Photo: Kenyan Muslim who shielded Christians during Al-Shabaab terror attack dies

Salah Farah, one of the Kenyan Muslims who shielded Christian passengers when their bus was attacked by Al-Shabaab Islamist militants has died in a Hospital in Nairobi. The Muslim teacher died during surgery to treat his bullet wound.

On December 21, 2015, a group of Kenyans travelling on a bus from the capital Nairobi to the town of Mandera were ambushed by Al-Shabaab militants.

The militants told the Muslims and Christians to split up but Farah was among Muslim passengers who refused telling the militants "to kill them together or leave them alone"

At the time, Mr Farah told the BBC's Bashkas Jugsodaay that attackers had offered him an escape.

"They told us if you are a Muslim, we are safe. There were some people who were not Muslim. They hid their heads," he said. "We asked them to kill all of us or leave us alone."

In an interview with Voice of America earlier this month, Farah said that people should live peacefully together.

"We are brothers. It's only the religion that is the difference, so I ask my brother Muslims to take care of the Christians so that the Christians also take care of us... and let us help one another and let us live together peacefully".

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet in a tribute to Mr Farah, described him as "a true hero".

Rachid, Mr Farah's brother said he hoped his brother's death would bring religious harmony and encourage Kenyans to live as one community.

Source: BBC

Photo: Women bare their buttocks during protest in South Africa

A group of about 16 women bared their buttocks and stormed into the offices of the ANC (African National Congress) in Tshwane, SA on Monday Jan. 18th morning in protest.

"Some had unzipped their jeans, lifted their tops and undone their bras before turning away to expose their naked backsides in full view of cameraman" a security guard at the entrance to the building said

According to Pretoria News, the women were protesting the outcome of an ANC branch general meeting held at Lebelo Primary School in Hammanskraal on Sunday.

They claimed that bouncers bearing pangas and firearms removed them from the voting process to elect a new branch committee. The bouncers had apparently slapped their bottoms and dragged them away before they could vote on the orders of ANC regional deputy secretary, George Matjila.

Source: Pretoria News/IOL

Sexiest Doctor alive raffles off date for charity

The man who has been dubbed the “Sexiest Doctor Alive” is raffling off a date for charity.
Mikhail Varshavski, 26, who was featured in People magazine’s 2015 “Sexiest Man Alive” issue, is offering one lucky woman a romantic night out in New York City. He wrote:

But prospective dates first have to donate to a nonprofit he started, the Limitless Tomorrow Foundation, which offers financial assistance to students. They also have to beat out a pool of other donors.

“You’ll fly to New York City and stay at a 4-star hotel,” reads the proposal, which was posted on the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. “You and Mike will dine at a Michelin Star restaurant.”

Varshavski, who is described on the website as “the real life McDreamy,” is also on the hunt for a lifelong partner. “I’m actively looking for a serious relationship and surprisingly this fame has not made it simpler to find a compatible partner,” he told The Huffington Post on Tuesday.

The Russian-born man works at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J., where he has been a medical resident for two years. Varshavski has more than 1 million followers on Instagram and is a self-described “avid explorer of life.”

BBC journalist Rana Rahimpour stopped from flying to US

A BBC journalist with dual British-Iranian nationality has been prevented from flying to the US after falling foul of changes to visa rules.
Rana Rahimpour was told by US authorities she could not travel under a visa waiver scheme.

Under new laws, dual citizens from several nationalities must instead apply for a visa at the US embassy.

But Ms Rahimpour said advice from the embassy on whether the rules had been implemented was unclear.

The UK foreign office website says the rules come in on 1 April, while the US State Department website says the authorities have "begun the process of implementing changes" to the waiver scheme.

 It was only after contacting the agency overseeing the waiver while at the airport, that Ms Rahimpour - a presenter at the BBC's Persian service - was told her nationality excluded her from travelling.

Two of her cousins were also prevented from flying. They had all been due to travel on the flight from Heathrow to a family birthday in the US.

Ms Rahimpour described the new rules as "very unfair", pointing out they restrict Iranians who have gained their nationality through marriage or parentage.

She tweeted: "My fully #British daughter can't attend her #American cousin's bday cos her mum was born in #Iran."

The new rules, which also affect Iraqi, Syrian and Sudanese dual citizens, have sparked anger.

They were enacted in the wake of raised security concerns following the Paris attacks, but a joint statement from European ambassadors warned of dual nationals being "disproportionately and unfairly affected".

Transgender Alexis Arquette calls out Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as gay hypocrites

Transgender actress Alexis Arquette lashed out at Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in a Facebook post the day after Jada said she was boycotting the Oscars calling them gay hypocrites.

Will's first marriage to Sheree Zampino ended in divorce in 1995 and he married Jada two years later.

Medina is a powerful Hollywood manager who has worked with stars including Jennifer Lopez and Tyra Banks. She wrote:

'When Jada comes out as Gay and her beard husband admits his first marriage ended when she walked in to him **** servicing his Sugar Daddy Benny Medina ..then I will listen to them,' writes Arquette.

 

 

 

Arquette later added in the comment section; '"She" being his FIRST wife. Paid off, silent.'

 

 

The post has since been taken down.

 

Born Robert Arquette, Alexis transitioned publicly to Alexis and even made a documentary about the experience. She is known for roles like that of a drag queen in the Adam Sandler film The Wedding Singer.

Mother, daughter go on trial in Spain for shooting of politician

A mother and her daugher went on trial in Spain on Tuesday for shooting dead a ruling party politician in broad daylight after the younger woman lost her job with a local council, in a case that shocked the country.
Montserrat Gonzalez, 60, shot Isabel Carrasco, the conservative Popular Party (PP) leader of the provincial government, in the back on the afternoon of May 12, 2014 as she walked on a pedestrian footbridge in the northern city of Leon, prosecutors and witnesses say.
With her face covered by a scarf and sunglasses, Gonzalez shot Carrasco two more times in the head before walking away with her daughter who was nearby, according to prosecutors.
A retired police officer who happened to be on the footbridge when the killing occured trailed the pair and called police who arrested Gonzalez and her daughter, Triana Martinez.

The man also saw how the pair left the gun used in the killing in a car belonging to a policewoman with the city of Leon, Raquel Gago, who was also arrested.

Gonzalez told a court in Leon on the opening day of the trial of the three women that she killed Carrasco as revenge for the way her daughter had been treated by her.
Her daughter's temporary contract with the Leon provincial council ended in 2011 and another candidate was chosen to replace her.

Gonzalez told the court that her daughter was let go from her job because she refused to have sex with Carrasco, who had led the provincial government of Leon since 2007.
Asked if she regretted killing the politician, Gonzalez told the court: "No. I would be lying if I said otherwise."

"She would have continued to make life impossible" for my daughter, Gonzalez added.

Public prosecutors have asked for Gonzalez, her daughter and the policewoman whose car was used to hide the weapon used in the killing to each be sentenced to 23 years behind bars.
Carrasco's murder shocked a country unused to such acts since the Basque separatists ETA announced an end to violence. Numerous PP officials were assassinated in the 1990s and early 2000s in killings blamed on ETA, which declared a definitive end to violence in October 2011.



Source: AFP

3 year old girl trafficked for sex, duct taped in trash bag and covered in feces

Mesa police say a man has been arrested and accused of sex trafficking and child abuse after a 3-year-old girl was found in his apartment bound in duct tape.
During a media briefing Tuesday morning, Chief John Meza said the girl was the apparent victim of sex trafficking on behalf of the suspect, Fransisco Javier Rios-Covarrubias, 30.

Police say the child was reported to police by a man who'd met Rios-Covarrubias online and arranged to have sex with him. The man claimed Rios-Covarrubias asked him if he wanted to have sex with the child.
"This is one of those cases that just shocks the soul," Meza said.
According to a police report, the man who contacted authorities told them he went to Rios-Covarrubias' apartment in the early morning hours Monday. The man said Rios-Covarrubias, who was dressed in a pink dress and a blond wig, performed oral sex on him before Rios-Covarrubias gave the man some methamphetamine, which he smoked, the report stated.

However, later when the witness was in the front living room, he smelled a bad odor and when he turned around, Rios-Covarrubias had the 3-year-old girl next to him with her hands secured with duct tape and duct tape over her mouth, he told police.

According to the police report, Rios-Covarrubias asked the man if he wanted to have sex with the girl. The man told authorities that he asked Rios-Covarrubias if he had kidnapped her, and he said no.

The report states that the man yelled at Rios-Covarrubias about how dirty the girl was and he left the apartment. Later, he received a text message from Rios-Covarrubias who said the child was gone and he could come back and have sex, the man said.

When the man returned he did not see the girl and he had sex with Rios-Covarrubias, according to the report. However, after having sex, the man felt compelled to call authorities about what he had seen, the police report states.
When officers entered the apartment, they found the child in a front closet. She was in a black trash bag with only the top of her head exposed, the police report reads. She had duct tape around her mouth, hands, arms and legs, authorities said. Meza said her condition was described as extremely neglected, saying she was wearing only a diaper and a t-shirt and was "covered in feces."

"The child was forensically examined and many bruises, scratches and blisters were observed on her body," Meza said. "The level of neglect was so harsh, she couldn’t stand on her own."

According to the police report, at the hospital, a forensic interview was attempted with the girl but she was nonverbal. "It is unknown at this time if she is unable to speak or will not speak due to the emotional and physical trauma she has sustained," the report states.

Rios-Covarrubias identified the girl as the daughter of a friend who is homeless, police said. Officers found the mother, Mayra Yomali Solis, who admitted to leaving the child with Rios-Covarrubias for an extended period, seeing her only about one day a week, according to Meza.

The girl was kept in a closet and left alone for long periods of time, Meza said. Rios-Covarrubias told police that he had placed duct tape on the girl's mouth to keep her quiet while he had sex with the witness. He also said that he left her unattended in his apartment when he was at work and he turned up the volume on his television so no one would hear her. Additionally, he said that he had not changed the girl's diaper in three days because he didn't have any others.

Reaction at the La Mesa Village apartments was shock and disgust at the horrific details. Several residents said they saw heavy police activity in the complex, with officers going door-to-door asking questions in an effort to gain more details and identify the child's mother.
"It’s unbelievable, it’s sick," resident Kyle Serrano said. "I can’t believe something like that was going on two doors down from me."
Other neighbors described the complex as a friendly place, which made the news that much more shocking. Neighbors who live below and directly next door from the suspect both said they never  heard anything and rarely saw Rios-Covarrubias.
The mother also admitted to police that she shaved the girl's head and told people she had cancer in order to get money.
The child is in the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety while at the hospital; her condition was described as fair.
The charges facing Rios-Covarrubias include sex trafficking, kidnapping, sex conduct with a minor and child abuse. Solis is facing child-abuse charges.
Meza said officers also found a small amount of methamphetamine in the apartment.

Islamic state media outlet confirms "Jihadi John" is dead

A media outlet associated with Islamic State on Tuesday released a eulogy for "Jihadi John," a member of the militant group who gained notoriety for his filmed execution of hostages, the monitoring organization SITE reported.

The militant was identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen of Arab origin. The U.S. military said in November it was "reasonably certain" it had killed him in a drone strike.
Emwazi was described in Islamic State's Dabiq magazine by his nickname "Abu Muharib al-Muhajir."
"On Thursday, the 29th of Muharram, 1437 (Nov. 12, 2015), Ab Muhrib finally achieved shahdah (martyrdom) for the cause of Allah, which he had sought for so long, as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqqah, destroying the car and killing him instantly," Dabiq said.

Jamie Foxx saves driver trapped in burning car in LA

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx can lay claim to a new starring role — real life hero.
Foxx braved flames to pull a motorist to safety from a burning pickup truck, one of his representatives confirmed for NBC News.

The actor, who won an Academy Award for his pitch-perfect portrayal of Ray Charles, found himself thrown into an unfamiliar part on Monday when he heard a crash outside the gates of his home in Hidden Valley, a secluded enclave north and west of Los Angeles in Ventura County.

Brett Kyle, 32, of Newbury Park, California, was driving "at a high rate of speed" around 8:30 p.m. PT when he flipped his 2007 Toyota Tacoma into a drainage ditch, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

"It struck a drainage pipe and concrete casing causing the vehicle to roll over multiple times," the report read. "The vehicle came to rest on its passenger side, and became engulfed in flames with Mr. Kyle trapped inside his vehicle."

That's when two men "ran to the burning, overturned truck in an attempt to free the driver," according to the report.

"One of the witnesses retrieved a rescue tool from his vehicle allowing the two citizens to break the window, cut the seat belt, and extricate the driver," the report stated.

Kyle was later taken to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center for his injuries and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Synagogue: Court adjourns hearing in criminal trial

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Tuesday fixed January 27, 2016 for arguments in a criminal charge filed by the Lagos State Government against the Registered Trustees of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) and two engineers over the September 12, 2014 collapsed building in which 116 people were killed.

Trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo adjourned the matter for hearing of the applications filed by the engineers – Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, who are the 4th and 5th defendants respectively in the matter, challenging the validity of the mode of service of the court processes on them.

 

Ogundeji and Fatiregun, the contractors in charge of the collapsed building, were charged alongside the Registered Trustees of SCOAN, Hardrock Construction Company, and Jadny Trust Ltd for the offence of failing to obtain necessary building approvals and for murder of the 116 persons that died when the building built in the premises of Synagogue Church collapsed.

 

Specifically, the 111 criminal counts charge filed against the defendants bordered on their alleged failure to obtain approval for the collapsed building contrary to Section 41 of the Urban and Regional Planning Laws of Lagos State, and involuntary manslaughter contrary to Section 222 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State.

 

At the resumed hearing, the Lagos State Prosecution team led by the Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs Idowu Alakija informed the court that the state had complied with the order of the court to serve the processes in the matter on the engineers by substituted means to their last known addresses.

Alakija said: “We have been able to serve the 4th and 5th defendants and there is proof of service to that effect in the court file.”

 

She, thereafter, presented the proof of service of the court processes before the court, but the engineers did not appear in court.

They both filled applications through their counsel challenging the jurisdiction of the court on the ground that substituted service was not known to the applicable laws in respect of the matter.

 

They also argued that there is a pending order of the Federal High Court in Lagos restraining the State Government from prosecuting them.

 

Meanwhile, the court has adjourned for hearing of the applications, after which the hearing of the main criminal charge would commence.

 

BOLA AKINGBADE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
LAGOS STATE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
JANUARY 19, 2016

Oh dear! See the eye injury a UFC fighter suffered after fight (photos)

Hey over there..can you see me? I'm right here! Lol. UFC fighter, Matt Mitrione, 37, got quite an eyeful as he fell to Travis Browne. Mitrione was left with a horribly swollen eye after the match with Browne. Browne insists the eye incident was wholly accidental and without malicious intent. More pics after the cut...

Dubai Policeman who posted Lionel Messi's passport on snapchat arraigned in court

A policeman who posted a video of himself on social media holding Lionel Messi’s passport could be shown a red card by a court. Dubai Court of Misdemeanours heard Emirati JM, 26, was about to hand a two-day sick note in when he got wind of the Argentina and Barcelona superstar arriving at Dubai airport’s private jet area, where he worked, on December 27 last year. Messi was in Dubai to receive the Player of the Year award at the Globe Soccer Awards. 

Prosecutors said he waited until Messi arrived and tried to get his photo taken with the footballer but he was told that it was not allowed as Messi was exhausted from the flight.

"I then went to the passport control desk and noticed that Messi’s passport was left there, so I picked it up and shot a video of myself while holding it," said JM.

He posted the clip on Snapchat with the caption:

"This is Messi’s, he is here in Dubai, what do I do? Shall I burn the passport or just put it back! Ok Ok you can go!"

The clip was later reported to police and JM was charged with violating Messi’s privacy, which he confessed to in court but said it was only a joke. The policeman told prosecutors he had permission from Messi’s bodyguard, who was standing next to the passport control desk and saw him as he spotted the player’s passport.

"He was standing there so I spoke to him in English and asked him if I could take a picture of myself with the player’s passport and he said yes," said JM.

He added that the passport control officer present at the desk at the time was not responsible for the incident.

"I didn’t take his permission — he was there but didn’t see what happened,” said the defendant, who deleted the clip after uploading it to Snapchat.

"I have no idea how it got circulated. I was just kidding and had never done this thing with anyone else before. I was wrong and I promise I would never repeat such a behaviour," said JM.

Emirati policeman MA, 31, testified he was patrolling the private jet area when he saw JM.

"It was 4am when I saw him still present and my colleague asked him to go home, then my colleague and I left to resume our checks ahead of the plane landing,” said the officer"

MA said orders banning the use of mobile phones during working hours were clear to all, including the defendant.

"I don’t know why he did that, he knows it’s not allowed. We all would love to have a picture with Messi but it’s not allowed,” he said.

In court, the defendant confessed to the charge and requested leniency. A verdict is expected later this month.

Source: The National

Photos: Two ISIS suicide bombers disguised as females killed by Libyan fighters

Two Islamic State terrorists were killed on Monday, January 18 by fighters of Derna Shura Council, Libya after they attempted to infiltrate into the city from Al-Fatayah mountains, where the remnants of IS militants are hiding. The two militants were wearing women's full-face veils and explosive belts. The Shura Council said the 2 were planning to carry out a suicide attack inside Derna. Another pic after the cut...

Photos: 7yr old boy in India made to marry a dog and for the most preposterous reasons

For 7-year-old Mukesh Kerayi, the horoscopes held doom and gloom. It suggested his first wife will die young, and as if maternal burdens weren't enough for his young shoulders to bear, he grew a tooth in the upper part of his mouth, a most ominous omen in his hometown of Jharkhand, India.

It was with this in mind that his family arranged a marriage to the fated first wife, a dog, that way, there'll be no teary eyes when the bitch passes on. It is said that every dog has its day and for this dog, it was no puppy affair.

For the big day, the family dressed the dog in a bridal outfit and the village turned out for the celebrations just like a normal wedding.

They danced and cheered as though it was Mukesh's real life wedding, it was claimed.

His grandfather, Ashok Kumar Leyangi, 43, said: 'We believe the marriage will ward off any bad omen attached to the boy. This is traditional practice in our tribal community and we still believe in these old customs. We feel that it is our adult responsibility to keep our children safe and happy this way.'

These marriages usually take place between January 15 and January 21 each year.

The government in India is still trying to educate rural and tribal communities that these acts of superstition are wrong but despite these efforts, many of the region's tribal communities still follow horoscopes and other superstitions religiously.

The family added that the dog is now back on the streets and is not living at their home.

Teen Mum reality star shares photos of her butt implant surgery

Kailyn Lowry, 23, stars in reality show, Teen Mom 2. The mother of two underwent a buttlift and grissly images of the procedure have appeared on instagram. Michael Salzhauer - aka Dr. Miami - reportedly gave the Pennsylvania mother-of-two a discounted 'Brazilian butt lift.'

Reality star she maybe but she says she cares only for her husband, Javi Marroquin's attention, Kailyn tweeted: 'I actually only care about the attention I get from husband'. She has a six-year-old son with her former boyfriend and a two-year-old son with Marroquin. See the photos after the cut...

Photo: Afghan man cuts off his wife's nose in a fit of rage...

A 22-year-old woman in a remote northern region of Afghanistan had her nose cut off by her husband on Monday, January 18. Fawzia Salimi, a hospital director in Maymana, capital of Fayab province, said the victim Reza Gul was brought early Monday morning having lost a great deal of blood.

Gul's husband, Mohammed Khan, 25, has since fled their village. Ms. Salimi said the Afghan-Turk Hospital in Maymana was trying to arranging transport for Ms. Gul to Turkey for further treatment.

Gul's photograph has sparked online anger, with activists demanding punishment for what one called a ‘barbaric act.’

Faryab Governor's spokesman Ahmad Javed Bedar confirmed the incident to AFP. "Mohammad Khan (the husband) cut off Reza Gul's nose with a pocket knife," he said.

The incident highlights the endemic violence against women in Afghan society.

"Such a brutal and barbaric act should be strongly condemned," Kabul-based women's rights activist Alema told AFP.

"Such incidents would not happen if the government judicial system severely punished attacks on women," added Alema, who goes by one name.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the husband to attack Gul, the mother of a one-year-old child who was married off five years ago as a teenager.

Bedar said Khan, an unemployed man, had recently returned from neighbouring Iran and may have joined the Taliban after fleeing home following the attack.

Naming Limbe Stadium: Nyango Na Muna Or Njalla Quan Stadium?

What is in a name really? This question seems to have murdered the sleep of Limbe Chiefs as they attempted to conjure a name for the new stadium in the Ngeme neighbourhood of the coastal town. Christening the new stadium is one of the blights plaguing the sports ground.

A name, water supply, electricity, parking lot and access road; all of these have suddenly become urgent requirements to be added to the new stadium. A week ago, Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, urged the chiefs in Limbe to propose a name for the 20,000-seat stadium.

Okalia had told the Chiefs to conceal the proposed name for transmission to President Biya to take the final decision on what name to give the new stadium. Afterwards, names like Paul Biya Stadium, Nyango Na Mana (Sea Goddess) and Njalla Quan filtered out from the “naming” conference.

The name Paul Biya seemed to cause discomfort among some people when they considered that the Olembe stadium in Yaounde would be named after the Head of State. Then again, there are indigenous historical sentiments to take into account.

The Bakweris in Limbe revere Nyango Na Muna whom they believe offers them protection especially at sea and provides bountiful fish. Then there is late Henry Njalla Quan; a son of the soil who promoted football in Limbe and beyond. As General Manager of Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, Njalla Quan supported local teams such as Opopo.

In 2000, he opened a football academy which he named after himself, the Njalla Quan Sports Academy, producing an elite division team.

If all these names fail to make it on the baptismal card of the new stadium, why not Oil Palm Stadium since the sports ground is sitting on a spot which used to be part of the oil palm farms of CDC? The stadium could still be named after the Bakweri’s elephant dance or after a local football icon.