Rozanne al-Yami,22, A Saudi female journalist, has been sentenced to 69 lashes, after charging her, over her involvement in a television show, in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex.
“I am too frustrated and upset to appeal the sentence,” she said.Al-Yami worked as a coordinator for the television show, but has denied working on the sex-show episode.
Read more about the penalty for adultery in Saudi Arabia…
Juan Alberto Poch, 57, has been arrested by the Spanish police. Poch is an Argentinian pilot accused of having taken part in ‘death flights’, in which hundreds of opponents of his country’s military junta where thrown live out of planes into the ocean, during the ‘dirty war’.
Poch, who also has Dutch nationality, was arrested while at the controls of a budget airline Dutch holiday jet. He was about to fly from Valencia to Amsterdam. Poch is wanted by the courts in Argentia to answer allegations that he flew navy aircraft on death flights between 1976 and 1983.
Across the ocean, it has been revealed that there is a hidden army of ex-servicemen in Britain.
Just as controversy swirled around Michael Jackson’s life, so too his death is shrouded in mystery, with numerous unanswered questions.
Michael’s father, 80 year old Joe Jackson, who used to beat his boys if they sang off key, claims that his son’s death was ‘foul play’.
Leaked details of the first autopsy claim the King of Pop was bald headed, weighing a mere 112 pounds, was barely eating one meal a day and hardly sleeping.
A legacy of narcotic painkillers being injected three times a day into hips, arms and thighs, fuels rumours that the star could no longer sing and would make use of the O2 Arena’s state of the art lip synching technology. This would have limited Jackson’s personal contribution to each concert to just 13 minutes. Yet other reports said Jackson did a full rehearsal in front of some 50 technicians, businessmen and performers, in the Staples Centre arena in Los Angeles, without even taking a break, the night before he died, in preparation for the upcoming concerts.
Jackson had been due to head to London on the day of his death, in preparation for what he had believed to have been 10 concerts, which his enablers had manipulated into 50. Yet some reports say the singer was far too fragile to even contemplate the journey. One source inside the Jackson camp is reported to have said, “He has no choice. He needs the money. His people are pushing him hard.” The first of the concerts had already been postponed for five days.
Other reports say that the singer’s $600 million stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing company, that has the copyright to all the Beatles’ songs, had fine print that will protect his share from his creditors. If that is true, the sale of Jackson’s share would go to his three children, ensuring them financial security for the rest of their lives. Others say that Sony is now in a position to regain full control of Jackson’s half share of the copyrights to The Beatles’ catalogue, as Jackson was in hock to Sony for hundreds of millions of dollars. Sony is reported to have been picking up the tab for all of Jackson’s bills.
There are reports that Jackson has left his children an inheritance of 200 original songs. Jackson was the song writer of the family, for the songs that he and his brother’s performed in the early part of his career. Others believe that Jackson’s estate will make more money during the coming 12 months, than the star made in the last decade of his life.
Rumours continue to swirl, of a huge debt that teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, to pill pushing ‘enablers’ with ties to the black militant organization, the Nation of Islam, through the children’s nanny, Grace Rwaramba. Some believe that Jackson no longer had control over his own life and was in fact longing for death.
There are reports that the 911 call for an ambulance was deferred for 50 minutes and Jackson was dead long before he left his rented mansion. Whatever the truth is about Michael Jackson, no one will ever deny that the iconic singer died a lonely and deeply troubled man, even while people around the world perform elaborate tributes of mourning to the icon.
Brooke Robertson, a twenty- three year old New Zealand woman and mother of one, may have lost 45 kg in eight months, by drinking nothing but Red Bull energy drink, but she recently suffered a heart attack and is now left with serious health problems. Robertson drank 10 – 14 cans of Red Bull per day.
“I just started drinking it. I wasn’t sleeping. I wasn’t eating – I was exhausted. I continued to drink it because it’s an appetite suppressant and I noticed I was losing weight so I stuck to it,” says Robertson. She kept her addiction to the drink a secret for eight months, occasionally eating only a handful of dried cereal. Robertson managed to wean herself off the drink during a two-week stay in a clinic. She said: “I had severe withdrawals - sweating, nausea, shaking”.
A Red Bull representative in New Zealand said, “There is scientific evidence that caffeine is not addictive. After all Red Bull has sold 3.5 billion cans in 143 countries across the world, it is safe to consume.”
Early 2008 a teenager was admitted to hospital with heart palpitations after drinking 8 cans of Red Bull. A 40 year old man from Oxford died in April 2008, after suffering a fatal heart attack, where it was believed Red Bull was a contributing factor. An 18 year old British basketball player died after consuming three cans of the drink in 2007. In July 2001 a 33 year old Australian died after drinking a pitcher of Red Bull and vodka. The Swedish National Food Administration is heading an investigation into the drink, after the deaths of three healthy young people in Sweden.
Red Bull was recently banned in five German provinces by health officials, because of a low level of cocaine (a banned substance) was found in the drink. Sales of the drink increased four-fold in pubs and night clubs in Austria, after German authorities announced their decision.
Red Bull was inspired by a Thai product where coca leaves are an ingredient. “De-cocainized extract of coca leaf is used worldwide in foods as a natural flavouring,” said a company spokesperson. “We only use it after illegal cocaine has been completely removed.” The company slogan is ‘Red Bull Gives You Wings’. The company is fighting back against the claims that the drink is harmful to health.
When you check in at an airline desk, you usually give little thought to your luggage. You simply expect it to arrive on the same flight you do, at your destination. Wrong! Lost, delayed, stolen or damaged luggage remains a significant problem for travelers.
33 million pieces of luggage were mishandled in 2008. In 2005 U.S. airlines lost 10,000 bags a day on average – that is between 4% and 9% per 1000 passengers. The worst performance since 1990. A surge in the number of passengers, airline budget cuts, backed-up flights and tighter inspections of luggage were given as the cause.
In March 2009 Bloomberg reported baggage mishandling at 14.28% items per 1,000. A decrease from 18.86% per 1,000 the previous year. Between 5.7% to 6.73% were never recovered.
Barry Maher, who gives speeches on customer service, was one victim. Delta lost both his bags last April on a trip from Ontario, Cal., to Roanoke, Va. Maher rushed out to buy a shirt, slacks and underwear so he could give a speech. His bags arrived at his hotel in time for him to return home. On the trip back, Delta lost both bags again. Delta’s staff was “uncaring,” he says.
Nothing much has changed in airline’s baggage handling systems. Airlines cannot afford using RFID (radio frequency identification) tags for the two million pieces of passenger’s baggage per year. Information is not shared between different airlines, even when a piece of luggage is transferred.
At one point when London’s Heathrow Terminal 5 opened, there was a backlog of 20,000 bags. Some were sent to a sorting facility in Italy.
While lost baggage is totally out of your control, there are one or two things you should do to minimize the damage:
Luna Laboo now buys lost luggage, displays it online and attempts to reunite it with its owners. Ms Laboo said, “I found an auction where the luggage was being sold off, unopened.”
Most airlines allow three months for the luggage to be claimed, then the luggage is sent to an auction house or given to charity. The question is, why can’t airlines do what Luna Haboo is doing? Photograph the cases and their contents and put them on line? Surely that would be cheaper than having to pay out for the lost bags and their contents?
Eight shocked tourists, plus two children, watched yesterday as an endangered species, white tiger pounced on and killed South African Dalu Mncube, senior cat handler at Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei, New Zealand.
Mncube had previously prised the jaws open of the same animal, when it had mangled a colleague’s leg last year.
This was the third attack at the park in just over a year. Other zoo keepers have spoken out against the park’s intimate way of handling its animals.
The white tiger was one of only 120 in the world. It was shot dead by park staff when it attacked Mncube, who was preparing to clean the cage with another keeper.
Close handling of big cats is common around the world, but Wellington Zoo general manager of operations, Mauritz Basson, said he would never support it at his zoo.
The website for Zion’s Wildlife Garden Zoo advertises a tiger walk where ‘you will be able to pat the tiger’. Keepers at the zoo often hug and interact with the big cats. Last year, a Scottish teenager was attacked by a lion cub when she put her hands through the fence.
Ian Adams, from Orana Wildlife Park, said that handlers it is one of the ‘golden rules’ that keepers should never enter an enclosure with big cats, unless there are two locked gates between themselves and the animals. Not having a barrier between the zoo keepers and the two Sumatran tigers was a complete no-no. “There is nothing you can do in an attack except destroy the animal first.”
For long enough we have all been aware of the ‘High Five’, flesh on flesh action, of the younger generation. Now a new craze has hit America and may be about to become a world-wide phenomenon.
Michelle Obama definitely wants to be greeted correctly on June 3rd, the first official American holiday for a ‘Fist Bump Day’. Michelle insisted on being greeted with the official Fist Bump when she recently co-hosted ‘The View’, with Woopie Goldberg and the girls.
Michelle says she has picked the Fist Bump up from her young staff.
The first ‘fist bump heard round the world’, took place a year ago, on June 3rd 2008, when the charistmatic couple, Barack Obama and Michelle, brought the Fist Bump onto the national stage. It was during a pivotal moment in Obama’s presidential campaign, that the couple shared the private moment, of what became known as the ‘Thumb versus Fist’, or ‘Terrorist Fist Thump’. In the weeks following the incident, the ‘Knuckle Bump’ took America by storm.
One year after the legendary Obama fist bump, a new holiday hits the mainstream, called National Fist Bump Day. America is calling people from every class, race and religion to lay aside their differences with a show of respect and an affectionate ‘fist bump’ -‘knuckle knock’.
As of right now it’s not quite clear what the day’s celebrations will entail, other than than some knuckle rubbing. There is, however, a lot of ‘Fist Bump Day’ paraphernalia for people to buy, to commemorate the day.
Be ready to greet in the updated American way.
I have the privilege of living on the tropical island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific, the Dream Holiday Destination, also voted the Happiest Country On Earth in 2006. The local Ni-Vanuatu people always greet you with a warm hand shake and face-splitting grin. It gives you the feeling they are really glad to see you. (Not a bad way to go).
Anyway, let there be lots of gentle Knuckle Knocking/Fist Banging on June 3rd and try greeting everyone with a face-splitting grin. Might cheer up their day and even make you feel better by spreading a little ’sunshine’.
It seems judges of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ got their way, in being adamant about having the ‘old’ Susan Boyle back, particularly when she went to the semi-finals, looking very similar as she had to her audition. Gone were the ‘in-between’ shots of a partial make over, where Susan was smartly dressed, hair straightened, eyebrows plucked, a light touch of makeup and even wearing stylish high heels.
Other things are showing up about Susan Boyle, particularly the ‘kiss-she-never-had’ in front of an audience, when Susan was caught on video, again wearing fashionable high heels and a bright shocking-pink jacket, in the 1990’s. So who is really the ‘old’ Susan Boyle, as more and more earlier video clips emerge? (Though some have been quickly canned. I wonder why?)
“Susan was not a bad looker, though shy,” says one of her earlier acquaintances. “She could even turn a head or two when she entered the room. Particularly when she opened her mouth and sang.”
Susan has been voted into the next round of 40 contestants in the ‘Britains Got Talent’, for the final, to be held on May 30th. The word is that 12 year old Shahen Jafagholi, who sang the Michael Jackson song, ‘Who’s Loving You‘, could give her a run for the money.
Bookmaker William Hill has Boyle a runaway favorite to win the final on May 30.
The video of Susan singing “I Dreamed a Dream’, has become the most viewed video, with over 60 million hits.
The audience went wild when Susan Boyle walked onto the stage in the semi finals of ‘Britains Got Talent. However some felt Boyle’s performance, when she sang ‘Memory’ from the musical Cats, was the wrong song for the wrong person, while other thoroughly enjoyed it. (All in the eye of the beholder - or is that listener.)
There appeared to be an occasional nervousness show through, however her popularity carried her over, inspite of her adherance to the frumpy look. A look which the judges appeared to be adamant to keep for the moment.
Thousands will be watching the Internet on the 30th May, for no doubt that is where the first pictures of the final winnner will show up.
“Did you hear the story about the robber who couldn’t get away?” Sounds like the opening line of a well told joke. However, that is not the case.
This is a true story about a Spanish robber who literally couldn’t get away, as chimneys, that may look okay on the outside, have hidden dangers on the inside.
The owners felt bad enough when they discovered their property had been broken into, but to see a decomposing forearm and hand hanging out of the fireplace, is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Thirty-year old Ricardo GG broke into a property in Southern Spain, by smashing down the gate. He then tried to break into the house by climbing down the chimney.
Unfortunately for Ricardo, he miscalculated the inner width of the chimney and when nearly at the bottom, became firmly stuck. He could move niether up nor down and his cries for help went unheeded.
Ricardo’s mother reported him missing. However, it was not until the owners of the house, a local business man finally returned the house, which he only used as a secondary home, was Ricardo’s body discovered.
Every child has the right to live in safety and security, as declared by the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child, yet millions around the world suffer the long term effects of child abuse, with very few organizations dealing with the problem.
Child beating parents are bad news in any language, but there are incidents where even children who have become stars, are beaten, in what would appear to be generational cycle of abuse.
Mohammed Ismail slapped and kicked his ten-year-old son Azharuddin in front of shocked neighbours and passers-by. Slumdog Millionaire star pleaded with his father to stop, as he tried to hide in a corner.
This incident took place just after Azharuddin had flown back from Los Angeles where the film had received eight Oscars. After the long flight, Asharuddin had been given the day off school to rest, but his father wanted to show him off to the neighbourhood. The ugly scene was in stark contrast to Azharuddin’s triumphant return to the slums, when his father lifted him up and paraded him like a trophy.
Several hours later Ismail — who suffers from tuberculosis — apologized for the attack.
Jelena Dokic, the tennis champion who has won five WTA Tour titles and reached a career-high ranking of fourth in 2002, recently spoke in an interview, about how her father regularly beat her during tennis tournaments.
Jelena fled from her family in 2002, in order to escape the violence. However, the years following the break up were filled with mental turmoil and severe depression. She has struggled with her form and injuries and is currently ranked 74th in the world, but is on a comeback.
When asked about the incidents, Damir Dokic said, “A child, if they show that they are talented in something, should never be left alone. They should always be forced, I think even pushed into it. There are no limits.”
Damir Dokic claimed the 2001 Open draw was rigged and threatened to pull Jelena out of the Australian Olympic Team. He was ejected from the US Open in 2000 for abusing staff over the price of a salmon lunch. Dokic also grabbed headlines when he smashed a journalist’s mobile phone at Wimbledon. In 1999 he was ejected from a tournament after calling match officials ‘Nazis’. He was later arrested after going into the street outside the arena, blocking traffic and jumping on the bonnet of a car.
Damir Dokic, who is renowned for his erratic behavior was recently arrested and detained in Serbia for allegedly threatening to fire a rocket at the Australian ambassador’s car in Belgrade, as revenge for Jelena returning to Australia. Dokic says he is seeking to kidnap his estranged daughter.
A search of Dokic’s home in Fruska Gora revealed two illegal bombs, plus seven licensed hunting rifles and a Beretta handgun.
Dokic was angry over the interview his daughter gave, stating he beat her. Dokic wants to sell his farm, where he runs a business making brandy and set up a tennis centre, where he will coach would-be tennis stars. Dokic was once a boxer. He was given the nickname of ‘Mad Dad’.
A four year old boy, Angelo Mendoza, was permanently blinded by his own father, in a shocking incident in California. One eye is missing and the other eye damaged beyond repair. The young boy was left in custody of his father who had a total of 23 criminal charges against his name. Many involving violence. The mother felt the father loved the child and would never harm him. Angelo is now in the custory of child protective services. The father was believed to be under the influence of the dissaciative drug, PCP at the time of the incident.
