question: A wealthy businessman who illegally claimed more than £35,000 in benefits despite owning a £2million property empire has been jailed. Mohsen Sabet, 48, had over £800,000 stashed in a string of bank accounts and ran two shops. But he still tried to get away with claiming thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money over seven years. Wood Green Crown Court heard Mohsen Sabet, 48, illegally claimed more than £35,000 in benefits despite owning a £2million property empire. Sabet even changed his name from Mohsen Aboudarda by deed poll in 2004 to avoid being caught out by the three local authorities he deceived, Wood Green Crown Court heard. He was eventually exposed by Barnet Council's fraud squad after suspicions were raised by the neighbouring authority in Enfield, London. Sabet, from Whetstone, London, was jailed for nine months on March 7 after pleading guilty to ten charges of benefit fraud. Sentencing, Judge James Patrick described the frauds as 'systematic, deliberate and dishonest, motivated by greed and a sense of personal injustice'. Barnet Council leader Richard Cornelius said: 'This was a truly brazen attempt by a man who owned a business and significant assets to cheat the system and claim benefits which are intended to help those in genuine need.' The court heard Sabet illegally claimed housing and council tax benefit from Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Councils, as well as receiving financial assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions. This included more than £6,500 from Barnet Council under his previous name of Mohsen Aboudarda. They found he owned and was running two luggage shops in Enfield and Tottenham and that he owned several homes in the name of Sabet. The benefits cheat also owned four properties, three of them outright, and had 17 different bank accounts at one time containing a total of £800,000. He later also admitted to having assets in Iran worth more than £1million. Confiscation proceedings have now been initiated to recover the money Sabet illegally claimed.

answer: Mohsen Sabet had more than £800,000 stashed in bank accounts. The 48-year-old, from Whetstone, London, also ran two businesses. But he still tried to get away with claiming benefits for seven years. Sabet was jailed for nine months after admitting benefit fraud.


question: Fourteen months to the day after an earthquake devastated Christchurch's 19th century cathedral, work is starting on a new center of worship reflecting the spirit of 21st century design. The "cardboard" cathedral designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is a temporary structure which will accommodate 700 worshipers while a new permanent cathedral is built. "The Transitional Cathedral is a symbol of hope for the future of this city as well as being sustainable and affordable," Richard Gray from the Transitional Cathedral Group said in a statement. The A-framed structure, which uses cardboard tubes along with timber, steel and a concrete base, is also the most stable shape for buildings in earthquake zones, according to Ban. Designed by English architect George Gilbert Scott, Christchurch Cathedral was badly damaged in the earthquake which struck the city on New Zealand's south island on February 22 2011 claiming 185 lives. The initial 6.3-maginitude shock toppled its spire with aftershocks in the following months causing further destruction, including the west wall and its ornate rose window. In March this year, Bishop Victoria Matthews announced the cathedral would be demolished because of the "staggering" costs of repair estimated to be up to NZ$100 million ($82 million). The new building will go up on the site of St John's Latimer Square, another church nearby which also collapsed in the earthquake. Shigeru Ban's cardboard creation builds on previous work using the material, including paper log houses which provided emergency shelter following the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan and a "paper bridge" which was erected on a site near the Pont du Gard in southern France. The cathedral is the largest emergency structure he has designed and will cost around NZ$5 million ($4 million) to complete. "It's a symbol of life. New life in Christ for Christians, and it's right beside a place of death, and life is stronger than death," Bishops Matthews told TVNZ. The building will also be used for concerts, exhibitions, civic and community events according to the Christchurch Cathedral web site and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

answer:
A "cardboard cathedral" has been given the go-ahead for construction in Christchurch, New Zealand. The temporary A-framed structure will be finished by the end of 2012. The old Anglican cathedral was badly damaged by the 2011 earthquake which struck the city. Bishop of Christchurch, Victoria Mathews announced in March that the cathedral would be condemned.