CEO testifies about emails on Jackson condition

LOS ANGELES (AP) The head of the company promoting Michael Jackson's ill-fated comeback concerts told jurors Thursday that he never consulted a mental health professional to help the singer despite two high-level show workers suggesting it was necessary.

AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips testified about emails he sent and received in the week before Jackson's death, including a production manager's characterization that the entertainer's condition was "deteriorating."

Phillips is testifying in a negligent hiring case filed by Jackson's mother against AEG Live LLC, claiming the company failed to properly investigate the doctor convicted of giving her son a lethal dose of an anesthetic. Her lawyers also contend that Phillips and AEG Live executives ignored signs of Jackson's poor health and pushed the entertainer to perform.

Emails displayed to jurors hearing the case show that Phillips told Jackson's business manager he believed the singer might have breached his contract by missing rehearsals. The email was sent June 20, 2009, five days before the "Thriller" singer died from an overdose of propofol.

"And I thought it couldn't get worse," the business manager, Michael Kane, responded. Phillips said Kane had been seeking a $1 million advance for Jackson against the earnings of his "This Is It" shows.

Phillips' email to Kane came hours after the tour director, Kenny Ortega, and production manager, John Hougdahl, emailed Phillips telling them that Jackson was in such a poor emotional state that he couldn't rehearse that night and had to be sent home.

"I have watched him deteriorate in front of my eyes over the last 8 weeks," Hougdahl wrote. "He was able to do multiple 360 spins back in April. He'd fall on his ass if he tried it now."

According to Hougdahl, Jackson said earlier that night after watching a pyrotechnics demonstration, "You aren't going to kill the artist, are you?"

He wrote to Phillips that the entertainer, whose scalp was badly burned while shooting a Pepsi commercial in 1984, didn't appear to be referring to the fireworks.

In a later email, Hougdahl told Phillips he believed Jackson needed a mental examination. "My layman's degree tells me he needs a shrink to get him mentally prepared to get him prepared to get on stage," he wrote.

Ortega also wrote to Phillips hours later, urging that Jackson get some psychological help.

Earlier that night, Jackson had been "trembling, rambling and obsessive," according to Ortega, who wrote to Phillips that the singer seemed unable to rehearse due to "real emotional stuff."

Phillips has yet to testify about a meeting he had with Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray.

Jackson died before signing Murray's $150,000-a-month contract to accompany him for 50 shows planned at London's O2 Arena. AEG denies it hired Murray, and several of its executives have testified that the former physician's fee would have been deducted from Jackson's earnings for the "This Is It" shows.

Phillips is the highest-ranking AEG Live executive to testify in the trial, which has concluded its sixth week. He denied Thursday that he ever threatened Jackson over missed rehearsals.

"We would have never dealt with Michael that way," he said.

He also rejected the idea that he was responsible for Jackson's health.

"I'm not responsible for his medical needs," Phillips said. "We're promoters that's what we do."

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP .

Judge may unseal part of Jackson abuse claim

LOS ANGELES (AP) A judge said Thursday he was inclined to unseal portions of a choreographer's court filings alleging he was abused by Michael Jackson.

However, personal details and psychiatrist reports would likely not be released.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said he needed to address which records should remain sealed before he can deal with whether Wade Robson, a choreographer and television personality, can pursue his claim.

Robson requested on May 1 that Beckloff allow him to file a late creditor's claim against Jackson's estate nearly eight years to the day after he testified in Jackson's defense at the singer's molestation trial.

Jackson was acquitted after Robson told jurors the entertainer never touched him inappropriately. Henry Gradstein, an attorney for Robson, said a breakdown last year prompted Robson to address the abuse.

Howard Weitzman, an attorney for Jackson's estate and Thomas Messereau, the lawyer who successfully defended Jackson, have attacked Robson's credibility and noted his repeated defense of the singer.

Weitzman has called the accusations "outrageous and pathetic."

"We are confident that the court will see this for what it is" he said at the time the allegations were first made.

On Thursday, Beckloff presented attorneys with possible redactions of Robson's sworn declaration and said it should serve as a roadmap for what information can be made public.

The judge believes some of the material could be made public, even though attorneys on both sides would like the case sealed in its entirety.

Some of Robson's private and personal information, including a paragraph that detailed his allegations of abuse by Jackson, should be sealed, Beckloff said.

He also said portions of the records that deal with mental health issues also should not be released.

"There aren't a lot of redactions," Beckloff said of his suggestions.

Attorneys for Robson and Jackson's estate will review the suggestions by the judge and report back at a hearing on June 25, the fourth anniversary of Jackson's death.

Beckoff, who is overseeing the probate case involving Jackson's massive estate, said he will also handle a separate lawsuit filed by Robson against Jackson and two other defendants listed as "Doe 2" and "Doe 3" that includes allegations of abuse by the entertainer. That lawsuit also remains sealed.

Robson, 30, has worked with Britney Spears and numerous other stars. He was 22 at the time he testified, telling jurors in Jackson's criminal case that he met the pop star when he was 5 and spent the night at Jackson's Neverland Ranch more than 20 times, sleeping in the singer's bedroom on most visits.

During the trial, Robson bristled at testimony by other witnesses that they had seen Jackson molest him.

"I'm telling you nothing happened," Robson testified when a prosecutor challenged his account in 2005.

Gradstein previously issued a statement saying, "Last year, on a career trajectory that was off the charts, (Robson) collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child."

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Lambert, Florida Georgia Line score 2 wins at CMTs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) In Music City, they say it's all about the song. Florida Georgia Line is learning the truth in that statement.

The duo of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley took the early lead with Miranda Lambert at the CMT Music Awards midway through Wednesday night's show on the strength of their hit, "Cruise." FGL won breakthrough video and duo video of the year and were slated later for the night's most-talked-about performance with rapper Nelly.

"This is a little overwhelming," Kelley said. "We've got the best fans in the world. You guys are freaking amazing."

The breezy, easy-grooving "Cruise" pushed the duo to country stardom last year. Their remix with Nelly moved into the top five on Billboard's Hot 100 pop songs list this week, making it the rare country crossover hit and an early candidate for song of the summer.

Lambert won female video of the year for "Mama's Broken Heart" and CMT performance video of the year for "Over You," recorded during the 2012 "CMT Artist of the Year" broadcast.

"I just got a kiss from Lenny Kravitz," Lambert said as she took the stage for her second trophy. "That was an award in itself."

Much of the early focus of the show was on country's biggest male star, Jason Aldean. Making his first appearance as an awards show co-host, he kicked off the show by playing "American Woman" with Kravitz, got hosting tips from an unlikely cast of characters that included Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Kelsey Grammer, Vince Vaughn, Lorraine Bracco and Luke Bryan.

He also won collaborative video of the year for "The Only Way I Know," with Bryan and Church, who were among the top nominees coming into the show with Lambert.

The CMT Awards are rarely focused on winners of the belt buckle trophy and Wednesday night was no different.

Taylor Swift had the night's most eye-catching performance, singing "Red" with a color guard of flag bearers while playing electric guitar and wearing a red-and-black shorts-and-overcoat ensemble that had a Sgt. Pepper feel to it.

Nicole Kidman with husband Keith Urban joined in as Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum led the crowd at Bridgestone Arena in a "Wagon Wheel" sing-a-long. Hunter Hayes took it outside and walked through a crowd of hundreds before taking the stage, and Bryan performed across the street at Lower Broadway venue The Stage.

And Little Big Town sang Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" as fog enveloped the stage and Urban joined them for an extended guitar jam in the middle of the song.

Lambert and FGL are still up for the night's top award, video of the year, after fans narrowed down the field of finalists. Aldean, Underwood, Bryan and Swift join them on the list and fans vote for the winner during the show.

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Online:

http://cmt.com

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Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott.

AEG Live CEO: Jackson lawsuit is extortion attempt

LOS ANGELES (AP) The head of AEG Live told a jury on Monday that he believes a lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's mother against the concert promotion company was a baseless extortion attempt.

CEO Randy Phillips also said the company bears no responsibility for Jackson's 2009 death, as his mother contends.

Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live LLC, claiming it failed to properly investigate the doctor who was later convicted of her son's death. AEG denies wrongdoing.

Phillips said he agreed with statements attributed to him and defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam that the case was a shakedown.

"Yes or no, answer? Yes," Phillips said in response to a question by Katherine Jackson's attorney Brian Panish.

Phillips is the highest-ranking AEG executive to testify in the case, now in its sixth week.

He will likely be asked about numerous emails he sent and received about Jackson's health in the final weeks of the superstar's life, as well as any interactions he had with former cardiologist Conrad Murray.

Murray agreed to serve as Jackson's doctor for $150,000 a month while he performed 50 shows titled "This Is It" in London's 02 Arena in 2009 and early 2010.

AEG denies hiring Murray and agreeing to pay Murray's fee as an advance to Jackson.

Phillips' testimony came after several days of often tense testimony from AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware, who told jurors he did not remember numerous details about Jackson's rehearsals and emails he sent about the singer.

Panish sparred with Gongaware, and pointedly questioned Phillips, whom he called to the stand as a hostile witness.

Panish asked Phillips whether he was eager to tell his side of the story.

"I believe you called me as a witness, so I'm here," Phillips said flatly.

Panish at one point asked the executive whether he was familiar with the music industry.

"Familiar with the music industry? I was working in it," Phillips replied.

When the executive appeared to crack a smile, Panish asked if he thought the proceedings were funny.

"No, I think it's tragic." Phillips replied.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Jack White pays Detroit Masonic Temple's tax bill

DETROIT (AP) Musician Jack White has played springtime Santa, paying a $142,000 back tax bill for Detroit's historic Masonic Temple. The move prevents a threatened auction of the famed venue where The Who and the Rolling Stones once played.

Last Thursday, a then-anonymous donor paid off the famed music venue's entire 2010-2012 tax delinquency. The 14-story Masonic Temple was days away from being put up for sale.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It takes up an entire block and has more than 1,000 rooms, as well as a theater that has featured top performers for decades.

The Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/16HNPOr ) reports that temple President Roger Sobran says his group is renaming the 1,586-seat theater in its benefactor's name as the Jack White Theater.

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Online:

http://www.themasonic.com

UK reports: 'X Factor' Tulisa held on drug claim

LONDON (AP) British media say singer and former U.K. "X Factor" judge Tulisa Contostavlos was arrested Tuesday on allegations of supplying hard drugs.

The arrest came after the Sun tabloid ran a story claiming the 24-year-old had acted as a go-between in a deal to sell cocaine.

The Metropolitan Police force said a 24-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were arrested "on suspicion of being concerned with the supply of class A drugs."

They were questioned at a London police station and later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Police in Britain do not usually name suspects who have not been charged. The BBC and other major media outlets identified the suspect as Contostavlos, who came to fame with London group N-Dubz.

She was recently replaced as a judge on TV talent show "X Factor" by Sharon Osbourne.

Contostavlos' spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

MTV to host biggest online-only music festival

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Concertgoers won't have to leave their homes to enjoy the "Live Music Day Festival," the biggest online-only event of its kind, music networks MTV, VH1 and CMT said on Tuesday.

The 24-hour virtual concert is set to kick off at 7 p.m. EDT on June 19 and will feature performances by more than 50 bands and artists spanning rock, indie, pop, R&B and folk. Acts include Hanson, Atlas Genius, Labrinth, Langhorne Slim and Kate Nash.

The performances, accompanied by the fan-picked O Music Awards, will be streamed live from Viacom's offices in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. The Roots drummer Questlove will provide beats during the festival in a 24-hour "drum-a-thon."

Viewers will be able to watch the entire show via computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. They also have the option of selecting only the acts and awards they want to see.

"We've created the first-of-its-kind music festival that's both connecting artists and fans and allowing them to participate in the awards and festival in new ways," Dermot McCormack, head of connected content for Viacom Music, said in a statement.

Categories in the third annual O Music Awards include Best Web-Born Artist, Fan Army FTW (For The Win) and Must-Follow Artist on Twitter. R&B singer Frank Ocean and rocker Beck lead the awards with two nominations each.

At the first O Music awards in Las Vegas in 2011, rapper Chiddy of rap duo Chiddy Bang set a Guinness World Record for the "longest freestyle rap" and "longest marathon rap" after performing for more than nine consecutive hours.

MTV and its sister music channels VH1 and CMT are part of Viacom Inc.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Xavier Briand)

AEG exec denies he pushed Jackson to rehearse

LOS ANGELES (AP) An AEG Live LLC executive denied Monday that he pushed Michael Jackson to rehearse for his ill-fated comeback concerts, refuting earlier testimony by the singer's longtime makeup artist and stylist.

Paul Gongaware said he never told Jackson's assistant to get the singer out of a locked bathroom and to a rehearsal, an incident that was described to jurors by makeup artist Karen Faye.

"Never, never happened," Gongaware said, shaking his head.

Faye testified last month that she overhead Gongaware tell Jackson's assistant to do "whatever it takes" to get the "Thriller" singer to a rehearsal. She described Gongaware as sounding "angry and kind of desperate" on the call.

Gongaware told jurors hearing a negligent hiring case filed by Jackson's mother that the entertainer was under no obligation to rehearse.

The differing accounts are just one of several pieces of contradictory information jurors will have to consider when testimony in the case concludes. Katherine Jackson is suing AEG Live, claiming it failed to properly investigate the physician convicted of administering an overdose of the anesthetic propofol to her son.

AEG denies it hired Conrad Murray, or could have known that Murray was giving the singer propofol as a sleep aid.

Faye, whose testimony was interrupted when other witnesses had to be called, will return to the witness stand before the trial's conclusion and is likely to be questioned by AEG's attorneys about the Gongaware incident.

Gongaware also said he was mistaken when he wrote in an email that his company was paying for Murray.

"We want to remind him that it is AEG, not MJ who is paying his salary," Gongaware wrote in the email, which was sent after Jackson missed rehearsals. "We want him to understand what is expected of him."

Gongaware said AEG agreed to advance Murray's $150,000 a month fee to Jackson, but the costs would have come out of the singer's share of "This Is It" earnings. He said he never instructed Murray about how to care for the singer.

The promoter and producer also told jurors on Monday that he never considered doing a background check on Murray, or anyone such as Faye, who was working directly with Jackson.

Murray had several liens and child support judgments and was facing foreclosure before agreeing to work with Jackson.

"I just expect doctors to be ethical," Gongaware said. "Their financial side of their life shouldn't affect their medical judgment."

The executive was shown several emails that he was sent less than a month before Jackson's death in which tabloid newspapers were speculating the singer was suffering from cancer.

Gongaware urged his company not to respond. "Our redemption will be when he does his shows," he wrote about Jackson. "We don't have to sell tickets, so we can just sit back and prove them wrong by just doing it."

The trial is entering its sixth week. AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips is expected to testify later this week.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Lobbying probe peer resigns whip

Ulster Unionist Lord Laird who has denied breaching parliamentary rules

By Press Association

Lord Laird has resigned the Ulster Unionist whip pending an inquiry into allegations he broke parliamentary rules.

The peer is alleged to have offered to carry out parliamentary work for cash after being caught in two separate stings by undercover journalists posing as lobbyists.

He denies any wrongdoing and has referred the case to a sleaze watchdog.

In a statement, party leader Mike Nesbitt said: "Having reviewed the video footage on the Daily Telegraph website, and other media reporting of Lord Laird's engagement with alleged lobbyists, I telephoned his home this morning and as a result he has relinquished the Party Whip, pending the outcome of the review of his behaviour that he has already requested of the relevant authorities at Westminster."

Lord Laird is alleged to have told reporters posing as lobbyists as part of a joint investigation by the Telegraph and BBC's Panorama that he could "bribe" colleagues to ask questions and arrange debates in return for a fee of £2,000 per month. It was part of the same investigation that led MP Patrick Mercer to quit the Tory whip on Friday and refer himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards as the controversy over paid lobbying returned to haunt Westminster.

The peer was also one of three members of the upper house - two Labour - alleged to have told Sunday Times reporters posing as representatives of a fake energy firm that they could carry out parliamentary work in return for cash.

In a statement issued before he resigned the whip he said: "I wish to make it clear that I did not agree to act as a paid advocate in any proceedings of the House nor did I accept payment or other incentive or reward in return for providing parliamentary advice or services. I have not broken any rules. However, I have referred the situation to the appropriate authorities and I will be making no further statement until I have received their ruling."

Another of those accused, Labour's Lord Mackenzie, the former president of the Police Superintendents Association, also denied any wrongdoing. The Sunday Times reported that he explained he had "devised a rouse" that allowed him to host events for paying clients, by asking colleagues to hold them for him.

The paper also alleged that he was happy to ask questions and approach ministers in the Lords to "bend their ear".

But speaking on Radio Five Live Lord Mackenzie said he thought he was being asked to be a consultant for the sham company and had followed the Parliamentary Code of Conduct. When asked if he had done anything wrong, he said: "Not at all, I'm very clear on the rules".

Turkey Looks To Repair Damage After Protests

Turkey Looks To Repair Damage After Protests

Sky News

Turkey has begun cleaning up its streets after two days of clashes between police and protesters in the largest anti-government demonstrations in years.

Pockets of die-hard demonstrators remained in Istanbul's Taksim Square, the focal point of the protests, lighting fires and chanting anti-government slogans.

But the rain kept large crowds away and streets were much quieter.

However, there were calls on social media for further protests later in the day both in Istanbul and the capital Ankara, and by early afternoon protesters started returning to Taksim.

Amnesty International said there had been two deaths, and Turkey's Western allies including Britain and the US called on the  government to show restraint.

Police withdrew from Taksim Square on Saturday after violent clashes that left dozens injured, many affected by tear gas fired by officers. Police also turned water cannon on the demonstrators.

Almost 1,000 people have been arrested in 90 demonstrations held across the vast nation.

What began as an outcry against plans to build a shopping centre on a park snowballed into a broader protest against the Islamist-rooted government, which critics say has become increasingly authoritarian.
Sky's Correspondent Katie Stallard said that rubble littered the main streets around Taksim Square.

Shopkeepers scrubbed anti-government graffiti off walls, and slogans were also sprayed on burnt-out vehicles including a police car and a bus.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there had been examples of "extreme" police action.

But he added: "I call on the protesters to stop their demonstrations immediately."

The interior ministry said that legal action would be taken against police officers who had acted "disproportionately".

The country's Doctors' Association said four people have permanently lost their eyesight after being hit by gas canisters or plastic bullets.

Beyonce headlines sell-out UK gig to promote gender equality

By Dasha Afanasieva

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. singer Beyonce performed a set full of female anthems on Saturday at a London concert to raise funds for women's health, education and justice.

The concert, which organizers hoped would reach a billion viewers, was staged by Chime For Change, a charity started by Italian fashion house Gucci which crowdfunds donations for projects to advance gender equality in more than 70 countries.

The "If I Were A Boy" singer was joined on stage by husband and rapper Jay-Z for "Crazy In Love", but sang stirring anthems of female empowerment for which she is best known alone.

She told the audience that the charity gig had already raised $4 million dollars, and urged them to go online and do more during a set lasting 40 minutes that also included short films about women's issues starring Beyonce.

Performances from Florence + The Machine, John Legend and Jennifer Lopez with a surprise duet with Mary J Blige, entertained the audience of more than 50,000 at Twickenham stadium, west London.

Beyonce walked on stage wearing a black leather body suit with sequin shoulders as the crowds chanted her name, and an all-female troupe of violinists played the opening chords of "A Change Is Gonna Come".

Tearful but smiling, she then sang "At Last", originally by Etta James, and pleased a dancing crowd with an energetic performance of "Run The World (Girls)".

The Song For Change concert was broadcast live to 150 countries, and on primetime TV in the United States the following day, organizers said.

Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the eight goals set out by the United Nations at the turn of the millennium, yet inequality remains with just 21 percent of seats in national parliaments held by women, according to the Chime For Change website.

Leading human rights activist and anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu appeared in a video message and called for men to stand up for girls and women.

"This is the time for a revolution for women and girls," the 81-year-old said. "And we each must play a part. Empowering girls and women is the challenge of our time."

Artists including Jessie J, HAIM, Iggy Azalea, Legend, Rita Ora and Timbaland all performed, but Beyonce was the big attraction for performers and fans alike.

"She's the perfect role model for anyone: she's got a business mind, her body's amazing!" said 26-year-old Sophie Kalaichakis, who was wearing a T-shirt from the singer's last tour.

Gucci is underwriting the event to allow all ticket sales to go to the charity, after taxes and transaction fees.

Each one of the 52,000 tickets sold at prices ranging from 55-95 British pounds each ($85-$150) entitle the buyer to choose which cause their ticket will fund in what organizers said was a first for such a venture.

"They want people not just to enjoy the concert but also follow it through," Harvey Goldsmith, producer of the 1985 Live Aid concert staged to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief, told Reuters before the gig.

"The idea is to get the audience more engaged in what's going on so that they can actually see and feel where the money is going."

Projects include helping provide 50 Haitian girls with a safe space to learn and lead in their communities and fighting female genital mutilation in Mali.

(Editing by Mike Collett-White)

AEG exec discusses Jackson interactions, emails

A look at key moments this past week in the wrongful death trial in Los Angeles between Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and concert giant AEG Live LLC, and what is expected at court in the week ahead:

THE CASE

Jackson's mother wants a jury to determine that the promoter of Jackson's planned comeback concerts didn't properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who a criminal jury convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's June 2009 death. AEG's attorney says the case is about personal choice, namely Jackson's decision to have Murray serve as his doctor and give him doses of a powerful anesthetic as a sleep aid. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake.

Several minutes of awkward questions lobbed at Gongaware over an email he sent to an assistant for one of his bosses "an absolute babe" as he described her in which he wrote that concert preparations were giving him nightmares and cold sweats. Gongaware insisted he was joking about the reactions.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEK

Jurors heard from AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware, who reluctantly testified that he negotiated a deal with Murray to work with Jackson on the tour for $150,000 a month. He told the panel he didn't investigate the doctor's background, but consulted with a physician friend who told him that he would have gone on the tour for $10,000 a week.

Gongaware described his interactions with the singer while preparing for "This Is It" and said he only saw Jackson impaired once, after a visit with his dermatologist.

WHAT THE JURY SAW

Dozens of emails Gongaware sent or received during preparations for the "This Is It" tour, including several where Jackson's health was described as poor and declining.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

"Michael Jackson insisted on it and recommended him and it was not for me to tell him no," Gongaware said of discussions with Jackson about bringing Murray on the tour.

"He was good. He was engaged, he was alert. He was paying attention. ... I watched him pretty carefully in the meetings we had," Gongaware said of Jackson in 2009 meetings.

OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM

A plane flying a banner that reads, "Follow the $ to Michael Jackson's Death" made the rounds in the skies over Los Angeles, appearing downtown, at the beach on Memorial Day weekend and over the corporate offices of AEG Live.

WHAT'S NEXT

AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips is expected to be on the witness stand much of the upcoming week after Gongaware is done answering questions posed by a defense attorney.

Rock guitarist May leads London march against badger cull

LONDON (Reuters) - Protesters dressed as badgers and led by Queen guitarist Brian May marched through central London on Saturday demanding that the government scrap a plan to cull badgers, aimed at slowing the spread of a cattle disease.

About 5,000 of the nocturnal black-and-white animals are due to be shot by marksmen in the six-week pilot cull, authorized to begin on Saturday in two areas in southwestern England.

The cull has divided rural England, pitting farmers determined to protect their livestock and livelihoods against animal lovers who say the plan will not work and will cause suffering to badgers.

Dressed in a black jacket and black shirt with thin white stripes and sporting his signature long bushy curls, the rock musician May chatted with other protesters and posed for photographs with them.

"Thousands of badgers are going to be killed in a scheme which will not make life any easier for farmers," May told the BBC. "We don't believe it will work. We don't believe it's humane. And there is a better option which is vaccination."

He later handed a petition against the cull to Prime Minister David Cameron's office at Number 10 Downing Street.

The government says the cull is "science-driven and carefully managed". It follows a study that found culling 70 percent of badgers in an area could reduce by 16 percent bovine TB, a disease that caused the slaughter of an estimated 28,000 cattle in England last year.

The ministry in charge of farming says there is no licensed cattle vaccine against bovine TB available. It says an injectable badger vaccine is available but it is not a realistic option for dealing with the problem in the short-term because of practical difficulties.

The anti-cull protesters dispute the evidence cited by the government in its decision to approve the badger cull.

"This cull is unscientific and cruel. Badgers are innocent in the spread of bovine TB," said Malcolm Clark, from the rural county of Wiltshire.

"There are going to be people out at night shooting badgers in the dark. They are not going to kill them humanely. Badgers are going to be running down into their sets to die in agony," said Clark, whose wife stood next to him in a badger outfit.

A Reuters photographer said about 200 protesters took part, some dressed as badgers, others with their faces painted black and white, holding up pictures of badgers with the words "Not guilty" and placards with slogans including "Stop this cruel cull".

(Reporting by Dylan Martinez and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Patrick Graham)

Comedian scolded for Boston benefit show decision

BOSTON (AP) Comedian Dane Cook is being criticized for his decision to bar organizers of a benefit concert for Boston Marathon bombing victims from streaming or televising his performance.

Cook tweeted a brief apology Friday, saying he didn't want any of his new material to hit the airwaves yet. That hasn't pacified critics, including several who asked on Twitter why Cook chose to do a new set at a charity event.

Cook's publicist didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Thursday night's Boston Strong Concert featured acts including Aerosmith, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men. The show raised money for The One Fund Boston, a compensation fund established by Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino to help bombing victims.

A representative of concert organizers sought to defend Cook, a Massachusetts native.

"Dane donated both his time and incredible talent to yesterday's event and was most certainly an integral part of making the evening an extraordinary success benefiting The One Fund," Jay Anderson of Live Nation said in brief emailed remarks. He declined to comment further, referring all questions to Cook's publicist.

Authorities allege that two brothers, ethnic Chechens from Russia, set off two pressure cooker bombs packed with shrapnel near the marathon's finish line on April 15, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others. Their mother has insisted that they are innocent.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found hiding in a boat in a backyard in suburban Watertown. His older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died after his younger sibling ran over him as police officers struggled to subdue him following a police chase in which Tamerlan was shot.

Wife: Lou Reed recovering after liver transplant

LONDON (AP) Rock icon Lou Reed is recovering after a life-saving liver transplant in the U.S., according to an interview with his wife published Saturday in a British newspaper.

Laurie Anderson told the Times of London that Reed "was dying" before the operation several weeks ago at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic.

She said 71-year-old Reed isn't back to full strength, but "he's already working and doing t'ai chi.

"I don't think he'll every totally recover from this, but he'll certainly be back to doing (things) in a few months," she said.

"I'm very happy. It's a new life for him."

Anderson, a musician and performance artist, praised the Cleveland facility one of the leading transplant centers in the U.S. and said hospitals in the couple's hometown of New York were "dysfunctional."

Reed, who has spoken of his past alcohol and drug use, co-founded influential 1960s group The Velvet Underground, whose songs included the addiction-themed "Heroin" and "I'm Waiting for the Man."

Solo works include "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day."

Reed had earlier canceled a series of dates planned for April. His management didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rock guitarist May leads London march against badger cull

LONDON (Reuters) - Protesters dressed as badgers and led by Queen guitarist Brian May marched through central London on Saturday demanding that the government scrap a plan to cull badgers, aimed at slowing the spread of a cattle disease.

About 5,000 of the nocturnal black-and-white animals are due to be shot by marksmen in the six-week pilot cull, authorized to begin on Saturday in two areas in southwestern England.

The cull has divided rural England, pitting farmers determined to protect their livestock and livelihoods against animal lovers who say the plan will not work and will cause suffering to badgers.

Dressed in a black jacket and black shirt with thin white stripes and sporting his signature long bushy curls, the rock musician May chatted with other protesters and posed for photographs with them.

"Thousands of badgers are going to be killed in a scheme which will not make life any easier for farmers," May told the BBC. "We don't believe it will work. We don't believe it's humane. And there is a better option which is vaccination."

He later handed a petition against the cull to Prime Minister David Cameron's office at Number 10 Downing Street.

The government says the cull is "science-driven and carefully managed". It follows a study that found culling 70 percent of badgers in an area could reduce by 16 percent bovine TB, a disease that caused the slaughter of an estimated 28,000 cattle in England last year.

The ministry in charge of farming says there is no licensed cattle vaccine against bovine TB available. It says an injectable badger vaccine is available but it is not a realistic option for dealing with the problem in the short-term because of practical difficulties.

The anti-cull protesters dispute the evidence cited by the government in its decision to approve the badger cull.

"This cull is unscientific and cruel. Badgers are innocent in the spread of bovine TB," said Malcolm Clark, from the rural county of Wiltshire.

"There are going to be people out at night shooting badgers in the dark. They are not going to kill them humanely. Badgers are going to be running down into their sets to die in agony," said Clark, whose wife stood next to him in a badger outfit.

A Reuters photographer said about 200 protesters took part, some dressed as badgers, others with their faces painted black and white, holding up pictures of badgers with the words "Not guilty" and placards with slogans including "Stop this cruel cull".

(Reporting by Dylan Martinez and Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Patrick Graham)

Brazilian names his son ‘Leandro Lampard’ after Chelsea star

By Eurosport | World of Sport

Frank Lampard has had many honours in his career: A record 203 goals for Chelsea, 96 caps for England and now he can add to his list a Brazilian baby being named after him.

You would think that a Brazilian would have plenty of football stars from his own country to name his child after but one Samba footie fan decided to name his son "Leandro Lampard Martins Guedes" after the Chelsea and England midfielder.

The father in question spoke to the FA's TV channel in Brazil where England are playing a friendly as he waited to see if he could introduce his son to his namesake.

"We are very, very excited. It is one of our dreams to have the English team here. We are not sure whether Lampard is coming but it is still amazing that the team is here," he said.

Mr Martins Guedes said he decided to call his son Lampard as he is a huge Blues fan and his son was born on the day Chelsea knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League on their way to winning the title last season.

Luckily for him his wife agreed: "My first love is actually Chelsea, not just Lampard. I am a massive Chelsea fan, I don't support any team here in Brazil. I actually have a backyard that is called 'Stamford Bridge' and so we love Lampard as a Chelsea player," he explained.

"I wanted to leave that memory (of Chelsea beating Barcelona) forever. I spoke to my wife to see if she was happy to call the baby Lampard, and she was and so it's therefore history!"

It is not the first time football has seen parents get carried away with the naming of their kids.

During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa one baby girl was named 'FIFA' (all in capitals) after the sport's governing body, while another was called 'Ke Nako', a World Cup slogan that means 'it is time'. Another couple in Bloemfontein had twin boys during the opening match between South Africa and Mexico and decided to name their kids after the two teams playing.

S.Korea's trade surplus jumps in May

By AFP.

South Korea's exports expanded at a faster-than-expected pace in May with the trade surplus rising sharply, government data showed on Saturday, adding to hopes of a sustained recovery in Asia's fourth largest economy.

Exports rose 3.2 percent in May from a year earlier to $48.368 billion, while imports dropped 4.8 percent to $42.341 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The May trade surplus stood at $6.026 billion, compared with a revised surplus of $2.447 billion in April, the largest since October 2010. A Dow Jones (DJI: ^DJI - news) poll had forecast a median trade surplus of $3 billion in May.

Exports to the United States jumped 21.6 percent year-on-year, while shipments to China were up 16.6 percent. But exports to Japan plunged 11.7 percent, a decrease blamed on a weaker yen.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this report --

China May official PMI stronger than expected

 

An employee works inside a textile factory in Linhai, Zhejiang province, May 30, 2013. REUTERS/William
Hong.

By Reuters.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's official PMI rose to 50.8 in May from 50.6 in April, data showed on Saturday, beating market expectations and raising optimism that the world's second-largest economy may be stabilising.

Investors will get a fuller picture of the Chinese economy on Monday when the official services PMI is released along with the final HSBC survey that focuses on smaller private sector firms in the country.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI), issued by the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, indicated activity in China's vast manufacturing sector picked up slightly in May.

The reading was stronger than market expectations of 50.1 in a Reuters poll.

A reading above 50 indicates expanding activity while a reading below that level points to a contraction.

"The slight pick-up in May PMI reinforces signs of stabilising of the economy," Zhang Liqun, an economist at the Development Research Centre, a top government think tank in Beijing, said in an emailed statement accompanying the index.

China's annual economic growth slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter from 7.9 percent in the previous quarter, despite a credit boom fuelled by the thriving shadow financing.

A sub-index measuring new orders inched up to 51.8 in May from 51.7 in April, indicating stronger demand for Chinese goods. A sub-index of new export orders also edged up to 49.4 from 48.6.

Saddled with excess capacity, China's factories are struggling against weak demand, as Beijing's campaign against extravagance among state officials takes a toll on domestic consumption.

A flash private PMI survey released last week by HSBC showed China's manufacturing sector shrank for the first time in seven months in May as new orders fell, an unexpectedly poor outcome that caused a rout in global financial markets.

The official PMI, which focuses on big and state-owned firms, has been generally rosier than the private survey, which targets small and private companies.

The International Monetary Fund this week cut its 2013 economic growth estimate for China to 7.75 percent from 8 percent, while the OECD slashed its 2013 growth forecast to 7.8 percent from a previous forecast of 8.5 percent.

Many private economists have lowered their estimates following soft factory output and investment performance data for April and weak factory activity in May.

The economy's lack of vigour could make it difficult for the government to meet its 7.5 percent growth target for this year, analysts said.

Chinese leaders are reluctant to roll out fresh stimulus steps to support the economy, as they fear increased state spending could lead to a further acceleration of credit expansion and fuel a property bubble.

Premier Li Keqiang said last month that China has limited room to use government spending and policy stimulus to boost its economy, though Beijing has been pushing structural reforms in put the economy on a sounder footing.

(Reporting by Judy Hua and Kevin Yao; Editing by Michael Perry)

India's Infosys recalls founder as woes mount

By Gulab Chand | AFP 

Infosys (NYSE: INFY - news) on Saturday reappointed co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy to lead the Indian outsourcing giant two years after he retired, as the company grapples with weak earnings and falling market share.

The global software group announced that incumbent K.V. Kamath will step down as chairman of the board and be an independent director.

"This calling was sudden, unexpected, and most unusual," Murthy, who has been named executive chairman, said.

"But, then, Infosys is my middle child. Therefore, I have put aside my plans-in-progress and accepted this responsibility," he said.

Three decades ago, Murthy and six other Indian software pioneers sat around a kitchen table and created Infosys.

Murthy's return comes after the company, India's second-largest software outsourcer by revenue, in April announced disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and weak revenue projections.

Murthy appealed to shareholders to be "optimists" and told a news conference "we have overcome tougher and bigger challenges before".

He said "the need of the day" was to "take quick, tough and firm decisions".

He said he had decided to put his retirement on hold given his "parental attachment to the company" after being approached a few weeks ago by Kamath to return to the helm.

Infosys, which is also listed on New York's Nasdaq, has been seeking to turn itself around with a strategic overhaul to focus on higher value software and consulting services instead of labour-intensive outsourcing operations.

Murthy's son, Rohan Murthy, who holds a Harvard computer science doctorate, will serve as his executive assistant.

Murthy had earlier insisted that "no family member of the Infosys founders" would ever be part of the company.

There was no immediate reason given for the change of heart but Kamath said Murthy's son was "well qualified" for the job.

The appointments will be submitted to shareholders for approval at the company's annual general meeting on June 15, Infosys said.

Murthy retired as executive chairman in August 2011 after turning 65 and Kamath assumed the post as non-executive chairman with co-founder Krish Gopalakrishnan as co-chairman.

Murthy was named chairman emeritus on his retirement.

S. D. Shibulal will continue as the chief executive and managing director of the company.

S. Gopalakrishnan will be reappointed executive vice-chairman and will focus on client relationships and industry issues.

Murthy and his son as well as Gopalakrishnan and Shibulal have each asked to be paid a token one rupee (two cents) a year.

The decision to bring Murthy back into active service was taken by the board at a meeting on Saturday.

Kamath welcomed Murthy's reappointment saying that his entrepreneurial and leadership record as well as his experience as a technology pioneer "makes him eminently qualified to lead the company and provide strategic direction at this point in time".

Kamath, former chief executive of India's top private bank ICICI, said the board had taken the step "keeping in mind the challenges that the technology industry" faces.

He said shareholders had asked for a "strengthening of the executive leadership during this challenging time".

Infosys, whose earnings have traditionally been seen as a bellwether for the sector, reported net profit rose just 3.4 percent to 23.94 billion rupees ($439 million) for the final quarter to March.

Its expectation that revenues would grow by just six to 10 percent in the current financial year was significantly below the 12 to 14 percent forecast by the National Association of Software (Xetra: 330400 - news) and Services Companies (NASSCOM).

Many of India's IT outsourcing firms have been going through a rough patch and they say the outlook for the industry remains difficult due to uncertainty in key US and European markets.

In the past year, Infosys has missed sales targets, lost market share and seen its stock price slide as US revenues decline.

A quarter of the company's revenue comes from Europe, and in recent years the firm has shifted focus to emerging and new markets such as Singapore, Brazil, Mexico and eastern Europe.

India, with its large English-speaking workforce, accounts for at least 50 percent of the global outsourcing market and the industry is a vital exporter.

Motorcycling - Lorenzo on top as Marquez struggles

Eurosport - Yamaha MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo of Spain (Reuters)

By Scott Mitchell | AutoSport.

Lorenzo was in a class of his own for the opening half hour, improving his Friday benchmark early on before whittling it down to 1m47.972s aboard his Yamaha. He was the only rider below the 1:48s mark.

While the reigning champion progressed serenely through to Q2, Marquez will have to test his injured shoulder even more after missing the cut.

The Honda rider suffered another crash, though this was a low-speed tumble in the Turn 12 gravel, and he would go on to complete the session.

However, he could only manage the 12th fastest time and will be joined in Q1 by Andrea Iannone's Pramac Ducati - sixth after Friday – and Bradley Smith's Tech 3 Yamaha, with top CRT rider Aleix Espargaro delivering a superb lap to earn the final spot in Q2 on his Aspar Aprilia.

As Lorenzo remained unchallenged at the top of the timesheets, behind the places swapped almost every minute. First Andrea Dovizioso went second fastest before Dani Pedrosa and Stefan Bradl took over.

Eventually, it was Pedrosa's Honda which emerged as Lorenzo's closest challenger – significantly closer than on Friday, but still a quarter of a second behind.

Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow were fourth and sixth respectively after low-key sessions ended with late improvements, while Nicky Hayden and wildcard Michele Pirro made it three Ducatis in the top 10.

Liga - Mourinho says farewell to Real Madrid in message

Eurosport - Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid (PA Sport)

FootballEspana.

The 50-year-old has spent three years at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season and last year La Liga with a record points tally and number of goals scored.

However, on from a trophyless 2012-13, hit with continued reports of disharmony in the dressing room, Mourinho has agreed to leave the club at the end of the season by mutual consent.

Ahead of that departure, which will come after Saturday evening’s home League match with Osasuna, the Portuguese posted a message on Madrid’s official website.

“I wish everyone associated with Real Madrid much happiness in the future,” stated Mourinho.
“I appreciate the support of lots of fans and respect the criticism of others.

“Once again, a lot of happiness to everyone and, above all, good health. Hala Madrid!”

Read the original article on Football Espana - The ultimate website for English-speaking fans of Spanish football

World Cup - Neymar: England are no threat at all

\

Eurosport - Neymar doesn't see England as contenders for World Cup glory

PA Sport.

The Barcelona-bound 21-year-old, who will leave Santos this summer, is preparing to face Roy Hodgson's side in a friendly at the Maracana on Sunday evening.

He claims England's players are high achievers at club level but pose little threat in the international game.
And with Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup and looking to win the tournament for a sixth time, he cannot envisage the Three Lions mounting a challenge.

Speaking in The Sun, Neymar said: "I have respect for a lot of the England players as they have achieved great things at their clubs.

"But, as a national team, I don't look at England and think they are going to be a real threat at the World Cup.

"We want to win the World Cup in front of our home fans and the two nations I look at as a real threat are Germany and Spain.

"After that it's a group including Argentina, Holland, Italy and one or two more. But England I don't even think about."

Oklahoma City Tornado: Five Killed In New Storm

Oklahoma City Tornado: Five Killed In New Storm

Sky News

Police officers have said a mother and baby were among five killed after a tornado struck a highway near Oklahoma City.

Highway Patrol trooper Betsey Randolph said officers found the bodies of the woman and her daughter near a vehicle along Interstate 40 between El Reno and Yukon.

The tornado hit during the evening rush hour, smashing vehicles along a major highway near the city, with reports of several motorists injured and others missing.

The Oklahoma medical examiner's office confirmed five people had been killed and 50 others hurt - five of them critically.

Ann-Dee Lee, of the Office of Emergency Management, said 80,000 people had been left without power - with nearly 64,000 in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

She told Sky News: "We have numerous reports, although we do not have data, of other injuries and homes that were damaged, but we expect to have a lot better information in the morning when the sun comes up."
Two thousand passengers at the city's Will Rogers World Airport were moved into underground tunnels and no flights were arriving or departing.

Flash flooding and severe thunderstorm warnings were in place for several areas.

The warnings also covered the town of Moore, where 24 people were killed by a deadly storm on May 20.
Reports said four confirmed tornadoes had struck in the area around Oklahoma City, with winds up to 90mph and hail.

Extensive damage has been reported around the cities of El Reno and Yukon, according to KFOR television.

Lara O'Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency, said: "There is very low visibility with the heavy rain ... so we're having trouble getting around.

"The damage is very, very widespread."

The region is in part of the US Midwest known as "Tornado Alley".

Asteroid 1998 QE2: Giant Rock Passes Earth

Asteroid 1998 QE2: Giant Rock Passes Earth

Sky News

An asteroid that is capable of wiping out life across the globe is hurtling towards a close encounter with the planet.

The giant rock, named Asteroid 1998 QE2, will make its closest approach to Earth later tonight.

Although it will keep a safe distance of 3.6 million miles - roughly 15 times the distance between Earth and the Moon - the 1.7-mile long object is of great interest to astronomers.

Using powerful telescopes, they should be able to glimpse the asteroid's very own moon and observe some of the space rock's surface features.

Martin Archer, a space plasma physicist, warned that if the asteroid were to strike, "it would certainly have implications for life on Earth on a global scale".

"It would flatten everything within 200 miles and cause damage within 1,000 miles but a lot of dust would be released into the atmosphere, blocking the Sun," he said.

"It could certainly cause extinction for certain species.

"However, this is by no means the closest near-Earth object we've seen. We had one a couple of months ago that was well within our geostationary satellites.

"We certainly don't have to worry about this one at all."

Radar astronomer Lance Benner, who is based at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said scientists expect to obtain a series of high-resolution images of the asteroid as it skims past Earth.

He said: "Whenever an asteroid approaches this closely, it provides an important scientific opportunity to study it in detail to understand its size, shape, rotation, surface features, and what they can tell us about its origin.

"We will also use new radar measurements of the asteroid's distance and velocity to improve our calculation of its orbit and compute its motion farther into the future than we could otherwise."

Mr Archer said scientists are yet to discover every object that could one day pose a risk to life on Earth.
However, Alan Fitzsimmons, of the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's University Belfast, told Sky News that asteroid strikes are rare.

"Luckily objects of this size or larger only hit us about once every four million years," he said.

"Radar observations of 1998 QE2 will let us check it's not coming near us for a long time to come."

Travel warning over Turkey protests

 

Press Association - Thousands of people gather in support of demonstrators staging a sit-in to prevent the uprooting of trees at an Istanbul park, in Ankara, Turkey (AP).

Press Association.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to parts of Turkey in the light of anti-government demonstrations.

Britons have been warned not to get involved in the protests.

The travel advice was changed on Saturday, with the message on the Foreign Office website reading: "Demonstrations are taking place in Istanbul and in other cities across Turkey, including Ankara. Police are using tear gas and water cannons in response. We advise British nationals to avoid all demonstrations."

The demonstrations are into a second day. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for them to end but indicated the government would press ahead with redevelopment plans that sparked the protests in the first place.

Speaking in a televised address, he said police would break down the protests at a main square in Istanbul. He added that officers may have used tear gas excessively and that this would be investigated.

The protests grew out of anger at heavy-handed police tactics on Friday to break up a peaceful sit-in by people trying to protect a park in Istanbul's main Taksim square from government plans to revamp the area. Officials have said the plans include building a shopping centre and the reconstruction of a former Ottoman army barracks.

The park demonstration turned into a wider protest against Mr Erdogan, who is seen as becoming increasingly authoritarian, and spread to other Turkish cities despite a court decision to temporarily halt the demolition of the park.

More than 2,500,000 British nationals visit Turkey every year, according to the Foreign Office.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office(Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

May renews calls over badger cull

 

Press Association - Queen guitarist Brian May will lead a rally against planned badger culls

Press Association.

 

Rock star Brian May has renewed calls for the Government to abort plans to cull thousands of badgers in the bid to tackle bovine TB.

The Queen guitarist, 65, met with animal welfare supporters for a march through Westminster in protest of the cull - with pilots in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset, two bovine TB hot spots, due to start on Saturday.

If successful, the Government plans to roll out culling more widely in hot spots for the disease - which can be transmitted from badgers to livestock and between cattle. But experts, including scientists behind the long-term trial, have raised concerns that the policy will have "unimpressive" results in reducing TB and suggested that it does not make economic sense.

Mr May, a long-time supporter of the campaign to spare badgers from execution, said: "The great bit of new information is it has now been demonstrated that the cull cannot make economic sense. It will lose the taxpayer money rather than save it. That was really the last shred of reason that you could give for this cull going ahead. It is a very good time for Mr Cameron to reconsider and withdraw from this monstrous cull, in the public interest."

The pilot culls aim to ensure free-running badgers can be killed humanely, with marksmen observed by independent experts to check they are killing the protected animal swiftly, and post-mortem examinations carried out to assess speed of death. The pilots will also assess whether sufficient badgers can be killed in an area to have an effect in reducing TB in cattle, following a long-term study which found that culling 70% of badgers in an area could reduce the disease in herds by 16%.

The Government said the cull is necessary as part of efforts to stop increasing outbreaks of TB in dairy and beef herds, which saw 28,000 cattle slaughtered in England last year. Without action, infection and costs would continue to soar, officials said.

Labour, which opposes the Government-sanctioned plan, have tabled an Opposition Day debate for Wednesday.

Mr May said: "It would be very rude of the Government to start a cull when there is a major debate coming up. Our point is to save wild animals from abuse and there is no doubt this cull is going to cause intense pain on a massive scale to badgers. You cannot call it humane, which is apparently what these pilot culls are about. It has become increasingly apparent to me that, although we call ourselves a nation of animal lovers, we treat them appallingly."

A poll released on Friday revealed that the public is divided on the issue of culling, with around a third (34%) opposing the policy, and almost as many (29%) backing it. The remainder of those questioned did not know or had no strong views on a cull.

The British Veterinary Association, which is supporting the cull, urged protesters not to hinder the pilot schemes, so information could be gathered by independent experts to assess if shooting free-running badgers could be done humanely. Nigel Gibbens, the Government's chief veterinary officer, told Sky News how badgers would be killed "quickly, without causing suffering".

Athletics - Rutherford: 'Gold medals don't put food on the table'

Eurosport - Athlete Greg Rutherford holds his long jump gold medal during a parade as it passes St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London

Eurosport.

 

The 26-year-old has been forced to bring out his own kit line, called 'GRavity', after failing to agree a new deal with sports giants Nike and has been supplementing his income with various appearances on television.

Rutherford rose to national prominence on 'Super Saturday' at the Olympics when he secured Britain's first long jump gold since Lynn Davies in 1964 on the same night Jessica Ennis secured heptathlon glory and Mo Farah delighted the home fans with the first of his two golds.

"I thought I was quids in," Rutherford told the Daily Telegraph. "I was sitting there thinking, 'This is going to be brilliant. My Nike contract is up for renewal at the end of the year and I’m going to have all the other endorsements coming in'.

"All track and field athletes do the sport purely for the love of it, but people have to remember that you still have to earn a living. You can't do athletics if you don’t. So after winning the gold I was thinking: 'This will make everything easy. I won’t have to worry about finances and I can just concentrate on becoming the best athlete I can be’. But in reality it doesn’t work like that. Or it hasn’t in my case."

"(Nike) offered me a contract but the clauses were such that, by the end of this year, I would end up earning probably less than I would have done on my old junior contract, I would be completely tied to it and unable to do nothing else, as they would own all my image rights.

"To sign a contract for a lower amount with horrible clauses, why would you do that? You're in a scenario where you have to say, 'I'm not prepared to accept that'."

Rutherford has admitted that people on Twitter have attacked him for spending so much time on television but he says that he is not doing it out of choice.

"I'm not poor. I’d be lying if I said I was," he told the Telegraph. "But if people believe that the reason I go on TV is because I love the sound of my own voice, that is completely and utterly wrong.

"Range Rover gave me a lease car that I can drive for free, which is amazing, and Omega gave me a watch.
"That's all fantastic, and there have been some free clothes here and there, but ultimately it doesn't put food on the table, so you are in a scenario where you are forced to do promotions and appearances.

"But that creates a vicious circle because if you’re doing things like speaking events, you’re then taking away from your training."

Rutherford's career timeline prior to his stunning breakthrough has been a catalogue of injuries, setbacks and some podium places, although never top spot.

However, he shocked the world when he won gold thanks to a 8.31m leap at the Olympic stadium,
Rutherford's main target this year is claiming World Championship gold in the long jump in Moscow in August, but earlier this month he admitted sprinting is something he’d like to attempt at some point too.