Latest news with #British
Ammon
9 minutes ago
- Ammon
U.K. men sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for cutting tree
Ammon News - Two British men were sentenced to more than four years in prison on Tuesday for cutting down one of the most iconic trees in England, the Sycamore Gap Tree. The pair were found guilty in May of what a judge called a "deliberate and mindless" act of felling the tree as an apparent joke. Justice Christina Lambert sentenced both Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers to four years and three months in prison during a hearing at the Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday. The tree stood for nearly 200 years in a picturesque valley in northern England, right next to the remnants of Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The stone wall was constructed by Britain's Roman occupiers almost 2,000 years ago as a defensive structure, and the portion of the wall where the tree stood featured in a scene of the 1991 Hollywood blockbuster "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," with Kevin Costner, bringing the bucolic spot and the grand tree some degree of international fame. A jury at the same court had convicted the former friends on two counts each of criminal damage for their 2023 nighttime felling of the tree, for damaging both the sycamore maple tree and the Roman wall. They had faced a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in jail. CBS
Borneo Post
9 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
CIA spotlights Malaysian coins found at spy statue
According to a statement on the agency's official website, CIA officers often leave coins at the foot of the statue before embarking on overseas assignments. — Photo via X/CIA KUALA LUMPUR (July 16): Three Malaysian coins have drawn unexpected attention after appearing in a weekly artefact spotlight by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The coins — a 20 sen piece from 2018, a 10 sen coin from 2017, and a 5 sen coin from 2018 — were featured on the CIA's official X account, where the agency regularly highlights curious or meaningful items from its archives. They were discovered at the base of the Nathan Hale statue located outside the CIA's original headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Each coin carried small, distinctive illustrations: the 20 sen coin featured a stick figure, the 10 sen coin appeared to depict a woman or child, while the 5 sen coin bore what looked like an animal footprint. The CIA did not disclose who placed the coins there or when they were left. According to a statement on the agency's official website, CIA officers often leave coins at the foot of the statue before embarking on overseas assignments. 'According to legend, doing so brings good luck and is believed to ensure Hale protects the officer throughout their mission,' the CIA said. Nathan Hale is considered the first intelligence officer in American history. He was executed in 1776 at the age of 21 after being captured while spying on British troops during the American Revolutionary War. The statue depicts him with hands bound, gazing resolutely into the distance. While US quarter-dollar coins featuring George Washington are most commonly left behind, some officers opt for coins with symbolic or personal significance — including foreign coins like the Malaysian ones, or coin combinations such as 76 cents to commemorate the year 1776. The CIA Museum periodically collects the coins left at the statue. Proceeds from the collection are donated to the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation and the Third Option Foundation, which support wounded officers and the families of those killed in the line of duty. – Malay Mail cia Malaysian coins spy statue us
Irish Examiner
9 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Gregor Townsend selects Lions-bound duo for Scotland clash with Samoa
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend revealed Rory Sutherland and Ewan Ashman are keen to play a full part against Samoa before heading off on British and Irish Lions duty. Townsend has selected the pair in his front row for Scotland's final summer tour encounter in Auckland on Friday. Darcy Graham has already linked up with the Lions and Glasgow prop Sutherland and Edinburgh hooker Ashman will join him with a view to playing in next Tuesday's match against a First Nations & Pasifika XV. Townsend said: 'The fact we're playing Friday night and they can get to Melbourne on Sunday, the same time as the Lions are arriving, as long as they are available to train on Monday and be available for the game on Tuesday, there won't be any real consideration on game time. 'We hope every one of our players come through fit but Ewan and Rory were very keen to play.' Darcy Graham has joined up with the Lions (Jane Barlow/PA) Townsend was delighted with the additional Lions recognition, which took the number of Scots selected to 12, including the injured Zander Fagerson. 'Especially for Darcy to go there now and be part of the Lions squad, building up to the first Test and then getting a really good run at potentially being involved in that midweek game,' he added. 'And the other two guys, they were buzzing when I passed on the news to them that they were going to be getting a phone call from the Lions and the players were really pleased for them as well. 'Maybe it's not in the front of their minds because they've been preparing for a Test match this week but I'm sure their focus will turn to the Lions as soon as Friday night is over.' Townsend has made five personnel changes following the 29-14 defeat by Fiji. Your Scotland team to take on Samoa in our final Skyscanner Pacific Tour match has been confirmed 🏴 More ➡️ — Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) July 16, 2025 Gregor Brown returns from injury to start in the second row while Andy Onyeama-Christie is drafted into the back row after Jamie Ritchie dropped out with a foot injury. Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall form a new centre partnership in place of Cameron Redpath and Tom Jordan, who suffered a fractured hand against Fiji. Arron Reed replaces Graham with Kyle Steyn swapping wings. Ben Muncaster is back from injury but has to settle for a place on the bench alongside uncapped Glasgow prop Fin Richardson. 'While there's a lot of changes, some of them were outwith our control,' Townsend said. 'But we've looked to put our strongest team out. We were disappointed with the result at the weekend and we want to finish this tour with a real strong performance and finish on a high from a playing point of view because off the field it's been excellent. Eden Park will host Scotland's Test against Samoa (David Davies/PA) 'We feel very privileged to be playing in such an iconic and historic stadium, Eden Park. It will be a great atmosphere, a noisy crowd, you'd mainly imagine supporting Samoa. It's one of the most iconic stadiums in world rugby. 'A great opportunity for us to play a proper Test match in that stadium and finish the tour on a real high.' Townsend earmarked two main areas of improvement. 'The contact area,' he said. 'Just being more ruthless in that area, quicker in support, ball-carrying, working harder on the floor, just not allowing the opposition any opportunities to get the ball back. 'And our discipline. Discipline can be a number of things that the referee can call you up on, but not being offside, just giving them a bit of space, that would be the first one that we can fix.'
Irish Examiner
9 minutes ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
UK lifts ban on Pakistani airlines after improvement in air safety standards
The UK has lifted a years-long ban on Pakistani airlines following improvements in the country's aviation safety standards, the British diplomatic mission in Islamabad said. The Air Safety Committee imposed the ban after Pakistan's aviation minister in June 2020 disclosed that nearly one-third of the country's pilots had cheated on their licensing exams. The claim came after a Pakistan International Airlines crash killed 97 people on May 24, 2020, in the southern city of Karachi. Wednesday's announcement follows a broader international recognition of Pakistan's efforts to improve air safety. Earlier this year, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency also lifted its five-year ban, allowing the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines to resume direct flights to Europe. British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said that after 'extensive engagement' between the UK's Air Safety Committee and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, restrictions on Pakistani airlines have now been lifted. However, Ms Marriott said individual airlines will still need to apply for operating permits from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. 'I'm grateful to aviation experts in both the UK and Pakistan for their collaborative work to meet international safety standards,' she said. 'While it will take time for flights to resume, once the logistics are in place, I look forward to using a Pakistani carrier when visiting family and friends.' The high commission emphasised that decisions on delisting countries or carriers from the UK Air Safety List are made through an independent safety process overseen by the Air Safety Committee. With more than 1.6 million people of Pakistani heritage living in the UK, and thousands of British nationals residing in Pakistan, it said the move will help families to reconnect and potentially boost bilateral trade ties. Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif welcomed the decision. Speaking at a televised news conference on Wednesday, he attributed the ban to what he described as 'baseless' remarks made by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan. He said Mr Khan's claim tarnished the country's image and triggered significant financial losses for Pakistan International Airlines.
New York Post
9 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why Gen Z, Millennial women are rejecting once-trendy breast implants and face fillers: ‘Just not into overdoing it anymore'
A new 'glow-down' trend, driven by social media and celebrities, has Gen Z and Millennial women striving to reclaim a more subtle, natural look by dissolving fillers and even removing implants. 'Patients today don't want to look different, they just want to look better,' plastic surgeon Dr. David Hidalgo told The Post. 'They're just not into overdoing it anymore.' Orlando native Stevie Hatch first went under the knife at age 18 — transforming from 'not even an A cup' breasts to a D cup with 450 cc implants. Advertisement 10 Stevie Hatch (left) first got breast implants at age 18 and regrets how large they were. Courtesy photo 10 Stevie Hatch says removing her implants was like a 'homecoming.' Courtesy photo After sixteen years, she ditched the implants completely a year and a half ago. Advertisement 'I had kind of outgrown what they represented,' Hatch, now 38, told The Post. 'I got them to feel more confident, but some of that is shaped by cultural narratives and the male gaze. When I got implants, it was for me originally, but the size was not for me.' Hatch, who works in corporate sales, said the explant surgery was 'like a reset.' 'Removing my implants wasn't about shame. It was more just kind of reclaiming myself,' she explained. 'I wanted to come home to my body, and it did feel like a homecoming. It felt like the absolute right thing to do, because it was sort of shedding a past identity.' She posted about her experience on TikTok and says her video still gets comments on a daily basis from other women thinking of ditching their implants. Advertisement 10 Rylii Warnick says her lip filler began to migrate and cause her lips to lose their shape. Courtesy photo 10 Warnick says she feels more natural and liberated after dissolving her lip filler. Courtesy photo And several celebrities have made headlines for ditching their overdone looks as of late. OnlyFans personality Sami Sheen, the 21-year-old daughter of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, decided to remove her breast implants this year, after suspecting they were causing health issues. Advertisement British 'Love Island' cast member Molly-Mae Hague, 26, dissolved her fillers this year, too, admitting, 'If filler had been a permanent thing, and I wasn't able to reverse what I'd done, I could have genuinely, completely destroyed my face.' Olivia Culpo, 33, had her lip filler dissolved last year. And Ariana Grande, 32, recently joked that she was 'four years clean' from botox and filler: 'I hope my smile lines get deeper and deeper. And I laugh more and more, and I just think aging can be such a beautiful thing.' 10 Sami Sheen was open about her decision to remove her breast implants on social media. 10 Sheen suspected her implants were causing a variety of health issues. 'I think we're entering an era of transparency, reversal of fillers, especially lips and cheeks,' Central Park South cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lanna Cheuck told The Post. 'The industry is really heading towards more natural and regenerative procedures.' She attributes the recent surge of surgery and filler reversal to social media and celebrity influence. Rylii Warnick, an aesthetician in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently decided to dissolve her lip filler. She first started injecting her lips in 2020 but says it 'really quickly turned into constantly chasing that fresh off the needle look. 'It's really easy to get facial dysmorphia and constantly think you need to be doing something to your face to be improving it, but it can really quickly get out of hand,' she said. Advertisement 10 Ariana Grande says she has not done botox or filler for four years. WWD via Getty Images The 28-year-old realized last year that she was 'overdone' and her lips were losing shape, so she dissolved all of her filler. 'I realized that, if you start fillers really young, it can make you look a lot older than you actually are. It can give you a more mature look,' Warnick told The Post. She says being free of the needle has been liberating: 'I love looking more natural, and I love the simplicity of not having to go get my filler touched up every six months.' Advertisement 10 Dr. David Hidalgo says many patients are experiencing 'filler fatigue.' Dr. Hidalgo describes this experience as 'filler fatigue.' 'Patients do filler for a long time, and sometimes it gets to a point where it's just overdone. They don't look natural anymore, and they just abandon the whole thing,' he observed. Hidalgo reports recently noticing 'a huge influx of people wanting filler dissolved' at his Upper East Side practice, as well as women looking to downsize breast implants to 'much more conservative' sizes. Shannon Wilson got a breast augmentation in 2021, but found the implants impeded her ability to move freely: 'I've always been a runner. I've always been a soccer girl. And, as an athlete, I was just so weighed down. I was uncomfortable, and I wasn't able to perform.' Advertisement 10 Shannon Wilson said her breast implants impeded for mobility as an athlete. Courtesy photo 10 She had explant surgery less than two years after getting implants. Courtesy photo After less than two years, she was back at the doctor getting an explant surgery. Advertisement 'I was very self-conscious,' Wilson, 30, of Jupiter, Florida, said. 'I didn't like how I looked at all. You have these 5-pound things in your system. It didn't look good, it didn't feel good. 'I'm completely confident, and I feel very good,' Wilson said now. 'I'm team small boob or just natural boob.'
