Landmark case enshrines civil partnership as 'identical' to marriage ...

Civil partners have ?identical? rights to husbands and wives, three senior judges established yesterday as they settled the first multi-million pound civil partnership split to come before the courts.

The case acknowledges that the same principles should apply as to when a husband and wife divorce. ?The court have stated that the fact that the claim arises from the dissolution of a Civil Partnership rather than a marriage is of little importance.

Fundamentally, the case highlights that an outcome for civil partners can be just as uncertain and inconsistent as it can be for divorcing spouses. To try and minimise uncertainty, it is advisable for civil partners, as it is for spouses with pre-nuptial agreements, to consider a pre-registration agreement to try to determine how the assets should be divided if the relationship ends.

The Law Commission is currently reviewing legislation on how married couples and civil partners can claim financial support from one another after a divorce or dissolution. It is hoped that the outcome of this review will result in more certainty and clarity for marriage couples or civil partners whose relationships have come to an end. However there is no prospect of change for the foreseeable future so the best option in the meantime is for couples to seek advice about entering into a pre-nuptial or pre-registration agreement before getting married or entering into a civil partnership.

This case is particularly interesting in light of the government?s current consultation into same sex marriage. If civil partners rights are the same as married couples rights when the relationship ends it raises questions as to why there needs to be two separate systems for partnership recognition. Have your say on gay marriage by taking part in our survey:

http://www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk/services/individuals/family-law-and-mediation/lgbt-relationships/gay-marriage-survey/

?By Gemma Hope

gavin degraw dwts oberon donald driver donald driver robin thicke mariana trench

Missouri Workers' Comp Insurer To Pay $2M Dividend | Insurance ...

Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co. says it will pay more than $2 million in dividends this spring to more than 11,000 policyholders. The Columbia-based workers? compensation insurance company says the payments will go to those who had policies in effect ?

View full post on Insurance Journal ? News

Tags: Comp, dividend, Insurer, Missouri, Workers

uppity stuffing brandon mcinerney brandon mcinerney black friday 2011 deals nfl power rankings week 12 nfl power rankings week 12

Bodies of 2 teens in 'Speed Freak Killers' well

FRENCH CAMP, Calif.?? Authorities on Friday released the identities of two Northern California teens whose remains were found inside an abandoned well linked to two men known as the "Speed Freak Killers."

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. If you won the Mega Millions lottery, what's your first act?
   2. MasterCard, Visa confirm major card data theft
   3. Zimmerman had 2005 run-in with police at bar
   4. Hong Kong firm loses $4.9 billion in value in one day
   5. Carnival air in Myanmar ahead of election
   6. Lights on or off? Earth Hour faces new challenger
   7. Afghan massacre: Bales case echoes for vets on hotline

San Joaquin County Sheriff Steve Moore identified 19-year-old Kimberly Billy, who went missing in 1984 at the age of 19. He says 16-year-old Joann Hobson disappeared in 1985.

Moore says a third body found is awaiting identification.

Investigators believe they were victims of Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog, who authorities say went on a methamphetamine-fueled killing spree in the 1980s and 90s.

Shermantine is now on death row for four murders. He sent authorities on a massive search last month after he agreed to disclose burial locations in exchange for $33,000 from a bounty hunter.

Searchers combed a remote Calaveras County property once owned by Shermantine's family and excavated an abandoned well near the farming town of Linden.

At the Calaveras County property, they found the remains of Cyndi Vanderheiden, 25, who disappeared in 1998, and Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler, 16, who disappeared in 1985. Shermantine was convicted of both murders in 2001, and Herzog reached a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter in Vanderheiden's death.

Shermantine, who blames Herzog for the killing spree, told authorities that 10 or more bodies could have been stashed at the Linden well. Searchers dug up hundreds of bone fragments there, as well as purses, shoes, jewelry and other evidence.

Herzog, who was paroled in 2010, committed suicide in January at his trailer in Lassen County, hours after being told that Shermantine was cooperating with authorities.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

miesha tate vs ronda rousey idiocracy deep impact usssa baseball alex o loughlin the godfather cape breton

Whether grasping Easter eggs or glass bottles, this robotic hand uses tact

ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2012) ? It may be difficult to imagine, but pouring juice into a plastic cup can be a great challenge to a robot. While one hand holds the glass bottle firmly, the other one must gently grasp the cup. Researchers at Saarland University together with associates in Bologna and Naples have developed a robotic hand that can accomplish both tasks with ease and yet including the actuators is scarcely larger than a human arm. This was made possible by a novel string actuator, making use of small electric motors to twist strings. The robotic hand is thus powerful yet delicate and could one day be deployed as a helper around the house or in catastrophic scenarios.

"We wanted to impart our robotic hand with a broad spectrum of human traits. Its artificial muscles should be able to deliver enormous forces by simple and compact means," explains Chris May, scientist at Saarland University's Laboratory of Actuation Technology. The robotic hand was recently presented during a meeting at the Forschungszentrum Informatik in Karlsruhe. It is an example of some of the new steps taken in robotic research within the scope of the European project DEXMART. Over the past four years international scientists developed various concepts, especially focussed on increasing the versatility with which two-arm robots can be implemented. The European Union sponsored the research consortium to the sum of 6.3 million Euros.

"When robots help around the house or should save people from a burning building, they need to have hands which can grasp with strength but at the same time gently," explains Hartmut Janocha, Professor of Process Automation at Saarland University. The challenge lies in trying to make the necessary technology fit within the robotic arm such that it does not differ significantly from a human arm in terms of size and form. ?We came up with a simple, yet extremely effective idea: using strings that are twisted by small, high-speed motors, we are able to exert high tensile forces within a compact space," explains mechatronic researcher May. The sensorised and controlled robotic hand is able to touch diverse objects, to grasp and lift them and place them gently in a new position. Chris May demonstrated this in Karlsruhe with a delicate Easter egg and a heavy glass bottle.

Extremely strong polymer strings enable the Saarbr?cken researchers to lift a five kilogram load by 30 mm within a split second, making use of a small electric motor and a 20 cm long string. ?Each robotic finger, which like a human finger is composed of three segments, can be controlled precisely by means of the individual tendons ," describes Chris May the novel miniature actuator. The mini electric motors run at high speed and a small torque on the order of five Newton-millimetres. ?The capability of the robotic hand is so near to that of humans that the vision of robots as personal assistants in the household, in the operating room as well as in industrial settings is becoming ever more realistic. We presume that the combination of small electric motors with twisted string is interesting for other applications as well," the researcher reckons.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University Saarland, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

mississippi personhood mississippi personhood issue 2 ohio issue 2 ohio election results 2011 election results 2011 board of elections

Video: Hardball ? Friday, March 30

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

type 2 diabetes occupy congress juan williams victor martinez alcatraz scott walker recall cruise ship

AP sources: Ryan expected to endorse Romney

[ [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Afghan security forces and police killed three', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/H9BcJE', '[Related: Bales\' wife on his alleged shooting: \'He would not do that\']', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['looking for fireworks between the opposing camps', 16]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSvEsj', '[RELATED:\?It?s going to be a circus\?: Activists begin protests outside Supreme Court]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 8]], 'http://yhoo.it/GE6jSh', '[RELATED: Obama\?s health care law passed 2 years ago, but where are we now\?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Witnesses said the gunman pulled up on a black scooter', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GzwOIW', '[Related: New York police tighten security at Jewish sites]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['test Zimmerman for alcohol or drugs', 11]], 'http://yhoo.it/Gzn6VF', '[Related: White House says Trayvon Martin is local issue]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Trayvon Martin decked the Neighborhood', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GUovUP', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/61/261d2c36bccf0971c2734a4d4398aa5a.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP/David Goldman', ], [ [['Can you create commerce in order to regulate it', 9]], 'http://yhoo.it/GSgtu8', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/78/778e2416573870cd705774e92403447d.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP/Charles Dharapak', ], [ [['associated with such a small earthquake', 4]], 'http://yhoo.it/GTco9z', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/0/b4/0b493c1a47b6e3f97f8f48a2b251d7d4.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/Carrie Antlfinger', ], [ [['Fox News host Geraldo Rivera sparked outrage', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GKMVTk', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/2/7c/27c7367bc512d233ae1790b320a5e92c.jpeg', '630', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['The charges signed against Bales include', 1]], 'http://yhoo.it/wZT5zV', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/7/a0/7a07c51b2aa0f39b1a23355046d13870.jpeg', '512', ' ', 'AP Photo/DVIDS\, Spc\. Ryan Hallock\, File', ], [ [['George Zimmerman, if I had a son', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/thousands-protest-fla-teen-death-1332387124-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/22/d761a49f3fcc99080a0f6a70670053cd-jpg_150905.jpg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/John Minchillo', ], [ [['Mohamed Merah', 10], ['prosecutor Francois Molins', 5]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/four-dead-in-french-jewish-school-shooting-1332173151-slideshow', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120321/2012_03_21t151508z_425380421_gm1e83l1sqs01_rtrmadp_3_france_shootings_raid.jpg', '630', ' ', 'REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier', ], [ [['Shortly after he wrapped up his victory remarks', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['best understands the problems of average Americans', 2]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/4-straight-romney-wins-washington-gop-caucus-1330835515-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/3/e9/3e9b0082c3c3111dcc19e3527ae94cc7.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP Photo/Steven Senne', ], [ [['Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery', 7]], 'http://yhoo.it/GB2RVy', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/os/152/2012/03/20/photo-1332257995646-4-0-jpg_171722.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AFP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

school closings top chef texas rail gun harrisburg great pacific garbage patch ben affleck and jennifer garner google privacy changes

Probe Finds ?Serious and Pressing? Violations at Foxconn iPlants

A monthlong investigation of Foxconn, the extensive factory network that makes Apple products in China, uncovered "serious and pressing" violations of labor standards and Chinese workplace law, according to a detailed report by the Fair Labor Association released Thursday.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/YDll9ywmDaI/

serrano ground hog donald trump staten island chuck dr jekyll and mr hyde edwin jackson punksatony phil