The vicious real-life gangsters behind Martin Scorsese's chilling mega-budget movie 'The Irishman'

These are the real life gangsters behind Martin Scorsese's mega-budget movie "The Irishman" - whose main character will be played by Robert De Niro.

The violent story of mobster Frank 'The Irishman' Sheeran is based on gruesome real-life events, as Sheeran, played by De Niro, killed 25 people and claimed to have murdered labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa.

Dubbed at costing between $120 million (£98m) and $150 million (£122m), the film is becoming one of the director's biggest budget movies ever, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Much of the money will go towards the film's cast which includes Robert De Niro, 73, Joe Pesci, 74, Al Pacino, 76, and Harvey Keitel, 77.

China calls on N’Korea to suspend missile, nuclear tests

China has proposed that North Korea suspend its tests of missile and nuclear technology to “defuse a looming crisis”.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that in exchange, the US and South Korea could halt annual joint military drills, which consistently infuriate the North.

The appeal comes after North Korea test-launched four missiles on Monday, breaking international sanctions.

In response, the US began rolling out a missile defence system in South Korea.

Speaking on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting, Wang said the Korean peninsula was like “two accelerating trains, coming toward each other with neither side willing to give way”.

“Are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision?” he asked.

A mutual halt of military operations would be the first step towards easing tensions and reopening negotiations, he said.

Three of the North Korean missiles came down inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Monday, prompting Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump to say the region had entered “a new stage of threat”.

Mum of trans woman beaten by mob and shot dead in homophobic attack describes heartache after "very cruel lynching"( WARNING - UPSETTING CONTENT)

The family of a trans woman who was beaten and shot dead in a sickening homophobic attack has paid tribute after the "very cruel lynching."

Dandara dos Santos begged for her life as she was dragged from her home and dumped in a wheelbarrow before being rolled to a back alley and shot dead amid cheers and laughter.

Two men suspected of shooting Dandara, 42, and three teenagers that allegedly appeared in a sickening video of the attack have been arrested. A sixth suspect is still on the run.

Dandara's mother, Francisca Ferreira, spoke about the moment she found out her daughter had been attacked.

She said: "I was very desperate. Crying and asking God what had happened. What did this boy do, my God?

"I became so crazy I could not believe it if there was a fight or not."

Dandara's sister, Sonia Maria, said her sister was selfless and was always going out her way to help people - but she said she was always a victim of prejudice.

French teen jailed for machete attack on Jewish teacher

A teenager who attacked a Jewish teacher in France with a machete was sentenced to seven years in jail on Thursday by a French juvenile court, judicial sources said.

The 17-year-old was convicted at a closed-doors trial for slightly wounding the teacher who was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, or yarmulke, while walking to school in January 2016 in the southern city of Marseille.

Prosecutor Brice Robin said shortly after the attack that the teenager, who has not been identified because of his age, said he had acted in the name of the Islamic State militant group.

New NOAA satellite imaging allows unprecedented tracking of lightning strikes

A new lightning tracker that is hovering above the Western hemisphere in geostationary orbit has sent back its first images of lightning storms, NASA announced today.

The new instrument on a weather satellite called GOES-16 will give forecasters an unprecedented view of lightning strikes, and will allow them to give better warnings to the public when a storm is strengthening, scientists said.

The images released today show lightning flashes over the course of an hour on Feb. 14 around the Gulf of Mexico and in South America.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which runs the satellite that NASA parked 22,300 miles above Earth in December 2016, also released a video today showing ghostly lightning strikes along the southeast coast of Texas captured on Feb. 14.

The Iditarod trail sled dog race, in pictures

Seventy-two mushers, ages 20 to 63, are racing across the Alaskan wilderness, 1,000 miles in total, to win the prestigious 2017 Iditarod Trail International Sled Dog Race.

For some of this year's mushers, completing the race means more than taking home the title.

Cindy Abbott takes part in the grueling event as an affirmation of life after she was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease.

Like Abbott, Alan Eischens has a bigger goal than finishing in the top ranks: He races to raise awareness for pediatric diseases. "We do this for kids ... For us, it's about the kids," he told US

US deploys defence system after North's ballistic missile test

The United States started to deploy the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea following North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles, U.S. Pacific Command said on Tuesday.

The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un had personally supervised Monday's missile launches, stepping up threats against Washington as U.S. troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.

"Continued provocative actions by North Korea, to include yesterday's launch of multiple missiles, only confirm the prudence of our alliance decision last year to deploy THAAD to South Korea," U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris said in the statement.

North Korea is 'training for an attack on US bases in Japan': Kim Jong Un is pictured applauding missile launch as Trump warns him of 'dire consequences' and sends anti-missile system to the South

Nuclear-armed North Korea said Tuesday its missile launches were training for a strike on US bases in Japan, as global condemnation of the regime swelled.

Three of the four missiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to US ally Japan, in waters that are part of its exclusive economic zone, representing a challenge to US President Donald Trump.

In a phone call, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that the threat from North Korea had 'entered a new stage.'

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul have agreed to deploy a US missile defense system called THAAD to South Korea, which has infuriated China, the North's key diplomatic ally and crucial to efforts to persuade it to change its ways. 

 North Korea news sources showed the country's leader, Kim Jong-Un, smiling and clapping as the nuclear-armed nation launched three missiles in training for a strike on US bases in Japan

Hunger/Diarrhoea: Somalia announces the death of 110 people in two days

Somalia's Prime Minister has announced the deaths of at least 110 people due to hunger and diarrhea in the country. The announcement by Hassan Ali Khaire followed the Somali government's warning last week over drought in the Bay region of the country.

'It is a difficult situation for the pastoralists and their livestock. Some people have been hit by [hunger] and diarrhoea at the same time. In the last 48 hours 110 people died due to [hunger] and diarrhoea in Bay region,' Khaire's office said in a statement. 

'The Somali government will do its best, and we urge all Somalis wherever they are to help and save the dying Somalis, 'said the statement, released after a meeting of a famine response committee.

Several reports, also have it that the drought has led to a spread of acute watery diarrhoea, cholera and measles and nearly 5.5 million people are at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.  While thousands have streamed into the capital, Mogadishu, in search of food aid.

Inside the horror 'rape' 4WD: Pictures show Pajero in which British backpacker, 22, was allegedly 'held hostage and raped for TWO months' before petrol station worker alerted police when victim staggered in with 'black eyes and marks on her throat

Packed with clothes and items for a road trip adventure, these pictures show the white Mitsubishi Pajero at the centre of a British backpacker's horrific months-long hostage ordeal.

The 22-year-old woman was found in the 4WD by police with 'serious' facial injuries and in extreme distress when she was pulled over by officers on the Warrego Highway, in Queensland's west, on Sunday afternoon. 

Police allege the woman was 'repeatedly raped, bashed and held captive' by the accused man, 22, who was found in an alcove in the back of the car. It comes as local service station worker exclusively detailed the harrowing moment the backpacker walked into a nearby petrol station crying and 'shaking uncontrollably' moments before. 

The tourist walked into a nearby petrol station with two black eyes and marks on her throat -  distressed because she couldn't pay for the tank of petrol she had just put into the 4WD. 

'She had two black eyes and marks down the side of her neck,' the worker told Daily Mail Australia. 

This is the white 4WD police stopped in south-west Queensland on Sunday afternoon - finding a 22-year-old woman in extreme distress and a 22-year-old man in a back alcove

One Direction Singer Louis Tomlinson Arrested at Los Angeles Airport after Altercation with Paparazzi

Singer and one-fourth of the popular Britsh boy band, Louis Tomlinson has got arrested last Friday night for an incident that transpired between himself and a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

According to E!, the incident took place while the One Direction star was in the baggage claim area with his girlfriend Eleanor Calder, after they arrived from a flight from Las Vegas. His lawyer, Martin Singer, told the press “The paparazzi provoked and caused the altercation that occurred with Louis.”

Witnesses say Tomlinson pulled the photographer to the floor by his legs, causing the victim to fall and hit his back and head on the floor. The victim is now hospitalized but the extent of his injuries are currently unknown.

One of ‘UK most wanted’ men found behind wardrobe in Bradford

One of the UK’s 'Most Wanted' was on Saturday arrested and deported to his country. According to West Yorkshire Police, the unnamed Slovakian national, who was being sought in connection with multiple serious sexual offences in his native country, was found in Girlington.

Banks race to fix security flaw in contactless cards as it's revealed that thieves can use them for MONTHS after they’ve been reported stolen

Banks have refused to say how many times a card can be used after it has been cancelled, citing security reasons.

Some indicated the cards could only be used for a ‘low number’ of purchases up to the value of £50.

But lawyers say banks’ failure to warn customers about the security risk means they could be breaching industry regulations. Watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority said it was ‘urgently’ working to solve the problem.

A spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘In a limited number of circumstances, it is possible for a cancelled contactless card to be used by fraudsters. While there are controls in place and the overall risk is low, the FCA has been urgently working with card schemes and banks to ensure this issue is fixed.’

The use of contactless cards has soared in recent years and ‘tap and pay’ now makes up one in four of all card payments.

There is a grey area regarding who takes responsibility for money that goes missing from a customer’s account after a contactless card is stolen. In theory, the bank should pick up the transactions and refund the money automatically, but it seems some expect the customer to spot them.

Tanzania jails notorious elephant poacher

Tanzania's most notorious elephant poacher, nicknamed "The Devil", has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Boniface Matthew Maliango was responsible for killing thousands of elephants, a conservation organisation said.

He was arrested in Dar es Salaam in September 2015 after a year-long manhunt.

His crimes were the focus of a Netflix documentary film, The Ivory Game, produced by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Maliango's nickname, Shetani, means devil in Swahili.

Drunk Ed Sheeran Hit Justin Bieber in the Head With a Golf Club

Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber once took their fun a little too far. While vacationing in Japan, the musicians hit up a dive bar where the British singer imbibed some alcohol while Bieber sipped water all night. Afterwards, they decided to hit up a golf course.

“We were in Japan. We’d been out to a dive bar. He just drank water and I got hammered,” Sheeran shared with The Guardian. “Then we went to a golf course, and he lay on the floor and put a golf ball in his mouth and told me to hit it out of his mouth.”