Rescue operations launched across Britain as 140mph Arctic storms leave 100,000 homes

Rescue operations launched across Britain as 140mph Arctic storms leave 100,000 homes without power, pedestrians blown to the ground and thousands stranded in several feet of water

 

The most serious coastal tidal surge since 1953 has been predicted to hit today with forecasters fearing the worst will come during tonight's high tide at about 10pm. More than 240 flood alerts are in place across England and Wales, with 6,000 homes expected to suffer from flooding in the next 24 hours. Evacuations are already under way in Jaywick, Essex, and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, as some mountainous regions in Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire are battered by 140mph winds. Pictured: People are saved in Rhyl, North Wales (left), residents help each other in New Brighton, Merseyside (centre and inset), and a woman falls over during high winds in Leeds (right). 

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Reported break-in leads to three arrests on drugs, stolen goods charges

 

A report of a break-in Tuesday night in Mebane led to the arrest of three people on various charges.

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Department, about 10 p.m., deputies went to a home on Trollingwood-Hawfields Road near Trollingwood Road.

Deputies determined the crime was drug-related. In addition, stolen property was found at the home. Deputies found a stolen TV and printer as well as plastic baggies containing a residual amount of marijuana, and smoking devices.

The boyfriend of the victim, Reginald Nicholas Long, 23, of 3551 Forestdale Drive, Burlington, was charged with possession of stolen goods, possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was placed in the Alamance County jail under a $10,000 bond.

The investigation then led deputies to a home at 4435 Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Road in Graham. After conducting a consent search, deputies located approximately 95 grams of marijuana, smoking devices, plastic baggies, digital scales, and pawn tickets for some of the stolen property. Two people living there were arrested.

Lucas Alexander Andrews, 22, was charged with possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and breaking and entering a building. He was also served with outstanding warrants for breaking and entering, larceny, larceny of a firearm, two counts of obtaining property by false pretense, possession with intent to sell or distribute marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was placed in the Alamance County jail under a $75,000 bond.

Chelsea Michelle Morrow, 21, was charged with obtaining property by false pretense and possession of stolen goods. She indicated additional addresses of 847 Trollingwood-Hawfields Road and 506 E. Parker St. in Graham. She was placed in the Alamance County jail under a $20,000 bond.

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Paul Walker dead

Paul Walker best known for his role in "The Fast and the Furious" movies -- died Saturday afternoon after a single-car accident and explosion in Southern California ... TMZ has learned. The accident happened in Santa Clarita -- north of Los Angeles -- and Paul was the passenger in the two-seater Porsche Carrera GT when the driver somehow lost control and slammed into a post or a tree ... and the car burst into flames.

Several of our sources -- some of whom were at the scene of the accident -- tell us a friend of Paul's was driving and was also killed in the fiery wreck.

ops say speed clearly played a major factor in the accident, but an exact cause has not been determined yet.
Paul was 40 years old. He leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter named Meadow.
Paul's rep tells us he was in Santa Clarita for a car show -- organized by Paul and his charitable organization Reach Out Worldwide -- to support the Philippines typhoon relief effort.
Several of his friends were attending the event ... which was very near to where the deadly accident happened.
One of Paul's friends talked to a TMZ photographer ... describing the scene ... and his efforts to save Paul from the burning car

The fan added, "The world lost an angel in Paul. He dedicated so much of his life to helping disadvantaged kids and people who are in need. I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep Paul's goals for the charity alive."

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Hezbollah commander killed outside home in Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) -- Gunmen assassinated a senior Hezbollah commander outside his home Wednesday in southern Beirut, a major breach of the Shiite militant group's security as it struggles to maintain multiple fronts while it fights alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria.

The overnight killing of Hassan al-Laqis, described as a founding member of the group and one of its top commanders, was a huge blow to the Iranian-backed group that dominates power in Lebanon.

Hezbollah's heavy-handed and very open involvement in the civil war next door has enraged the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels seeking to oust Assad, and those sectarian divisions have spilled over into Lebanon and exposed the group and its Shiite supporters to retaliatory attacks.

Hezbollah strongholds have been the target of deadly car bomb attacks and suicide bombers attacked the Iranian Embassy in Beirut last month, killing 23 people.

The militant group quickly blamed its main enemy Israel for the assassination. Israeli officials denied any involvement.

Al-Laqis' killing came shortly after Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah ended a three-hour interview with a local television station, in which he accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the Iranian Embassy bombings. He indirectly blamed an alliance between Iran's rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia for trying to strike at the group.

The group announced his death Hezbollah in a statement, saying al-Laqis was killed as he returned home from work around midnight.

"The brother martyr Hassan al-Laqis spent his youth and all his life in this honorable resistance since its inception up until the last moments of his life," the statement said.

An official close to Hezbollah said al-Laqis held some of the group's most sensitive portfolios and was close to Nasrallah.

A Lebanese security official and the official close to Hezbollah said al-Laqis was shot with a pistol equipped with a silencer at close range after he parked his car in the ground floor garage of his apartment building in the Hadath neighborhood, just southwest of Beirut.

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Cowboys' Hatcher savors rest, shrugs off rust

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Jason Hatcher is happy to have the rest and not worried about accumulating rust.

The Dallas defensive tackle and his teammates were back at work Tuesday — but only for meetings — after having nine of the previous 19 days off thanks to a late bye and their annual mini-bye after Thanksgiving.

The Cowboys get another day away Wednesday and will have been off the field a full week when they return to practice Thursday.

Continuity heading into a Monday night matchup at Chicago? Who cares, says Hatcher. He'll take the couch time.

"You need rest in a stretch like this," said Hatcher, the team's sacks leader with nine. "So to get everybody's body healed up, this is awesome."

That list starts with linebacker Sean Lee, who could return after missing two games with a strained hamstring from a blowout loss to New Orleans. Lee hurried out of the locker room without talking to reporters Tuesday, but said he was "ready to roll" and expected to practice Thursday.

The Cowboys (7-5) won twice without their defensive leader to keep pace with Philadelphia atop the NFC East with four games remaining, including the season finale when the Eagles visit Dallas.

Ernie Sims took most of the snaps at middle linebacker with Lee and his primary replacement, Justin Durant, both missing victories against the New York Giants and Oakland. Kyle Wilber played where Sims and Durant normally would have been.

Wilber was drafted as a pass-rushing linebacker when the Cowboys were using a three-man front last year. Dallas tried him at defensive end first in the new 4-3 alignment this year, then switched him back to linebacker when the health issues arose. Now there's talk he might be a starter alongside Lee and Bruce Carter.

"To have two new linebackers in there, two of the three positions are new guys, different guys," coach Jason Garrett said. "And that's a challenge. And a real tribute to those guys, Wilber and Ernie, just kind of learning on the job and learning quickly. You literally could see them getting better within a game, recognizing things better in the second or third quarter than they did in the first quarter."

The Cowboys are moving on without Lance Dunbar after the backup running back injured his left knee and had season-ending surgery Tuesday. He was placed on injured reserve, and the Cowboys signed fullback Tyler Clutts, who played four games with Miami this year and has 36 appearances in three seasons.

Dunbar's injury was significant because it came while the undrafted player from nearby North Texas was having the best game of his two-year career in the 31-24 Thanksgiving win over the Raiders. He had 82 yards rushing on 12 carries, while starter DeMarco Murray did the finishing work with three touchdowns

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In Japan, U.S. Envoy Kennedy Already Faces Drama

 

TOKYO— Caroline Kennedy's new job as Washington's s ambassador to Japan has already thrust her into the middle of growing geopolitical tensions in East Asia, less than two weeks after her arrival.

The daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy came to Japan with the profile of a superstar, but with little experience in foreign policy and no specific ties to her host country. Rather than easing into her new role, the 56-year-old lawyer, author and mother of three has found herself on the spot, delivering a stern message to China, whose growing dominance in East Asia challenges the U.S.'s own regional strategy.

"Unilateral actions like those taken by China…constitute an attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea," the ambassador said in her first policy speech Wednesday, after Beijing ratcheted up its territorial dispute with Tokyo by unveiling a new air-defense zone that overlaps with Japan's. "This only serves to increase tensions in the region."

Ms. Kennedy has a lot to prove on her diplomatic skills to foreign-policy experts, some of whom questioned her qualifications when her name first surfaced as President Barack Obama's choice for the Japan job earlier this year. Still, Wednesday's speech was received enthusiastically by Japanese and American business leaders and officials who filled a cavernous Tokyo ballroom. After her speech, Ichiro Fujisaki, a former Japanese ambassador to Washington, described her arrival as "a Thanksgiving gift and a Christmas gift coming together. It's a great gift to Japan from the U.S. government."

Such enthusiasm is apparent across the nation, where President Kennedy's popularity endures. Japanese reporters staked out spots at the airport even before she left New York on Nov. 14. When she took a carriage ride to deliver her credentials to Emperor Akihito last week, an estimated 5,000 people lined up along her route. The Japanese media are eagerly reporting the details of her daily activities, with television hosts weaving in comments about her outfits and her family history.

After spending her first week in Tokyo visiting top officials and greeting U.S. troops at local bases, Ms. Kennedy took a two-day tour to Tohuku, Japan's northeastern region where many residents are still suffering from the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

With her husband Ed Schlossberg, she sat down with elementary-school students to try her hand at calligraphy. At temporary housing for displaced residents, Ms. Kennedy listened to the stories of elderly women who have found solace in their knitting group.

At every stop, she was met by welcoming crowds and a throng of reporters. "She just arrived in Japan and she must be really busy," said Chie Sugano, a 44-year-old resident of Rikuzentakata, a coastal town that lost 1,700 people to the disaster. "Still, she came all the way up here to show that she cares." With three friends from her hula-dancing group, Ms. Sugano waited in the cold for nearly two hours to have a glimpse of Ms. Kennedy as she visited a memorial site. As the ambassador waved at them from her departing car, the women shouted in unison, "Thank you!"

The trip wasn't without complications. She canceled her last stop in Tohoku—a meeting with a prefectural governor and an exchange with students—with her staffers just citing "unavoidable circumstances." Ms. Kennedy, known to be a private person, at times appeared shy or nervous. But such characteristics may not work against her in Japan where people describe her as "gentle."

Wednesday's speech was the first opportunity for the new ambassador to demonstrate her ability as a diplomat. It came a day after the U.S. flew a pair of B-52 bombers over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea in defiance of China's announcement of its air-defense zone.

Ms. Kennedy spent a large chunk of her speech discussing security and the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance. She also talked about her visit last week to a U.S. air base where Japan's Air Self-Defense Force now has its new air-defense command. "Throughout the day, I was impressed by how closely the American and Japanese military are working together," she said. "This mutual respect and close communication are vital to our strategic partnership."

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The Real Food Rules Learn From The PROS

Fuelling your riding optimally is an importan part of cycling. But there is so much information
coming from every corner of the cycling industry that most of us — bar fully qualified sports nutritionists — are left scratching our heads. Here, we cut through the marketing jargon and talk to some of the top professionals in cycling to see how what we eat can help make us faster. You are what you eat, as the saying has it.

 When you become a cyclist, it’s a lesson learned the hard way: that first painful experience of cycling on empty, due to inadequate fuelling, focuses the mind on this vital issue of preparation. But there is so much diet information bombarding us all the time, in magazines, on the internet, in books, cycle shops, etc, that it’s hard to know what to heed.
One of the loudest voices when it comes to food and fuelling for cycling performance is the sports nutrition industry. It’s no surprise that
its recommendations involve heavy use of its products. Representing
major brands and big businesses, it makes money by supplying your demand for energy products. It spends millions to sell you pre-ride drinks, post-ride drinks, recovery
bars, energy bars, energy gels, boosters and shots, everything that you could ever dream of to help you ride faster. But is this high-sugar, highly processed diet really the best
one to follow? We spoke to Nigel Mitchell, head of nutrition at Team Sky to find out what he advises his world-class riders to eat. “The first thing that we do with all our riders is make sure their diet and nutrition are tailored to their individual body and needs. Humans are not all the same; two riders will not have same needs after an identical ride — they will burn different amounts of calories depending on many factors. So we

Prepackaged sports nutrition or natural food as nature intended? What do the pros eat, and
what are the key diet tips for you as a performance-orientated cyclist? Phil Gale gets picky about grub

THE REAL FOOD RULES LEARN FROM THE PROS

make sure that we know each of our riders, how their bodies work, and then develop a plan to give them the best fuel for their riding. “Rather than looking at what we can add to the rider’s diet in terms of nutrition products, we take things back to basics and look at what their core diet is like. The best starting place to improve any rider’s performance is to make sure that they are eating the best real food on a day-to-day basis — unprocessed, natural and nutrient-dense.” Team Sky neo-pro Ian Boswell explains: “It is quite funny because, growing up in the Pacific North West of America, where there is a culture for good eating habits, I have changed my day-to-day eating very little since moving to Team Sky. My parents have always promoted a natural diet to me. It has always been normal for me to cook my meals from scratch, using ingredients that are as fresh, organic, natural, in-season, and unprocessed as possible all the time. “The only food that I ever get out of a box is occasionally cereal, when I do not make my own, and grains. In general, I eat more for wider health and nutrition rather than calories. I focus on making sure that all the food I eat is nutritionally dense and the best quality, steering away from food that is calorie-laden but nutritionally empty. For example, wholemeal grains over processed ones, fresh and seasonal fruit and vegetables over processed or imported ones. These are small yet simple changes that I think have a huge impact on not only a rider’s performance, but also
on their everyday health. This has always been central to my diet and is central to what we are advised to do at Team Sky.” Once we know what to eat, the next question is, how much? It would be simple to presume that, because riding burns a lot of calories, making you feel very hungry, you can get away with eating anything and everything. Unfortunately, this is not the case. One thing that we all know about cycling is that weight matters. In the bike-plus-rider sum, the rider makes up the majority of the weight, and it is therefore easier to reduce your weight rather than your bike’s

SHAKES OUT
There is no such thing as the average rider, so standardised diet advice is practically useless. Many sports nutrition companies recommend pre-loading with carbs, more carbs on the bike, and carbs and protein for recovery. If you followed this advice to the letter on every ride, you’d pile on weight through consuming too many calories. Pros eat what they
need, not constantly! Knowing that we need to make sure our diets are specific to our
needs, Mitchell continues: “One of the trends with amateur cyclists that I see more of, and is a concern to me, is doubling-up. Doubling-up is when a rider has a recovery drink, laden
with gut-busting protein straight after their ride, and then has proteinrich dinner soon afterwards. This is not necessary and over time will promote weight gain. “For our riders, we choose one or the other. For example, if they are at a race or training camp and will not get a good meal — with lowfat protein, such as chicken — for many hours, we give them a protein recovery drink, and a lighter dinner later. If we know they will be able to eat a meal soon after their ride, we give them a lighter post-ride snack and wait for a larger dinner.
“Cycling is a sport where powerto- weight ratio is key, so we make sure that the riders have enough fuel to train but not so much that they put on weight. This is an area of our support that we continually look at and something that all our riders are aware of. It is part of their job.”Self-control and thinking about the demands we have made of our bodies during activity is key to finding the correct balance between calories consumed and calories burnt
— eating according to need. “One thing that I see a lot of novice riders do is the pre-event overeat,” Boswell adds. “They think that because they are doing a long and tough ride the following day that they should eat as much as possible the night before, scoffing as many plates of pasta as possible. In reality, you do not need that much. “Before a big event, we tend to eat a dinner higher in carbohydrates, but don’t eat plate after plate of it. There is only a certain amount that your body can store. Eat just a normal-sized meal and maintain energy levels during the event by eating on the bike, rather than relying on your body’s stores.” With eating on the bike being key to maintaining energy levels while riding, Mitchell explains another Team Sky theory: “Another common mistake that I see from amateur riders is eating on the bike because they are told to by the sports

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