Mickeys

The Thames Tunnel, the brainchild of engineering geniuses Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is opening to the public for the first time in 145 years.

The Thames Tunnel plays host to a banqueting party. Picture from Brunel Museum

As one of the Brunels’ greatest engineering triumphs – and the only project they worked on together – the tunnel came to be known by their contemporaries as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”.

Opened in 1852, the tunnel gripped the nation’s imagination: nothing had been seen like it before and it paved the way for the present day Tube system.

The tunnel is 1,300ft long and, by the end of the first week of opening, more than half the population of London had paid to walk “the shining avenue of light to Wapping”.

In a show of early-day capitalism, the tunnel evolved from a railway station to an entertainment centre for the Victorian age, complete with a shopping arcade, theatre and bawdy carnivalesque sideshows.

The tunnel was so enticing that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert even engineered a trip down to the East End to see what the fuss was about.

The Thames Tunnel train arriving at Wapping Station. Picture from Brunel Museum

Now, for two days only, visitors will be able to explore the bowels of the tunnel, which lies deep beneath the River Thames.

Present-day visitors will be able to take in the grand entrance hall and other architectural highlights on their return trips from Rotherhithe to Wapping, including the 1867 arch at the Rotherhithe entrance.

To go alongside the re-opening of the tunnel the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe is recreating the 1852 Fancy Fair featuring the type of spectaculars that Victorian audiences would appreciate.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the tunnel’s opening was “a wonderful and rare opportunity to experience one of London’s great engineering achievements”.

Robert Hulse, director of the Brunel Museum, went on to say: “This is not just the birthplace of the Tube system, it is the site of a Victorian rave.

“Transport for London show us Brunel as a brilliant engineer, but East Festival relaunches the Thames Tunnel Fair to remind us that Victorians knew how to party.”

There is a sad twist to the tale, however. At the end of the two days, the tunnel will be closed. Forever.

story from SkyNews

A 13-year-old schoolgirl described as “bright and friendly” apparently hanged herself after she was bullied at school.

A memorial page for Poppy has also been set up at GoneTooSoon.Org

Poppy Bracey was taken to hospital on March 1 after police were called to a house in Leigh, Greater Manchester, but she later died.

An investigation into the cause of the teenager’s death is under way.

Poppy had been a student at Lowton High School where she was said to be “popular with both staff and students”.

Headteacher John Shanahan said: “Poppy will be remembered for the care and consideration she showed to others, as well as for her dry sense of humour.”

However, numerous comments posted on a Facebook tribute page suggested Poppy had been bullied.

One reads: “Rip Poppy u didnt diserve to die cozz of them bullies never forget you babe xx.”

Another comment said: “Cant even believe that somone would bullie somone so much for them to lead to this, R.I.P Poppy, forever missed and loved.”

One person who left a message said as a teacher, they see how cruel kids can be everyday.

“Bullying causes misery beyond words and I hope the bullies involved with this can read all of these messages and see that despite what they said and did to her, Poppy was loved by many,” she wrote.

A similar memorial page has been set up on the Gone Too Soon website, where the main message reads: “Poppy We Love You So Much And We’re Going To Miss You.”

:: Samaritans is available 24 hours a day on 08457 90 90 90 in the UK or in the Republic of Ireland on 1850 60 90 90. Samaritans is also online.

story from SkyNews

A picture of the young Queen Victoria in an intimate and alluring pose indicates she was not the prude many people believed her to be.

Victoria's portrait was a present for Albert. Picture from the Royal Collection

The rarely displayed portrait, by FX Winterhalter, shows the queen leaning against a red cushion with her hair half unravelled from its fashionable knot.

Victoria commissioned the painting for Prince Albert’s 24th birthday as a surprise and refers to it in her journal as “my darling Albert’s favourite picture”.

It shows the queen was once a lively, romantic and open-minded young woman, say the exhibition organisers.

The portrait is on display as part of the Victoria & Albert: Art & Love exhibition which runs from March 19 to the end of October.

Another, by the same German artist, shows Florinda and her companions preparing to bathe, unaware that they are being watched by King Rodrigo from the bushes nearby.

Florinda, one of a group of beautiful women. Picture from the Royal Collection

The picture was inspired by the Spanish legend set in medieval Spain. According to the legend, it was the king’s jealousy that led to the Moorish invasion of Spain.

The painting, along with several others in the exhibition, also dispels the idea that the Queen disapproved of nudity in art.

Victoria herself bought the painting as a birthday gift for Prince Albert, saying: “It is a most lovely picture containing a group of beautiful women.”

The exhibition, being staged in The Gallery at Buckingham Palace, displays 400 works from the couple’s collection, including paintings, drawings, photographs, jewellery and sculpture.

It concentrates on the monarch’s love life, from her engagement to Prince Albert in 1839 until his death in 1861.

The happy couple had nine children. Picture from the Royal Collection

The couple used art and beautiful things as an expression of love – their enthusiastic collecting was on a scale unique among members of the British Royal Family.

“Collecting was central to their relationship,” a spokeswoman told Sky News Online. “It tells a different story of Victoria to the one that so many people imagine.”

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DVD sales of bomb disposal drama Hurt Locker have soared since the low-budget film won a surprise six Oscars.

The film played to moderate audiences following its September release

The dramatic story of a US team in Iraq eclipsed Avatar at the event, picking up the two biggest awards of the night – best picture and best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

HMV said sales of the low-budget film on DVD have tripled since last week and the movie is now the store’s biggest seller.

Rudy Osorio from HMV told Sky News Online: “Because the movie was one of the lowest-grossing best picture winners of all time there are clearly a huge amount of people that haven’t seen it and now want to catch up.”

The film is also selling well online. On Amazon.co.uk, one of the UK’s biggest DVD retailers, the film is currently topping the format’s sales chart.

Sky Movies also reports a “significant increase” in demand to watch the film on its Sky Box Office pay-per-view service, since Sunday’s awards.

Director of Sky Box Office, Ian Lewis said: “The buzz prior to the Oscars has helped boost viewing figures to exceed our expectations.

“Now given its awards success, we anticipate a further increase in buys from now into April.”

The trend for a film to do well after Oscar success is well known and called ‘Oscar bounce’.

It normally breathes new life into a film’s cinema run.

But because the Hurt Locker was released in the UK in September last year its cinema run is largely over, so instead that bounce is being felt on DVD.

story from SkyNews

Actor Corey Haim has died from an apparent overdose at the age of 38, according to US police.

Eighties pin-up Haim had struggled with drug addiction

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the Lost Boys star died at 3.30am on Wednesday.

He was found unresponsive at an apartment in Oakwood, near Burbank, said the LAPD’s North Hollywood Division.

His mother was at the home at the time.

Coroner’s officer Cheryl MacWillie said Haim died at Providence St Joseph Medical Centre in Burbank.

A post-mortem examination will be held to determine the cause of death.

Canadian-born Haim became a teen heart-throb with the 1986 film Lucas and 1987’s The Lost Boys but struggled with drug addiction.

His first role was in the 1984 hit Firstborn, in which he played a young child caught up in a family war. He then appeared in the 1985 television movie A Time to Live and went on to star in Licence To Drive in 1988.

In recent years, he appeared in the reality TV show The Two Coreys with his friend Corey Feldman. It was cancelled in 2008 after two seasons.

story from SkyNews

The remaining members of Boyzone have performed together in public for the first time since the death of bandmate and close friend Stephen Gately.

Boyzone's new album 'Brother' looks set to top the charts this week

Ronan Keating’s solo concert ended with Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch joining him on stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

The group then sang ‘Gave It All Away’ with Gately’s last vocals echoing through the arena.

“The time has come to celebrate an amazing life and smile, because Stephen never stopped smiling and singing,” Keith Duffy told Sky News Online.

“He was the colour in our band, he was this big flamboyant presence and he would have wanted us to be happy.”

Thousands of fans cheered wildly as each member of the band addressed the sell-out crowd, thanking them for their support since Gately’s death last October.

“You have followed us for 17 years, you have made us welcome in your towns and cities and we will never forget the love and support you have shown us,” Keating told them.

“Stephen will always be with us, when we sing, when we perform. He will live on in our music.”

Boyzone’s new album ‘Brother’ topped the midweek album sales and is on track to reach number one in the UK sales chart this weekend.

Gately would have celebrated his 34th birthday next Wednesday, St Patrick’s Day.

“We all miss Stephen so much, but there is strength in us being together,” Mikey Graham said.

“People have been amazing to us. I use Twitter a lot and the messages from Boyzone fans around the world have really lifted me. And for that I just want to say thank you, a very sincere thank you.”

:: A documentary following the band – Boyzone: Life After Stephen – will be broadcast on ITV2 on March 21st.

story from SkyNews

A schoolteacher found dead this week near a remote Alaska village was probably killed by wolves, Alaska State Troopers said on Thursday.

The fatal attack could be the first on US soil in more than 50 years. Attacks by wild wolves, rather than wolves kept as pets, are extremely rare, numbering no more than a handful a decade, mostly in Canada and Russia.

Candice Berner, a 32-year-old teacher and avid jogger who travelled to several rural schools in Alaska, was found dead on Monday along a road near Chignik Lake, a Native Alutiiq village about 764km southwest of Anchorage.

Snowmobilers found her severely mauled body in a pool of blood and multiple wolf tracks in the snow, according to officials. The State Medical Examiner said the cause of death was “multiple injuries due to animal mauling”.

Chignik Lake locals had expressed fears about wolf sightings in the area, state troopers said. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game plans a special meeting to hear their concerns.

State troopers said there were no records of deadly wolf maulings in Alaska. Bruce Woods, spokesman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, said fatal attacks are extremely rare worldwide.

taken from News24

Tiger Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters, two people with knowledge of his plans said on Thursday.

Tiger Woods

oods has been practicing at Isleworth near his Orlando home the last two weeks, and swing coach Hank Haney flew there during the weekend to work with him. That led to speculation on Thursday he was close to playing again.

The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because only Woods is supposed to release such information, say he is likely to play first at Augusta National in April.

Woods twice has gone nine weeks without competing before showing up at a major. The first time was in 2006, when he didn’t play after the Masters while coping with his father’s death, then missed the cut in a major for the first time in the US Open at Winged Foot. Two years ago, he was out with knee surgery until winning the US Open at Torrey Pines on a shattered left knee.

Woods has not played since November 15, when he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne for his 82nd career victory. Twelve days later, he crashed his sport utility vehicle into a tree near his Florida home, setting off shocking revelations that he had been cheating on his wife.

In his first public appearance February 19 at the TPC Sawgrass, when he apologised for his behaviour and confessed to having extra-marital affairs, he said he would return to golf and that “I don’t rule out that it will be this year.”

There have been signs during the last few weeks he was getting closer.

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The possibility of MultiChoice broadcasting pornography has been laid to rest.

The company has decided against broadcasting pornography and the possibility of new sex channels on DStv’s satellite service.

Since the end of last month, several religious and family groups have had vehement reactions against the company’s announcement that it is considering the broadcast of pornography channels.

MultiChoice announced on Thursday that it had studied research data compiled by means of a subscriber survey to determine how viewers feel about adult content on pay TV channels.

According to a statement, the research showed that “a significant percentage of subscribers are opposed to adult channels, while some don’t mind, and another significant percentage are in favour”.

Nolo Letele, MultiChoice chief executive, said it’s a pity that people interpreted the research as if the decision had already been made.

“MultiChoice regularly conducts research to test viewers’ tastes, as well as their impressions of existing and possible new television channels. By doing so, we can improve our customer service.”

According to him, such research often includes questions about content which has been requested by subscribers, or channels which are popular abroad.

“The survey three weeks ago focussed on adult content since our industry will soon be facing competition in South Africa.”

taken from News24

Cape Town – A confrontation is looming between authorities in Cape Town because Saps officials didn’t want to arrest Jackson Mthembu for drunk driving “because he’s high up in the ANC” after metro police apprehended him.

ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu, arrested on a charge of drunken driving, speaks to journalists at Cape Town's Mowbray police station after being freed on bail.

The Cape Town metro council has asked Western Cape MEC for safety and security, Lennit Max, to investigate the fact that police initially refused to arrest Mthembu.

Allegedly case numbers were also tampered with, and metro police officials were threatened with arrest by the Saps.

The police did not want to comment and merely confirmed the arrest of Mthembu, chief spokesperson for the ANC and member of the national executive committee.

The arrest took place in a turbulent week for the ANC, during which Winnie Madikizela-Mandela lashed out at the party and former president Nelson Mandela, ANC youth league leader Julius Malema sang a controversial song, and Brian Sokutu, a spokesperson, was suspended.

Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general of the ANC, who also had to lead a crisis meeting between the ANC and the SACP on Thursday, said they will not be taking steps against Mthembu at this stage.

“Let’s first hear his side of the story. Crucifying him now won’t do anybody any good.”

According to J P Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, Mthembu was pulled off the N2 inbound to Cape Town at 07:50 on Thursday.

Metro police officials became suspicious when they smelt his breath. He was taken to the city’s new Safely Home Anti Drunk Driving Operations War Room (Shadow) in Athlone, where his blood alcohol level was tested.

His blood alcohol level was 0.87mg per 100 millilitre – almost four times the legal limit of 0.24mg per millilitre.

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A father arrived home from work on Wednesday to discover the body of his teenage daughter, naked and with her hands hacked off.

That morning, Johan Smit had said goodbye to his only child, 17-year-old Anika, before he left their home in the north of Pretoria for work.

Anika Smit

When he got home she was dead and had presumably been raped. Her hands were cut off between the elbow and wrist and were missing.

“When I saw the dining room chairs were overturned, I knew something was wrong,” said Smith, 54, from Theresapark, as he fought back his tears.

“I called her, but she didn’t answer.”

Moments later, Smit discovered his daughter’s body in her bedroom.

Nothing was stolen.

Police spokesperson William Mahlaole said a post-mortem will confirm the cause of Anika’s death and whether she was raped or indecently assaulted.

Anika, who lives with her father, was alone at the home on Wednesday. She had stayed home from school due to an ear infection.

Smit arrived home after work at about 16:00 and saw the outside gate and security gate standing open with their locks missing. Anika’s scooter stood at the front door.

When he went into the house, he saw the dining room table had been moved and the chairs were overturned. When he called his daughter and she didn’t answer, he went to her room.

“She was lying on the ground, naked. Both her hands were gone, they’d been cut off. They must have taken them.”

Smit immediately went to his neighbour’s house, where they called the police. According to Smit, the police were at the scene within minutes and were extremely professional.

“The police told me her neck was slashed six times. They are also investigating the possibility that she was raped.”

Smit thinks she probably scratched her murderer(s), so her hands were cut off for fear that DNA under her fingernails could lead to prosecution.

According to Anika’s father, it looks like she fought back and ran away.

On Wednesday morning Smit had arranged for Anika’s medication to be delivered to the house.

At about lunchtime someone from the pharmacy called him and said they’d been at the house but no-one was there to receive the medication.

“I phoned Anika at lunchtime, but she didn’t answer. I thought she was sleeping because she wasn’t feeling well.

“When I got home, I saw what the problem was.”

The flag of Gerrit Maritz High School in Pretoria, where Anika was a Grade 11 pupil, was at half-mast on Thursday.

Steven Hearne, the principal, said Anika had been a pupil there since January this year. She had been there in Grade 8 and 9 as well, but then spent two years living with her mother, Charlotte, in Hartenbos.

“The school is in mourning,” said Hearne.

taken from News24

A skydiver has survived plunging 3,000ft to the ground after a parachute jump went disastrously wrong.

Lareece Butler Picture from Lareece Butler's Facebook page

Lareece Butler, 26, suffered only bruises, a broken leg and concussion when she slammed into the ground, entangled in her chute.

The parachute was attached to the plane by a static line and was supposed to open after she leapt from the aircraft.

But instead, Miss Butler became caught up in the lines, spiralling to Earth as her terrified boyfriend looked helplessly on.

Doctors said her survival was “nothing but divine intervention, nothing short of a miracle”.

She is in a stable but serious condition in hospital following the incident in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Joos Vos, the manager of the EP Skydiving Club, said: “She was trained in all facets she needed to enjoy and perform a safe static line jump.

“Lareece exited the aircraft at 3,000ft (about 1,000m) performing a static line jump in an unstable body position which resulted in an entanglement of the main parachute with her harness.”

Family members told South African media Miss Butler was pushed out of the aircraft after refusing to jump – a claim rejected by the club.

Mr Vos said Miss Butler, who was an inexperienced skydiver, did not release her emergency parachute as she had been trained to do.

An investigation has been launched.

story from SkyNews

A student in China has confessed to stabbing to death a room-mate because of his snoring.

Snorer was stabbed in the chest and back in the middle of the night

“I told Zhao about it and he became angry. He verbally abused me several times, prompting me to kill him,” 23-year-old Guo Liwei was quoted as saying.

Zhao Yan, 22, was stabbed in the chest and back in the middle of the night.

The pair shared accommodation at Jilin agricultural university in the north-eastern province of Jilin, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Guo had previously complained to Zhao about his snoring and posted video of him snoring on a university website, which created more tension between the two, Xinhua reported.

Guo is currently awaiting sentencing by the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court.

Violent crimes have been on the rise in China, especially as the country’s rapid economic development has created a growing rich-poor gap.

story from SkyNews

Secret letters that could prove Dr Crippen’s innocence may explain the Government’s refusual to allow the executed killer’s exhumation, according to the family’s lawyer.

This waxwork model of Dr Crippen was photographed in 1913

Hawley Crippen was hanged at Pentonville Prison for the murder of his wife Belle 100 years ago.

Buried with him in his unconsecrated jail grave were letters from his mistress Ethel Le Neve, who was acquitted of being an accessory to his crime.

“Is there something in those letters that the authorities fear?” asked lawyer Giovanni di Stefano.

Mr di Stefano is asking the High Court for a judicial review of two recent legal decisions.

The Ministry of Justice has refused to let Crippen’s body be exhumed and repatriated to his native United States.

And the Criminal Cases Review Commission has turned down an application for an appeal against Crippen’s conviction.

Both organisations appear to argue that the man driving the two bids – second-cousin-three-times-removed James Crippen – is too remote a relative to have a genuine interest.

Mr di Stefano said: “The concept that a man executed 100 years ago cannot be exhumed and given a proper burial is frankly absurd.

“We are having to go to judicial review and that will be a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

The lawyer argues that recent forensic tests in the United States suggest that the body found in Crippen’s cellar was not that of his wife, but the remains of a man.

And he warns that the old practice of burying executed prisoners in unconsecrated ground could now constitute discrimination.

story from SkyNews