Roy Keane has urged Manchester United fans to give Louis van Gaal up to three years to prove himself at the Old Trafford helm. The Dutch manager oversaw another disappointing performance and result in United's 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal at Old Trafford on Monday night. Danny Welbeck returned to his old stomping ground to score the winner after Wayne Rooney levelled Nacho Monreal's strike in the first half, but it was yet another lacklustre display under Van Gaal that irked United supporters. United's legendary midfielder Roy Keane says Louis van Gaal should get more time in charge at Old Trafford . Van Gaal came under more criticism for another lacklustre display in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal . Keane was in the studio with former England stars Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright . Their hero Keane, however, maintained the manager needs more time with fans unaware of what the job entails. 'Van Gaal is going to get criticised, you'd expect that,' Keane said during his BBC Match of the Day analysis. 'Give the man a chance - two or three years. A lot of fans don't quite understand how to run a football club as big as Manchester United. 'They should have given David Moyes more time but didn't. What are they going to do? Chop and change again? Van Gaal has been in the door two minutes. It takes time. It's literally a rebuilding job. A dismayed Marouane Fellaini (left), Michael Carrick (centre) and Wayne Rooney after Arsenal's winner . Danny Welbeck broke the hearts of his boyhood club by pouncing on an error to send Arsenal to Wembley . 'It would be a disaster if United don't finish in top four. The big problem with people at the club and ex-players is they keep looking back comparing teams from 10 years ago. 'They have got to look forward. Focus on the players, focus on the manager... get right behind him. I still think they have enough to get in that top four.' Keane's old sparring partner, former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer, was more damning. He said: 'Manchester United's main priority this season is finishing in the top four. If they don't then it will be a catastrophe. 'They have spent a lot of money on players. There's a hell of a lot more money that needs to be spent to get them anywhere near where they want to be. 'There isn't another team in the Premier League that passes it back more than Manchester United.' Wayne Rooney's flying header to equalise for United in the first half couldn't stop his side crashing out . Angel Di Maria's red card was the final blow for United as Van Gaal's troops lost their heads . Keane and Shearer's battle of words during the BBC's FA Cup analysis were nothing compared to what the hot-headed duo got up to in their playing days. Neither was a player the opposition wanted to get on the wrong side of, so no battle was more fierce than when the two clashed. Keane lashes out at Shearer when the two came to blows at St James's Park in 2001 . The former United captain named Shearer as a player he 'always had in the back of his mind' in his recent autobiography The Second Half alongside other famous foes like Patrick Vieira and Alf-Inge Haaland. Keane made it clear that although he regularly came across Alan Shearer while working as a TV pundit, there is little or no chance of them ever building bridges such is the mutual dislike of each other. Keane picked Shearer out as a player he always had in the back of his mind alongside Patrick Vieira . The most famous flashpoint came in 2001 at St James' Park. The two skippers came head to head and Keane was shown a red card for lashing out at the England man. It was the first time the former United maestro had appeared in the BBC studio after a long association with terrestrial rivals ITV. Keane has to be held back by David Beckham during the infamous row that saw the United man sent off .

Keane: 'Fans don't quite understand how to run a club as big as United' Van Gaal oversaw another poor performance in the 2-1 defeat by Arsenal . Danny Welbeck came back to haunt United by netting the winner . United now have no chance of silverware after crashing out of the FA Cup . READ: Van Gaal walks out of Man Utd press conference on a sour note . CLICK HERE for all the latest Manchester United news .

 Sunderland on Saturday, further intensifying the scrutiny on the 63-year-old.
Van Gaal's side entered Saturday's match on the back of four straight defeats, as United's campaign continues to slide towards the end of an arduous season.
United have won just once in the Premier League since New Year's Day and were again found wanting in the final third at Old Trafford, with Radamel Falcao's solitary goal proving the difference.
The Red Devils also crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday after suffering a second-leg 2-0 defeat at home to Wolfsburg, leaving Jose Mourinho's appointment at the Etihad Stadium increasingly likely.
With United's manager now under pressure, Keane says he would give Van Gaal two seasons to prove his worth at Old Trafford and to show the club's tradition of success.
"You have to give someone time," Keane told BBC Radio 5 Live, as reported by Goal.com.
"There are no quick fixes. I could probably talk for hours on what needs to be done, but you need to give someone time to do that. I want him to do it, the supporters want him to do it."
"If you look at the history of this club, the players in that dressing room, they've won the League Cup four times, they've won the FA Cup nine times, they've won everything in this country."
"We need to be doing better than that at this football club. The fans deserve it as well."
Meanwhile, Keane has suggested that Manchester United were complacent against Sunderland at Old Trafford, highlighting their tendency to over-rely on star player Wayne Rooney as well as Falcao's failure to score.
"United sat on their lead and looked to kill the game but their front man [Falcao] had a poor game and then the back four got sloppy on an easy ball to their keeper," he said.
"But United are in a difficult position. They have a big squad now, they're in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and they have a massive fixture list.
"It's important for them to get out of these cups, because they are going into the League Cup final and Europa League final.
"You can't get distracted, you have to win the next game first."
Van Gaal is scheduled to address the media


George Osborne announced fuel duty had been frozen for the fifth year in a row . Fuel duty has been frozen for a fifth year in succession, allowing the Chancellor to boast that motorists have had ‘£10 off a tank with the Tories’. Yesterday’s move means a 0.54p-per-litre duty rise planned for September 1 will not go ahead. And the freezing of duty over the five years of the Coalition means the average driver spends £10 less per fill-up than if the controversial ‘fuel-price escalator’ had been implemented in full. Between 2011 and 2016, a typical motorist will have saved £675, the Treasury calculated. The planned fuel duty rise by the RPI rate of inflation on September 2015 would have increased the current duty rate by 0.54p per litre – from the current 57.95p to 58.49p. For an average family car fill-up of 55 litres, this would have increased the cost by 30p. Mr Osborne said he had cancelled the fuel duty rise because ‘I want to help families with the cost of filling up a car’. He added: ‘It’s a cost that bears heavily on small businesses too. It’s the longest duty freeze in over 20 years. It saves a family around £10 every time they fill up their car. That’s £10 off a tank with the Tories.’ Motoring groups welcomed the policy and urged any future government ‘not to step back on the escalator’. The RAC said the above-inflation fuel duty ‘escalator’ that operated between 1993 and 1999 ‘is the primary reason that we now pay nearly 70 per cent in tax on every litre of fuel we buy at the pumps’. AA president Edmund King said: ‘The Coalition has done its “fuel duty” by shielding drivers from some of the impact of volatile fuel prices over the past four years by freezing fuel duty, and we welcome the further freeze and cancellation of the scheduled fuel duty rise for September 2015. ‘With petrol and diesel prices surging and falling by more than 35p a litre since 2010, the continued four-year fuel duty freeze allows the Coalition to dodge the fuel-protest bullet.’ Howard Cox, of the FairFuelUK campaign, welcomed the freeze but said the Chancellor should have gone further and cut duty. The move means a 0.54p-per-litre duty rise planned for September 1 will not go ahead, which for an average family car fill-up of 55 litres, would have increased the cost by 30p . He added: ‘We give Mr Osborne six out of ten for endeavour and will continue to campaign that duty should be frozen for the lifetime of the next Parliament.’ RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: ‘With fuel duty revenue making up about 5 per cent of the Treasury’s tax income there was never going to be a huge giveaway as the Chancellor still desperately needs motorists’ money.’ He added: ‘But with the latest figures showing that almost a million of the poorest households see a quarter of what they spend go on buying and running a car the continued freeze is very welcome.’ Lynsey and Tom Fox , pictured with their two children Megan, 6, and Emily, 1, will save £50 a month on fuel . Lynsey and Tom Fox will save £600 a year thanks to the fuel duty freeze. The couple, who use their cars for commuting and taking six-year-old Megan and one-year-old Emily to school and nursery, drive a combined 1,500 miles a month. Mr Fox, an IT manager, spends two hours a day making his 35-mile commute in rush hour. Filling up his 2.7-litre Mercedes every week costs him £280 a month. Mrs Fox, a maths teacher, spends another £70 a month on fuel for her VW Golf. Yesterday George Osborne delayed an increase in fuel duty once again – meaning drivers are nearly £10 better off every time they fill up their car than they would have been had Labour’s ‘fuel-price escalator’ still been operating. This saves the family, pictured, about £50 a month. Mr Fox said: ‘The extra money we save will be a nice little boost and we can spend more on the kids.’ Company cars take a clobbering . Basil Fawlty attacks his Austin 1100 in show . Starsky and Hutch's 1975 Ford Gran Torino . The classic car to which Basil Fawlty administered ‘a damned good thrashing’ is now exempt from road tax. The character played by Monty Python actor John Cleese famously took a tree branch to a red Austin 1100 estate in frustration after it broke down on him in the 1970s comedy series Fawlty Towers. But now it has reached an age where the Government no longer requires Vehicle Excise Duty to be paid. Also newly exempt is the red 1975 Ford Gran Torino – with its trademark stripe – as used and rolled over by American TV cops Starsky & Hutch, played by actor and singer David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser in the popular 1970s crime- fighting series. Paul Clark, senior tax manager at City accountants Deloitte, said: ‘An exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty for vehicles constructed 40 or more years ago was introduced in April 2014. ‘This exemption applies automatically on a rolling basis on 1 April each year. ‘So next month all cars made before 1 January 1976 will be exempt from the duty.’ He added: ‘This includes the 1975 Ford Gran Torino used in Starsky & Hutch and the Austin 1100 estate famously thrashed by Basil Fawlty in 1975’. The majority of drivers with company cars will be hundreds of pounds worse off after the Chancellor moved to make the work perk ‘greener’. The tax levied on the majority of company cars will be increased by three percentage points in 2019-20. The rate for environmentally-friendly vehicles will also rise – but at a ‘slower rate’. City accountants said the changes are unfair on company car drivers locked into three or four-year deals who chose a cheaper vehicle ‘in good faith’ – only to have it re-classified months later as a gas-guzzler, and taxed accordingly. The Government’s avowed aim of the changing tax rates for the ‘benefit in kind’ is to push company car drivers into greener vehicles – such as fully electric or hybrid cars, which carry a smaller tax burden. This has fuelled a boom in low-tax ‘plug-in’ hybrid vehicles, which can be charged from the mains but also run on conventional fuel. The tax on these so-called ‘ultra-low-emissions vehicles – or ULEVs – is still rising too. However, the Chancellor is at pains to point out that it is rising at a ‘slower’ rate because he is increasing the gap between the tax on the cleanest ‘green’ cars and the conventionally-fuelled alternatives. George Osborne told MPs: ‘To encourage a new generation of low-emission vehicles we will increase their company car tax more slowly than previously planned.’ Ashley Hollinshead of accountants Deloitte stressed that because most company car drivers are signed up to three or four-year deals, they will be penalised for choices made well before the changes were introduced. ‘It’s effectively a retrospective tax on cars,’ he said. ‘Many employees with company cars will be locked into long term deals and will have no choice but to bear the ever-increasing cost of company car tax.’ ‘Having previously introduced an annual two-percentage-point increase in the rate of company car benefit in kind to 2018/19, today George Osborne announced a further annual hike of three percentage points from 2019/20. This announcement will see the benefit in kind rate increase by nearly 50 per cent in the period to 2019/20. ‘For example, the benefit in kind rate on [a car emitting 100 grams of carbon per kilometre] will increase from 19 per cent next tax year to 28 per cent by 2019/20.‘ . The changes mean a driver paying the 40p tax rate with a £28,000 1.6-litre Nissan Qashqai provided by their employer will be £1,008 worse off after five years, with a ‘benefit in kind’ tax bill of £3,360. Someone with a Golf GTI worth £28,000 will also see their tax increase by £1,008, to a total of £3,472. An executive with a £38,000 BMW 5 Series will pay £1,368 more, taking their annual bill to £4,712, while anyone with an £81,000 three-litre Range Rover Sport as their company car will be nearly £2,600 worse off, with an annual bill of £11,998. However, taxes on green cars mean the driver of a top-selling £28,304 Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid will also see their company car tax treble – rising by £1,245 to £1,811 a year. Tax on a £32,000 Volkswagen Golf GTE hybrid will rise by £1,408 to £2,028 by 2019-20. Britain will become a world-leader in the development of driverless cars thanks to a £100million boost from the Chancellor. The figure will be matched by private-sector funding for a total pot of £200million. The announcement was welcomed by Jaguar Land Rover, which hailed a policy that will ‘help create the smarter and more connected cars of the future’. Two driverless car pilot schemes are already under way in Greenwich and Bristol. Much of the technology – from automatic parking to radars that scan for pedestrians or cyclists and can slam on the brakes – already exist in the latest cars on the road. However, new research is aimed at making driverless cars both safe and socially acceptable.

Move means a 0.54p-per-litre duty rise planned for September is cancelled . Planned rise by RPI rate of inflation would have gone from 57.95p to 58.49p . For average family car of 55 litres, this would have increased cost by 30p . George Osborne cancelled fuel duty rise to 'help families with filling up' It's believed between 2011 and 2016, a typical motorist will have saved £675 .

The freeze to 57.95p per litre (ppl) – which equates to £0.28 a litre for diesel – will benefit a typical motorist driving an average car an extra 50 miles at the pumps every year.
Petrol duty was cut to 57.95 ppl for the first time in March 2011, and has since been frozen each year.
The last time prices went up was in February 2001 – a rise of 1p a litre.
But the Chancellor had the last laugh, by presenting his decision as an election bribe to motorists in the run-up to the election by giving them £10 off a tank.
“If you fill your tank and save just £10 on your fuel you’re still £1 off for the rest of the year,” he told the BBC’s Today programme.
The AA says that the petrol price remains at its highest level since August 2014 – 134.9p per litre, 2p higher than the previous record high in August 2011.
Mr Osborne added: “We freeze the fuel duty because we’re investing in our transport infrastructure – we’ve got the largest ever road and rail investment plan in history.”
He said the freeze will mean motorists could take “an extra trip to a tourist attraction or perhaps to visit a loved one” on fuel they would have otherwise spent on the Chancellor’s petrol duty.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), praised Mr Osborne for freezing petrol prices, but warned the freezing of road tax had led to a “drain” of small cars from the tax disc register.
The IAM is calling on the Chancellor to consider moving the annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) road tax to a fixed rate, similar to the MOT tax, saying this would prevent vehicles becoming “dulled or worn out” through tax avoidance and would also discourage people from driving older vehicles because of the annual rise.
AA president Edmund King said: “It’s not just the motorist who is having to pay to keep the Chancellor’s promise of ‘no rise in fuel duty’, but businesses and hauliers who make huge annual deliveries – and they are feeling the benefit too with a reduction of 2p per litre.
“However, it is the poorest who have to take the greatest hit – with a whopping 18% of a litre of diesel costing


When an Indiana man spotted a ratty old painting  at a yard sale, even one dollar seemed like too much. So he haggled the price down and bought it for 50 cents. Fast-forward 10 years later and he could be auctioning that same painting for $10,000. Jesse Ronnebaum isn't sure what exactly it was about the painting of seven men playing pool that captured his attention a decade ago - just that it 'jumped out' at him. Scroll down for video . Jesse Ronnebaum bought this artwork for 50 cents at a yard sale a decade ago. But last week he discovered it was painted by esteemed artists from Chicago's Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts . 'That one just stood out to me,' he told WTHR. 'Don't know if it was the oldest, rattiest one or what it was.' In the painting all seven men are holding cue sticks, pointing at billiard balls scattered across the table. An artist's palette with a first and last name hangs over each man's head. It was just last week that Ronnebaum, who lives in Batesville, realized the bottom of the painting was signed 'Palette and Chisel Club 1910'. Ronnebaum said he went on 'the almighty Google' and found out the artwork had been painted by esteemed artists from Chicago's Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts. In fact, seven members of the organization had come together to paint each other for the piece. The Palette and Chisel Academy was founded in 1895 by students at the Art Institute of Chicago's night school. According to the academy's quarterly, the Cowbell, the students could not use paints because of the terrible electrical lighting and were tired of creating their work solely with charcoal. Some founding members mortgaged their own homes so that the group could afford to purchase a mansion, where they held Sunday morning sessions that gave students the opportunity to paint a live model using natural light. Realizing the history that was hanging on his wall, Ronnebaum (pictured) contacted a gallery owner. The painting is now being restored and will go up for auction in May in Chicago . Seven members from the renowned artists organization came together to paint each other for the artwork, which could fetch up to $10,000 . Realizing the history that was hanging on his wall, Ronnebaum contacted Curt Churchman, a gallery owner in Indianapolis. The painting is now being restored and will go up for auction in May through Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago. Although Churchman said the auction 'seemed perfectly timed,' he believes the fact that the painting was created by seven different artists could make it a hard sell. 'On a good day I think it would bring $10,000,' he told Fox 59. 'You need someone who is dialed into Palette and Chisel or turn of the century Chicago art,' he said. 'It becomes more of a completionist piece for a collection I think.' In comparison, Churchman said if the painting had been created by just one of its artists, such as renowned painter Victor Higgins, it could have fetched 'hundreds of thousands of dollars'. But Ronnebaum is hardly complaining. He's still shocked a piece of history has been staring him in the face for the last decade. 'Years of struggling...barely making bills, not even able to consider living check to check,' he said. 'And the whole time there's fifty grand hanging over my head, literally.' The Academy (pictured today) was founded in 1895 by students at the Art Institute of Chicago's night school. Some founding members mortgaged their own houses so that they could buy the studio that still stands today .

Jesse Ronnebaum originally haggled the price down from just one dollar . Last week he noticed painting was signed 'Palette and Chisel Club 1910' The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1895 by students at Art Institute of Chicago's night school and still stands today . Ronnebaum found out the painting, which features seven men playing pool, was painted by seven esteemed artists from the organization . Painting is now being restored and will auction in Chicago in May .

 now retire by selling the canvas for $2.3 million.
“I’ve never felt so lucky in my life,” said John Karges, who found the painting while going through his mother’s home after she died. “I’m 57, and I’m going to be able to retire off of this painting.”
Karges and his wife had no idea at the time they bought the painting of a woman with “a lovely face,” as he described it, $50 in 2007, that it would later sell for over two million. The Karges’ went back to the seller a few months after the initial sale and purchased it again for $100, for which the seller graciously agreed.
The painting was produced by German artist August Kaulbach, who was known to paint historical scenes depicting the life of everyday people in the 1840s and 50s. The Karges were unaware that the artist had painted the woman depicted in the painting.
The canvas, which measures 18×24 inches, is thought to have been painted in 1845.
Auctioneers with Christie’s, an auction house in New York City, believe that the painting is an authentic Kaulbach, noting the painting’s “exceptional” condition. The auction house also believes that the canvas is authentic, and not a forgery.
“Our research indicates that the canvas is undoubtedly by Kaulbach,” said David Norman, a specialist in Old Master Paintings at Christie’s in New York City. “In my view it is most certainly the work of Kaulbach, who painted this from a photograph he took in the 1840s. I’m pretty sure Kaulbach painted this.”
Christie’s is selling the painting on Dec. 16 and estimates the painting to be worth anywhere from $800,000 to $1.5 million.
The painting has never before been on the market, which is one of the reasons why it is expected to be so popular, said Norman.
“It’s not a very famous work, but I think most of that is just the unknown element,” Norman said. “It has been off the market for 15 years, and I think it has been locked in a safe, or in a basement somewhere.”
“In my opinion, this is a real masterpiece that will probably make a million dollars.”
[Image:


(CNN)Imagine sitting on a dusty, busy street in New Delhi, crowded with vendors and people running quickly about the market. A woman's lapis-colored sari swishes past you in the golden-colored dusk. You've been here since morning. A tourist extends a hand with a crumpled paper bill. You try to lift your hand to accept, but you can't. The muscles are paralyzed, and your mind can't command them to move. You use your knee to balance your arm and grasp the rupee. Then you use your foot to pick up your bag and head home for the day. This is everyday life for Bipin Kumar. Kumar, known as BK, contracted polio as a child, and he has learned to adapt to how he moves and lives. Kumar has no brothers or father to provide for him, so he moved to New Delhi 10 years ago to pursue the only means of income he could -- begging on the streets. Photographer Elena del Estal was in India last year when the World Health Organization announced that polio had officially been eradicated from the country. It had been exactly three years since the last contracted case. Del Estal was fascinated by this. She couldn't help but wonder about those already living with the crippling effects of this horrible disease. She traveled to a small village near Kolkata to meet a little girl who was India's last case of polio. This gave her the inspiration to begin a long-term project on those suffering in a country that's now "polio-free." First she met a boy named Dharmender who lived in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India. Even though his village was poor, his family took good care of him. Del Estal spent time with him and accompanied him during a surgical procedure in New Delhi. She said that while Dharmender is very fortunate to have the opportunity for surgery, he will still never have a "normal" life. "His daily life is hard. ... Everybody around him was working and having a family, and he cannot have this," Del Estal said. "So on one hand, it's (a) hard situation, and on the other hand, it's easier than the other boy I met." She's speaking of Kumar, the young man who moved to New Delhi to support himself and his elderly mother back home in a village up north. Del Estal first met Kumar when she was wrapping up the first segment of her project. From the beginning, she said, he was very trusting, allowing her into his daily life. Del Estal was intent on capturing an authentic portrayal of Kumar's life -- the everyday logistics of moving through a city without one's limbs at command. She said she was amazed at how adept he was at maneuvering his world. He could carry notebooks with his neck, grasp a pencil in between his clutched fingers, smoke a cigarette using his feet and prop his arms on his knees to move them forward. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. Between the two of them -- Del Estal speaking a little Hindi and Kumar speaking a little English -- they wove a patchwork language of friendship and understanding. Kumar told her of his love interest -- a girl who had feelings for him as well -- but her parents would never allow their union. Del Estal said that while Kumar wants a job, employment is next to impossible for someone in his condition. But his spirit is tenacious. He knows how to read and write and he is skilled at taking care of himself. Before heading to the main bazaar in New Delhi every day, he washes and dresses himself. There are no days off for him. As shops open and tourists fumble through a foreign world in flip-flops and Bermuda shorts, Kumar positions himself in a visible location and smiles and greets everyone who passes with, "Namaste." Del Estal has been so impacted by his friendship that she said her next plans are to do a project on his life. "I want to go to his village to meet his mother and keep taking pictures about his life because he is such a beautiful person," she said. "It's such a sad (circumstance) yet amazing life. I want to keep documenting his (story)." Elena del Estal is a Spanish photographer based in India.

In March of last year, it was announced that polio had been eradicated in India . Photographer Elena del Estal couldn't help but wonder about those already living with the disease .

 just eaten dinner and it was really good. A plate of curries, a bowl of rice with a dollop of yogurt.
You reach into your bag for some mints and come out with a plastic pouch of shisha tobacco. You open it and take out a pipe that looks like a pen and smoke it.
Now imagine this on a regular basis. What you're seeing is part of a ritual in New Delhi, India, called kush. The city is a hub for cannabis smoking.
I met a regular kush smoker who goes by the name of Sanyo (which means "the little one" in Hindi).
"Kush" is the Hindi name for hashish, a psychoactive drug made from the resin (aka sticky sap) of the cannabis plant. It comes from the Sanskrit word "kus," which means "mushroom," and the plant that it is found on, cannabis sativa.
There are many ways to smoke kush.
The most common is known as "shisha." A shisha pipe looks like a pen. Instead of burning a stick of wood or charcoals to heat the pipe, it uses a heating element that gets hot (usually made of ceramic) instead. Shisha is often made from tobacco, but can also be made of kush.
Another way to smoke kush is called "bongs" or hookahs. It usually involves a plastic tube. A hookah is a water pipe for smoking that usually uses tobacco, but can also be made from kush.
There are many ways to smoke kush.
The most popular and easiest way is to use a shisha pipe. Unlike a hookah, you can fit shisha in your bag and take it anywhere. But because shisha is an Indian import, it's expensive and hard to get.
Hookahs are also much better than shisha, although shisha is much more discreet and portable. A hookah, which is also called a water pipe, is one of the more popular ways to smoke kush. You usually need an electric hookah (electric pipes are also called e-shisha) to use kush instead of tobacco.
To smoke the e-shisha, you buy a liquid called "e-liquid" to put in the bowl of the water pipe. You fill the rest of the pipe with a water and ice. You put the e-shisha stem in the bowl and


By the time referee Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle, large chunks of the world-record crowd had long since drifted away into the north London night. Such was Saracens’ dominance of a Harlequins team who have completely lost their way, even the dubious lure of a Mexican wave had lost its appeal for the ‘away’ fans. Those left inside did muster a roar when Billy Vunipola dotted down for a deserved try with two minutes remaining, but Quins had been so inept for large parts of this game that a five-try victory felt slightly hollow. Saracens' Chris Wyles (left) manages to go over the line despite a last ditch tackle from Marland Yarde (right) Saracens' Chris Hodgson (centre) releases the ball as Harlequins' Joe Marler (left) close him down . Pop singer Pixie Lott performs at half-time in front of the record breaking 84,068 crowd at Wembley Stadium . The 24-year-old performs for the Saracens and Harlequins supporters during the Aviva premiership match . Saracens won’t care a jot. They were tack sharp for much of the game, physical and confrontational when they needed to be with a pack more than willing to mix it and a back line full of invention. It was just a shame the 84,068 crowd, many of them no doubt watching their first game of professional rugby, witnessed such a no-contest. Saracens have won all but one of their last 14 matches against their London rivals and on this evidence it will be a long time before they are troubled again. Quins, eighth in the Aviva Premiership table and with next to no chance of European qualification, really were that bad. Their returning England contingent of Chris Robshaw, Joe Marler and Nick Easter were unable to make any notable impact up front, while behind the scrum they were devoid of ideas. The world record breaking 84,068 attendance for a club rugby match is revealed on the Wembley scoreboard . Harlequins' Danny Care chips the ball forward during his side's 42-14 defeat by Saracens at Wembley . Saracens' Wyles and Harlequins' Ross Chisholm both try to catch the high ball during the premiership match . They missed the cutting edge of their concussed full back Mike Brown and scrum-half Danny Care is badly short of confidence after being dropped by England last autumn. The same cannot be said of Saracens, who consolidated their second spot in the table with a bonus-point win that saw winger Chris Ashton score an excellent brace. USA centre Chris Wyles excelled at 12 alongside the equally impressive Marcelo Bosch. With Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt and Schalk Brits set to return from injury soon, Saracens appear to be coming good at the right time. ‘The second 20 minutes of the first half was as good as we’ve been all season,’ said Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall. ‘We counter attacked really well and looked dangerous on the ball. We went off the boil in the next 20 minutes but put a lot of pressure on towards the end.’ Saracens' Billy Vunipola (right) recovers the ball and dives over the line to score his team's fifth and final try . Wyles (left) scored two tries in Saracens stunning 42-14 victory over Harlequins at Wembley on Saturday . Harlequins' Care (centre) breaks free of a late tackle from Saracens' Neil de Kock (bottom) on Saturday . The only blot on Ashton’s copybook was the yellow card shown for a tip tackle on Matt Hopper with eight minutes to play. No matter. Saracens still scored two tries with the wing off the field. ‘It’s incredibly frustrating,’ said Quins director of rugby Conor O’Shea. ‘We’re just too easy to knock off. It’s been a really difficult couple of months. You can see that by how easily we get knocked off our stride, mentally. When you are used to success it hurts even more.’ It could all have been so different for Quins. On the same Wembley pitch where Harry Kane had taken just 78 seconds to open his international account for England the night before, young Quins flanker Jack Clifford dotted down 28 seconds into this contest after charging down Neil de Kock’s clearance. It proved to be as good as it would get for Quins as Wyles and Ashton scored superbly worked first-half tries. Quins lost prop Kyle Sinckler with a knee injury sustained courtesy of a dubious tackle by flanker Jacques Burger. Ashton’s 52nd-minute try put Saracens out of sight before the two more late tries put deserved gloss on the score. They will travel to face Racing Metro in the last eight of Europe next Sunday full of belief. Harlequins' Nick Evans (right) drives forward with the ball past the challenge of Alistair Hargreaves (left) Care pounces on the loose ball as Saracens' David Strrettle (right) gives chase at Wembley on Saturday . Harlequins' Chris Robshaw (right) charges forward with the ball and is tackled by Saracens' George Kruis . Saracens' Jackson Wray (centre) is tackled by Harlequins' George Robson (left) and Jack Clifford (right)

Saracens are up to second in the Aviva Premiership table after a stunning victory over Harlequins at Wembley . The game attracted a world record 84,068 crowd for club rugby . Chris Wyles and Chris Ashton scored two tries apiece and Billy Vunipola added another one late on .

 this season.
Quins, who beat Sarries by three points at Allianz Park in January, are second in the Aviva Premiership and a title challenger under head coach Conor O’Shea. But after three more defeats on the bounce, Quins are now 14 points behind second-placed Exeter, with seven-time champions Sarries in third.
In contrast to their miserable season, Harlequins’ last away victory in the Premiership was 18 months ago. They have not won at Allianz Park since 2012.
Saracens have now scored 42 points in the first 50 minutes of their last two victories, against Northampton and Quins. “We’ve got a bit more in the tank,” said skipper Brad Barritt.
While Quins were a team in crisis, the only drama in the opening half an hour of the Premiership’s most anticipated clash was a 15th-minute line-out in the Quins 22 that would have seen Barnes send off Quins lock Charlie Matthews for pulling down the maul, but in the end he let the game continue.
Saracens went ahead when Mike Ellery was left with an open field and crossed in the corner, and the home crowd were upstanding with 13 minutes gone. It was Saracens at their attacking best.
Harlequins suffered a further setback when No 8 Alex Dombrandt was yellow carded for a tip tackle.
It was only after 26 minutes that Quins mounted any real pressure on the Saracens line, their captain Chris Robshaw the instigator, as he took play into the Sarries 22.
His pass to winger Matt Hopper, who was then tackled by Nick Isiekwe, was the catalyst for the move that led to England winger Jack Nowell scoring Sarries’ second try.
Saracens’ scrum was immense, and they had their second try four minutes before the break, when scrum-half Ben Spencer – the most potent attacking threat in the Saracens pack – burst through the defensive line before feeding Owen Farrell, who had his pass collected by 17-year-old wing Alex Lewington.
Farrell converted Lewington’s converted try for a 19-0 half-time lead, and he missed only one further kick at goal in the second half.
A Quins penalty on the stroke of half time saw


The Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin's Smithfield neighbourhood just may be one of the best known whiskey distilleries in the world, despite the fact that it's no longer in operation. Each year, 350,000 tourists pay a visit to the museum, which was once called the Bow Street Distillery, but there are plenty of other stunning distilleries scattered throughout the Irish countryside to see - and some still produce their high-quality spirits to this day. From Cork to County Antrim, celebrate the luck of the Irish, and the country's most famous beverage, this St. Patrick's Day by going inside some of the most beautiful sites that the industry has to offer... Scroll down for video . The Old Jameson Distillery, now a tourist attraction which has been recreated for effect, is located in the Smithfield district of Dublin . Formerly the Bow Street Distillery, the massive copper vats are now no longer in operation, but can be viewed during the tour . The Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin . Though no longer in operation, the Old Jameson Distillery in the Irish capital is a favourite among visitors. Centrally located in the city's Smithfield neighbourhood, the distillery, complete with detailed recreations, is best known for its hour-long tour, where visitors are shown how the world's number one Irish whiskey was first crafted. Each tour includes a tasting and a complimentary signature drink. The site also offers many more Jameson-inspired cocktails at its 3rd Still Restaurant. The distillery is open seven days a week and tickets for entry are €15 for adults. Another Jameson site, the Midleton Distillery in County Cork, contains many buildings set on 15 sprawling acres . Some of the distillery's buildings date as far back as 1795 and the site also boasts old kilns, a waterwheel and the original warehouse . Known as the Jameson Whiskey Experience, guests can visit and take a tour seven days per week . Midleton Distillery, County Cork . Another Jameson distillery, the Midleton location is set on 15 sprawling acres and some of the buildings date as far back as 1795. The beautifully restored site is located in Cork, in the Southwest of the country, and is rife with whiskey history, boasting old kilns and mills, a waterwheel and original warehouses. Similar to the brand's Dublin location, the Jameson Whiskey Experience is also open seven days a week. The Bushmills Distillery, in County Antrim, is nestled in Northern Ireland near the Giant's Causeway . Known to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world, dating back to 1608, it's also home to a resident ghost, The Grey Lady . Bushmills Distillery, County Antrim, Northern Ireland . With over 120,000 visitors each year, the Bushmills Distillery is one of Northern Ireland's must-see tourist attractions, nestled near the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim. It's claimed to be the oldest licensed distillery in the world, dating back to 1608, though Bushmills as it is known now was not established until 1784. Most popular is the distillery's signature tour, which takes guests from the mixing room to the bottling plant. If you're lucky, you may even spot the on site ghost, the Grey Lady, who is said to have taken up residence in the distillery many years ago. Kilbeggan Locke's Distillery in County Westmeath is still in operation - meaning there's no visitor's centre here! Though there are plenty of guided tours available, guests can also opt for a self-led experience and roam around the site . No matter which tour you choose, all guests will leave with knowledge of how to craft Connemara, Greennore and Tyraconnell whiskeys . Kilbeggan Locke's Distillery, County Westmeath . There's no visitor's centre here - this Irish distillery is still producing it's world famous Kilbeggan whiskey! Dating back over two centuries, the site's creaking timber waterwheel and giant steam engine will transport you into the past, providing a first-hand account of how to craft the complete range of the company's Irish whiskeys: Connemara, Greenore and Tyraconnell. There are plenty of guided tours available, but self tours are also on offer for those so inclined, with prices beginning at €8 for adults.

Dublin's Old Jameson Distillery is one of the city's largest tourist attractions, despite no longer being in operation . The Midleton Distillery in Cork is another Jameson property, which dates back to 1795 and is set on 15 acres . In Northern Ireland, guests are encouraged to keep an eye out for the resident ghost at the Old Bushmills Distillery .

 €12 to tour it, including a trip to "The Vaults" to view two of its whiskey maturation cellars, as well as the "Paddy's Palace" pub.
Of course, a distillery that makes some of the best known Irish whiskeys—Jameson and Bushmill's—couldn't help but draw my attention.
In the distillery's early years, the "new make" was kept in massive copper vats that measured 11 feet deep. I found this out by going down and touching one of the vats with my fingers—the temperature inside was about 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a few more stops throughout the distillery—including a tour of "Paddy's Palace"—we headed down to "The Vaults" where we were divided into two groups. Our first stop was at "The Great Pipes of Fire." This giant copper distillation column, built in the 1870s, looks like a huge fire hydrant. There were several pipes stacked high in the column, with one in the center (we later learned) that produced the highest-quality alcohol.
Our guide showed us the stills that we later got to touch. Although there have been several variations over time, most have had a round, bell-like shape with copper mash tuns (used to produce the mash) below and a copper plate distillation column rising above.
We then went to the "Cognac House" to learn about how Jameson's aging barrels are filled. The vats here were filled up until the tops were flush with the wooden beams, which are about six feet above the barrel. There were about 60,000 casks on three levels here, so the ceiling was very low.
Finally we visited "The Cellar Bar," which is also part of "Paddy's Palace." We sampled Jameson whiskey from different maturation cells—ranging from four to 120 years old—as well as 10-year-old Jameson Gold Reserve and the rarer and slightly higher-priced Jameson 18-year-old, both of which have won a number of awards, including "Best Irish Whiskey" at the International Wine & Spirits Competition, the Jameson Irish Whiskey Trophy and the International Wine & Spirit Competition Trophy.
This is just a quick synopsis of my Jameson tour, however, so I won't give it away!


Babies conceived through IVF may be twice as likely to develop autism, according to new research. Children conceived using assisted reproductive technology were more likely to develop autism than babies conceived naturally. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes any type of fertility treatment where the egg and the sperm are handled outside of the body, including IVF, artificial insemination and surrogacy. During IVF - the most popular ART treatment - more than one egg is harvested and fertilised, which can lead to multiple births. Babies conceived through IVF (pictured) are more likely to develop autism than those conceived naturally, a study found. But this could be due to the complications of IVF, such as multiple births . Researchers explained they found an association between IVF and autism - but they did not prove that the treatment cause the disorder, according to HealthDay news. The higher risk of the disorder could be explained by factors such as multiple births and other risks associated with IVF, not the treatment itself, they said. After taking into account factors such as the mother's education and multiple births, researchers found the increased risk was only seen for mothers under 35 years old. And they found there was no extra risk of autism for women who gave birth to one child. This means IVF using a single-egg transfer rather than multiple eggs lowers the chance of a baby developing autism, experts said. The study involved nearly six million children born from 1997 to 2007. The team, led by Peter Bearman, a professor of social sciences at Columbia University in New York City, collected data on 5.9 million California births, including 48,865 infants conceived through assisted reproduction, and 32,922 children with autism. Autism is mainly caused by a child’s genes, a major study of British twins has found. Scientists said that, in the average boy or girl with autism, genetics explain up to 98 per cent of the illness. The research, by King’s College London, found the condition is highly inheritable. Controversial research linking autism with the MMR jab has been widely discredited, but more recent concern has focused on the condition being fuelled by environmental factors such as pollution. With cases of autism much more common today than in the past, many fear it is also being caused by modern lifestyles. But the researchers said their study suggested that lifestyle and environmental factors were a distant second to genetics. They compared the incidence of autism in births that involved advanced infertility treatment such as IVF and those that didn't. Professor Bearman said this was the largest study looking at this relationship that has ever been carried out. The results are not a condemnation of IVF technology, as the study did not prove a cause-and-effect link, he said. He added: 'There is an association between IVF and autism, but when we control for the characteristics of women who are more likely to use IVF, for example, age and social status, this association is lessened significantly,' The remaining increased risk is due to factors such as multiple births and complications of pregnancy and delivery associated with IVF, he said. He added that there was no significant increased risk of the disorder for children of women who gave birth to one child. He said: 'Knowing that one can largely reduce the risk of autism by restricting the procedure to single-egg transfer is important for women who can then make better informed decisions.' The research was published online in the American Journal of Public Health. The news comes after a major study published this week found genetics are the main cause of a child's autism, not lifestyle. Scientists from King's College London said that, in the average boy or girl with autism, genetics explain up to 98 per cent of the illness. Controversial research linking autism with the MMR jab has been widely discredited, but more recent concern has focused on the condition being fuelled by environmental factors such as pollution. Autism is mainly caused by a child’s genes, rather than lifestyle factors, a study published this month found .

Children conceived using  infertility treatments were more likely to develop autism than children conceived naturally, Columbia University study found . These treatments include IVF, artificial insemination and surrogacy . Experts: Study shows a link - but does not prove - that IVF causes autism . Higher risk could be explained by complications of IVF, like multiple births . There was no extra risk if a woman did not have a multiple birth .

 the embryos of an egg and sperm are manipulated in a laboratory dish. Previous research has linked fertility treatments and assisted reproductive technology to health problems in the babies born from this treatment. In this new study, the researchers wanted to see whether fertility treatment had an effect on the developing brain of a baby in the womb. They used a population-based cohort study which includes data on all “liveborn, singleton pregnancies” in Sweden during the period between 1992 and 2010, up to 18 years of age. They compared 1, 147, 441 singleton, liveborn, and full-term pregnancies conceived through ART with 1, 143, 040 liveborn, full-term pregnancies conceived naturally in Swedish birth registers. The study looked at data on 16, 880 babies born from ART and 32, 521 from natural conception who were not genetically affected. Among these pregnancies, the researchers looked at “autistic spectrum disorders” (ASD), including pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), Asperger syndrome, and autism not otherwise specified (AUT). The results showed that the chance of a baby developing ASD after ART was 7 percent compared to 2 percent in pregnancies conceived naturally. ART babies had a greater than “twofold” chance of developing ASD. The chance was higher for ART babies of both sexes. This study did not find an increased risk of autism in babies born from ART or IVF to a woman over 35, which contradicts previous research. Some researchers are linking the increase in autism to a number of factors. One explanation is that IVF children are more likely to be from unmarried or lesbian parents who are younger, which may increase the risk of ASD, according to the researchers. Other researchers believe the use of fertility treatment may cause developmental delays in the future offspring. The study was limited because it was based on information gathered by self-reported responses in Swedish birth and fertility registers. The study also found that babies who were conceived through ART were more likely to have premature births. The study appeared online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.We're not sure why there's this increased risk but, to us, it's pretty scary.
Autism risk increases by 50% when a baby is conceived through IVF
It's best to stop fertility treatment once a couple finds out they're expecting, experts urge.
Published Friday, July 17, 2020 10:28AM EDT Last Updated Friday, July 17


Judith Brown-Mitchell married Roy Mitchell eight days before he died and then stole £15,000 of his granddaughter's inheritance . A 'black widow' who married a man on his death bed just eight days before he died has been jailed for stealing his granddaughter's inheritance. Judith Brown, 55, wed Roy Mitchell, 66, just over a week before he died after a long illness in 2011, but he changed his will so she would be the main beneficiary and trustee. Of Mr Mitchell's £180,000 estate, £60,000 was supposed to be divided between his four grandchildren to be spent on their education - but the widow stole £15,000. Brown-Mitchell, as she became known after she married, was Mr Mitchell's carer as he battled bowel cancer in 2011. He changed his will at the end of August that year and the pair, who met in 2006, married days later - but the then terminally ill man's family were not invited and were only told of the marriage by text message. Mr Mitchell's family also had no idea his will had been changed in Mitchell-Brown's favour until he died. After his death on September 10, 2011, Brown-Mitchell, of Haverthwaite,  Cumbria, should have handed over £60,000 for the children's education but refused to do so, Preston Crown Court heard. Eventually £45,000 of this was seized after a previous court hearing, but the rest of the inheritance - meant for the eldest granddaughter - was 'squandered', as well as a further £100,000 spent on 'shopping and entertaining herself'. Judge Howard Bentham criticised Brown-Mitchell for stealing £15,000 from a minor as he jailed her for two years. He said the defence of her actions was 'incredible' and said she had 'wilfully and deliberately' failed in her actions as a trustee. Jeremy Grout-Smith, prosecuting, told the court how Brown-Mitchell, who fostered young offenders before being struck down with multiple sclerosis, had pleaded guilty to the theft of £15,000 between September 2011 and October 2014. He said she had struck up a friendship with Mr Mitchell in 2006 and when he had fallen ill had become his carer. 'Black widow': Brown-Mitchell married Mr Mitchell on his deathbed, with his family only finding out about the wedding by text message . Mr Mitchell, 66, pictured with his daughter Nina, died in 2011 after losing his battle with bowel cancer . Mr Grout-Smith said: 'He didn't want to die in hospital so he moved into her home and at weekends they would go to his caravan on the Holker Estate. He had bought a caravan there because of his love of the Lake District. 'He changed his will on August 31, 2011 and married the defendant in a deathbed marriage on September 2. He died eight days later. Brown-Mitchell was jailed for two years for stealing from a minor . 'She was the executor and trustee of the will and was to give a legacy of £15,000 to each of the four grandchildren, which they would get once they reached the age of 18. 'He had left his estate, valued at £180,000, to the defendant.' Mr Grout-Smith added that the cash was never handed over and a long legal battle ensued. In the meantime Brown-Mitchell had been convicted of benefit fraud after failing to declare the inheritance. Donna Mitchell, the deceased's daughter, said in her impact statement: '[Brown-Mitchell] isolated him from us and his friends. She married him when he was dying and he changed his will. We never got to see him again as by the time we did he was in and out of consciousness. 'She has shown no remorse and doesn't seem to care.' But Laura Heywood, defending the 'black widow', said that Mr Mitchell's relationship with his daughters had deteriorated. She said: 'It wasn't all happy families at all. Brown-Mitchell had put £45,000 in a 10-year plan to safeguard it and was keeping the other £15,000 as the eldest grandchild would be 18 before that plan matured. 'She has ended up depressed by the way she has been pursued by the family. She thinks she also had a breakdown as one day she bought 36 cans of cat food and she doesn't even own a cat. 'Her strongest mitigation is that she pleaded guilty. She is remorseful for what happened. She never intended to spend this money but she has used it on the cost of general living.' Nina Taylor (left), Mr Mitchell's (right) daughter, said the family referred to Mitchell-Brown as a 'black widow' as they cannot bear to say her name . After Mr Mitchell's (centre right) death in September 2011, Brown-Mitchell should have handed over £60,000 for the children's education but refused to do so . Judge Bentham said: 'I am sentencing you for stealing £15,000 from a minor when you were trustee of the estate. 'You have squandered £100,000 from the estate and you have wilfully and deliberately failed in your actions as a trustee. 'Your defence was incredible. You will go to prison for two years.' Brown-Mitchell remained emotionless as she was led away to the cells. Speaking after the hearing, Mr Mitchell's 17-year-old granddaughter Charlotte - who was due the stolen money - sobbed as she described how she missed her granddad and the trauma the case had caused. She said: 'I'm so glad it's all over. I'm happy she has gone to prison after what she did. 'She has caused so much pain and heartache for our family.' Mr Mitchell's daughter Nina Taylor, 42, said: 'This has been a very long and traumatic time for me and my family causing a great loss of money to us along with the children. 'I have been off work due to anxiety and panic attacks on medication for stress. 'For the past three-and-a-half years my sister and myself have spent time going to civil court due to inheritance my father left for his four grandchildren. 'Mrs Brown-Mitchell was a friend of my father's for a number of years though I believe that she knew my father had a long-term illness. She tried to cut off my father's family and friends. 'Due to a court order we did manage to take over a policy in Mrs Brown Mitchell's name of £45,000 without her consent but still there was £15,000 missing and also costs of £10,000 approximately which have not been paid. 'This has been a very traumatic time for myself, my sister our families and the grandchildren.' Daughters Mrs Taylor (left) and Donna Mitchell (right) said the last three-and-a-half years had been 'traumatic' Mrs Taylor, a teaching assistant from Warrington, added: 'I believe that she played on my father and whilst he was very ill turned him against us. 'This is a heartbreaking situation that Mrs Brown-Mitchell has caused. We call her the black widow as we can't stand to say her name. 'I have trouble sleeping at night as this situation is constantly playing on my mind and have also been prescribed sleeping tablets. 'I cannot think about anything else, I am unable to trust people and my children cannot understand how an adult can do such a disgusting thing and possibly get away with it. 'My daughter Charlotte is due to go to university and my father's wishes were that the grandchildren use their inheritance for property or education. As Charlotte's is the missing money she will be unable to use this.' She added: 'We can now get on with our lives. I have no sympathy for her. She's a black widow and deserves all she gets. 'I would say that I hope she rots in hell but we got justice and that's all that matters. She took our dad away from us.'

Judith Brown married Roy Mitchell just eight days before he died of cancer . Mr Mitchell, 66, changed his will to her name in the weeks before his death . Brown-Mitchell was supposed to give £60,000 to his four grandchildren . But she stole £15,000 and spent it on 'shopping and entertaining herself' 'Black widow' also 'squandered' another £100,000 from Mr Mitchell's estate . Judge says Brown-Mitchell's defence of her actions was 'incredible' She was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to stealing from a minor .

 been handed a record sentence after being caught racking up debts using his cards and stealing the money from his granddaughter. Judith Brown-Mitchell, 57, began a relationship with Roy Mitchell, 75, weeks before his death and persuaded his granddaughter to pay off a mortgage and credit card debts of £13,900.
But she then took on the huge costs herself by racking up a further £2,200 of debts, Birmingham Crown Court heard. The widow also used Mr Mitchell's money on designer handbags, cashmere jumpers and a fur coat, and had plastic surgery and a ''significant'' house extension carried out using her new-found wealth.
She was jailed for 36 months on May 2 after being convicted of fraud and five charges of stealing money from a man in his 90s.
Judge Recorder Peter Ross told her it was a "very serious offence" and sent her to prison for a "considerable" period.
Judge Ross said she was "a selfish, callous and untouchable woman" who had been stealing from her vulnerable victim for months before he died.
The judge said Mr Mitchell's credit cards and bank account had been "drained by somebody who was living beyond their means."
He said the "most serious" offence - using the dead man's debit card in order to rack up debt on his accounts - had been committed within days of Mr Mitchell's death.
At the time of his death in October 2016, a month before his 93rd birthday, he had "been totally dependant on her" and had even used his life savings to pay for her birthday party, the court heard.
He added that he considered the offences "shocking and appalling", and noted that she had been found in the possession of the items purchased from the money he had taken.
The judge jailed Brown-Mitchell, of Brierley Hill, West Mids, on Friday (May 2) for two years and eight months.
At the hearing Brown-Mitchell, who has five children, sobbed as she was jailed for stealing thousands of pounds worth of items from her victim's house.
The judge said Brown-Mitchell had been using the "tragically deceased" man as a "financial resource" for her own gain as he ordered her to pay back £26,900 in total.
He said the 57-year


Her boyfriend’s dreary taste in furnishings is said to be the spark that first set Chrissie Rucker off in pursuit of all things white. Faced with the fusty brown and burgundy upholstery in his flat in Fulham, West London, she rushed to the shops to find replacements in more neutral tones, but struggled when it came to buying good quality bed linen in the purest of whites. She didn’t know it at the time, of course, but that day in 1993 marked the moment Rucker began to dream of setting up a shop selling everything in white. Scroll down for video . Chrissie Rucker is the founder and director of The White Company and is pictured here with a selection of her products . More than two decades on, the 46-year-old founder of The White Company is one of the UK’s wealthiest businesswomen having transformed what began as a 12-page mail-order catalogue selling white towels and bed linen into a home furnishings and fashion empire. Her business sells everything from £20 scented candles to £200 cashmere jumpers, and while she has branched out to shades such as ‘biscuit marl’ and ‘cloud grey’, Rucker remains obsessed with all things pale. Her white revolution has seen sales soaring at her 53 High Street stores — even the Queen has sent out her ladies-in-waiting to buy bedspreads — and has spread across the Atlantic where she launched a U.S. website last year. Latest figures show that the mother-of-four’s company made pre-tax profits of £6.5 million last year — an increase of 38 per cent. Her position on the Sunday Times Rich list has climbed steeply from 427th to 326th. She and her husband’s combined wealth is estimated at £295 million. Aside from the money pouring into company coffers, Rucker owns three stunning properties, all decorated from roof to floor in her trademark sweeping white interiors. There’s a £12.5 million 17th-century manor house in Buckinghamshire, set in 51 acres of parkland, a £4 million townhouse in London’s fashionable Holland Park and what is widely regarded to be the finest property in the Swiss Alps, Haus Alpina, a luxury chalet with full-time staff which Rucker rents out for a staggering £26,000 a week. Chrissie, pictured at her Buckinghamshire home, realised she had found a gap in the market when she was looking to decorate her future husband's house all in white . Even at Rucker’s main residence, the country mansion, the only flashes of colour you’ll see are the bright pony rosettes awarded to her horse-mad daughters. All in all, it’s a rather surprising state of affairs for a woman who disappointed her parents by leaving school at 16 with six O-levels and signing up at the Lucie Clayton finishing school which promised to prepare girls for marriage, society and ‘the season’. However, it was not long before Rucker decided she wanted to do something more interesting with her life than flutter her eyelashes at eligible young bachelors on the London social circuit. Indeed, the statuesque blonde’s path to fortune is rather more colourful than her dazzling white shops might suggest. Belinda Christian Rucker, as she was named by her parents, was born in 1968 into an illustrious military family — her maternal grandfather, Sir Harold Pyman, was Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces in Europe and a recipient of the Knight Grand Cross and Distinguished Service Order. The daughter of commodity broker, Patrick Rucker, Chrissie, as she was known, grew up in Kent and attended £5,275-a-term Combe Bank School in Kent. Her parents divorced, and aged seven, she and her younger sister, Jo, went with their mother Rosemary, a horse breeder, to live with their new step-father, estate agent Jeremy Calcutt. Those days, she recalled, were happy but chaotic. ‘My mother was really only interested in her horses,’ she said, ‘so the stables were immaculate, the house a tip.’ Chrissie's husband, Nick Wheeler (pictured), set up his shirt company, Charles Tyrwhitt, in 1986 while a geography student at Bristol University . It was all a far cry from the vision Rucker would later create of domestic interiors as a haven of white and light. Her early ambitions lay in fashion. While at Lucy Clayton she studied dressmaking and design. But as a teenager in London in the late Eighties, Rucker seemed intent on immersing herself in a ‘Sloane Ranger’ lifestyle. In 1987, she was a debutante at the Savoy hotel’s Berkeley Ball, where she and fellow socialite and fashion journalist Plum Sykes were among a select bunch of girls chosen by judges including hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and fashion designer Jean Muir to appear in the Berkeley Dress Show. Even at Chrissie and Nick's home in Buckinghamshire (pictured) you will see only flashes of colour, mainly in the bright pony rosettes awarded to their horse-mad daughters . Wedding dress designer Anneliese Sharpe, who was also on the judging panel, recalls that even among the ‘incredibly beautiful, leggy’ girls who paraded in front of her, desperate to be picked, 18-year-old Rucker stood out. Cannily, she used her introduction to Sharpe to ask for work experience. ‘Chrissie used to come every day,’ says Sharp. ‘She was completely different from the other debutantes. She was incredibly hard-working with no airs and graces.’ However, Rucker decided that life as a designer was not what she wanted after all. She began work at Conde Nast, the owner of several glossy magazines including Vogue and Tatler, first as a receptionist, then as a fashion assistant. She enrolled on a journalism course, later describing it as a ‘complete waste of time’, and flitted from there to Clarins, where she worked as a PR girl. She was poached from there by Harper & Queen’s health and beauty editor Tina Gaudoin in 1991. Gaudoin recalls: ‘She was so efficient and impressive, I said: “Are you interested in coming to work for me?” She dropped off her CV at 5am. I was so struck by her ability to be focused and unflappable that I hired her as my assistant. She has a great humility about her, which I find extraordinary, bearing in mind she is so successful.’ By the time she met her future husband, Rucker was still struggling to work out exactly what she wanted to do with her life. But although she fell in love with Old Etonian Nick Wheeler, she did not feel the same way about his taste in interiors. Chrissie (pictured) used a £6,000 legacy from her grandmother to launch The White Company in March 1994 . According to Rucker herself: ‘I thought; “This is my chance. I’ll show him what excellent wife material I am.” So I went shopping and kitted it out — I bought white bed linen, white towels, white china, white napkins and white bathrobes. But I just found it impossible to buy plain white sheets on the High Street. ‘The only place you could get them was in department stores and shopping there was a horrible experience. All the salesgirls would look at you snootily, as if to say: “You can’t afford this.”’ While Rucker believed she had spotted a hole in the market, her husband-to-be was perfectly placed to advise her when it came to launching her own business. Chrissie (pictured) grew up in Kent and attended £5,275-a-term Combe Bank School before going on to the Lucie Clayton finishing school . Wheeler had set up his shirt company, Charles Tyrwhitt, in 1986 while a geography student at Bristol University. ‘I don’t think I would have done it if it hadn’t been for Nick,’ Rucker later claimed. ‘He guided me through the process, helped me write my first business plan.’ She began by calling up London department stores, pretending to be a journalist writing articles on homeware while ascertaining that up to 50 per cent of their sales involved white linen. She also quizzed PRs, manufacturers and friends. Chrissie (left) was inspired to start The White Company in 1993 after being faced with the fusty brown and burgundy upholstery of her future husband, Nick's (right) flat in Fulham, West London . ‘My mission was to bridge the gap between first-class designer quality and what was affordable without the big designer margins,’ she has said. Rucker used a £6,000 legacy from her grandmother to launch The White Company in March 1994. Wheeler gave her £5,000 in return for a 25 per cent stake, and she also received a £50-a-week enterprise grant. She produced her first mail-order catalogue, a 12-page leaflet, on a computer in Wheeler’s attic, delivering her first orders in her sister Jo’s Mini Metro. The company was an instant hit, turning over £258,000 in its first year, but Rucker remained committed to hard graft, working 16-hour days, right up until the birth of her first child. Chrissie is pictured here at home with her children; Ella, Tom, Bea and India, when they were younger . Since then, The White Company has gone from strength to strength. In 2010, Rucker was made an MBE for services to the retail industry, attracting mirth among some palace officials because of the black outfit that she wore to receive the honour at Windsor Castle. She and her husband — together with their four children aged from ten to 18 — now reap the rewards of their entrepreneurial spirt. They almost split up when he failed to propose during a romantic holiday in Thailand the year Rucker launched her business. Upon returning to the UK, a feisty Rucker gave him his marching orders, storming into his office and returning his £5,000 investment in cash. In 2010, Rucker was made an MBE for services to the retail industry (pictured) attracting mirth among some palace officials thanks to her all black outfit . A shell-shocked Wheeler left the money on the roof of his sports car and drove off without it. When the couple did finally marry in 1995, Rucker gave him back one per cent of the company as a wedding gift. As a 99 per cent stake-holder, however, it is Rucker who remains at the head of a retail empire which has revolutionised tastes in home furnishings, a woman who continues to live and breathe the colour that made her a multi-millionaire. ‘For me, white is timeless and always very relevant,’ she insists. ‘Wherever you live, whatever your style, white works.’ Additional reporting: Simon Trump .

Chrissie Rucker was inspired by her boyfriend's house in 1993 . She realised she had found a gap in the market for white home furnishings . She used £6,000 inheritance to launch The White Company in March 1994 .

 London, she hit on the idea of creating her own.
“When my then-boyfriend-now-husband-and-husband decided to move to London, my reaction was to come to London to join him. I couldn’t move into a brown flat with brown curtains so I bought a paintbrush,” she said.
Since then, Rucker, now 48, has gone on to found the online retailer White Company and her eponymous range of homeware. As a 10-year veteran of the property boom, she has a healthy interest in property, too: she was among the earliest investors to spot the growth in London’s residential property market and bought a second home here while she was still living in Fulham.
The couple’s first flat, on the third floor of a red-brick terrace in Fulham, was her husband’s first foray into the residential property market in 2000. He was only 27 at the time, so their budget was limited, but the young couple nonetheless managed to convert it into a large two-bedroom property. “We had to work hard to transform it into something we both loved,” she said, describing how they stripped the walls back to the bare brick and laid a wood floor, among other DIY challenges. “I was not much into interior design back then, although my mother was an interior designer and is very creative, so I benefited from her skills,” she said.
The couple moved to a bigger home just a few streets away in 2004, when Rucker was nine months pregnant with their first child. “The space was right, but the layout had so much wasted space. We wanted to open up the flat and give it a real sense of flow. It was also the start of the property boom, so buying in Fulham was right for us. You could get on the property ladder there with something to sell on if you needed to, as prices didn’t really soar until 2007.”
The three-storey townhouse has three floors, an integral garage and a huge basement, which they had converted into a self-contained flat for use by domestic staff and housekeepers. The main staircase of the house has a landing that Rucker has decked out in the soft white and pale grey hues of White Company. It is in this room that the family entertains guests. Here you’ll also find the entrance to a secret den or TV room, a glass-roofed sun lounge


The first rule of Brazil versus Chile is: You do not talk about Brazil versus Chile. The second rule of Brazil versus Chile is: You do not talk about Brazil versus Chile. Brazil may have come away with a 1-0 win through Firmino’s second-half strike, but this match between two South American rivals was more like a scene from cult ‘90s film Fight Club, in which Brad Pitt and Ed Norton get normal men kicking lumps out of each other every week, than the showpiece friendly expected. As the film goes, the third rule of Fight Club: Someone yells stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. No-one told the Chilean players as they repeatedly floored Neymar with challenge after challenge after challenge. Hoffenheim's Roberto Firmino (left) celebrates with team-mates Elias and Neymar having opened the scoring for Brazil against Chile . Firmino managed to skip past the on-coming Claudio Bravo on 72 minutes to slot Brazil ahead at the Emirates stadium on sunday . Neymar watches on after tangling with Chile defender Gary Medel and the former Cardiff player appears to stamp on the Brazilian . The Barcelona star is evidently in pain after Medel's (centre) cynical stamp on Neymar's leg at the Emirates stadium on Sunday . Remarkably referee Martin Atkinson didn't punish the stamp by Medel as Neymar was left in pain on the Emirates stadium pitch . Brazil (4-2-2-2): Jefferson 7; Danilo 7, Thiago Silva 6.5, Miranda 6.5, Marcelo 6 (Filipe Luis 76); Souza 6.5 (Elias 60, 6), Fernandinho 6; Douglas Costa 6 (Willian 62, 6), Coutinho 6 (Robinho 60, 6); Neymar 7, Luiz Adriano 5.5 (Firmino 60, 7). Subs not used: Diego Alves, Grohe, Gil, Oscar, Gabriel, Fabinho, Luiz Gustavo. Manager: Dunga 6 . Booked: Thiago Silva, Neymar, Miranda, Fernandinho, Elias. Chile (3-4-1-2): Bravo 6; Medel 6, Jara 6, Albornoz 6; Isla 6, Millar 6 (Fernandez 74 6), Aranguiz 6, Mena 6 (Gonazlez 82); Vidal 6.5 (Vargas 80); Sanchez 7.5, Hernandez 6. Subs not used: Roco, Garces, Cornejo, Pizarro, Orellana, Gutierrez, Fuenzalida, Lichnovsky. Manager: Jorge Sampaoli 5 . Booked: Albornoz, Gonzalez . Referee: Martin Atkinson 7 . MOTM: Alexis Sanchez . Attendance: 60,007 . The Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Here at the Emirates Stadium it was 11 on 11. The first savage blow came three minutes in. Brazilian enforcer Souza crunched Alexis Sanchez. Somewhere, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger winced and knew it would be a nervy 90 minutes watching his star player. It was clear this was going to be a ‘friendly’ in the very loosest terms. Miiko Albornoz was next in referee Martin Atkinson’s book, nailing Neymar twice in a matter of minutes as the Chileans competed against each other for how many times they could take out Brazil’s star man. Gary Medel tried the hardest, taking him down in a challenge then standing back up on his calf. The former Cardiff defender was lucky to remain on the pitch, perhaps helped by Neymar writhing around as if he had been tasered. 'They didn’t get much protection,' Dunga said of his players’ treatment after the game. On Medel’s stamp, he added: 'The decision is the referee’s. Chile has a great team, very dynamic, great fighting, but some players make mistakes. These days we have 300 cameras focusing on the action so you have to play football. There’s no other solution.' There were flashes of quality and skill, from Sanchez and Neymar mainly, the pair sending either side of the stadium into raptures of screeching and screaming with their every touch. On 37 minutes, Neymar scooped the ball out of an opponent’s reach, which prompted their best chance of the first-half. The ball made its way to Marcelo and he crossed for Douglas Costa to the right of goal, who controlled the ball with his chest but could only volley over. Neymar also came close with an in-swinging free kick from out on the right after 26 minutes, which almost tucked into the far right post before Claudio Bravo tipped it wide. Early in the half Sanchez took a lovely touch to get clear and raced into the box, but was eventually blocked out. The first 45 minutes were brought to a close by Fernandinho flying in with studs raised only to find air and Neymar being booked for tripping Gonzalo Jara. It was fitting. If anyone was expecting anything different in the second-half, they were duly disappointed 100 seconds into it when Mauricio Isla went through the back of Neymar, who was down clutching his ankles yet again. Sanchez started taking the game by the scruff of the neck, while the others were too busy taking each other by it, and making things happen. The international friendly between Brazil abd Chile added a bit of South American flare to proceedings in a rain drenched North London . Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez sprints away from Thiago Silva (left) on the Emirates stadium pitch he has become very familiar with . Brazil manager Dunga passes on instructions to his right back Danilo as he watches his side take on South American rivals Chile . He got the wrong side of Miranda on 63 minutes and was brought down, earning the Brazil defender a yellow card. Three minutes later he beat three men before being tripped by substitute Willian and moments later he was spinning and shimmying past more again. The resulting free kicks, however, were poor. Finally, after 72 minutes of the match, there was a chance of real note - and the Brazilian’s scored it. Substitute Firmino was played through by a wonderful pass from right-back Danilo and he rounded the goalkeeper to score. Dunga was satisified with victory, he said: 'It's true Chile controlled the game, but we had more chances at goal. So it wasn't just luck - we deserved to win. We are building a competitive team, working through obstacles very well, played against a very strong France team, changed six players but stayed stable and strong.' Managers across Europe with a vested interest in this game would have been relieved to hear the final whistle blow and no major injuries incurred. By the end, seven yellow cards had been brandished and it was incredible there were no reds. But the match is over now and, remember, the first rule of Brazil versus Chile is: You do not talk about Brazil versus Chile. Real Madrid left back Marcelo attempts to clear the ball under pressure from Chile's Arturo Vidal during the international friendly . Brazil's Danilo (left) in action against Chile's Eugenio Mena (right) as the South American sides clashed at Arsenal's Emirates stadium . An ardent Brazil fan wore the green and yellow of her nation as thousands of South American football fans attended the Brazil vs Chile match . Barcelona star Neymar keeps his eye on the ball as he tries to control and begin another attack for his national side . Brazil forward Luiz Adriano (left) struggles to keep his balance as Medel challenges his opponent for possession at the Emirates on Sunday . Brazil right back Danilo (right) springs into an acrobatic challenge to try and win back possession for his side from Chile's Sanchez . Neymar was in the wars again after this foul from Mauricio Isla of Chile on the touchline left the Barcelona star in apparent agony .

Former Cardiff defender Gary Medel was lucky not to receive a card for a nasty stamp on Brazil talisman Neymar . Roberto Firmino fired the Brazilians ahead on 72 minutes, rounding Chile keeper Claudio bravo to slot home .

ino’s late strike (or should I say late screamer?) in Sao Paolo, but Chile were the better side over the two legs. The goal came off a long-range free kick that the referee inexplicably awarded, but aside from that, Chile dominated and controlled the game.
It’s easy for me to make these comments, because like every English-speaking South American, I love to pretend that Chile is actually a good soccer team (and sometimes, a good team overall). The truth is, Chile is not nearly as exciting as Brazil, but that does not mean they were not the better team in this series. They played better soccer, kept the ball better, took more shots on goal, scored more goals, created more chances, passed better… Chile were the better team in the two matches, and you can’t say they weren’t. They were the better team.
Let’s get into it then, without all the Brazil versus Chile crap.
The first leg was pretty dull. We all knew that going into it. Brazil dominated the possession, but couldn’t really threaten the goal for long periods of time, and Chile did a good job keeping them at bay. Brazil had a couple of shots on goal, and Chile had a couple of good chances, but the score remained level. Brazil were playing with a man advantage for a little over 20 minutes, so that was fun to watch. The score stayed 0-0, and this was the biggest (and last) drama for the first leg. It was pretty much decided before that 87th minute free kick.
And that’s exactly what happened in the second leg. Chile dominated again. Brazil dominated for 15 minutes again, but then Chile took over. There was a little bit of controversy as both teams had chances disallowed for offsides or foul calls. I felt Brazil were more aggressive and more threatening in the first 15 minutes. After that, they tried to dominate possession, but Chile countered, and created a couple of scoring chances. Chile had a goal called back after a video review, and Brazil seemed to control the ball better, but they couldn’t create any real clear-cut chances. Brazil seemed frustrated at this point, and Chile were happy just trying to keep Brazil out of the goal. And then, in the 87th minute, as a free kick was being taken (and not really a free kick at this point), Renato Augusto got a little


Boris Berezovsky was killed in his bathroom because he was preparing to give Vladimir Putin evidence of a plot involving leading oligarchs to topple the strongman in a coup, it was claimed today. The exiled Russian tycoon was slain by Western secret services linked to the plan to overthrow the Kremlin leader. The theory comes from Berezovsky's former long-time head of security Sergei Sokolov, who disputed the version of British police that the ex-billionaire took his own life, aged 67, in Berkshire in March 2013. Scroll down for video . 'Convinced': Berezovsky's former head of security Sergei Sokolov says he knows his boss did not take his own life - and alleges he was killed by Western secret services over evidence of a plot to overthrow Putin . 'I am convinced it was done by the Western secret services,' he said. 'If Berezovsky's death is a puzzle for you, it is a problem solved for me. Boris was killed simply because he possessed certain secret information and was going to make it public. This is not just my guess, I know it for sure.' Sokolov, the head of a major Moscow private security agency, said his ex-boss was intent on returning to Russia, and had opened negotiations with Putin on allowing him back despite years of bitter opposition to the president. 'Boris forwarded Vladimir Putin a letter with repentance,' he said. Deceased: Boris Berezovsky, left, was found dead at his ex-wife's home in Berkshire in March 2013. An outspoken critic of Putin, he is said to have sent the Kremlin leader a 'letter of repentance' and was planning his return to Russia . 'It was a part of the big venture he had been planning. Berezovsky was living and looking forward to his return to Russia. Of course, he was hoping for indulgence. 'Boris was killed only because he possessed information which he was going to share with Putin. 'I am absolutely sure that Boris had video and audio evidence about certain oligarchs who offered to organise a coup in the country, promising him to be seen as being at the head of the attack. 'Berezovsky planned to come back to his motherland with this sensational material. 'You understand it now: those people he had gathered compromising materials for, considered him to be a serious threat.' Berezovsky - who had a penchant for secretly recording conversations - had hidden his treasure trove, claimed Sokolov. Allegations: The explosive theory was made by Sergei Sokolov, who claimed his former boss had gathered 'compromising material' as part of his plan to return to Russia . 'Western secret services are still chasing it. Boris was not a predictable guy, who would keep precious information under the pillow in his house.' He claimed that Berezovsky had inside information from MI6 about Russia. 'I knew that Boris was in close relations with MI6, Mossad and the CIA,' he claimed. But 'when he became dangerous for their recruited residents such as Russian politicians and oligarchs, the Western secret services decided to get rid of him.' He alleged: 'Berezovsky's murder was prepared for several months. It was a brilliant operation by the secret services. 'You decide: Berezovsky had a house .... round the clock security, CCTV cameras around the house. A fly would not make it. 'And on the day of his death all the security guards vanished, CCTV cameras were switched off for some reason, although they are placed every 100 metres. 'It is likely that not only MI6 took part in this operation but also CIA. There were people around Boris who were recruited by these secret services, including some of his guards.' His personal guard and driver Avi Navam would later find his body in the locked bathroom. He also disputed claims that Berezovsky was impoverished and depressed when he died having lost all his money, following a bitter £3 billion high court battle against Roman Abramovich. Death: Berezovsky was found dead at his ex-wife's home, pictured, in Berkshire in March 2013. 'Let me assure you, Boris was not a poor man. There were rumours after his death that he did not have money for a plane ticket. This is just lie. At the moment of his death he had about $1 billion dollars in his bank accounts. 'One should agree, it is possible to enjoy your life with this money. Yes, he could not afford yachts like Abramovich but, gently speaking, he was not poor.' He also had a string of young lovers, he claimed. 'I knew Boris very well. He was a man with solid mental health. He was full of adrenalin - it was obvious he was about to start a new venture.' 'Not a poor man':  Berezovsky owed the taxman £46 million when he died, but Sokolov claimed he had about $1 billion in his bank account . Sokolov also claimed that in the 1990s, Berezovsky had ordered him to follow Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition leader killed in Moscow on 27 February. He admitted to a Moscow newspaper that he had installed listening equipment in the politician's flat during the Yeltsin era. 'Berezovsky ordered us to follow Nemtsov,' he said. 'We tried to understand what he was interested in, and if he can tell the truth - we followed his movements plus installed recording equipment in his flat. 'Some part of compromising materials Berezovsky showed to Boris Yeltsin, something used for other purposes.' 'Every oligarch or official has a weak side,' he said. 'The best agent is the person who is next to you but you hardly notice him - either a secretary or a driver. It was easy to recruit women.' He told Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper: 'Nemtsov collected beautiful women. 'When young guys were going out with girl, he was studying, and then he got to the top of this life. And started to compensate it. This where his interest in young women was coming from.' He claimed that Nemtsov could have been killed by a jealous husband. 'But first of all, Western secret services are the beneficiaries of Nemtsov's death.' 'From the point of view how it was planned, it is very much like CIA operation,' he claimed. Despite this, Russian police have identified a Chechen link to the murder. 'It was a simple murder - go up the steps, shoot, jump into a car... and the killers, it does not matter who they are - Ukrainian or Chechen,' said Sokolov. Negotiation: Berezovksy had opened talks with Putin about allowing him to come out of exile and return to Russia . A coroner last year recorded an open verdict at Berezovsky's inquest. Mr Berezovsky, 67, was found with a ligature around his neck. Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said that 'contradictory' evidence meant he could not prove beyond all reasonable doubt that the businessman either took his own life or was unlawfully killed. Sokolov was head of the Atoll security agency, and worked with Berezovsky from 1994 to 1999. The security specialist has changed his mind on the tycoon's death which he originally saw as suicide. Soon after his body was found, Sokolov said: 'Berezovsky was not a threat to anybody and nobody really needed him. 'His death was quite natural. He did not like sports, he did not care a lot about his health...It is a case like Whitney Houston.'

Sergei Sokolov says he doesn't believe Russian tycoon took his own life . The 67-year-old was found hanging at ex-wife's Berkshire home in 2013 . Berezovsky had evidence of plot to topple President Putin, it is alleged . Sokolov claims Russian tycoon was killed by Western security services . An outspoken critic of Putin, Berezovsky had sent him 'repentance' letter .

 after taking a bath, according to reports from his chauffeur, who claimed he was poisoned and blames Russian secret services. He had just returned from a business trip in Moscow and had taken a bath in the morning before returning to his home in Surrey to eat breakfast. It was after eating that the chauffeur said he had his first suspicions that something was wrong and that he told her to call the police. The Metropolitan Police carried out an urgent scene of crime investigation at the property in Ascot, Berks., and forensics teams sealed the scene and removed some bags. The body has been removed from the house. Mr Berezovsky's body was discovered at his home by friends on Friday after he failed to appear to pick up his three children.
'A number of people, including a senior official, a high level police officer, and a senior Russian citizen, were all poisoned by Novichok at a London property, and at least one of them is still receiving treatment. The incident has been treated by the Metropolitan Police as a possible murder,' the source said. It was on Friday evening that friends began to get worried. One friend, who had just visited him, was with his wife when the phone rang and they heard what was happening. He said: 'We immediately started making the rounds to visit everyone we could to make sure they were OK and were not suffering from any similar poisoning. I heard that he died at about 5.30am this morning.'
Mr Berezovsky, 67, a former associate of ex-KGB boss Putin, has been fighting in the British courts for years to reclaim assets seized by Russian agents during the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tycoon fled to London in 2000, but in April 2013 he was granted permission to be buried at the Chelsea and Westminster Crematorium. One of the 'big five' oligarchs, Berezovsky was once the richest man in Russia - and Putin's arch-enemy - but the two fell out in the 1990s. Berezovsky left Russia in 2003 to escape 'death threats', before his legal action collapsed in 2006, when he claimed that Russian intelligence had bugged his phones and put him under surveillance.
This is something he told me about himself when we met in Moscow in 2005 - that he was very scared, he feared he was being bugged, there was always a risk of him being poisoned and the like, you know


This is the moment a group of thrill-seeking skydivers were given the unforgettable opportunity to jump from the bomb bay doors of a military aeroplane. Arranged by Chicagoland Skydiving Center, the special event was enjoyed by 10 people who dropped from the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in the skies over Rochelle, Illinois. Exiting the aircraft from 5,000ft, the skydivers each made a donation of $500 (£340) to the Collings Foundation – the non-profit organisation that operates the plane – in order to take part in the jump. One of the skydivers jumps out of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress through its bomb bay doors . Each skydiver made a donation of $500 (£340) to the Collings Foundation to take part in the jump . Filmed on GoPro cameras attached to helmets, the video begins with the skydivers boarding the heavy bomber aircraft at an airport in Rockford, Illinois. Developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Corps, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft. The prototype B-17 was designed and built at Boeing’s own expense by a team of engineers led by E. Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells. Boeing chief test-pilot Leslie Tower was at the controls of the Model 299 when it made its maiden flight on July 28, 1935. The name Flying Fortress was used to describe the aircraft because the Model 299 included multiple machine gun installations. The B-17 served numerous USAAF units in combat throughout World War II and was even used by the RAF in non-bomber roles. The B-17 Flying Fortress has become a symbol of power and the America Air Force. Capturing the closed bay doors from the inside of the plane, the video switches to show the aircraft's large propellers starting up before the B-17 leaves the runway. In the air, one of the skydivers checks out the numerous guns attached to the aircraft as well as the two pilots driving it from the cockpit. Before long the B-17 is cruising at around 5,000ft and the bay doors can be seen opening via a camera mounted to the bottom on the plane. Inside the skydivers stand over the opening floor and hold on to the railings on either side as Northern Illinois comes into view below. Waiting for the right moment, the skydivers then begin dropping from the plane at different times – as the camera underneath picks up their rapid exits. The video concludes with footage recorded from a GoPro, which shows the plane moving further away as the skydiver gets closer to the ground. Mike Wood, Chief Operations Officer at Chicagoland Skydiving Center and one of the jumpers in the video, spoke enthusiastically about the experience. One of the skydivers said jumping out of the bay doors was one of the most incredible experiences of his life . The special event was enjoyed by 10 people who dropped from the plane in the skies over Rochelle, Illinois . He told Newsflare: ‘I've been skydiving for more than 30 years and a pilot for more than 20, and the B-17 jump was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. ‘As a pilot and a jumper, it's a privilege to have had a ride in this plane. 'Watching the bomb bay doors open below my feet was a sight I will never forget.’ The Chicagoland Skydiving Center conduct numerous skydives every year with specialty aircraft being brought to its drop zone in Illinois. The Collings Foundation raises money to cover maintenance costs by bringing war planes to air shows across the US. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Corps . The skydivers prepare to drop through the bomb bay doors while cruising at an altitude of 5,000ft .

The skydivers exited the B-17 from 5,000ft above Rochelle, Illinois . The 10 jumpers paid $500 (£340) to Collings Foundation for privilege . Video captures moment bay doors open and skydivers exit plane . Skydiver described experience as 'the most incredible of his life' Chicagoland Skydiving Center conducted the unique event .

25 amateur skydivers at the Fallen Patriots Memorial Drop Zone in Joliet, Illinois.
The skydivers were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jump from the planes. Each parachute was filled with the ‘jumpers’ names prior to take-off, which was a surprise for many as they didn’t know the name their parachute would be attached to until they jumped.
The jump took place at the Fallen Patriots Memorial Drop Zone in Joliet, Illinois, where a 500-acre farm has been transformed into the country’s largest military aviation memorial, including five memorials.
The team at Chicagoland Skydiving Center, also known as Chicagoland Skydivers and Skydive Midwest, arranged the group jump after learning the airfield would be the location of the Fallen Patriots 2018 memorial.
The team at Chicagoland Skydiving Center, also known as Chicagoland Skydivers and Skydive Midwest, arranged the group jump after learning the airfield would be the location of the Fallen Patriots 2018 memorial.
The parachutes were loaded into a C-9 Skytrain, a four-engine aircraft used by the US Air Force to transport personnel and equipment. The C-9 plane is primarily used as a tanker aircraft, and has been used extensively by the US military and allies across the world.
Although most aircrafts in the C-9 family are equipped with a hydraulic system that automatically opens the bomb bay doors upon ejection, the team at Chicagoland Skydiving Center opted to use a manual system which adds to the level of adrenaline the jumpers were expecting.
The skydivers wore black jumpsuits and were fitted with radio headsets as they took to the skies. Before take off, skydivers were required to practice a series of parachute jumps from a mock aircraft.
“We use a large truck as the mock aircraft to ensure they are fully ready before we take them into the air,” a Chicagoland Skydiving Center spokesperson told The Dodo. “As well as practicing each of their first tandem jumps, we take each of them through a mock jump just to make sure everything is in order.”
After arriving at the Fallen Patriots Memorial Drop Zone, the skydivers were given the opportunity to be lifted into the air by an US Air Force T-33 Silver Star jet, a two-seat aircraft that was commonly used for air-