Hong Kong protest: Thousands march for jailed activists

Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Hong Kong in protest at the jailing of three pro-democracy activists last week.

Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow were initially given non-custodial sentences for their involvement in mass protests in 2014.

But on Thursday the court of appeal gave the activists jail terms of between six and eight months.

Their supporters say the process was politically motivated.

On Sunday, protesters braved sweltering temperatures to march to the Court of Final Appeal, where all three men are expected to take their case.

They chanted "Release all political prisoners" while some carried a large banner reading: "It's not a crime to fight against totalitarianism."

"This shows that the Hong Kong government, the Chinese communist regime and the department of justice's conspiracy to deter Hong Kong people from continuing to participate in politics and to protest using harsh laws and punishments has completely failed," said protest organiser and former student leader Lester Shum.

Controversy trails death of Nigerian man who was stabbed to death in India

The cause of death of a Nigerian man named Eze residing in India, is currently a puzzle as different versions of what may have led to his death have sprung up. Some say Eze was stabbed to death in the early hours of today allegedly by his girlfriend, an Igbo lady residing in India, while others are alleging that a man whom he had a fall out with stabbed Him. Facebook user, Blacgold who shared the story online wrote:

"A humble fellow who left Nigeria to India in search of a better life and then
Later fall in love with one runs girl who came to India to hustle on a street level. This early morning announced death ? by stab. The girlfriend send him to early grave. What a life? The picture is the victim and girlfriend".

A Nigerian came on the comment section to insist that the deceased was killed by a man. See another photo of the deceased and their comments below

'Free speech rally' cut short after massive counterprotest

Thousands of demonstrators chanting anti-Nazi slogans converged Saturday on downtown Boston in a boisterous repudiation of white nationalism, dwarfing a small group of conservatives who cut short their planned "free speech rally" a week after a gathering of hate groups led to bloodshed in Virginia.

An estimated 15,000 counterprotesters marched through the city to historic Boston Common, where many gathered near a bandstand abandoned early by conservatives who had planned to deliver a series of speeches. Police vans later escorted the conservatives out of the area, and angry counterprotesters scuffled with armed officers trying to maintain order.

Organizers of the midday event, billed as a "Free Speech Rally," have publicly distanced themselves from the neo-Nazis, white supremacists and others who fomented violence in Charlottesville on Aug. 12. A woman was killed at that Unite the Right rally, and scores of others were injured, when a car plowed into counterdemonstrators.

Opponents feared that white nationalists might show up in Boston anyway, raising the specter of ugly confrontations in the first potentially large and racially charged gathering in a major U.S. city since Charlottesville. But only a few dozen conservatives turned out for the rally on historic Boston Common — in stark contrast to the estimated 15,000 counterprotesters — and the conservatives abruptly left early.

One of the planned speakers of the conservative activist rally said the event "fell apart."

Siberia Stabbing Attack Suspect Fatally Shot After Wounding 7

A knife-wielding man went on a stabbing rampage Saturday in a Siberian city, wounding seven people before police shot and killed him.

The Islamic State's Aamaq news agency hours later claimed the attacker was "an Islamic State soldier." There was no immediate Russian comment and it was unclear if the IS claim was opportunistic.

A statement from Russia's Investigative Committee said the mid-day attack on a central street in Surgut said the suspect had been identified as a resident in his early 20s. It said information was being sought on his psychiatric condition, suggesting authorities did not suspect terrorism as the likely motive.

Former neo-Nazi: Trump’s message parrots my old propaganda

A reformed neo-Nazi says President Trump is partly to blame for legitimizing the white nationalism that exploded in Virginia last weekend.

Chuck Leek, 49, of San Diego, was involved in a number of racist skinhead groups, including the White Aryan Resistance and the Hammerskins, from roughly 1987 until 2001, and spent time in prison for assault with a deadly weapon.

In the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., Yahoo News spoke to Leek about his history with white supremacy, the rise of the alt-right and what he thinks caused it.

“The message [Trump] was putting out during the election cycle absolutely parroted in a lot ways the message that we were putting out when we were Nazi skinheads trying to recruit people to that cause,” he said.

Leek’s old talking points included blaming immigrants for the problems of native-born Americans, pushing for the construction of a border wall and singling out Muslims.

“It was a thinly veiled appeal to that white nationalist sentiment. It’s something that I felt until recently was on the decline,” Leek said.

Barcelona terror gang planned to murder thousands of people using explosive known as the Mother of Satan

The Barcelona terror gang planned to murder thousands of people using an explosive known as the Mother of Satan.

It is thought they intended to simultaneously detonate bombs in vans at three locations in the Spanish city.

Targets included the Sagrada Familia church, a Unesco World Heritage Site, which is one of the most visited attractions in Europe.

The other two locations were the port area of the city and the Ramblas, where a van was deliberately driven into crowds on Thursday afternoon, killing 13 and injuring 130.

ECLIPSE 2017 (Why Scientists Are So Excited About This Solar Eclipse)

On Monday, Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible from a narrow strip of land that stretches all the way across the U.S., from Oregon to South Carolina. It will be the first total solar eclipse since 1918 to cross the nation from coast to coast.

Breaking News: Turku, Finland Stabbing Attack Leaves Several Wounded: Police

Several people have been wounded in a stabbing in the city of Turku, western Finland, police said Friday, and a hunt was underway for potential attackers.

One suspected attacker was shot, according to police who urged citizens to leave the immediate area in the center of the city while they searched for "possible more perpetrators."The Turun Sanomat newspaper reported that at least one person was killed in the attack.

Runaway Father Allegedly Impregnates 14-Year Old Daughter

The police in Delta State have launched a manhunt for one Mr. Orutebe, who allegedly impregnated his 14-year-old daughter in Ugboroke, in the Uvwie council area of the state. Orutebe, who was said to be in his mid 40s, allegedly fled his home after initially claiming responsibility for the pregnancy. It was learnt that the suspect, who hails from Ogulagha kingdom, in the Burutu Local Government Area of the state, had two wives.

Bipolar disorder: Brain mechanism could be key for prevention

Siblings of bipolar people are resilient to the disorder thanks to hyperconnectivity of the default mode network in the brain, a recent study suggests.

Scientists have found that many siblings of people with bipolar disorder, who should themselves be susceptible to it, are made resilient by an adaptive brain mechanism, characterized by higher levels of activity in a cerebral network linked with cognition.

People with bipolar disorder are subject to extreme mood shifts, from feeling "high" to feeling absolutely "down." They also experience abnormal fluctuations in their energy levels, which can lead to disrupted activity patterns.

In the United States, the yearly prevalence of bipolar disorder among adults is approximately 2.6 percent, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

10 home remedies for getting rid of bed bugs

Bed bugs like to travel from place to place just as much as people. Reader's Digest reports that most of them are transported on people's luggage, clothing and furniture.

Rather than refusing to buy used furniture, stay in a hotel, or fly on an airplane ever again, you can implement these 10 home remedies for getting rid of them if you find you have a few hitchhikers.

Police investigating fake cash crimes

A financial crime is striking some of the busiest areas in Charlotte.

Now, NBC Charlotte is learning of new cases of fake cash. Police say one of the cases involve seven fake $100 bills being used at a store in SouthPark Mall.

NBC Charlotte obtained several police reports this week involving fake $100 bills. It’s impacting everything from local malls to a taxi driver. Now, that taxi driver is explaining how he caught the suspect in the act.

Taxi driver Brahne Gebreysus says he was owed about $33 for the ride. However, the $100 bill he received needed a closer look. He held up the bill and realized it was fake.

“I ask the customer, ‘this is fake, I don’t accept fake dollar,’” says Gebreysus. “He opened my door and he ran, I was tried to follow him... but I couldn’t.”

Daniel Craig to act his 7th 'James Bond' movie only after he was offered $135 Million

Award winning British actor, Daniel Craig, has dropped a major good news for his fans by revealing that he will be acting his 7th 'James Bond' following reports that he was offered $135million to return.
The 49-year-old actor, who's the second longest serving Bond after Roger Moore, previously suggested he was done with the franchise after his fourth appearance as the iconic spy in Spectre.
But during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, he was asked if he would be playing the iconic role for the fifth time.
He replied: 'Yes. I couldn't be happier. I've been quite cagey about it. 'I've been doing interviews about it all day and people have been asking me and I've been kind of coy but I kind of felt like, if I was going to speak the truth, I should speak the truth to you.'
The star admitted he 'always wanted to return' to the role, but confirmed the next Bond movie will be his last. 

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One person dead as driver rams car into French pizzeria

A man believed to be under the influence of drugs - and possibly suicidal - deliberately rammed his car into a pizzeria east of Paris on Monday night, killing an adolescent girl and injuring her younger brother and 12 other people, authorities said.

The driver was immediately arrested in what was the latest of several attacks in France and elsewhere using a vehicle as a weapon. The local prosecutor said the man's actions in the dinnertime attack in the town of Sept-Sorts were clearly deliberate, but not "terrorism-related".

The girl and her brother were among restaurant patrons eating on the outdoor terrace of Pizzeria Cesena when a man in a BMW accelerated toward them, an official with the national gendarme service told The Associated Press.

Saudi Arabia: new details of dissident princes' abductions emerge

New details have emerged about the abductions of three dissident Saudi princes in what appears to be a systematic state-run Saudi government programme to kidnap defectors and dissidents.

The three, all members of the Saudi regime before they became involved in peaceful political activities against the government in Riyadh, were kidnapped and taken against their will to Saudi Arabia between September 2015 and February 2016.

Their story, which was originally reported by the Guardian in March 2016, is the subject of a BBC Arabic documentary to be broadcast this week called Kidnapped! Saudi Arabia’s Missing Princes.

The most senior of the princes, Prince Sultan bin Turki, was kidnapped by the Saudis on 1 February 2016 together with about 20 members of his entourage, many from western countries.

Burkina Faso: At least 18 killed in restaurant terror attack

Security forces in Burkina Faso have ended an operation against terrorists who attacked a Turkish cafe in the capital Ouagadougou Sunday that left 18 dead including two attackers, the communications minister Remis Dandjinou said Monday.

In a press briefing he said searches of the neighborhood around the restaurant were still continuing. Dandjinou said there were several nationalities among the victims.

The assault on the terrace of the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in the center of the West African city began around 9 p.m. local time Sunday (5 p.m. ET).

What we know about the man charged in Charlottesville attack, James Alex Fields Jr.

The 20-year-old man accused of driving a car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally Saturday, James Alex Fields Jr., was denied bail in court Monday morning.

Judge Robert H. Downer Jr. said at a Monday morning hearing that he would appoint a lawyer for Fields, who faces charges of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop at the scene of an accident, after the deadly car attack in Charlottesville, Va. Fields did not enter a plea in his video appearance at a General District Court in Charlottesville.

As crowds began dispersing in the aftermath of a “Unite the Right” rally, Fields allegedly drove a gray Dodge Challenger into a crowd of counterprotesters. The Dodge rear-ended a sedan, which crashed into a minivan in front of it. A 32-year-old woman, Heather D. Heyer, died and at least 19 others were injured, according to authorities. The Dodge sped from the scene, but Charlottesville police later found and stopped the vehicle, and took Fields, who lives in Maumee, Ohio, into custody.

The incident marked the highest point of tension during Saturday’s rally, which saw violent clashes between white supremacists and counterprotesters. The rally had been planned in protest of the removal of a Confederate monument from a public park and attracted hundreds of white supremacists. President Trump, who condemned “many sides” for the violence, had been criticized for his failure to explicitly denounce white supremacists until Monday.

Fields’ court-appointed attorney, Charles Weber, did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News. The judge said that Fields was not assigned a public defender because a relative of an employee in the public defender’s office was involved in Saturday’s incident.

Born and raised in Kentucky, Fields caught the attention of his high school teachers for his fascination with Nazi Germany. Social studies teacher Derek Weimer, who taught Fields in three classes at Randall K. Cooper High School in Union, Ky., told the Cincinnati Enquirer that Fields had written an assignment that “was much along the party lines of the neo-Nazi movement” and so alarming that another teacher filed a report on it.

Man arrested in plan to bomb Oklahoma bank

A 23-year-old man who was "out for blood" when he attempted to detonate what he believed was an explosives-laden van outside an Oklahoma bank in a plot similar to the deadly 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, authorities said Monday.

During a meeting with undercover FBI agents in June, Jerry Drake Varnell of Sayre, Oklahoma, said he held "III% ideology" and wanted "to start the next revolution," a reference to the "Three Percenters" patriot movement — begun in 2008, galvanized by President Barack Obama's election — and that has rallied against gun control efforts and pledges resistance to the federal government over the infringement of constitutional rights.

Federal officials arrested Varnell early Saturday in connection with a plot to detonate a vehicle bomb in an alley adjacent to BancFirst in downtown Oklahoma City. Varnell is charged with attempting to use explosives to destroy a building in interstate commerce.

Varnell made an initial appearance before a federal judge Monday afternoon and remains in the custody of federal marshals. Court records do not indicate whether Varnell is represented by an attorney.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the allegations are a somber reminder that Americans must remain vigilant about home-grown extremism and radicalization in local communities.

World's oldest man, Yisrael Kristal dies at 113

Yisrael Kristal, world's oldest man and the only member of his immediate family to survive the Holocaust has died at the age of 113.

The Polish-born son of a religious scholar died on Friday, August 11, 2017 just one month before he was due to turn 114. 

Mr Kristal was officially recognised as the world's oldest man by the Guinness Book of Records in March 2016.

Judge throws out DJ's case against Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s he-said-she-said groping trial raced to an end Friday with a major victory for Swift: A judge threw out the lawsuit filed against her by the ex-Denver DJ she says groped her in 2013.

U.S. District Judge William Martinez in Denver sent the eight-person jury home for the weekend and then ruled in favor of Swift’s motion to end David Mueller’s lawsuit against her on grounds he failed to prove she was personally responsible for getting his being fired after their encounter.

However, Swift’s mother and management remain defendants in Mueller’s lawsuit and the suit will go to the jury.

The jury will decide whether they find in favor or against Swift – on her claim that Mueller groped her – and also whether they find in favor or against Mueller on his claim that her mother and management interfered with his employment contract.

After the judge ruled, Swift and her legal team hugged, smiled and whispered. Mueller's team did not talk to one another or anybody else.

The ruling came on the fourth and final day of testimony in the dueling-lawsuits case. Mueller’s legal team rested their case Friday and said they would call no more witnesses to testify. Swift’s legal team declined to call any witnesses in her countersuit against Mueller, in which she accused him of indecent assault and battery stemming from their encounter.

1 dead, driver arrested at white nationalist rally in Charlottesville

A 32-year-old woman died and at least 19 were injured Saturday when a car crashed into a crowd of peaceful protesters leaving a "Unite the Right" rally that officials declared an "unlawful assembly."

Charlottesville Police identified the driver as 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio. He is in custody and will be charged with criminal homicide.

The planned rally had already been shut down following bottle-throwing clashes between alt-right demonstrators, counter-protesters, white nationalists, neo-Nazis and supporters of Black Lives Matter.

Al Thomas, Charlottesville police chief, said 35 people were injured in clashes between opposing groups and in the car crash. Their injuries ranged from life-threatening to minor, he said. 

“Our hearts break for the casualties and injuries,” Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said at a press conference.

About three hours after the car crash, the Virginia State Police's Bell 407 helicopter crashed about 7 miles from the scene. Police reports said the helicopter crashed in a wooded area and the two pilots died. No one on the ground was injured. The helicopter had been assisting in police supervision of the protests.

Facebook, Google Lose $123M To Swindler

The Court of Appeal of Lithuania has decided to extradite to the United States a Lithuanian scam artist identified as Evaldas Rimasauskas, who conned $123 million out of FaceBook and Google by sending fake emails.

“Assumption that the damage was done to the companies registered in the United States became the ground for the extradition of Rimasauskas,” the court said in a press release on Friday.

The decision to extradite the scammer was irrevocable, the court said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York accused Rimasauskas of wire transfer fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, news agency Elta reported.

It is alleged that Rimasauskas took part in the scam using e-mail correspondence and posed as an Asian computer hardware manufacturer to persuade Google and FaceBook to accept fraudulent invoices and transfer funds to the company established under the same name in Latvia.

The funds were transferred to the latter company’s accounts in banks in Cyprus and Latvia.

The single reason why some people can't write, according to a Harvard psychologist

"Why is so much writing so hard to understand? Why must a typical reader struggle to follow an academic article, the fine print on a tax return, or the instructions for setting up a wireless home network?"

These are questions Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker asks in his book, The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century. They're questions I've often encountered--and attempted to tackle--throughout my career as a business writer and editor. Whenever I see writing that is loaded with jargon, clichés, technical terms, and abbreviations, two questions come immediately to mind. First, what is the writer trying to say, exactly? And second, how can the writer convey her ideas more clearly, without having to lean on language that confuses the reader?

Court fixes September 11 for judgment on Melaye’s recall suit

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed September 11, for judgment in a suit filed by Senator Dino Melaye, represents Kogi West, seeking an order of court to stop his recall from the Senate.

Also, the vacation judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba has slated September 11, for judgment in a sister suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 12 others from Kogi State chapter of the Party, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), challenging the planned recall of Melaye.

Arguing the substantive suit, Melaye’s counsel, Nkem Okoro, urged the court to grant the plaintiff’s reliefs seeking to stop the recall process.

Melaye’s amended originating summon dated August 7, and filed same day, was brought pursuant to Sections 1(1)(3), 36, 68 and 69 of the 1999 Constitution and Order 3, Rule 6 of the Federal High Court Rules.

Standing on his processes, Okoro stated that Melaye was challenging the purported petition for his recall on five grounds. He averred that “the petitioners ought to have availed him with facts and circumstances upon which the alleged lost of confidence was based, prior to submission of the petition to INEC; “That by not giving him copies of the petitions, INEC has violated the rule of natural justice and fair hearing.”

Melaye also posited that even when the petition was submitted, the electoral body failed to give him a copy.

He equally challenged the constitutionality of required numbers of signatories to the petition in line with Section 69 of the Constitution, which requires more than half of registered voters in the constituency.