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White House spokesman Sean Spicer joins United Airlines as new PR boss

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White House spokesman Sean Spicer

Under-fire White House spokesman Sean Spicer is to become the new PR Director for United Airlines, it emerged today.

Mr Spicer, 45, who yesterday claimed Adolf Hitler did not use gas during World War Two, will take up his new position with immediate effect.

United, one of world’s biggest airlines, is in urgent need of a safe communicator after global condemnation for the way it violently forced a paid-up passenger from one of its flights.

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Dr David Dao, 69, was injured as beefy security men dragged him from the plane kicking and screaming, because they had overbooked tickets and needed a seat for their own staff.

Video footage of the shocking incident went viral and sent United’s stock crashing by four per cent as the airline faced a PR disaster.

David DaoBloodied: David Dao is dragged from his United Airlines seat

But United believes it can rebuild confidence in its damaged brand with the appointment of President Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer.

A United spokesman said: “We messed up badly by physically throwing David Dao of his flight, even though he had paid for his ticket.

“We then made things worse with ill-conceived comments from our CEO – and our crisis communications were, quite frankly, a disaster.

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“Mr Spicer is an inspired appointment. He has a superb track record for avoiding controversy and putting out media and social media fires.

“We look forward to a long future together, and expect him to arrive soon because we suddenly have lots of spare seats.”

Mr Spicer, whose press conferences are riddled with controversy, yesterday made his biggest gaffe yet when he attempted to claim Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was worse than Hitler.

He said not even the Nazi leader used chemical weapons on his own people – seemingly ignoring the millions of Jews who were gassed to death in the Holocaust.

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Village churchwarden banned from wearing crucifix

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Village churchwarden banned from wearing crucifix

A Suffolk village churchwarden has been told she can no longer wear her crucifix necklace in case it upsets people from other faiths.

Mary Barry, who has been an active parishioner at St Warren Parish Church in Little Brimmer for 47 years, was said to be “terribly upset” by the ruling.

Vicar The Rev Evan Elpuss has insisted that the exciting new world of diverse cultures means his followers and church volunteers need to be careful about offending others.

But Mrs Barry, 79, points out that no person of alternative faith has ever been into parts of deepest rural Suffolk like Little Brimmer, which is near Stowmarket.

A village churchwarden has been told not to wear a crucifix in case it offends othersVery cross: Churchwarden Mary Barry wearing her banned crucifix
She has promised to appeal to the local bishop, claiming the crucifix is simply a sign of her devotion to her religion, and not anything to be considered inflammatory to others.

“I am a Christian, but I am also extremely tolerant of people with other beliefs. So why should I be banned from wearing a crucifix that my late husband bought me for our 25th wedding anniversary? It makes me sad and angry.”

One villager, who asked not to be named, said: “We all feel the vicar has gone a little too far. Mrs Barry is a very sweet lady who will do anything for anyone. It seems a little ironic that a churchwarden cannot wear the cross.”

Mrs Barry has reluctantly removed her necklace until the bishop has heard her appeal, but she hopes to have won her case in time for the busy Easter period.

She is a popular figure in St Warren’s, where she regularly lays out the hymn books for church services, and even mows the grass in the graveyard once a week as part of her duties.

Couple granted quickie divorce over Marmite row

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Couple granted quickie divorce over Marmite row

Couple divorce over Marmite row

A Suffolk couple have been granted a quickie divorce after falling out over the popular toast spread, Marmite.

Ipswich County Court and Family Hearing Centre was the dramatic scene for what is thought to be the first marriage split caused by the yeasty love-it-or-hate-it spread.

Wedded bliss ended after 31 years for lorry driver Mr Kevin Mone, 55, of Saxmundham, who was forced to watch his wife Linda gouge her knife into the butter and then, without wiping it properly, plunge it straight into his beloved breakfast Marmite, leaving unseemly slithers of butter in the jar.

Mr Mone said the habit disgusted him, and no matter how many times he raised it with Linda, 54, she continued the filthy practice.

He cited it as unreasonable behavior and was granted a decree nisi in a hushed courtroom yesterday.

Judge Henry Oppenheimer said: “I will accept that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. Sometimes these little aggravating habits like not putting the top on the toothpaste can turn love sour… sometimes to the point this couple have reached.

“The butter-smeared knife in the Marmite proved the final straw that broke the back of this otherwise pleasant marriage.”

A spokesman for Marmite said: “We are sorry for the Mone marriage issues, but there were surely other, more serious underlying reasons for the split.

“Regardless, we do recommend our customers wipe the knife clean after they have spread the butter or it will leave buttery marks in the Marmite jar.”

New one pound coin worth only 58p after Article 50 triggered tomorrow

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New one pound coin worth only 58p after Article 50 triggered tomorrow

New one pound coin

The new one pound coin will be worth only 58p after Article 50 is triggered by Prime Minister Theresa May tomorrow, it has emerged.

Experts warn the pound will take another hammering on the foreign exchange markets when the official Brexit process begins.

And that means the shiny new one pound coin, which enters circulation today, will nearly half in value in just 24 hours, and may as well be called the new 50p.

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“Everyone is going on about how lovely the 12-sided new one pound coin is. But it will very quickly be known as the new 50p coin.

“The pound has been falling ever since Britain voted to leave the EU – and the triggering of Article 50 will add further pressure.

“But at least the industry that services coin operated machines is coining it in as they change the mechanisms on everything from lockers to shopping trolleys.”

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But some economists claimed the currency will soon recover and the new one pound coin will be worth having.

Article 50 will not be triggered with some huge fanfare as one might imagine. Instead, Mrs May will simply write a letter to the European Council to inform them we’re off.

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Prospectors strike oil worth billions on Suffolk coast

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Prospectors strike oil worth billions on Suffolk coast

Prospectors on the Suffolk coast have struck oil worth billions of pounds, it has emerged.

They have been test drilling on Sizewell beach for weeks and today tapped into a huge oil field thought to contain around four billion barrels.

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Never before has oil been discovered in such a posh area, sandwiched as it is between Southwold and Aldeburgh, and experts say that as a result it will produce the most refined oil ever brought to market.

And experts say because it comes from such a well-heeled source, consumers can expect to pay a premium for the end product to fuel their cars and homes.

The discovery was made close to Sizewell B Nuclear power station, and makes it likely that the proposed Sizewell C will be put on hold so a new oil pipeline can be built linking to a state-of-the-art oil refinery at Thorpeness.

Drilling for oil at SizewellBlack gold: prospectors drilling for oil at Sizewell this week

While new oil money will be welcome, making the Suffolk coast the Dallas of Europe, environmentalists are less enthusiastic.

“We should be looking at alternative energy like wind farms, not fishing about for fossil fuels,” a green campaigner said.

But Mr Bob Ewing, of Well Oiled and Lubricated Ltd, which struck gold at Sizewell, said: “This new oil field will provide fuel for Britain for generations.

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“Who needs green alternative energies when we’ve got all this oil right under our feet.”

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Will virtual reality change sports viewing?

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Will virtual reality change sports viewing?

A few years ago, it sounded like 3D home video was going to revolutionise sports consumption. 3D TVs were briefly peddled as the next big thing in home entertainment, and many were excited about the way sporting events in particular could pop off the screen. As it turned out, no one really took to 3D home entertainment. Wearing goggles to watch TV was awkward, and a lot of the viewing experiences, unless specifically tailored to 3D viewing, were somewhat disappointing.

Now we’re in the midst of a new revolution in home entertainment, as more people make the leap to embrace virtual reality. Right now, VR is primarily being used for games rather than just watching content, but movies and television could be just around the corner. There’s also reason to believe that we might soon be watching sports in virtual reality as well.

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The first one that comes to mind is drone racing, which might sound like a fringe activity for robotics nerds, but is actually on its way to becoming a legitimate sport. It’s like a combination between playing with remote control cars and hopping into a pod race from Star Wars: Episode I. It’s called “Drone Racing League,” and though a detailed write-up by Wired described it as being in “stealth mode” about 18 months ago, it’s starting to become more mainstream. The most interesting thing might be the viewing experience. Racers “pilot” their drones from a first-person VR perspective, and as the sport expands, this could be how fans engage with it as well. That would make it the first sport (if you want to call it that) where fans engage in the matches from the perspective of a competitor.

Drone racingDrone racing: soon to be a legitimate sport

However, drone racing isn’t alone as a fringe “sport” tapping into the wonders of virtual reality. Poker has also come a long way in this regard. Poker tournaments continue to be enormously popular, and the ways they’re being played is starting to change. Casino Source’s guide to live casinos explains how players engage in online games with real human dealers through a live video stream. These live modes offer players the excitement and atmosphere of a physical casino and virtual reality could help take it to the next level. Many people like watching online poker tournaments, and the idea of tapping combining VR with the presence of other real players and dealers could bring fans closer to the action than ever before.

This idea of getting closer to the action without having to leave your couch is something we’re going to start seeing in more mainstream sports, too. In fact, excerpts from a recent podcast at The Ringer indicate that at least one major sports owner is actively considering ways to make it happen. Steve Ballmer, the one-time tech CEO who now owns the Los Angeles Clippers, made some minor waves across the internet when he said that he wants to work out a way for fans to watch games from the perspectives of players on the court. Using point guard Chris Paul as an example, Ballmer argued that software could work out a way for games to be streamed as if from Paul’s eyes—without the player having to wear any sort of goggles or other distracting gear. It’s a bold plan that could still be a ways off but could also present the next big innovation in spectator sports.

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Keep in mind that we’re still in the early days of widespread VR adoption. Still, these ideas in games, sports, and niche entertainment, demonstrate a clear trend. 3D failed to bring us closer to the competitive action we love to consume, but VR might succeed where 3D TV failed. In the near future we might be watching our favorite sports in new and exciting ways. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Six-Fingered Norfolk is first new cloud for 70 years

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Six-Fingered Norfolk is first new cloud for 70 years

New Norfolk cloud added to Cloud Atlas
By Ian Bred, Norfolk Correspondent

The Six-Fingered Norfolk cloud is the first new “species” to be added to the International Cloud Atlas in more than 70 years, it has emerged.

The mysterious cloud formation is called the Six-Fingered Norfolk because it resembles a six-fingered hand – and only appears in the skies over the rural East Anglian county.

Now it has been added to the Cloud Atlas, the official cloud bible of the World Meteorological Society, and is the first new cloud formation since 1951.

An Atlas spokesman said: “We began getting reports of the new cloud shape over Norfolk in recent years. We have no idea why it only appears there, or what causes it.

Norfolk skies

“But it is very exciting to be able to add a new cloud species after all these years.”

Norfolk farmer Bubba Spuckler, who lives in Downham Market with his sister and their eight children, said: “I looked up one day and said to my sister, ‘That cloud looks like our hands’.

“I was chatting down the cattle market last week and others had seen it, too. We feel honoured that it has been named the Six-Fingered Norfolk cloud, but we have no idea why it only appears here.”

Four and twenty virgins from Inverness arrested

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Four and twenty virgins from Inverness arrested

By Hugh Dunnett, Crime Correspondent

Four and twenty virgins who came down from Inverness have been arrested for fighting and outraging public decency.

The rowdy women told cops they were desperate to get a man before Saturday night, or they’d never have one at all.

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But as they roamed Ipswich town centre bars trying to attract the attentions of rugby players and other handsome men, it all kicked off with jealous local girls.

A Suffolk police insider said: “Unfortunately as the four and twenty virgins from Inverness became increasingly desperate they began flaunting themselves outrageously in the bars.

“This upset the local women and a mass brawl broke out. One virgin was even thrown through the doors of a pub like something from the Wild West. She was unhurt but we then had no choice and arrested the lot of them.”

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However, none of the Scottish visitors were charged and were sent back home to Inverness on the next available train, apparently without having achieved their unsavoury goal.

One onlooker said: “These Inverness virgins were most insistent and were singing a very rude song as they roamed around town looking for a man. Had they found one, he may never have fully recovered.”

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