Terror Arrests: 'Substance' Found In Birmingham

Police have found a "suspicious substance" at an address in Birmingham after targeting a terror cell with reported links to the atrocities in Paris and Brussels.

Four men and a woman were arrested as part of an investigation involving MI5 and authorities in France and Belgium.

Detectives detained three men, aged 26, 40 and 59, and a 29-year-old woman, in Birmingham on Thursday night.

A 26-year-old man was arrested at Gatwick Airport in the early hours of Friday.

On Saturday, it emerged that specialist police attended an address in Birmingham and a "suspicious substance" was found.

Sources, reported in the Guardian newspaper, suggested that the raid was in the Small Heath area of the city.

A West Midlands police spokesman said: "During a search of an address in connection with the counter-terrorism arrests in Birmingham, a suspicious substance was found.

"A specialist unit attended as a precautionary measure. There was no immediate danger to the public and it was not necessary to evacuate any homes."

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale said a number of properties in Birmingham were being searched after the pre-planned and "intelligence-led" arrests.

There is no information to suggest an attack in the UK was being planned, he added.

All five suspects are being held in the West Midlands, where they are being questioned by specialist officers.

Prince 'Fighting Flu After Emergency Landing'

Singer Prince was on board a flight when he fell ill, forcing the private plane to make an emergency landing, according to reports.

A representative for the singer told entertainment website TMZ that Prince had performed in Atlanta on Thursday night despite having the flu, and felt worse after boarding the jet following his show.

The concert was originally scheduled for last week, but was postponed after the 57-year-old came down with the virus several weeks ago.

Prince's plane diverted to Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, and the singer was reportedly rushed to hospital in a "medical emergency", TMZ said.

The representative said Prince "was released three hours later, got back on the plane and is now back home" recovering in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

A few hours after the scare, the singer's official Twitter account posted the enigmatic message "I am #transformed," before linking to favourable reviews of the Atlanta show and tweeting that he was listening to Controversy, the title track to his 1981 album.

Fans flooded his Instagram page to wish him a speedy recovery.

"I don't know you personally... but I hope you're okay. I have lots of love for you, like if you were part of my family," one fan said.

Ex-Apprentices Denounce Trump As 'Dangerous'

A group of former contestants on Donald Trump's reality TV show The Apprentice have spoken out against the Republican presidential frontrunner, saying he "is not worthy" of becoming president.

Mr Trump's one-time admirers, most from racial minorities, criticised the New York billionaire over his divisive rhetoric during his political campaign.

Randal Pinkett, winner of the 2005 fourth season of the show, Kwame Jackson, runner-up from season one, Tara Dowdell, from season three, held a joint news conference in Manhattan, with Marshawn Evans Daniels, from season four, appearing via Skype.

Mr Pinkett said: "We are all disappointed and in some ways shocked to see what is being spewed from Donald regarding his views on women, immigrants, and the list goes on.

"We strongly condemn Donald's campaign of sexism, xenophobia, racism, violence, and hate.

"Donald's proposed policies, or his principles or the apparent lack thereof, make clear that he is not only unqualified to be president of the United States but also that he's a danger to our country and the world." 

Mr Trump hit back, dismissing his former aspiring protégés as "failing wannabes out of hundreds of contestants".

"How quickly they forget. Nobody would know who they are if it weren't for me," he said in a statement. "They just want to get back into the limelight like they had when they were with Trump. Total dishonesty and disloyalty."

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also taken a swipe at Mr Trump, accusing him of exploiting fear and resorting to bigotry in campaigning that he warned was a "road to violence".

Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein delivered the criticism in a speech at a university in Cleveland, Ohio, where Republicans will gather in July to choose their White House nominee.

Mr Zeid did not refer to Mr Trump by name but he deplored the "frontrunning candidate for president" who declared his support for torture, and took aim at the "multiple candidates" who advocate surveillance and other invasive measures targeting Muslims.

"We have heard these calls to hatred - calls stigmatising and demonising minorities, beginning the validation of violence," he said.

Mr Zeid, a Jordanian diplomat who has been UN rights chief since 2014, said the election campaign had given way to a "full-frontal attack" on America's "hard-won tenets of decency and social cohesion".

"This is also the road to violence, not perhaps visible - not yet."

Despite the criticisms Mr Trump has a comfortable advantage in New York opinion polls against rivals Ohio Governor John Kasich and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

Mr Trump pulled ahead of Mr Cruz and Mr Kasich this week in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. Among Republicans, 45% support Mr Trump, compared with 29% for Mr Cruz and 21% for Mr Kasich.

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are tied at 47%.

'Tiger Whisperer' Mauled To Death At Florida Zoo

A tiger has fatally mauled a woman keeper inside an enclosure at Palm Beach Zoo in Florida.

Stacey Konwiser, 38, suffered a "severe bite" wound while inside the big cat's habitat on Friday afternoon, say zoo officials.

She was performing basic tasks with the male Malayan tiger at the time, said zoo spokeswoman Naki Carter.

"This is the first death at the hands of an animal in the history of the Palm Beach Zoo," she told the Palm Beach Post.

The tiger was not on exhibit at the time of the attack and guests were never in danger, Ms Carter added.

Ms Konwiser was taken to St Mary's Medical Center, where she died.

West Palm Beach police said the Malayan tiger, a critically endangered species, was tranquillized.

Ms Carter said Ms Konwiser was known as "the tiger whisperer" because of how well she handled the attraction's four Malayan tigers.

It is not known which big cat carried out the attack, but the victim earlier this year uploaded a photo of a tiger to Facebook.

Ms Konwiser, who was married to another keeper at the zoo, commented on the picture: "The newest man in my life."

The zoo will remain closed until further notice.

What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2016

“In today’s job market, your resume needs to immediately stand out,” says Dawn Bugni, a professional resume writer in Wilmington, N.C. Attention spans are at an all-time short, with hiring managers spending just six seconds looking at a resume before deciding whether the applicant is worth further consideration, a recent study by TheLadders found. (That’s if a human looks at it at all; before your application even reaches a hiring manager, it usually has to make it past an automated applicant tracking system.)

As hiring continues to increase, job seekers will face stiff competition this year. Follow the tips below to make your resume shine in 2016.

Like this resume? Click here for a downloadable template. (Resume courtesy of Wendy Enelow.)

1. Enhance your contact information.

Put simply: hiring managers are busy; make their job easier by hyperlinking your email address so that you’re only one click away, says Wendy Enelow, co-author of Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed…Get Hired. Bear in mind that you expose yourself to identify theft if you include your full mailing address, says Enelow, so only put your city, state, and zip code on your resume. Also, use active links to your LinkedIn profile and any other social media accounts that are fit for recruiters.

2. Make the page “pop.”

Depending on the industry, you can distinguish your resume by punching up the design, but exercise caution: a graphic artist, for example, has more creative leeway than an accountant.

Enelow’s co-author Louise Kursmark recommends using color to make your resume unique. To stay professional, consider making only section headers blue, for example, and leaving the rest in black, Kursmark suggests. And replace the outdated Times New Roman with a more modern font such as Cambria, Calibri, or Georgia, Enelow says. (As standard typefaces, they translate well between operating systems.)

3. Ditch the objective statement…

Today’s hiring managers aren’t concerned with what is it you’re looking for—they’re focused on finding the right hire. Thus, “the objective statement has become obsolete,” says Tiffani Murray, an HR professional and resume writer at Atlanta-based Personality On a Page.

…and lead with a summary. 

To capture the hiring manager’s attention, start your resume with a short professional synopsis that states your years of experience, job history, and big career achievements. Instead of labeling the section a “summary,” use the header to highlight your area of expertise, says Enelow.

4. Guide the reader’s eye.

The Internet has changed reading behavior, says Kursmark: “People don’t read top to bottom anymore. They’re constantly skimming and looking at different parts of the page, and if you don’t structure your resume to appeal to that, a lot of good material will get overlooked.” Therefore, use bolded text to ensure your achievements stand out.

5. Beat the robots.

Many medium and large companies use software to weed out candidates. Your resume will need the right keywords to get through, so mirror the language of the job posting, advises Bugni, and pay attention to detail. “Changing something as simple as ‘customer service’ to ‘client relations’ can get your resume approved or rejected,” she says.

6. Forgo a “skills” section.

Weave your talents into your work experience. “Employers are looking for more than a list of skills,” says Murray. “They want to know how you’ve applied them.” The exception: It’s beneficial to have a designated section when applying for a skills-based job that requires specific qualifications, such as an IT specialist.

7. Maximize your real estate.

Despite what you may have heard, you don’t necessarily need to limit your resume to one page. “A resume is as long as it needs to be to convey value. And not one word more,” says Bugni. That said, a two-page resume may be appropriate for someone with 30 years’ experience—not for a recent college graduate. To conserve space use bullet points, active verbs, and industry-specific acronyms, and don’t state the obvious (e.g., including “references available upon request”).

Families Sue Sperm Bank Over 'Psychotic Donor'

Three families are suing a sperm bank and its distributor for allegedly telling them their donor was a genius - when in fact he had several mental disorders and a criminal record.

At least 36 women in Britain, Canada and the US are thought to have got pregnant from the donor's sperm over the last decade.

Now three Canadian families have filed a lawsuit saying US-based Xytex Corp and Ontario's Outreach Health Services misled them.

"It's horrifying," said lawyer James Fireman. "These couples were seeking assistance to build a family and were very vulnerable, they put their faith in the (cryobank) industry, and this happens."

The plaintiffs - whose allegations have not been proven in court - are seeking $11.7m (£8.2m).

They say the companies lied about the donor's IQ, said he was extremely healthy and was doing a PhD in neuroscience engineering.

The families learned his true identity when Xytex inadvertently included his contact information in an email to them.

An internet search and subsequent investigation revealed he was actually a 39-year-old Georgia man who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, narcissistic personality disorder, drug-induced psychotic disorder and significant grandiose delusions.

The man had been jailed for burglary and other crimes.

According to the claim, the companies continued to sell his sperm even after being informed of the discrepancies in 2014.

Worst Mobile Phone Providers Named In Survey

Phone users have voted Vodafone and EE among the worst mobile providers in the UK.

They both scored 49%, just above the international calls specialist Lebara at 46%, in the Which? annual mobile satisfaction survey.

Vodafone was the most complained about pay-monthly provider while one in 10 EE users rated customer service and being able to contact the company as poor or very poor.

Over 4,000 members of the public who took part gave star ratings on a range of factors including customer service, ease of contacting, value for money and incentives.

Giffgaff, which has no shops or call centres, topped the table for the second year running with 79%.

The online provider's low prices plus flexible approach to selling pay-as-you-go (PAYG) Sim cards and unlocked handsets that can be used with any network proved popular.

Asda Mobile scored 72% while Tesco Mobile recorded 70%.

Asda's good standing may have been boosted by a PAYG service which was rated highly for value for money, according to the survey.

Among the providers, ID scored 64%, Virgin Mobile 62%, Three 61%, O2 60%, Talk Mobile 56% and TalkTalk got 54%.

Alex Neill, campaigns director of Which?, estimates that customers are collectively losing out on £5.4bn a year by being on the wrong contract.

He said: "Our latest survey once again shows that the major mobile providers are still failing on the basics of customer service. Telecoms are an essential part of modern life and so providers need to start delivering for their customers."