Bryce Dejean-Jones, NBA player shot dead after entering wrong apartment

New Orleans Pelicans star Bryce Dejean-Jones has been shot dead after allegedly breaking down the door of a Dallas apartment he believed belonged to his girlfriend. The 23-year-old NBA player died early on Saturday morning after he was shot in the abdomen. A man who is a resident at the Camden Belmont Apartments in Dallas, Texas, told police he was sleeping when he heard someone kick down his front door shortly after 3am, Fox 4 reported. He told police that he grabbed his gun and shot Dejean-Jones when he entered his bedroom.
Police found the basketball player in a pool of blood in an outdoor passageway. He was taken to hospital but could not be saved.

Man arrested for beating son with belt for missing soccer goal

                                                                (C)OdessaPD

Can someone please tell this guy not every soccer player can be like Lionel Messi!
Police in Texas collared a 31-year-old man after he allegedly beat his 8-year-old son with a belt for missing a goal during a soccer game, police said. The grandmother of Carlos Jesus Vasquez’s son called the Odessa Police Department Wednesday to report the incident, according to a press release. After further investigation, police found that Vasquez had hit the boy 10 to 20 times with a belt — and they found injuries consistent with the alleged beating. When police interviewed him, Vasquez admitted to hitting his son five to six times and said he knew he’d used excessive force.
The boy’s mother said that she witnessed the beating and threatened to call the cops on Vasquez, but didn’t because she was scared, according to the Odessa American. The Texan was arrested for third-degree felony injury to a child but was released Thursday after posting $15,000 bond.

Pics: Moment when a guy licks icy beer pump and tongue gets stuck

This hapless lad suffered a Dumb and Dumber moment as his tongue got stuck to a frozen beer pump after a joke went hilariously wrong. Reece Levinson was messing around with pals in a busy bar when he found himself stuck to the metal Heineken pump. He was testing it to see how cold it was - but ended up in pain as he had to prise it off the machine. Salford reveller Reece was in the Bachelor Inn in Dublin with friends when the funny episode happened. After a couple of attempts to free himself, panic sets in as the desperate drinker realises his predicament. With baffled bar staff looking on, Reece's friends pour various liquids on his tongue until he finally comes loose.

Hissene Habre, ex-Chad president sentenced to life for war crimes

Former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre to life in prison for crimes against humanity. The court in Senegal found Habre guilty of crimes against humanity, rape, forced slavery and kidnapping as well as ordering the killings of 40,000 people during his rule between 1982 and 1990. Habre had denied the accusations and refused to recognize the legitimacy of the court.
The former President showed little emotion as he heard the verdict, with his face covered partly by a turban and sunglasses. The verdict on Monday caps a 16-year battle by victims and rights campaigners to bring the former leader to justice in Senegal, where he fled after being toppled in a 1990 coup in the central African nation.

New mum smothers baby to death same day they returned from hospital because he wont stop crying

The mother of North Carolina, was arrested for killing her newborn son by smothering him the day she brought the baby home from the hospital because he would not stop crying, police said. 22-year-old Aishia Marie Pacheco killed 4-day-old Tyler Pacheco. He was found unconscious with bruises on the lips and nose, according to the police report. She held the baby close the her chest and smothered him, Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman said.
When she arrived home from the hospital, Pacheco wrote on Facebook: “My little boy Tyler Isaiah and I finally got to come home today. He is doing great and I love him so much. I’m learning a lot with him and I’m so proud to be his mom.

Police arrest man running around with bells hanging from his genitals. Read his reason below

64-year-old Kenneth Allen Beck of Riverton, Utah, was arrested on Thursday, for what police described as a “rather unique” way of exposing himself. Police were called after 4:30 p.m., on a report of a man running with no clothes on and bells hanging from him genitals near the Diamond Fork hot spots in Spanish Fork Canyon, according to Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. Girls who witnessed the incident, told police that Beck exposed himself in front of them. Police said that the girls were between 8 and 16 years old.
Police said that Beck told officers that he got naked and put the bells on his genitals to see the girls’ reactions. Beck was cited for lewdness involving a child.

Man in surgery after eating eight 15cm nails to impress friends

                                                                                   (C)Tencent

A 28-year-old man from Xinjiang was rushed to hospital earlier this week after he swallowed eight 15cm nails in a bid to impress his friends. According to Tencent, the resident of Aksu city swallowed the nails on March 17, but didn't report any pain until more than two months later on May 24. Two months ago the he had tried to claim to his friends that he was a trained sword swallower. After being mocked by his friends, to their surprise he took out a pack of large nails from his pocket and began to ingest them one by one.

Girlfriend ordered to pay $2 million after boyfriend burned down 32 apartments while trying to cook squirrel

A man burned down 32 apartments while trying to cook a squirrel that he caught outside his girlfriend's home, according to court documents in Michigan. Now, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the man’s girlfriend is responsible for the $2 million in damages as her name was written on the lease she had with her landlord.
According to the police investigation, Pellow's boyfriend was using a torch to burn off the hair from the squirrel he caught outside their home. The man planned to cook the squirrel, but he left the torch on the balcony and it started a fire. The flames destroyed 32 apartments in the building. The building’s insurance company paid more than $2 million for repairs, and they filed a lawsuit against Pellow, to recover the costs. The Court of Appeals ruled that although the boyfriend started the fire since Pellow was on the lease she was responsible for the damage.

See the Kenyan town were donkeys are ordered to wear diapers

Donkeys have been banned from entering Kenya's north-eastern town of Wajir unless they wear nappies. Officials say the rule is to protect the town's newly laid tarmac road. A letter told donkey-cart owners they must manage their animal's faeces "to avoid poop all over the tarmac road creating nuisance". BBC Monitoring's Abdullahi Yusuf Osman in Kenya says cart owners are complying - some sharing tips on social media on how to attach nappy sacks.
The authorities in Wajir, which is more than 600km north-east of Nairobi, are probably keen to protect the new tarmac road after waiting decades for such development, our correspondent says. The new road was built last year and is 27km long. The nappy notice was issued on Monday and came into affect on Thursday.

7-year-old boy left in the woods by parents as punishment gone missing

7-year-old Yamato Tanooka

A 7-year-old boy is now missing after his parent sought to punish him by driving off and leaving him alone in the brown bear-infested woods of a Japanese mountain range where they were taking a family hike. According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, the parents of 7-year-old Yamato Tanooka reported him missing on Saturday, but initially lied about exactly how they lost track of the boy. The parents first told the police that their son had gone missing in the woods found on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido while they were all on a walk, having initially gone there to forage for plants and berries.

See how this paralysed dad fulfils his promise of walking daughter down the aisle

This is the heart-warming moment a paralysed father-of-the-bride fulfilled a promise to his daughter when he walked her down the aisle – in a state-of-the-art robotic suit. Real-life bionic man Chris Palmer, 55, was left wheelchair bound after he was struck down with an aggressive form of cancer in June 2012. Despite being told by doctors he would never walk again, he was determined to find a way to walk daughter Heather down the aisle. And he was able to fulfill his wish when Heather tied the knot on Saturday (21/5) after he was loaned the use of a £90,000 robotic walking suit called Rex.
It meant he was able to stand in the Wallace and Gromit-style device when he gave Heather, 28, away to fiancé Christopher Halls, 28, at the ceremony in Darley Abbey, Derby.

Man obsessed with GWR has teeth removed in order to fit 500 straws in mouth

A man obsessed with setting Guinness world records has had all of his teeth removed to fit nearly 500 straws and more than 50 burning candles in his mouth. Har Parkash Rishi also had 366 flags tattooed on his body as part of the act. The 74-year-old, who's set more than 20 records, calls himself Guinness Rishi. He broke his first in 1990 when he rode a scooter for 1,001 hours with two pals. His love of records has led him to perform bizarre acts, including delivering a pizza from New Delhi, India, to San Francisco, US, and gulping down a bottle of tomato ketchup in less than four minutes.

Couple tortures 4-year-old daughter to death and hides her body in a freezer

A Kuwaiti citizen (26 years old) tortured his 4-year-old daughter to death and kept the body in a new freezer to conceal the crime. The corpse remained in the freezer for one week before the parents (suspect and his wife) were arrested. A security source said security men received information that a Kuwaiti citizen had killed his four year old daughter few days earlier and kept the body in a flat in Hawalli area. Acting on information, detectives conducted the necessary investigation and arrested the victim’s father.
He admitted the crime during questioning and confirmed that his 23-year old wife participated in the killing while they were under the influence of intoxicant. Public Relations and Media Information said investigations revealed that the suspect wrapped his daughter’s body with a shroud and kept it inside the freezer. It also revealed that experts discovered traces of burns on the shoulders and feet, indicating she was tortured to death. It also said the parents neglected the welfare of their four children, while the father was sacked from his job in a private company due to misconduct. The man and his wife have since been referred for further investigation.

Pakistan bans airing of contraceptive adverts

Pakistan has banned advertisements for contraceptive products on television and radio over concern that they expose inquisitive children to the subject of sex, local media reported on Saturday. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) said it was acting in response to complaints from parents and its ban covered all contraceptive, birth control and family planning products.
“[The] general public is very much concerned [about] the exposure of such products to the innocent children, which get inquisitive on features [and] use of the products,” it said in a statement.
The ban came despite a government initiative to encourage birth control in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim country of 190 million people where talking about sex in public is taboo. It is unclear whether it will extend to the government’s own family planning publicity efforts. Provincial population welfare departments regularly run campaigns to educate citizens on the benefits of various forms of birth control. Advertisements for condoms and other forms of birth control are rare in Pakistan.

Microsoft plans to cut 1,850 smartphone worker’s jobs

Microsoft has announced plans to cut up to 1,850 jobs as part of efforts to scale back its smartphone business. The firm also said it would post a $950m (£646m) writedown, part of which is to cover redundancy payments. A union official suggested the firm had cancelled plans to manufacture further handsets of its own, although this has not been confirmed. The move comes just two years after the US company paid $7.2bn for Nokia's handset business.
Last week, a study indicated Windows-powered handsets accounted for less than 1% of global smartphone sales over the first three months of the year. Microsoft is also in the process of selling its Nokia-branded feature phones business. Microsoft said up to 1,350 of the job cuts would be made in Finland as a result of the latest announcement.
"My understanding is that Windows 10 will go on as an operating system, but there will be no more phones made by Microsoft," said a union representative.

Pics: Keeping a bear as a pet!

The idea of sitting down for dinner with a 300lb bear is enough to put most people off their food. But for one family from Russia this wild idea is actually a way of life that extends far beyond sharing the odd meal at the dinner table. On the surface Svetlana and Yuriy Panteleenko appear like any other ordinary couple, but for their 23-year-old bear named Stepan. Standing at more than seven foot, the large mammal is so domesticated the family often sit down together in the evenings to watch television. And the bear has even been known to help out around the house - or at least in the garden - by watering the plants.
While Stepan gets through more than a bowl of porridge a day his favourite dish is a can of condensed milk thanks to a sweet tooth.
More pictures after the cut

DR Congo set to begin construction of world’s largest dam

The largest dam in the world is set to begin construction within months and could be generating electricity in under five years. But 35,000 people may have to be relocated and it could be built without any environmental or social impact surveys, say critics. The $14 billion (Dh51.42 billion) Inga 3 project, the first part of the mega-project, is being fast-tracked by the Democratic Republic of Congo government will span one channel of the vast river Congo at Inga Falls. It involves a large dam and a 4,800MW hydroelectric plant. But subsequent phases, together costing about $100bn, could eventually span the Congo river, the world’s second largest by volume.

Richard Jones the magician is crowned Britain's Got Talent champion

Magician Richard Jones has been crowned the winner of Britain's Got Talent, after stunning the judges, live audience and those watching at home with a series of sensational magic tricks. The grand final of the nationwide talent show, which has prompted tears, laughter and even courted controversy throughout its rounds of auditions and finals, reached a dramatic conclusion on Saturday night. After a number of nail-biting performances in the final magician Richard Jones was announced to be the victor, beating singer Wayne Woodward who came in a close second.

Video: 180Kg gorilla shot dead as 4-year-old boy falls 12 feet into zoo enclosure

A zoo shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla that grabbed and dragged a four-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit moat on Saturday afternoon, the Cincinnati Zoo's director said. Authorities said the boy, who fell 10 to 12 feet, is expected to recover after being picked up out of the moat and dragged by the 400-pound male, lowland gorilla named Harambe - who celebrated his birthday on Friday. The boy was in the moat for about 10 minutes and was in between the gorilla's legs when the gorilla was shot, according to WLWT. While zoo officials are still investigating, they believe the boy crawled through a railing barrier, and then fell into the moat.
Watch the video after the cut

Indonesia approves death penalty, chemical castration for child sex offenders

Indonesia's President has approved tough new punishments for child sex offenders, including a maximum penalty of death and chemical castration, after the brutal gang-rape and murder of a schoolgirl. Under new rules introduced in an emergency decree, convicted paedophiles could also be forced to wear electronic monitoring devices following their release from jail.
"This regulation is intended to overcome the crisis caused by sexual violence against children," President Joko Widodo said at the presidential palace in Jakarta.

Teen undergoes surgery after carrying his unborn twin in his stomach for 15 years

Since birth, a teenage boy in Malaysia has carried around the unborn fetus of his twin. Recently, the teen successfully underwent surgery to remove the mass, which is believed to be the first such case in the country, Central European News (CEN) reported. Mohd Zul Shahril Saidin, 15, is the fifth of eight children and a native of the town of Baling. He was only hospitalized within the last four months after complaining of pain, CEN reported. After the surgery, reports suggest the fetus had hair, legs, hands and genitals.
“The fetus removed from my son’s stomach was formed with organs like those of a baby— only the nose and mouth were not complete,” Hasmah Ahmad, the teen’s mother, told CEN.
The condition is known as “fetus in fetu,” a rare congenital anomaly in which a malformed and parasitic fetus is located in the body of its twin, according to the National Institutes of Health. The mass resided in Saidin’s abdomen. The phenomenon occurs in 1 in every 500,000 live births, CEN reported. The family has performed funeral rites on the fetus, which has been buried in a cemetery.

WHO rejects calls by scientists to relocate Olympics over Zika virus fears

The World Health Organisation has rejected calls from 150 leading scientists to relocate or postpone the Olympic Games because of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. The Games would “not significantly alter” the spread of the virus, which began in Brazil a year ago and is linked to serious birth defects, the WHO said. It was responding to an open letter from 150 leading doctors, researchers and medical ethicists, who argued the threat from the virus meant it would be “unethical” for the Games to go ahead. The experts fear athletes and fans travelling to the event could become infected with the mosquito-borne disease and spread it to their home countries on their return.

Husband divorces wife over costly weight-loss operation

A man in Saudi Arabia has divorced his wife after she spent over USD 20,000 to undergo a weight-loss operation to surprise her husband with her slimmer look, a media report said on Friday. The "obese" Saudi teacher, who lived with her husband in the Kingdom's capital Riyadh, went under the knife to lose weight and shape up for the sake of her husband but ended up getting divorced, Gulf News reported. The husband often complained that his wife was overweight and wished she were slimmer. When he was transferred to a different city, the wife consulted a doctor and went under the knife, the report said.
When the husband returned, he was pleased with his wife's new appearance and shape.

Saudi man shoots doctor who assisted his wife delivery because he may have seen her naked

Dr Muhannad Al Zabn recuperating after the incident       (C)Okaz

A Saudi man was arrested after he shot a male obstetrician, arguing that he had no right to assist his wife’s delivery and that a woman gynecologist should have been around. Dr Muhannad Al Zabn, who has a Jordanian father and a Saudi mother, delivered the baby one month ago at the King Fahad Medical City in the Saudi capital Riyadh. According to media reports, the father went to the hospital and told the doctor he wanted to see him to thank him for helping his wife with the delivery of the baby, Saudi news site Sabq reported on Thursday. The two met in the garden of the hospital and during the conversation, the shooter took out a gun he had concealed under his clothes and fired at the doctor. As the Saudi father fled the scene, medics rushed the victim to the emergency department then to the intensive care unit. The shooter was later arrested by the police.

Father jailed after forcing pregnant 14-year-old daughter to marry her rapist

Keith Strawn (right) forced his daughter to marry her rapist, Aaron Seaton (left)

A father has been sentenced to at least four months in jail after forcing his pregnant 14-year-old daughter to marry the 24-year-old man who raped her. Keith Strawn from Idaho, took his daughter and her attacker more than 1,000 miles to Missouri, where minors under 15 are allowed to marry with parental consent in “special circumstances”, such as being pregnant.
“If you get them pregnant then you marry them,” the father told the judge during the hearing, according to local media reports.
The attacker, who is now 25, pleaded guilty to a rape charge in April, which was reduced to statutory rape during the trial. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence, with sex offender treatment and substance abuse treatment. The father’s lawyer told the court his client may have had a “religious motivation” to impose the marriage after she fell pregnant. The teenage girl is believed to have miscarried.

Swarm of bees follow grandma’s car in an attempt to rescue their queen?

When it comes to bees, just don’t mess with their queen! A grandmother plagued by a huge swarm of bees for more than 24 hours while driving her car home from a nature reserve has spoken about the “incredible” ordeal. Carol Howarth, 65, was amazed when a swarm of over 20,000 insects flew down onto her silver Mitsubishi Outlander, covering the back end of the vehicle. A team of three beekeepers, a national park ranger and members of the public helped to capture and contain the swarm inside a cardboard box while Mrs Howarth was away from the car shopping.
The incident happened shortly after she had parked her car in the town centre of Haverfordwest, West Wales, before going shopping at lunchtime on Sunday 22 May.
Speaking about the incident on Tuesday, Mrs Howarth said she had “never seen anything like it.”
While she was away from the vehicle, thousands of bees descended on the boot of her car, causing many passers-by to stop and take pictures of the spectacle. Concerned that the insects might be destroyed with pesticide, Mr Moses contacted two members of Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association, who came to help capture the swarm.

Saudi women face jail & flogging for checking husband’s phone

Women in Saudi Arabia could be sent to jail and flogged if they check their husband’s telephone without his knowledge and consent. The matter is not covered in the Kingdom’s Islamic laws, but would instead be seen as a violation of privacy.
According to lawyer Mohammed Al-Temyat, who describes himself as a member of the Saudi government’s Family Security Program, women can be brought before a court if a lawsuit is filed against them, the Independent reports. The committee was set up in 2005 seeking to improve access to social services.
There is no set punishment for this offense, as it is not covered by Islamic law. Therefore punishments come under judicial discretion, which can mean jail time.
“I would like to clarify that this subject involves the husband and the wife and it is a Ta’zir offence so it is possible that there would be a flogging, a fine, imprisonment, just signing a pledge or even nothing,” Al-Temyat told the Makkah newspaper, as cited by the Independent.

This 14-year-old CEO actually turned down a $30 million offer for his invention!

When 14-year-old Taylor Rosenthal is not playing baseball as a first baseman and pitcher for Opelika High School, he is creating his own business. The freshman entrepreneur from Alabama is CEO of RecMed First Aid, a vending machine that dispenses first aid products instead of snacks. While in eighth grade, Rosenthal was assigned to brainstorm a business idea for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, a program designed as a class for students interested in learning how to start their own small businesses.
“I played baseball for 10 years now and every time a kid got hurt at a travel ball tournament or something, nobody could find a Band-Aid and I kind of wanted to come up with something to help that,” Rosenthal said during an interview on FOX Business Network’s Varney & Co.

Graphic pics: Thai man bitten on genitals by python while he sits on the loo

A man was caught in a blood-soaked battle with a massive snake after it bit onto his penis as he sat going to the toilet. Atthaporn Boonmakchuay was squatting over the toilet at his Thailand home this morning when he suddenly felt a sharp bite to the tip of his penis.
He immediately grabbed down below with his hand and was horrified to discover he had caught hold of the head of a huge snake that had clamped its jaws around his privates. The 38-year-old immediately screamed for his wife and began fighting the serpent - which refused to let go of his member.

Teenage gymnast hangs himself after crashing new car his parents bought for him

A teenage gymnast was found hanged in the woods after telling his girlfriend how worried he was about telling his parents he had crashed the brand new car they had bought him.
According to Daily Mail,Athena La told the coroner that boyfriend Ruslan Gutu, 18, was 'shaking' as he told her he was worried about how he would pay for the damage to his car after crashing it into a Land Rover. Later on he was found hanged in nearby woodland in his hometown in Bracknell, Berkshire, hours after sending his mother a chilling text saying soon he would be 'watching from above'.

Indian teenager gives birth to world’s biggest baby weighing 15 pounds (6.8 Kg)

A teenage mum has given birth to the world's biggest baby girl - who weighs the same as an average six-month-old. The unnamed baby was born by Caesarean section on Monday weighing a staggering 15lbs (6.8Kg). Her 19-year-old mother, known only as Nandini, was astonished by the size of her first child when she was born in southern India. And it is believed her birth overtakes the current record holder, Carisa Rusack, who was born weighing 14lb 5oz in Massachusetts in 2014.
Dr Venkatesh Raju, the local health officer, said:
'In my 25 years of experience, I had never seen such a big baby. 'She is a miracle. I believe she is not only the heaviest baby born in India but the heaviest baby girl ever born in the world.'
Nandini, who herself weighs 14.5 stone (94kg) and is 5'9 tall, had a smooth pregnancy throughout but was unaware she was about to give birth to a big baby.
More pictures after the cut

18 schoolgirls die in mid-night fire that wrecked their dormitory

Eighteen schoolgirls aged 5 to 12 have died in a fire at a Thai boarding school after becoming trapped in their second-storey dormitory.  They were asleep when flames ripped through Pitakiatwittaya School in the Wiang Pa Pao district of Chiang Rai, Thailand on Sunday night.

Twenty others were rescued through windows by fire fighters who had propped ladders up against the building. It is not yet known what caused the fire. Local police are investigating the incident while trying to account for all of the 38 girls in the building at the time. 

 The parents of those who died are being asked to travel to Chiang Rai to identify their charred bodies.  Some, police warn, have been burned beyond recognition. 

How makeup can make you age faster

We use various beauty care products to preserve and take care of our skin. But the industrial ingredients hidden in these products may be causing more damages than good.  Companies are meant to use an organic label only if the ingredients are certified-organic. This is a no-brainer, right? But the beauty industry is so shockingly unregulated that you often don’t know what to believe. Face cream, lipstick, mascara and even body wash are often labelled ‘clinically tested’ or ‘clinically proven’ and words such as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ claim various falsehoods.

Here are some ingredients you need to be aware of:

1. Beware of lead poisoning. Lead is commonly found in lipstick and hair dye. It will never be listed as an ingredient because it’s a contaminant. This is extremely troubling considering how much lipstick we swallow annually.

Iran boasts it is capable of destroying Israel 'in less than 8 minutes’ after testing missiles

Iran has boasted it is capable of destroying Israel 'in less than eight minutes',  two weeks after testing missiles which can reach the state. Senior military adviser Ahmad Karimpour said the country had the capacity to 'raze the Zionist regime' using the 'abilities and equipment' Iran had at its disposal. The warning came just weeks after Iran claimed to have successfully tested 2,000km-range missiles capable of hitting Israel. Senior military figures in the Islamic republic hailed the development of the missile earlier this month.

Boyfriend a prime suspect as pregnant woman is executed for refusing abortion

Candace Pickens, 23, and her 3 year-old son, Zachaeus, were both shot and left for dead on Thursday, (May, 12). Their bodies were found by a jogger in Asheville, North Carolina. She died on scene after being shot in the head at point-bank range as her son, Zachaeus was also shot in the face and left for dead after witnessing his mother’s execution. Her abusive boyfriend/baby daddy, Nathaniel Elijah Dixon, is the prime suspect. Police reports confirmed Dixon had an extensive violent history that included attempted robbery and allegations of domestic violence against another woman with whom he had a child.
Prior to her death, Candace discovered she was pregnant with Dixon’s child and insisted on keeping the baby as abortion was not an option. Her family and close friends believed that was the reason for her death as her boyfriend, Dixon, opposed it.

Haibatullah Akhunzada elected as new Afghan Taliban leader after Mansour's death

 Afghan Taliban spokesman has confirmed the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the armed group's leader, in a US drone strike and announced the appointment of Haibatullah Akhunzada as his successor. Agencies on Wednesday quoted the Taliban spokesman as saying that Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob have been appointed as new deputy leaders. The announcement followed confirmation on Monday by President Barack Obama that Mansoor was killed in a US strike in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan's chief executive,  said on Twitter  on Sunday that Mansoor was dead. Afghanistan's spy agency also said he had been killed.
Mansoor was chosen to head the Afghan Taliban last summer after it was announced that the group's longtime leader Mullah Omar had died two years earlier. The Taliban is the most powerful anti-government group in Afghanistan, where an estimated 11,000 civilians were killed or wounded and 5,500 government troops and police officers died last year alone. It seized power in 1996 and ruled Afghanistan until it was toppled by a US-led invasion after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. Almost 15 years later, about 13,000 troops from a US-NATO coalition remain in the country, including about 9,800 Americans.

Woman climbing Everest to prove 'vegans can do anything' dies in the process

A 34-year-old Australian woman who attempted to climb Mount Everest to prove that vegans are not 'malnourished and weak' has died. University lecturer Maria Strydom perished from a lack of oxygen in Nepal on Saturday afternoon after having to turn back from the final leg of her expedition because she felt unwell,the Washington Post reports. She, along with her husband Robert Gropel, challenged themselves to overcome Everest to show that 'vegans can do anything'. Dr Strydom had said that climbing Everest while adhering to a strict vegan diet was their 'own personal Everest.'

Lufhansa flight diverted after passenger tries to open door at 38,000ft to smoke

An international flight was forced to divert after a passenger tried to open a door at 38,000 feet - so he could have a smoke. Officials said that Sunday's Vancouver-bound Lufthansa flight was forced to divert from Munich to Hamburg where the passenger, who had been behaving increasingly erratically, was removed. And Hamburg police confirmed that a rescue crew, including a doctor, met the man and diagnosed him with a mental disorder. He was taken to a local psychiatric facility. There is no active police investigation into the incident.

London's Tube set to start 24hrs services

All-night services on London's Underground trains will be launched for the first time in August, the city's new mayor said Monday, despite union protests against the move. The long-awaited 24-hour services will be launched on August 19 on two of the network's 11 lines on Friday and Saturday nights before being rolled out more widely. The London Underground, widely known as the Tube, dates back to 1863 and carries over one billion passengers every year.
"The Night Tube is absolutely vital to my plans to support and grow London's night-time economy - creating more jobs and opportunities for all Londoners," said Sadiq Khan, who was elected as London's mayor earlier this month.

Zika virus on the verge of spreading in the US with over 500 travel-related cases

The Zika virus will likely begin spreading in the U.S. “in the next month or so,” a top health official said Sunday, highlighting the need for “forceful preparation.” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the federal government needs to ensure any local outbreaks of the disease don’t spread widely. “We already have Zika in the United States. But it is travel-related,” Fauci said during an appearance on ABC’s This Week.

Incredible story of a man who lost his arms to electric shock but still finds a way to live

49-year-old Chen Xinyin from Chongqing, south west China, lost his arms after getting a massive electric shock aged seven, reported People's Daily Online. Since then, he's learnt to cook, farm and now even looks after his bed-ridden mother. The disabled man's amazing strength of character has been captured in a series of moving photographs that's recently emerged. Since 2014, the disabled man has had to take care of her full-time while running his smallholding. Chen Xinyin's 91-year-old mother has been getting weaker and weaker each year. Some months ago, she became paralysed and can no longer move her arms.

Study shows smoking during pregnancy can increase baby's chance of developing schizophrenia in later life

Smoking during pregnancy can increase a baby's chances of developing schizophrenia later in life, a study has shown. Research in Finland found that the more women were exposed to nicotine the greater chance they had of having a child affected by the severe mental illness. Signs of heavy nicotine exposure in a mother's blood were associated with a 38% increased likelihood of schizophrenia. Scientists analysed data on 1,000 schizophrenia patients and matched their birth and health records with those of non-affected "control" individuals. Smoking habits were assessed by looking at levels of a nicotine marker, cotinine, in the blood. Based on this measurement, a fifth of mothers of schizophrenia patients were found to have smoked heavily while pregnant, compared with 14.7% of mothers of controls.

Transgender brothers who supported each others transition from men to women

Jamie O'Herlihy, 23, and her sister Chloe, 20, formerly called Daniel, spent their childhood years dressing up as female celebrities and playing with dolls. But as they went through school, they hid their gender struggles from everyone - including each other - out of fear of how they would be perceived. Eventually, last summer, the siblings opened up to each other about their battles while celebrating Chloe's graduation at their home in Cork, Ireland. vNow, they have both come out as transgender, are living as women and are planning to go under the knife for gender reassignment surgery. They are sharing their story in the hope of inspiring others to be true to themselves.
More pictures after the cut

Amazing! See what the baby rescued by dog looks like now

Absolutely strange yet true, a stray dog in Oman found and rescued a newborn baby and carried him through the desert till it was rescued. The incident which happened on the 31st of October, 2015 in Kharbika saw the baby being adopted by a police officer.

Check out the boy now....

Angry camel bites off owner's head after he was tied up in the heat all day

A camel, who was tied outside its owner’s house in the heat all day, killed him when the man finally remembered to untie the animal. The incident was reported in Barmer in Rajasthan on Saturday. It reportedly took 25 villagers six hours to calm the animal down.
According to a report in The Times of India, the owner, Urjaram, had forgotten to untie his camel during the day, and suddenly remembered while he was entertaining guests at home.
When he went out to untie the camel, it attacked him, picking him up by the neck and throwing him in the ground. A villager told TOI that the camel chewed the owner’s body and severed his head in the process.
"The animal lifted him by the neck and threw him on to the ground, chewed the body and severed the head," villager Thakara Ram said. Villagers revealed that the camel had attacked him before.
Areas in Rajasthan are witnessing some of the highest mercury levels in the country. Jawans patrolling the border with Pakistan, too, are facing a tough time dealing with camels in this heat. Recently, a camel attempted to get a jawan off its back while rushing to the shade.

Manchester United call it quits with manager Louis van Gaal

Manchester United have confirmed that Louis van Gaal has left the club after two years in charge at Old Trafford. Van Gaal's exit comes despite Saturday's FA Cup success, with sources telling ESPN FC that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will take over at Old Trafford. Sources have also told ESPN FC that Van Gaal's assistant, Ryan Giggs, is considering his future as he is set to be offered a different role. Executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said in the club's statement: "I would like to thank Louis and his staff for their excellent work in the past two years culminating in winning a record-equalling 12th FA Cup for the club [and securing him a title in four different countries].
"He has behaved with great professionalism and dignity throughout his time here. He leaves us with a legacy of having given several young players the confidence to show their ability on the highest stage. Everyone at the club wishes him all the best in the future."

Mobile phones and their hindrance to teaching and learning in Africa

Mobile phones have become ubiquitous in Africa. Among younger users, basic phones are most common. But more pupils are accessing smartphones that can connect to the internet – and taking them along to school. Phones are often used in school whether they’re allowed or not. Although they can enable valuable access to information, they also bring new responsibilities and dangers. It’s remarkably common for classes to be interrupted by both pupils’ and teachers’ phones. Access to pornography as well as bullying and harassment through phones is widely reported. We have conducted a study of young people’s mobile phone use in Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. Our findings emphasise the central place that mobile phones occupy in many young people’s lives. Before the mobile phone arrived in Africa, few people had access to landlines. The mobile phone represents far more of a communication revolution in Africa than in richer countries.

MTN shares slump after Nigeria suspends $3.9bn fine talks

MTN Group shares fell after Nigeria suspended talks about a $3.9bn fine on the South African mobile-phone company while the country’s House of Representatives completes an investigation into the nature of the penalty. The stock declined as much as 2.9%, the most since May 12, and traded 1.5% lower at R126.50 as of 10:23 am in Johannesburg, valuing the company at R233bn. The shares have plunged almost 35% since the fine, originally set at $5.2bn was levied in October.
“Any delays in finding a resolution for the MTN fine will play into trading and keep MTN’s share price suppressed,” Peter Takaendesa, an analyst at Mergence Investment Managers, said by phone from Cape Town on Monday. “The big event to watch this week will be MTN’s annual general meeting, where the market might also get additional clarity.”

Fan stabs Japanese popstar dozens of times for rejecting his gift

Japanese pop star Mayu Tomita is in a coma after a fan stabbed her dozens of times because she reportedly refused his gift. Police found a three-inch folding knife at the scene in western Tokyo on Saturday. A bloodstained mask and a trail of blood were found on the stairs near where the star was due to give a concert later that evening. Tomohiro Iwazaki, 27, confessed to stabbing Tomita in the neck and chest. He claimed he “ambushed” the star because she returned a gift he sent her.

Jilted boyfriend clings to woman's leg as he begs her not to dump him

This is the bizarre moment a man was caught on camera desperately clinging to his girlfriend's leg after she told him she was leaving him. And now, the video of the man's public begging has gone viral , showing him crawling across the ground and asking her not to end their relationship . Sadly, his public antics not only failed to work, but also earned him a dozen slaps across the face as he left his now ex-girlfriend mortified beyond imagination. The incident happened in the streets of Huai’an City, in East China’s Jiangsu Province and several pedestrians bore witnesses to the shocking scenes.