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Showing posts from January, 2018

Glee Actor Mark Salling, 35, Found Dead

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Mark Salling (pictured in 2011) starred in the television musical series Glee for six years US actor Mark Salling, known for his role in the TV series Glee, has been found dead near his Los Angeles home, his lawyer confirmed to the BBC. US media reports suggest he may have taken his own life. The 35-year-old was expected to get between four and seven years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sex abuse images. His sentencing was due on 7 March. Salling played footballer Noah “Puck” Puckerman on Glee from 2009 to 2015. He entered into a plea deal last October, avoiding a lengthier prison sentence of up to 20 years. He was arrested in 2015 after a tip-off that he was in possession of images of children being sexually abused. Investigators ultimately found tens of thousands of abuse images on his laptop and hard drive. Los Angeles police are yet to confirm Salling’s cause of death  Photographs in US media suggest the former television star’s body was

Sobibor Death Camp Survivor Arkady Waispapir Dies At 96

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Sobibor was built by the Nazis solely to exterminate Jews One of the last known survivors of the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor has died in Ukraine at the age of 96. Arkady Waispapir was captured by the Germans while serving in the Soviet Army and was sent to the camp because he was Jewish. He was one of the few spared immediate death in the gas chambers by being sent to do camp maintenance work. More than 250,000 Jews are believed to have been killed at Sobibor, in Nazi-occupied eastern Poland from 1942-43. In October 1943, Waispapir and seven other inmates led  a rebellion using knives, hatchets and captured firearms against the Ukrainian and German guards. Nearly half of the camp’s 600 prisoners managed to escape but 100 of them were caught almost immediately. Out of those who escaped, only 47 survived World War Two. Waispapir lost his entire family during the German occupation of Ukraine. He married after the war and had two sons. He died in the Ukrainia

Croatia National Shot Dead On South Africa Lion Hunt

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Pero Jelinic was an experienced hunter who had travelled all over the world in pursuit of his passion A Croatian national has died in unclear circumstances while hunting lions with two friends in South Africa. Pero Jelinic, 75, was hit by a bullet on Saturday at Leeubosch Lodge farm, about 355km (221 miles) west of Johannesburg, police said. “At this stage it is not clear who fired the fatal shot that killed Mr Jelinic,” a police spokeswoman said. One of Mr Jelinic’s hunting friends said it had been an accident but police have opened a culpable homicide case. They say Mr Jelinic was shot after the hunters had already killed one lion and were tracking a second. The injured man was airlifted to hospital but died shortly afterwards. Police are also investigating whether the hunters had illegal guns while hunting lions bred in captivity, police spokeswoman Charlize van der Linden told news24 website. The death of Pero Jelinic was first reported over the weekend but his h

George Weah Vows To Change Liberia's Citizenship Laws

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Liberia’s new president has pledged to take a pay cut Liberia’s President George Weah has called for the removal of a “racist” clause in the constitution which restricts citizenship to black people. The clause was “unnecessary, racist and inappropriate”, the ex-football star said in his first State of the Nation address since being elected president. He also pledged to scrap the law that prohibits foreigners owning land. Liberia was founded by freed US slaves in 1847 as “a refuge and a haven for freed men of colour”. Its constitution defines black people in the language of the time, as “persons who are Negroes or of Negro descent”. Other communities, like the estimated 4,000 Lebanese people who have lived in Liberia for generations, are barred from citizenship and, by extension, land ownership. The restrictions introduced at the time were no longer necessary, Mr Weah said, adding that he also wanted a ban on dual citizenship to be abolished. “It contradicts the very definit

Saudi Anti-Corruption Drive Generates $106Bn In Settlements

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The high-profile figures were detained at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel A sweeping anti-corruption drive in Saudi Arabia has generated an estimated $106.7bn (£75.6bn) in settlements, the kingdom’s attorney general has said. Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said 56 of the 381 people called in for questioning since 4 November remained in custody. The others had been cleared or admitted guilt and handed over properties, cash, securities and other assets, he added. Sheikh Mojeb did not name any of those involved , but they reportedly include princes, ministers and businessmen. In recent days, the billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Alwalid al-Ibrahim, owner of the Arab satellite television network MBC, were released from detention at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter. Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal gives tour of luxury ‘jail’ Both men insisted they were innocent, but Saudi official sources said they had agreed to financial settlements

India Outcry After Eight-Month-Old Baby Raped

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An eight-month-old baby girl has been raped, allegedly by her cousin, in the Indian capital Delhi. Police say she is in a critical condition after being admitted to hospital on Sunday. They have arrested the 28-year-old cousin. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, who visited the girl, described her injuries as “horrific”. The debate over sexual violence in India has grown after the fatal gang rape of a female student in 2012. The rape of the baby girl happened on Sunday  but came to light on Monday after local media reported it . Ms Maliwal tweeted that the baby had undergone a three-hour operation and that her cries could be heard in the hospital. Is this a new low for India? Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi This distressing case of assault on an infant has shocked India and made national headlines. The extent of her injuries has horrified many and prompted them to wonder whether we have reached a new low. But a look at the statistics, compiled by the g

Edo Governor Denies Approving Creation Of Cattle Colonies

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Godwin Obaseki [Photo credti: Naij.com] The Edo state government on Monday dismissed alleged statements credited to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that Governor Godwin Obaseki has approved land for the establishment of cattle colonies in the State. It said the state government had not entered into any agreement for cattle colonies, ”in any part of Edo State.” The statement reads in part: ”The claim is the PDP’s concoction, fabrication, and the aim of the dying party, peopled by rogues and bandits, is to attempt to smear the rising profile and image of the Obaseki administration. ”PDP’s resort to outright falsehood as a tactic for redeeming its irredeemable image, demonstrates the party’s lack of capacity to engage in intellectual and ideological contestations. ”Only a hopeless party like the PDP tells such barefaced, blatant and brazen lies because it has no issues to bring to the table.” It also added that it was not true that the Edo State Government is not do

WHO Reports High Levels Of Antibiotic Resistance Worldwide

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The headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) is pictured in Geneva [Photo Credit: VOANEWS] There is high level of resistance to antibiotics by a number of serious bacterial infections. This is happening in both high- and low-income countries, the World Health Organization, WHO’s first release of surveillance data on antibiotic resistance reveals. The report – Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) published on WHO’s website, Monday, reveals widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance among 500, 000 people with suspected bacterial infections across 22 countries. The most commonly reported resistant bacteria were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by Salmonella spp. Among patients with suspected bloodstream infection, the proportion that had bacteria resistance to at least one of the most commonly used antibiotics ranged tremendously between different countries – from zero to 82%.

Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki Relieved To End Grand Slam Wait

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Caroline Wozniacki beats Simona Halep to win first Grand Slam Caroline Wozniacki was delighted that she will never again be asked about her lack of a Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open. The Dane, 27, beat Simona Halep 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4 in Melbourne to finally land a major title at the 43rd attempt. Despite ending the year as world number one in 2010 and 2011, questions had persisted about her failure to win one of the sport’s four biggest titles. “That’s one of the most positive things about all of this,” said Wozniacki. “I’m never going to get that question again. I’m just waiting for the question, ‘When are you going to win the second one?’ “Right now I’m just happy I have this one, and I’m going to really enjoy this moment.” On Monday, Wozniacki will return to the top of the rankings six years to the day since she was last number one. “Obviously that’s very special,” she added. “I think being new Grand Slam champion and world number one sounds pr

Roger Federer Wins Sixth Australian Open And 20th Grand Slam Title

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Highlights: Roger Federer beats Marin Cilic to win 20th Grand Slam Roger Federer won his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title with a five-set victory over Marin Cilic. The Swiss lost five games in a row as he dropped the fourth set but recovered to win 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6 6-1. Federer, 36, becomes only the fourth player after Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf to win 20 or more major singles titles. “It’s a dream come true and the fairytale continues,” said Federer, who has won three of the last five majors. The final was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof as the tournament’s extreme heat policy was invoked. Despite starting at 19:30 local time in Melbourne, the conditions were if anything more testing than 24 hours earlier, when Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep played to the point of exhaustion in the women’s final. With the roof closed and air-conditioning taking the edge off the temperature, Federer and Cilic played out a gripping c

Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad Dies In Sweden At 91

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Ingvar Kamprad pictured with Ikea furniture in the 1960s The Swedish founder of the Ikea furniture chain, Ingvar Kamprad, has died at the age of 91, the company has announced. Mr Kamprad – who pioneered flat-pack furniture – died at his home in Småland, Ikea confirmed in a statement. The company said that Mr Kamprad was “one of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century”. The billionaire, who was born in 1926 in Småland, founded Ikea at the age of 17. He used some money his father had given him as a gift for performing well at school despite his dyslexia. In the later years of his life, Mr Kamprad faced questions over his past links to fascist groups – something he admitted, but said was a “mistake”. Ingvar Kamprad said there were “many reasons” why he loved his business In a statement on Sunday, Ikea said that Mr Kamprad had “peacefully passed away at his home”. “He worked until the very end of his life, staying true to his own motto that most things remain