Grabey: May 2017

Monday, May 29, 2017

Bird lover created pigeon-shaped shoes to stop scaring them

She wanted to be close to the birds without scaring them, so crafted the realistic-looking footware at home.

The shoe designer, named online as Kyoto Ohata, has inspired others to make their own version of the heels.

In a video posted online she can be seen showing her shoes off.

Posing in a park next to a man throwing bread at the pigeons, she demonstrates her designs to birds nearby.

While they seem more interested in the bread being thrown, they certainly aren’t fleeing from her.

Writing on a Japanese website, the designer showed how you can make the heels.

People are so keen that the patterns for people to make their own from felt, using a black court shoe as a base, have been made available online this week.

North Korea has fired what is believed to be a missile from its east coast

A statement by the South Korean military described it as an ‘unidentified projectile’.

It is not yet clear what type it was or if it was successful.

The pariah state has increased its test-firing of missiles over recent months, aiming to build nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US mainland.

It is still thought to be several years away from this goal, but each new test puts it closer to success.

The North’s nuclear and missile programmes are perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenges to the new leaders in allies Washington and Seoul.

Donald Trump has threatened pre-emptive strikes at the state, accusing leaders of ‘looking for trouble’.

Officials in North Korea warned in response that his ‘troublemaking’ and ‘aggressive’ tweets have led to the ‘extremely tense’ situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

This photo is NOT Ariana Grande in Manchester. It's from a filmset in 2015

A photo of Ariana Grande which some claimed was her sitting backstage and bloodied following the Manchester terror attack has been revealed to be fake.

The snap began circulating online following the horrific events at the arena where she had been performing – which left 22 people dead and 59 injured.

It appears to show the singer standing up clutching at her face which seems to be covered in blood – with the snap later being shared online as concerned fans began sharing it on their Instagram accounts and expressing concern for her welfare.

However it has since been revealed that the photo is two years old – and was taken nowhere near Manchester, but was snapped while the singer was on the set of the TV show Scream Queens.

Gossip site Just Jared originally ran the pic in 2015, explaining that Ariana was filming scenes for the show in New Orleans at the time – and had fake blood on her face for the shoot.

Fake News! This is NOT Ariana Grande in Manchester. It's from a filmset in 2015. Stay safe!pic.twitter.com/FhoqSISO4e

— Julian Paul (@bildschirmspiel) May 22, 2017

This was later backed up by another tweet which read: ‘Fake news! This is NOT Ariana Grande in Manchester. It’s from a filmset in 2015. Stay safe!’

Ariana has suspended her world tour in the wake of the attack, which occurred just after 10.30pm on Monday night as fans were leaving the Manchester Arena following her show.

Photo of Ariana Grande 'backstage' after Manchester attack is fake — The singer has suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour in the wake of the attack (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)

According to TMZ, Ariana has now pulled out from performing in London this Thursday (25 May), and has put the entire European leg of her tour on hold including gigs in Poland, Germany and Switzerland.

She also expressed her heartbreak on Twitter, writing: ‘broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words.’

broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.

— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 23, 2017

The message has been retweeted over 600,000 times, with fans flocking to reassure the singer that the dreadful events were not her fault.

As many as 21,000 were at the sold-out concert for Grande – with many fans being young children and teenagers.

Grande’s manager Scooter Braun issued a statement: ‘Tonight, our hearts are broken. Words cannot express our sorrow for the victims and families harmed in this senseless attack.

‘We mourn the lives of children and loved ones taken by this cowardly act. We are thankful for the selfless service tonight of Manchester’s first responders who rushed towards danger to help save lives. We ask all of you to hold the victims, their families, and all those affected in your hearts and prayers.’

Eight-year-old youngest victim of Ariana Grande Manchester terror attack

Twelve children under the age of 16 were among the 59 casualties taken to hospital after the terror attack at Manchester Arena, David Ratcliffe, medical director of North West Ambulance Service has said.

She was at the concert with her mother Lisa Roussos and Saffie’s sister, Ashlee Bromwich, aged in her 20s, from Leyland, Lancashire, who were at separate hospitals being treated for injuries, friends said.

In a statement released this afternoon, Tarleton Community Primary School headteacher, Chris Upton said:’News of Saffie’s death in this appalling attack has come as a tremendous shock to all of us and I would like to send our deepest condolences to all of her family and friends,’ said Mr Upton.

‘The thought that anyone could go out to a concert and not come home is heartbreaking. Saffie was simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word.

‘She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly. Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair.

‘Our focus is now on helping pupils and staff cope with this shocking news and we have called in specialist support from Lancashire County Council to help us do that.

‘We are a tight-knit school and wider community and will give each other the support that we need at this difficult time.’

Saffie’s parents are believed to run a fish and chip shop in Leyland, Lancs.

Her mother Lisa Roussos is currently in hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Kate Tinsley, whose daughter Jessica is best friends with Saffie said: ‘I’ve tried to contact Saffie’s mum and none of the messages have gone through on the phone.

‘Jessica has gone to school today not knowing a thing. My daughter is best friends with her in school. Everybody is worried, the whole village. Everybody is in bits waiting for news, just some news that she’s okay, she’s alive.’

Thousands of teenagers were inside the arena for a concert by Ariana Grande on Monday night, and Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed children are among those killed.

Among those searching for loved ones was Amy Ridley, who was trying to trace her best friend Chloe Rutherford and her partner Liam Curry.

She told ITV News Tyne Tees: ‘I want to hear my best friend’s voice again and make sure her and her boyfriend are okay. I love them both and wouldn’t know what to do without them.’

Charlotte Campbell has not heard from her 15-year-old daughter Olivia since the attack.

Ms Campbell, who lives in Manchester, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I last had contact with her at half past eight last night.

‘She was at the concert, she’d just seen the support act and said she was having an amazing time and thanking me for letting her go.

‘She was with her friend Adam, Adam was found about half an hour ago, he’s in hospital but Olivia has not been found yet.’

Ms Campbell said she had been at home ‘phoning everybody, hospitals, police, all these centres that the children have been put in’.

‘Her dad is actually in Manchester looking for her. I’ve got friends out looking for her, I’ve got people I don’t even know out looking for her.’

Facebook has activated its safety check feature so people can let loved ones know they are safe, and an emergency helpline, 0161 856 9400, has been set up for those searching.

Alex Klis, from York, is looking for her parents who have been missing since the attack.

In a post shared widely on Facebook she wrote: ‘Anyone who is in any safe place or hospital in Manchester, if anyone comes across my parents please please let me know as they’ve been missing ever since the attack.’

Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the attack in Manchester

At least 22 people were killed and around 60 more were wounded as explosives outside Manchester Arena as Ariana Grande fans left a concert.

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the Manchester bomb attack.

Isis said: ‘This is just the beginning’ in a video they posted online, according to Israeli media.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, claiming it was carried out with an explosive device planted at the concert, according to a statement the group posted on Telegram.

‘One of the soldiers of the Caliphate was able to place an explosive device within a gathering of the Crusaders in the city of Manchester,’ the statement said.

Hundreds of people are still desperately trying to trace loved ones in the aftermath of the atrocity.

Here's what we know about the Manchester attack so far:

The attack was carried out by a lone male suicide bomber who detonated an improvised explosive device.
22 people have been killed and 59 have been injured in the blast
Children are among the dead
The lone attacker died at the arena
Police are investigating whether he acted alone or was part of a network
It is the worst terrorist attack in the UK since 56 people were killed in the 7/7 London bombings in 2005.
The explosion rocked the Manchester Arena at the conclusion of a performance by the American star Ariana Grande.
Manchester Arena said the explosion happened outside the venue, as people began streaming from the doors.
Greater Manchester Police said they were called to the venue at around 10.33pm and approach roads were closed.
They said the blast was “being treated as a terrorist incident”.
More than 400 officers were deployed on the operation throughout Monday night.
Manchester Victoria station was evacuated and trains cancelled.
The victims are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said.
The Prime Minister condemned what was being treated as an “appalling terrorist attack” and said she would chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee on Tuesday.
All national General Election campaigning was suspended after the explosion.
A controlled explosion was carried out by police at the Cathedral Gardens area near Manchester Arena shortly after 1.30am.
Police said the suspicious item at the centre of the controlled explosion was just abandoned clothing.
The first victim of the Manchester terror attack has been named as Georgina Callendar
Police have arrested a man, 23, in connection with the terror attack at Manchester Arena.
Theresa May has made a statement in Downing Street following the Manchester attack. She said: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families and friends of all those affected.
‘It is now beyond doubt that the people of Manchester and of this country have fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack, an attack that targeted some of the youngest people in our society with cold calculation.

‘This was among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom.’

See our Manchester attack coverage here.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

New study shows 'Weed ‘could stop the memory loss caused by old age’

People mostly wouldn’t describe cannabis as being exactly good for your memory – but a new study shows that it can reverse age-related memory loss in mice.

The find could lead to new treatments for dementia – and even lead to old people getting ‘five to ten more years’ of feeling sharp, thanks to daily doses of cannabis.

Tests found that regular, low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, had an adverse affect on young animals, but helped older animals.

The team behind the research are hoping to launch clinical trials by the end of the year.

Andras Bilkei-Gorzo, from the University of Bonn, said: ‘If we can rejuvenate the brain so that everybody gets five to 10 more years without needing extra care then that is more than we could have imagined.’

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine the scientists reveal they gave a month-long course of daily THC to mice aged two months, one year, and 18 months.

The drugged up animals then had to solve a water maze, and tested about recognised familiar objects such as mice they had met before.

The scientists wrote: These results reveal a profound, long-lasting improvement of cognitive performance resulting from a low dose of THC treatment in mature and old animals.’

Clinical lecturer in psychiatry at University College London Michael Bloomfield said: ‘What is particularly exciting about this research is that it opens up a whole new chemical system, the endocannabinoid system, as a potential target for new avenues of research, which could include illnesses like dementia.’

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Facebook is down - everyone is freaking out and tweeting it #facebookdown

If your Facebook page doesn't appear to be working — it's probably not just you.

People all across the globe realised on Monday night that the social media platform was down. People in Asia were waking up to it on a Tuesday morning.