US police kill more than two people a day, report suggests

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Data collected by the Washington Post newspaper suggests that the number of people shot by US police is twice as high as official figures claim.

The paper said that during the first five months of this year, 385 people - more than two a day - were killed.
The number of black people was disproportionately high among the victims, especially unarmed ones.
Official statistics rely on self-reported figures from law enforcement agencies.
They suggest about 400 people have been killed each year since 2008.
The US has seen a number of controversial casesPolice are allowed to use deadly force when they fear for their lives or the lives of others, however there is currently no reliable way of tracking police shooting deaths.
Instead, the government relies on self-reported figures from the nation's 17,000 law enforcement agencies. The figures exclude killings deemed not to have been justified.
The Washington Post says it logged every fatal shooting in 2015 by police in the line of duty using interviews, police reports, local media reports and other sources.
It found a homicide rate of almost 2.6 per day so far this year - more than double the average 1.1 deaths per day reported in FBI records over the past decade.
"These shootings are grossly under­reported," former police chief Jim Bueermann told the newspaper. "We are never going to reduce the number of police shootings if we don't begin to accurately track this information."
Among the report's other findings:

• Black people were killed at three times the rate of whites or other minorities when adjusted for local population
• Most were armed, but one in six was unarmed or carried a toy weapon
• 365 men and 20 women were killed
• Most (118) were aged 25-34, while 94 were 35-44. Eight were children younger than 18
• In all three 2015 cases in which charges were subsequently filed against police officers, videos had emerged showing officers shooting a suspect during or after a chase on foot.

New York crane's load falls in Manhattan injuring 10

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Ten people have been hurt after a piece of mechanical equipment being lifted by a crane broke free and plunged 28 storeys in central Manhattan.

Two of those injured were construction workers while the others were drivers of passing cars and pedestrians.
"Thank God, this incident occurred at an hour of the day on a weekend when there were not too many people around," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The incident occurred just before 14:45 GMT at 261 Madison Avenue.
Police officers attending the scene found that the crane's payload had broken free as it was heading to the top of the building, shearing the side of the office block and plunging to the street below, the Associated Press news agency reported.
An investigation is under way.

John Kerry breaks leg in bicycle crash in France

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The US Secretary of State John Kerry has broken his leg in a biking accident in the French Alps.

Mr Kerry, 71, was in a stable condition in hospital in nearby Geneva, Switzerland, a spokesman said.
He was expected to make a full recovery after breaking his right femur and was in good spirits, said John Kirby.
Mr Kerry, who was in Switzerland for talks on Iran's nuclear programme, has called off visits to Madrid and Paris and will fly to the US for treatment.
The accident took place in Scionzier, France, some 40km (25 miles) south-east of the Swiss border.
It appeared Mr Kerry hit a kerb and there was no vehicle involved in the accident, a state department official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
"Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with the secretary's motorcade at the time of the accident," the state department said.
Mr Kerry "did not lose consciousness", it added.

Nepal quake: Schools in affected areas start to re-open

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Thousands of schools damaged during April's devastating earthquake in Nepal have begun to re-open.

More than 25,000 classrooms in some 8,000 schools were destroyed in the 7.8 magnitude quake and its aftershocks, and more than 8,000 people died.
Many have only been rebuilt on a temporary basis using materials such as bamboo, wood and tarpaulin.
Classes will initially focus on group activities to help children recover from the trauma of the disaster.
Earlier this week, the United Nations said that one month on from the quake, the world needed to provide more food and shelter for those left homeless.
Meanwhile, the Nepalese government - which has been criticised for being slow to respond - has called for more direct aid funding.

Vice President Joe Biden's son Beau dies of brain cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Beau Biden, who followed his father, Vice President Joe Biden, into politics and was twice elected attorney general of Delaware, died Saturday of brain cancer less than two years after he was diagnosed. Beau Biden was 46.

The younger Biden, who suffered a series of health problems in recent years, was hospitalized this month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington for then-undisclosed reasons. He suffered a mild stroke in 2010 and three years later underwent surgery at a Texas cancer center to remove what was describe as a small lesion.

He announced last year that he would not seek a third term as attorney general and planned to run for governor in 2016.

French Open: Djokovic, Nadal stroll into fourth round

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Novak Djokovic continuted his smooth progression towards a maiden French Open title with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 dismissal of Australian prodigy Thanasi Kokkinakis to reach the fourth round.
The world number one from Serbia showed no ill effects from a groin problem he faced during his previous match, ending the tennis lesson on his first match point when teenager Kokkinakis returned a first serve wide.
Meanwhile, Rafa Nadal's attempt to win the French Open for a 10th time picked up pace with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 third-round demolition of unseeded Russian Andrey Kuznetsov.
The Spanish defending champion, seeded a lowly sixth this year after a run of patchy form, showed the quality that has made him the dominant force on clay for a decade, brushing aside his opponent with relative ease.
Earlier, Andy Murray tamed Australia's Nick Kyrgios to also reach the last-16 , winning an entertaining tussle 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Murray, the third-seed, was ultimately too solid for the 20-year-old Kyrgios who played some scintillating shots but fired too many errors to really trouble the Scot.

EU says Russian travel blacklist 'unjustified'

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The European Union has criticised a travel ban imposed by Russia on 89 European citizens - many of whom are outspoken Kremlin critics - as "totally arbitrary and unjustified".
The list was revealed to European diplomats this week and includes past and serving parliamentarians and ministers who have openly criticised President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Military figures and secret service chiefs are also thought to be on the list.
European politicians who discovered they had been banned from travelling to Russia wore the badge proudly, as Brussels took aim at Moscow for the decision.
Beyond releasing the names of the blacklisted individuals to diplomats, Moscow has failed to provide "any other information on legal basis, criteria and process of this decision," the EU's foreign service said.
"We consider this measure as totally arbitrary and unjustified, especially in the absence of any further clarification and transparency," it said.
'No justification'

Libya militia frees detained Tunisians

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Dozens of Tunisians held in Libya by a militia forming part of an alliance ruling Tripoli have been freed, the Tunisian foreign ministry has announced.
The Tripoli-based government and the Tunisian foreign ministry said the Tunisians were held for verification of their identity papers.
The Tunisian consul in Tripoli has previously said they were apparently taken as bargaining chips for a Libyan militia commander arrested in Tunis.
"All the Tunisians being held in Libya have been freed. The final group was released today," the Tunisian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday, without giving numbers.
However, a Tunisian foreign ministry official, speaking anonymously, told AFP news agency that a total of 245 Tunisians detained had been freed.
They had been held since mid-May.

Syria barrel bomb attacks kill 75 in Aleppo

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A series of barrel bombs dropped by Syria's government has killed at least 75 people and wounded dozens others in Aleppo province, according to medical sources and a monitoring group.
The deaths occurred in two separate incidents on Saturday when helicopters dropped explosives-filled barrels, which are deemed illegal under international law.
One barrel bomb hit the rebel-held Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo, killing at least 20 people, most of them from the same family, local activists have told western updates
In the second attack, at least 55 people were killed after bombs hit a busy market in al-Bab city - about 40km northeast of Aleppo city, which is controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents violence through a network of activists on the ground, dubbed the al-Bab attack as a "massacre", adding that the number of dead likely would rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition.
This comes a day after rebel fighters seized the last government-controlled town in the country's northwestern province of Idlib after government forces retreated to their coastal bases, according to activists and a monitoring group.

South Africa to investigate ISIL recruitment

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South Africa will launch an investigation into recruitment by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in the country, after  investigation revealed that at least 23 South Africans had joined the group, the Ministry of State Security has said.
Brian Dube, spokesperson for State Security, said on Saturday that the ministry would be looking into the findings made in  published on Friday that entire families had travelled to ISIL-held territory.
Dube's comments came after David Mahlobo, minister of State Security, told South African television channel ENCA on Friday that officials were working hard to verify the information revealed
"Those claims, we are going to investigate them because as you are aware we did have an intervention and have met with the Muslim judicial council where they raised issues that a number of South Africans visiting the Middle East, some can be lured into joining ISIL.
"But at this particular point we have noted the allegations. A team of our officials are working hard on the ground with the information to verify its veracity," Dube said.

Suicide bomber hits mosque in northern Nigeria

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Attack in Maiduguri kills at least 16, hours after Boko Haram assault on outskirts of city leaves at least 10 dead.

A suicide bomber has blown himself up inside a mosque in Nigeria's Maiduguri city killing at least 16 people, local sources said, after a night-time attack blamed on Boko Haram fighters on the outskirts of the city.
The attacks on Saturday occurred a day after the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who swore to crush the armed group and move the command centre for military operations away from the capital Abuja to Maiduguri.
The bomber blew himself inside the Alhaji Haruna mosque next to the Monday Market just after afternoon prayers began, Borno police chief Aderemi Opadokun and witnesses said.
"The roof was blown off and fire destroyed the mats and a few Qurans," market trader Nura Khalid told the AFP news agency.
Buhari condemned the attack in a statement and vowed to take action against those responsible.

Silk Road drug website founder Ross Ulbricht jailed

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The founder of online illegal drug marketplace the Silk Road has been sentenced to life in prison in the US.

Federal prosecutors said Ross Ulbricht's website, hosted on the hidden "dark web", sold more than $200m (£131m) worth of drugs anonymously.
The 31-year-old was found guilty in New York of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking.
The site was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht.
In February he was convicted of operating the site for nearly three years from 2011.

Fraser-Pryce & Ahoure run fastest women's 100m time of season

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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Murielle Ahoure ran the joint-fastest 100m time of the season in the Diamond League meeting in the United States.

Jamaican Fraser-Pryce and Ahoure of the United States both clocked 10.81 seconds in Eugene.
American Tyson Gay won the men's 100m in a time of 9.88 ahead of countryman Mike Rodgers and China's Su Bingtian.
Olympic champion Kirani James comfortably saw off the challenge of LaShawn Merritt in the men's 400m.

American Express president Ed Gilligan dies on flight

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American Express said its president, Ed Gilligan, died after becoming ill on a flight to New York.

Mr Gilligan started his career at the company as an intern 35 years ago and became vice chairman in 2007 and president in 2013, it said in a statement.
The company did not describe the nature of his illness.
American Express chief executive Ken Chenault said Mr Gilligan's death was "devastating news" in a statement.
The company said he is survived by his wife Lisa, and their four children.

Japan earthquake: Tremors felt across nation

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A powerful undersea earthquake south of Japan has shaken buildings in Tokyo and been felt across the country.

The US Geological Survey said the 7.8-magnitude earthquake was centred 874km (543 miles) from the Japanese capital, at a depth of more than 660km.
However, Tokyo's fire department has received calls about people suffering injuries as a result of falls, broadcaster NHK said.
Reuters reports that services on the Shinkansen high speed train line between Tokyo and Osaka were briefly halted by a power cuts.
Some trains in Tokyo also stopped for safety checks, causing crowds of commuters to form around some of the city's busier stations.

Singapore police shoot dead man near Shangri-La summit

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Singapore police say they have killed a man and detained two others near a hotel hosting a top-level international security conference.

Defence ministers and leaders from the Asia-Pacific region were at the summit, known as The Shangri-La Dialogue.
Police say they opened fire after a car rammed through police barricades.
The summit ended with China defending its controversial policy of land reclamation in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Police say Sunday's shooting is under investigation, but that it appeared to be an isolated incident unrelated to the conference.

China 'restrained'

Extra security had been in place due to the conference, which was attended by senior defence leaders including US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter, who spoke at the summit on Saturday.
On Sunday China rebuffed some of Mr Carter's strong criticism on China's land reclamation projects in the South China Sea, which he had said were "out of step" with international rules.

Thailand murders: Lawyers' concern over key evidence

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The lawyers for two men charged with the murder of a pair of British tourists in Thailand have expressed concern that key forensic evidence will not be re-examined before trial.

Two young migrant workers from Myanmar have been accused of the murders of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.
But the investigation into their deaths has been marred by confusion and allegations of police incompetence.
The backpackers were killed on Koh Tao island in September last year.
Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo have both repeatedly stated their innocence.

Solar Impulse plane begins Pacific crossing

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Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg has begun his bid to cross the Pacific, from China to Hawaii, in the zero-fuel Solar Impulse aeroplane.

The experimental aircraft, which has a wingspan bigger than a jumbo but weighs little more than a large car, left Nanjing at 02:39 (18:39 GMT).
It is likely to take Mr Borschberg five to six days of continuous flight to reach his central Pacific destination.
He will try to stay awake for much of that time, taking only short catnaps.
His progress will be monitored the entire way from a control room in Monaco.
Meteorologists and flight strategists will constantly update him on the best route to follow.
The journey is the seventh leg in the single-seat, propeller-driven aircraft's quest to circumnavigate the globe using just the energy of the Sun.
The project made steady progress after starting out from Abu Dhabi in March, but was held up for more than a month on China's east coast waiting for the right weather conditions over the ocean.
Solar Impulse needs not only favourable winds to help push it forward, but also clear skies to enable its 17,000 wing-mounted photovoltaic cells to achieve peak performance.
These cells must have the vehicle's lithium-ion batteries fully topped up at dusk to sustain flying through to dawn the next day.
Mr Borschberg is a highly experienced pilot, and as a trained engineer is completely familiar with the plane's systems.

Namibia Finally win Cosafa Cup for first time in their history

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Namibia won the Cosafa Cup for for the first time in their history, beating Mozambique 2-0 in the final in the South African mining village of Moruleng.

Winger Deon Hotto scored both of Namibia's goals to steer his nation to victory in the southern African championship.
Both countries went into the match as past runners-up, with Namibia reaching the final in 1997 and 1999 and Mozambique in 2008.
Earlier in the day, Madagascar won the third place play-off match.
They beat fellow beaten semi-finalists Botswana 2-1 to take the bronze medal.
Sarivahy Vombola scored both of Madagascar's goals and finished as the 2015 tournament's top scorer with five goals to his name.

Muslim Woman recounts discrimination against her on her flight over an 'unopened can coke'.

A screenshot of her sad, unfortunate experience at a place she couldn't back out of. See the rest after the cut...

'Women wearing jeans are behind earthquakes'- Pakintani man says

According to Pakistan's Maulana Fazlur Rehman, 'Women who wear jeans are the reason behind earthquakes'. Anyone who is ready for 'ode' talk can please read below...

During a press conference at a local hotel in Islamabad, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman asked the Pakistani armed forces to launch a military operation against women wearing jeans all over Pakistan.

According to him, the immodesty of women is the cause behind earthquakes, inflation and other kinds of disasters.

Kanye West grins as he checks out models in college fashion show

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Kanye West isn't known for smiling but he was seen smiling as he checked out sexy models on the at a fashion show at the Los Angeles Trade Tech College in LA on Friday May 29th. After the show, the rapper delivered a commencement speech to the graduating class. More photos after the cut...

More photos from Kim K's Vogue Brasil shoot

Kim Kardashian shared more photos of her Vogue Brasil photo shoot on her page. Beautiful woman!
More photos after the cut..

How to Learn 30 Languages

Some people can speak a seemingly impossible number of tongues. How do they manage it, asks David Robson, and what can we learn from them?

Out on a sunny Berlin balcony, Tim Keeley and Daniel Krasa are firing words like bullets at each other. First German, then Hindi, Nepali, Polish, Croatian, Mandarin and Thai – they’ve barely spoken one language before the conversation seamlessly melds into another. Together, they pass through about 20 different languages or so in total.

Back inside, I find small groups exchanging tongue twisters. Others are gathering in threes, preparing for a rapid-fire game that involves interpreting two different languages simultaneously. It looks like the perfect recipe for a headache, but they are nonchalant. “It’s quite a common situation for us,” a woman called Alisa tells me.

It can be difficult enough to learn one foreign tongue. Yet I’m here in Berlin for the Polyglot Gathering, a meeting of 350 or so people who speak multiple languages – some as diverse as Manx, Klingon and Saami, the language of reindeer herders in Scandinavia. Indeed, a surprising proportion of them are “hyperglots”, like Keeley and Krasa, who can speak at least 10 languages. One of the most proficient linguists I meet here, Richard Simcott, leads a team of polyglots at a company called eModeration – and he uses about 30 languages himself.

With a modest knowledge of Italian and some rudimentary Danish, I feel somewhat out of place among the hyperglots. But they say you should learn from the best, so I am here to try to discover their secrets.

When you consider the challenges for the brain, it’s no wonder most of us find learning a language so demanding. We have many different memory systems, and mastering a different tongue requires all of them. There’s procedural memory – the fine programming of muscles to perfect an accent – and declarative memory, which is the ability to remember facts (at least 10,000 new words if you want to come close to native fluency, not to mention the grammar). What’s more, unless you want to sound like a stuttering robot, those words and structures have to make it to the tip of your tongue within a split second, meaning they have to be programmed in both “explicit” and “implicit” memory.

Speaking extra languages delays dementia by five years or more

That tough mental workout comes with big payoffs, however; it is arguably the best brain training you can try. Numerous studies have shown that being multilingual can improve attention and memory, and that this can provide a “cognitive reserve” that delays the onset of dementia. Looking at the experiences of immigrants, Ellen Bialystok at York University in Canada has found that speaking two languages delayed dementia diagnosis by five years. Those who knew three languages, however, were diagnosed 6.4 years later than monolinguals, while for those fluent in four or more languages, enjoyed an extra nine years of healthy cognition.

FA Cup final - FT: Arsenal 4-0 Villa This page automatically updates

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"We did it again!" is Mesut Ozil's simple but eloquent twitter message. I was trying to decipher what the tattoo on Ozil's shoulder is during these celebrations.

It's either a massive, off-blue owl, or someone lifting the World Cup trophy.

Lung cancer therapy is 'milestone'

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A lung cancer therapy can more than double life expectancy in some patients, a "milestone" trial shows.

Nivolumab stops cancerous cells hiding from the body's own defences, leaving the cancer vulnerable to attack.

The results from 582 people, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, were described as "giving real hope to patients".

Lung cancer is the most deadly type of cancer, killing nearly 1.6 million peopleevery year.

It is hard to treat as it is often diagnosed late and many people with smoking-related diseases are unsuitable for surgery.

Two friends die trying to stop a suicide Bomber

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2 volunteer security guards (pictured above) are being hailed as heroes for stopping an ISIS suicide bomber reaching worshipers at a mosque in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

Independent UK reports; 

I was right! Lol. North West and cousin Penelope quarreled

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Almost looks like North West was arguing with her cousin in these pics..lol

Islamic State militants in Libya 'seize Sirte airport'

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Islamic State militants in Libya say they have seized the airport in the city of Sirte, as the group continues to make advances in the country.

The news was announced by the group and by a Libyan militia that withdrew from the coastal city's airport on Thursday.

Most of Sirte, former leader Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, fell to IS last week.

In a statement, the group said it had also seized the Great Man Made River water project.

The irrigation project, the world's largest, supplies fresh water to Libyan cities and was also the base for the opposition Battalion 166, which has now fled.

The battalion, and other Islamist militias, run the capital, Tripoli, although their government is not recognised by the international community.

The al-Ghardabiya airport also housed an airbase, that was seized by militias after being bombed by Nato forces during the battle to oust Gaddafi in 2011.'

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Yeboah salvages U-20 World Cup draw for Ghana against Austria

Ghana opened their Fifa Under-20 World Cup campaign in New Zealand with a 1-1 draw against Austria.

Ghana's Yaw Yeboah converted an 90th minute penalty, that he had won when he was brought down by Konrad Laimer, to salvage the draw.

Earlier, Austria had taken the lead after Bernd Gschweidl scored an early second half goal in their Group B clash.

It was an entertaining match despite the wet conditions in Wellington.

Austria seemed to be in control of the fixture after their 50th minute goal, and even missed the chance to double their lead ten minutes later when Markus Blutsch shot over from a good position.

But Ghana, champions in 2009, rescued a point after Laimer's clumsy tackle on Yeboah which resulted in a penalty.

Yeboah produced a solid spot-kick, hitting a left-foot shot low to the right of Casali, the Austria goalkeeper.

In the other Group B match, Argentina captain Angel Correa scored both his team's goals as the tournament favourites were held to a 2-2 draw by Panama.

Three other African teams - Mali, Senegal and Nigeria - will also feature at the tournament.

US calls for land reclamation 'halt' in South China Sea

The US has called for an "immediate and lasting halt" to land reclamation in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's actions in the area were "out of step" with international rules.

China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with its neighbours.

Chinese officials have described US remarks on the South China Sea as "groundless and not constructive".

Other countries have accused China of illegally taking land to create artificial islands with facilities that could potentially be for military use.At the conference on Saturday, which was attended by defence ministers from across the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Carter said he wanted the "peaceful resolution of all disputes".

John Kerry & other US officials in group photo with President Buhari

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The US Secretary of State in a group photograph with President Buhari after his inauguration today. More photos after the cut...

A customer complains to amazon:the resulting conversation is awesome

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A customer ordered a book from Amazon and it didn’t arrive through the post, so he contacted customer service to complain. He was connected to Amazon online chat and a customer service rep named Thor. The convo that ensues between them is awesome. Continue...

Bikers in the US plan armed anti-islamic protest, ISIS threaten to attack with IEDs

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Jon Ritzheimer

Bikers are organizing an anti-Islam protest outside of a Mosque in response to the Garland, Texas shooting.

The event reads:

On Friday, May 29, 2015, a group of bikers in Arizona plan to host an anti-Islam demonstration outside of the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix.
Dubbed as “Freedom of Speech Rally Round 2,” a reference to American blogger Pamela Geller’s ‘Draw Muhammad’ cartoon contest in Garland, Texas earlier this month, the event, organized on Facebook, is described as a “response to the recent attack in Texas where 2 armed terrorists with ties to ISIS, attempted to kill a bunch of people.”
Prior to gathering outside of the mosque, the motorcyclists say they’ll meet in a nearby Denny’s parking lot, where they’ll have a “Muhammad cartoon contest.”

OMG! Man falls and lands on metal rod. You won't believe where the rod pierced!

This has got to be one of the worst injury you've ever. According to MTO, the man fell from his window, and landed on a metal rod. Thankfully doctors were able to remove the pole and the man survived. He is expected to make a full recovery. But you won't believe where the rod pierced. It's quite graphic. 
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First female VC of Oxford University in 800 years

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For the first time in 800 years, a woman is about to be appointed as VC of Oxford University.

The University of Oxford is to appoint its first female vice-chancellor since its records began nearly 800 years ago, after Prof Louise Richardson was nominated for the university’s most senior office.

Richardson, currently the principal and vice-chancellor of St Andrews University, is an expert on the growth of terrorist movements.
She held a succession of high-profile positions at Harvard until she was appointed to lead St Andrews in 2009.

Students and staff hailed the nomination as a momentous event in Oxford’s history. Richardson, 56, told the Guardian she hoped her nomination would inspire current and potential female undergraduates. (UK Guardian)

Kanye joins Kim K's mobile app game-but image looks nothing like him

Kanye West is a 21-time Grammy award winner, not a reality star or a cartoon character, so he must not have approved of his image to be used for his wife's mobile app game. The firm behind Kim's mobile app today released a pic of the two new characters joining in the next update of the game and while Kim looked like herself, Kanye and North looked nothing like the characters they unveiled.

3 bomb makers arrested in Gombe State.Nigeria

Find the Defence Headquarters press statement below...

A cordon and search operation conducted by troops in Gombe has yielded the arrest of 3 bomb making experts. The arrested persons are suspected to be members of the terrorists group in search of soft targets for attack after being dislodged from the stronghold in Sambisa forest and other enclaves. Items recovered from the apprehended include a tricycle and materials for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Full text ofNigerian President remarks at the presentation of Handing-over notes to Buhari

Read full text below...

1. I  welcome you all to this occasion of the formal presentation of the Hand-over notes of my Administration to the in-coming Administration of the President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.

2. This event and tomorrow’s inauguration of a new administration are truly historic as it is the first time in the history of our nation that we are witnessing the democratic and orderly transfer of power at the Federal level from one political party to another.

3.   The Hand-over notes which we now present, contain the governance philosophy, strategies, policies, programmes and activities of my Administration for the period - 2011-2015. Also to be found in the notes are the objectives, targets and implementation strategies, achievements and challenges of our key policies, schemes, initiatives as well as the status of commitments and liabilities of the various MDAs.

4.   As we hand over the affairs of the nation, it is appropriate to recall that at inception, in May 2011, we committed ourselves to consolidating national unity through democratization and good governance. Our assessment then, and our firm belief ever since, is that the unity of Nigeria, the security, well-being, greater freedoms and opportunities for all citizens must remain the primary objectives of government.

5.    The Agenda for National Transformation which we did our best to implement consisted of clear and consistent governance strategies, policies, plans, programmes and projects, in all facets of our national life. Emphasis was placed on human and state security, democratization, sound economic management, as well as structural and institutional reforms.

6.   Our foremost concern was the unity of Nigeria.  In keeping with that concern, we engineered a process that began with a review of issues outstanding from previous Constitutional Conferences by the Belgore Committee. After that, we widened political consultations through a National Dialogue that was orchestrated through the Okurounmu Committee. These culminated in the all-inclusive National Conference which unanimously reaffirmed that Nigeria must remain united and indivisible.

White woman tells her story-'Nigerian lover proposed after 6 months..then said he only wed me for a visa

Oyibo woman Deana Charles said she was left humiliated when she found her Nigerian groom texting another woman just half an hour after their wedding. Then he admitted he only married her for a visa.

Sales assistant Deana, from Tiverton, Devon, met Ben, 25, on a dating site in 2010. She was instantly attracted to his looks and was hooked after he struck up a flirty conversation with her. 

“My whole world came crashing down when I found out my marriage was a fake. I loved Ben with all my heart. We’d made loads of plans for the future and he seemed desperate to start a family

"I wasn’t serious about finding love, I’d only signed up for a bit of a laugh. As soon as I saw Ben’s picture, though, I was smitten. He had gorgeous brown eyes and a great body — just my type. We started chatting and he explained he’d come to the UK from Nigeria to study for a business degree. I couldn’t imagine being so far away from my family and friends and I told him he was really brave.”

Ben was persistent online and was keen to meet up as soon as possible. Deana was nervous at first but, three months after they started talking, she agreed to travel to London to meet him for a day of sightseeing. She continued:

“It was the perfect first date. Ben took me to see Big Ben and we went to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. As soon as we shared our first kiss I could feel myself falling for him.
He asked me to stay for a few days and I said yes. It felt like I’d known him for ages.”

Days turned into weeks and, after a fleeting visit home to pick up some belongings, Deana agreed to move in with Ben in Catford, South East London.

“I was surprised when he asked me to move in with him so soon but I was also really excited. But my mum was really concerned that I was giving up everything for someone I’d only just met.Some of my friends said the same. No one was completely sure of him. I just shrugged off their concerns because I was convinced he was the right man for me.”In August 2011, six months after they first met in person, Ben popped the question.
“Ben asked me to marry him while we were having breakfast at home. It wasn’t very romantic. He didn’t even get down on one knee, but he did buy me an imitation diamond ring. I was shocked he wanted to marry me so soon but I was completely in love.”

Man makes bomb threat to France airport in hope of delaying GF's flight because she was stuck in traffic

A man is facing up to 2 years in prison after calling the Bordeaux airport in France to allege a bomb threat just because he didn't want his girlfriend to miss her flight. The 33-year-old man was arrested by French police after calling Bordeaux-Mérignac airport saying, 'there is a bomb, there is a bomb' at 7.30am local time on Thursday.

It is believed he made the threat so as to delay flights because his girlfriend was stuck in traffic en-route in southwestern France.

Police sealed off the airport, and after extensive searches, no threat to security was discovered, reports French newspaper. The call was traced to a location around 12 miles from the French airport, and the man was taken into custody.

It is thought he admitted he had made the call, and that his reasons were because his partner was stuck in traffic en route the airport.

  

He could now face up to two years in prison as well as a €30,000 (£22,000) fine.

It is not known when the man is scheduled to appear in court in Bordeaux. 

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