most media, it depends on who’s driving the agenda. We would argue that these social media sites have led to the ability of the masses to respond and make their voices heard in a quicker more coherent fashion.

The furor over the Carter-Ruck injunction led to British citizens being made aware of so called ‘super injunctions’ whereby lawyers who have obtained injunctions against the reporting of court proceedings, can also obtain another injunction that prevents the injunction from being reported, thus court proceedings on affairs such as the one concerning the dumping of toxic waste by large corporations go un-reported and un-noticed by the world at large and it’s citizens.

One thing the twitters and searchers in the Kanye West death hoax have taught us though, is that people aren’t just willing to be spoonfed their information. They seek confirmation of the news, so don’t think, those of you would believe the internet is inhabited by mindless sheep, that this is so. Traditional media, government and corporations need to understand the power of social media, however what must be said is that the ‘flash’ moral outcry that occurs in the 24-48 hours after a major story breaks, needs, at least in the case of global concerns or campaigns, to be converted into long term commitments for change.

Michael Jackson Death Ruled Homicide

Micheal Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide by the authorities in Los Angeles. The source of the news comes from an unnamed source thought to be from within the Coroners office. The reports at this stage are unconfirmed by the Coroner, who have made no official statement. The LA county coroner reported that there were lethal levels of the anaesthetic propofol were found in his body.

Michael Jackson’s doctor, Dr Conrad Murray could potentially charged with manslaughter if this claim turns out to be try

Bolt Trounces Gay in World Final

Usain Bolt, the Jamaican Olympic champion trounced his main competition Tyson Gay in the final of the World Athletics tournament in Berlin last night in a world record time of 9.58 seconds. Usain Bolt, who broke his own world record last night crossed the line 2 meters of Gay who set a new all American record time of 9.71.

It was  a thrilling final in which 1st and 3rd place went to the Jamaicans, with Asafa Powell finally performing in a major championship. Bolt now runs in the 200m starting heatings this evening in Berlin Germany.

Swine Flu Alert

Around 80 people have died in an outbreak of Swine Flu that has hit Mexico over the past few days. Over 1000 people are thought to have been infected with swine flu, with the infections spreading to the US, Britain and other parts of the world. There is worrying news that experts fear the flu could reach pandemic proportions as the infection rate of the disease is thought to be high.

The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak, and many public buildings have been closed in an attempt to contain the swine flu outbreak. In the United States around 20 people have been infected in areas of New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and Califonia. Officials fear of the spead of the infection have declared a public emergency so that they can prepare their reponse should their worst fears be recognised.

In Britain, health minister Alan Johnson, says Britain has stockpiles of flu treatment and that the UK is well placed to respond should the infection spread there. Two people, thought to have recently returned from Mexico, have been admitted to hospital in Scotland with symptoms of Swine Flu.

People are most at risk from catching this H1N1 virus, from coughing or sneezing. It is not thought that you can catch it from infected meat. Precautions such as flu masks will help decrease the risk of infection. In Mexico, police officers wearing flu masks were on patrol, in the region where the infections have been high. Symptoms are similar to regular flu, with sore throats, fever and fatigue.

Safety measures include wearing flu masks and monitoring body temperature in order to first detect signs that a person may be infected.

WHO Update on Swine Flu Outbreak

The World Health Organization has posted an update on the outbreak of the flu virus A(H1N1) on their epidemic and pandemic alert website stating that as of today there had been 40 confirmed cases of swine flu infection in the USA, and 26 confirmed cases in Mexico. In the US there has been no reported deaths, whilst the time of the report there have been seven reported deaths in Mexico. Other confirmed cases have been reported in Canada and Spain.

According to the WHO Website, the outbreak of swine flu is ‘evolving rapidly’, and whilst they have not recommended any border closure or international travel restrictions, they have advised people who are unwell to delay international travel. In addition those who have just returned from international travel who are feeling ill are advised to seek out medical attention as soon as possible.

If you require more information and guidance on what precautions you may take to avoid contracting the swine flu, then WHO have guidance notes on their Swine Influenza website.

Alan Shearer To Manage Newcastle

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has agreed to take control of Newcastle United football club for the remaining eight games of the season. The team are currently sitting third from the bottom of the Premier League table and Alan Shearer is chalked in to handle the remaining games in the season in a bid to keep the club in the Premiership.

Alan Shearer is Newcastle United’s, all time highest scorer and his is loved by the fans of the club. Although he has no management experience, it is hoped that he will be able to command the respect of the players and keep the football team in the top flight for another season

Apple Launches New Shuffle

Apple has announced it’s newest toy, the third generation iPod Shuffle™. Available in the US and UK, the new model is about the size of a small throw away lighter, and features no buttons on the front, instead controlled using Apple’s remote control headphones.

1.8″ tall x 0.3″ thin, this new generation iPod Shuffle has a 4GB capacity (holding up to 1,000 songs and features a new ‘Voiceover’ feature that will tell you the name of the song you’re listening to.

Unlike previous versions, this iPod Shuffle cannot be plugged into your home stereo or car through the headphone/line-in socket as there is no way to control the iPod unless you are using the headphones that come with it, otherwise the new iPod shuffle looks very much like it will be a hit with iPod fans.

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