Half of Russians fear Syria could spark WWIII

Moscow (AFP) - Nearly half of Russians fear that Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria could spark World War III, a poll showed Monday.

Moscow, an ally of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, has been staging bombing raids in Syria since September 2015.

Forty-eight percent of Russians were concerned that "heightened tensions in relations between Russia and the West could grow into World War III," according to a poll conducted by independent pollster Levada Centre last week.

That figure was up from 29 percent in July this year.

Why DO so many young people say they're bisexual? Honest? Confused? Influenced by celebrities? We talk to three youngsters - and their (somewhat bemused) parents

Shannon Scrivens can remember every detail of her first sexual encounter with another woman: the vodka she had beforehand to release her inhibitions; the smell of jasmine perfume; the David Bowie album that played in the background.

She describes the moment afterwards when, hurriedly putting her clothes back on before her mother returned from work, she and her female friend agreed what had happened would not ruin their otherwise platonic relationship.

But what 18-year-old Shannon isn’t as clear about is whether she actually enjoyed the experience. ‘It was disappointing because I think my feelings towards women are romantic, rather than sexual,’ she says. ‘But I am still attracted to both sexes and would describe myself as bi.’

As confusing as this might sound to some — and at times when discussing her sexuality Shannon herself sounds confused — she is far from alone. According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, the number of British people defining themselves as bisexual has risen 45 per cent in just three years.

This alleged increase is most notable in the young — for the first time, more 16 to 24-year-olds describe themselves as bisexual than those who say they are gay or lesbian combined. A survey by YouGov last year found that half of young people declared themselves as something other than 100 per cent heterosexual.

So what has sparked this staggering shift in the sexual tastes of our younger generation? Can half of all young people really be sexually fluid? Or are they simply labelling themselves bisexual in order to fit in with what is undoubtedly a fashionable trend?

One glance at the growing list of young celebrities who claim to be attracted to both sexes would certainly help explain this seismic shift in sexual attitudes.

Jaywon welcomes baby boy

The singer who just welcomed a baby boy with longtime girlfriend in Praha, Czech Republic, made the announcement today. Congratulations to the couple! More photos after the cut...

Horrific CCTV shows hit-and-run car smash in east London that left a woman, 50, and two children badly injured

This horrific CCTV footage shows a hit-and-run driver ploughing into a woman and two children crossing a London road. 

The small hatchback careered into the group of five people walking across Central Park Road in East Ham, throwing three of them into the air.

The 50-year-old woman, 12-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl were left badly injured, while the driver stopped on the pavement and callously ran away with a passenger.

This horrific CCTV footage shows a hit-and-run driver ploughing into a woman and two children crossing a London road. 

The small hatchback careered into the group of five people walking across Central Park Road in East Ham, throwing three of them into the air.

The 50-year-old woman, 12-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl were left badly injured, while the driver stopped on the pavement and callously ran away with a passenger.

Thousands protest in South Korea, demand president quit over scandal

Thousands of South Koreans rallied in Seoul on Saturday demanding the resignation of President Park Geun-hye, as a crisis deepened over allegations a friend exerted inappropriate influence over her and interfered in state affairs.

The street protest came as prosecutors investigate presidential aides and other officials to determine whether they broke the law to allow Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, to wield undue influence and gain financially.

Angry Koreans say Park betrayed public trust and mismanaged the government, and has lost a mandate to lead the country.

"She must step down," Lee Jae-myung, mayor of Seongnam city south of Seoul and a vocal critic of the government, said to a loud cheer from the crowd. "If Park Geun-hye is no longer president, will our lives be any worse off and will the tension with North Korea be any worse?" he asked the crowd, which responded "No!"

About 8,000 people attended the rally, according to police, organized by a group of left-leaning civic groups. Organizers said up to 30,000 people took part in the march through the capital.

"It's become clear the people made a wrong decision and picked a wrong president," Jeong Hong-woo, 22, told Reuters at the rally.

Venezuelan President threatens to jail political opponents if they call for his removal

Venezuela President, Nicolas Maduro has threatened to jail his political opponents if they call for trial to remove him from Power.

This came after opposition leaders and hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the president, as the country’s economic crisis continues to deepen food and medicine shortages, prompting opposition lawmakers to threaten to put the President on trial for violating democracy.

Reacting to the lawmaker’s threat, the President in a statement vowed to respond forcefully by jailing his political opponents if they make a move to call for his removal.

'If they launch a supposed political trial, which is not in our constitution, the state prosecution service must bring legal action in the courts and put in jail anyone who violates the constitution, even if they are members of Congress.'

Celine Dion Shares Rare Pic Of Her Three Sons

Katy Perry may have stolen the show at Kate Hudson's Halloween party last night with her Hillary Clinton costume, but she wasn't the only famous face there! We spotted Jessica Alba, Kendall Jenner, Nicole Richie, Emma Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow and tons of other stars rolling up to the party, and some of them went all out with sexy and spooky outfits. Kendall had just attended sister Kylie's Halloween bash, so she was really cramming in the events last night! Emma was nearly unrecognizable as a skeleton, while Gwyneth opted to hide under her cowgirl hat when we caught her with steady beau Brad Falchauk. We also caught Sacha Baron Cohen in a cow costume, and Nicole Richie's costume was pretty fab as well, though it doesn't appear as though the tiger in her trio is hubby Joel Madden. Or is it? We can't really tell from the face paint.