Winter Shoots

As tensions rise between Iran and the West with sanctions against Iran's oil industry being put in place by the US and European countries, UN nuclear inspectors arrive in Tehran. Their task to check out claims that Iran's nuclear programme is not purely to make energy but nuclear weapons too.

These inspectors, from The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expect full and open access to Iran's nuclear facilities and lead scientists. They need to confirm Iran's claims that the programme does not include the production of nuclear weapons.


Iranian's appear welcoming of the visit, feel that it will stop once and for all 'rumours' spread by the West and in particular by the US, that its nuclear programme is not only a civilian operation.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asgar Soltaniyeh, calls these rumours "enemy plots".

winter shoots
the power of nature
over words

Paul Conneally

Snow Blind

A teenage girl watches in horror as her mother collapses and dies in a ski slope chair lift. Jade Ramsden and her mother, Cheryl Fairbrother, are going up Monetier’s L’Yret at Serre Chevalier, when Cheryl suddenly becomes ill.

Emergency services try to resuscitate the stricken skier but to no avail and she dies before reaching hospital. Cheryl was visiting her daughter Jade working in the French ski resort of Serre Chevalier when the tragedy occurs.

snow blind
nothing but sadness
on this mountain

Paul Conneally

Bone and Blood

Ex boxing champion turned promoter, Ricky Hatton, tells boxer Amir Khan to avoid Floyd Mayweather. Hatton says Khan should put off all thoughts of meeting Mayweather for the foreseeable future.

Hatton believes that Mayweather would be just too good for Khan at present. Khan has made it known that he would like to fight Mayweather as soon as possible. Khan recently caused uproar in the boxing world when he accused the ringside judges of skullduggery after his controversial loss to Lamont Peterson last month.

bone and blood
the boxer looks anxiously
at his towel

Paul Conneally

Vitamin D Could Save Elderly Eyes

Vitamin D supplements could help combat many eye diseases of the elderly according to new research undertaken in the UK. Taking a simple vitamin D supplement was shown to lead to improvements in the sight of mice as quickly as six weeks into treatment.

The vitamin, which also prevents rickets, can combat such diseases as macular degeneration of the eye. Scientists believe that the vitamin could have similar effects on the human eye as it does on the eyes of mice.

Vitamin D deficiency causes a problem with blood flow and scientists believe that this effects the blood flow to the retina at the back of the eye. Better circulation could result in less eye problems.

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