However as I left with the assurance that the family and friends would take great care of her, an old aunt pulled me to one side and told me to aim high, there's room for everyone up there -- a motto which has stayed with me always.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Powered by a CO2 cartridge that can pretty much reach anywhere in the arena depending on how much pressure you allow to build up between launches (members of the squad told me they're not allowed to aim for the lights), it's basically a surface-to-air missile.

WSJ: Basketball Diaries

Michael Lodge, general counsel for the International Seabed Authority, told me that the authority's aim was to encourage a new mining industry to exploit seabed minerals but within strict environmental controls.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush

The 42-year-old said he was sure the aim of the attack was to "remove me as the Bolshoi's artistic director for a long period, and to damage the reputation of the Bolshoi Ballet".

BBC: Bolshoi boss Sergei Filin leaves hospital for Germany

Asked when he would finally be deported, she said she "couldn't put a date on it and it would be silly for me to put a date on it" but insisted it remained her aim to see it happen as soon as possible.

BBC: UK Politics