US denies visas to Russia’s delegation to United Nations General Assembly

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the United States had denied visas to several members of the Russian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. It called the move a violation of Washington’s international commitments, Interfax reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will discuss the situation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, Interfax cited the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, as saying.

Food Network chef Carl Ruiz dead at 44

Food Network star and celebrity chef Carl Ruiz has died and this is according to his closest friends in the industry. Carl reportedly passed away Saturday night of a suspected heart attack, so says his pal and social media personality, Matt Farah. Matt also said Carl died peacefully in his sleep.
Guy Fieri also commented on Carl's death, writing on Twitter ... "I’m heartbroken that my friend chef Carl Ruiz is gone. I have no words to describe what a great friend he was to me and my family. His ability to make me laugh and smile under any circumstances was only outshined by his talent as a chef."
He added, "Over the years, I’ve met a lot of great people but a friend like Carl is one in a hundred million. Carl 'The Cuban' Ruiz will forever live on in my heart and in those of all who loved him."

Boeing offers 737 MAX crash victims' families $213,242

Boeing will pay the families of 346 people killed in two 737 MAX crashes $US144,500 ($213,242) each from a $US50 million financial assistance fund announced in July, the fund's administrators have said. The fund, overseen by Washington lawyers Ken Feinberg and Camille S Biros, will begin accepting claims from family members immediately.
Family members will not be required to waive or release the right to litigate as a condition of participation.
The 737 MAX has been grounded since March after fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Claims must be postmarked no later than December 31, the fund said.

Russia faces ban from all major sports events

Russia could face a ban from all major sports events over "discrepancies" in a lab database, the World Anti-Doping Agency has warned. The country has been given three weeks to explain "inconsistencies" or risk being excluded from the Olympics and world championships.
Russia also faces being barred from hosting major events. "There's evidence this data has been deleted," chairman of Wada's compliance panel, Jonathan Taylor, told BBC Sport.
"We need to understand from the Russian authorities what their explanation is."

UEFA tells teams not to play where women can’t watch

European football’s governing body (UEFA) said on Tuesday, September 24, it would tell member clubs and national teams not to play games in certain countries; those countries where women do not have full access to stadiums. UEFA, meanwhile, did not specify which countries the action would affect.
UEFA’s ruling executive committee agreed that it would “recommend to its 55 national associations; and all European clubs not to play matches in countries where women have restricted access to stadiums”.

Canberra becomes the first city in Australia to legalize marijuana

The Australian capital Canberra will become the country's first city to legalize marijuana following a landmark vote Tuesday night.  Lawmakers in the Australian Capital Territory voted to pass a bill allowing people aged 18 or over to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal use. The new law is set to come into effect from January 31, 2020, state broadcaster ABC reported.
Under the new regulations, residents in the territory -- which is home to the capital -- will be able to legally possess up to 50 grams (1.76 ounces) of marijuana and cultivate up to two plants per person, or four per household.

Gabon becomes the first African country to receive funding for preserving its rainforest

In an effort to fight climate change, the United Nations announced Sunday that Gabon will become the first African country paid with international funds to preserve its rainforest. Through the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), Norway will pay $150 million to Gabon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and battle deforestation. The announcement was made at the Climate Action Summit in New York, where world leaders gathered to discuss how to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
CAFI is a collaborative partnership between the UN Development Program (UNDP), six Central African countries, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank and a coalition of donors including the United Kingdom, Norway and South Korea.

Polio makes a comeback in the Philippines 19 years after the country was declared free of the disease

The Philippines has reported its first case of polio since it was declared free of the childhood disease 19 years ago, dealing a blow to the campaign to eradicate it. The country's department of health said the disease was "re-emerging," with a case confirmed in a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur, on the southern island of Mindanao, and a suspected case awaiting confirmation.

'It's scary how they've fallen'- Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho smash Man U. to smithereens after 2-0 West Ham loss

Former Manchester United player, Roy Keane and recently sacked Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, lay into Manchester United following the English clubs' disappointing 2-0 loss to West Ham on Sunday.  Since the shock away victory over Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League, the result which helped Solskjaer to be given the manager’s job on a permanent basis, United have lost 10 of 19 games, winning just five, and with key players Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw absent through injury, Solksjaer's boys lost to a West Ham side who beat them 3-1 last season.

Spain grants citizenship to Barcelona wonder kid, Ansu Fati, who originally hails from Guinea-Bissau

Barcelona’s wonderkid and striker, Ansu Fati, from Guinea Bissau has been granted Spanish citizenship paving the way for him to play for them at international level.  According to a BBC report, the 16-year-old is also eligible to play for his country of birth, and also for Portugal through his grandparents. Fati’s application for Spanish citizenship was processed by the country’s Interior Ministry after he completed the required 10 years of residency. 
 This means that he could be included in Spain’s squad for the Under-17 World Cup, ahead of next week’s deadline. Even if he plays for Spain at under-17 level Fifa’s statutes mean that Fati could still swap allegiances at senior level.
 This week, he became Barcelona’s youngest-ever Champions League debutant as he started the 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund.

Zidane to resign if he loses Real Madrid support

Zinedine Zidane believes he has the backing of Real Madrid but admits he would leave if he ever felt he had lost the club’s support. Zidane has come under scrutiny after enduring his worst ever defeat as Madrid coach on Wednesday, a 3-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
The result also followed an underwhelming start in La Liga, which has seen Madrid claim two wins and two draws from games against Celta Vigo, Real Valladolid, Villarreal and Levante.

World's first museum dedicated entirely to 'Vaginas' set to open in the UK

The world's first museum dedicated entirely to vaginas is set to open in the UK.   The London-based Vagina Museum will open its doors for the first time on November 16 following a £50,000 crowdfunding campaign. The museum aims to educate and raise awareness of vaginal and vulval health and fight stigmas. 
 Its founder describes it as "the world's first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to gynaecological anatomy." The museum will feature art exhibitions, plays, workshops and comedy nights all centred around vaginas. 

Iran has 'assured' women can attend qualifier: Infantino

FIFA has been “assured” by Iranian authorities that women will be able to attend the October World Cup qualifier in Tehran, Gianni Infantino, president of the body said on Sunday.
A female Iranian fan died earlier this month, after setting herself on fire to protest against her arrest for attending a match. FIFA officials have been in Iran this week discussing preparations for the Oct. 10 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia, their first home game of the 2022 qualifying competition.
“We need to have women attending – we need to push for that with respect but in a strong and forceful way and we cannot wait anymore,” Infantino told a FIFA conference on women’s football.
“We have been assured, that as of the next international game of Iran, women will be allowed to enter football stadiums,” he said.

Six people injured in shooting in US city of Indianapolis

Six people were injured as a result of a shooting in the centre of the US city of Indianapolis, CBS4 WTTV reported on Sunday. The police confirmed that it was investigating a shooting near the Steak N Shake restaurant on Maryland Street in the capital of Indiana, according to the CBS4 WTTV channel. The gunshots were reportedly heard at about 11:20 p.m. local time on Saturday (03:20 GMT). The injured, including adults and juveniles, were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
At the moment, there is no official information about the Indianapolis shooting or the responsible shooter.
Two of the wounded are in critical condition, one in serious but stable condition and three others have minor injuries, Genae Cook of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.

At least seven children killed as classroom collapses in Kenya

At least seven children were killed and more than 60 injured when a wooden classroom collapsed in Kenya today. The structure fell down at The Precious Talent Top School in Nairobi just minutes after the start of lessons. Two children out of 64 who were admitted to hospital remain in a critical condition, while the rest have minor injuries, according to officials. One survivor, 10-year-old Tracy Oduor, said: ‘We were in class reading and we heard pupils and teachers screaming, and the class started collapsing and then a stone hit me on the mouth. ‘When we got out of the gate we heard that pupils were dead. ‘I feel so sad.’ It is unclear at this stage why the two-storey building, made of wood and corrugated metal, came crashing down.

Iran says it will destroy any aggressor

Iran will pursue any aggressor, even if it carries out a limited attack, and seek to destroy it, the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday, after attacks on Saudi oil sites which Riyadh and U.S officials blamed on Tehran.
“Be careful, a limited aggression will not remain limited. We will pursue any aggressor,” the head of the Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, said in remarks broadcast on state TV. “We are after punishment and we will continue until the full destruction of any aggressor.”
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved sending American troops to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air and missile defences after the September 14 attacks.

Theme park company reportedly paying couples $600 to lie in a coffin for 30 hours for Halloween

Six Flags, a theme park company, is reportedly offering couples $600 to spend 30 hours in a coffin.  Fright Fest is a spooky event thrown by the theme park company to commemorate Halloween and as part of the annual tradition, Six Flags is continuing to ask customers to try scary challenges.  According to Fox 29 Philadelphia, for this year, Six Flags is doing a  "30-Hour Couples Coffin Challenge".
In previous years, the challenge had been individual tasks and this is the first year the challenge has extended to couples.

Kenyan Pastor punished by government for exposing breast of woman he claimed he was delivering from cancer on Live TV

Popular Kenyan televangelist, James Ng'ang'a has been fined by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) over a nude content aired on his Sasa TV free-to-air channel.  The General Overseer of  Neno Evangelism Centre was fined 1 million shilling (N3.4m) for airing the adult content during hours it was restricted on Live TV.  Confirming the "punishment" Pastor James Ng'ang'a was served, CA Director of Public Affairs Chris Wambua said adult content is strictly prohibited on TV between 5am and 10pm. It is also known as the watershed period.

'Star Trek' Star Aron Eisenberg dead at 50

Aron Eisenberg,  who played Nog from the Star Trek spin-off "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" is dead as confirmed by his widow.   Though the cause of Eisenberg's death was not revealed, he was said to have died at the age of 50.
 "He was an intelligent, humble, funny, emphatic soul," Eisenberg's wife Malíssa Longo posted on Facebook.
"There will never be another light like Aron's. The beauty that he was and the legacy he leaves behind is beyond words. I love him dearly and will miss him eternally. At the moment I'm not sure how to do life without him."

Somalia's President signs anti-corruption bill into law

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Saturday signed an anti-graft bill into law, a long-awaited piece of legislation in one of the world’s most corrupt nations. The president, better known by his nickname Farmajo, came into office in 2017 vowing to combat the scourge which permeates evert aspect of life.
The new law will pave the way for the formation of independent anti-corruption commissions both on the federal and regional level, according to a statement from the president’s office.
“Corruption is worse than cancer because cancer kills only the individual, but corruption kills the whole society. I hope those who will be selected to be members of the committees will be decent, religious and patriotic,” the president said in a statement released Saturday after the signature.