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Galloway winning Bradford tells you that more than anything

House prices don’t mean much unless you take earnings into account too – and that’s just what a new study has done, revealing the most and least affordable cities in the UK.

The most affordable homes in the UK can be found in the North West, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire and the Humber, new figures reveal.

More than that, overall property is now more affordable than it has been since 2003, according to a study by Lloyds TSB.

The bank took a look at the average house prices in 59 cities across the UK and compared them with the average earnings in those areas to reach its results.

It found that Salford – home of the new BBC MediaCity after Auntie moved out of London – was the most affordable place to buy in the UK. Average house prices in the area are £102,391 – just 3.81 times the average Salford salary.

By contrast, Truro was found to be the least affordable city – with average house prices of £250,489 working out at 9.71 times average salaries in the Cornish city.

Overall, the average price for a property in a UK city was £173,202 – some 5.5 times average earnings in cities – the lowest this ratio has been since 2003.

"The improvement in housing affordability within many of our major urban conurbations has been significant during the past few years and reflects the decline in house prices over the period. There is, however, a distinct north-south divide to the locations of the most affordable UK cities,” said Lloyds TSB housing economist Suren Thiru.

We’ve rounded up the 10 most and least affordable cities below.

10 most affordable UK cities

City Region House prices/earnings
Salford North West 3.81
Londonderry Northern Ireland 3.87
Bradford Yorkshire and the Humber 3.98
Lancaster Northwest 4.00
Stirling Scotland 4.04
Belfast Northern Ireland 4.08
Durham North 4.08
Lisburn Northern Ireland 4.09
Hereford West Midlands 4.26
Birmingham West Midlands 4.43
UK cities average 5.51

10 least affordable UK cities

City Region House prices/earnings
Truro South West 9.71
Oxford South East 8.80
Winchester South East 8.76
Bath South West 8.14
Salisbury South West 7.51
Brighton & Hove South East 7.31
Exeter South West 7.26
Cambridge East Anglia 7.01
Southampton South East 6.84
Chichester South East 6.83

UK cities average 5.51

Her face has launched a thousand magazines and sold even more, but Jennifer Aniston will not be appearing on the cover of Vogue in Britain any time soon.

Vogue's editor Alexandra Shulman has revealed that she refuses to put Aniston on the cover because of the actress's stringent demands over copy approval.

In an interview with the Observer Magazine, Shulman said: "Somebody like Jennifer Aniston will only do an interview with copy approval and picture approval. I've never had anybody on the cover, ever, who's had copy approval and picture approval. I just don't think it's a proper thing if you do."

The practice of demanding to read and amend an article and to choose which photos will be used before publication has become increasingly commonplace among celebrities anxious to protect their public image.

Shulman's stand is all the more surprising given that Aniston, who made her name in the 1990s sitcom Friends before starring in hit films including Marley & Me and Horrible Bosses, is one of the bestselling celebrities on the newsstands. When she appeared dressed in a tuxedo jacket on the front of Marie Claire in the US last July, the issue was their top seller of the year. In 2010, when Aniston was on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, sales went up 22%.

However, Shulman, 54, who has been editing British Vogue since 1990, said that she felt some PR people and celebrities now exerted too much influence.

She said: "It's this thing of people just basically treating you… as if you're bound to be doing something that is in some way going to be insulting to their client. I just find that so offensive."

In a wide-ranging interview, Shulman, whose first novel, Can We Still Be Friends, is published this month, also talked openly about her panic attacks – a recurring problem ever since she fell ill with glandular fever in her second year at Sussex University.

"When I first got them, I thought I was going to die," she said. "I literally thought I was dying. And then you've got this odd thing where half of your brain is going: 'This is a panic attack, it's fine, keep calm, it'll pass' and half of you is saying: 'I am going to die.' And it's so frightening that your body and your brain are out of sync with each other."

Shulman added: "I think if you have a susceptibility to it, it isn't something that you can eradicate completely so I'm sort of aware of a vulnerability to it."

Shulman was similarly candid when asked about her part in perpetuating a fashion culture where extreme thinness is equated with beauty.

She said: "I think it's one of the real blinkered aspects of the fashion industry, and I find it very frustrating and I don't know quite where it comes from but I think if I had to absolutely nail it, [it's] probably the designers, because they're the ones that are cutting the clothes so small. And if the girl can't fit into the clothes, then they won't get booked. So then you've got the model agent saying: 'You've got to lose weight.' And then, when it comes down the wire, the photographers – and to some extent the fashion editors – want to use the girls that they think are the cool girls, and the cool girls are the ones who have got to be working with the designers, so it kind of feeds itself."

In June 2009, Shulman wrote a letter to major international fashion houses including Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Prada and Versace, complaining that their "minuscule" sample sizes were forcing fashion editors to use models with "jutting bones" and "no breasts or hips". But, three years on, she admitted that the letter did not have any great impact.

"I'm pleased I wrote it. Did it make any difference? I don't think so. But at least I tried to do something."

As a single mother – Shulman has a teenage son with her former husband, the US writer Paul Spike – she also had forthright views about maternity leave. "The reality is, if you take time out and have children, it does damage your trajectory in some way," she said. "You can't pretend it doesn't."

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2012

Adverts which suggested gay people could be cured have been banned from London buses, transport chiefs have said.

The campaign was due to run for two weeks on the side of vehicles serving five routes in the capital, including top tourist destinations such as St Paul's Cathedral, Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The posters, by Christian group Core Issues Trust, stated: "Not gay! Post-gay, ex-gay and proud. Get over it!" and were believed to mock pro-gay group Stonewall's recent campaign which featured adverts saying: "Some people are gay. Get over it."

But following a huge public outcry which labelled the Core Issues' campaign homophobic, London Mayor Boris Johnson, who chairs Transport for London (TfL), tonight ordered the adverts to be pulled.

Mr Johnson, who is standing for re-election next month, said: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest being gay is an illness someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses."

The doomed campaign, which was backed by Christian group Anglican Mainstream and cleared by industry regulator the Advertising Standards Authority, claimed therapy could change sexual orientation. It was due to run on London buses from Monday.

Core Issues' co-director Mike Davidson criticised the decision to axe the adverts, saying: "I didn't realise censorship was in place. We went through the correct channels and we were encouraged by the bus company to go through their procedures. They okayed it and now it has been pulled. I would be interested to know on what basis they have done that."

He added: "It is of deep concern that there can only be one point of view and that is the point of view of individuals who are determined to push through gay marriage and apparently believe that homosexuality cannot be altered in any possible way. That is not a universally held view. This is a disturbing development and it is disappointing the UK finds itself in this position."

But Stonewall spokesman Andy Wasley welcomed the move, saying: "We are delighted by TfL's clear commitment to diversity. It is fantastic that no adverts will be promoting voodoo, gay-cure therapy in London."

A TfL spokeswoman said: "The adverts are not currently running on any London buses and they will not do so. This advertisement has just been brought to our attention by our advertising agency, CBSO, and we have decided that it should not run on London's bus or transport networks. We do not believe these specific ads are consistent with TfL's commitment to a tolerant and inclusive London."

Mel Gibson has been accused by screenwriter Joe Eszterhas of sabotaging his new historical epic ‘The Maccabees’ because he “hates jews”.

The shock comments were part of an angry nine-page letter from the writer, who was working on a draft of Gibson’s film about the 2nd Century Jewish revolt.

The film tells the story of the Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee, who defeated the Selucid Empire and is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history. The film was dubbed by some as ‘the Jewish ‘Braveheart’’.

However, the project has now been shelved by studio Warner Bros., and Eszterhas suggests Gibson’s own ‘prejudices’ scuppered the film.

The letter, sent to The Wrap, suggests Gibson took on the film "to deflect continuing charges of anti-Semitism which have dogged you, charges which have crippled your career". He accused Gibson of using anti-Semitic slurs while they worked together and saying that the Holocaust was "mostly a lot of horses***".

Eszterhas, who wrote 'Basic Instinct' and 'Showgirls', added that Gibson also intended "to convert the Jews to Christianity" with the film.

He added that he is “worried” about Gibson because “there are as many guns around your house as crucifixes” and paints a picture of a man who is sometimes dangerously out of control.

It didn’t take Gibson long to furiously respond via rival blog Deadline. He accused Eszterhas of sour grapes after turning in an awful script, saying: "In 25 years of script development I have never seen a more substandard first draft or a more significant waste of time."

He added that “the great majority of the facts as well as the statements and actions attributed to me in your letter are utter fabrications” and asks why Eszterhas didn’t quit the project if he found Gibson such an unpalatable character.

He admits to losing his temper with Eszterhas, but only because he hadn’t started the script after “fifteen months” of research.

He ends: “I think that we can agree that this should be our last communication.”

Still, at least the Jewish community will be pleased to see Gibson's project stall. Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, told The Wrap:

"Jewish history will be better off without Mel Gibson playing Judah Maccabee."

NEW YORK (Reuters) - J.K. Rowling's first book for adults will be a "blackly comic" novel set in an idyllic English town where all is not what it seems, its publisher said on Thursday.

The title of the closely guarded 480-page novel by the prolific "Harry Potter" author will be "The Casual Vacancy." It and will be available worldwide in English on September 27 in hardback, e-book and in audio form, Little, Brown and Company said in a statement.

The publisher promised it will be "blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising," and offered some general plot details.

Rowling's foray into the adult fiction world begins when a character called Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly, leaving a town called Pagford in shock, before readers will realize that behind Pagford's facade is a town at war, according to the publisher.

"Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupil ... Pagford is not what it first seems," said the statement.

"And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?"

When the novel was first announced in February, Rowling, 46 said the successful "Harry Potter" series had given her the "the freedom to explore new territory." The seven-book series sold 450 million copies worldwide and resulted in eight top-grossing movies.

"The Casual Vacancy" is the British writer's first novel directly aimed at the adult market.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney; editing by Patricia Reaney)

Archie Comics character ‘Sabrina The Teenage Witch’, most famous for the popular live-action sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart, is heading to the big screen via Sony Pictures.

Deadline reports that it will be an origin story 'in the vein of Spider-Man', because it features a teenager coming to terms with extraordinary powers. Once again it will be in live-action but expect it to be 'edgier' than the TV series.

Salem - Sabrina’s talking black cat - will stick around, and Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari will write the script.

Mark Waters presented the idea to Sony, and may stay on to direct. Producers include Archie Comic’s Jon Goldwater, Jeff Stockwell, Don Murphy and Susan Montford.

But who will play the teenage witch? They’re reportedly looking for a lesser-known actress, and selling the film on the popularity of ‘Sabrina The Teenage Witch’ as a brand.

Former Teen star Melissa Joan Hart has appeared on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and in TV movies since the sitcom finished.

A young Bollywood star, Meenakshi Thapar, has allegedly been kidnapped and beheaded by two fellow actors.

The 26-year-old actress met Amit Jaiswal and his lover Preeti Surin on the set of her latest film, 'Heroine', The Daily Telegraph reports.

It was there that Jaiswal and Surin heard of her family's wealth, and allegedly hatched a plot to kidnap her.

The duo are said to have invited Thapar to a small town on the Nepalese border, where they took her hostage and demanded 1.5 million Rupees (£18,000) from her parents, and threatened to force her into pornography if they were not paid.

Although Thapar's parents are thought to have transferred some money to their daughter's captors, the young star was killed soon after.

A detective working on the case told The Telegraph some of the harrowing details:

"She was strangulated in a hotel and her body was hacked into pieces and thrown in a water tank. They threw her head from a moving bus while travelling back to Mumbai.”

The case is ongoing.

A sandcastle that was built to mark 100 days until the start of the Olympics, had to be demolished within hours of being built because of health and safety fears.

The castle on Weymouth beach took four days to build and cost £5,000, but once photographs were taken for publicity purposes, it was destroyed by a mechanical digger.

Olympic organisers Locog paid for the structure, but feared that it could topple onto somebody and injure them.

They also considered fencing in the sandcastle, but that would have required the employment of security guards to make sure nobody tried to get too close to it.

Instead, Weymouth and Portland borough council, who will host the sailing event at the Games, said that the motivation for building the castle was simply to gain an 'iconic photo image.'

"Images of the sandcastle have generated media interest across the globe and have helped to secure significant coverage for Weymouth and Portland and Dorset," a spokesperson said.

"Paid for by Locog, the image has secured tourism coverage valued way in excess of the cost of building the sandcastle and staging the photo shoot."

Simon Williams, head of the Weymouth and Portland 2012 operations team for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, added: "It was an organisational decision. We took it down because it was constructed in a special way and we couldn't have just left it there in case it fell on a young child. We would have been criticised if that had been the case."

The designer of the castle, Mark Anderson, said he was aware his structure would be swiftly removed: "Demolishing it was all part of the plan because there would have been health and safety issues.

"People could have injured themselves on the council's land so there would be no way we could leave something like that."

However, some local businessmen admitted they were a bit miffed by the decision.

"It reminds me a bit like the programme Twenty Twelve, except this hasn't been made up," Craig Willis, owner of the Wilton Guest House in Weymouth said.

"It sounds like health and safety has gone a bit over the top but I suppose they have their reasons for demolishing it."

Georgie Rushforth, of the Lodmoor Premier Inn, said: "I thought the sandcastle was a good idea, I don't really understand why it was demolished. It's a bit overdramatic and I think health and safety has gone overboard."

Mara Wilson has taken to her blog to explain why the 'Matilda' actress quit acting.

In a recent post titled ‘Are you still acting?!’, the former child actress, who won plaudits for her performance in 'Matilda', branded the celebrity culture around films as “ridiculous” and the auditioning process as “brutal and dehumanising”.

Having starred in huge hits from the Nineties such as 'Mrs Doubtfire', 'Matilda' and 'Miracle On 34th Street', Wilson also took a swipe at Hollywood's preoccupation with looks whilst downplaying her own ability.

“I think that there are many much more talented, much more conventionally attractive actresses out there who are taking the roles I would have been offered. To paraphrase the showtune, anything I can do, Anna Kendrick or Ellen Page or Jennifer Lawrence (or any actress from the plethora of actresses waiting to be “discovered”) can do better.”

Wilson says she still gets recognised as the seven-year-old from 'Matilda', even though she is now a 24-year-old playwright who recently attended New York University to study art.

“I get messages on my Facebook and Twitter nearly every day from people telling me that I was in their favourite movie. Matilda has been name-checked by librarians and feminist bloggers-alike, and I’m flattered, though the compliment does not seem to be mine to receive”

“Here is something no real celebrity will ever tell you: film acting is not very fun. Doing the same thing over and over again until, in the director’s eyes, you “get it right,” does not allow for very much creative freedom.

“There is a saying amongst actors, said by Stella Adler or Uta Hagen or some other guru of the dramatic arts, ‘If you can live without [acting], you should.’ I have found that I can live without it.”

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (UPI) -- A New Jersey landlord is suing former tenants who fled the home in the middle of the night after only one week, claiming the residence is haunted.

Richard Lopez, an orthodontist and landlord, filed a state Superior Court lawsuit against Josue Chinchilla and Michele Callan, who left the Toms River home March 10 after living there a week with Callan's teenage daughter and 6-year-old son, the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press reported Friday.

Lopez's lawsuit alleges the couple diminished his ability to rent or sell the house when they told the Asbury Park Press about their experiences in the home. The couple said doors would creak and slam in unoccupied parts of the house and clothing and other items would be found in places other than where they were left.

They said they finally fled the home after Chinchilla felt an invisible hand on his arm and Callan saw a dark apparition in their bedroom.

Lopez is seeking $15,000 in damages.

Chinchilla and Callan previously filed a lawsuit against Lopez, alleging the landlord initially agreed to return their $2,250 security deposit and let them out of their one-year lease before changing his mind.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

TURLOCK, Calif. (UPI) -- A California man who lived for 94 years and six months with a bullet in his head has died at the age of 103.

William Lawlis Pace, who was certified as a Guinness World Record holder in 2006 when he had lived for 89 years with the bullet in his head, died Monday at the Covenant Village retirement home in Turlock, The Modesto Bee reported Friday.

Pace said in 2006 the bullet entered his skull when he was accidentally shot by his brother, Marvin, in October 1917. He said doctors decided surgery would be too risky and left the bullet in place.

Guinness said Pace, who is survived by two sons, had a final record of 94 years and six months with the bullet in his head.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

PALM DESERT, Calif. (UPI) -- More than 100 people turned up at a California country club to witness the unusual wedding of a pair of small and furry lovers -- two dogs.

Ernie Rubin's dog, Scruffy, donned a custom couture dress, leash and veil made by Jan Farber for the canine wedding Sunday at the Palm Desert Resort Country Club; while Ann Carter dressed her dog, Snickers, in a doggie tuxedo designed by Spoiled Dog Design, The (Palm Sprigs, Calif.) Desert Sun reported Wednesday.

The wedding came complete with a cake, open bar and a reception following the ceremony.

Rubin and Carter, who used the ceremony to collect donations for the Orphan Pet Oasis Humane Society of the Desert in North Palm Springs, said they originally planned a small wedding, but the event grew as more and more people asked to attend.

"The whole thing just took on a life of its own and kept growing and growing," Rubin said. But that was OK because the donations we collected for the shelter were just amazing.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

TRENTON, N.J. (UPI) -- A pair of New Jersey state troopers have been suspended after allegedly providing escort to a caravan of 30 exotic cars traveling in excess of 110 mph.

Officials said Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry, 47, of Phillipsburg, and Trooper Joseph Ventrella, 28, of Bloomingdale, have been suspended. They are alleged to have been involved in escorting former New York Giant Brandon Jacobs and 29 other drivers of exotic vehicles, including at least two Lamborghinis, on three major expressways en route to Atlantic City, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Tuesday.

Witnesses said the March 30 convoy traveled at speeds of more than 110 mph and some of the vehicles weaved dangerously around other cars traveling at normal speeds on the roads.

"We will not tolerate any conduct by a member of the State Police that puts the public in jeopardy, as this unauthorized caravan had the potential to do," New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a statement. He said those responsible will face serious discipline.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) -- An Arizona man filed a complaint with police saying a flight attendant "rudely" woke him up by tapping his knee with a magazine.

Kevin Johnson, 37, told Indianapolis Airport police he was sleeping on a chartered Million Air flight as it taxied to the gate Sunday morning, when the flight attendant struck him on the knee to wake him up, The Indianapolis Star reported Monday.

Johnson said he was "rudely interrupted" by the flight attendant, whom he could not identify.

Officer Ricky Seconds wrote in the police report that Johnson "had no physical signs of injury, no complaint of pain and no paralysis from the magazine."

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Residents of a New York neighborhood say they want to ban street parking on weekend nights to prevent people from having sex in parked cars.

The residents along West 30th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in Midtown said patrons of nearby clubs Rebel NYC and The Parlour Midtown have been having sex in the backseats of their cars while parked on their block, the New York Post reported Monday.

The group won the support of Community Board 5, which is now lobbying the city to enforce a ban on street parking in the area on weekend nights.

"There's all kinds of problematic activity going on, like noise, violence, sexual activity and drug use," said Raju Mann, head of Community Board 5's Transportation Committee.

A spokesman for the city said the request is being reviewed by the city Department of Transportation.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

Forget Viagra, the next relationship-saving drug that promises to up your libido and keep you in love ‘could soon be a reality’

‘Love pills’ could soon be available to help couples stay together, according to researchers at Oxford University.

With the divorce rate higher than it’s been since 2003 and a third of marriages ending within 15 years of the wedding day, it seems we really do need help to stay together.

The research was published in a study investigating how our brain chemistry affects our relationships. Researchers Julian Savulescu and Anders Sandberg believe that a pill containing chemical blockers and enhancers that work with our body chemistry could be the key to longer-lasting relationships and more loved-up couples.

The pill would potentially contain ‘cuddle chemicals’ oxytocin and vasopressom, hormones that are naturally occurring in high levels at the beginning of a relationship; pheromones, which trigger attraction and emotional response and testosterone to boost libido and increase sexual desire. CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) would deepen the bond between two people by creating a fear of separation. Finally, entactogens, found in drugs MDMA and ecstacy would, in lower doses, improve connection and sociability by creating a feeling of openness and desire for closeness.

So forget about marriage counselling, the survival of our future relationships could be as simple as popping a pill. But is that a step too far?

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- Seventy-five percent of U.S. mothers say they would prefer a handmade card over a necklace from Tiffany & Co., a survey indicates.

Plum District, which provides locally relevant offers targeted for mothers, surveyed its 1 million members to find out what they want for Mother's Day.

The survey, which involved 19,256 of its members during March, indicated two-thirds would prefer to not pick out their own gift and 54 percent would choose to spend quality time with their own mother.

However, what mothers really want is some sleep. Eight-of-10 mothers said they would choose to sleep in versus a sunrise breakfast with the kids.

One-third of moms said they secretly want the day to themselves, while 52 percent would use an hour to themselves for a massage, while the other 48 percent would go on a bike ride.

"Some of the things we discovered in our survey were pretty surprising to us, like the fact that only 56 percent of husbands/significant others always remember Mother's Day," Megan Gardner, chief executive officers of Plum District (plumdistrict.com), said in a statement. What didn't surprise us is that at the end of the day, moms might crave some 'me' time, but their families will always rank first.

No margin of error was provided.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- A San Francisco man's lawsuit against BMW alleges he has had an erection for two years as a result of riding on a motorcycle made by the company.

Henry Wolf, who named BMW North America and Corbin-Pacific Inc. last week as the defendants in his San Francisco Superior Court lawsuit, alleges the "rigid seat" of his 1993 BMW motorcycle caused him to suffer a priapism -- a long-lasting erection -- May 1, 2010, and he has been suffering from the condition ever since, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.

Attorney Vernon Bradley said Wolf "has been experiencing continuing problems since his motorcycle ride."

"He is now unable to engage in sexual activity, which is causing him substantial emotional and mental anguish," Bradley wrote in the lawsuit.

The suit alleges Wolf suffered wage loss, hospital expenses, general damage and emotional distress as a result of his condition.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

NEWTOWN, Pa. (UPI) -- An Internet-organized "cash mob" of about 100 people visited a 143-year-old Pennsylvania store to give a boost to the struggling business, its owner said.

About 100 residents of the Newtown area arrived Saturday at the Newtown Hardware House and each purchased multiple items to help the store remain afloat despite its recent cash-flow problems, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.

The store opened in 1869, was rebuilt in 1899 after a fire and has been owned by Dave Callahan for the past 27 years,

Andy Smith, a local publicist, said he was inspired to organize the "cash mob" on Facebook after hearing about similar events in other parts of the country.

"I've seen them popping up around the country for the past year or so," Smith said. I knew [the store's employees] were holding a campaign to increase business. So I figured it will take 10 minutes for a Facebook thing and we'll see what happens.

Callahan said the group helped him make $3,700, far more than the $2,000 he usually brings in on a Saturday.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

ANNVILLE, Pa. (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania couple convinced a local school board to pull award-winning children's book "The Dirty Cowboy" from school libraries, officials said.

The parents went before the Annville-Cleona School Board with their objections to the book and the board voted 8-0 to remove it from district libraries, the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot reported Monday.

The book follows the story of a "dirty" cowboy who takes a bath and his dog then refuses to return his clothes to him because he doesn't recognize the cowboy's scent. The couple objected to the book's depiction of the nude cowboy, whose private parts are covered by various objects in the book's illustrations.

Superintendent Steven Houser told the Lebanon (Pa.) Daily News the parents "were asked what do you feel might be the result of viewing or reading this material, and their answer was, 'Children may come to the conclusion that looking at nudity is OK and therefore pornography is OK.'"

Amy Timberlake, author of "The Dirty Cowboy," wrote on her blog that she was disappointed by the decision.

"To be clear, this fight is not about 'The Dirty Cowboy' ... This fight is about libraries providing access to all sorts of books [the ones we like and the ones we don't], for all sorts of people. None of us want a vehement few choosing the books we get to read," she wrote.

Copyright 2012 by United Press International

Mexican police said Sunday they had found the dumped and decapitated bodies of 49 people, probably killed in drug violence, whose hands had been cut off to prevent fingerprint identification.

The mutilated corpses were discovered in black plastic bags close to the northern city of Monterrey, 180 kilometers (110 miles) from the US border.

Jorge Domene, a public safety spokesman for the state of Nuevo Leon, said the victims comprised 43 men and six women and the bodies had been split into their four limbs and stacked up at the roadside.

The find came just days after police discovered the dismembered, decapitated bodies of 18 people in two abandoned vehicles in western Mexico, in what appeared to be a revenge killing involving powerful drug gangs.

Just a few days earlier, there were 23 killings in the city of Nuevo Laredo, in Tamaulipas state which borders the United States, comprising nine people found hanging from a bridge and 14 others that had been decapitated.

Adrian de la Garza, a prosecutor in Nuevo Leon state, said some of the bodies in Sunday's shocking find were naked and the hands had been cut off, though forensic experts were collecting DNA samples.

A note was found at the scene in which the Zetas -- a gang set up by ex-commandos that deserted in the 1990s -- claimed responsibility.

Initial investigations indicate that the victims were killed up to 48 hours ago in a different location, having likely been transported by truck to where they were found.

Suspected drug gang violence has risen across the country this month, with scores of deaths attributed to massacres and clashes with security forces.

Authorities have blamed much of the deadly violence on battles between the Zetas and groups allied to the Sinaloa Federation of Mexico's most wanted drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The state of Veracruz has become a battleground between the Zetas and Guzman's Sinaloa grouping, and journalists have also been targeted.

Last week, the dismembered bodies of three photographers and a news company employee were found, wrapped in plastic bags, in a canal in the metropolitan area of Veracruz, a port city on the Gulf of Mexico.

Several days earlier the Veracruz state correspondent of the national weekly news magazine Proceso was found strangled in her home.

More than 50,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon launched an all-out war against the nation's drug gangs on taking office in December 2006.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that Nick Stahl - who played John Connor in ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ - is still missing.

His wife, Roseann Stahl, said her estranged husband was last seen in downtown Los Angeles on May 9. She reported him missing on Monday.

The actor – who played John Connor in the ‘Terminator’ sequel and also had roles in ‘Sin City’ and ‘The Thin Red Line’ – was involved in a custody battle with Roseann over their 2-year-old daughter Marlo.

In February his wife filed court documents requesting Stahl be denied unsupervised visits with their daughter because she feared he was using drugs, and that his visits were limited to just 8 hours a week.

Stahl, 32, was also in trouble with police in March for failing to pay an $84 taxi fare.

Sources told gossip site TMZ that the actor had recently been seen in Los Angeles’ Skid Row’ district, which is known for its homelessness and drugs.

Stahl took over from Edward Furlong to play freedom fighter John Connor in ‘Terminator 3’. The film received mixed reviews but made more than £270 million worldwide. Bizarrely, Furlong also had his own well-documented battle with drink and drugs. He’s been arrested several times, most recently in 2011 for violating probation.

Stahl has also appeared in HBO series ‘Carnivale’, Oscar-nominated drama flick ‘In The Bedroom’ and crime show ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’.

Blink and you might miss it - this incredible image of Centauras A, the closest ‘radio galaxy’ to Earth, shows one system that lies within it ingesting another.



Experts now think Centaurus A was formed by a merger between two separate galaxies – and this new image goes a long way to backing that theory, it is claimed. The dusty band at the centre of the newly-released image is thought to be the mangled remains of a spiral galaxy being ripped apart by a giant elliptical galaxy.

And the phenomenon is set to be a feature of our skies for a while yet as it will take another couple of hundred million years for the stricken system to fully disappear.

Centaurus A, which lies around 12 million light-years away from Earth, has a central black hole with a mass of about 100 million times that of the Sun. Astronomers believe that this vast black hole produces the system’s abnormally strong radio frequencies, as well as its bright nucleus and jet features.

The European Southern Observatory’s telescope in Chile captured the galaxy with an exposure time of more than 50 hours. The images reveal stunning details of the distant system which has been extensively studied.

“It is of interest because it is the closest radio galaxy to us, which makes it the easiest to study,” European Southern Observatory spokesman Richard Hook told Yahoo! News. “It has got this strange band of dust around the centre which is one galaxy getting sucked into another.

“This image has a very long exposure which means it shows very faint structure,” he added. “It is one of the best pictures which have been taken of the system”.

Centaurus A is so called because it was the first major source of radio waves discovered in the constellation of Centaurus back in the 1950s. It was first documented by British astronomer James Dunlop at the Parramatta observatory in Australia on 4 August 1826.

Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup -- a common ingredient in processed foods -- as drinking water for six weeks.

One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.

Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.

"The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."

A closer look at the rat brains revealed that those who were not fed DHA supplements had also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates brain function.

"Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said.

In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.

"Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," Gomez-Pinilla said.

"Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new."

High-fructose corn syrup is commonly found in soda, condiments, applesauce, baby food and other processed snacks.

The average American consumes more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

While the study did not say what the equivalent might be for a human to consume as much high-fructose corn syrup as the rats did, researchers said it provides some evidence that metabolic syndrome can affect the mind as well as the body.

"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Gomez-Pinilla.

"Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

The study appeared in the Journal of Physiology.

The charitable foundation of late US president Ronald Reagan has condemned a British auction house for selling a vial that purportedly contains his blood.

Bids above £6,000 have been made for the specimen vial and supporting documentation, apparently from the hospital where the then president was treated after a 1981 assassination attempt.

"If indeed this story is true, it's a craven act and we will use every legal means to stop its sale or purchase," Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation executive director John Heubusch said in a statement.

The macabre memorabilia has been promoted on the Bristol-based website of Paul Fraser Collectibles and conducted by its Guernsey associate, PFC Auctions .

Both websites are registered to Paul Fraser in the Channel Isles.

The auction for the green-capped vial and letter from Bio-Science Laboratories is due to run until May 24.

PFC Auctions said the vial of dried residue was taken at George Washington University Hospital on March 30, 1981, after Mr Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr.

The provenance letter explained that the seller's late mother had worked at the medical lab where the presidential blood was examined.

The auction website showed a picture of the blood-filled vial with a typed label stuck to it showing the president's name.

Mr Reagan suffered a punctured lung and internal bleeding when he was shot by Hinckley outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Three other officials were shot but Hinckley was later found not guilty of 13 charges by reason of insanity.

Mr Heubusch said the presidential foundation had spoken to the hospital where Mr Reagan was treated and assured an investigation was under way into "how something like this could possibly happen".

But according to the seller's provenance letter, attempts were made to discuss the item with the Reagan representatives.

The seller said in the letter: "I said am I in any kind of trouble or will there be some black cars/SUVs or helicopters hovering above my home?"

"He called back in 25 minutes and said that everything was ok, National Archives was not interested in what I had, nor was the Secret Service , the FBI and other agencies."

PFC Auctions told Sky News Online: "We have not had any contact from The Reagan Foundation.

"The letter of provenance states that the original owner of the vial contacted the Reagan National Library - run by the foundation - and was told that they would accept the item as a donation, but that they would not pay for it."

The seller explained in the letter: "I told him that I didn't think that was something that I was going to consider, since I had served under President Reagan when he was my Commander in Chief when I was in the army from '87-'91.

"And that I was a real fan of Reaganomics and felt that Pres Reagan himself would rather see me sell it rather than donating it."

Scientists are hopeful that a male contraceptive pill could soon be on its way, after trials in mice identified a gene essential to sperm production.

[Related story: Can the pill fail?]


The gene, called Katnal1, is important at the end of the sperm-creating process and scientists believe blocking it could induce temporary infertility. The breakthrough came when a team of researchers at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh were conducting investigations into male infertility.

Crucially, blocking the gene would be a temporary measure and, as the pill would potentially be non-hormonal, there should be few side effects.

It’s not the first attempt made at a male contraceptive pill but options for men currently remain limited to condoms or a vasectomy. Experts have called a non-hormonal contraceptive pill for men the ‘Holy Grail’.

"The key in developing a non-hormonal contraceptive for men is that the molecular target needs to be very specific for either sperm or other cells in the testicle which are involved in sperm production,” said Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield.

"If they are not, then such a contraceptive could have unwanted side effects on other cells and tissues in the body and may even be dangerous.

"The gene described by the research group in Edinburgh sounds like an exciting new possible target for a new male contraceptive, but it may also shed light on why some men are sub-fertile and why their sperm does not work properly."

Motlalepula Mofolo has been dropped from the Lesotho national team after leading a protest against their allowances, according to reports in Africa.

Mofolo, 25, wanted an increase in their wages for their World Cup qualifying tie against Ghana from 100 loti (£7.50) to 4000 loti (around £303). The average GDP per capita in the southern African country is just £826.

But after a strained meeting with their board, Mofolo found himself dropped for what Lesotho FA public relations officer Baba Malephane described as "disciplinary problems".

"Yes it is true that we had a meeting with the players over an allowance dispute," Malephane told the Lesotho Times.

"We reached an agreement with them and they understood what we put on the table."

An unnamed player told the paper that a heated encounter had taken until the small hours of the morning, and the players were not satisfied with the outcome.

"The players were just too angry to listen to their coaches and the president had to step in and lead the way forward," said the source.

"As much as we were asking for a small amount of money, they should be able to manage it without blinking but that proposal was turned down and we were given an ultimatum that either we stay or we go home," said one of the players. "We feel we were not treated right."

England players, by contrast, earn several thousand pounds for every appearance they make at international level in addition to the wages they are paid by their clubs. They do, however, donate those fees to a selection of charities.

To add further farce to the Lesotho team's preparations for the World Cup qualifier against the eventual 2010 quarter-finalists, the squad were stranded in Johannesburg for two days having not secured the necessary visas to travel to Ghana.

Lesotho's Consul General to South Africa, Tumisang Mokoai, expressed his dismay with the Lesotho Football Association, having secured the team somewhere to stay while the visas were resolved.

"I am disappointed at the association, especially the president, since his office is directly responsible for the team," Mokoai said.

"LFA has previous experience of such trips, and they knew the team needed visas to get to Ghana. The team had to get off the plane upon discovery that they did not have any.

"When such things happen, it is the country's image that suffers, including the resources that are wasted in the process.

"It would be a miracle if the team comes back with any meaningful result from Ghana."

Analysing more than 2.4 million deaths over a 40-year period, researchers from the University of Zurich concluded that we are 14 per cent more likely to make like William Shakespeare and die on an anniversary of our birth.

That risk increases with age, with people over 60 18 per cent more likely die on their birthday.

Researchers put the spike down to an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease [18.6 per cent], while you are also 21.5 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke. Figures revealed that there was also a 10.8 per cent rise in deaths among people with cancer. Statistically there was also a 34.9 per cent rise in suicides amongst men.

Those planning to celebrate their big day in style may want to think twice as there was a 44 per cent rise in deaths from falls, added to a 28.5 per cent increase in accidental deaths.

Academics concluded that stress surrounding birthdays was also a determining factor as the “anniversary reaction” [more commonly known as the “birthday blues”] hits home.

“[The study] is a great example of the value of super-large amounts of human data,” University of Roehampton environmental physiology lecturer Dr Lewis Halsey told the Independent. “Only with national-level statistics, carefully recorded over many years, can subtle patterns such as these significant increases in death rates on birthdays be uncovered.

"One interesting finding is that more suicides happen on birthdays, though only in men,” he added. “The authors suggest that this increase could be related to more alcohol being drunk on birthdays.”

Perhaps a low key celebration this year?

Warner Bros has invested £100 million into a new base of operations in Hertfordshire in a move that continues the British film industry’s recent successes.

Harry Potter, Bond and Sherlock Holmes have all filmed at the Leavesden studios, prompting Warner to take over the site.

President and managing director of Warner Bros UK Josh Berger told Sky News: “It clearly demonstrates the company's commitment to the UK and underlines our belief in the world class talent that resides on these shores.”

Last year a record-breaking £1.26 billion was invested in UK films, generating £4.5 billion for the economy.

It’s the first studio like this to be built in the UK for 70 years and the first time a major Hollywood studio has moved to the country.

The recently-opened and hugely popular Harry Potter studio tour is located nearby, turning an already bustling area for film fans into Hollywood's new base in the UK.

The 200-acre site includes huge sound stages, one of Europe's largest underwater filming tanks and an enormous 100-acre back-lot for outdoor scenes.

Warner's investment will mean the site can rival fellow UK studios Pinewood and Shepperton, which have housed numerous classic films over the years.

Before its takeover, the studio had also filmed 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Wrath of the Titans' at Leavesden.

Last year Warner were dominant in the UK box office takings, generating ticket sales of £206 million with an 18% market share.

Warner’s UK base will create 400 permanent jobs and hundreds more with each production that comes to the area. It’s hoped that the television, advertising and games industries will also take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities.

A 10-year-old girl has been given a major vein, grown from her own stem cells, in an operation that raises hopes for other patients.

The youngster had a blockage in the vein which drains blood from the intestines and spleen to the liver, a potentially fatal problem.

To solve this, a replacement vein is normally harvested from the patient’s neck or leg. However, this is not ideal and can have knock-on effects.

This time, medics took a three-inch (9cm) section of groin vein from a dead donor and stripped it of all living cells, to leave only the inert protein ‘scaffold’.

Then the team, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, injected it with blood-forming stem cells from the girl’s bone marrow. After two weeks in a stem-cell ‘incubator’, these had multiplied and converted into vein wall cells, to create a biologically-engineered replacement. This was implanted into her a year ago. She had another operation with a second piece of engineered vein to overcome narrowing.

Because the living cells are purely from the girl, her body recognises the organ and she does not need immuno-suppressants.

Writing in The Lancet, the authors wrote that she had grown two inches and put on 11 pounds in weight since the first operation a year ago.

They wrote: “The new stem-cells derived graft resulted not only in good blood flow rates and normal laboratory test values but also, in strikingly improved quality of life for the patient.”

Furthermore, they said it opened “interesting new areas of research”, including trying to make biologically-engineered replacement blood vessels for heart bypass surgery patients.

Frontiers in ‘regenerative medicine’ are rapidly being pushed back.

Two years ago, a 10-year-old British boy became the first child in the world to receive a stem-cell grown windpipe, again based on a scaffold from a dead donor, in an operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Prof Martin Birchall, head of translational regenerative medicine at University College London, who was part of the boy’s surgical team, was impressed with the latest development.

He said: “The young girl in this report was spared the trauma of having veins harvested from the deep neck or leg with the associated risk of lower limb disorders, and avoided the need for a liver or multivisceral transplantation.”

Last June a 36-year-old Eritrean man with an inoperable throat tumour received the world’s first totally artificial, biologically-grown organ. First his windpipe was scanned, a glass mould of it created, then a polymer ‘scaffold’ was dressed on that, and seeded with his stem cells before being transplanted. The technique did away with the need for a donor organ. The man is doing well.

The US Anti-Doping Agency has notified seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong that formal procedures against him have commenced over allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs during his record-breaking career.

Although Armstrong has not been charged with any offences and has repeatedly denied ever cheating, USADA told the American they had forwarded their allegations to the Anti-Doping Review Board, which would decide whether to proceed with the case.

"This formal notice letter is the first step in the multi-step legal process for alleged sport anti-doping rule violations," USADA said.

"As in every USADA case, all named individuals are presumed innocent of the allegations unless and until proven otherwise through the established legal process.

"If a hearing is ultimately held then it is an independent panel of arbitrators, not USADA that determines whether or not these individuals have committed anti-doping rule violations as alleged."

Five of Armstrong's associates, three doctors and two team officials, were also told that procedures had begun against them in what could be one of the biggest doping cases in sports.

Armstrong, who has never failed a doping test, denied the charges.

"I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one," he said in a statement.

USADA sent Armstrong and his associates a 15-page letter outlining the accusations against them between 1998 and 2011 that was later circulated among media organisations.

The allegations included prolonged use of a range of performance-enhancing drugs including erythropoietin (EPO), blood transfusions, testosterone, corticosteroids, human growth hormone and masking agents.

The Texan was also accused of trafficking and administering drugs to other cyclists as well as conspiring with team manager Johan Bruyneel, doctor Pedro Celaya, doctor Luis del Moral, doctor Michele Ferrari and trainer Jose Pepe Marti.

Armstrong is one of the most successful and controversial cyclists of all time. A cancer survivor, he returned to the sport after beating the illness and won the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times in succession from 1999 to 2005.

Although he never failed a doping test, he was dogged by accusations of cheating and foul play.

The US Justice Department spent two years investigating the claims against him but closed their case in February without laying any charges against him.

Armstrong said USADA's accusations were the same as the Justice Department's.

"These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity," he said.

"Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge.

"USADA's malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play."

USADA said they "numerous riders, team personnel and others" had provided statements that Armstrong used drugs and would be prepared to testify against him. They did not identify any other witnesses.

USADA also said they had evidence that Armstrong tested positive for EPO during the 2001 Tour of Switzerland but the results were covered up.

Cycling's world governing body, the UCI, had previously denied any knowledge of a cover up when those same allegations were first made.

USADA also said blood samples taken from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 indicated the use of EPO and/or blood transfusions.

If found guilty, Armstrong could face a life ban from competing, USADA said, although Armstrong himself said he could also be stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

The 40-year-old Texan retired from cycling earlier this year but has taken up triathlon and had planned to compete in a race in France in two weeks.

The UCI said it had been informed of USADA's decision to commence proceedings but was not involved in the case.

"This is the first time USADA has communicated to UCI on this subject," cycling's governing body said a statement.

"The UCI is not aware of the information that is available to USADA on the persons concerned and has not been involved in the proceedings opened by USADA."
Reuters

LONDON, June 13 (TrustLaw) - Policies that promote gender equality, safeguards against violence and exploitation and access to healthcare make Canada the best place to be a woman among the world's biggest economies, a global poll of experts showed on Wednesday.

Infanticide, child marriage and slavery make India the worst, the same poll concluded.

Germany, Britain, Australia and France rounded out the top five countries out of the Group of 20 in a perceptions poll of 370 gender specialists conducted by TrustLaw, a legal news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The United States came in sixth but polarised opinion due to concerns about reproductive rights and affordable healthcare.

At the other end of the scale, Saudi Arabia - where women are well educated but are banned from driving and only won the right to vote in 2011 - polled second-worst after India, followed by Indonesia, South Africa and Mexico.

"India is incredibly poor, Saudi Arabia is very rich. But there is a commonality and that is that unless you have some special access to privilege, you have a very different future, depending on whether you have an extra X chromosome, or a Y chromosome," said Nicholas Kristof, journalist and co-author of "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide", commenting on the poll results.

The poll, released ahead of a summit of G20 heads of state to be held in Mexico June 18-19, showed the reality for many women in many countries remains grim despite the introduction of laws and treaties on women's rights, experts said.

"In India, women and girls continue to be sold as chattels, married off as young as 10, burned alive as a result of dowry-related disputes and young girls exploited and abused as domestic slave labour," said Gulshun Rehman, health programme development adviser at Save the Children UK, who was one of those polled.

"This is despite a groundbreakingly progressive Domestic Violence Act enacted in 2005 outlawing all forms of violence against women and girls."

TrustLaw asked aid professionals, academics, health workers, policymakers, journalists and development specialists with expertise in gender issues to rank the 19 countries of the G20 in terms of the overall best and worst to be a woman.

They also ranked countries in six categories: quality of health, freedom from violence, participation in politics, work place opportunities, access to resources such as education and property rights and freedom from trafficking and slavery.

Respondents came from 63 countries on five continents and included experts from United Nations Women, the International Rescue Committee, Plan International, Amnesty USA and Oxfam International, as well as prominent academic institutions and campaigning organisations. Representatives of faith-based organisations were also surveyed.

The EU, which is a member of the G20 as an economic grouping along with several of its constituent countries, was not included in the survey.

Canada was perceived to be getting most things right in protecting women's wellbeing and basic freedoms.

"While we have much more to do, women have access to healthcare, we place a premium on education, which is the first step toward economic independence and we have laws that protect girls and women and don't allow for child marriage," said Farah Mohamed, president and CEO of the Canada-based G(irls) 20 Summit, which organised a youth gathering that took place in Mexico in May, ahead of the G20 leaders' meeting.

Experts were divided on the situation in the United States.

Civil rights and domestic violence laws, access to education, workplace opportunities and freedom of movement and speech were positive. But access to contraception and abortion were being curtailed and women suffered disproportionately from a lack of access to affordable healthcare, some experts said.

"Many of the gains of the last 100 years are under attack and the most overt and vicious attack is on reproductive rights," said Marsha Freeman, director of International Women's Rights Action Watch.

BARRIERS TO DEVELOPMENT

It is more vital than ever to protect women's freedoms at a time of political upheaval in several parts of the world, some experts said.

"Times of political transition, we've learned the hard way, can also be times of fragility, and when rights for women and girls can be rolled back instead of advanced," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.

Women's rights are particularly under attack in G20 host country Mexico, which ranked 15th in the survey. Mexico has a culture of male chauvinism, high rates of physical and sexual violence and pockets of poverty where healthcare and other services are no better than in some of the most marginalised communities of Africa, experts said.

Women are also victims of drug-related crime. Some 300 women were killed in 2011 in the violent border town of Ciudad Juarez with almost total impunity, said Amnesty USA.

"The violence affects men and women but often women disproportionately," added Worden. "Mexico is a place where law enforcement remains a challenge, and the government has an obligation to protect women, but often fails in that obligation, as it does to protect men."

Putting women's rights on the global agenda is the key to progress and to effective development, said Kristof. Countries that restrict women's rights and freedoms or fail to protect them from injustices will suffer long-term, socially and economically, he added.

While the poll was based on perceptions and not statistics, U.N. data supports the experts' views.

The Gender Inequality Index (GII), which looks at reproductive health, the labour market and empowerment of women through education and politics, named the same three countries as the worst places for women, although Saudi Arabia ranked the absolute worst in the GII, followed by India.

The GII, however, does not include gender-based violence or other elements such as the fact that many women carry additional burdens of caregiving and housekeeping.

When it came to what country was best, the expert perception did not match U.N. data. The GII ranked Germany, France and South Korea as the top three countries, in that order. Canada came seventh and the United States was in tenth place.

Activists were not surprised by the experts' favourable view of Canada, however.

"Having an understanding of Canadian culture and tracking the work they're doing around violence against women and gender equality, I believe that Canada really has been emerging as a model for what most countries should aspire to for a long time," said Jimmie Briggs, journalist, author and founder of the Man Up Campaign that works to engage youth to stop violence against women and girls.

HOW THEY RANK 1. Canada 2. Germany 3. Britain 4. Australia 5. France 6. United States 7. Japan 8. Italy 9. Argentina 10. South Korea 11. Brazil 12. Turkey 13. Russia 14. China 15. Mexico 16. South Africa 17. Indonesia 18. Saudi Arabia 19. India

(Additional reporting by Courtney Harvey and Lisa Anderson in New York)

(For full coverage of the poll visit http://g20women.trust.org)

(TrustLaw is a free legal news site run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit http://trust.org/trustlaw. For more information on the TrustWomen Conference visit http://trustwomenconf.com)

(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

The man whose videotaped beating by police officers led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots has been found dead in his swimming pool.

Rodney King was surrounded and beaten by police officers in the city on March 3, 1991. The incident was caught on camera.

Four officers involved in the incident were acquitted of using excessive force the following year, and the verdict sparked riots which left more than 50 people dead.

Rialto Police captain Randy Deanda said King was found "unresponsive" at the bottom of his pool on Sunday morning by his fiancée Cynthia Kelley.

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding King's death, and an investigation will now be opened.

King suffered brain damage as a result of the police attack, and Ms Kelley was one of the jurors in the civil rights case that gave King £2.5m in damages.

Speaking ahead of this year's 20th anniversary of the riots, King said racism still has to be challenged.

"There's always gonna be some type of racism. But it's up to us as individuals in this country to look back and see all the accomplishments that we have gotten to this far."

Asked about his feelings toward the police officers who beat him, he said: "I have forgiven, because America has forgiven me for so many things and given me so many chances.

"You get to have a second chance, and I've been given a second chance," said King, who has had a number of brushes with the law since 1992.

"I have much respect for (the police), much respect... some of them went out of their way over the years to try to make it up to me. Not all of them is bad."