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Resistance formation is one of the major hurdles in cancer therapy. Metronomic anti-angiogenic treatment of xenografted prostate cancer tumors in severe combined-immunodeficiency (SCID) mice with cyclophosphamide (CPA) results in the appearance of resistant tumors. To investigate the complex molecular changes occurring during resistance formation, we performed a comprehensive gene expression analysis of the resistant tumors in vivo. We observed a multitude of differentially expressed genes, e.g., PAS domain containing protein 1, annexin A3 (ANXA3), neurotensin, or plasminogen activator tissue (PLAT), when comparing resistant to in vivo passaged tumor samples. Furthermore, tumor cells from in vivo and in vitro conditions showed a significant difference in target gene expression. We assigned the differentially expressed genes to functional pathways like axon guidance, steroid biosynthesis, and complement and coagulation cascades. Most of these genes were involved in anti-coagulation. Up-regulation of anticoagulatory ANXA3 and PLAT and down-regulation of PLAT inhibitor serpin peptidase inhibitor clade A were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In contrast, coagulation factor F3 was upregulated, accompanied by the expression of an altered gene product. These findings give insights into the resistance mechanisms of metronomic CPA treatment, suggesting an important role of anti-coagulation in resistance formation.
Overcoming resistance to chemotherapeutic treatment is one of the major issues of clinical cancer research nowadays. Up to now, a variety of molecular mechanisms leading to chemoresistance of cancer cells has been investigated and new treatment strategies have been developed. Besides targeted therapy and combinatorial treatments, anti-angiogenic therapy is another promising option to circumvent resistance formation. For example, in prostate cancer, the prognosis for patients with hormone-resistant prostate carcinoma is poor, because of frequent chemoresistance that is often followed by relapse and further tumor progression [1,2]. One suggested follow-up therapy for taxane-resistant hormone-resistant prostate carcinoma is the metronomic treatment with cyclophosphamide (CPA), reviewed by Emmenegger et al. [3].
The alkylating agent CPA, if given in normal dose, preferably targets tumor cells. However, if frequent administration of low dose is carried out (metronomic therapy), it acts as an anti-angiogenic drug, as reviewed by Kerbel and Kamen [4].
The pivotal targets of anti-angiogenic therapy are not cancer cells but blood vessels, supplying the tumor with nutrients and oxygen. Thus, one advantage of anti-angiogenic therapy is that it targets endothelial cells not carrying a malignant phenotype. These cells are not able to develop resistance to the treatment, like cancer cells do, due to their genetic instability.
Studying the mechanisms leading to resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy is of great interest, as they may differ from resistance to classic chemotherapy.
Resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy can be classified into four major groups: 1) evasive resistance, 2) vascular cooption, 3) reduced vascular dependence, and 4) vascular remodeling [5].
In 2011, Emmenegger et al. pointed out that the applied CPA dose (maximum dose or metronomic) directly changes the mechanisms of resistance formation. After treatment of PC3 xenografts with maximum dose, tumor cells acquired resistance in vivo and in vitro [5]. However, after metronomic application of CPA, the resistant phenotype became manifested only in vivo.
Thoenes et al. showed that metronomic CPA therapy of prostate cancer xenografts has an anti-angiogenic effect. Tumor vessels were destroyed and blood supply was reduced during the treatment. Tumors developed a resistance to the therapy regimen without restoring tumor vessels or vascular mimicry [6]. Isolated tumor cell lines from resistant tumors revealed their resistant phenotype only upon reimplantation in vivo but remained sensitive to chemotherapy in cell culture. In this particular study, a comparative proteome analysis of chemoresistant versus parental PC3 cells was performed, suggesting the involvement of the coagulation inhibitor annexin A3 (ANXA3) [6]. However, a genome-wide screen of tumors under the far more relevant in vivo conditions had not yet been performed.
The current study elucidates genetic alterations of CPA-induced tumor resistance in vivo using a microarray-based approach.
Cell culture media, antibiotics, FBS, and trypsin/EDTA solution were purchased from Invitrogen/Life Technologies (Carlsbad, CA). PC3 human prostate carcinoma cells (PC3-wt, ATCC #CRL1435) and reisolated clones PC3 A3, PC3 D3, and PC3 D4 were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS. Cells were grown at 37°C in 5% CO2 in a humidified atmosphere. Generation of these PC3 cell lines was previously described by Thoenes et al. [6]. Briefly, standard PC3 cells (PC3-wt) had been injected into male severe combined-immunodeficiency (SCID) mice and treated with a metronomic regimen of CPA (120 mg/kg every 6 days). After a response phase, tumors restarted growing. Cells of two different resistant tumors were isolated (PC3 D3 and PC3 D4). Additionally, a cell line of untreated tumors was established (PC3 A3), representing an in vivo passaged control cell line [6]. PC3 subclones were cultured without antibiotics for at least three to four passages before tumor cell implantation and were harvested when reaching approximately 70% confluence.
Male SCID mice (CB17/lcr-PrkdcSCID/Crl; 8–10 weeks) were housed in individually ventilated cages, under specific pathogen-free conditions, with a 12-hour day/night cycle and food and water ad libitum. For tumor formation, 1 x 106 cells in 100 µl of phosphate-buffered saline were injected subcutaneously with a 25-G needle (Braun) into the flank of SCID mice (five animals per group). PC3-wt, PC3 A3, PC3 D3, and PC3 D4 cells were injected and grown as xenografts until they reached a mean volume of 30 mm3. One group of each PC3 subclone was treated intraperitoneally with 120 mg/kg CPA (Sigma-Aldrich, St Louis, MO). At 24 hours after CPA application, tumors were harvested (for experimental overview, see Figure W1). Four individual tumors of each group (PC3-wt, PC3 A3, PC3 D3, and PC3 D4) were analyzed in a microarray experiment [i.e., four human Gene Chip gene 1.0 ST arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) per group]. All animal procedures were approved and controlled by the local ethics committee and carried out according to the guidelines of the German law of protection of animal life.
Total RNA was isolated from tumor samples using a tissue homogenizer (Silent Crusher M, Heidolph, Germany) and the TRIzol method. Total RNA was checked for purity and integrity (ND-1000; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA and Bioanalyzer 2100; Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA), and 100 ng was used for preparation of labeled probes for microarray hybridization. For this purpose, Affymetrix cDNA synthesis and amplification and terminal labeling kits were used according to the manufacturer's instruction. Briefly, total RNA was reversely transcribed into cDNA using T7 promoter-tagged random primers; cDNA was amplified by in vitro transcription and again reverse transcribed. The resulting cDNA was fragmented, terminally labeled, and finally hybridized to Affymetrix GeneChips (HuGene 1.0 ST arrays, Affymetrix) and scanned on an Affymetrix GeneChip Scanner 3000.
Raw data were read into the statistical software R [7] and normalized by the robust multichip analysis (RMA) method [8] within the xps package from Bioconductor [9]. Differentially expressed genes and scatter plots were generated using the program spotfire (TIBCO). P values were calculated using the analysis of variance test, and adjusted P values were calculated with R using the false discovery rate method. Functional analysis was performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) Functional Annotation Bioinformatics Microarray Analysis [10]. The description by Huang et al. [10] specifies the stated P value as the threshold of EASE score, a modified Fisher Exact P value, for gene enrichment analysis. It ranges from 0 to 1. Fisher Exact P value = 0 represents perfect enrichment. Usually, the P value is equal or smaller than .05 to be considered strongly enriched in the annotation categories.
To determine the species specificity of each microarray, we mapped all oligonucleotides from the HuGene 1.0 ST array to the mouse Refseq transcriptome using the ngs mapper Bowtie. We obtained no perfectly matching hits, only 23 probes with a single mismatch and 130 probes with two mismatches. 25mers with three or more mismatches were regarded as not contributing to the measured signal in a cross-species context. None of the genes that were differentially expressed had any oligonucleotide probes that could be mapped to the mouse transcriptome. Thus, we conclude that the results are not affected by cross-hybridization of host-derived transcripts.
For the identification of alternative splicing, a filtering approach was used. First, the splice index was calculated by the MiDAS program from Affymetrix apt package. Then, genes were plotted on probe level together with the gene model to verify alternative splicing by visual inspection.
Total RNA was isolated using NucleoSpin RNA Isolation Kit (Macherey-Nagel, Dueren, Germany) and transcribed with the Transcriptor High Fidelity cDNA Synthesis Kit (Roche Diagnostics, Risch, Switzerland) according to manufacturers' protocols. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed using UPL Probes (Roche) and Probes Master (Roche) on a LightCycler 480 System (Roche) with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-actin, and B2M as control.
Human primers used include:
Experiments were done in triplicates and the obtained average CT values of target genes were normalized to control as ΔCT. Changes in expression levels were shown as fold expression (2-ΔΔCT), calculated by the ΔΔCT method [11].
After sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transfer to a nitrocellulose membrane (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA), the blot was probed with either a goat polyclonal antibody detecting tissue factor (F3) (1:1000; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc, Santa Cruz, CA) or with a rabbit monoclonal antibody detecting GAPDH (1:1000; Cell Signaling Technology, Inc, Cambridge, United Kingdom) in Tris-buffered saline containing 0.5% Tween and 5% nonfat milk powder at 4°C overnight. After washing with Trisbuffered saline containing 0.5% Tween, the membranes were exposed to horse anti-goat HRP-conjugated secondary antibody (1:10,000; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) or a mouse anti-rabbit HRP-conjugated secondary antibody (1:10,000; Vector Laboratories) followed by a chemiluminescence detection (LumiLight; Roche Diagnostics).
To analyze the gene expression of chemoresistant tumor tissue, a genome-wide microarray of xenografted PC3 tumor cell lines PC3 D3 and PC3 D4, carrying an in vivo resistant prostate cancer genotype, was performed. The four PC3 sublines PC3-wt (standard PC3 cells, in vitro cell culture), PC3 A3 (in vivo passaged control cells), and in vivo resistant cells PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 were injected subcutaneously into SCID mice (for generation of resistant and control sublines, see Materials and Methods section). After tumor formation, one group of each PC3 subline was treated with CPA, whereas the other group was kept untreated. Microarray analysis of four individual tumors per group was performed using human Gene Chip gene 1.0 ST arrays (for an overview, see Figure W1).
To detect distances and similarities between different samples, RMA normalized data were subjected to hierarchical clustering. Here, we observed distinct clustering of the different cell lines. In contrast, acute CPA treatment of the different tumors did not induce additional clusters (Figure 1A). Even though this indicates only a minor direct effect of CPA on the gene expression profile, we depict the scatter plots of differentially expressed genes under direct CPA influence in Figure W2, A to C, and summarized the differential expressed genes in Tables W4 to W6. The resistant tumor sublines PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 showed a close relation of their gene expression profile, suggesting a similar resistance genotype. Furthermore, in vivo passaging strongly influenced the gene expression profile. When comparing PC3-wt, the in vitro passaged subline, with PC3 A3 (in vivo passaged), we found, for example, ceruloplasmin strongly downregulated. In contrast reelin, an extracellular matrix serine protease, is one of the upregulated genes, demonstrating the influence of the tumor environment in vivo (Figure W2D and Tables W7 and W8).
Further analyses were focused on the inherent differences between samples of resistant cell lines PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 versus in vivo passaged cell line PC3 A3 without the direct influence of CPA. A scatter plot of the mean of the normalized gene expression of PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 A3 shows the 50 most differentially expressed genes (Figure 1B).
Analysis of PC3 D3 versus PC3 A3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 A3 revealed 415 differentially expressed genes for PC3 D3 and 566 for PC3 D4. An intersecting set of 212 genes was differentially expressed in both resistant tumor lines (Figure 1C and Table W1). The most differentially regulated genes DHRS2, PASD1, and NTS as well as resistance-related genes like SATB1 and BMPR1B were chosen for further analysis. The expression of DHRS2, PASD1, and SATB1 was increased in the resistant tumors compared to PC3 A3 tumors, whereas NTS and BMPR1B expression was decreased in resistant tissue.
Validation by qPCR confirmed all five genes as differentially expressed (Figure 1D). DHRS2 had a 7.1-fold increased expression level in PC3 D3 and 11.1-fold in PC3 D4 compared to PC3 A3. PASD1 showed an expression change of 11.7-fold in PC3 D3 and 9.1-fold in PC3D4 compared to PC3 A3. Additionally SATB1 showed higher expression levels in PC3D3 (2.4-fold) and PC3 D4 (2.3-fold). Expression of NTS was clearly reduced in resistant sublines, PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 (five-fold). In contrast, BMPR1B expression was significantly decreased only in PC3 D4 samples.
To evaluate the in vivo versus the in vitro expression, we analyzed these five genes under cell culture conditions. Comparing the results, the in vitro expression clearly differed from the in vivo expression of all five genes (Figure W3).
To identify which pathways might be involved in resistance formation, a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was performed using DAVID Functional Annotation Bioinformatics Microarray Analysis [10]. This method revealed a potential involvement of the following three pathways: 1) axon guidance, 2) steroid biosynthesis, and 3) complement and coagulation cascades (Figure 2A).
As blood flow might play a crucial role during resistance formation to anti-angiogenic therapy, further analysis was focused on the genes grouped in complement and coagulation cascades. The expression of F3, PLAT, and ANXA3 was increased in the resistant tumors, whereas the expression of PROS1, SERPIND1, SERPINA1, and SERPINB7 was decreased (Figure 2B). Additionally, the two differentially expressed coagulation genes ANXA3 and SERPINB7 were added to this group, although their regulation was below the cutoff.
qPCR analysis of these coagulation-related genes confirmed the gene expression profiles obtained by microarray analysis. First, we analyzed the mRNA expression of the coagulation-promoting proteins. The coagulation-promoting genes SERPINA1, SERPIND1, SERPINB7, and PROS1 were downregulated in resistant tumors. In contrast, the expression level of F3 was slightly increased in PC3 D3 tumor tissue and displayed a very high expression in PC3 D4 tumor tissue.
Moreover, mRNA expression of proteins hampering coagulation (PLAT and ANXA3) was increased in PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 tumor tissue compared to PC3 A3 control tissue (Figure 3A).
When analyzing the gene expression of in vitro cultured cell lines, we observed a different pattern. F3, PLAT, and ANXA3 showed no altered gene expression in PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 A3, whereas the expression profile of SERPINA1, SERPIND1, SERPINB7, and PROS1 were similarly downregulated in vivo (Figure 3B).
Taken together, genes that encode anti-coagulation proteins were upregulated and genes that code for proteins promoting coagulation were downregulated, except F3, in resistant tumor tissue compared to in vivo passaged control tumors. However, these effects are not present in vitro.
F3 is the only candidate that does not fit into the picture of an anti-coagulative signature in resistant tumors, as it is a coagulation-promoting gene and highly upregulated in resistant tumor tissue (34-fold). Therefore, we had a closer look at the exon structure of F3. The microarray probe setup allowed us to analyze the expression of a single exon in detail. Comparing resistant PC3 D4 to in vivo passaged control PC3 A3 tissue, the exon expression profile of F3 shows an altered signal intensity between exons 3 and 6 (Figure 4A), whereas no differences were detected in exons 1 and 2. This indicates the expression of different F3 isoforms. Sequencing of the F3 gene transcript revealed no mutations in the coding sequence (data not shown). We hypothesized that two different transcripts of the F3 gene are present, one being prominently expressed in PC3 D4 tumors.
Thus, we analyzed the expression levels of exons 1 and 2 and exons 5 and 6, respectively. In PC3 D4, we observed a higher relative expression of exons 5 and 6 compared to exons 1 and 2, providing evidence for the presence of two different F3 transcripts (Figure 4B). Western blot analysis of the F3 protein expressed by PC3 D4 cell line when cultured in vitro compared to samples from tumor tissue reflects the qPCR results. In vitro PC3 D4 cells express low levels of F3 protein with a molecular weight of 47 kDa. On the contrary, in PC3 D4 tumor samples, two types of F3 protein were observed, one with 47 kDa and another one with a lower molecular weight. The smaller F3 form is more abundant than the 47-kDa form (Figure 4C). Overall, we hypothesize the additional presence of a short form of F3 missing exons 1 and 2 in resistant tumors in vivo. The loss of these exons might lead to an altered protein function, helping to maintain the anti-coagulative status.
Cells developing resistance to metronomic CPA therapy undergo a complex molecular evolution. Changes in many different factors and pathways contribute to the formation of a resistant phenotype. As shown earlier, most of the classic resistance mechanisms can be ruled out in this study, as neither increased multi-drug resistance (MDR) transporter activity nor neoangiogenesis, vascular mimicry, or impaired CPA activation was observed [6]. A pharmacodynamic study of metronomically administered CPA suggests that it is unlikely that resistance to this kind of regimen is caused by impaired CPA activation [12].
One of the four different categories of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy is "reduced vascular dependence." As shown previously, this resistance mechanism applies here, as the resistant tumor grows under conditions of hypoxia and restricted nutrients without the formation of additional tumor vessels [6]. To investigate the molecular basis of this in vivo resistance mechanism to anti-angiogenic CPA therapy, a genome-wide microarray was performed. This study clearly shows that it is important to use appropriate in vivo controls, as already the comparison of the gene expression profile of in vivo passaged and standard PC3 tumors (PC3-wt) displayed a dramatic difference. The gene expression profile of the standard PC3-wt samples was clearly distinct from all other in vivo passaged tumor sublines (Figure 1A).
Moreover, gene expression of resistant tumors PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 clearly differed from passaged non-resistant PC3 A3 tumors. An acute CPA treatment of the respective tumors for 24 hours only influenced gene expression marginally (Figure 1A). All PC3 D3 samples from four mice clustered in one group, distinct from the PC3 D4 group. Approximately 50% of the differentially expressed genes in PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 A3 were shared by both resistant sublines (Figure 1C). To rule out clonal variation instead of chemoresistance as cause of the observed differences, we performed a control experiment. Here, we compared the initial experiment of PC3 D3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 A3 to the control experiments PC3 A3 and PC3 D3 versus PC3 D4 as well as PC3 A3 and PC3 D4 versus PC3 D3 (see Figure W4, A and B). We could identify less than 2.7% of the genes to be commonly regulated. Therefore, we regard the signature of resistant genes as considerable.
Taken together, we assume that not a single main mechanism is present in the resistant cell lines but more likely a complex molecular evolution, leading to the ability to survive the restrictive conditions of anti-angiogenic therapy.
In our model, expression of resistance-related genes in vivo differs from gene expression in vitro, indicating an involvement of micro-environmental factors leading to the observed in vivo resistance. The following three pathways that potentially contribute to the resistant phenotype were identified: 1) axon guidance, 2) steroid biosynthesis, and 3) complement and coagulation cascades (Figure 2A). As prostate cancer cells are able to gain neuronal properties [13,14], neuroendocrine-like differentiation might take place as a side effect of resistance formation. Steroid synthesis might be altered leading to hormone-promoted increased proliferation.
The most interesting functional group is "complement and coagulation cascades." This group consists of six differentially expressed genes that are associated with the coagulation cascade. During antiangiogenic treatment, blood vessels are destroyed and coagulation takes place. In mice, the administration of flavone acetic acid, an anti-angiogenic drug, strongly reduces the coagulation time [15]. We speculate that resistant tumor cells hamper the coagulation process to overcome the reduced oxygen and nutrient supply: 1) PLAT (reviewed in [16]) and 2) ANXA3 [17] showed increased expression in resistant tumors, whereas expression of pro-coagulation gene PROS1 (reviewed in [18]) and three members of the serine protease inhibitor family, 1) SERPINA1, 2) SERPINB7, and 3) SERPIND1, were decreased in resistant tumor tissue. Increased diffusion of oxygen and nutrients is facilitated by impaired thrombosis and fibrosis. Additionally, metronomic dosing of an inhibitor of systemic vasculogenesis was reported to cause increased blood flow in luciferase-tagged LM2-4 tumor xenografts [19].
In contrast to our finding that the expression of anti-coagulation genes is increased and that of pro-coagulation genes is decreased, F3, the main mediator of the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation [20,21], was highly expressed in PC3 D4 tumor tissue. Interestingly, F3 shows an altered exon expression profile in PC3 D4 tumor samples. Comparing expression of PC3 D4 to PC3 A3, exons 3 to 6 are highly expressed in resistant PC3 D4 tumor tissue, whereas no differential expression of exons 1 and 2 can be seen. A version of F3, missing exons 1 and 2, has not yet been described, whereas an alternatively spliced variant of F3, missing exon 5, has been reported [22]. Exons 1 and 2 of F3 are coding for the first 70 amino acids of the protein. In this area, according to UniProt database [23], a signal peptide and parts of a topological domain are located. Thus, we speculate that the expression of an altered F3 protein might result in an impaired activation of blood coagulation by resistant tumor tissue or even in facilitating blood flow. Such a hypothesis, however, remains to be verified by future studies.
In conclusion, resistance formation to metronomic CPA therapy can be seen as a molecular evolutionary process. Anti-coagulation properties of the cells (increased PLAT and ANXA3, increased exon deletion variant of F3, and decreased PROS1, SERPIND1, SERPINA1, and SERPINB7) could be part of a complex resistance mechanism. The functional relevance remains to be confirmed by subsequent studies.
We thank Alexander Graf for his help with the statistical analysis in R.
1We are grateful to the EU project GIANT and Nanosystems Initiative Munich for funding.
2This article refers to supplementary materials, which are designated by Tables W1 to W8 and Figures W1 to W4 and are available online at www.transonc.com.
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.


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Dusty and a touch yeasty on the nose, with a light, rubbery edge and hints of sweet red fruits accenting the core of baked yellow fruit topped with a twist of lime. Bright and juicy on entry, this lacks a touch of body on the mid-palate, leaving a hint of hollowness before the mineral-inflected lemon and light peachy flavors take over on the back end. There's a little tutti frutti quality here, though the finish does show a nice suggestion of herb along with more baked yellow fruit flavors that turn rather pineapple-y. Just a little raw in the mouth. 84 points
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HSBC discloses tax evasion probes in India, other countries
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London/New Delhi: Global banking giant HSBC has disclosed being probed by tax authorities in India and several other countries, including against its Swiss and Dubai units, for allegedly abetting tax evasion of four Indians and their families.
Besides, the bank has been approached by the regulatory and law enforcement agencies of various countries for information on persons and entities named in the leaked 'Panama Papers'—which included hundreds of Indians who had indulged in alleged tax violations through offshore tax havens with the help of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
Disclosing the "tax-related investigations" in its latest annual report published last week, HSBC further said it has set aside $773 million (over Rs5,000 crore) as a provision for various tax- and money laundering-related matters.
"There are many factors that may affect the range of outcomes, and the resulting financial impact of these investigations and reviews. Due to uncertainties and limitations of these estimates, the ultimate penalties could differ significantly from the amount provided," HSBC said, while adding that it is cooperating with the relevant authorities.
ALSO READ: HSBC cuts global bonus pool by 12% as annual profit slumps
"Various tax administrations, regulatory and law enforcement authorities around the world, including in the US, France, Belgium, Argentina and India, are conducting investigations and reviews of HSBC Swiss Private Bank and other HSBC companies in connection with allegations of tax evasion or tax fraud, money laundering and unlawful cross- border banking solicitation," it said.
Giving case-wise details, it further said the Indian tax authorities in February 2015 had issued a summons and request for information to an HSBC company in India. "In August 2015 and November 2015, HSBC companies received notices issued by two offices of the Indian tax authority alleging that the Indian tax authority had sufficient evidence to initiate prosecution against HSBC Swiss Private Bank and an HSBC company in Dubai for allegedly abetting tax evasion of four different Indian individuals and/or families and requesting that the HSBC companies show why such prosecution should not be initiated.
"HSBC Swiss Private Bank and the HSBC company in Dubai have responded to the show-cause notices," it said, but did not disclose the name of the Indian individuals. The British banking major first came under the scanner in India after a leaked list of hundreds of Indian clients of its Geneva branch found its way to the Indian tax authorities.
Similar lists made their way to tax authorities in various other countries, prompting probes. The Indian government has stepped up its fight against blackmoney, allegedly stashed in Switzerland, in recent years and there have been apprehensions that the so-called illicit wealth might have got shifted to other places such as Dubai. The probe got widened after 'Panama Papers'—another list of individuals and entities from across the world using offshore tax havens—became public last year.
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James Scott, a 6-2, 180-pound safety from Houston Strake Jesuit, has orally committed to play football for June Jones and SMU.
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Judy tells me that a mutual friend of ours isn't especially fond of this dressing because it is not garlikky, not real garlikky, not even Real garlikky, but REAL garlikky. According to him it is too garlikky. Well, I have something to tell him:
Ryan, there is NO SUCH THING as too garlikky…except for garlic ice cream. Always show restraint when making garlic ice cream.
There…now that housecleaning issues are dealt with, let's make some Judy T's Kick Butt Garlikky Dressing that is…well…kick butt.
This dressing is super simple. As a matter of fact, if all good eats (thanks AB) were this easy we wouldn't need Food Network, cookbooks, and grandma's recipe box. The cast of characters is one quart of mayonnaise, one quart of buttermilk, a head of garlic (yes…a head, not a clove), salt, pepper, cayenne pepper flakes, poppy seeds, and parsley.
You see where this is going, right? See how simple it is? The only real "preparation" is with the garlic.
After peeling all those little gems of flavor (and health benefits, by the way), also known as garlic cloves, you have to mash them real good. Not mash them like a one time smash with the side of a knife blade, but mashed into a paste. I use a mortar and pestle and drizzle just a tad of olive oil in before mashing, but I suppose you could mash it against the sides of a bowl with a fork, but be sure to mash it good. Remember, you want a garlic paste, not itty bitty pieces of garlic.
Next, rough chop the parsley…about half a bunch of it.
Now, combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, garlic paste, one teaspoon each of salt, pepper, poppy seeds, and the half bunch of parsley and mix well. Do not add the cayenne pepper…yet.
Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate.
You don't want to add any cayenne pepper yet because the garlic will develop a fair amount of heat overnight. Taste the dressing the next day and heat it up with the cayenne as desired.
I know, I know. You are wondering about what kind of idiot I am making a half gallon of dressing at the time. Once you try it, you'll know…why I make that much that is, not what kind of idiot I am.
That's a secret.


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This forum topic is the closest I could find to my issue.
Does anyone know how to de-static the screen of a flat-screen LED monitor, so that it is not constantly having to be cleared of cat fur????
Yes, my cats like to lie on my desk... and I'm a sucker for my cats. But, I do not love how their fur clings to the screen.
My cats know not to get on my desk. I also have my keyboard in a pull-out tray, rather than on top of my desk. I've never had a problem with my cats getting on my desk and disrupting my work or leaving their tell-tale signs behind.. Well, not completely true. When they do, I call them with their first and middle names (which are only spoken when they're doing no-nos) and tell them, "Down!". Cats can be trained to respond to voice commands. And they need them more often than dogs because they're so damned independent!
When my office is unoccupied (by me) I close the door. If they choose to visit me while I'm working, they sit by my feet. They know that's the only way they're allowed in my office.
The only dust bunnies I find in my office are those created by real dust. Can't blame my cats on that now, can I? :-)
Bottom line is, Liz: train your cats to stay off surfaces; whether desktops, countertops, coffee tables, eating tables, or anywhere else they shouldn't be. They're like kids. Teach them the rules of the house or close doors so they can't sneak in no-no's.
My cats are allowed on the couch and certain chairs. Tables, countertops, and anything they have to jump over 3' to get on are strictly off limits. And they know it.
Yes, well.. a bit too late for that; they're all thoroughly spoiled, and we allow them most anywhere, except on the kitchen counters and tables. The eldest is 15; the youngest is 4, so this is an issue of long-standing. As for my "work," there isn't much work going on here, since we're retired, and their purr songs soothe me...but they don't sing when down on the floor. ;-)
(And I'm afraid I did not give them middle names..so that discipline is not an option... lol)
Lizzy, when my cats hear their middle names, they know they're in trouble. I only have one cat that hasn't earned a middle name because she doesn't break the rules.
When I was in big trouble I knew it because I'd hear "Shauna Lynn!". I've handed that admonition down to my cats. When they hear their middle names they know they've been busted and better listen to Mama!
P.S. My kids purr whenever they're in the same room as I am. They don't need to be on my stuff; they just need to be near me. However, when my work day is done, they settle in or around my body and the feline cacophony is resplendent!
LOL Actually, two of our kitties have more complex names, though not precisely middle names. One is "Jigsaw Puzzle," named after the patterns in his fur, the other is "Lil' Miss Fuzz," so named because she is tiny, and was SO fuzzy/fluffy as a kitten. She's still a medium-haired fuzzy girl, though her sister is the one responsible for dropping hair clumps.
Jigsaw mostly only gets called by either half of his name, such as "Jigsaw," "Jiggy," or "Puzzle cat." The other we usually stop at "Lil' Miss," or "Miss Fuzz." ;-)
My step-mother uses used dryer sheets. She even uses them in bathroom which stops steamed up mirrors, on glass windows, doors and even cleans her stove with them.
Dzy.....Lightly Spray a soft cloth (like flannel) with "static guard." If you've not heard of it or never used it, you'll find it in any laundry products aisle in any store. Don't spray it directly on your screen, just the cloth. Wipe your entire screen down once and then again. It's not going to harm anything and it should detract the kitty fur for at least a few weeks, til you will have to repeat the same.
Also....If I'm not mistaken, there's a solution, made especially for toning down shedding cats.....try googling or calling your Vet. My Tommy plops down directly in front of my screen whenever he damned well pleases (as we KNOW cats will do) and although I don't need to deal with the fur flying....he likes to stare at me, swat at my fingers and laugh at me when I must stretch my neck to see around him.
Snooty little bugger. Have no idea why I love him so! Good luck. If these tricks don't work, let me quote your cats for you........"Tough Mom, just live with it!"
LOL PURRRfect. Yes, cats do what they want, and many of us cat parents are willing to put up with their nonsense because they are so danged cute! Their silly antics are our last remaining connection to sanity!
One is a medium-long hair, and she sheds everywhere; I'm always finding clumps on the floor; the other main culprit is a short-hair, guilty of "explosive shedding." LOL
Thanks for the tip. I was worried about damaging the screen, since a new monitor is not in the budget!
And you're quite right about them blocking our view and thinking it's funny. My keyboard is in a drawer, but that doesn't stop them from sitting in my lap, and trying to 'help' me type. ;-)
Cats--gotta love 'em!
Hummm, I recommend using a brush on the end of a portable suction vacuum in conjunction with the de-static solution if it is any. That should do the job. They make them as small as 6 inches, very compact and battery operated.
Thanks for that idea. I'll have to check those out!
by Simon Cook5 years ago
I'm unable to upload or even create tables by entering the data.I've tried on:IE: 9.0.8112.16421FF: 12.0Chrome: 19.0.1084.52 m
by Kristen Howe4 weeks ago
This Sunday, I've submitted my home office desk hub to Dengarden. Today it was declined. I'm up for ideas on how to improve it and try it again next year. I've included the link to the hub:...
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Re: Smith Family from Kells
In reply to:
Smith Family from Kells
Rosemarie Hyland 6/06/05
Balreask is a townland in either the parish of Trim or Kells.
I searched the Irish Family History Foundation's database. It contains 12,000,000 surviving rcds for abt 65% of Irish counties. Rcds B4 1840 are sparse.
For Ellen Tobin M in Co. Meath, the only M rcds I found were in 1827 & 1841. These seem too early for your time line.
For Rose Smith B 1878 (exact), I found 2 B rcds.
I found B rcds for all the named children except Helen using your DOBs.
Suggest you google the Foundation's name to lead you to the database, register, and browse. Pls post your search results to my genforum msg. Good luck.


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The competition, slated for January 1-3, announced on Sunday the world Nos 1 and 2 would be in Abu Dhabi for the New Year.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal confirmed for 2015 Mubadala World Tennis Championship
ABU DHABI // Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the world's top-ranked players, will headline the seventh Mubadala World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City, from January 1 to 3, promoters said today
Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion and world No 1, will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the six-man, season-opening event. He has won the past three.
"Abu Dhabi has always been very good to me and of course I was keen to return and defend my title," Djokovic said. "The tournament draws the world's top players and it is crucial for us to keep pushing and testing ourselves against each other, especially at the start of a new season.
"We're more than halfway through the year now and, with one major secured, I feel that I am on track for a memorable year but there is plenty more work to be done before we catch that flight to the UAE.
"Celebrating the New Year in Abu Dhabi will be very special this time around and I'm hopeful of starting 2015 in the best possible way – with a victory at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship."
Nadal, the French Open champion, will be making his sixth consecutive appearance at the event, which offers a winner-take-all prize of $US250,000 (Dh918,000) to the champion.
"The standards are always high in Abu Dhabi, the crowds are fantastic and there is a real buzz around the city so returning was an easy decision to make," said the Spaniard, the champion in the second and third stagings of the event. "It's the perfect place to start the year and although there is still a long way to go in this current season, we have to plan ahead and make sure we give ourselves to best opportunities to start the year strong.
"For me that would be playing the Mubadala World Tennis Championships where all top players want to play. I hope this year I can win."
Nadal has lost at the semi-final stage each of the past three years.
Djokovic and Nadal presumably will be seeded into the January 2 semi-finals, and the four other players, generally chosen from the top 10 in the world, will meet in the quarter-finals on January 1. Last year, those four were Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Mubadala continues as title sponsor of the tournament, in partnership with Flash Entertainment.
Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company, has several grass-roots initiatives associated with the tournament, including competitions for youngsters and opportunities to attend clinics put on by the tennis pros.
Tickets for the 2015 event are on sale from tomorrow at www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Mega Stores or by calling 800 86 823.
Prices start from Dh50 for upper-bowl seating, with premier hospitality packages also available including food and beverage offers, star player meet-and-greets and premier stadium seating.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE


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St. Regis Dubai in Al Habtoor City offers its first Suite inspired by the Bentley Mulsanne motor car.
Joining suites launched at The St. Regis New York in 2012 and The St. Regis Istanbul last year, The St. Regis Dubai in Al Habtoor City now introduces its first Bentley Suite, inspired by the bespoke craftsmanship of the pinnacle Bentley Mulsanne.
The Suite features hand-crafted finishes and one-of-a-kind furnishings throughout. Located on the fourth floor of The St. Regis Dubai, the custom-designed one-bedroom Bentley Suite features a spacious entry foyer, generous living room and dining area with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the hotel's manicured gardens, as well as a lavish marble bathroom, walk-in wardrobe and dedicated dressing area.
Upon entering the 195 square metre (2,098 square feet) suite through bespoke Bentley-painted double doors, guests are greeted by the defining characteristics of the luxury automobile brand: a blend of cream and neutral tones, set against the rich wood finishes, elegant marble floors and leather accents on handcrafted furnishings. The entrance to the suite features polished steel detailing and a sleek walnut veneer ceiling.
In the living room, the LED chandelier inspired by the headlights of the Mulsanne takes centre stage above the 12-seat, smoked fiddleback veneer dining table. Adding to the room's mix of rich textures is a carved rug reminiscent of the matrix grille on the Mulsanne. Consistent with Bentley's 'hidden delights' concept, the main wall slides back to expose a TV screen and five Breitling clocks keeping time across major gateway cities.
The master bedroom features stitched leather walls and bedside tables inspired by the Mulsanne Speed wing emblem in Burr walnut. In the dressing room, Bentley's signature diamond detailing is etched into the frame of the mirror.
The St. Regis Dubai offers guests a Bentley Mulsanne as its signature courtesy car. Complementing the collaboration, the hotel's St. Regis Bar features a mural of a vintage Bentley Mulsanne by artist Roberto Raad.
Available for booking on www.stregisdubai.com/ the rate starts at A$25,000 per night.


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Lean on Me - alternate (3)
Lean on Me
The communal nature of the early church – ACTS 2:44-45
44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
If we have grace upon us we are to be gracious people (care for others) – ACTS 4:33
With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Because of God's grace on me, I care for others…
To promote [UNITY] in God's family =
32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had ACTS 4:32
To help share the [MESSAGE] of Christ =
6 They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. ACTS 6:6-7
To encourage [VOLUNTARY] selflessness =
34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. ACTS 4:34-35
Barnabas – "son of [ENCOURAGEMENT]" (helper of others)
· Sold a field and gave proceeds to apostles – ACTS 4:36-37
· Brought Paul to the apostles – ACTS 9:27
· Strengthened Antioch church with Paul – ACTS 11:19-26
· Represented Gentile Christians to Jerusalem church – AC15:1-33
· Supported John Mark ACTS 15:36-40


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Dear Carlos Parra/ Agrii Party & Events!La Palmera want to thank you for the excelent job that you did for both restaurants on Cinco De MayoParty same as last year, I want to tell you that you already have earned our business for the next events that we will have. We appreciate your hard work that you guys do and I will be happy to give any good reference to anyone for your company!
Thank you,
Thank you,
Hector Mendoza
La Palmera Owner
Winner of Best Mexican Food by Evening Magazine's Best of Western Washington 2009 & 2010!
We had a wonderful experience having Carlos and his crew helping us with the tents and chairs for my daughter's wedding. Everything looked amazing and they were extremely helpful and wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for tent rentals. We had so many comments about how great everything looked that they furnished. They went out of their way to make everything perfect!
Thank you,
Thank you,
Janelle Littlejohn


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Hello ladies,
February is almost over and it's time to show you the products that I've been loving this month.
But first, I would like to thank you for such amazing comments on my last post, especially for all the get well wishes, as I'm finally feeling healthy again.
Once again, I don't have a lot of things to talk about, as truth be told, yesterday was the first time this month that I actually wore a full face of makeup.
I definitely need to change this since I have so many new-ish things that I still haven't played around properly.
I bought this CadeaVera (CV) Young Milder Reinigungsschaum after hearing Julia Graf and Sara talk about it. It was sitting in my drawer for awhile now, as I've been trying to use up the L'Angelica cleansing mousse, but I gave up on that one and started using this one instead.
Although this is also a foam cleanser, it's a lot more gentle and not drying at all. It also feel softer and fluffier on the touch, has a lovely sweet&fruity scent and is really affordable. You can get it in Műller.
I've been using it as my daily cleanser and it does a great job at cleansing your skin & leaving it soft and smooth, but I haven't tried removing a full face of makeup with it yet.
The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry hand cream was a gift from the lovely Astrid. First of all, this smells HEAVENLY! Sweet yet sour, and so refreshing. I could honestly just smell this the whole day.
But the reason I've been using it a lot, is because my hands have been so dry recently, especially my palms, so this has been living on my desk. It's really lightweight, gel-like texture, it's sinks into the skin really quick, yet does a great job at moisturising. C'mon now, we need The Body Shop here in Slovenia!
In my Updated Nail care routine I told you that I've been in a 'red nail polish' phase recently, and this hasn't changed yet. I used to wear red nails all the time in high school, and after that I only wore them every now and again. But every time I do, I remember why I love red nails so much, they just look so elegant and lady-like on your hands.
My current favourite red shade is this 404 Scarlet Vamp from L'oreal that was also featured in my nail care routine. It last for about 4 days, needs 2 thin coats and has a flat & quite big brush.
Now onto a few makeup bits.
Remember the Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless mascara from The battle of new mascaras in my stash?
Well, I have to take that downside I mentioned there back. Now that it got even drier, it actually stopped smudging on me. I haven't changed anything in my makeup routine, so I think this could be the only reason for that. It also does a better job at separating and lengthening my lashes. It truly is a great every day mascara.
NYX Powder blush in Mocha was a rediscovery for me. I bought it quite awhile ago but I barely used it, cause it's quite harder and less pigmented than the shade Pinched I also have, and I was kinda disappointed by it. But since I've been wearing minimal makeup, I've been loving using this one. Since it's not so pigmented, it's completely matte and because of the shade itself, it looks like you're naturally blushing, which is what I want. And who knows, maybe I just need to get through the first layer for it to fully shine with its pigmentation.
Sticking with the naturally looking theme, my go to lip product this month has been Burt's Bees Replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil. This gives just a tiny, tiny bit of a raspberry tint to my lips. Just enough for them to not look completely ''bare'' and a bit more plump.
Like the other Burt's Bees lip balms that I've tried, this one is also very nourishing & moisturising, and also has a lovely pomegranate scent.
Swatches on top L to R:
NYX blended and layered a few times, Burt's Bees lip balm.
Bottom L to R:
CV cleansing foam and The Body Shop hand cream.
What was your favourite product this month?
Sanja ♥
, by Sanja


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Top picks in 2016 contemporary art publishing: the holiday season list.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Kapwani Kiwanga
"Lucy's Iris" considers Lucy's view of her prodigal daughters who are shaping the landscape of contemporary art practice on the African continent.Continue reading
La Ferme du Buisson reveals the artistic practice of multimedia artist Kapwani Kiwanga in anthropology, investigating popular and vernacular culture as well as the legacies of anti-colonial struggles.
The output of Kapwani Kiwanga's social science inspired practice includes installation, sound pieces and video. In this new exhibition she has created three site specific installations which build upon and further earlier research the belief systems and Tanzania's pre- and post-independence trajectories.Continue reading


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Zorak watches as his henchman shows what the newest creation, Titanor, can do. They are convinced that it can defeat Space Ghost.
Zorak issues a challenge to Space Ghost and tells him that if he can defeat his robot, that he will leave the galaxy forever, but if Space Ghost is defeated, he must do the same. Space Ghost agrees and they leave to meet Zorak.
They arrive and Space Ghost is quickly overwhelmed by Titanor. Jan and Jace know something is wrong and they go to find Zorak. They find him with Space Ghost's real power bands. They slip away with the bands and give them to Space Ghost. Now the tables have turned and Space Ghost quickly defeats Titanor. Zorak flees and Space Ghost knows that he will face him again soon.


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Meet "Rousey", our Pet Of The Day today. Rousey is a 15-week-old tortoiseshell kitten. She's a sweet little girl who has lived with other kittens and does well with dogs. Rousey has been spayed, is current on vaccinations and is ready to go to her forever home. You can learn more about Rousey by calling the Cascades Humane Society at 517-787-7387 or online at http://www.chspets.org.
We welcome thoughts and comments from our viewers. We ask that everyone keep their remarks civil and respectful. Postings that contain profanity, racist, or potentially libelous remarks will be deleted. We will delete any commercial postings, as well.


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John F. Harris
- 69 years old
- Date of birth: December 9th, 1944
- Place of birth:
Dubuque, Iowa, United States
- Date of passing: July 27th, 2014
- Place of passing:
Crystal, Minnesota, United States
This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, John Harris, 69, born on December 9th, 1944 and passed away on July 27th, 2014. We will remember him forever.
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Google adsense now support Responsive web design
As we all know that the Google Adsense ads are of fixed width. So when ever you think about having a responsive web design for your site, the biggest problem was how to make ads respond to the screen size. Recently Google announced his new modification in there ad policy. Now your Google Adsense ads can be responsive with the design. Here is the reference link http://adsense.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/updates-to-our-modifying-ad-code-policy.html Now Adsense publishers can modify the AdSense ad code to make them responsive with the web site design as long as those modifications do not artificially inflate ad performance or harm advertisers.
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Thursday night the Peachtree City Council will consider a request to apply for a new traffic light on Ga. Highway 54 West at Line Creek Drive to serve a new shopping center.
The city acknowledges that the new light will likely make the city's worst traffic problem even worse, but officials contend that improved safety may make it a worthwhile tradeoff.
The same "Overlook" shopping center also will be the subject of a related but controversial proposal up for consideration Thursday: to allow the developer to link an access road from the shopping center to Planterra Way.
Such a request has been strongly opposed in the past by residents in the Planterra Ridge and Cardiff Park subdivisions because of a potential for an increase in cut-through traffic. The city has full control over that request because it owns greenspace along Planterra Way that would be necessary for Trinity-Overlook to own to complete the road path.
Both matters will be debated during the council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
Residents are expected to ask council to conduct a public hearing on the road connection so council can hear from residents who live in those neighborhoods. Council will be presented with photos taken Friday afternoon of traffic on Planterra Way backed up from the highway past the tennis center due to motorists using it as a cut-through.
Planterra resident Caren Russell said Monday that the existing cut-through traffic remains a big problem for the subdivision, but connecting a road from the new shopping center to Planterra Way could make it far worse.
"We just want time for citizens to be able to voice their opinions," Russell said.
As for the proposed traffic light that will affect residents in the Wilksmoor (West) Village, businesses along the highway and commuters going back and forth from Coweta County, city staff recognizes the light will increase delays on Ga. Highway 54 during peak traffic times.
However, the new light would "enhance safety for motorists accessing development on Line Creek Drive," according to a memo to council from City Engineer David Borkowski, who is recommending the traffic signal application be approved by council.
Still, some on council may look at the existing traffic service level of 'F' (the worst rating) for the highway's intersections with Line Creek Drive, Planterra Way and MacDuff Parkway as a factor weighing against approval for the new traffic signal.
The final decision on the traffic light rests with the Georgia Department of Transportation. If the traffic light is approved, city staff can work with developer Trinity-Overlook LLC and the Georgia Department of Transportation on required improvements to the highway, Borkowski wrote.
The DOT in the past has said 'no' to a new traffic light at the intersection, citing the proximity of the Planterra Way and MacDuff Parkway lights.
A third and less controversial request from Trinity-Overlook is to have the city abandon the right-of-way along Line Creek Drive and Line Creek Court to allow development of the shopping center. The city has an appraisal estimating the property having a market value of $100,000 to compensate for the land.
The shopping center will be fairly modest in size with 82,554 square feet of space, not including the RaceTrac and two other out-parcels closer to the highway.


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I don't own the Ashes to Ashes characters
the kind to sit up in his room.
Heart sick an' eyes filled up with blue.
I don't know what you've done to me,
But I know this much is true:
I wanna do bad things with you.
Bad Things- Jace Everett
(I can't believe I am writing another one so soon!)
CID was silent as the day dragged on, uneventful but for a shoplifting case early that morning which was solved almost immediately. Gene Hunt sat at his desk with a notepad and a pen, absently drawing another doodle to add to the sizeable collection currently being stored –and locked- in his bottom drawer. He knew Alex knew about them, but apparently she didn't see fit to tell him so. In fact, he wouldn't have known that she knew at all if she hadn't walked in on several occasions and granted that day's fantasy doodle without any prompting whatsoever. Not so impressive, he reasoned, if the doodles were simply depicting the normal act of sex, but when he'd specifically drawn out a series of positions, it seemed rather obscene that she would allow them in that exact order without an aid of some kind. Especially, he reasoned, when the first position involved her and the abandoned bar in Luigi's in the dead of night. It was hardly a common call, was it?
Today, he felt inventive, and his hands toyed with the handcuffs in his overcoat pocket as he thought out how best to depict this particular image. It was difficult to stick cuffs around a stick-woman's wrist, he soon discovered, but carefully laid the image out as best he could before his DI stormed in unannounced. He looked up and his hand tore the page free, burying it in his pocket as he rose to his feet to meet her. She walked around the desk and seated herself on top of a stack of case notes. He should have been bothered, he told himself, but she wouldn't listen to him even if he did have a barney about it. He sat himself down again, raising his eyebrow towards her as she looked at him, apparently thoughtful.
"Can I help you, Bols?" He smirked, twiddling his pen in his fingers as she tapped her toe impatiently. She met his eyes and shrugged nonchalantly.
"I doubt it, Guv, but thank you," her lips turned up at the corners slightly as he leant back in his chair and inclined his head politely.
"Why's that then Bollykegs?" his hand played across her thigh, dancing lightly across the denim of her skin tight jeans while he looked at her with an expression of utter boredom. She closed her eyes very briefly, then looked back at him and smiled.
"Oh it's nothing... I'm just completely and utterly drenched." The accentuation of that one word caught his attention like nothing else could have done, and if he hadn't already been looking at her, he'd have cricked his neck with the speed of his reaction to it. Alex fluttered her eyelashes, then said softly, "its Ray's fault, anyway, Guv... he just looks so... rugged!"
Gene's hand gripped her thigh tightly as he slid closer to her, looking up at her as she bit her lip and looked at him coyly. "Right, Bols... anything else?" His teeth were gritted and Alex smiled, shaking her head in satisfaction.
"No, no that's it... I suppose the only way to help myself is to go and proposition Ray, wouldn't you agree?" She was toying with him and he hated it, but he couldn't even begin to play along. She did it often enough; it was Vic she'd pretended to fall for last time, and he'd gotten so pissed off he'd dragged her to the mens room and told her in exquisite detail what he, not Vic, could do to her... needless to say, she hadn't felt the need to repeat that particular 'crush', but he was always on the lookout for the next one, knowing he'd get unreasonably riled and jealous.
"Only if you want a greedy-grope and a quickie in a back alley with his head between your tits!" His voice was a low growl and Alex visibly shivered.
"Oh that sounds wonderful..." her eyes were closed, her head thrown back, and Gene was seriously close to throwing her down over the desk and having his filthy way with her.
He moved closer, hands on her hips as he let out a soft growl and spoke in a sultry undertone. "I'll do it five times better and last ten times longer than bloody Raymondo, Drake!"
Her eyes were glittering as she leant forwards to whisper in his ear. "Prove it!" With a flirtatious wink, she slid from the table and walked towards the office door. "I'll meet you out the back alley in five minutes, Mr Hunt... and if you're not there, then I suppose DS Carling will get to prove his efficiency once and for all!"
He was round the table and pressed against her in a second, hands on her buttocks as he growled possessively in her ear. Her own hands grabbed his waist for support as she swayed at the effect of his closeness. "I'd rather chew off my own testicles, Bols. He can keep his paws off an' all." His mouth was barely an inch from hers and she closed the distance, relaxing against him and sliding her hands more comfortably around him, pulling his overcoat slightly back. He kissed her possessively, then pulled back with a dark, lustful look in his eyes.
"Three minutes, Bollyknickers. You better run."
Once in the main office of CID, Alex unfolded the crumpled piece of paper she had seen Gene hastily tuck away, the same one that she had just extracted from deep within his overcoat pocket, a smirk spreading over her face as she saw his familiar trademark doodling. Heading over to Ray, she leant on his desk, fully aware that Gene would be watching from within the confines of his own office, and spoke calmly and levelly. "Ray, do you have spare cuffs? I've lost mine. Me and the Guv are off on a call... any spare?"
Ray shrugged, puffing on his cigarette as he unclipped the cuffs and handed them over without complaint. "Enjoy that," he said, tilting his head in the direction of Gene, who was currently looking towards the pair of them with murder in his eyes. "He looks like a cheery git."
Alex smiled. "Oh he's just got a knot in his knickers, that's all." She tucked the cuffs out of sight and nodded her thanks. "We'll see you later."
Without another word, she sauntered out of CID, with Gene close on her heels as he stormed out of his private office, slamming his door and glaring daggers at Ray as he went.
He knew she wasn't doing anything... they were just talking, and that was fine... or at least it would be, if she wasn't leaning over his desk with her tits on show down her top, with Ray looking down at them like a deer panting for sodding water.
He didn't know what Ray had given her, he just saw them both reaching toward one another, and the smile on her face as she sauntered off, looking back over her shoulder at him. He'd seen Ray inclining his head towards Gene himself, and he didn't bloody like it. He could handle the fact Alex was gorgeous, and that Ray's natural reaction was to flirt, but he didn't need to put up with the two of them getting cosy just to make him uncomfortable.
He stormed out of his office, set on making her his once and for all, without any questions or room for uncertainty.
She was in the alley out back only thirty seconds ahead of himself, but in that time she'd managed to sprawl herself against the railings of a fire escape with an elegance and air of seductiveness that he didn't think he'd witnessed from any woman in the whole of his existence. He looked over her appraisingly, at her hands wrapped around separate railings, one leg straight out while the other was bent and on the wall, the white boots she wore looking out of place and bloody arousing in stark contrast to the dark alleyway before them.
Gene didn't say a word as he advanced on her, pressing the length of his body to hers and feeling her melt in response. With a smile, he leant forwards, lips teasing the skin at her neck very briefly before he pulled her flush against him, stifling a groan as she wrapped her arms around his back, holding him as close as was physically possible, her crotch brushing his as she trembled in his arms.
"Tell me, Bols... does Ray get you shaking like a bleeding jellyfish without even kissing you?" His voice was a low, fierce growl, and she trembled in response.
"I think he'd give you a good run for your money..." she wanted to tangle her fingers in his hair and let him take her right then, but resisted, smiling at the possibility of further rankling the Manc lion. It worked. His hands shot to her arms, pinioning them against the railings above her head with a glitter of lust in his eyes.
"Really, Bols?" He leant forwards to breathe lightly on the V of her blouse, privately enjoying the view before bringing his lips back to her ear. "I reckon you'd be gushin' for the Gene Genie before Carling even got a dribble outta you..."
"So crude!" She murmured agreeably, turning her face in an attempt to capture his mouth, but he turned away, moving his lips to her neck, remaining just out of reach of her own as he sucked and nibbled his way down to the valley between her breasts, hoisting her up with one arm whilst the other held her hands above their heads still. He left a trail of marks across her skin, perfectly visible next to her clothes, standing out like sore thumbs from the creamy alabaster of her normal skin tone. He heard her whimper of approval, felt her legs wrap around his waist and her arms struggle against his restraint. Using her legs to anchor her to him, he pressed her firmly to the wall, both hands holding hers above them as he growled gruffly and in complete demand into her skin.
"Don't bloody struggle," he grunted. "Gunna show you just how good I am Bols... fuck Ray and his teeny bollucks..."
"Oh I'd like that," she said with exaggerated enthusiasm. He pressed his hips harder into hers, biting down hard on her neck.
"Like fuck would you, he wouldn't even make you grunt. Want a real man, Bols, or a nancy poofter with a blow up dong?" He wasn't quite sure where that insult had come from, since he didn't believe Ray to be either a nancy or a poofter, but it was getting to him, and he knew she wanted it to, but he had to please her, didn't he? She wanted it, wanted him, and he was going to be exactly what she wanted; raw, passionate, possessive and incredible; the Gene Genie at his very best.
"A real man would let go of my hands," she teased seductively. Gene met her eyes, unadulterated lust blazing in their depths.
"A real woman could handle being relieved of their use," he retorted, giving as good as he got. She smiled at him.
"But a real woman likes to use her hands for dark deeds... and if there's no hands..." she pouted down at him, grinding herself against him with her hips and eliciting a deep groan of agreement from him.
"Good women know how to use their mouths in equal measure!" His eyes glinted, hands still gripping her wrists tightly, though not hard enough to cause her any pain.
With a smirk, Alex leant forwards and whispered. "I'll use both, and I'll swallow, if you let go of my hands this second..."
She was free in a flash, giggling as his mouth devoured hers and his hands fell to the curve of her bottom, caressing her lightly through the fabric of her jeans as he fervently plunged into her mouth with his tongue, treasuring the responsive moans and whimpers as he ground against her, pressing her into the railings and causing some discomfort. When he finally pulled back, he looked down at her lips, swollen and red, and he hardly hid a whimper of his own. "Down." He ordered breathily, and she smirked, dropping her legs from his waist and falling to her knees before him. Her hands went straight to his buckle, working quickly and unconsciously as she looked up at him, lips wet and parted, eyes wide and hair in disarray. He thought he was going to combust with arousal. "Don't look at me," he muttered, "the lamp needs bloody rubbing."
With a seductive smirk, Alex lowered her eyes, unzipping his trousers and lowering his boxers enough that he was accessible to her. With a soft moan, she leant forwards, eyes closed as she took the head into her mouth, humming her pleasure as she did so, forcing him to grip her head tight in his hands as she began to move up and down his length, tongue flicking out along him whilst her hands moved down to cup his testicles, providing a gentle massage that forced him to let out an impressive stream of profanities, even by his standards.
"Good girl," he groaned, "bloody good girl..." She hummed in agreement, hands moving to his waist as she continued to attend to him with her mouth, slipping off him only to trace his length with the very tip of her tongue, placing soft kisses along the whole of his rod whilst her hands worked two items free of his belt hooks. He didn't notice, didn't care or know anything in that moment other than the fact he was getting sucked off in an almost fully public place by his inferior officer, throbbing and pulsing as her mouth engulfed and worked him again. He couldn't take much more. "You best swallow, Drake," he grunted. "Don't wanna waste a drop... bloody good..." he let out a final utterance of his bliss, hands holding her head in place as he released himself within her warm mouth, feeling her tongue seeking out each drop from his tip before pulling back, swallowing, her gulp visible as she looked up at him, hands still on his waist.
"Satisfied?" She said throatily, slightly deterred by his salty taste, but knowing he'd show his appreciation later. He readjusted his jeans and boxers with a slow nod.
"I'll give you a good reference, if that's what you're after..." his breath came short as he pulled her to her feet, catching her mouth with his and pressing her once more against the uncomfortable railings. "You're turn, 'ey Bols?"
Alex smiled, "I should like to think so..."
He braced himself against the railing with his hand, using the banister as a support as he tried to catch his breath. Alex's hand stroked along the length of his arm, his eyes closed to the sensation before he pressed his mouth to hers fiercely. She sighed into his mouth, enjoying the passion of his kiss, her hand still on his arm.
There were two quick, successive clicks, and Gene's head snapped up as Alex fastened handcuffs around his wrist and the banister itself. He looked at her with undisguised shock. "What the bloody 'ell Bols?"
She grinned, taking advantage of his shock to push him around so that it was his back to the wall, not hers. He growled, free hand shooting forward to grab her, but she jumped backwards, smiling in satisfaction at the sight of her flushed DCI cuffed to the dingy railings of a backstreet. "Is that any way to treat your host, Mister Hunt?"
His jaw was set tight, then he looked at her in amusement as though he had just remembered something of utter importance. "You're forgetting the fact I've got the Master Key to your cuffs Bollyknickers." His hand went to his belt, aiming for the hook at the back where he kept all of his keys, only to discover that they weren't there. Looking up at her, he saw Alex dangling the keys in front of her, a smile on her face as she looked over him appraisingly.
"I'm the first female DI for a reason, Guv... I believe these are yours?" She grinned and leant against the opposite wall, eyes full of mischief. "You look good in cuffs," she said suggestively, "maybe you should wear them more often..." Her hands trailed down her stomach slowly, and he fooled himself into thinking she was going to strip. Instead, her hands simply brought forward another pair of cuffs, which she spun on her finger thoughtfully. "I'd love to use these as well," she murmured, "but then how would you fuck me? I'm not strong enough to hold myself up... so I suppose leaving you with one hand free could be beneficial... for both of us."
Gene raised one eyebrow. "I don't see how having one arm cuffed is going to be bloody beneficial Bols. And if it's more of your psycho-pish-posh, I really can't be arsed at this particular moment in time."
"Can't you?" She grinned, "not even when you think that just across the street is the whole of your team... the whole of CID..." she placed the keys and cuffs out of his reach, then swayed her hips seductively as she approached him. "I could just walk off and tell them I've found their DCI cuffed up with his pants around his ankles... mmm... I think that would go down well..."
"You're bluffing," he growled. "They'd bloody know it was you. Not complete retards..."
"But who, Gene, would get the stick for being so... submissive.... to a female officer?" she smiled, coming back into touching distance. His free arm shot out and around her waist almost instantaneously, bringing her against him flush and tight. He twisted her against the railings again, with no resistance. When his only free hand went to her jeans and couldn't undo the button, he knew why she looked so bloody self-satisfied.
"Would you like a hand?" She asked politely, smirking unashamedly up at him. "Only, I have the feeling that this..." she popped the button with ease, "might come in handy?"
"Gunna pay for this Bols..." he unzipped her jeans and slid his hand into her pants, thumb gently teasing her clit as he slid two fingers within her tight passage, slowly and teasingly. "Slow... slow's good, 'ey Bols? Better than a rough shag against the wall of a back street, right?"
She was soaking, her body quaking at his words and his touch. She refused to let him see her giving in, gently rubbing her hips against his hands and closing her eyes, murmuring softly under her breath. "Slow's good Ray... so good..." the devious smirk on her face told him all he needed to know, and instantly his fingers were pumping into her with a ferocity she hadn't predicted or imagined, but loved all the same.
"I'm not Ray, Bols, and well you know it... Trying to make me jealous? It's working. I'm a bloody dangerous man you know, Bolly? You've seen me in action, seen me come undone... I can be fricking terrifying and have your knickers in knots and over your head like a bat out of hell..." he roughly stroked her clit, biting into her neck before whispering, just as her climax took her, "don't tease me, Bols, 'cause you won't like it when I'm angry. Ray can stare at your tits and arse all day if needs be, but you never, ever, give him the incentive to touch them, understand? 'Cause as far as I'm concerned, they're sole property of the Gene Genie!" She was quivering under his touch and he worried briefly if he'd gone too far, if his possessive nature had shown out to the point that it scared her... he was momentarily terrified, wanting to take it back, when suddenly she'd thrown her arms round his neck, slamming him back into the railings so hard he bruised, and his arm jarred slightly as the cuffs pulled at him. He let out a grunt of pain, but mingled with her passionate attentions it was heaven and he'd never known anything like it. He was hard to the point of pain and didn't understand how being half-hindered with the use of his arm, unable to move more than a metre, turned him on quite so much. Her mouth was assaulting his own, tongues battling as his free arm crushed her against him. She had one leg wrapped around the back of his own, arms around him, hand tangled in his soft blonde hair whilst she ground her hips roughly against him.
"Fuck... Gene... need you..." she moaned softly as he attacked her neck with his lips, her hand sliding down his back and round to his trousers, pushing them and his boxers lower down his hips.
"Trousers, off," he growled in her ear. "Can't fuck you otherwise."
She looked at him in contemplation. If she did what he said, she was pretty much relinquishing her power over him... but then, if she didn't, she couldn't have what she wanted, and she couldn't bear the thought of going back into CID without being sated. She released her hold on him, undoing her boots quickly and pushing her trousers down her body, pulling her long blouse down enough that it would cover her buttocks from view. Gene watched in frustration; every second was too long, and his wrist hurt as a result of kissing her so uncontrollably whilst restrained; certain angles made the metal dig into him, and he was unwilling to relent his passion simply for less pain, but while he had to dwell on it, it bloody hurt.
"Hurry up," he growled, just as she slid the jeans off her ankles and dropped them, "I haven't got all bloody day!" He pressed her roughly back against the railing once more, hauling her back up with one arm and shoving into the quick of her instantly.
It was heaven and hell all at once.
Heaven, because it felt so bloody good! Because he was going to shag her until she couldn't walk straight, and because her perfume smelt so damn delectable as he sucked and bit her neck without any hesitation.
Hell, because he knew that he'd never live this down with her once he got home, and because he was going to have to work with her smug self-satisfied grin for the rest of the day, and put up with the fact that, if he argued with her, that knowing, scheming smirk would spread over her face and he'd have to practically kiss the ground she walked on so she wouldn't tell everyone else..
It pissed him off that she'd bested him, but looking at her wanton expression, he reasoned that there were worse things she could have had him do; at least he'd got one hell of a blowjob out of the whole experience. She always was good at that...
"Fuck, Bols," he grunted, thrusting hard and fast into her, breath laboured and heavy, the arm wrapped around her waist hurting as it was pressed with varying force and at different angles into the metal of the railings to which he was tied. "Gunna pay for this later... gunna pay..." he groaned as she squeezed him tighter between her legs, her breath brushing his ear as he rammed into her repeatedly.
"Hope so..." she gasped, "really hope so... mmm.... so good..." He turned his face to hers, pressing their lips together and keeping her head pressed against the railing as he completely possessed both her body and mind with his touch. She was whimpering against him and he knew she was close...
He didn't move for several minutes after they were done. He stayed buried in her, arm still tight around her, his tight grip leaving bruises the size of his fingers in the soft flesh of her back but neither of them bothered to care.
Eventually, Alex pushed gently on his shoulders and slid from him, picking up her discarded jeans in scarlet embarrassment as she stood, in the middle of the alley, getting dressed. Gene watched with smug amusement, glad that it wasn't just him experiencing private humiliation; after all, it was all her fault. Eventually she bent down to pick up the keys from the floor, walking over to him and smiling slightly as she unlocked his cuffs. "Good job nobody ever comes down here," she smiled, "or we might be in trouble."
Gene raised an eyebrow as she spoke, her hands unclasping the metal on his wrist. "I think it's fair to say we just came down here..." Alex flushed slightly, hooking the cuffs on her belt and pressing a swift kiss to his lips.
"We better get back..." she said softly before he could respond. "They'll be wondering where we are."
"They think we're on a job," he grunted, rubbing his sore wrist in frustration to try and work the knots out of it. "We can take as long as we need."
She smiled. "We'll have another go later, ok?"
Making an odd noise of what she assumed to be agreement, Gene followed her out of the alley, both having readjusted their clothing to be presentable.
"Handcuffs, Bolly?" He muttered as they entered CID again. Alex grinned.
"I was really stealing your own idea... I just readjusted it ever so slightly to meet my own ends..." and with that, she pressed the crumpled up page from his notepad into his hand, a devious smirk on her lips as she swayed back over to her desk.
He blinked, then followed, standing next to her desk and saying rather loudly, "right, Drake, you can stay after hours tonight and learn how to properly cuff a suspect, understand?"
The rest of CID turned to look at them and Alex tried her best not to blush as both Ray and Chris stifled giggles at her apparent lack of expertise. Deciding it was best not to miss the opportunity, she nodded slowly and replied, "yes Guv... and while you're at it, perhaps you could teach me how to get out of them, since I'm sure you're the kind of man who can wriggle out of tight situations like that... especially when it's a woman holding the key..." her eyes glinted dangerously, and Gene ground his jaw briefly, before heading into his own office and slamming his door to the astounded gasps, following by the dawning recognition and the raucous laughter.
Three hours later found his DI cuffed to the table in the interview room, face down with each limb cuffed to a separate leg of the table.
Gene didn't even bother to look smug.
Turned out to be much more smutty than I intended. Ah well nevermind...


text:
Why covering the changing of the guard at Downing Street is really the cat's whiskers
The everyday stress of covering the hectic life of British politics also has its fuzzy side, as Good Morning Britain journalist Peter Cardwell reports
As Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins and I jumped out of the taxi on Tuesday at 5.30am, we knew that it was going to be yet another momentous day in a turbulent month in British politics.
David Cameron was about to resign, and Theresa May was preparing to become the next Prime Minister. As we met our sound man and cameraman in Downing Street, we shivered in the cold. But we were welcomed by two little friends with the warmest of hearts.
While David and Samantha were packing their bags to make way for Theresa and Philip, there are two residents of "The Street" (as we Westminster hacks call it) who are going absolutely nowhere - Larry and Palmerston.
Larry the cat has been chief mouser at Downing Street since 2011, and he's recently been joined by Palmerston at the Foreign Office, which backs onto Downing Street. The two share territory, and have been known to cross paws from time to time, notably earlier in the week in footage captured by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
Larry, like Palmerston, is a rescue cat from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and was chosen because of his predatory skills after various rodents were spotted in and around Downing Street. Wisely, the Camerons chose a rescue cat. As a fully paid-up member of Cats Protection myself, I am glad our now former Prime Minister followed the 'adopt, don't shop' rule, which discourages farming and gives preference to homing rescued animals.
He even paid tribute to Larry during his last Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, saying: "I can't take Larry with me because the staff love him very much, as do I."
Sadly, like many in high political office, Larry's mouse-catching manifesto promised more than he could deliver, and he has caught very few mice.
But what the brown and white tabby has given we journalists who spend lots of time hanging around waiting for the Prime Minister to emerge, as well as the hundreds of staff and politicians who go through the famous black door every day, is a lovely feline focus on something soft, fluffy, friendly and not at all political. He's very tame, and happy to be fussed over by the journalists and camera crews, often showing just how relaxed he is by displaying his ample tummy.
More active than lazy old Larry, and more inquisitive, is Palmerston. The black and white moggy is even friendlier, and often wonders over from the Foreign Office across the road, sniffing around the Press pack and accepting strokes and chin scratches.
Named after the former Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston, his original name was Leonard - the website BuzzFeed actually put in a Freedom of Information request to gain this information.
His record on rodent control is much better, with at least three mouse kills since he started work at the Foreign Office in April.
Palmerston's credentials have been questioned, however, with former Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond quizzed by a Conservative MP, Keith Simpson, in May, whether the moggy had "been positively vetted by the security service and scanned for bugs by GCHQ". "Can you assure the House, and the more paranoid element of the Brexiteers, of Palmerston's British provenance and that he is not a long-term mole working for the EU Commission," he asked.
Hammond replied: "He is definitely not a mole, and I can categorically assure you that Palmerston has been regularly vetted. As for being a sleeper, he is definitely a sleeper, I am told very often in my office. His attendance record has been 100%. My experts tell me that pretty much rules out the possibility of him being a commission employee."
Until recently, Downing Street had a third cat, owned by the Osbornes. As George Osborne moves on, his wife, Frances, and children, Luke (14) and Liberty (12), will be moving out of Number 11, but Freya has already gone. The tabby has a habit of doing a disappearing act. In 2009, when she was a few months old, she went missing from the Osbornes' family home in west London. Despite an extensive search including posters, they failed to find her, and gave up hope. He was later located and moved into Downing Street, sparking rumours lazy Larry would be stripped of his title as chief mouser.
Luckily, a job share was proposed, and for a couple of years, until Freya retired to the countryside, she was the scourge of many a rodent in the corridors of power. Sadly, Freya had an accident at one point and was hit by a car, but she was nursed back to health.
I consulted legendary Sky political correspondent Peter Spencer, now retired, for an insight into Downing Street pets of days gone by.
Peter told me: "I can remember Humphrey, who was chief mouser under Major and then Blair, who was prone to wandering. More than once I had to chase him up Whitehall and bring him back. But let's not forget the fox who regularly used to pad up Downing Street, utterly impervious to security or anything else.
"One of the coppers confided in me that he had to keep it a secret from his wife (because she hated foxes), but he used to regularly feed the creature!"
Downing Street, for understandable reasons, is a hugely secure street, fenced off from the public. There are dozens of armed police officers and constant comings and goings, whether it's the Education Secretary coming in for a meeting, or a bin man driving his lorry through the huge black metal gates to collect the Camerons' empties.
As a teenager who dreamed of working as a journalist in and around Westminster, there are some things you can't know in advance.
Downing Street, for example, is always freezing, caught in some sort of weird wind tunnel no matter what the weather. There are no toilets for journalists, so you have to nip up to McDonald's on Whitehall, hoping they won't force you to buy a Big Mac (and that the PM won't come out to resign while you're doing a pee).
The houses themselves are mainly offices and staterooms, rather than a residence, and I've been inside the big black door a number of times for meetings and receptions.
As a political producer on Newsnight and Question Time previously, I had to meet David Cameron's head of broadcasting every few months, and once we met in The White Room. The very day before, an ailing Margaret Thatcher had visited Number 10, and met David Cameron in that same room. The Number 10 gardener had very thoughtfully cut Baroness Thatcher's favourite flowers and put them in a vase, and they were still on display beside the sofa as the official and I discussed which poor Cabinet minister had drawn the short straw for Question Time that week.
Believe it or not, twice a year the Prime Minister has the Press pack in for drinks - once at Christmas and once in the summer.
Despite the often tricky relationship between the Prime Minister and the media, these occasions are always good fun. In the winter, the huge Christmas tree dominates The Street, and mulled wine and gossip are the order of the evening. Ascending the famous staircase to the function rooms, you are confronted by the portraits of every British Prime Minister. It's quite a house, and the novelty never wears off.
In the summer, the parties are usually in the Downing Street garden and, shorn of their mobile phones for security reasons, the Press pack is very relaxed, and the Prime Minister happily stands and chats.
As a minnow in this grouping alongside such big beasts as Robert Peston, Laura Kuenssberg and Adam Boulton, in my experience David Cameron nonetheless always said hello and had a brief chat with anyone who wants to talk. It's quite fun saying to your friends the next day: "As I was saying to the Prime Minister last night..."
I've interviewed Theresa May a number of times, mainly when I worked for Sky News. We went to the same college at Oxford University, St Hugh's, and like me she is an obsessive Earl Grey tea drinker (both of us carry bags of it around with us in case - horror of horrors - there is none available).
She is quite a serious person, but always pleasant, and her steely determination shines through
Obviously, as a journalist, I don't back any political party, but, like those Earl Grey teabags. I have every confidence Mrs May will prove her strength when she's put in hot water.
- Peter Cardwell is a reporter for Good Morning Britain
Belfast Telegraph


text: The Romanian tourist who was knocked into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge during an attack on Britain's Houses of Parliament more than two weeks ago has died after removal of life support, police have confirmed. Andreea Cristea was rescued from the cold river after the attack, in which British attacker Khalid Masood drove a rented SUV into pedestrians on the bridge and then fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer outside Parliament. She was holidaying with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, who had intended to propose to her the very day of the attack. He suffered a broken foot in the attack. Andreea's death brings the death toll from the attack to five, plus Masood, who was shot dead by police. Her family and Burnaz described Andreea as "our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts," and said they would be donating to charity all the money raised to help her since the March 22 attack.