Florida man kills his daughter and her six children

A grandfather shot dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at a home in Bell, Florida, police have said.

The children range in age from three months to 10 years old, said Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz.
The authorities have identified the gunman as Don Charles Spirit, 51.
Schultz said a colleague responded to reports of a shooting on Thursday afternoon and on arrival made contact with Spirit before he killed himself.
"I haven't seen anything like this at all," said Schultz.
"This county, this community is going to be devastated from this. It is a small county, we are all family here.
"We're asking for prayers for this community and the families involved."
After Spirit took his own life, police found the other seven bodies in the house, although there were other people there who were still alive.
Spirit, who was known to police previously, was the only suspect, said Schultz.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the grandfather was once behind bars for a gun charge, and was released in February 2006.
Bell is a town of about 350 people located 30 miles west of Gainesville.
Multiple shootings in the US have happened in schools, colleges, military institutions, shopping malls and homes. Each time innocent victims die, but this rural community has been shaken by the multiple killing, says the BBC's Tom Esslemont in Washington.

Open House London: How to visit 10 Downing Street

Landmark buildings in Westminster and Whitehall normally closed to the public gaze will be open this weekend, even offering the chance to visit Downing Street.
In a Daily Politics film, Giles Dilnot looks at five of the political buildings that can be visited in the Open House London event, and how a security check awaits some visitors.

Scottish referendum: What does it mean for England?

Across Northern Britain, Scots are waking up to find their country has voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. But how will their decision affect England?

The River Tweed has twisted along England's northern border for centuries.
Along the meadows and gardens that slope down to meet it, you will see anglers patiently hoping to catch the trout and salmon for which the river is famous.
But this morning, those who live along the river are waking to find this unchanging part of the world has changed irrevocably.
For despite the success of the "No" campaign in Scotland, it will mean big changes - changes that are not altogether welcome on the English side of the border.

Live Blog: Tracking the Giant Alibaba I.P.O.

Alibaba has captured the attention of American investors, politicians and consumers to an extent that’s unusual for a company that does much of its business in China.

The company’s shares priced at $68 on Thursday, making it one of the biggest initial public offerings in history. Apart from making its insiders rich and providing fees to Wall Street, the initial public offering reflects the rise of China’s consumer class. Investors see it as perhaps the best chance yet to buy into the country’s growth. The American-based technology giant Yahoo owns a significant stake in Alibaba, helping bolster its own stock price.

As the company begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange this morning, DealBook is taking a look at some of its past milestones, tracking its stock performance and offering analysis on how Wall Street is viewing this behemoth:

Falcons’ Blowout of Buccaneers Features a Record Return by Devin Hester

Devin Hester high-stepped to an N.F.L. record with his 20th career return touchdown, Julio Jones caught two scoring passes and the Atlanta Falcons beat the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 56-14, on Thursday night.

Atlanta scored all of its points in the first three quarters. Tampa Bay did not put up a point until midway through the fourth.

Hester ran back a punt 62 yards down the left side midway through the second quarter to give the Falcons a seven-touchdown lead. He has 14 career punt return touchdowns, five scores on kickoffs and one on a fumble return.

The previous record was held by the Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, a former Falcon who was working the game as a television analyst. Sanders was on the video board smiling and raising his arms as the public address announcer told the Georgia Dome crowd about Hester’s achievement.

The Falcons tied a team record for largest halftime lead at 35 points. They were up, 42-7, against Tampa Bay on Jan. 1, 2012.Hester, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Chicago Bears before signing as a free agent with Atlanta, copied Sanders’s renowned high step, putting his left arm up beside his helmet after he ran past punter Michael Koenen to cover the last 20 yards. Hester scored earlier in the second on a 20-yard reverse.

A Scottish Vote for Freedom

Scottish voters head to the polls Thursday to answer a simple question that will trigger very complicated effects: Should Scotland be an independent country?
If a majority votes yes, the nation – which has been under British rule since 1707 – will separate from the United Kingdom countries of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Scottish government refers to the referendum as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” because only one vote for independence was guaranteed by the 2012 Edinburgh Agreement, to take place by the end of 2014. That agreement was signed by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scottish officials and assured Scotland the ability to hold a referendum on its future.
While the “No” campaign was leading by a wide margin into September, a YouGov poll released Sept. 7 saw the “Yes” campaign take the majority for the first time, with 51 percent of Scottish voters saying they’d cast a ballot in favor of independence. But YouGov’s poll this week put the “No” campaign back ahead, forecasting it as the likely outcome.
Supporters of independence – led by the Scottish National Party and First Minister Alex Salmond, its most powerful voice – want autonomy in their domestic affairs. The party says leaving the United Kingdom will give Scotland full control over its economy, as well as things like social and energy policies.

LeBron 12: LeBron James visits Oregon to show off Nike's newest hightop

LeBron James' move from the Miami Heat to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer was only the beginning of a monumentally busy offseason for the National Basketball Association star.
Wife Savannah Brinson is expecting their third child – their first daughter – any day. And on Tuesday, James was at Nike's headquarters near Beaverton to unveil the 12^th edition of his signature hightop sneaker.
It's big business for Nike, and for James, 29. His endorsement contract with the shoemaker is worth $20 million annually – nearly as much as his contract with the Cavaliers. Reports put the price tag on the new shoe, which will be released in retail stores Oct. 11, at $200 a pair.
The stakes are high commercially, and athletically. James only wore his last shoe, the LeBron 11, intermittently last season and he acknowledged Tuesday that there were issues with the fit.
On Tuesday, though, James and Nike were very much on the same page, showing off the new, neon-colored LeBron 12, engineered with a hexagonal sole in place of the waffle pattern that defined Nike's early running shoes.
"The new technology is lightweight," James said. "It allows me to explode. When I'm landing it allows me to absorb the landing."
Nike said a player landing after a 32-inch vertical leap (James has a 40-inch vertical) can create force 10 times that of the athlete's body weight. The company boasts that its hexagonal pattern, on a sole composed of air and fiber, distributes that impact.
The shoe Nike showed off Tuesday has an aqua-green mesh, an orange border on the black Nike Swoosh, and pastel hexagons on the sole. But James said that's not necessarily the color scheme he'll be wearing on opening day – the NBA has strict guidelines that mute colors on uniforms and shoes.
This week's visit provides an opportunity for Nike and James to compare notes, to map out a marketing strategy for the coming year and to talk about what works – and what doesn't – in its shoes. James declined to go into details about issues with the LeBron 11, but said that both parties took that shoe's shortcomings very seriously.
"It hurt both of us because we loved the shoe so much, the 11, but it wasn't performing the way we wanted it to perform at a high level," he said.
That trouble informed the design of the LeBron 12, James said Tuesday. He said he has been working out in the new shoes for more than three weeks and has been pleased with the early results.
Also this summer, James said, he went on a strict, 67-day diet to test his mental fortitude.
"I had no sugars. No dairy. I had no carbs. All I ate was meat, fish, veggies and fruit," James said.
"I lost a ton of weight," he said -- something most dieters would welcome, but a change that isn't ideal for an NBA forward. "Hopefully I can pick a couple pounds back up."
In dollar terms, James is worth more to Nike than the company's chief executive (Mark Parker, who did not speak at Tuesday's event, made about $15 million last year, $5 million less than the company reportedly paid James).
Of course, NBA teams' spending is constrained by a salary cap. There's no cap on what footwear companies can spend on their endorsement contracts.
Indeed, Nike regulatory filings indicate the company will spend close to $1 billion on endorsement contracts this year. It's a key element of the company's image, which is just as important to Nike as the actual shoes and apparel it sells.
As the company says in its notes to investors, Nike's "iconic brands have worldwide recognition, and our success depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand image and reputation."
Nike's shoe releases have been a cultural event since the first Air Jordans hit the market in 1985. And the cluster of press from around the country and around the globe fawning over the LeBron sneakers is a testament to continued enthusiasm that rivals, among some, movie or video game releases.
After choosing to leave the Miami Heat during the offseason and return to his hometown Cavaliers, James publicly debated whether to return to wearing the number he last wore in Cleveland, No. 23. He said he was weighing whether that number should be reserved for Michael Jordan.
On Tuesday, James said he continues to look to Jordan for inspiration – on and off the court: "Follow the blueprint."
"Hopefully someday I can get to that point where I have my own standalone brand where I can sign other athletes that fit my motto," James said. "But at the end of the day, playing basketball and winning is the No. 1 thing. And that's what I learned from Mike."