Alicia Keys Welcomes 2nd Son With Husband Swizz Beatz

Alicia Keys, left, and Swizz Beatz arrive at the 54th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 in Los Angeles

She’s a mother again.

Singer Alicia Keys welcomed her second child, named Genesis Ali on Saturday, December 28, 2014.
‘The joy of joy is joy!! It’s a boy!! we are so grateful!!’ the 33-year-old Grammy winner wrote on Instagram. She added the hashtag ‘blessings’ and six hearts.

The singer posted a photo on Instagram that had two baby feet over a purple star with a turquoise background. The prints looked to be from her newborn.

The information on the image read, ‘Date: 12/27/2014, Time: 1:52 AM, Weight: 2860 grams, 6lbs, 5 ozs.’
Her husband is music producer Swizz Beatz, 36. The two tied the knot in 2010.

Albanian seamen die in Norman Atlantic ferry recovery

Italian authorities said they could not verify the actual number of people originally on board the ferry

Two Albanian seamen have been killed on a tugboat while towing the fire-stricken Norman Atlantic ferry.

Both men died after being hit by a connecting cable between the vessels on Tuesday, Albanian officials say.
At least 10 people were killed and more than 400 were rescued, after fire broke out on the ferry in stormy seas.

It is unclear how many passengers are still missing. Rescue helicopters have been diverted after another ship sent a distress signal nearby.

A cargo ship carrying several hundred people near the Greek island of Corfu appealed for help late on Tuesday morning, according to Greek media.

The rescue helicopters and a naval frigate have gone to a Moldovan-flagged ship, Blue Sky M, which was believed to be carrying migrants just south of the island of Othonoi, north-west of Corfu, reports said.

Unconfirmed reports suggested armed people were on board the vessel bound for Croatia.
Still searching
Italian authorities said they were continuing to search the ferry Norman Atlantic. They have been unable to verify the precise number of people originally on board.

The operator said 478 people had been on the ferry when it left the Greek port of Patras for Ancona in Italy, but Italy's final tally following the rescue comes to only 437, including those who died.

Barcelona transfer ban appeal rejected by Court

Luis Suarez

Barcelona will not be allowed to sign any players in 2015 after their appeal against a transfer ban was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Spanish club was handed a 14-month ban in April after being found guilty of breaching Fifa's rules on the transfer of players aged under 18.

FIFA rejected an appeal in August but the pending appeal to Cas allowed Barca to sign players including Luis Suarez.

Barcelona has expressed its "utter nonconformity with the resolution".
The players concerned in the infringement of Fifa rules were registered and participated in competitions with Barcelona between 2009 and 2013.

Cas said: "The panel found in particular that FC Barcelona had breached the rules regarding the protection of minors and the registration of minors attending football academies.

"Accordingly, the Fifa decision is confirmed in full and the sanction remains in force.
"In view of the need to issue a decision before the opening of the next transfer window, the panel has issued its decision without the grounds. The full arbitral award, with the reasons for the panel's decision, will be issued as soon as possible."

AirAsia QZ8501: Officials say debris is missing plane

Searchers have found what they think is the missing plane's slide

Indonesian officials have confirmed that bodies and debris found in the Java Sea off Borneo are from AirAsia flight QZ8501 that went missing on Sunday, a stamen by AirAsia says.

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said he was "devastated" by the news.
President Joko Widodo told media he had instructed all search teams to focus on finding the passengers and crew.
The Airbus A320-200, carrying 162 people from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, disappeared on Sunday.

The head of Indonesia's search operation, Bambang Soelistyo, says three bodies have been retrieved, not 40 as previously stated by naval officials.

The discovery came on the third day of searching. A navy spokesman said rescuers were "very busy now" with the salvage operation.

'End to uncertainty'

The AirAsia statement said the remains were found in the Karimata Strait, south-west of Pangkalan Bun in the Borneo province of Central Kalimantan.

Mr Fernandes said: "I am absolutely devastated."

He told a news conference there could now be an end to uncertainty for everyone involved.

"This is a scar with me for the rest of my life," he said.

"It doesn't change anything. There is at least some closure as opposed to not knowing what's happened and holding out hope."

The AirAsia statement said family members would be assigned care providers and an emergency call centre would be set up for those seeking information.

In a news conference shortly after the discovery was confirmed, President Widodo urged relatives to be strong in facing "this difficult moment".

"I have instructed all the teams to focus on finding the passengers and crew," he said.
The first debris from the plane was spotted earlier on Tuesday. Pictures of debris and bodies were shown on Indonesian TV. Relatives of passengers on the plane watching the pictures were visibly shocked.

They had been hoping for a miracle, but in the end they had to watch the worst possible news.
Relatives of the passengers screamed and wailed as local television networks showed pictures of what was clearly a human body floating in the water.
Grown men put their hands to their faces. At least two people collapsed and were taken out of the room on stretchers.

The mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, went from one crying relative to another, and at one point walked out with a grieving man, while telling him: "We don't have a choice. Today this happens to you, tomorrow it may happen to me. Nobody knows. So you have to be strong. Our lives belong to God."

Ronaldo Wins Best Player Of 2014 At Globe Soccer Awards

 

Real Madrid Star, Cristiano Ronaldo has on Monday, December 29, 2014 been named the Best Player of the Year as he bagged the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.

The Portuguese player has enjoyed a wonderful year in his career as he has broken almost all football records in history.

He has the highest numbers of goals in a single Champions League season as he led Real Madrid to their 10th title with 17 goals in the tournament.

Ronaldo is arguably the most deserved player of the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or for the second year in a row,
and third time in his career. He has been listed alongside Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer for the prize, which is schedule to be announced on Monday, January 12, 2014.

Speaking at the award in Atlantis Palm Hotel, Ronaldo said he is hoping that the success in Dubai will be replicated in Zurich.

“I hope that it can be a good signal but I’m not worried about that. The people who vote know what they have to do. I just feel happy it’s one more trophy for my dedication and hard work.

“I want to say thank you to the people at Real Madrid, – the players, the coach – we had a fantastic season, we won four trophies and we are one of the best teams in the world.

Gambian Soldiers Launch Unsuccessful Coup Against President Yahya Jammeh

 

Gunfire erupted in the capital of the Gambia, Banjul, overnight as soldiers blocked the bridge leading to the centre of the coastal city amid media reports of an attempted coup.

A diplomat said unknown gunmen had attacked State House during the night but shooting died down later. Local media and diplomats said the Gambia’s president, Yahya Jammeh, was in France when the violence broke out.

Jammeh, who came to power in a coup 20 years ago, has stifled dissent in the small west African country and faced increased criticism from abroad over his human rights record.
In recent years, Jammeh has frequently reshuffled senior military and civilian officials, a move that prevented individuals from becoming too powerful but has led to instability.

Banks and other offices remained closed on Tuesday, residents said. State radio played traditional kora music and did not refer to the incident.
There was no official confirmation of the reports on Twitter or other media of an attempted coup.

Movie gets release date

Paramount Pictures reveals release date of the third installment of the franchise 'Star Trek'.

Following the recent announcement that Fast & Furious franchise director Justin Lin will direct the much anticipated Star Trek 3, Paramount Pictures has revealed July 8, 2016 as the release date for the movie.

The release of third installment of the franchise will coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the original Star Trek.

The most recent installment, Star Trek: Into Darkness, earned $467.4 million worldwide after opening in May 2013. The first film in the rebooted Star Trek franchise grossed $385.7 million in 2009.

Police Nab Kidnappers, Rescue 3-Year-Old Boy In Port Harcourt

Two weeks after he went missing, a three-year-old boy identified as Emmanuel Obasi, who was abducted by some kidnappers, was safely rescued by police operatives attached to the Rivers State command in their hideout at Rumuodogu II, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Obasi who was kidnapped on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 was rescued at about 3PM on Monday, December 15, 2014 during a police invasion at the kidnapper’s den where he was kept.

While confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Rivers state, DSP Ahmad Kidaya Muhammad, said two suspected kidnappers, Ben Elenwo and Ogele Akiyo, were arrested at the hideout.

He added that after the arrest, the duo revealed some information which led to the arraignment of their partner in crime, Ibezin Isih, at a different area of the state.

He said, “The idea of kidnapping little Emmanuel Obasi was conceived and initiated by Ogele Akiyo, who is a co-tenant with the victim’s parents while Ben Elenwo, who posed as the child’s school teacher, executed the kidnapping.”

The kidnapped boy was reunited with his family after the commissioner of police, Dan Bature handed him over to his father in his office office.

He further reinstated that the command was at the beck and call of the citizens especially regarding tip offs of crimes and distress calls.

4 Armed Robbers Die In Car Crash During Police Chase In Akure

Mobile Police officers

Four armed robbers have been killed in an auto crash after attacking a team of policemen, who were on patrol along the Idanre Road in Akure, Ondo State capital.

In a statement released by the police, Mr Isaac Eke, the Police Commissioner in the state on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, the four armed robbers were the killers of two policemen at a road block in Akure in November, 2014.

According to Mr Isaac, after the deceased has accomplished their robbery, information reached the policemen attached to the ‘B’ Division in Ondo Police Command, who then chase them.

The vehicle, a white Hilux Vehicle marked 11/ 260 FG, which was said to have been snatched at Ifon area of Ondo State, swerved from the road and crashed into a church fence as the four of the robbers died on the spot.

The Police recovered several items from the deceased comprising of armed weapon and cash. Some of the items recovered include two AK-47 rifles belonging to Okuta Elerinla Police Division, which was said to have been stolen away from the two deceased Policemen, who were killed in the state in November, 2014.

Other items recovered were 21 handsets, three magazines, 126 live ammunition, two number plates from Edo State, cash sum of N160,120, , and substances suspected to be dynamite and charms.

Jordan confirms pilot captured by Islamic State

The pro-IS Raqqa Media Center posted photos purportedly showing the captured Jordanian pilot

The Jordanian military has confirmed that one of its planes has crashed over northern Syria and that its pilot has been captured by Islamic State (IS).

The jihadist group earlier said it had shot down the jet with a heat-seeking missile near the city of Raqqa.

It published photographs showing the pilot, whom it identified as Flight Lieutenant Moaz Youssef al-Kasasbeh.

This is the first US-led coalition aircraft to be lost on IS territory since air strikes began in September.

Jordan is one of four Arab countries whose aircraft have been flying sorties over Syria.

'Heat-seeking missile'

On Wednesday morning, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said it had received reports from its network of activists that IS members had taken "an Arab pilot prisoner after shooting his plane down with an anti-aircraft missile near the city of Raqqa".

The pro-IS Raqqa Media Center also posted a photo on its Facebook page showing armed men taking the pilot out of what appeared to be a lake or river.

The man appeared able to stand but was bleeding from the mouth. He was wearing only a white T-shirt and was soaking wet.

A caption identified him as Lt Kasasbeh and later a photo appearing to show his military ID card was published.

Lt Kasasbeh's father, Youssef al-Kasasbeh, confirmed his son's plane had crashed in Syria in an interview with the Jordanian newspaper, Saraya.

We do not know yet if the Jordanian aircraft suffered an engine failure or other technical problem, or if it was actually downed by IS air defences.

IS has been assumed to have a limited air defence capability - based not least on the sorts of shoulder-fired missiles that are rife in the region.

IS fighters have downed Iraqi and Syrian government aircraft and helicopters in the past. We also know that IS has overrun a number of Syrian air defence bases.

81 Persons Die, 725 Injured In Plateau Road Accidents -FRSC

File

The Federal Road Safety Commission said in Jos on Wednesday that 128 deaths were so far recorded in 325 vehicular accidents in Plateau between January to December 2014

Mr Sunday Maku, the sector commander of the corps in Plateau said 725 people were injured in the accidents.

Maku attributed the rate of road carnage in the state to reckless driving, speeding, overloading and wrong overtaking by drivers, adding that FRSC was doing its best to arrest the situation.

He explained that the number of carnage recorded was lower than that of 2013, and attributed the drastic reduction to the promptness of the officers and men of the corps

Maku said, “Last year, we recorded 325 road carnages, with 128 dead and 891 persons severely injured. We also recorded 229 serious cases and 28 minor cases during the year.

“But in 2014, we recorded 220 cases with 81 deaths and 725 persons injured.

“From the record, it is clear that 2014 is better than 2013, solely because our officers and men were on their toes, day and night to sensitise and ensure the safety of passengers.”

The commander expressed happiness that FRSC in Plateau and indeed most states in the country were able to meet up with the corps vision of reducing accidents on the road by 20 per cent in 2014.

Maku said FRSC would do more in 2015, especially within the Plateau command in curbing crashes on roads through intensive campaigns in churches and mosques.

100 More Soldiers To Face Military Court For Mutiny

File

Nigerian Army is set to court-martial not less than 100 more soldiers for offences relating to the on-going combat against the Islamist Sect, Boko Haram.

Premium Times had reported that its sources had disclosed that about 118 soldiers have been conveyed from Borno State to face charges in Abuja, just about a week after 54 soldiers were sentenced to death for disobeying the last order to face the Islamist sect.

Sources stated that the convicted soldiers are not accused of mutiny like the 54 soldiers that were sentenced to death on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 as some of the soldiers are accused of relatively minor charges including loss or misplacement of rifles during operations against Boko Haram. It was reported that the soldiers fled from the invasion of Boko Haram into their base, leaving their arms and ammunition behind in Borno and Adamawa, an act that has been leveraged by the terrorists as their latter online videos shows their leaers brandishing arms that were seized from Nigerian Army.

These soldiers shall be the third set of soldiers to face the military council between September and December, 2014: On Friday September 12, 2014, 12 soldiers were sentenced to death by firing squad for shooing a vehicle that is conveying their commander, Major General Ahmed Mohammed.

Heavy Duty Truck Crushes 4-Month-Old Baby In Terrible Freak Accident In Delta

A four-month-old female baby was on Tuesday, December 23, 2014  crushed to death by a heavy duty truck, carrying crates of soft drinks after she fell from her mother’s back  from a commercial motorcycle at the Okorodafe Roundabout in Ughelli, Delta State.

One of the eyewitnesses disclosed that the mother of the baby identified simply as Ese has been trying to adjust the wrapper with which she tied the baby to her back while the bike rider locally known as Okada moved. Unfortunately, the baby fell down from her back.

According to another witness identified as Efemena Okiemute, said that the baby fell on the middle of the road and was immediately crushed by the truck, which was directly behind the Okada.

Meanwhile, officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Ughelli Command were seen clearing the remains of the dead baby from the scene of the tragic occurrence.

Suspected Drug Trafficer Excretes 87 Wraps Of Cocaine And Heroin At Lagos Airport

A 44-year-old man, Taiwo Omidiya, has been arraigned by the Lagos State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency,NDLEA  at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos state for swallowing 87  wraps of the suspected cocaine and heroin and hiding the remaining ones in his pants.

Following his arrest, the NDLEA authorities forced him to excrete the swallowed 87 wraps of the substance which he eventually did.

Omidiya who worked in an automobile company in Spain according to reports on Wednesday, December 24, 2014 was put under check by the operatives after some wraps of cocaine and heroin were found in his underwear.

Three other suspects including Chidi Igwe,24,  Charles Anikwe ,25, and a 44-year-old Basil Agomo were nabbed alongside Omidiya for being in possession of narcotic substances that had methamphetamine and cocaine.

Confessing the crime, Omidiya said, “I have been living in Spain for the past 14 years where I work with an automobile company. My friend in Barcelona requested that I bring the drugs to Spain. He even contacted somebody who gave me the drugs in Lagos. After swallowing 87 wraps, I hid the remaining in my underwear because the wraps were many. I was sad when the drugs were detected at the airport because I would have made a fortune from them.”

On the other hand, the other suspect, Igwe, who was arrested on his way to Cyprus where he wanted to continue his studies said, “I got admission two months ago to study Tourism and Hotel Management in Cyprus. While in Nigeria, a friend in Cyprus called me to bring narcotics for a fee of E5, 000 (about N1.4m). I wanted to use the money to settle my fees and buy books for my study. This is a big setback for my career.”

The third suspect, Anikwe, an attendant in a hotel, said a customer had lured him into the crime after deceiving him that he was helping him to further his studies in Malaysia.

Anikwe said, “I was working as a hotel attendant in Lagos when a customer asked me if I was a graduate. I told him that I had five credits, but could not further my education because of lack of finance. He promised to help me and used to give me money any time he came around.

“He later called me that he has completed my admission to further my studies in Malaysia. That was how he paid my travel expenses and gave me a bag to take to Malaysia. He said his friend would collect the bag from me and assist me with my school admission. Unfortunately, a drug was found inside the handle of the bag he gave me.”

Police Arrest Pastor Over Tragic Death Of 2 Brothers During ‘Spiritual Bath’ In Lagos

The church area in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos state

The pastor of the Cherubim and Seraphim church, Samuel Olusoji who was previously at large was on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at about 9 AM, nabbed by the Lagos State Police Command has arrested a pastor, in connection with the death of two brothers who reportedly died in a stream during "spiritual bath," in the Ogombo area of Ajah, Lagos state.

The deceased brothers 23-year-old Abiodun and Ayinde Oniru, 20, got drowned in the stream in the process of the spiritual bath which prompted the pastor to flee the church while the command arrested his assistant.

Reports say that the bath was an annual spiritual cleansing, organised by Olusoji who is the presiding pastor at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ori-Oke Ibukun, Ilasan, Ajah, Lagos.

It was gathered that about 20 members of the church were seen sitting under a shed at the police station on a ‘solidarity visit’ to their arrested pastor ho they cliamed was innocent of the accusation.

One of the members, who identified himself simply as Olamide, said they were all in shock over the death of the two brothers on Saturday, December 20, 2014.

“Our church has existed in the Ilasan area for 23 years now without any record of this kind of mysterious death. The spiritual bath we went for is an annual exercise which is carried out as a part of our end-of-the-year activities. So, they came on Saturday to observe it. I did not come with them but, it was almost all the church members that came.

“I know the two deceased very well. We used to eat and play together. The pastor had not even arrived on that morning.

“The church members were brought by one of our elders. The two were warned not to swim in the river, but they insisted that they were used to swimming as they grew up in Eti Osa. That was how they plunged and unfortunately drowned. There is nothing spiritual about it,” said Olamide.

Ibrahimovic miffed at second-best

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not take kindly to being voted Sweden's second greatest sportsman of all time.

Named runner-up to tennis star Bjorn Borg in the poll by newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the irrepressible Ibrahimovic said he felt he should have filled all five first places.

"Coming second is like finishing last," he said through his spokesperson Mika Lepisto.

He did, however, acknowledge that Borg, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles and world number one for 109 consecutive weeks from 1979 to 1981, was "a living legend".

Ebola crisis likely to last a year, says expert

Peter Piot said he was impressed by progress in the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone

West Africa's Ebola crisis is likely to last until the end of 2015, says a leading researcher who helped to discover the virus.

Peter Piot, who has just returned from Sierra Leone, told the BBC that he was encouraged by progress there and by the promise of new anti-viral therapies.

But he also warned that vaccines would take time to develop.

The current Ebola outbreak, the deadliest to date, has so far killed more than 7,300 people.

Most of the victims have been in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Prof Piot was one of the scientists who discovered Ebola in 1976 and is now Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He said that even though the outbreak has peaked in Liberia and was likely to peak in Sierra Leone in the next few weeks, the epidemic could have a "very long tail and a bumpy tail".

"The Ebola epidemic is still very much there. People are still dying, new cases are being detected," he told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme.

"We need to be ready for a long effort, a sustained effort [for] probably the rest of 2015."

But he added that he was impressed by the progress that he had seen in Sierra Leone.

"Treatment centres have now been established across the country with British help. You don't see any longer the scenes where people are dying in the streets," he said.

He also said he was also encouraged that thanks to simple treatments such as intravenous fluids and antibiotics, mortality rates had fallen to as low as one in three.

Australia anti-terror police arrest two in Sydney

Australian police said they did not believe an attack was imminent

Counter-terrorism police in Sydney have arrested two men, charging one with possession of documents designed to facilitate a terrorist attack.

The other suspect was charged with breaching a control order.

The arrests were related to a series of counter-terrorism raids in September, officials said.

They come after Australia's prime minister said there had been heightened "terror chatter" since a cafe siege in Sydney last week.

That saw gunman Man Haron Monis, a self-styled cleric originally from Iran, take 17 people hostage in a cafe in the city centre. A 16-hour siege followed, during which two hostages and Haron Monis were killed.

On Wednesday, Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Michael Phelan said the man arrested on the terrorism charge, 20-year-old Sulayman Khalid, had documents that mentioned potential government targets.

"I am confident that we've disrupted the activity that they were planning," he said.

But he added: "There is nothing that indicates at all that [there were] any specific targets or time frame in relation to this particular activity at all."

Mr Khalid, who did not apply for bail, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The 21-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also denied bail.

Judges can issue control orders against persons of interest in criminal cases, imposing restrictions on them. The 21-year-old man had breached an order preventing him from accessing certain forms of telecommunications.

'Terrorist sympathisers'

After raids in Sydney and Brisbane in September, police said they had foiled a plot to "commit violent acts" in Australia, including a plan to behead a member of the public.

Police say 11 people have now been arrested and charged with terrorism-related offences since the start of the campaign, which began soon after Australia's terror threat level was raised to "high" for the first time.

Mr Phelan said the ideology of the group targeted in the raids was linked to that of militant group Islamic State, and that its members were accused of helping people travel overseas to fight with extremists.

The Interview: Obama hails move to screen North Korea film

he Interview includes a fictional plot to assassinate North Korea's leader

US President Barack Obama has welcomed a decision by Sony to screen a comedy about North Korea in a limited number of US cinemas on Christmas Day.

He had earlier criticised Sony for pulling the film following a cyber-attack and threats against cinemas.

The US has accused North Korea of being behind the cyber-attack.

The film is expected to show in 200 mostly independent and art-house cinemas on Thursday. Hackers have threatened fresh attacks.

Mr Obama had called Sony's earlier decision to cancel the film's release a "mistake".

His spokesman, Eric Schultz, said in a statement that the president applauded the change of mind.

"As the president made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression," the statement said.

"The decision made by Sony and participating theatres allows people to make their own choices about the film, and we welcome that outcome."

North Korea has denied that it was behind the cyber-attack on Sony. But it praised the attack and had long condemned The Interview, which depicts a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Interview was originally due to be released on up to 3,000 screens on Christmas Day.

Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said his company had "never given up" on a release, and was continuing efforts to have the film shown more widely.

What started out as a Christmas comedy caper has become quite the seasonal thriller. It's got everything: cyber-attacks, terror threats and an international incident between America and North Korea, but all of it is a drama Sony Pictures could do without.

First conviction in Sierra Leone under Ebola laws

 A village chief has become the first person in Sierra Leone to be jailed under laws aimed at preventing the spread of the Ebola virus, court officials and lawyers said on Tuesday.

Amadu Kargbo was sentenced to six months in jail by a court in the south-western city of Moyamba for secretly burying the dead and failing to report a sick patient, court official Foday Fofanah told AFP.

He was also fined $235 and ordered to spend 21 days in quarantine before going to jail.

Lawyers in the capital Freetown said it was the first known conviction under the country's Ebola laws.

Fofanah said the chief had pleaded guilty to secretly burying his daughter, who had died of Ebola.

He added that Kargbo's wife had also died after attending the funeral of another family member, although it was not clear if any of the charges related to his wife's death and burial.

Ebola has killed more than 7 500 people, almost all of them in west Africa and Sierra Leone recently overtook Liberia as the country with the highest number of Ebola infections.

Authorities have banned public gatherings as well as New Year celebrations as part of sweeping efforts to stem the spread of the virus.

ISIS sex slavery pushes victims to suicide

Women and girls from Iraq's Yazidi religious minority have told rights activists they were beaten and forced into sexual slavery by the Islamic State jihadist group, driving some to suicide.

ISIS militants have overrun swathes of Iraq since June, declared a cross-border caliphate also encompassing parts of neighbouring Syria and carried out a litany of abuses in both countries.

The group has targeted Yazidis and other minorities in northern Iraq in a campaign that rights group Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday amounted to ethnic cleansing, murdering civilians and enslaving others for a fate that some captives consider worse than death.

It said hundreds and possibly thousands of Yazidi women and girls had been forced to marry, sold or given to ISIS fighters or supporters.

"Many of those held as sexual slaves are children - girls aged 14, 15 or even younger," said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty's senior crisis response adviser, who interviewed dozens of former captives.

A 19-year-old named Jilan committed suicide out of fear she would be raped, according to the Amnesty report entitled "Escape from Hell: Torture and Sexual Slavery in Islamic State Captivity in Iraq".

"One day we were given clothes that looked like dance costumes and were told to bathe and wear those clothes. Jilan killed herself in the bathroom," said a girl who was held with her but later escaped.

"She cut her wrists and hanged herself. She was very beautiful; I think she knew she was going to be taken away by a man and that is why she killed herself."

Another former captive told the rights group that she and her sister tried to kill themselves to escape forced marriage, but were stopped from doing so.

"The man who was holding us said that either we marry him and his brother or he would sell us," said Wafa, 27.

"At night we tried to strangle ourselves with our scarves. We tied the scarves around our necks and pulled away from each other as hard as we could, until I fainted," she said, but two other captives stopped them.

Sixteen-year-old Randa was abducted with her family, then beaten and raped by a man twice her age. Her male relatives were killed.

The man "took me as his wife by force. I told him I did not want to and tried to resist but he beat me. My nose was bleeding, I could not do anything to stop him," Randa said.

"It is so painful what they did to me and to my family," she said.

How Cannibals Ate The Son Of New York Governor Rockefeller – New Documentary Reveals

Michael C. Rockefeller, son of Nelson Rockefeller is shown as he adjusted his camera before taking pictures of Papuan men in New Guinea 

The public will finally get to see “The Search for Michael Rockefeller” Feb. 1 when Netflix releases the documentary on one of the most compelling unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.

The film confirms what The Post reported in 1968: Cannibals devoured  the son of New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.

In 2007, filmmaker Fraser C. Heston (son of Charlton) discovered a lost cache of 16mm film shot by Milt Machlin, the editor of Argosy magazine who coined the phrases “Bermuda Triangle” and “the Abominable Snowman.”

The footage was taken during Machlin’s expedition to New Guinea in 1969 in search of the lost scion, inspired by an eyewitness report that Michael Rockefeller was alive and being held against his will by Stone Age savages.

‘Okada’ Rider Beats Pregnant Woman To Coma For Grabbing His Penis In Lagos

A commercial motorcycle rider popularly referred to as Okada had on Saturday, December 20, 2014 beaten a seven-month pregnant woman to a pulp along the Lagos-Badagry expressway, near Oluti bus stop, Lagos state.

An eyewitness identified as Mama Bola, disclosed that the pregnant woman, Feyisara, had paid the unknown rider a stipulated amount of money to convey her from Iyana Iba to First Gate bus stop, Maza Maza, only for him to drop her near Oluti, and shouted at her to alight from the bike but the woman refused to yield.

This caused a heated argument between the duo and the pregnant woman held the Okada rider so he would not escape.

She said, “The pregnant woman, Feyisara said she had paid the okada rider the agreed amount only for him to lie that Alakija was the destination she told him. So, when they reached Alakija, he ordered the woman to get off but she refused insisting that she would get off at her destination.

“So, when the desperate rider wanted to escape and the woman stopped him, he attempted to remove her hands from his clothes but to no avail.

“The man parked the machine and forcefully removed her hands. The woman said she had no choice than to go after his private part.

An action which probably angered the man as he punched her in the neck and the woman fell on a stone and was rolling on the ground when sympathisers saw her and took her to a private hospital. She was bleeding.”

Man Does The Extreme To Stop His Car From Being Towed

Mr Matthew Sanders Remained In His Car To Resist the Towing Company To Take His Car On Tuesday, December 22, 2014 At The Birmingham City Centre

34-year-old Matthew Sanders is exercising his right to peaceful protest by sitting inside his car, after being towed by the police.

The only difference being that he is sitting in his car on top of a tow truck, to stop his ride being removed.

Matthew discovered his car being towed away from Birmingham city centre on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 so he jumped into the driving seat of his car save his Vauxhall Tigra from the clutches of thee law.

This has compelled the tow company to halt their lorry while Mr Sanders remains in his car. He has been there for five hours so far.

Accoding to Mr Sanders, the truck was moved while he was in his car ‘which is in violation of health and safety’

He stated, “It’s my only form of transport; it would cause me immense problems with my daughter and with my traveling.”

Sanders also added that the tow company is only trying to take his car to ‘meet targets’, as he describes the act as the regular example of ‘private corporations ripping people off at Christmas’.

“The police threatened to smash my windows and arrest me if i dont get down so they can tow it away”. He said.

According to police spokesperson, “This is a civil matter. Police officers are only here in case there is a breach of peace”.

Abia State University Reduces School Fees By 20 Percent

The Abia State University on Tuesday confirmed a 20 per cent reduction in its school fees, beginning from 2014/2015 academic session.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that an increase in the tuition in 2012/2013 session had put the university authority and the students on war path.

Mr Udo Nwokocha, the Dean of Student Affairs of the university, told NAN on telephone that the reduction cut across all the faculties.

The fees, which was raised in 2012, had forced the students to stage peaceful demonstrations.

The students had considered the hike in the tuition as government’s attempt to deny them of their right to education.

In the old fees regime, a student of Mass Communication pays N130,000 per session, while law and medical students paid N140,000.

Some students who spoke observed that there was low turn out of candidates who applied to write the post-JAMB UTME test because of the high fees.

A student, Chidinma Eleri told NAN that many prospective students, who could have chosen the university, applied elsewhere because of the high fees.

3 Men Arrested For Homosexuality In Gambia

Gambian authorities have arrested three men accused of committing homosexual acts, which are punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under a law signed in October, state television said on Tuesday.

According to the report, the arrest followed a security operation and the men have confessed that they are gay.
However, their nationalities were not named.

“We go around in search of suspected individuals and in the course of the investigations we arrested the men.

“They have confessed that they have engaged in these inhuman acts,’’ the broadcast said, showing the men whose faces were covered.

Gambia and President Yahya Jammeh face global condemnation over the country’s human rights record in part because of the law, which introduced “aggravated homosexuality’’ as a crime punishable in some cases with life in prison.

The European Union said it has withdrawn millions of Euros of funding from Gambia, an announcement that came as the mainly Muslim West African nation looked more to the Middle East for support.

During the broadcast about the arrests, the country’s National Intelligence Agency appealed to the public, especially parents and landlords, to help them stamp out homosexuality.

Apprentice Arrested For Raping 12-Year-Old Girl In His Master’s Shop

A 28-year-old trader apprentice identified as Ugochukwu Ernest who resides in Okpananam community has been arrested on Saturday, December 201, 2014 by the police in Asaba, Delta State, at the popular Ogbogonogo market for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl.

The suspect who hails from Ngwo in Enugu state allegedly forcefully had sexual intercourse with the victim inside his master’s shop after she declined all his efforts to woo her for a relationship.

According to news, Ernest has allegedly been involved in similar rape case in his home town after several efforts to write school certificate hit the rock and eventually went into business.

Confirming the arrest, the Delta state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, said the suspect has been arrested and disclosed that the victim had approached the suspect for body cream after their usual love jokes and was allegedly lured into his master’s inner store, knowing that the master had travelled to Onitsha to purchase some goods for the shop.

After luring her to the shop, the suspect reportedly tore her clothes before forcefully having sexual intercourse with the victim who attracted the attention of people nearby with her screams for help.

During interrogation, the victim revealed how the suspect had torn her pants in his bid to forcefully penetrate her which made her cry out for help and consequently attracted the attention of passers-by and co-traders to the scene.