Crocodile bites handler hard in front of spectators after trying to pull a stunt with the animal

This is the moment a reptile handler was attacked by a crocodile in front of horrified spectators after he put his arm inside the creature’s mouth. The handler, a 45-year-old named Tao, was performing the stunt at the Phokkathara zoo in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, in front of around 100 people on Sunday afternoon. As he reached inside the crocodile's jaws while another keeper looked on, Tao looked at the audience and told the announcer to stop the music. Then, the reptile suddenly clamped down around Tao's forearm before shaking him violently from side to side.

Rolls-Royce cars used by Queen Elizabeth and British royal family to be auctioned next month

Vintage Rolls-Royce cars used by Queen Elizabeth and members of the British royal family over the past seven decades are to be auctioned next month, at prices expected to reach up to US$2.6 million (S$3.5 million). Top of the list at the sale by auctioneers Bonhams on Sept 8 is a 1953 Rolls-Royce Phantom IV State Landaulette, built in celebration of Rolls-Royce's Golden Jubilee and used by Queen Elizabeth.

MH370 report says cause of plane's disappearance cannot be determined

Malaysian authorities said Monday they have failed to determine the cause of the 2014 disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, though they did rule out several possibilities. Announcing the release of a widely anticipated safety investigation report, investigators acknowledged a lack of any clear evidence on the plane's ultimate fate, but added it would be presumptuous to suggest this was the end of the matter, given the wreckage had not yet been located.

Girl has ‘twin’ sister growing from her chest

A teenager is finally getting medical help after living her entire life with two extra arms and fingers dangling from her chest. Veronica Cominguez, 14, was born with the limbs and an oblong-shaped torso growing from her chest in Iligan City, Philippines. The extra parts - belonging to a parasitic twin which did not develop properly - have continued to grow with her. She even cleans her living ''twin'' and cuts their finger nails for them.

Olympic champion Skofterud dies in jet-ski accident

Norwegian cross-country skier Vibeke Skofterud, an Olympic gold medallist and double world champion in relay, has died in a jet-ski accident at 38. Skofterud was reported missing on Saturday. Her body was found on Sunday morning on a small island near the town of Arendal.
"All the indications are that it was a jet-ski accident," Sveinung Alsaker,  a police officer said in a press release.
Skofterud won gold in the 4 x 5km relay at the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010. She was also part of the team that won the same event at the 2005 and 2011 World Championships. She retired from skiing in January 2014.

India strips four million people of citizenship

India was braced for unrest in its north eastern Assam state on Monday after the authorities declared some four million residents to be foreigners, effectively stripping them of their citizenship and raising fears of deportation.
The residents, mostly Muslims of Bangladeshi origin, were deemed ‘stateless’ as India published its draft list of citizens deemed to have entered the country before 1971, when millions fled Bangladesh's war of independence into the state.
The government released its final draft of Assam’s National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) in what many claim is as an effort by Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, to target Muslims hostile to his BJP nationalist party ahead of elections next year.

Soldier sets himself on fire to protest after he was sacked

A former Ukrainian soldier was filmed setting himself on fire in protest after he was sacked from the army. Dramatic footage broadcast on Ukrainian television showed Serhii Ulianov dousing himself in petrol before setting his army uniform alight.

Robert Mugabe addresses nation for first time since stepping down as president

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has emerged to address the nation hours before Monday's historic election, declaring: 'I will not vote for those who have illegally taken power.'
In a slow and rambling address, his first since stepping down in November, the 94-year-old spoke to reporters about the circumstances of his removal under military pressure after a ruling party feud.
He was coy about endorsing a candidate ahead of the election in which the former deputy he fired, President Emmerson Mnangagawa, faces 40-year-old lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa.

Three sisters all confess to killing their dad after "years of sexual abuse and torture"

Three sisters have confessed to stabbing their abusive father to death after "years of torture" and they are now facing 15 years in jail. The teenagers Kristina, 19, Angelina, 18 and Maria, 17, are accused of murdering their heroin-addict father Mikhail Khachaturyan. He was found with dozens of stab wounds near a lift inside the family's block of flats in Moscow, Russia.
Reports citing police say the sisters all confessed to jointly killing their 57-year-old father, claiming they suffered years of appalling sexual, physical and emotional abuse.

Woman, 69 shoots and kills her husband, 65 for constantly buying and watching porn

An Arkansas woman has been arrested and charged with capital murder after she admitted to fatally shooting her husband because he repeatedly purchased pornographic videos through their cable provider. According to a police statement, Patricia Hill, 69, called 911 on Saturday afternoon around 3pm in Jefferson County to report that she had shot her husband Frank Hill, 65.
Responding deputies reportedly found Patricia in the backyard and immediately detained her. Frank's body was found on the floor, having suffered at least two gunshot wounds to the leg and head.

BMW is hiking the prices of American-made SUVs in China

BMW is raising prices in China as global trade tensions escalate. The German automaker said it has hiked the prices of two popular sports utility vehicles in the world's biggest car market after China put tariffs on American-made imports. The prices of its X5 and X6 models have increased by 4% and 7% from Monday.

Ex-WWE superstar grandmaster Sexay dies at 46

Former WWE superstar Brian Lawler has died aged 46. Lawler, who competed in the WWE under the name of Grandmaster Sexay and elsewhere in professional wrestling as Brian Christopher, reportedly attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell outside Memphis.
His mother Kay told TMZ that Lawler passed away surrounded by family and friends after being placed on life support, which was turned off yesterday evening. His father Jerry, who is WWE's Hall of Fame commentator and still works for the company today, and brother Kevin were both also in attendance.
Kevin wrote on his personal Facebook page: "Lots of different stories and rumors about my brother today. "But as of 30 minutes ago he has officially passed.

Indonesia volcano: Hundreds of hikers trapped after earthquake

Nearly 700 people are trapped on and around a volcano on the popular Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, after a devastating earthquake killed more than a dozen people. A rescue operation is currently underway for tourists caught in landslides on Mount Rinjani, an area popular with hiking enthusiasts. According to National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, 689 people are still trapped on the 3,726 meter (12,224 ft) mountain following the shallow 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday morning.

Names of five teenage killers are made public as they are found guilty of murdering 15-year-old boy hours after he helped his mother make sandwiches for homeless people

Five teenagers who 'tortured' a 15-year-old boy to death in an alleyway behind his home can be named for the first time after they were handed life sentences today. Kai Fisher-Dixon, Shuayb Mahomud, Tremayne Gray, Omarion Stephens and Abdulqaliq Mohamed stabbed Jacob Abraham to death on December 7 last year.

WhatsApp linked to lynchings in India. Facebook trying to contain the crisis

Facebook is being battered by privacy scandals, user outrage and fake news controversies. In India, its biggest problem is WhatsApp. Widely-distributed hoax messages sent on the app, which Facebook owns, have been blamed for more than a dozen lynchings across India. Facebook has deployed a series of new features in recent weeks to try to fix the problem.

Former governor of Chinese province sentenced to 16 years in prison for corruption

A former governor of east China's Fujian Providence, Su Shulin, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined 3 million  yuan for bribery and abuse of power by a court in Shanghai on Thursday.  The court found that between 1997 and 2013, Su took advantage of his position to seek benefit from people through business operations, promotions and personnel arrangements.

Man who destroyed Trump's Walk of Fame star bailed out by man who previously vandalized it

The man who destroyed President Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame  on Wednesday has been bailed out by a man who previously vandalized the star in 2016. The culprit identified as Austin Clay claimed responsibility for vandalizing Trump's star with a pickax early on Wednesday, and then called police on himself. He was subsequently charged with suspicion of felony vandalism.
 After his arraignment, Clay’s $20,000 bail was posted by James Otis, who previously vandalized the star with a sledgehammer and pickaxe in November 2016, according to TMZ.  Otis reportedly pleaded no contest to his vandalism charges and received three years probation, 20 days of community service, and a $4,400 fine.

A Colombian gang has put a $70,000 bounty on Sombra the drug-sniffing dog

Her talent for sniffing out drugs has led to the capture of at least 245 people and the seizure of 9 tons of cocaine from the powerful Urabeños gang in Colombia. But now Sombra (Shadow, in English), a 6-year-old German shepherd who is incredibly popular among children and adults alike, is in danger.
The Urabeños mafia has put a bounty of 200 million pesos ($70,000) on her head, according to Colombian police, so the dog had to be moved to Bogota's El Dorado airport over fears for her safety.
Along with her usual handler, Jose Rojas, Sombra is now escorted by other officers to keep an eye on her, police said.

Nigeria keeper Carl Ikeme quits football after cancer battle

Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme has announced his retirement from football after a year-long battle with acute leukaemia, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 32-year-old Nigeria international has been with Wolves for his entire career, making over 200 appearances for the club.
Ikeme said his decision to retire comes on medical advice after "a tough year and intense chemotherapy".

Ugandan Constitutional Court okays presidential age amendment, clears way for Museveni to be elected again after 32 years in power

Ugandan Constitutional court on Friday, validated a constitutional amendment that removes an age limit for presidential aspirants, clearing the way for long-serving President Yoweri Museveni to remain in power for life.  After more than 11 hours of debate, 4 out of the 5 justices on the Constitutional court rejected a challenge to the amendment that prevented anyone 75 or older from holding the presidency. Justice Kenneth Kakuru was the only dissenting judge

Plane crash in Congo leaves Five people burnt to death

Five people were burnt to death today after a small passenger aircraft crashed in southern Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Angola. The piston-engined Antonov 2, operated by local airline Air Kasai, burst into flames, just after takeoff from Kamako for a flight to Tshikapa, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away.

Mother confesses to children on death bed that their grandfather is their real father

A 'wicked' pensioner has been jailed after admitting incest charges for abusing his own daughter and fathering her three children. Ashraf Khan, 81, from Bradford, was jailed for four-and-a-half years yesterday after his victim confessed to their children on her deathbed and they fought for justice for their mother. The defendant  was arrested after the woman's husband, who had DNA tests to confirm the children's parentage, reported the matter to West Yorkshire Police in 2012.

Israeli cartoonist fired after drawing prime minister, lawmakers as pig

A Jerusalem-based magazine has laid off a cartoonist for rendering an image of Israel's prime minister and Likud lawmakers as pig characters from George Orwell's "Animal Farm," Israel's journalists union said Thursday. The cartoon was meant to criticize the Israeli government's passage of a controversial law last week enshrining the state's Jewish character. Critics say the legislation, which defines Israel as a Jewish state and downgrades the Arabic language's status, marginalizes the country's Arab minority.

Japanese company sells advertising space on women’s armpits

A Japanese advertising company has come up with an unorthodox way to get eyeballs for its clients' products - by placing advertisements on the armpits of young women.
The Wakino Ad Company, which recently began operations, has released photos on its website showing how this ad strategy could be used by recruitment portals, acting schools, detective agencies and more. The ads come in various sizes and are in colour, with "armpit rentals" starting from about 10,000 yen (S$120) an hour. Unsurprisingly, the Japanese word for armpit is "waki".

Woman, 21, dies after being bitten by a highly venomous snake she had bought online

A Chinese woman who had allegedly hoped to make a traditional snake wine has died after being bitten by a venomous serpent which she had bought online for the process of making traditional reptile wine'
 The woman, identified as 21-year-old Qiqi by media, reportedly died in hospital last Tuesday, eight days after being bitten in the finger by the many-banded krait, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. The snake then escaped from Qiqi's home onto the streets of Weinan, a city in the province of Shaanxi in north-west China. Its dead body was found at a market by police one day later.

Cannabis to be made available on prescription in UK

Medical cannabis will be made available on prescription in UK after it was approved for use by the government. Doctors will be able to prescribe medicine derived from marijuana “by the autumn”  Home Office announced. The home secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.

Mr, Ms & Mrs titles dropped by university because of students who are transgender/gender non-conforming

South Africa's prestigious Wits University has dropped gender prefixes - Mr, Ms and Mrs - from all university communication to create a more inclusive environment for students who are transgender‚ non-binary or gender non-conforming.

Cristiano Ronaldo has the physical attributes of a 20-year-old - Juventus medical report reveals

Cristiano Ronaldo is no doubt one of the most hardworking footballers in the world who makes sure his body is in good condition. Following his £100million switch from Real Madrid to Juventus, medical staff in Turin found that he actually has the physical traits of a 20-year-old.

Zoo paints black stripes onto donkeys to deceive tourists into thinking they are zebras

International Gardens Park in Cairo, Egypt, is currently facing backlash for painting black and white stripes onto a donkey to pass it off to visitors as a zebra. Despite experts saying the animal being passed off as a zebra is fake and looks like a donkey, zookeeper, Mohamed Sultan denies painting black stripes onto the animal to pass it off as what it is not.
Mahmoud Sarhan, 18, took pictures of the animal during a visit last weekend and it appears that some of the stripes have rubbed off.

Disgraced former Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar who is serving up to 175 years in prison, was attacked by inmates

Disgraced former Gymnastics Doctor,  Larry Nassar was reportedly attacked by inmates at the high-security Arizona prison where he is currently serving 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting more than 150 women and girls while serving as a doctor for Michigan State University and Team USA gymnastics.

France's Benjamin Pavard wins World Cup goal of the tournament for his stunning strike against Argentina

Football star, Benjamin Pavard's stunning long-range strike for France against Argentina has been named as the best goal of the 2018 World Cup by FIFA. The 22-year-old Stuttgart right-back scored the goal from a long range in the last-16 clash against the South American country in Russia.

Victims of domestic violence to enjoy paid leave in New Zealand

Victims of domestic violence in New Zealand will now be allowed to take up to 10 days paid leave from work to try to escape the abuse. This is part of a scheme to address the nation’s "shocking" levels of family violence.

Ronaldo, Messi, Salah and Hazard on 10-man shortlist for FIFA's 'The Best' award 2018

The world football's governing body has announced a 10-man shortlist for the for FIFA's 'Best Men's Player' award 2018. The 10-man shortlist which was announced on Tuesday afternoon features strong rivals, Cristiano Ronaldoand Lionel Messi as well as Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard
See full list below.

Ivanka Trump announces she is shutting down her eponymous fashion brand amid plummeting sales to "focus on her work in Washington"

US First daughter, Ivanka Trump is shutting down her eponymous fashion brand to focus on her work in Washington, D.C. This comes a year after the 36-year-old formally separated from the company to move to Washington D.C. to work as one of her father President Donald Trump's senior White House advisers.

Abu Dhabi orders the arrest of three social media stars for taking part in viral 'In My Feelings' dance challenge

The Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi has ordered the arrest of three popular social media users for taking part in the viral "In My Feelings" challenge. The viral dance challenge based on Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake's hit song "In My feelings" sees people get out of a slowly moving car and leave the door open as they dance alongside it in sync with the music.

Congo officially declares the end of Ebola outbreak that claimed 133 lives in 10-weeks

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday officially declared the end of an outbreak of Ebola after a 10-week re-emergence of the disease which claimed 33 lives. 
 “After an observation period of 42 days during which no new confirmed cases have been observed, and in conformity with international health regulations, I declare today, July 24 2018, that the epidemic of Ebola virus disease in  province in the Democratic Republic of Congo has come to an end,” Health Minister Oly Ilungasaid in a statement. 

Teenager steals his father's car to go on a cruise after passing driving test then mows down five people

The horrifying moment a teenager mowed down five men after stealing his dad's BMW was caught on CCTV. Horrifying CCTV footage shows the blue sports car driven by Max Maxwell, 18, swinging onto the wrong side of the road before mounting the footpath and crunching into some men as they walked to the pub in Canvey, Essex.

Barcelona announces £45.5m deal for Malcom after dramatic Roma U-turn as Brazilian signs five-year deal

Barcelona has signed Brazilian winger Malcom from Bordeaux for 45.5million pounds after the star who was supposed to head to Roma made a dramatic U-turn. The Spanish club paid £36.5m plus £9m in add-ons for the 21-year-old, who Roma had announced his signing but failed to board a flight to the Italian capital to officially seal the deal.

'Never, ever threaten the US again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few have ever suffered' - Trump issues stern warning to Iranian President

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned the United States that it could shut down international oil shipments in the strategic Strait of Hormuz if Washington continued to provoke Tehran.
 "We have always guaranteed the security of this strait. Do not play with the lion's tail; you will regret it forever" Rouhani told diplomats in the Iranian capital. The Iranian president has previously threatened to close the strait in response to US President Donald Trump's threat to stop Iranian oil exports through the waterway.

Baby born with two faces in Indonesia

A baby has been born in Indonesia with two faces because his conjoined twin did not develop properly in the womb. Two-month-old Gilang Andika, from Batam, a city in Indonesia about 20 miles (32km) across the sea from Singapore, has two faces and two brains but just one head. The complication has left him looking disfigured and suffering from a potentially fatal brain condition, which is causing fluid to build up. Although he has just one body with two arms and two legs, Gilang is technically a conjoined twin – a condition which affects one in every 250,000 births.

Zidane, Deschamps, Guardiola, Klopp and 7 others shortlisted for FIFA's 'The Best Men's Coach' 2018

The world football's governing body has announced 11-man shortlist for the prestigious FIFA The Best Men's Coach award for 2018. The list which was released today features five national team coaches, Russia's Stanislav Cherchesov, Croatia's Zlatko Dalic, France's Didier Deschamps,  Belgium's Roberto Martinez and England's Gareth Southgate.
Six others coaches were listed from Club sides in England, Spain and Italy.

Demi Lovato "rushed to hospital after heroin overdose" weeks after revealing relapse

Demi Lovato was rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles because of a heroin overdose.
According to TMZ, the 25-year-old singer was taken to the hospital today before noon from her home in the Hollywood Hills and she is currently being treated. Her condition is currently unknown.
 Demi has fought substance abuse for years. She had been 6 years sober from alcohol, cocaine and Oxycontin but last month she released a song called "Sober" where she revealed she had relapsed.
 Demi was scheduled to go on the road this week and had a show scheduled in Atlantic City but TMZ sources say she's been struggling.

Police arrest suspect in Oakland train station stabbing

 A man who police say killed an 18-year-old woman in an unprovoked knife attack in a train station in the San Francisco Bay Area has been caught.John Cowell, 27, a recently paroled robber with a violent history, was peacefully arrested on an Antioch-bound train Monday night about a dozen miles from the Oakland station where investigators believe he killed Nia Wilson and wounded her sister Sunday night.

Kid mistakenly rips out his eye on livestream after being dared by peers

A disturbing video showing a teenager with one of his eyeballs ripped out after engaging in a dare from his friends, has gone viral. According to online reports, it all started when the teen attended a party at a friends house and they all got tipsy. The drunk teen then accepted a dare from his friends and it cost him his eye.
In the video shared online, the friends can be seen freaking out and screaming in horror after they saw the damage on the boy's face.

Laos dam collapse: Hundreds missing after flash floods hit villages

Hundreds of people are missing and an unknown number are dead after a dam under construction collapsed in south-east Laos, state media say. The collapse at the hydroelectric dam in Attapeu province late on Monday sent flash floods through six villages, Lao News Agency reported. More than 6,600 people have been made homeless, it added.

Husband of Trump’s accuser Stormy Daniels seeks divorce, accuses her of adultery

The husband of Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the centre of a public row with US President Donald Trump over their alleged sexual encounter a decade ago, has filed for divorce in Texas. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has repeatedly said that she had sex with Donald Trump in 2006 before he became president, but Trump denied her claims.

'I sleep with cows because girls can give me HIV' - Kenyan man

A man escaped lynching in Bahati, Nakuru, Kenya, on Wednesday after a mob accosted him for bestiality. John Mwaura, 29, was reportedly caught pants down after he sneaked in the compound to engage in the unnatural act with a neighbour's cow.

At least 50 killed & 100 injured as huge fire rage in Greece

Huge forest fires raging across Greece have killed at least 50 people and injured more than 100, forcing authorities to seek international assistance. A state of emergency was declared in areas near Athens as coast guard boats headed out in an attempt to rescue dozens of people trapped on beaches by fire.

CIA official: China wants to replace US as world superpower

The goal of China's influence operations around the world is to replace the United States as the world's leading superpower, the CIA's Michael Collins said Friday. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum during a session on the rise of China, Collins, the deputy assistant director of the CIA's East Asia Mission Center, said Chinese President Xi Jinping and his regime are waging a "cold war" against the US.

South Africa shooting: Eleven taxi drivers killed in ambush

Gunmen in South Africa have killed 11 taxi drivers in an ambush, police say. The men from Gauteng province were travelling to Johannesburg on Saturday night when their minibus was fired on. The victims, and four others critically injured, were returning from a colleague's funeral in the coastal region of Kwa-Zulu Natal, police said. The motive is unclear although rivalry between groups running minibus taxi routes in South Africa has led to violence in the past.