Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Woman Who Disappeared After Tinder Date Found Dead

Sydney Loofe was last seen alive on Nov. 15, 2017.

A 24-year-old Nebraska woman who went missing after an online date has been found dead three weeks after she disappeared.

The family of Sydney Loofe made the announcement Monday night on a Facebook page they’d created to help raise awareness about Loofe’s disappearance.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we share this most recent update with you all,” the message reads. “Please continue to pray for Sydney and our entire family. May God grant eternal rest unto thee. We love you Sydney.”

The Antelope County Sheriff’s Office also shared the news on its official Facebook page, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Loofe family … No other details are known at this time.”

According to Randy Thysse, special agent in charge of the Omaha division of the FBI, Loofe’s body was discovered Monday afternoon in an “open area” of rural Clay County. The location is roughly 90 miles southwest of Lincoln.

“On behalf of the FBI, we extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to Sydney’s parents, George and Susie, her brother and sister, her friends, an all that were very fortunate enough to know her,” Thysse said during a press conference.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Police in urgent appeal to find schoolgirl, 15, missing since she left a friend's house without mobile phone


Serious concerns have been raised about the welfare of a teenager who has not been seen for two days.

Kasey Herron, 15, hasn't been seen since Sunday evening when she was last seen leaving a friend's house in Bransholme, Hull, at around 8pm.

She was on her way to see her sister who lives in Tenterden Close, which is also in Bransholme.

It's thought Kasey was not carrying a mobile phone or any money at the time she went missing and a police appeal has been launched.
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: "We are concerned for the safety of 15-year-old Kasey Herron from Hull who has been missing since the weekend.

Angelina Jolie opens up about working with Brad Pitt and why she thought it would help their marriage

angelina jolie brad pitt

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt in 2016.
The couple had been married for two years.
Jolie spoke candidly about her relationship with Pitt while on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast.
The actress said she thought working with her husband on her movie, "By the Sea," would help them communicate.

After splitting from husband Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie is reflecting on their relationship and the importance of communication.

The 42-year-old actress appeared on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast and described how she believed working on "By the Sea" with her husband would help their marriage.

"We had met working together and we worked together well ... I wanted us to do some serious work together," she said. "I thought it would be a good way for us to communicate. In some ways it was, and in some ways we learned some things."

American Airlines says it no longer faces a pilot crisis Christmas week

american airlines pilots


American Airlines has reached an agreement with pilots to fill 15,000 unmanned flights between Dec. 17 and 31.
A computer error had allowed pilots to opt out of some of the holiday flights, an option they usually don't have.
Rather than face mass cancellations and refunds, the airline has agreed to pay pilots double their normal rate for taking one of the previously unmanned flights.

A computer error threatened to ruin the holidays for American Airlines and its passengers, but the airline has reached an agreement with pilots to avoid a disaster.
Last week, pilots learned that a scheduling glitch had allowed them to opt out of some flights between Dec. 17 and 31. Pilots often don't have that option during the holidays.
The glitch left around 15,000 flights without a pilot. The airline first attempted to staff the flights with reserve pilots, but that would have been risky, as reserve pilots are typically meant to fill in for isolated incidents, rather than large, system-wide errors, according to Yahoo.

Almost 200 paedophiles arrested in one week in crackdown on live-streaming apps including Facebook and Instagram



Almost 200 paedophiles were arrested in just one week for grooming children online, according to reports.
It came during a crackdown on apps that offer live-streaming services including Facebook, Instagram and Live.me
Around 30 per cent of suspects worked in a position of trust, including teachers, civil servants, military personnel and police officer.

The swoop saved 245 children from exploitation.
Sick perverts pose as other children and convince targets to expose themselves or perform sex acts online.
Often they then use the pictures or video as blackmail to force children into even more degrading acts.

'The threat is very real': Millions in Tokyo to take part in North Korean nuclear attack exercise



Millions of residents of Tokyo are to take part in evacuation drills simulating a North Korean nuclear attack on the Japanese capital.

The national and city governments are to carry out a series of exercises between January and March to prepare for a potential attack on Tokyo, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported, the first time that a major Japanese city will have carried out responses to a simulated attack.

Towns facing the Korean Peninsula have in recent months conducted similar drills, with residents instructed to seek shelter in response to sirens warning of an imminent missile strike.
But the Japanese government has until now resisted calls for major cities to carry out similar exercises on the grounds that they would alarm the public.

How to Make The People You Love Feel Loved

Feel Loved pbs rewire
When it comes to love, it seems there is some truth behind actions speaking louder than words.

Feeling loved can impact overall well-being, making it more important than we typically give it credit for. A team of researchers wanted to know if people mostly agree on what makes them feel loved, or if it’s a totally personal thing.

Not only do we agree, they found, it’s easier than you might think to make the people you love feel loved.

All the small things

The researchers, headed up by Penn State’s Saeideh Heshmati, asked nearly 500 U.S. adults how loved they’d feel in 60 different positive, negative and neutral scenarios—being greeted by a pet, feeling close to nature and interacting with a possessive partner, for example.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Ferrari 'thief' arrested after being caught begging for petrol money in supercar he didn't know how to fill up


A suspected Ferrari thief was arrested after he was found begging for money to buy petrol, police said.

Israel Perez Rangel denies stealing the $300,000 car, despite allegedly not knowing how to fill the vehicle up.

Police in Santa Ana arrested the 38-year-old after spotting him begging for money to put petrol in the 458 Spider.

Officers noticed the supercar was trashed, with cracked fins, a destroyed gearbox, emblems torn from the engine and body and missing paddle shifters.

Mystery over drowned hedge fund tycoon Michael Treichl's 'lost millions' after he left just £325,000 behind in his will following police quiz over the fire that destroyed his 500-year-old mansion

Lawyers for Treichl last week gained a grant of probate, and revealed he left less than £325,000, despite years of deal-making

With the mystery surrounding the death of 69-year-old hedge fund tycoon Michael Treichl and the fire at his Grade I-listed family home still unsolved, a further enigma has now emerged – the whereabouts of his multi-million-pound fortune.

Lawyers for Treichl last week gained a grant of probate, and revealed he left less than £325,000, despite years of deal-making.
Treichl, who comes from one of the wealthiest families in Austria, was found drowned in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, in June – weeks after being arrested and questioned by police over the blaze which destroyed 500-year-old Parnham House.

He had spent a rumoured £10 million restoring the Dorset mansion, which he had bought for £4 million in 2001.
There have been suggestions that he dramatically burned down the house and then took his own life.

Germany's most famous women's rights activist Alice Schwarzer at 75

Alice Schwarzer (picture-alliance/rtn - radio tele nord)

She has spent her life fighting for women's equal rights, writing and publishing the magazine "Emma." A look at the life of Alice Schwarzer, Germany's best known — and most controversial — feminist, as she turns 75.
"The engine driving everything I do is fairness. Anything else would have, for me, been a misuse of my life."
Taken from Alice Schwarzer's autobiography, "Lebenslauf" ("Curriculum Vitae"), published in 2011, that sentence could be viewed as something of a life motto for a woman who changed German society. Schwarzer writes further of herself, saying, "I am not a person who prefers to focus on myself, hunched over my sensitive predilections. I find the world much too exciting for that."
The worst insult at home: parochialism
It could be that Schwarzer's rebellious nature was already predetermined before she even hit the cradle. She was born out of wedlock on December 3, 1942. That normally would have been a scandal for the time, but it was overlooked at the height of a war that gave people other, more pressing worries.

Republicans may regret this tax bill


Josh Barro has an interesting piece laying out in words a thesis that so far I've only heard in whispers and tweets: In some ways, Democrats might be better off if the GOP tax bill passes.

The logic is this: After the Affordable Care Act's passage, one path forward (emblematized by Barack Obama's "pivot to deficits" and the search for a grand bargain) was to declare the American welfare state substantially complete. But the pivot failed, the grand bargain failed, and the energy in the party shifted strongly to the left. Now Democrats have a vision of continued welfare state expansion that's basically not going to work if polling-friendly tax hikes on the superrich are the only thing on the table. In the new Demutopia, rich people will pay more — but the middle class will need to pay more too.

This scam tricks you into buying fake tech support software


Image result for The tech-support scammers use fake blue screen of death (BSOD)
Scammers are tricking victims into paying $25 for fake security software, ZDNet reports.

The tech-support scammers use fake blue screen of death (BSOD) messages and a phony "Troubleshooter for Windows" application to try to sell a supposed Microsoft security product called "Windows Defender Essentials." The name sounds like two real Windows anti-malware applications: Windows Defender and Security Essentials.

Malwarebytes researcher Pieter Arntz said the Troubleshooter app is being distributed through a cracked software installer.

11-year-old girl wins $25,000 science prize for creating a cheap device to test drinking water for poison

11-year-old girl wins $25,000 science prize for creating a cheap device to test drinking water for poison
Gitanjali Rao, a seventh grader from Colorado, has been awarded the title of "America's top young scientist" for designing a compact device to detect lead in drinking water, which she believes can be faster and cheaper than other current methods.

The 11-year-old's invention was inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where cost-cutting measures led to tainted drinking water that contained lead and other toxins. It also won her a $25,000 prize, for which Rao already has plans: "I plan to use most of it in developing my device further so that it can be commercially available soon," she said

“It’s been complete hell”: how police used a traffic stop to take $91,800 from an innocent man



ust hours after this story was published, a judge, with the backing of state legislators who read Vox’s reporting, ruled in favor of Phil Parhamovich — and he will get his $91,800 back.

“My gut has been clenched for a long time. I feel like it is still going to take some time to unwind and unclench,” Parhamovich said. “But I feel incredible. It hasn’t even sunk in yet.” He thanked the Institute for Justice, an advocacy group, for taking his case and Vox for reporting on it.

What follows is the original story.

Phil Parhamovich had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The 50-year-old had spent years restoring and selling houses, cars, and musical instruments, often clocking 12-hour workdays, to save up more than $91,000. And now it was all going to pay off: He would buy a music studio in Madison, Wisconsin, where Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins recorded songs — not just fulfilling a dream of owning a monument to grunge rock, but also giving him a space to work on his own career as a musician.

Then came the police stop this past March. By the time it was over, police in Wyoming would take all of Parhamovich’s money — the full $91,800. Parhamovich, who has no criminal record, was not accused of or charged with a serious crime; he only got a $25 ticket for improperly wearing his seat belt and a warning for “lane use.”

But Wyoming law enforcement officers found and eventually seized the $91,800 in cash, as it was hidden in a speaker cabinet — by getting Parhamovich, under what he claims was duress, to sign away his interest in the money through a waiver.

Driver slams truck into toll booth on San Francisco's Bay Bridge, killing attendant

Image result for Driver slams truck into toll booth on San Francisco's Bay Bridge, killing attendant

OAKLAND -- A toll collector on California's Bay Bridge was killed and the driver of a box truck was arrested after his truck slammed into a line of vehicles and crashed into the toll plaza, CBS San Francisco reports.

Shortly after 5 a.m., a line of vehicles was waiting at the toll booth and the box truck hit the last vehicle in line, causing a chain reaction, Williams said.

The truck continued westbound and hit the toll booth, demolishing it. The attendant inside the booth was killed, and the truck driver and a passenger were ejected from the vehicle.

The toll booth attendant was later identified as Si Si Han, age 46.

Gov. Jerry Brown expressed his condolences in a statement released Saturday.

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Balanced groups drawn for Russia 2018


Following a long road of qualifying joy and heartache, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ has finally snapped into focus after the Final Draw on 1 December in Moscow’s Kremlin State Palace.

Hosts Russia will open the event against Saudi Arabia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on 14 June in Group A, while defending champions Germany were drawn into a tough Group F along with Mexico, Sweden and Korea Republic. According to the November FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, the toughest group is Group D which has France, Australia, Peru and Denmark.

The Final Draw ceremony took place inside the walls of the Kremlin with Gary Lineker hosting and an array of high-profile names on hand to assist with the draw. Legends representing the eight previous World Cup-winning nations and the hosts – France’s Laurent Blanc, England’s Gordon Banks, Brazil’s Cafu, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, Germany’s Miroslav Klose, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, Spain’s Carles Puyol and Russia’s Nikita Simonyan – joined Lineker on stage.

In the audience watching were dignitaries such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Lothar Matthaeus, Pele, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldo and many more.

Thirty one days after the opening contest, the new champion will lift the Trophy after the Final in Moscow, again at the famed Luzhniki.

Police arrest leader of a gang of women who marry and kill their husbands for insurance

Police arrest leader of a gang of women who marry and kill their husbands for insurance
A woman who leads a gang that recruits women to marry and murder men to claim their life insurance has been arrested.

Esmeralda Aravel Flores Acosta, 39, has been dubbed the Black Widow. She was arrested in El Salvador, Central America following the deaths of several victims. Police said the gang led by Esmeralda recruited attractive girls in shopping centres and universities with the promise of taking them to the US.

The young female recruits were made to marry men who are well off and then encouraged to get their husbands to get life insurance. Two or three weeks after, gang members were sent to murder the husbands. After the deaths of their new husbands, the young women were instead taken to Mexico where they were forced into prostitution.

Surviving cold and flu season: How to stay safe

Image result for cold

The National Institutes of Health predict this year's flu season could be a rough one.

Last year, Americans reportedly spent nearly $6 billion on remedies for runny noses and sore throats, but some over-the-counter medications carry their own risks. High doses of acetaminophen send nearly 60,000 people to the emergency room each year.

In its January issue, Consumer Reports looks at how to survive this cold and flu season more easily.

Lisa Gill, deputy content editor for the magazine, joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss some of the treatment options you'll find at the pharmacy, common home remedies, and which ones you need to be careful when using.

JAY-Z TALKS HIS REACTION TO BEYONCÉ’S ‘LEMONADE’ ALBUM, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR JOINT ALBUM & WHY HE & KANYE WEST ARE IN A BROTHERLY BEEF



A couple of years ago, there were rumblings of a joint album featuring #Beyoncé and her husband #JayZ. We got #Lemonade instead, which nobody is complaining about, but what happened to it?

Well, in a new interview with @NYTimes, Jay reveals that during a drought in their marriage, they began making music together and says it became therapeutic for them. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” he said. “And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on.”

Soul Singer, Wayne Cochran dies at 78 after brief battle with cancer


Soul Singer, Wayne Cochran dies at 78 after brief battle with cancer
Famous soul singer, Wayne Cochran best known for his towering white pompadour haircut, wild outfits and signature song "Last Kiss," died in Florida at the age 78.

Cochran's son confirmed to the Miami Herald that the "White Knight of Soul," who made a name for himself with his outrageous stage antics before giving it all up to become an ordained minister in Miami, passed after a battle with cancer.

Floyd Mayweather sues ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson for stealing from him



we all know breakups can be a messy affair but this might be one for the books. Though it’s been years since #FloydMayweather and #ShantelJackson have called it quits, according to @TMZ_TV, Floyd still has a bone to pick with his ex-girlfriend Miss Jackson as he’s suing her for allegedly using his credit cards and helping herself to his money without him knowing.

In the lawsuit, Floyd is alleging Shantel was using his credit cards, taking cash from areas of his home and putting it in secret accounts without his knowledge. He also claims Miss Jackson gained his confidence to “use him.” In a statement his lawyer said: “As a result of that confidence, Mayweather, who’s education ended at eighth grade, did not audit or otherwise inspect either his cash or his credit card statements for theft by Jackson.”

Thieves steal toys, clothes, tools from Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore

Image result for Thieves steal toys, clothes, tools from Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- A Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore has lost "tens of thousands of dollars in construction tools, as well as Christmas toys and clothes for underprivileged children" after three burglaries in a week, CBS Baltimore reports.

The warehouse also houses the organization's upcoming 7,000 square foot nonprofit grocery store, DMG Foods, which will be the first of its kind in Salvation Army history. It is set to open its doors on January 15.

"With both the grocery store grand opening and Christmas distribution rapidly approaching, the burglary of the warehouse is a devastating loss for The Salvation Army of Central Maryland," the organization said in a statement.

FORMER NSA EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS


Image result for Nghia Hoang Pho, 67,

A former National Security Agency employee who worked in its elite hacking unit pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally taking classified information outside the spy agency, the US Justice Department said.

Nghia Hoang Pho, 67, retained US government documents containing top-secret national defense information between 2010 and March 2015, according to a plea agreement.

Pho faces up to 10 years in prison and is not being held by authorities as he awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for April 6, 2018, in US District Court in Baltimore.

German Christmas market evacuated after explosives found nearby

German Christmas market evacuated after explosives found nearby

Police have evacuated a busy Christmas market in Germany after a suspicious object containing explosives was found nearby. The surrounding area in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin has also been evacuated, police said.
Special forces were on site to examine the object, which was described as a package measuring 40 cm by 50 cm that had been delivered to a pharmacy near the market. Police said on Twitter: ‘The suspicion of an improvised explosive device has been confirmed.’ No additional details were immediately available.
Germany is on high alert for potential terrorist attacks nearly a year after a Tunisian Islamic extremist hijacked a truck, killed its driver and then rammed the vehicle into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 11 more people there. Police were alerted around 2.30pm local time after an employee opened the package at the pharmacy and saw suspicious wires and electronics inside.

Friday, December 1, 2017

World AIDs Day 2017: Symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and what the day is all about

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, KATHMANDU, NEPAL - 2015/12/01: A Nepalese medical representative wears medical gloves for Rapid HIV testing jointly organized by National Centre for AIDS and STD Control during the 28th World AIDS Day in Kathmandu. World AIDS Day is celebrated worldwide on December 1st of every year to raise the awareness in the fight against HIV. The theme of World AIDS Day 2015 is 'Getting to zero; End AIDS by 2030'. (Photo by Narayan Maharjan/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

But despite the vast improvements in treatment, having a HIV diagnosis still means an increased likelihood of living in poverty, poor mental health and limits to opportunities preventing people living full, happy lives. A lot of this is due to continued ignorance and discrimination against those with HIV infections and a lack of understanding.
That’s part of what World AIDS Day is all about – raising awareness to reverse that trend. Here is everything you need to know about the date and the disease. When is World AIDS Day 2017? World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year. This year, that is on a Friday. What is World AIDS Day all about? This year there are three main targets to the day – to end isolation, stigma and HIV transmission. Work to significantly reduce the number of those contracting HIV is finally starting to see some results with the number of HIV diagnoses for gay men in London finally reducing in the UK. This is thought to be due to awareness for frequent testing, rapid treatment and PrEP. Now the aim is to go even further to include a reduction in HIV in everyone and not just in the UK. What is the difference between HIV and AIDs?
HIV is the name of the virus.


Teenager ‘goes too far’ in quest to look like Angelina Jolie

Teenager 'goes too far' in quest to look like Angelina Jolie    Teenager 'goes too far' in quest to look like Angelina Jolie
A teenager has undergone more than 50 plastic surgery procedures in an effort to look like her idol Angelina Jolie. Iranian 19-year-old Sahar Tabar says she has been a massive fan of the Hollywood actress her entire life – but friends and family say she’s hone too far in her efforts to look like the star.
Sahar said she ‘would do anything’ to look like Jolie and her reported 50 operations have left her with fuller lips and defined cheek bones – but trolls say it has made her look like a zombie. Others told the young woman she looked more like a character from Tim Burton movie The Corpse Bride. Sahar reportedly lost a shocking 5st 7lbs, in order to be as slim as Angelina.

Marriage May Help Lower Dementia Risk: Study



Being married can help a person ward off dementia, a new study suggests. People who are single or widowed have a higher chance of developing the mental affliction.

A new review by researchers from University College London, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, looked at evidence from 15 previously published studies that involved over 800,000 people from Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

The study has found that people who had never married had a 42 percent increased chance of developing dementia as compared to married people. The research team also discovered that widows and widowers had a 20 percent more chance of getting dementia than those who were married.

6 Unexpected Changes That Will Make You Look and Feel Younger

6 Unexpected Changes That Will Make You Look and Feel Younger

Diet trends and exercise crazes come and go, and many of us know all too well that most are not easy to stick with in the long run anyway. We recently sat down with one medical professional who says making a solid lifestyle change to help balance your hormones is the best way to increase energy, benefit your overall health and age more gracefully. Yes, you read that right. All of the wrinkle cream in the world can’t do for you what healthier habits can for your looks and longevity. These seven simple changes will make a huge impact on how you feel on a daily basis and your overall lifespan, according to Tami Meraglia, M.D., author of the new book “The Hormone Secret.” Some of them may even shock you! Hint: You need to eat more. Read on for Dr. Tami's morning-to-night suggestions for feeling your best now -- at any age.

Keep Your Brain Sharp With the New MIND Diet

Keep Your Brain Sharp With the New MIND Diet

As we age, “losing our marbles” has become an anticipated part of aging.

Forgetting where we parked the car or a conversation we had with a friend. Not being able to finish the crossword puzzle as we once could. But does cognitive decline have to be an inevitable part of aging? New research says maybe not.

A recent study found that a specific way of eating – nuts, fish and wine anyone -- may help slow aging in our brain. Fittingly called the MIND Diet, short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is modeled after the uber heart-healthy Mediterranean and DASH diets, and tweaked to boost specific nutrients important for our noggin.

The MIND Diet Takes Years Off the Brain
In the study of 960 older adults followed for nine years, the difference in cognitive ability was so stark that the brains of MIND diet followers seemed 7.5 years younger than those of people who didn’t follow the diet. Who wouldn’t love to shave years off of their life? The findings held even when researchers took into account how often participants worked out and their level of education -- both are related to cognitive decline.

The Best Natural Cough Remedies

Sinus Infection Symptoms
What’s in a cough?
Generally speaking, coughing is perfectly normal. A cough can help to keep your throat clear from phlegm and other irritants. However, sustained coughing can also be symptomatic of a number of conditions, such as an allergy, a viral infection, or a bacterial infection.

Sometimes a cough isn’t due to anything related to your lungs. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can also cause a cough.

You can treat coughs due to colds, allergies, and sinus infections with a number of over-the-counter medicines. Bacterial infections will require antibiotics. However, for those who prefer to avoid chemicals, we’ve listed a few home remedies that can help.

Ed Sheeran teams up with Beyoncé for 'Perfect' single release

Ed Sheeran and Beyonce perform onstage during Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life - An All-Star GRAMMY SaluteTwo of the biggest names in pop are teaming-up, so you'd better get excited. Fresh off her collaboration with Eminem on 'Walk on Water', Beyoncé is lending vocals to a remix of Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect'. Not only that, but the track is released tonight (November 30) at midnight GMT, when we imagine there will be a lot of fans glued to their computers.
Ed announced the news on Instagram, writing: "Got Beyoncé to duet with me on Perfect, comes out today at 7pm ET / 4pm PT / midnight GMT x." The two stars have collaborated before, performing an acoustic version of Bey's hit single 'Drunk in Love' together back in 2015.

Japan's Emperor Akihito to abdicate in April 2019

Japan's Emperor Akihito (L) and Empress Michiko wave to Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri after their meeting and welcoming ceremony for the grand duke at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 27 November 2017.

Japan's ageing Emperor Akihito will step down in April 2019, marking the end of an imperial era for Japan.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the abdication date shortly after a government and royal panel met to discuss the timing.
The 83-year-old emperor had said last year that his age and health would make it difficult to fulfil his duties.
The timing of his abdication, the first in more than two centuries, has been the subject of debate in Japan.
How abdication could usher in a calendar change
In pictures: Japan's Emperor Akihito
Japanese Emperor Akihito's 2016 address in full
The Imperial Household Council, made up of Mr Abe, lawmakers, and members of Japan's royal family, convened on Friday to set the date of the abdication.
Mr Abe later met reporters briefly to announce that they had decided the emperor would step down on 30 April 2019.
His abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era, and he would be immediately succeeded by his son Crown Prince Naruhito on 1 May, which would start a new imperial era.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

How in 150 years, Meghan Markle's family went from cotton slaves to royalty via freedom in the U.S. Civil War... while her dad's ancestors included a maid at Windsor Castle

This week, it was announced Meghan and Harry will marry at Windsor Castle next May, and according to Markle family legend Meghan¿s great-great-great-grandmother is thought to have worked at the Castle as a teenager, probably in the kitchens or as a housemaid

While Queen Victoria sat on the throne, Empress to a quarter of the world’s population, a woman named Mattie Turnipseed gave birth to a ‘mulatto’ — the ugly, official term to describe those of mixed race — baby girl in a corner of America’s Deep South.
In that moment, a remarkable chain of events was triggered.
Half the population of Georgia state, named after Victoria’s ancestor George II, were black.
Almost all of them had been slaves or were descendants of slaves, bought, sold, and passed on to lives of servitude and brutality.
It’s almost impossible to picture the colossal gulf separating the most powerful woman in the world from a young, uneducated ‘coloured’ woman without a vote — without much more, in fact, than the clothes on her back.
Yet this week, with the engagement of Prince Harry to actress Meghan Markle, a descendant of each of these women pledged themselves to the other.
Building on the work of U.S. experts Elizabeth Banas and Doug Nicol, genealogist Angela Aldam has worked with the Mail to create a comprehensive family tree to illustrate Meghan’s fascinating family history, from her African-American slave ancestry, to those on her father’s side who emigrated from England and Ireland.
Mattie Turnipseed, Meghan’s great-great-great-grandmother, grew up in or around Jonesboro, Georgia, after the American Civil War of 1861-65, which had laid waste to the area.

What Every Woman Should Know About Self Defense — From an Expert Who's Been There

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If you're a woman, you've probably experienced a nervous, sinking feeling when walking alone at night, fearing what's lurking around a dark corner. There's also a good chance you've felt your heart rate speed uncontrollably when you thought you were being followed—or worse, perhaps you were followed and possibly even attacked.

Kelly Campbell, a third-degree black belt and director of instructor development for Krav Maga Worldwide, says these fears are common. "At some point, most women ask themselves the question, 'Would I be able to fight back if I were attacked?'" says Campbell. Here's the good news: Learning just a few simple self-defense moves can give you the skills and confidence you need to answer that question with a resounding "yes."

"When you have a sense of what you could do in the event that you were attacked and believe you could do something to help yourself, the likelihood that you'll actually do something increases," says Campbell. "I think more important than any specific technique is your mentality. Being willing to fight back is the most important thing."

Mariah Carey to get 'millions' in settlement with billionaire ex-fiance James Packer AND gets to keep ring



Mariah Carey will reportedly receive millions in her settlement with Australian billionaire ex James Packer.

The Honey diva and the wealthy businessman - who proposed just 10 months after meeting the superstar -split in October 2016 following a short engagement.

After their bitter break up, the pair reportedly battled for a year over a settlement.

According to The Blast, a number of months ago the former couple struck a deal, which saw Mariah walk away with a 'few million dollars' and also her enormous engagement ring, which was rumoured to be worth $8million.
The website reports that the cash, coupled with the ring, works out to between $5-$10million.

The rogue Twitter employee who briefly banned Trump's account explains how and why it happened

Bahtiyar Duysak


A man named Bahtiyar Duysak believes he was the Twitter employee who deactivated Trump's account for 11 minutes earlier this month.
He's not a US citizen and no longer lives in the US.
He describes the situation as "a mistake."

For 11 minutes earlier this month, President Trump's Twitter account was deactivated. And the world has been searching ever since for the so-called rogue employee who did the deed as a parting gesture on his last day of work.

Argentina: Former military officials convicted for crimes against humanity

Former Argentine navy officer Afredo Astiz and other members of Argentina's Naval Mechanics School, known as the ESMA, where the military regime held and tortured thousands of leftists from 1976 to 1983, attend the sentence hearing of the five-year trial for their role during the 1976-1983 dictatorship in Buenos Aires,

Two former navy officers in Argentina have been sentenced to life for crimes against humanity committed between 1976 and 1983 under military rule.
Captains Alfredo Astiz and Jorge Eduardo Acosta were found guilty of involvement in the torture and murder of hundreds of political opponents.
They are among 54 people who faced trial for crimes committed at the Naval Mechanical School, or Esma.
Astiz, known as the "angel of death", has refused to apologise.
"The human rights organisations are groups of vengeance and persecution," he said during the trial. "I will never ask for forgiveness."
Both Astiz and Acosta, known as "the tiger", were already sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for other counts of torture, murder and forced disappearance.

Bosnian ex-general Slobodan Praljak drank poison after being convicted of war crimes in the Hague

Related image

In an ending befitting a Shakespeare tragedy, former Bosnian Croat general Slobodan Praljak publicly killed himself by drinking poison, after being convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal.
Praljak and other generals led a genocidal campaign against Muslims in 1990s Yugoslavia, with the aim of creating an ethnically homogenous Bosnian Croat state. The Hague-based tribunal today upheld his conviction of 20 years imprisonment for war crimes. Days earlier, the same court had condemned Ratko Mladic, a Serbian general responsible for the Srebrenica massacre, which killed more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslims.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Meek Mill's Judge ordered to decide on his application for bail without delay

Meek Mill

The judge who sentenced Meek Mill to 2 to 4 years in prison for parole violations has been ordered to grant him a bail hearing for the 'harsh' sentencing.

The order was given on Monday, after his lawyers appealed to officials at Pennsylvania’s Superior Court, accusing Brinkley of holding up their appeal proceedings by failing to respond to any of their recent motions, while they also lodged an emergency order seeking bail for their famous client.

Mixed reactions at this year's Grammy nominations where no white male was nominated in any major category

Mixed reactions at this year
This year's Grammy nominations caused a lot of outrage, snubs and happiness amongst Americans, because it was mainly dominated by black and Latino artists in the main categories of album, record and song of the year for the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Jay-Z, already the winner of 21 Grammy awards, led the nominations with eight, followed by Kendrick Lamar with seven, Bruno Mars with six, and Childish Gambino, Khalid and SZA, all have five nominations. The Spanish-language "Despacito," which set the record for the most streamed song ever, is nominated for both record and song of the year.

Some people said it was good that no white male was nominated in any major category, some said it is progress for blacks and latinos, while others said everything shouldn't be based on race, but by merit.

Read some of the reactions below:

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Meet the nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin that makes you feel pain



Some researchers think this is what’s fueling the gluten-free diet fad. People have developed a negative expectation that eating gluten will make them feel bad. And so it does, even though they may not have any biological gluten sensitivity.The placebo effect is one of the most mystifying phenomena in medicine. When we expect a pill to make us feel better, it does. If we see others get better while using a medicine, we will too.

Doctors even see a placebo response in patients who are told they are on a placebo. And the more invasive, expensive, and drastic the placebo intervention, the greater the healing effect. Fake surgeries — where doctors make some incisions but don’t actually change anything — make people feel better than placebo pills alone.
But the placebo effect has an evil twin: the nocebo. It can kick in when negative expectations steer our experience of symptoms and create side effects where none should occur.

Will He Cheat? Read The Red Flags You Can’t Ignore



Of course you trust your guy! He'd never cheat. Or would he? Men give off signals that they'll be unfaithful, relationship experts say. Find out the top 14 clues that your guy will cheat on you...
Recent studies reveal that 50%-60% of married men engage in extramarital sex at some time or another during their relationship (about 45%-55% of married women cheat).

And the women being cheated on? About 70% have no idea. Or maybe they just don’t want to know.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Men give off tons of hints that they’re inclined to cheat, relationship experts say.

Ex-priest to stand trial for 1960 murder of Texas beauty queen



A former Roman Catholic priest is due to stand trial this week on charges he beat, raped and strangled to death a Texas beauty queen nearly 60 years ago after hearing her last confession.

Lawyers for John Feit, 84, have denied his responsibility for the 1960 murder of Irene Garza, 25, in McAllen, Texas, and said in court filings that he was wrongly accused of “one of the most notorious and heavily publicized crimes in the history of the Rio Grande Valley.”

Imgur Confirms 2014 Hack: Email Addresses And Passwords Stolen From 1.7 Million Accounts



Imgur, a widely recognized image sharing service most commonly used on Reddit, has revealed that it suffered a data breach as far back as 2014, and claims that it was only notified of it on Nov. 23.

Imgur Was Hacked: Everything You Need To Know
The hackers stole email addresses and passwords of 1.7 million users, just a tiny fraction of its 150 million users overall. No other sensitive information was exposed, since according to Imgur, they don't ask for data such as real names, physical addresses, or phone numbers.

In a blog post, Imgur explains that it received an email from security researcher Troy Hunt, who frequently deals with data breaches. He told Imgur that he received the hacked data in question, which included passwords and email addresses . Shortly thereafter, Imgur's CEO and VP of engineering were notified. Then finally, Imgur got a hold of the data securely and began working to validate whether it contained information of users. Indeed, it had.

Pretty Cameroonian lady falls, dies while dancing at a party in Zurich, Switzerland

 Photos/Video: Pretty Cameroonian lady falls, dies while dancing at a party in Zurich, Switzerland

Videos making the round on social media shows moment an unnamed Cameroonian lady fell down and died while dancing at an event hosted by the African community in Zurich, Switzerland.

'How Prince Harry proposed to me' - Meghan Markle reveals



Actress Meghan Markle will be the first American to marry a British royal since the marriage of Wallis Simpson to King Edward VIII, a union so controversial that he was forced to give up the throne in December 1936 to go through with it.
In their first joint interview since they announced their engagement today, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke to BBC moments ago and they revealed how the engagement proposal happened.

According to them, it was a “cosy night” at their shared cottage on the Kensington Palace “I think I managed to catch her by surprise,” the prince said. “It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got down on one knee” Markle added.
The two revealed that they started dating in July after they were set up on a “blind date” by a female friend. “I’d never watched ‘Suits,’” Harry said of his thoughts before that first date. “I’d never heard of Meghan before.”

Julio Oscar Mechoso dead at 62: Little Miss Sunshine and Jurassic Park III actor passes away following heart attack



Little Miss Sunshine and Jurassic Park III actor Julio Oscar Mechoso has died aged 62.

The Miami native, who was also best known for appearing in TV shows such as Miami Vice and Law and Order as well as a number of big screen movies, passed away from a heart at attack on Saturday.

He also had guest roles in Seinfeld, Grey's Anatomy, Without A Trace, CSI and The Big Bang Theory.
In 2001 he appeared in Jurassic Park III and later played a mechanic in Little Miss Sunshine opposite Steve Carell and Toni Collette. Some of his last acting credits include Life in Pieces and Madam Secretary.

BREAKING: Lava flows from Bali's erupting volcano Mount Agung as 60,000 tourists are STRANDED

Balinese Hindus take part in a ceremony on Sunday, where they pray near Mount Agung in hope of preventing a volcanic eruption

Up to 150,000 people have been urged to evacuate areas within a 10 kilometre radius of Bali's Mount Agung as authorities fear its lava could reach 22 surrounding communities.

A danger zone was expanded Monday morning amid issuing of the volcano's highest alert, with heavy rain sending ash and magma towards nearby villages.

As authorities attempt to urge people to evacuate, only 40,000 have chosen to leave with many 'feeling safe' or staying to protect livestock, Bloomberg reports.

Almost 60,000 travelers were left stranded after 445 flights were cancelled, most left waiting 24 hours to see if Denpasar Airport will reopen.

Authorities imposed a 10km exclusion zone around the volcano which has been hurling ash thousands of metres into the atmosphere since the weekend.
Maureen Steele and Jackie Calabretta were scheduled to fly on a Garuda Indonesia flight from Sydney via Bali to Jakarta on Monday for an orangutan tour.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Would You Use an Internet Recipe to Make Your Own Prescription Drugs?



A pharmaceutical hacking group created controversy by releasing a YouTube video on how to make an epinephrine injector. They plan to release more “recipes” in the near future.

drug prescription recipes on Internet

Imagine a world in which you produce the prescription medicine you need right inside your home.

With the push of a button, a machine synthesizes your blood pressure medication, without a trip to the pharmacy.

In addition, the cost is minimal.

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