A survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing has posted an open letter to bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on her Facebook page, just hours after testifying on the first day of the 21-year-old's trial. Rebekah Gregory, 27, from Houston, Texas, lost half of her left leg after 18 surgeries following the April 15, 2013 blast. She and her 5-year-old son, Noah, had been watching her boyfriend's mother compete in the race when the explosion occurred. Scroll down for video . Rebekah Gregory, pictured left in a courtroom sketch from Wednesday, who lost half of her left leg as a result of the bomb, wrote a lengthy Facebook post in which she said seeing Tsarnaev in court had helped her realize she isn't afraid anymore . On Wednesday night she wrote a lengthy post in which she said seeing Tsarnaev in court had helped her come to terms with what happened that fateful day. 'TODAY...I looked at you right in the face....and realized I wasn't afraid anymore,' Gregory wrote. 'And today I realized that sitting across from you was somehow the crazy kind of step forward that I needed all along.' The emotional letter has been shared more than 2,500 times and received over 11,000 'likes' within hours of being posted. Earlier Ms Gregory had told the court that the last thing she remembered before the explosion was entertaining Noah who was bored watching the runners. She said that the force of the blast had thrown her backwards and immediately she began looking for her son - but realized she had bones sticking out of her legs and arms and flesh hanging from her body. 'My bones were lying next to me on the sidewalk,' Gregory recalled during her testimony in federal court in Boston. 'I felt that was the day I would die.' Ms Gregory's boyfriend Pete DiMartino, 30, was also present at the bombing and suffered a shattered ankle, a ruptured eardrum, and lost his right Achilles tendon in the blast . She told the court that she could hear Noah screaming 'mommy' and asked God to take her but not her son. Ms Gregory began to weep as she said that as she scanned for Noah, she saw the body of Krystle Campbell lying behind her. She recalled that an emergency responder told her she was going to be OK then yelled: 'We have an amputee!' Several jurors were close to tears as Ms Gregory told the court that she still has shrapnel in her body and each time a piece works its way to the surface, she will have an operation. Her son Noah suffered a shrapnel injury to his leg and head. Ms Gregory was shown a photo in court in which she was able to identify herself and her family with bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, standing directly behind. Ms Gregory's boyfriend Pete DiMartino, 30, was also present and suffered a shattered ankle, a ruptured eardrum, and lost his right Achilles tendon in the blast. The couple announced last month that they have separated after just 10 months of marriage. Gregory and DiMartino announced last month that they have separated after just 10 months of marriage, left, while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is on trail for his role in the marathon blast on April 15, 2013 . Despite getting married and staying together as Gregory had her leg amputated, the couple have decided to part ways citing irreparable strain, The People reported. Gregory, who struggled her way down the aisle after learning to walk again following the amputation, told The People: 'After the decision was made to amputate my leg in November, I found myself having to make an even more painful choice – to separate from my husband Pete. 'Over the last several months I've come to realize that going through such a horrific event together put a fast-forward on our relationship that we each handled differently. 'While my heart is beyond broken, I have a certain peace knowing from day one, I truly gave it my all, and have been fully invested in keeping this marriage, and my commitment before God. 'I still love Pete with all of my heart and ask that everyone respect our privacy as we try to figure out our next steps. 'As for now, I am focused on doing what I feel is best for my son and I, and will concentrate my time on healing, both physically and emotionally.' The couple had a fairytale wedding, documented on the season finale of TLC's popular reality show, Say Yes To The Dress. They wed in Asheville, North Carolina, in April last year then moved to Houston, Texas. Seeing Tsarnaev in court had helped her realize she isn't afraid of him anymore, wrote Rebekah Gregory . Dear Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, . My name is Rebekah Gregory. We don't really know each other and never will. But over the last two years, I have seen your face not only in pictures, but in almost every one of my nightmares. Moments before the first blast, your stupid backpack even brushed up against my arm, but I doubt you remember because I am no one to you. A complete stranger. And although I was merely just a blip on your radar, (someone that happened to be standing 3 feet from your designated 'good spot' for a bomb), you have been so much more to me. Because you have undoubtedly been my source of fear since April 15th, 2013. (After all, you are one of the men responsible for nearly taking my child, and for the permanent image embedded in my brain of watching someone die.) Up until now, I have been truly scared of you and because of this, fearful of everything else people might be capable of. But today, all that changed. Because this afternoon, I got to walk into a courtroom and take my place at the witness stand, just a few feet away from where you were sitting. (I was WALKING. Did you get that?) And today I explained all the horrific details, of how you changed my life, to the people that literally hold YOURS in their hands. That's a little scary right? And this afternoon before going in, I'm not going to lie..my palms were sweaty. And sitting up there talking to the prosecution did make me cry. But today, do you know what else happened? TODAY...I looked at you right in the face....and realized I wasn't afraid anymore. And today I realized that sitting across from you was somehow the crazy kind of step forward that I needed all along. And I think that's the ironic thing that happens when someone intends something for evil. Because somehow, some way, it always ends up good. But you are a coward. A little boy who wouldn't even look me in the eyes to see that. Because you can't handle the fact that what you tried to destroy, you only made stronger. And if your eyes would've met mine for just one second, you would've also seen that what you 'blew up' really did BLOW UP. Because now you have given me (and the other survivors) a tremendous platform to help others, and essentially do our parts in changing the world for the better. So yes...you did take a part of me. Congratulations you now have a leg up...literally. But in so many ways, you saved my life. Because now, I am so much more appreciative of every new day I am given. And now, I get to hug my son even tighter than before, blessed that he is THRIVING, despite everything that has happened. So now...while you are sitting in solitary confinement, (awaiting the verdict on your life), I will be actually ENJOYING everything this beautiful world has to offer. And guess what else? I will do so without fear....of YOU. Because now to me you're a nobody, and it is official that you have lost. So man that really sucks for you bro. I truly hope it was worth it. Sincerely, . Someone you shouldn't have messed with . #bostonstrong .

Rebekah Gregory, 27, wrote that seeing Tsarnaev in court had helped her realize she isn't afraid of him anymore . Her lost half of her left leg after 18 surgeries following the April 15, 2013 marathon blast . 'Today I realized that sitting across from you was somehow the crazy kind of step forward that I needed all along,' she wrote . Earlier in the day in court she had wept as she recalled seeing a death body in the aftermath of the deadly blast .

 Gregory's emotional post was published on Sunday, and was shared by a friend via Facebook. "Dzhokhar I hope you know that I am trying to love you. I am praying for you to have peace," Gregory wrote. "I want you to have peace for two reasons," she added. "Because I want you to know peace. And because I don't want you to go to hell. But more importantly, I have learned there is only one thing that is impossible for God, and that's to heal my heart." 'Never coming home' Tsarnaev faces 30 federal charges in his alleged role in the Boston Marathon bombings which killed three people and wounded more than 260 others on 15 April 2013.
His trial opened in Boston on 10 June, and began with dramatic opening statements from the attorneys. Judge George A O'Toole dismissed the jury and ended the trial's first day, having heard 14 hours of opening arguments. Judge O'Toole told the jury that the evidence against Tsarnaev "is overwhelming" and that they are in a "unique position". "We are all members of the same community; the victims, the survivors, the family members who lost loved ones, the survivors," he said. O'Toole also warned the jury about a "lurking cloud" that Tsarnaev would use his religion as an "excuse" for the attack, citing a "quote by Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda" that called America an "evil" and "cursed" nation because it does not give Muslims rights they feel they deserve. 'Unspeakable evil' "In this case, that quote is used to advance Mr Tsarnaev's case, an argument that he is a good Muslim. He is not. He is an evil person, an evildoer who committed an unspeakable evil," O'Toole said. "He is an evil person, a evildoer, an evildoer who must be punished accordingly," he added. O'Toole ended by saying that "the government will prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt every single act of murder and bombing in this case".
O'Toole's warning came after an emotional day in the courtroom. During the opening statement, Assistant Attorney General John P Simm - the first of six people to speak - held


The need to anoint Lionel Messi the greatest player there has ever been every time he has a good game is becoming rather tedious. Yes, Messi is a genius. Every time I see him play live, it is a privilege. I try to make sure the memories are burned into my consciousness. He is the kind of player who lifts the spirit with everything he does. He is a quite prodigious goalscorer, a wizard of a dribbler and a provider for others. And yes, he was mesmerising against Manchester City at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night. The way he nutmegged James Milner, the way he turned Bacary Sagna before Joe Hart saved from him at point-blank range, the caressed curling ball to Ivan Rakitic for the Barcelona winner. It was all magical. It is normal for people to want to believe that what they are witnessing has never been matched before. ‘Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home,’ said Arsene Wenger once, and now everybody believes there has never been a footballer as pretty as Messi. Lionel Messi showcases his magnificent ball control with an audacious nutmeg of James Milner . Messi renders Bacary Sagna to the status of an open-mouthed ball-watcher during another masterclass . Messi awaits the ball as he inspired the Catalan club to reach another Champions Leauge last eight . Messi forces his way past Aleksandar Kolarov and Fernandinho during Barcelona's cruise against City . What saddens me about the relentless championing of Messi, though, is that the idea there has never been anyone to match him has become such an aggressive orthodoxy. Any dissent is met with untrammelled scorn and dismissive disbelief. It is as though Messi has become a god and the idea that he might have a rival is sacrilege. As a football fan, I worship Messi, too, but I don’t think he’s the best there’s ever been. It’s too early for that. He’s only 27 but he has not yet achieved what many of the other greats of the game achieved, either for club or country. A graphic circulated on social media recently that showed all the records Messi had broken. La Liga top goal-scorer, Barcelona top goalscorer, Champions League top goalscorer. The list goes on. It’s breathtaking. But individual stats are not everything. Sport, ultimately, is about winning things. If you are a great individual player, there is a wider test of greatness in inspiring your team to win trophies. In the argument about football’s best ever, Messi is vulnerable here. Pele, for instance, scored 1,000 goals in his career. But the test of his greatness was that he won the World Cup three times with Brazil. Three times over a 12-year span. It might have been four if he had not been hacked out of the 1966 tournament. Messi has never been able to lift Argentina to a World Cup victory as Diego Maradona, another rival for the ‘best ever’, did in 1986. At last year’s tournament in Brazil, where Argentina made the final, Messi produced some wonderful moments but he was not even his team’s best player. Javier Mascherano and Angel di Maria shared that honour. Pele is hoisted aloft after winning his third World Cup in 1970 with that peerless Brazil side . Diego Maradona lifted Argentina to their second World Cup in eight years with his tour de force in Mexico . Messi reached the World Cup final with Argentina but was unable to grab the game by the scruff of the neck . Messi and Pep Guardiola embrace after winning the Champions League in Rome against Manchester United . Messi’s zealous champions point out, with some justification, that international football is not as prestigious or as important as it was a few decades ago. That ignores the fact that most players would still consider winning the World Cup the pinnacle of their careers. But it is true that the club game has risen in influence and players’ priorities have changed. Messi is vulnerable in this regard, too, though. He has played for Barcelona, the team almost universally regarded as the outstanding side of the last decade and yet, remind me, how many Champions League titles has he won? That’s right. Two. The Champions League is now seen as the ultimate test of a player’s greatness and Messi has only won it twice. It is still a fantastic achievement but it seems like an anomaly for someone who is supposed to be the best ever, especially when you consider the achievements of others. Paolo Maldini won it five times, Raul won it three times, Clarence Seedorf won it four times with three different clubs. In its incarnation as the European Cup, other greats like Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff won it three times. Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo di Stefano, two more players that some old fuddy-duddies think were the best they ever saw, won the European Cup eight times between them. Real Madrid's Raymond Kopa (left) holds the European Cup as team-mate Alfredo Di Stefano looks on . Johan Cruyff, Barry Hulshoff and Johan Neeskens are in jubilant form after Ajax's 1973 win over Juventus . A fresh-faced Raul aped a matador's passes with a large Spanish flag following Real Madrid's win at Hampden . Clarence Seedorf flashes a trademark grin as he celebrates his second Champions League win with AC Milan . Carlo Ancelotti's side arrive back in Milan with Paolo Maldini (right) getting his hands on a fifth European Cup . We all have our own ideas of what constitutes beauty in football and Messi fits all of mine. But if I had to single out the most beautiful thing I have seen in the game, it would be Brazil’s fourth goal in the 1970 World Cup final. In particular, it would be Pele’s part in it. The way he stops the ball from Jairzinho, waits and then strokes it into the path of Carlos Alberto. It was the stunning simplicity of it. It epitomised the way a man who was also a genius was ready to subvert himself to the team ethic. Pele’s the best for me but I won’t pour scorn on you if you stick with Messi. Just remember that in the same way English football did actually exist before the Premier League, great players populated our game long before Lionel Messi walked this earth. Red Bull should stop moaning and build a better car . When McLaren won 15 of the 16 races in the 1988 Formula One season, I don’t remember Frank Williams bleating about how unfair it was. I don’t remember Williams demanding instant redress when Alain Prost won the first race for McLaren at Jacarepaguá in Brazil. I don’t remember Williams saying that because McLaren’s Honda engine was so powerful, it should be hobbled in some way. I don’t remember him demanding that the FIA do something about it because he hadn’t done as good a job as McLaren had. The preponderant McLaren team celebrate Ayrton Senna's title in 1988 after an utterly dominant season . Williams was always a bit of a stoic like that. He usually worked on the basis that he didn’t get mad, he got even. How outdated that kind of attitude seems in the sport now after Red Bull’s astonishing reaction to Lewis Hamilton’s victory for Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last weekend. We have grown used to Premier League managers throwing their toys out of their prams after a defeat, but what happened in Australia really was a spectacular tantrum. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is an intelligent man but his suggestion that the Mercedes’ engine should be ‘equalised’ in some way did him few favours. And the threat of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz that he might quit the sport was laughably petulant. This is a team, don’t forget, who exerted their own stranglehold on F1 for four years. They won 13 of 19 races two seasons ago. Christian Horner (left) and Dietrich Mateschitz were not so stony-faced when Red Bull were won every race . Now they have discovered they do not have a monopoly on winning, they want to walk away. It’s pathetic. Fortunes fluctuate in sport. Look at McLaren Honda now. The days of Prost and Ayrton Senna sweeping all before them are a distant memory. So good luck to Mercedes. They have done a brilliant job and now they are reaping the rewards. Good luck to Hamilton, too. F1 has always been about the battle to get in the best car and after years of watching Sebastian Vettel winning in the Red Bull, now it’s Hamilton’s turn. I’m with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on this one. The others should stop moaning and try to get better. Generally, that’s supposed to be what sport is about. Rory McIlroy is the face of golf now but the sport in the US still has a little work to do when it comes to name recognition. As McIlroy and his group walked up the 18th fairway at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday afternoon, the officials put his name up on a board on the far side of the green. Rory McIlroy's name wreaked havoc with the scoreboard operators at the Arnold Palmer Invitational . First, it read ‘McElroy’. After a couple of minutes, they realised the mistake. There was a hasty rearrangement of letters until it read ‘McLlroy’. They got it right the third time and the crowd in the stand overlooking the green serenaded them with ironic cheers.

Yes, Messi is a genius. Every time I see him play live, it is a privilege . And yes, he was mesmerising against Manchester City at the Nou Camp . What saddens me about the relentless championing of Messi, though, is that the idea there has never been anyone to match him has become such an aggressive orthodoxy . It is as though Messi has become a god and the idea that he might have a rival is sacrilege . As a football fan, I worship Messi, too, but I don’t think he’s the best there’s ever been. It's too early for that .

 sure that my wife and my son are there to watch too. This does not mean that I think he is better than Maradona. And it does not mean that I am suggesting that Messi is more gifted than Maradona. It means that Maradona is the best player that has ever played the game but so is Messi. As a player, Messi is in a different league to everyone else and is clearly the greatest player since we started playing football. Yes, I can say with some confidence that Maradona’s performance against England at Wembley (which we won 1-0) was the greatest display in a World Cup match ever - and arguably the best ever. But it is not a coincidence that Messi’s generation is starting to break all of Maradona’s records.
Maradona had a genius ability. There is no other explanation for the number of goals and moments of sheer brilliance that Maradona conjured up every game. In 1979, Maradona scored an incredible goal in the Argentinian league to prove that he was the best player in the world at the time, scoring from inside his own half past one of the greatest keepers in the world, Claudio Taffarel. At the time, the Argentinian league did not have a relegation so everyone wanted the title. There was even a lottery to decide who gets relegated at the end of the season as everyone wanted to be promoted the next season. When Maradona did this goal in front of everyone in the country, a young Ronaldo was in the audience. Maradona was 22 years old. The goal was so good that Ronaldo said that was the best he had seen.
This is what makes Maradona and Messi different. Maradona did this kind of thing over and over again for many years. In 1986, Maradona scored the only goal of the game against England in the final of the World Cup after some magic tricks against Gordon Banks. Maradona was 26 years old. Maradona had done this kind of thing since he was 14 – just over a year after Pele first did his famous ‘waving at the pitch’. In this period, Maradona played 23 matches for Argentina and scored 36 goals. Maradona won the Copa America in 1986, the World Cup in 1986, he won the Golden Ball in 1986 and finished second on the Ballon d’Or


A man who wears a nappy every day and has caused controversy for running a nursery for adults has appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show to defend his right to dress up as a baby. Derek Ventham, 52, and his wife Maxine appeared on the ITV show today to explain how the service they offer - and Derek's penchant for nappies - is not sexually motivated. Derek said: 'I'm like any other person, I get up, have breakfast and go to work. I have to wear a nappy all the time as I suffer from incontinence.' Scroll down for video . Derek Ventham appeared on today's Jeremy Kyle Show to talk about why he wears nappies . The 52-year-old, pictured wearing a nappy, said dressing up as a baby is not a sexual fetish. He said he wears nappies because he's incontinent and because he's 'fascinated' by them . However Derek admitted he would still wear a nappy if he didn't suffer from incontinence or wet the bed - because it's something he has done since he was a teenager. He explained: 'This was a liking I've had since I was seven, a fascination for nappies. It's not sexual.' Derek and Maxine now live in Liverpool where they run 'Nursery Thymes', a place where  adults can regress back to an infant-like state in which they wear nappies, have books read to them and even experience a nappy change. The couple had lived in Portsmouth but were forced to move after they were branded 'perverts' by their neighbours following Derek's appearance on Channel 4 documentary The 15-Stone Babies in 2012. Derek and his wife Maxine, right, run an adult nursery and told Kyle, left, on the show that 'don't force this on anyone, we keep it private and hidden' On the show, Derek had explained his love of dressing up and acting like a baby and was filmed having a nappy changed by his wife. He said on the show that people who call him a paedophile and a pervert have got his interest all wrong. He said: 'We don't want to be with children, we want to be the child.' Despite his recent TV appearances, Derek told Jeremy Kyle that they don't 'force this on anyone, we keep it private and hidden'. Maxine said they shouldn't be judged for their adult nursery which is used by people from all walks of life . Derek pictured dressed up as a baby on a Channel 4 documentary The 15-Stone Babies in 2012. He and Maxine had to move from their home in Portsmouth after the show aired because they were receiving abuse . They say business is booming at their adult nursery where customers are charged £75 an hour to play with toys, have nap time in adult-size cribs and dress up in nappies and children's clothes. There is a £25 surplus charge for a nappy change while staying overnight costs £350. 'Mummy Maxine' and 'Daddy Derek' explain on their website: 'We are nursery-thymes, we have been running our nursery for 14 years. We look after adult babies in our adult sized nursery, we look after you the way you want and cater your stay to the care you want. The couple's nursery where adults can dress up in children's clothes, left, and sit in a high chair, right . An overnight stay at Nursery Thymes with a night in a cot, pictured, costs £350 . 'Sitting in the high chair being fed by mummy or having your nappy changed in the big cot, we have lots of cuddly toys to play with, come along and relax in a warm friendly atmosphere, let us make your dreams come true. You must be over 18 too visit our nursery.' The couple say their clients come from all walks of life and some like to pretend to be a baby to get away from the stresses of everyday life. For others, the regression is a chance to deal with past childhood traumas. Maxine told Kyle: 'There is a stigma about what we do and people have an opinion and think you are a pervert. 'We are normal working people who happen to like to dress in a certain way, each to their own.'

Derek Ventham and his wife Maxine appeared on Jeremy Kyle Show . The 52-year-old says he wears a nappy as he's incontinent . But he's also 'fascinated' with dressing as a baby . Runs a nursery for adults with Maxine in Liverpool .

 on the ITV show after she gave birth to their child. The couple from London, run the Baby Day Nursery which employs adult carers in nappies and pull-ups to look after adults with learning difficulties and autism.
It was described by the programme as Britain’s “weirdest nursery” with the children aged 20 to 59 years old.
But the show was criticised by viewers who described the nursery and its workers as a “disgrace” and “perverse” on social media.
But the couple defended their unusual methods and insisted there is a huge demand for their “unique services”.
The show was broadcast yesterday and the programme’s website was already full of comments from the public after the show aired.
One viewer wrote: “The presenter asked whether these people were the best place to work for carers.
“The woman who runs the show said they were, and she also said they had a ‘fantastic turnover’.
READ MORE: Derek Ventham: How long is The Jeremy Kyle Show on for and what is it about?
But the next comment was a warning.
“The Jeremy Kyle Show said the workers had a ‘fantastic turnover’.
“I was a nursery worker for 25 years, worked with special needs children most of my career.
“I now work in schools. I am aware of several cases of people working in ‘nurseries’ such as these.
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“When you read things like this, please remember that these ‘workers’ are NOT teachers and are NOT qualified nursery staff, many of them are NOT registered with the Care Quality Commission either.
“The majority of the workers do not have any qualifications in SEN (Special Educational Needs) whatsoever.
“I worked with people with very special needs, from profoundly autistic children through to those with complex needs and learning difficulties.”
Another said: “The ‘nursery’ is run by a deranged middle aged woman who has multiple failed child minding businesses running and (as reported) abusing her adult child carer ‘workers’.”
A third wrote:


The UCI will publish the Cycling Independent Reform Commission's report into whether the world governing body was complicit in past doping practices on Monday. The investigation centred on the UCI's dealings with doping findings and allegations during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including its handling of claims against Lance Armstrong, who has since admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. A statement on uci.ch read: 'The Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report has been delivered to the UCI president (Brian Cookson). Cyclists ride at the start of the 'Omloop Het Nieuwsblad' race in Belgium on February 28 . The Cycling Independent Reform Commission report has been delivered to UCI president Brian Cookson . 'The UCI will publish the report in the early hours of Monday, March 9, 2015. Until then, we will not make any comment on the report.' CIRC was a key part of Cookson's campaign pledge ahead of his election as UCI president in September 2013. Last month the Briton warned of some 'uncomfortable reading' ahead. 'We should all prepare ourselves for that,' Cookson said. 'When you open a can of worms, you find a lot of worms. It's going to be very interesting to see.' He also promised transparency, where legally possible. He added: 'We're not going to get into a FIFA-type situation of arguing about the report. 'If they want to redact anything, they can redact it. They may well give us some unredacted information as well, but the report that they give us will be the report that they say is able to go into the public domain.' The investigation centred on the UCI's dealings with doping findings and allegations during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including its handling of claims against Lance Armstrong, who has since admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs . CIRC was established in January 2014, with its terms of reference announced the following month. CIRC is independent from the UCI, chaired by Switzerland's former state prosecutor Dick Marty and included Peter Nicholson, an Australian who has investigated war crimes for the United Nations. Professor Ulrich Haas from Germany, a specialist in anti-doping rules who works for the Court of Arbitration for Sport, is the third person on the commission. The key to the commission's success may hinge on whether Cookson's predecessors agreed to give evidence. Pat McQuaid, the UCI president from 2005 to 2013, has declined to comment either way when asked if he had spoken to CIRC by Press Association Sport. Pat McQuaid, the UCI president from 2005 to 2013, has declined to comment either way . Hein Verbruggen, who was UCI president at the time of the Armstrong's seven Tour de France wins, was accused of helping to cover up a positive test by Armstrong, but has consistently denied the allegations. Armstrong stated in an interview with the BBC last month that he had given evidence to CIRC, although whether it reveals anything new or more than the United States Anti-doping Agency report which led to his downfall remains to be seen. CIRC has the power to reduce sanctions, but whether Armstrong has done enough to see his life ban from competitive sport lessened remains to be seen. Chris Froome, the 2013 Tour de France champion, this week revealed he had spoken to CIRC. 'I sat down with CIRC after the end of the season last year and spent a good few hours with them, just talking about the state of the sport and how, from a rider's point of view, they can try to improve on things,' Froome told the Daily Mail. 'I think the sport is definitely making a lot of headway in trying to improve its image and and putting the past behind us' Whether the CIRC report does enough to leave the past behind in a sport which is still beset by doping remains to be seen.

UCI will publish the Cycling Independent Reform Commission's report into whether the world governing body was complicit in past doping practices . The investigation centred on the UCI's dealings with doping findings and allegations during the late 1990s and early 2000s .

1990s and early 2000s, including a report on the blood-doping practices at the Festina team and in the laboratory of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes.
The report will be published simultaneously by WADA and by the World Anti-Doping Agency in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the UCI will hold a press conference at WADA headquarters in a few hours to address its findings and to allow questions from the media. The UCI declined to make a copy of the report available to the media before publication, but said the 100-page report will provide an "incisive and critical analysis" of the UCI's activities during a period that saw the rise of the Festina and other doping scandals at the highest level of the sport, when the governing body was led by a number of high-profile and controversial figures.
It will also be published on the UCI's website at 16:00 CET.
The UCI confirmed to ESPN.com that the report would include "some 200 pages" from the case file of Lance Armstrong on its activities during that period. Armstrong is not named in the report, but his case file was among those leaked to the French sports daily L'Equipe late last year. Armstrong's biological passport was set up in 2009, four years after the publication of the Commission's report that outlined doping practices in the world cycling peloton, when the 2005 study into doping at the Tour de France first revealed widespread drug use.
As reported by ESPN.com last month, a report that would have named a "significant" number of riders has been excluded from the published findings of the CIRC by WADA.
CIRC had investigated Armstrong's case with a view to revoking his seven Tour de France titles, plus all the other results he won between 1999 and 2005 – he had already been stripped of his 2004 and 2006 titles. In February, the UCI's legal counsel, Yvon Laroche, wrote to the CIRC about the possibility of legal action to get those results returned.
According to The Sunday Times, it is those results that will not be named in the report, as a compromise between WADA and the UCI.
CIRC had made recommendations on several cases, including the removal of race organisers from organising cycling events, and the introduction of an independent committee to oversee the results of anti-d


People around the United States have rallied behind a 19-year-old Air Foce cadet who is in critical condition after having a massive heart attack while at a gym in her hometown. Since Hailey Lane suffered a heart attack at ACAC gym in Midlothian, Virginia, during her spring break on March 23, people posted pictures and messages on social media with the hashtag, #WeAreHaileystrong. Hailey was without a pulse for 20 minutes while a nurse employed by ACAC and an anesthesiologist who happened to be at the gym tried to revive her. Unexpected: Hailey Lane, 19, suffered a massive heart attack on March 23 while working out at ACAC gym in Midlothian, Virginia, during her spring break. She is still on life support but recovering and beginning to open her eyes . Doctors eventually restarted her heard at Chippenham Hospital, but her kidneys failed several times, according to WTVR. Hailey and her twin sister, Savannah Lane will be celebrating their 20th birthday on Friday. The second-year Air Force Academy cadet, who is an Academic All-Americans honored swimmer, was stabilized and transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University's Health Center last week. She remains connected to an EMCO machine, which helps her breath and pumps her heart, which was originally at five per cent and had improved to 35 per cent. Doctors hope to take Hailey off of life support on Tuesday as her body continues to recover. Though she hasn't gained full consciousness, Savannah Lane said that she has opened her eyes and responds to familiar voices. Hope: Staff at ACAC gym, where Hailey had the heart attack, wore yellow and posted a photo on Twitter with a sign reading 'We Are Hailey Strong' to support the woman's recovery . Recovery: Hailey, who is in her second year at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, has received support from across the nation during her recovery. Al Roker blew her a kiss during the Today Show after hearing her story . But doctors warn that Hailey, who is on dialysis, could lose part of her leg because of blood-pressure issues and that it is too soon to determine the extent of damage to her heart and body. Hailey's family said her sudden collapse was a total shock because she has always been athletic and driven. Doctors will soon run tests to see if an unknown condition is in the family. The Lane family - consisting of Hailey, her twin Savannah, a set of older twins, a ten-year-old brother and parents Brigid and Dennis Lane, have been overwhelmed by the nation's support. The social media campaign, #WeAreHaileyStrong' calls for people so say prayers and send messages for Hailey. Savannah described her sister as 'My sweet sweet angel. My soldier. My twin' in an Instagram post. National support: The Arizona Diamondbacks also posted a picture to support Hailey. They held signs in their team photo that read 'We Are Hashtag Hailey Strong' One of Hailey's friends talked about what she was going though on the Today Show, and Al Roker blew a kiss to Hailey. Several universities, including University of Virginia, James Madison University and Liberty University have posted messages. Swim teams from Duke University, University of North Carolina, University of South Carolina, University of Southern Carolina also posted pictures showing support. Even the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team posted a photo showing sings that read 'Hailey Strong'. The staff from ACAC, where Hailey collapsed, will wear yellow on Tuesday to show support. Camaraderie: Cadets at West Point - a fellow military academy - showed support by wearing yellow and posting a picture for Hailey during her recovery .

Hailey Lane was at a gym in Midlothian, Virginia, when she had heart attack . She was without a pulse for 20 minutes before she was revived . She remains on life support but is recovering and opening her eyes . Since the March 23 incident, people have posted pictures and messages on social media with the hashtag, #WeAreHaileystrong . She and her twin sister Savannah Lane turn 20 on Friday .

 in Chesapeake on Thursday, she has been put into a medically induced coma to help her brain heal.
The Virginia Air Force Academy cadet reportedly went into cardiac arrest after working out and collapsed on the gym’s treadmill at the ACAC (Aerospace Community Action Corp.) gym in Chesapeake.
After her collapse, she was treated by a medical professional on-site before being rushed to a local hospital where she was put into an induced coma.
Air Force officials have said that the cadet suffered a “medical condition” at the gym and was in stable condition while doctors work to treat her injury.
The cadet was said to be in stable condition at the hospital on Saturday, but she has since been downgraded to critical status, according to her Instagram page.
On Friday, the University said in a statement: ‘The United States Air Force Academy extends our thoughts and prayers to 1st Lt. Hailey Lane and her family on this very difficult and challenging day. Lt. Lane is a talented Airmen and we ask that you keep her in your prayers while she continues to recover in the hospital.”
The University has not yet commented on her condition.
Since news broke that Hailey was in critical condition, people on social media have rallied around the injured cadet and some have come forward to share her inspiring story.
One of them included her dad, who shared an update about his daughter.
On Thursday, Lieutenant Lane’s father, Col. Jason Lane posted on his Facebook page thanking people for their well wishes, but also made an appeal for privacy during his daughter’s recovery.
He said: “Thank you to all the kind people who have sent so many warm words for my daughter! Hailey continues to fight for her life but she needs a little bit of privacy right now. We are with her, praying, and awaiting the medical team’s assessment of her situation. In the meantime, we ask you all to keep your prayers and positive vibes coming to all our warriors!”
Col Lane then posted an updated status later saying that her daughter is “fighting like a champ”.
He posted a short video from the hospital of Hailey lying in bed that has been viewed more than 150,000 times.
This morning, Hailey’s mother, Tammy Lane, posted an update on her daughter’s condition saying the family “continue[s] to ask for your continued prayers and positive thoughts for Hailey’s recovery”.
Tammie wrote: “


A dying father known as 'napkin dad' for his daily heartfelt notes to his daughter, has celebrated seeing her achieve another milestone: making her high school varsity softball team. Garth Callaghan, 45, from Glen Allen, Virginia, has been writing short messages on napkins for his daughter Emma, 15, since she was in kindergarten - and now she looks forward to them every day. The heartwarming ritual has scored him a book deal and a movie is said to be in the works too. This week the doting father-of-one - who has stage four kidney cancer - uploaded a snapshot to Facebook revealing his latest note, reading: 'Dear Emma, I'm so proud that you made the varsity softball team. I can't wait till your first game!' Scroll down for video . Doting dad: Garth Callaghan, 45, from Glen Allen, Virginia, has been writing short messages on napkins for his daughter Emma, 15, since she was in kindergarten - and now she looks forward to them every day . Heartwarming ritual: This week the doting father-of-one, who has prostate and kidney cancer, uploaded this snapshot to Facebook revealing his latest note . Garth says doctors do not know how long he has to live but he's determined to remain strong. 'My goal is to actually write notes for my grandkids and I can't think of a better thing to fight for every single day.' Emma says that she also maintains a positive attitude when it comes to her father's illness. 'I don't even really think about the fact he has cancer too much because he's so present and always there.' The note-writing has long been a tradition in the Callaghan household; it began when Garth worked a busy sales job in Emma's elementary school days and wouldn't see her often. Battling on: Garth says doctors do not know how long he has to live but he's determined to remain strong . Source of support: Emma says that she also maintains a positive attitude when it comes to her father's illness . Long-running: The note-writing has long been a tradition in the Callaghan household . Thoughtful gesture: It began when Garth worked a busy sales job in Emma's elementary school days and wouldn't see her often . Daily dose: So that she always knew her father was thinking of her, Garth would write the notes - which were then just hearts, stars and simple words - and include them in her lunch box . Still going strong: But over the years, the notes have developed into words of advice or of encouragement on test days, and by the time she was about eight, Emma had come to expect the memos . So that she always knew her father was thinking of her, Garth would write the notes - which were then just hearts, stars and simple words - and include them in her lunch box. But over the years, the notes have developed into words of advice or of encouragement on test days, and by the time she was about eight, Emma had come to expect the memos. Some days, she would look at her lunch before he had placed on inside, and she'd demand to know where it was. 'That's when I realized, this is something that really matters,' Garth said. Garth's wife, Lissa, said the task also means he's taken over the chore of making his daughter's lunch, which he tries to keep healthy. 'I think it's great,' she said. 'It's nice that he keeps that connection with her.' Lunchtime treat: He pops the notes in with her lunch, which he tries to make as nutritious as he can . Determined: After learning he had cancer, Garth sought to write 800 notes so that his daughter would have one every day throughout high school - even if he was no longer alive to put it in her lunch box . But in 2011, Garth was diagnosed with cancer and his desire to write the notes became even stronger because, 'at the end of the day, these notes might be the only thing my daughter has left of me'. His tumor was successfully removed - but he has since been diagnosed twice more, and his doctor has told him that he will lose his life to the disease. A loss of taste, tiredness and nausea are among the symptoms which blight Garth. He says his ultimate hope is to inspire parents to write notes to their children. His book, Napkin Notes: Make Lunch Meaningful, Life Will Follow, has been published in several countries and half a dozen languages. In the tome, Garth  introduces each chapter with a napkin note and then shares a story connected to it and to his life. The cancer patient is now writing notes ahead of time and storing them away so his daughter can still receive them after he is gone. Devoted to Emma: Garth is pictured with Emma, his and his wife's only child, in her younger years . Impact: Tiredness and nausea are among the symptoms which blight Garth (seen here with Emma)

Virginia dad Garth Callaghan has been diagnosed with cancer three times in past two years and doctors said it will take his life . He has been writing notes for his daughter Emma's lunchbox since she was little and it has become a tradition between father and daughter . This week the doting father-of-one uploaded a snapshot to Facebook revealing his latest note, reading: 'Dear Emma, I'm so proud that you made the varsity softball team. I can't wait till your first game!' Garth is now writing notes ahead of time and storing them away so his daughter can still receive them after he is gone.

 has been writing notes to his daughter Paige for years, telling her how much he loves her and encouraging her to do her best. Paige, now 14, has Down syndrome, which has left her with lower cognitive functioning than the typical child. Paige is also autistic and has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Paige's dad said: "We've just made high school softball. It's her first season of high school softball. It's going to be fun, because we finally get to do this together. It took her long enough to do it — she's taken me long enough to get this." "I said I'm going to teach her to do something she wants to do and I'm going to stick by it," said Callaghan. "She's the most determined kid." Paige has previously played in a junior softball league for children with Down syndrome. She began playing in a developmental softball league, but she recently made the high school team. Paige is now working on making the varsity squad — but it might be difficult because there are only six spots. Her dad admitted there's a possibility Paige won't be able to play this season: "She may not make it, but she's determined. She's going to get in there." She has some of the fastest pitch speeds on the team, but the coach is still undecided on whether to let her play this season. "We want Paige to play with the varsity. I've said no at 5.3. It's just a safety issue," said Chris Daly, Paige's softball coach. "But the faster they pitch, the more they hit their spots, and that's not good, because [Paige] will not move out of the way. So when you're coaching a team, it's more of a safety issue, rather than a competitive issue." But Paige won't be letting that get her down. The father wrote in a Facebook post: "Paige, a napkin dad. The greatest gift that you have to offer is your determination. You can't see the obstacles that others can't see, but you see the one you are determined to achieve. Don't give up, you can do anything."
Paige has Down Syndrome, but she's determined to make the varsity team
The story of Paige Callaghan is a beautiful and inspiring one. “A


Heart-stopping camera footage has been released of two gunmen calmly strolling through Tunisia's National Bardo musuem in the terror attack which left 23 people dead. The one-minute video posted on the government's Interior Ministry Facebook page shows the two men scurrying through the Tunis museum, carrying assault rifles and bags. One of the attackers is wearing a baseball cap and a heavy jacket, while the other has a red hoodie and tracksuit pants. At one point, they encounter another man with a backpack walking down a flight of stairs. They briefly acknowledge each other and let the unidentified man walk free before unleashing the deadly attack in the country's largest museum. Sinister: The two attackers encounter a man with a backpack walking down a flight of stairs in the museum - but let the visitor escape with his life before carrying out the deadly attack . Chilling: The two attackers in the National Bardo museum pass the man before unleashing the  terrorist attack that left 23 people dead . Deadly: The man in the backpack scuttles off as the two armed men prepare to carry out the chilling attack . Danger: One of the men, in a heavy jacket and tracksuit bottoms can be spotted fiddling with an assault rifle . The video also shows stills of the dead gunmen who were killed in a firefight with security forces, including a picture indicating at least one was wearing an explosive belt. ISIS claimed Wednesday's attack on foreign tourists in Tunis, the deadliest involving foreigners in Tunisia since a 2002 suicide bombing on the island of Djerba. Tunisian fighters make up a disproportionately high number of foreign recruits to ISIS in Syria, with as many as 10,000 having signed up. The government said the two gunmen had trained in jihadi camps in Libya before the attack inside the heavily secured Tunisian parliament compound. Among the 23 dead in Wednesday's attack, 17 were cruise ship tourists, including British mother-of-two Sally Adey. They also included a Tunisian policeman. Mrs Adey, 57, from Shropshire, had been on a cruise of the Mediterranean with her husband, Robert, and was on an excursion to the museum. Dark: The two armed man pictured on CCTV footage strolling through the museum before the terror attack . Armed: The two unidentified men are seen inside the National Bardo museum before the murderous attack . Tunisia's largest museum, built in a 15th Century palace . Contains 8,000 works, including one of the world's largest collections of Roman mosaics . Some items in the collection are more than 40,000 years old . A new wing was added in 2009, doubling its size . The victims included a Tunisian police officer and tourists from Japan, Italy, Colombia, Australia, Spain, France and Poland. Police in Tunisia have arrested five people described as directly tied to the two gunmen. Four others said to be supporters of the cell were also arrested in central Tunisia, not far from where a group claiming allegiance to al Qaida's North African branch has been active. ISIS issued a statement and audio on jihadi websites applauding the dead gunmen as 'knights' for their 'blessed invasion of one of the dens of infidels and vice in Muslim Tunisia'. As investigations into the massacre continue, Tunisian security officials have been asked why the world-famous museum was completely unprotected. The government now plans to deploy the army to major cities to bolster security following the shootings. In an address to mark 59 years of independence from France yesterday, Tunisia's president Beji Caid Essebsi said: 'We won't win if we don't stand together. We will be merciless in the defence of our country.' The attack is a huge blow for Tunisia's tourism industry (which accounts for seven per cent of the country’s GDP) and its government. It comes at a fragile moment for a country just emerging to full democracy after a popular uprising four years ago. Elsewhere today, hundreds of people gathered for a mass in the cathedral, lighting candles to remember the victims in a ceremony attended by government ministers. Guarded: The government now plans to deploy the army to major cities to bolster security following the shootings - here policeman stand outside the Carthage International Airport in Tunis . Respect: A woman prays for the victims of the attack of the National Bardo museum during a mass ceremony . Terror: Hostages flee the museum during the Tunisian special forces raid which ended in the death of both gunmen . Shattered: The walls and windows were peppered with bullet holes while unused grenades lay scattered among debris .

Footage released of gunmen calmly walking inside National Bardo museum . One of attackers in the CCTV is wearing a baseball cap and a heavy jacket . The other, also carrying assault rifle, has a red hoodie and tracksuit pants . Deadly terror attack on Wednesday in Tunis museum left 23 people dead .

 page shows the pair as they pass by the museum's most precious artefacts while calmly taking cover in doorways.
According to the ministry, two men were killed after soldiers engaged them in the museum, which houses many of the country's prized antiquities. Security forces killed the other gunman in the attack, which also injured at least 12 people. The ministry's video was widely distributed on Friday, but some users on the social media platform said it was a fake. Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi is due to address the nation at 5pm BST.
Tunisia's official national news agency announced on Friday that the two gunmen who stormed the museum had been killed, according to France 24.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Abderraouf said the incident was a "cowardly terrorist act against a country with a long history", in a statement posted on Facebook. "We call on the international community to unite to combat terrorism, which we denounce in all its forms and manifestations."
"It's hard to see what happened from the video," the president told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with African leaders in Ivory Coast. "This is a terrorist action that must be condemned."
A Tunisian security source said that a policeman was among the dead, but that he could not confirm the death of the attackers. "The police force was the first to be targeted," said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
The Interior Ministry also said on Facebook that there had been a "terrorist attack" and that soldiers were searching a building near the museum. A Tunisian Interior Ministry official confirmed that the two gunmen had been killed during clashes with security forces. He told Associated Press that security forces had been forced to shoot them while they were armed. They would not confirm their nationalities.
The security official also said that five people from Europe were among the victims, and that 13 people were wounded. At least four of the victims were British. Other reports from witnesses suggest that the attack occurred on the lower level of the museum, the source of the video which was shot from the ground. The gunmen are reportedly shown wearing black gloves and taking cover behind statues.
Many of the statues and other artefacts, which date as far back as 2000BC, are the centrepieces of a 2.5m euro (£2.13 million) renovation


Mechanic Clive Howard carried out a string of rapes and attempted kidnaps on lone women in Norwich, Suffolk and Cambridge over a 28 year period . A mechanic who lived a calm, quiet life with his elderly parents was all the time living a secret double life as a sex attacker. Clive Howard, 56, of Suffolk, has admitted carrying out a string of rapes and kidnaps of women during a 28 year period. The serial rapist confessed to the crimes after he was caught after raping a woman at a car park in Norwich when his number plate was recorded on CCTV. But police fear he may have carried out even more attacks across three different counties and have appealed for any victims to come forward. Detective Sergeant Chris Burgess, of Norfolk Police rape investigation unit said: 'Cases like this don't come up very often - we're talking about a serial rapist. 'We want to give people the chance to come forward.' Howard, who lived a double life with his parents, had initially denied the rape in Norwich but changed his plea on the day of his trial. At a hearing at Norwich Crown Court he admitted seven counts of rape, three charges of attempted kidnap and one count of attempted rape, between 1986 and 2014. Howard, of Battisford, near Stowmarket, Suffolk, was caught by police after he attacked a woman in St Helens Wharf car park, Norwich, on May 30 2014. The victim, in her 20s, was walking home after a night out when she was given a lift by Howard, who then raped her. She tried to take a picture of the car's registration number but Howard grabbed her phone and hurled it into a bush before he sped off.  The woman found it before dialling 999. Police were able to get part of the car's number plate from CCTV - and that led them straight to Howard, the registered owner. He was arrested and charged a few days later. Det Sgt Burgess said Howard had done 'two to three loops' around the city 'before he managed to pick his victim'. After he was charged Howard's DNA was put into the national police database which raised an unsolved case in Cambridgeshire in 2013. Howard was caught after part of his Volvo number plate was captured on CCTV after he raped a woman . Howard's number plate was recorded after he parked at St Helens Wharf in Norwich and raped the woman . Detectives found 'striking similarities' to the Norwich assault. Howard's DNA matched a profile obtained during an investigation into the attempted kidnap of a woman in her 20s on May 5, 2013 in Cambridge park Christ's Pieces. The woman managed to fend off Howard, scratching him in the process, and DNA was later retrieved from underneath her fingernail. He was linked to three other attempted kidnappings in Cambridge, one of which happened just 30 minutes before he struck in Christ's Pieces. Howard also tried to abduct two women in the city on February 15, 2014, during the night. Det Sgt Burgess said: 'All were in the early hours of the morning. 'Each of the women were approached by a man who had got out of a car and attempted to get them into it.' He lived a double life with his parents as a mechanic but carried out a string of rapes and attempted kidnaps . He added: 'I'm concerned there are other victims out there either in Norfolk, Suffolk or Cambridge and would urge other women to come forward. 'It's very rare.' As well as the rape in Norwich, Howard also admitted six counts of rape against a woman between November 1986 and March 1993. Howard, who is understood to have had an 82-year-old girlfriend, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at the court on April 20. Judge Stephen Holt told him: 'You've pleaded guilty and the one thing that can be said is your victim has been spared the ordeal of giving evidence. 'I'm sure you will understand I need to have a full pre-sentence report and the whole issue of whether you need to be sentenced as a dangerous offender will be made.' Det Sgt Burgess said: 'Reliving an experience such as this is never easy for a victim of sexual assault. 'I recognise the bravery shown by all victims in this case who would have been prepared to give evidence, had the case gone to trial. 'Howard's guilty plea demonstrates the strong case police had against him and I believe women are safer with this dangerous man off the streets,' he said. 'A striking similarity between the cases is that Howard would prey on women walking alone at night. 'I hope his guilty plea goes some way to helping his victims move forward from this terrible experience.' Howard was a respectable garage mechanic who didn't have a criminal record and lived an extraordinary double life with his elderly parents in Battisford. He also had his own house in nearby Stowmarket. He is thought to have had an 82-year-old girlfriend but was 'actively seeking sexual partners' on internet dating sites.

Clive Howard is a mechanic who lived calmly with his Suffolk parents . But he lived a double life and committed string of rapes and kidnaps . Howard was caught after he raped a woman in a car park in Norwich . DNA was put into database and matched to other attacks on lone women . On the day of his trial Howard, 56, admitted seven charges of rape . He also admitted three of attempted kidnap and one of attempted rape . Police fear there may be more victims and have appealed for witnesses . Howard is likely to face lengthy prison term when he is sentenced in April .

 time planning the kidnap and rapes of 12 women.
The retired mechanic, from Norwich, had a string of dates with victims but didn’t have sex with them because he claimed he was impotent. He often used a variety of excuses for his inability to have sex, such as having back problems, or being too drunk to perform, and once told a woman he had suffered a medical condition called priapism, which causes a man to have a prolonged erection.
He would often get to know the women through adverts in newspaper lonely hearts columns, but his victims would not suspect they were chatting to a man who had planned the rapes in advance. He told the women he planned to marry them after the kidnap, only to beat them and eventually kill them.
It was only after he was arrested for the offences at the start of the year that the victims of his crimes had any idea of who their attacker might be.
When he confessed to one of the victims, he claimed he “wouldn’t go back” and that he “didn’t want to kill me”.
One 37-year-old woman, who was beaten in 2004 after going to his flat for a drink, said: “I am pleased he’s dead. My friends were worried for my safety after I went to his flat.
“He knew what he was doing – he is a perverted serial rapist and murderer. He has done this many times. He has never shown remorse for what he did.”
He pleaded guilty to 12 charges of rape at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for life at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday.
As a teenager, he had been a victim of sexual abuse and had been in mental health institutions in the 1960s and 1970s.
A letter from one victim read: “If I was given a choice whether I would go back to that time or not, I would choose not to go back.
“If Clive Howard is being held in prison as a convicted sex offender and murderer then I am not at risk anymore. I wouldn’t want to go through the horrors again or live with any uncertainty of whether this man will ever be free and live in the town I now call home.”
His parents, Mr and Mrs Howard, are reported to have said: “We are very sorry for the upset we have caused. It was a long time ago and we are just so glad it is


When photographer Trent Parke was just 13-years-old he was at home alone with his mother when she died  from an asthma attack right in front of his eyes. In an instant the Sydney photo journalist's childhood was gone and his whole life changed forever. He refused to attend her funeral, too traumatised by what had happened and blocked out all his memories. Instead he locked himself away in his mother's darkroom in their Newcastle home and picked up her camera, which hasn't left his side since. Ants on Jatz cracker biscuit,Dampier, Western Australia, 2011 . Now, 43-year-old Parke, who is the only Australian member of the prestigious group Magnum, has unlocked his harrowing childhood for the first time, showcasing nearly 2000 photographs at the Art Gallery of South Australia as part of his Black Rose exhibition. 'From the moment that mum died it was just get on with it get on with life,' Trent told Daily Mail Australia. 'I would sit there and think about from that point on: Why are we here? Where are we going? What is life? and ever since then I've been continually searching and looking for the answers to life and the camera always helped me do that.' Tree, Drysdale River, Western Australia, 2011 . Trent Parke (pictured) ha delved into his harrowing childhood memories as part of his new exhibition . Swan, Adelaide, 2007 . 'It's been a way of trying to deal with something I didn't ever want to deal with.' As he grew older, Parke's main ambition was to become a professional cricketer. After playing for NSW, Parke moved to Adelaide to join the cricket academy but soon realised the career wasn't for him. He took a job at the Daily Telegraph and soon after became a photographer for The Age, which sent him touring with the Australian cricket team. Slippery dip, Gundegal, New South Wales, 2007 . Limestone Coast,South Australia, 2007 . However, when Parke's landlord called saying he needed his house back, Parke took it as a sign. He and his wife, photographer Narelle Autio, picked up their two boys and set off on the journey of a lifetime, taking seven years to embark on a path of discovering, which cumulated in The Black Rose exhibition. The items in the exhibition, his largest ever, have been hand-picked from more than 7,000 reels of film, 15,000 words scribbled in diaries, and 14 published books. Fever, Dash,Adelaide, 2014 . Parke used his camera like therapy on his trip and he admits it got him through the tough experience of losing a parent. The Black Rose symbolises his long journey, his mother's funeral and the fact that she is not alive any more. While on his way around Australia, Parke came across a black rose and took a cutting of it, planting it in his garden so he and his father and brothers can use it as place where they can remember their mum. The black rose is now 1.5m long and is a strong symbol for the prestigious photographer. Cockatoo, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2011 . Cockatoo backyard, Newcastle 2011 . Parke admits that he does not remember a single thing about his mother, apart from the fact that she was an amateur photographer . 'The only thing I remember was that she was an amateur photographer who used to send photographs into the local newspaper as part of their $5 reward page,' he said. 'The mind works in amazing ways when you're confronted with such pain at such a young age. 'You just don't want to go there and you don't want to think about it and I've continued to run ever since until this project eventuated and it's been a very long journey.' Cemetery, Adelaide, 2007 . Dice, country road, Western Australia, 2011 . His mother's ashes were 'thrown to the wind', leaving Parke with no memories or place to go to feel close to this mum. 'One day she was here the next she was gone,' he said. For the exhibition, which is mostly about life's questions, luck and chance, Parke strived to expose his soul. However, he admits that he wakes up every day thinking of his exhibition. 'I'm just sick of thinking; I can't remember a time when I didn't have a thought in my head,' he said. 'There’s a lot of layers to it. Hopefully it’s an exhibition where people can walk through it and visually see some good photography. 'It’s always about discovering things so hopefully people will make the same discoveries if they dig hard enough hand they can see the connections between all things.'

Photographer Trent Parke watched his mother die when he was 13 . Traumatised he locked away memories of his past . Then he embarked on a journey of Australia and took over 7000 photos . Now he has unlocked his past and is showcasing the pictures at the Art Gallery of South Australia .

 the event would leave his body and soul ravaged.
“Every morning I would wake up and cry,” he said. “I would wake up in a panic, afraid I was going to lose my other parent.”
"I went from feeling safe and secure, and just living a happy life, to waking up to death. And that changed your world completely. You're just kind of frozen."
Trent felt like he was in a fog. He'd lost his mother before he had even got the chance to truly know her as a person, and now he felt like he had lost his soul. A young man who was supposed to be growing and changing wasn't because of the grief, but because of the trauma.
“At that age I didn't know how to articulate all that,” he said. “I didn't know how to really process anything. So I just buried it and pushed it all the way down and forgot about it.”
Trent became withdrawn from the outside world and would stay in his room with the lights off for days on end. He stopped talking and instead let his feelings pour out in photographs. He didn't take his camera out much for a while, but in time the light inside him flickered back to life.
His photography was raw and full of emotion, and Trent found a way to use it as therapy. His pain became his purpose, and his gift as a photo-journalist started growing.
Trent's photos have been published by National Geographic, The New York Times and The Guardian, and he has shot campaigns for companies like Google and Samsung, as well as a book and a documentary with the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.
His latest book, The World is on Fire: Sydney's Great Fire of 2013, offers a powerful look at the devastating bushfires, which destroyed 3,000 homes and over 2,000 square kilometres of bushland.
“To me, there's just something about fire,” he explained. “The intensity and the heat and everything like that. It's something about it that's pretty incredible and it's always attracted me.”
Trent grew up only ten minutes from the scene of the fire, and he and his mother used to go exploring out there. The destruction left his area looking just like it had before.
“I didn't realise what it was like till I got back,” he said. “That's when it got


Washington (CNN)Hillary Clinton is pressing the reset button -- yet again. She's quietly fighting back a week after her awkward and occasionally combative news conference on the furor over the private email server she used while running the State Department. Clinton's Twitter account is buzzing this week with posts that test political messages on health care, college affordability, civil rights and jobs -- issues she hopes will help mobilize President Barack Obama's Democratic coalition and pave her way to the presidency. Meanwhile, her nascent operation is leaking details of future staffers in an unmistakeable message to Democrats spooked by the email flap that the campaign-in-waiting will become an official effort, possibly as soon as next month. A CNN/ORC International Poll out on Wednesday found that she's miles ahead of any potential Democratic challenger and would beat all potential Republican candidates by at least 10 points. Despite fretting among some Democrats who worried that the party's best -- and perhaps only -- viable Democratic candidate appeared to be in trouble, early signs suggest Clinton is doing what the Clintons do best: mounting a comeback. "The interest in the story is collapsing onto itself. I don't see an organic clamoring for more information," said a longtime Clinton ally who didn't want to speak for a campaign that hasn't yet been announced. This person, who has spent time in Iowa, argued that outside the community of political reporters and consultants in Washington and New York who fixated on the story, the people who really count -- voters -- weren't really interested. "People very much want to know what the campaign is going to be about ... what is she going to do about student loan costs, for example?" Tharon Johnson, a Democratic strategist who was Southern regional director of Obama's re-election campaign in 2012, agreed. "If and when Hillary Clinton decides to run, she will have to address this issue, but I believe the American people are more interested in her addressing the kitchen table issues that matter most to them," he said. Of course, Clinton still faces plenty of challenges and the email saga raised questions about whether she can run a more sophisticated, no drama campaign than the one she managed in 2008. But the CNN poll revealed that those critical of Clinton's role in the email affair appear to break close to party lines and her favorable rating remains at 53%. A slow recent decline in that rating appears to coincide with Clinton's slow re-entry into partisan politics and does not necessarily reflect her recent stumbles. Perhaps the most intriguing figure in the poll is that only 1% of respondents had never heard of Clinton. That supports the idea expressed by some Democrats that Clinton may be the most vetted figure in public life. There are people who will never vote for her and those who are dedicated to her quest to be the first female president, but very few whose minds may not be made up. A less well-known candidate might have made a terrible first impression if faced with the kind of hyper-covered flap Clinton was. But Republicans believe the email scandal could be a political gift that keeps on giving, as it touches on a narrative that the Clintons are secretive, resistant to transparency and often blur the rules. There are also other problems -- including the question of foreign funds sent to the Clinton Foundation and Hillary Clinton's whopper speaking fees -- that Republicans believe could reach a political mass and fan doubts about the likely Democratic nominee's character. Then there are the foreign policy questions, including a now damaging photo op in which Clinton offered a "reset" button to Russia only for the country to revert to a Cold War-esque posture. She was also a central player in Obama's foreign policy, which often appears to be overtaken by the Middle East's swift descent into chaos. "For everything that I can see, the Democrats have put all of their eggs in one basket here," said Sean Spicer, communications director of the Republican National Committee. "That is more of a downfall in the general election than in the primary." Spicer argued that even with younger voters, who do not remember the Clinton years, the question of impropriety over her emails could provide an entry point into past scandals. Though Clinton is the prohibitive Democratic front-runner, her support in the party is not universal. But where she faces resistance, it is more likely to be over policy than emails, as grass-roots Democrats are suspicious over her centrist, pro-business and hawkish foreign policy leanings. "As this discussion was playing out inside the Beltway, our members were focused on issues," said Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org, which wants Elizabeth Warren to challenge Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Galland said activists were preoccupied with the preservation of the social safety net, constraining Wall Street and those on the "ragged edge" of the middle class. Similarly, the young voters who flocked to Obama in 2008 and who will be crucial to Clinton's hopes of mobilizing an effective Democratic coalition in 2016 may also offer Clinton a political cushion. This group is hazy over historic references to long ago Clinton scandals like Filegate, Travelgate and even the Monica Lewinsky episode that led to President Bill Clinton's impeachment. "The media loves a Clinton scandal," said one Democratic source who didn't want to be named because he doesn't work for Clinton. "But young people are more likely to know her as secretary of state, and someone who ran for president in 2008." Polling bears out the theory. The CNN survey shows Clinton's favorability among voters age 18 to 34 with a 22 point positive differential. But she's barely in positive territory among voters age 50 to 64, who are likely to have strong memories of her time as first lady, and is  underwater among those 60 or older. Another well-connected Democrat who didn't want to go on the record criticizing Clinton admitted that the email issue did play into GOP caricatures about the allegedly "conspiratorial" politicians and that it could challenge the former secretary of state's early efforts to get her message out about her ideas and rationale for running for president. But Democratic operatives think that once Clinton is actually running, with an infrastructure behind her, and striking messages about the minimum wage, college debt and middle-class economic issues, voters will engage. In many ways, the email furor was a story the media couldn't wait to write, so it may be that journalists have inflated the importance of the episode, at least in the absence of any evidence that Clinton broke the law or made classified information vulnerable. Political reporters have pined for weeks for Clinton to swing her campaign into action, and her failure to offer a storyline opened a vacuum that was easy for unflattering stories to fill. Her slow response breathed new life into a question that only Clinton can answer: Will her 2016 campaign be as dysfunctional, reactive and distracted as her chaotic and unsuccessful 2008 effort? But there were a few lessons. It's clear the Clinton machine is not about to morph into a humming, scandal-free effort in the image of Barack Obama's first presidential campaign. And Clinton's bitter relationship with political reporters seems as bad as ever. The days when she partied with a State Department press corps more preoccupied with policy than politics seem like ancient history. But here also, Clinton is trying a reset. Her nascent campaign has made it known that she is staffing up her campaign and press operation. John Podesta, who is expected to take a leadership role in her campaign, is respected by reporters, as is Jennifer Palmieri, the outgoing White House communications director expected to take on a similar role for Clinton. On Tuesday, it emerged that Clinton would name Brian Fallon, who has also good ties with reporters, to be lead press secretary.

Hillary Clinton fights to put furor over a private email server behind her . Early signs suggest Clinton is doing what the Clintons do best: mounting a comeback .

 Department.
The former Secretary of State, who is looking for the Democratic nomination, did not speak publicly until late Friday night when she accepted the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal from the American Medical Women's Association. She delivered a forceful speech focused on empowering women and girls and combating health disparities -- and offered a message of unity to Democrats who remain divided over her presidential campaign.
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But in the weeks and months ahead, Clinton will also focus on more specific questions about her presidential intentions. She'll tell donors at a high-dollar fundraiser this week and at a town hall in New Hampshire next week that her campaign will be taking off soon, according to advisers. She'll likely offer her first public statement in June when she accepts the Democratic National Committee's Presidential Medal at its annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Washington. And Clinton aides have made clear her first public appearance on the campaign trail could come as soon as May, when she headlines the Women in the World Summit in New York City.
For Clinton, the message has been clear: She is not the candidate that ran for president in 2008 but that of 2016, and her message about empowerment and global leadership is more focused on what unites her party than where it is divided.
"I think she has an opportunity to really be an important part of the future of the Democratic Party," former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said. "I think she should make sure she uses that opportunity."
The reset is a key part of her strategy as she looks to begin her campaign as a united candidate -- with a fresh narrative, an energizing message and an early lead in a field that has been crowded but still fluid. The last two weeks -- in which she was the target of a barrage of criticism on the email server and a series of questions about her health -- were particularly trying for Clinton. Yet it was her response to the attacks that proved most damaging to her cause.
Clinton was criticized for a slow response and a reluctance to address the controversy head on with Republicans, including in public, for days. The slow-moving response, as well as the lack of discipline in her campaign, have made for uncomfortable headlines at a time when she needs to appear strong and resolute.
Republicans in Congress and across the campaign trail -- such as South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- have jumped on the email controversy, using it to paint her as untrustworthy and a liar.


Early humans living in Africa almost two million years ago came in a range of shapes and sizes, just as people do today, a new study claims. Researchers have found that some species were short - measuring under five feet tall - while others would have grown to heights of almost six foot. The study is the first in 20 years to compare the body size of humans who lived between 1.5 million and 2.5 million years ago. Early humans living in Africa almost two million years ago came in a range of shapes and sizes, just as people do today, a new study claims. This image shows the skeleton of the ‘Nariokotome Boy’ (Homo ergaster) Three species are generally recognised to have roamed Africa during this time frame: Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis and Homo ergaster . Researcher Dr Jay Stock, from Cambridge University's Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, said: 'If someone asked you 'are modern humans six foot tall and 70kg?' you'd say 'well, some are, but many people aren't, and what we're starting to show is that this diversification happened really early in human evolution.' Nutrition and local environmental factors probably played a role in making some early humans larger than others. Experts also believe that sexual dimorphism (pronounced differences in appearance between males and females, such as size) might have played a part too. ‘However, almost all studied… groups include smaller and larger individuals and assessing sex based on the isolated and fragmentary postcranial remains of early Homo is nearly impossible,’ they say in the study. Another possibility, thought to be less likely, is that there were numerous species belonging to the human family Homo that varied in appearance. Measurements of fossils from sites in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Georgia in eastern Europe, revealed significant regional variation in the size of early humans during the last Ice Age. Some groups, such as those living Olduvai, Tanzania, measured just 4.8 feet on average, while those from the Koobi Fora region of Kenya grew to heights of 5.8 feet. The evidence also suggests that big bodies and long legs were not prerequisites for spreading out of Africa into Europe and Asia. The main increase in body size occurred tens of thousands of years after the small, primitive human Homo erectus migrated out of Africa. Fossils show that Homo erectus, which averaged less than five foot in height and weighed less than eight stone, was living in Georgia 1.77 million years ago. Some groups, such as those living Olduvai, Tanzania, measured just 4.8 feet on average, while those from the Koobi Fora region of Kenya grew to heights of almost six foot. A table showing the variation is pictured . Measurements of fossils from sites in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Georgia in eastern Europe, revealed significant regional variation in the size of early humans during the last Ice Age. This the landscape of the West Turkana region of Kenya is where the skeleton of Homo ergaster was found . 'The evolution of larger bodies and longer legs can no longer be assumed to be the main driving factor behind the earliest excursions of our genus to Eurasia,' said co-author Manuel Will, from Tubingen University in Germany. The scientists, whose findings are reported in the Journal of Human Evolution, developed a method of calculating the height and body mass of individuals from small fossil fragments, some no bigger than toes. Dr Stock said: 'In human evolution we see body size as one of the most important characteristics, and from examining these 'scrappier' fossils we can get a much better sense of when and where human body size diversity arose. 'Before 1.7 million years ago our ancestors were seldom over five foot tall or particularly heavy in body mass. 'When this significant size shift to much heavier, taller individuals happened, it occurred primarily in one particular place - in a region called Koobi Fora in northern Kenya around 1.7 million years ago. 'That means we can now start thinking about what regional conditions drove the emergence of this diversity, rather than seeing body size as a fixed and fundamental characteristic of a species.' ‘The results demonstrate chronological and spatial variation, but no simple temporal or . geographical trends for the evolution of body size among early Homo….suggesting that migrations into Eurasia were not contingent on larger body sizes,’ the study says . Body size has been implicated as a factor contributing to both brain evolution and the first hominin dispersals into Eurasia . One argument suggests that as lower limbs lengthened and hominins assumed limb proportions more similar to modern humans, they became more mobile and changed their foraging behaviour and diet. But fossil fragments have now shown a richer variety of sizes and this may not be the case. The ecomorphological model says that Homo ergaster was the first hominin to colonize other continents due to its energetically efficient bipedal locomotion, long distance travel abilities, large home range sizes and habitat tolerance. But fossil evidence for body size now suggests the marked increase of body size variables in early Homo took place after 1.8 Million years in eastern Africa. By this point, the dispersals already happened, suggesting that migrations into Eurasia were possible without a significant increase in body size and possibly lower limb length. Interestingly, the study says that there was an increase in body size at the start and end of the period studied, which suggests that factors other than chronology also influenced the body size of early humans.

Experts developed a method of calculating the height and body mass of individuals from small fossil fragments, some no bigger than toes . Researchers found early man ranged from 4ft 8 inches to almost 6ft . It has been said ancestors left Africa as a result of developing longer legs . But this study suggests that there may have been another driving force . Experts also claim regional conditions may be to blame for diverse shapes . This suggests body size is not a fixed characteristic of a species . It is the first study in 20 years to compare the body size of humans who lived between 1.5 million and 2.5 million years ago .

 have been much taller and stronger.
The new study suggests that human evolution occurred in multiple regions on the African continent, and not just in East Africa, as previously assumed. Researchers suggest that a variety of ‘ecological adaptations’ played a role in the evolution of early human species in Africa, with populations in different parts of the continent developing different characteristics over time.
Dr. Sarah Gilbert of the University of Portsmouth led the research, using radiocarbon dating and analysis of fossils to reconstruct human evolution in Africa over the past 2.7 million years. The study is published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.
The team found that the earliest humans, Homo erectus, were already present in Africa around 2 million years ago. Homo erectus is considered the first human species to have moved out of Africa. The researchers also suggest that several of the species that followed later developed bigger brains and longer legs over time. “There’s more genetic diversity, which shows that there were lots of different forms of people co-existing at different times. We know that people were not all identical,” Dr. Gilbert said.
“What we were trying to get at was the question of what the ecological adaptations were behind the emergence and persistence of all these different types of people.”
Dr. Gilbert said that many of the fossils analysed in the study, which took place at the University of Cape Town, were found in caves, rather than on dry land. This suggests that the early people were living in woodland areas.
The new findings mean that humans were not only evolving in the tropics, and living in trees, but were also starting to diversify across the continent, rather than just living as one species in East Africa.
The study has discovered that all the species mentioned in this report are extinct now but we do know that a species of Australopithecus, Australopithecus sediba, evolved in South Africa roughly 2 million years ago and lived for 500,000 years. It was also the only non-sapiens species of our ancestry.
This finding means we have to rethink when and where humans first evolved, and who gave rise to our lineage. It also suggests that we may well have lost contact with the closest relatives of our ancestors. The fossils of Australopithecus sediba were discovered at a site called Lesedi, 50 km east of Johannesburg. It is a place in South Africa known for containing many hominin species of our lineage and these fossils were