Mexico celebrates the 'Day of the Dead'

Celebrating Dia de los Muertos, when according to beliefs, the dead return to Earth to visit their loved ones.

1. Women with faces painted to look like the popular Mexican figure called "Catrina" walk down a staircase in Zapopan October 30, 2014. According to participants, about 271 women gathered in an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of women dressed to look like "Catrina", a character also known as "The Elegant Death" and created by Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s. Mexicans will celebrate the annual Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2. REUTERS/Alejandro Acosta (MEXICO - Tags: SOCIETY) less 
2. Women with faces painted to look like the popular Mexican figure called "Catrina" are seen in Zapopan October 30, 2014. According to participants, about 271 women gathered in an attempt at the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of women dressed to look like "Catrina", a character also known as "The Elegant Death" and created by Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s. Mexicans will celebrate the annual Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2. REUTERS/Alejandro Acosta (MEXICO - Tags: SOCIETY)

Happy Orange and Black day: Canadian schools turn against Halloween

This witch may be glum, but at least she got to dress up in costume for Halloween at school.

It is that spooky time of year when Canadian parents and students in small pockets around the country bristle at being told their schools will not be celebrating Halloween this year.

Instead, children will be welcome to celebrate something a little safer, something that doesn’t have its roots in the occult. Call it Spirit Day, or Black and Orange Day, or just Friday.
This year’s Ground Zero for anti-Halloween outrage is Windsor, Ont., where parents are unhappy that Anderon Public School has barred Halloween costumes and parties.
The Windsor Star reports that the public elementary school has instead implemented “Black and Orange Day.” Which, y’know, are the colours of the Halloween season.
There will be no parade, and costumes are outright discouraged, with the school saying it would be neat if kids wore black and orange clothing. Though it’s not all trick, there will be some treat: Classes are welcome to hold discussions about the history of Halloween and the different customs that have been practiced over the years.
On its website, Anderon Public Elementary School says they stopped allowing candy a few years ago, and the latest shift is to meet its commitment to inclusivity:

Halloween is an exciting time of year for many families. However, in some Anderdon households it is not observed at all, and therefore a school wide celebration presents with some anxiety around that day for many of our students.

The observation of Halloween is not part of the curriculum and is a tradition that is celebrated by some but not inclusive to all.

That’s the part that riles some parents: The idea of inclusivity through limitations.
“Parents are upset about seeing Canadians continually give up traditions and losing sight of accepting others for whoever they are,” parent Shannon Taylor told the Star.
“My nine-year-old son came home (last Friday) and said, ‘Mom, they’re taking away everything that was fun at school.’”
The Windsor school isn’t alone. North Ward School in Paris, Ont., is banning Halloween for the first time this year for a variety of reasons, including the increased level of supervision needed to monitor the appropriateness of costumes, and the frequency with which hot, uncomfortable costumes make children cry during class.
A London, Ont., school board candidate actually ran on the promise to deny schools the right to ban Halloween based on the fact there is no board policy on the matter.
This issue is by no means new. In recent years, a handful of schools have joined the movement against Halloween.
Last year, the popular Halloween alternative was “Spirit Day,” so at least we are making progress on that front. Black and Orange Day at least acknowledges that October 31 was once Halloween.
Now it has just been given a maudlin name to avoid offending anyone. Sort of like how Ottawa’s CFL team is called the RedBlacks, because who’s going to get offended and mount a petition against a couple of random words smashed together?
While Halloween has its roots in Christianity, that influence is gone completely at this time. The Vatican recently condemned Halloween for its “undercurrent of occultism.”
Either way, it is increasingly becoming a non-starter in Canadian schools. And parents are noticing.
Just wait until classes start marking Dec. 25 with Red and White Ho Ho Happy Day

First CF-18 operational missions over Iraq completed, defence sources

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  - A Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 Fighter jet arrives at the Canadian Air Task Force Flight Operations Area in Kuwait on October 28, 2014 in this Canadian Forces handout photo received October …more 

KUWAIT CITY - Canadian warplanes have flown their first operational flights, but have yet to carry out strike missions against Islamic State targets.

Six CF-18 jet fighters, two CP-140 Aurora surveillance planes and a C-150 refuelling jet are operating out of undisclosed airfields in Kuwait and will launch bombing missions against the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant soon.
"Operational flights have begun," said a senior defence source. "No bombs have been dropped, but ops are indeed underway."
The source would not reveal when the missions were conducted and what sort of tasks the fighters carried out, whether it was training or combat air patrols, or if the Auroras have started to carry out surveillance of potential ISIL targets.
Word of the missions comes from a series of defence sources because the Canadian military has not allowed media access to the airfields, citing security concerns of their Kuwaiti hosts.
The aircraft receive their strike orders and targets from the U.S.-led coalition and join aircraft from a number of different countries, including the U.S., Britain, Australia and several Gulf States.
The jets will be bombing military targets, such as command centres, vehicles and artillery, most of which is U.S-made hardware that Islamic State fighters seized from fleeing Iraqi army forces earlier this summer.
A number of fresh reports are circulating that coalition jets could face an increased anti-aircraft threat as Islamic State fighters are now apparently armed with sophisticated shoulder-launched missiles.
U.S. officials, speaking on background to the New York Times earlier this week, described the appearance of the Chinese-made FN-6 heat-seeking missiles as "game changers." It is believed the weapons were originally provided to moderate Syrian rebels by Qatar and possibly Saudi Arabia, according to the report.
The missiles are a major threat to low-flying aircraft, such as attack helicopters. ISIL reportedly shot down an Iraqi Army Apache gunship using the weapons.
Prior to the beginning of the campaign, Canadian military commanders acknowledged the anti-aircraft threat, but noted that both the CF-18s and the Auroras can fly higher than the effective range of the missiles, known as Manpads.
A bigger concern, according to defence experts, is that Islamic State fighters might get their hands on an SA-24, the latest generation of Russia-made anti-aircraft weapons. The Iraqi government recently acquired such a system and those missiles have a longer range and the ability to manoeuvre in a more nimble fashion to avoid the counter-measures of its target.
The Canadian contribution to the air campaign is mandated to last six months, but is likely to be extended.
The operations are being carried out under a blanket of secrecy as western bases, embassies and institutions throughout the Gulf region remains on heightened security alert for possible retaliation by Islamic State supporters.
George E. Irani, a professor at the American University of Kuwait, said the school circulated a memo on Wednesday warning of threats and urging vigilance.

A jidahist website, earlier this week, urged supporters to attack western schools, specifically teachers, but U.S. officials say no direct threat has been uncovered thus far.

Don't like the Harper government's tax cuts? Donate your savings to the federal government

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons.

If you're a high-income earner, you may be feeling that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's latest tax cut just isn't for you.

And you're right, it probably isn't; but that doesn't mean you should be complaining that it should be taken away.
On Thursday, Harper introduced several tax measures targeted at families with children under the age of 18.
One of the measures was income splitting which would allow a higher-income spouse to transfer up to $50,000 of taxable income to a spouse in a lower tax bracket as a strategy to lower their overall tax burden.
Pundits and analysts were quick to jump on that particular measure claiming that it didn’t help Canada’s middle or low-income earners. Some well-off analysts even claimed that they — personally — didn’t need the benefit.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau also inserted his own family situation into the debate.
"Income splitting is an idea that will give a $2,000 tax break to families like mine or Mr. Harper’s. That’s not good enough.” Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday.

 

Well, cabinet minister Pierre Poilievre has some advice for Trudeau — and perhaps others — who claim that they don’t want the tax cut.
"If Trudeau doesn’t want PM’s family tax cut, he should donate his savings to RevCan, rather than raising taxes for everyone else," Poliievre wrote on Twitter.
Political motivations aside, it’s a valid point.
Trudeau has previously said that, should he be elected, he would repeal income splitting.
But what about the others?
If someone wants to complain about that particular tax cut, shouldn’t they repay their portion of the tax saving?
Luckily for them, there is actually mechanism for doing that in Canada.
Canadians can donate money to the federal debt servicing and reduction account via the Receiver General.
Donations will only be used to service the national debt — which now stands at approximately $613,577,286,400 or $17,359 for every man, woman and child in the country.
According to a 2012 CBC report, Canadians donated $22 million to the account between 2001/02 and 2011/12 — half of which came in 2011.
The United States and the Government of Ontario also have such programs.
So, if you’re a high income earner who doesn’t like Stephen Harper’s income splitting tax cut, you can send your benefit back to the federal government.
Just make your cheque payable to the Receiver General and mail it to: Place du Portage, Phase III, 11 Laurier Street, Gatineau QC K1A 0S5.
According to the CRA, you will get a tax receipt.

Justin Bourque to serve 75 years before parole eligibility for RCMP killings

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MONCTON, N.B. - Justin Bourque was sentenced Friday to serve 75 years in prison before he can apply for parole for the June 4 shooting rampage that killed three RCMP officers and wounded two others in Moncton.

Judge David Smith of the Court of Queen's Bench in New Brunswick delivered his precedent-setting ruling after a sentencing hearing earlier this week during which Bourque apologized to the families of the Mounties he shot.
Smith said Bourque showed little remorse for his actions, which the judge said were motivated by his hatred for authority.
"This has been difficult for everyone," Smith said. "The crime committed is one of the worst in Canadian history."
Bourque's sentence is the harshest in Canada since the last executions in 1962.
He pleaded guilty in August to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Bourque, 24, faced a mandatory life sentence, so the only issue for Smith to decide was when he could apply for parole.
The Crown sought the maximum sentence of 75 years under a section of the Criminal Code that was amended in 2011, arguing that Bourque's crimes were among the most heinous this country has seen and they warranted a sentence that would give precedence over rehabilitation.
The defence argued for parole eligibility to be set at 50 years.
The wife of one of the slain RCMP officers thanked her family, friends and the community for their support before speaking of the bond she had with her husband.
"I spent the happiest 17 years of my life with you," Nadine Larche, the wife of Const. Douglas Larche, said outside court.
"It's now time for us to start the healing process as we piece our lives together as best we can."
Assistant commissioner Roger Brown, the commanding officer of the RCMP in New Brunswick, said he doesn't know if there will ever be a point when the emotional scars from the shooting will fully heal.
"It's like any tragedy. People say that time heals, but that's subjective," Brown said outside the courthouse.
"I just hope and pray that nobody in my position or no other police officers will have to live through this again."
At his sentencing hearing, a videotaped statement Bourque gave to police after his arrest was entered as evidence. In it, Bourque explains that he wanted to encourage people to rise up against the "soldiers" that defend federal institutions and protect the rich from the poor.
He muses about his strict Catholic upbringing, climate change, evolution, social engineering, class warfare, tyrants, something called the "black curtain" and threats posed by the Russians and the Chinese.
"I know this is going to sound pretty messed up, but I felt pretty accomplished," he told police.
An agreed statement of facts previously filed with the court says Bourque's actions were both "planned and deliberate" when he used a Poly Technologies M305, 308-calibre semi-automatic rifle to kill constables Larche, 40, Dave Ross, 32, and Fabrice Gevaudan, 45. Constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen were also injured in the shootings.
A 28-hour manhunt for Bourque left much of Moncton paralyzed until his arrest just after midnight on June 6.
The amended Criminal Code provision that factored into Bourque's sentencing has been used only once before. In September 2013, a judge in Edmonton sentenced an armoured-car guard to life in prison with no chance at parole for 40 years for gunning down four of his colleagues during a robbery in June 2012.
Travis Baumgartner had pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and a charge of attempted murder.

Prince William and Kate Middleton Go on Babymoon at Balmoral Castle

 

© Rex Features Prince William and Kate Middlet
Have Kate Middleton and Prince William gone away on a babymoon?
According to The Sun, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have taken a vacation (with Prince George!) to Balmoral Palace this week and are relaxing before the arrival of their second child early next year.
The family of three took a flight from Heathrow Airport on Tuesday into Aberdeen, the airport closest to the Scotland estate.
And while Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are currently not in town, a full staff is on hand to cater to William, Kate and little George's every want and need.
The trip is good news for the expectant royal, who had been previously suffering from severe morning sickness.
Just last week, the brunette beauty made her first public appearance since announcing that she was pregnant with baby No. 2.
Middleton attended several functions in honor of her favorite charities, including a dinner for Action on Addiction, where she showed off her tiny baby bump in a Temperley London black gown.
Earlier in the week, she accompanied William in welcoming Tony Tan, the President of Singapore, and his wife, Mary, to the United Kingdom.
And later on that same day, Middleton stunned in a baby blue Jenny Packham wrap dress at the 2014 Wildlife Photograph Awards at the Natural

Death penalty sought for trooper ambush suspect

 

© Pennsylvania State Police This undated file photo provided by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Eric Frein, who has eluded police, but is charged with killing one Pennsylvania State Trooper and seriously wounding another in a late night ambush.
LORDS VALLEY, Pa. (AP) — A survivalist accused of ambushing two state troopers, killing one and seriously wounding the other, was captured on Thursday by U.S. marshals in an abandoned airplane hangar, ending a seven-week manhunt that had rattled the nerves of area residents, authorities said.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Eric Frein, who meekly gave himself up when surrounded, District Attorney Ray Tonkin said.
"He did not just give up because he was tired," Tonkin said. "He gave up because he was caught."
Frein was held in the handcuffs of the trooper he's accused of killing, Gov. Tom Corbett said.
The quiet takedown of Frein, who kneeled and put his hands up when marshals approached him on Thursday, ended weeks of tension and turmoil in the area, as authorities at times closed schools, canceled outdoor events and blockaded roads to pursue him. Residents grew weary of hearing helicopters overhead, while small businesses suffered mounting losses and town supervisors canceled a popular Halloween parade.
Frein is charged with opening fire outside the Blooming Grove barracks on Sept. 12, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding another trooper.
 

© AP Photo/FBI This combination of undated images provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after the capturing of Eric Matthew Frein, on Thursday show Frein, 31, of Canadensis, Pa. Authorities said Thursday that they have captured Frein, who had been eluding police, but is charged with killing one Pennsylvania State Trooper and seriously wounding another. Police said they linked him to the ambush after a man walking his dog discovered his partly submerged SUV three days later in a swamp a few miles from the shooting scene. Inside, investigators found shell casings matching those found at the barracks as well as Frein's driver's license, camouflage face paint, two empty rifle cases and military gear.
Officials, saying Frein was armed and extremely dangerous, had urged residents to be alert and cautious. Using dogs, thermal imaging technology and other tools, law enforcement officials combed miles of forest as they hunted for Frein, whom they called an experienced survivalist at home in the woods.
They pursued countless tips and closed in on an area around Frein's parents' home in Canadensis after he used his cellphone to try contacting them and the signal was traced to a location about 3 miles away. At times police ordered nearby residents to stay inside or prevented them from returning home.
Trackers found items they believe Frein hid or abandoned in the woods — including soiled diapers, empty packs of Serbian cigarettes, an AK-47-style assault rifle and ammunition and two pipe bombs that were functional and capable of causing significant damage. They also discovered a journal, allegedly kept by Frein and found in a bag of trash at a hastily abandoned campsite, that offered a chilling account of the ambush and his subsequent escape into the woods. The journal's author described Dickson as falling "still and quiet" after being shot twice.
Police spotted a man they believed to be Frein at several points during the manhunt, but it was always from a distance, with the rugged terrain allowing him to keep them at bay. Police said he appeared to be treating the manhunt as a game.
Frein had expressed anti-law enforcement views online and to people who knew him. His criminal record appeared limited to a decade-old misdemeanor case involving items stolen from a World War II re-enactors event in upstate New York, for which he spent 109 days in jail.
Police found a U.S. Army manual called "Sniper Training and Employment" in his bedroom at his parents' house, and his father, a retired Army major, told authorities that his son is an excellent marksman who "doesn't miss," according to a police affidavit. Authorities believe Frein had been planning a confrontation with police for years, citing information they found on a computer used by him.
A man and a woman believed to be Frein's parents, reached separately by telephone on Thursday, declined to comment.
The manhunt for Frein in northeastern Pennsylvania had scrapped some plans for trick-or-treating. The chairman of Barrett Township's board of supervisors planned to meet with other town officials to try to salvage Halloween.
"No police were hurt. Nobody else was hurt. He didn't take any more lives. He didn't shoot anybody else, from what I understand," chairman Ralph Megliola said. "That's the best scenario."
Helen Blackmore, who lives in the heart of the search zone in Cresco, was ready for some normalcy.
"It was very crazy here. The helicopters were out all the time. Nobody was sleeping. Even today they were out," she said. "We're relieved. We're very relieved. We want things to get back to normal."
Frein belonged to a military re-enactors group, playing the part of a Serbian solder. He had a small role in a 2007 movie about a concentration camp survivor and helped with props and historical references on a documentary about World War I.
His 18-year-old sister, Tiffany Frein, earlier acknowledged that he "did something messed up" but told NBC News that he is "not a psycho."
Frein is charged with first-degree murder and various other offenses, including two counts of possession of weapons of mass destruction filed after police discovered the pipe bombs.
Dickson, at his funeral, was called a devoted husband and father and "impeccable" ex-Marine who took his work seriously but also enjoyed making wooden toys for his young sons and finding humor in everyday situations.
Trooper Alex Douglass was shot in the pelvis and critically injured in the ambush, which took place during a late-night shift change. Douglass remained hospitalized until Oct. 16, when he was discharged to a rehabilitation facility, state police said.
"If you attack troopers, and a civilized society, the Pennsylvania State Police will bring you to justice. Eric Frein is a coward," the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said in a statement. "Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II and Trooper Alex T. Douglass are true heroes."

Irish watchdog likely to recommend that energy drinks are not consumed by children

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   Irish watchdog likely to recommend that energy drinks are not consumed by children

 

Food safety watchdog Safefood has been asked by the Department of Health of review research on the negative health effects of energy drinks.

Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) this month found that energy drinks will become a significant public health problem if their use among young people is not addressed through a cap on caffeine levels and restrictions on their sale and marketing.
In response to a parliamentary question from TD Billy Kelleher, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said his department had asked Safefood to consider the current evidence and advise his department.
Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, who is Safefood’s Director of Human Health & Nutrition, told TheJournal.ie that two main health effects of these drinks have been recorded in research so far:

A marked increase in blood pressure
• Excessive calorie intake.

“Obviously there are other issues as these products are taken with other substances – specifically alcohol or drugs – and that has been implicated in some serious incidents including suicides,” she explained.
She said an option to request that these drinks are not served in bars and clubs alongside alcohol is “in the mix for consideration” but stressed that it is too early to say what the watchdog will be recommending.
Consumption
Research has shown that levels of consumption of these products are high and are on the rise. A European food safety report in 2013 found that 30% of adults consumed these products, with 16-20% of people drinking them four to five times a week.
Previous recommendations by Safefood in 2002 regarding these drinks included a warning to the public that caution should be exercised when consuming them with alcohol. They also recommended that marketing should be “without ambiguity or association with sport,” Foley-Nolan noted.
“I don’t anticipate that they will change,” she said. It is also expected that the watchdog will recommend that these drinks are not consumed by children. Lithuania banned the sale of energy drinks to anyone under 18 earlier this year and has been encouraging other European countries to follow suit.
“Guidelines are different from policy obviously,” Foley-Nolan added. “We will do what we can to clarify matters and I think fair dues as it’s an important issue”.
It is expected that Safefood will pass its recommendations to the department before the end of the year.

Obama Uses Hugs And Kisses to Ease Ebola Fears

President Barack Obama hugs Ebola survivor Nina Pham in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 24, 2014.

Evan Vucci/ Photo

President Obama is trying to lead by example as he works to calm public fears about Ebola in the U.S.
Obama has come into contact with more American Ebola patients, and the doctors and nurses who treated them, than just about any other American.
For weeks, the president has repeatedly assured the American people that the risks of a widespread outbreak are “very, very low.” To hammer home the point, the president has gone beyond words, to hugs, kisses, and hand-shakes.
“I want to use myself as an example, just so that people have a sense of the science here. I shook hands with, hugged and kissed not the doctors, but a couple of the nurses at Emory, because of the valiant work that they did in treating one of the patients. They followed the protocols, they knew what they were doing, and I felt perfectly safe doing so,” Obama told reporters last month.

Ebola in America: Timeline of the Deadly Virus

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2nd Dallas Nurse Ebola-Free, Thanks Hospital, Family and God

From meeting with health care professionals who have come in close contact with the deadly virus to hugging survivors, Obama is using these images to show the public that his administration’s response to the Ebola crisis is working.
Obama greeted the first ever American Ebola patient, Dr. Kent Brantly, in the Oval Office less than a month after he was declared virus-free.

Pete Souza/The White House

PHOTO: President Barack Obama meets with Dr. Kent Brantly and his wife, Amber, during an Oval Office drop by on Sept. 16, 2014.

He then flew to Emory University Hospital to hug and kiss the nurses and doctors who treated Brantly.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/ Photo

PHOTO: President Barack Obama, center, is pictured with Emory University doctors and healthcare professionals during a CDC meeting on Sept. 16, 2014 in Atlanta, Ga.

In late September, Obama hosted at the White House leaders of Ebola “hot zone” countries and embraced a Liberian who contracted the disease.

PHOTO: President Barack Obama, right, greets Dr. Melvin Korkor, left, after speaking at the Global Health Security Agenda Summit on Sept. 26, 2014 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who has toured the Ebola wards in West Africa, gets a prime seat next to Obama for Oval Office briefings.

PHOTO: President Barack Obama points toward Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as he speaks to the media about the government’s Ebola response, Oct. 16, 2014, in Washington.

The same day she was released from a high-level containment unit for Ebola treatment, nurse Nina Pham gave Obama a bear-hug in the Oval Office.

PHOTO: A protester stands outside the White House asking United States President Barack Obama to ban flights in effort to stop Ebola,  in Washington.

Bombs and Walls Might Slow Lava, But Not Stop It

For the Hawaiian town of Pahoa, there is no easy way to stop the smoldering lava pouring from the Kilauea volcano.

In other places and at other times, people have blasted molten rock with seawater, built barriers, and even dropped bombs on lava to keep it from destroying property. But when the 2,000-degree river hits Pahoa, residents will be able to do little more than watch.

Kilauea on Hawaii’s Big Island has been continuously erupting since 1983, with most of the lava flowing into the ocean. A new vent began spewing molten rock in June. The lava is now at the doorstep of Pahoa, threatening the homes of its nearly 1,000 residents.

The big problem is that while lava flows can be diverted they can’t be stopped entirely, and it’s very hard to predict where they will go.

“Suppose you create a diversion and it happens to work,” Peter Cervelli, associate director of science and technology for the USGS Volcano Science Center, told NBC News.

“You might save your house, but it diverts to your neighbor’s house, and you have just created a problem for somebody else,” he said.

Building walls

People think of lava as an all-consuming fire that destroys everything in its path. But occasionally you will see molten rock flowing around a tree.

How is that possible? Once lava comes into contact with something cooler than itself, the outer layer will form a crust. Build a berm made of rock, dirt or other material that is high enough and the new crust will form a barrier.

Bodies found in Mexico where 3 Texans missing

 Four bodies were found Wednesday east of the border city of Matamaros, near where three young Americans went missing more than two weeks ago, a Mexican state official said.

Tamaulipas state investigator Raul Galindo Vira would only confirm that four bodies had been recovered and declined to discuss who they might be.

A second state official said investigators were trying to determine if the dead include three siblings from Progreso, Texas, who disappeared with a fourth person Oct. 13. The official, who said the bodies were badly decomposed, insisted on speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Mexican authorities on Wednesday asked the siblings’ father what they were wearing when they disappeared, mother Raquel Alvarado told The Associated Press.
Alvarado said witnesses saw armed men take her daughter, Erica Alvarado Rivera, 26, and her sons, Alex, 22, and Jose Angel, 21, in El Control, a small town near the Texas border west of Matamoros. The three were visiting their father in Mexico.

According to Alvarado, her daughter, Erica, mother of four children aged 3-9, drove her black Jeep Cherokee across the border Oct. 12 and dropped it at her father’s house in El Control. She visited her boyfriend there and the next morning called her brothers to ask them to bring the Cherokee to a roadside restaurant where the couple was eating. The three siblings planned to return to Progreso together from there.

 

Raquel Alvarado, 46, poses outside her home in Progreso, Texas on Oct. 28, 2014. Alvarado has been a …

When Alex and Jose Angel Alvarado arrived to pick up their sister, they saw men “pushing their sister and her boyfriend and hitting her,” Raquel Alvarado said. The brothers tried to intervene, witnesses said, but were taken away with their sister and her boyfriend. Witnesses said the armed men identified themselves as Grupo Hercules, a police security unit for Matamoros city officials, and were traveling in military style trucks. She said witnesses also saw federal highway police, “but no one did anything.”

The Matamoros mayor’s office and a spokeswoman for the city did not respond to requests for comment.

As night fell Wednesday, Martha Hernandez, who raised 32-year-old Jose Guadalupe Castaneda Benitez, Erica Alvarado’s boyfriend, since he was 3, waited outside state police offices in Matamoros for any word on his whereabouts. She said no one had told her until she arrived that four bodies had been found.

Hernandez said a friend who saw Castaneda and the Alvarados being picked up also told her the Hercules unit was responsible, and she expressed anger at the Matamoros mayor.

“We will keep searching,” she said. “They can’t just disappear. We are going to be like in Guerrero.”

Hernandez was referring to the southern state of Guerrero, where the disappearance of 43 teachers college students Sept. 26 at the hands of police has touched off a national controversy in Mexico. Demonstrators demanding authorities do more have marched in Guerrero as well as Mexico City and Acapulco, and protests have sometimes turned violent, as happened Wednesday in Guerrero’s capital, Chilpancingo.

Authorities say police in the Guerrero city of Iguala attacked the students on orders from the mayor because of fears the students planned to disrupt a speech by the mayor’s wife. Officers allegedly turned the students over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel. In a month of searching the area, including combing a ravine outside a nearby town on Wednesday, federal authorities have discovered several clandestine mass graves but no sign of the students.

President Enrique Pena Nieto held a closed-door meeting Wednesday with parents of the missing students.

Real Madrid cruise to victory in Cup opener

Real Madrid’s French defender Raphael Varane (R) scores a goal against UD Cornella, at the Power8 stadium near Barcelona, on October 29, 2014

Madrid  – An understrength Real Madrid began their defence of the Copa del Rey with a comfortable 4-1 win over third-tier UD Cornella in the first leg of their fourth-round tie on Wednesday.

With World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo among a host of star names given the night off, it was centre-back Raphael Varane who produced the finishing touch in the first half as his bullet header put the visitors in front after just 10 minutes.

Cornella, from the outskirts of Barcelona, had their magic moment 10 minutes later, though, as Oscar Munoz saw off challenges from Varane and Alvaro Arbeloa before firing high past Keylor Navas to equalise.

However, in a game played at the home of top-flight side Espanyol, Varane restored Real’s lead from another corner nine minutes before half-time and Javier Hernandez put the tie beyond the Catalans with a fine angled finish eight minutes into the second period.

Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti then withdrew James Rodriguez, one of only four players to retain his place from Saturday’s 3-1 Clasico victory over Barcelona, for Marcelo.

And the Brazilian rounded off the scoring when he smashed home from a narrow angle after Jose Manuel Segovia had parried Isco’s initial effort.

With the second leg still to come at the Santiago Bernabeu in early December, Real remain very much on course for a last 16 meeting with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.

Sevilla are also well on their way to a place in the last 16 as on-loan Liverpool striker Iago Aspas scored a hat-trick in their 6-1 thrashing of Sabadell.

Ebola puts Ghana’s bush meat traders out of work

ACCRA, Ghana — Yaa Kyerewaa cuts a lonely figure beside a pile of animal parts: the jaws of a giant rodent, the hooves of wild pigs, snails. This bush meat was once considered a delicacy and fetched premium prices. But Ebola has frightened away customers and Kyerewaa hasn’t sold anything in days.

Accra’s busy Agbogbloshie market used to have several bush meat vendors but now she is the only one.
The 53-year-old says her earnings from bush meat keep her four children in school and she laments the sudden loss of business as public health officials warn that bush meat may be contaminated with the dreaded Ebola virus.
“Bush meat is healthy. I usually eat it as a special food on Sundays,” she said. “We have been consuming for years only for it to be made unpopular by these needless rumors flying around. No one wants to buy our products now. It is sad.”

Many restaurants in Ghana’s capital no longer serve bush meat, of which a large rodent known as a “grasscutter” was the most popular offering. Hunters trap them in the wild or rear them at home for their meat, which is said to taste like chicken.

Health experts believe the initial cases in many Ebola outbreaks start from people eating or handling Ebola-infected animals. Then they spread it to other people through contact with bodily fluids. Fruit bats, as well as primates such as chimpanzees, are frequently cited as potential reservoirs of the Ebola virus — animals many Africans hunt for their meat.

 

a view of one of the largest local markets that sell …

Human infections in Africa have been linked to hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals, although none from eating cooked bush meat, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in Congo and has caused periodic outbreaks there and in other African countries. This is West Africa’s first outbreak — and the most deadly ever — and the World Health Organization warns it could get worse before the situation improves. More than 4,500 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, have died.
While stemming human-to-human transmission is the main focus for governments and international health agencies, African communities that hunt wild animals for their meat “risk future spill-over from species that can carry the virus,” including fruit bats, some primates, and small antelopes called duikers, the Food and Agriculture Organization warns. Hunting animals that are sick or behaving strangely, or collecting dead animals for sale, is risky, the U.N. agency says.
Despite the dangers, bush meat is a source of protein for many West Africans, and for some it is a special treat. The soup of a roasted fruit bat, for example, is highly sought after.
Kyerewaa said she once had clients from all walks of life. That has changed with Ebola sweeping through West Africa and health officials stepping up campaigns to educate the public about how to avoid catching it.

In this photo taken on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, bush meat is displayed for sale at one of the large …

“I am the only surviving bush meat seller in this market,” said Kyerewaa, who said she has been a bush meat trader for years. “I can’t stop coming because I have to look for ways to support myself and my family.”

At her stall the parts of the great cane rat —smoked and salted for preservation — fetch as much as $30. That’s out of reach for many in Ghana, where many live on less than $2 a day.

Rebecca Ackwonu, a Ghana Health Service Commission official, said it’s hard to enforce any kind of bush meat ban in a country where many people grew up on it.

“We have advised our people to suspend eating bush meat in the meantime because of the risks,” she said.

Some have heeded the call.

Theodor Semi, who operates a popular downtown restaurant called Semi’s Place, said he won’t serve bush meat until all of West Africa is declared free of Ebola.

“It has affected business, of course,” he said. “It has become slow because most Ghanaians like bush meat, especially grasscutter.”

Expanding Mexico City running out of cemeteries

Mexico’s capital is rapidly running out of gravesites and many residents of this growing metropolis of 9 million people have to exhume the remains of their loved ones once the burial rights expire to make room for new bodies. Officials say there is no public land available for new cemeteries.

The lack of cemetery space has prompted the city’s legislative assembly to propose a law that would reduce the time a body can remain in a grave and encourage people to cremate the bodies of their love ones, a move that critics say will threaten Mexico’s long and rich traditions surrounding burying and celebrating the dead.

UN Peacekeepers Free 67 Hostages in Central African Republic

United Nations:  UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic freed 67 hostages who had been seized by militia groups, a spokeswoman for the UN mission known as MINUSCA said on Wednesday.

Four women were taken hostage in the capital Bangui while the rest were seized in the interior of the country, spokeswoman Myriam Dessables told a news conference. All were released after military operations by the peacekeepers.

The releases represent positive news for civilians and the U.N. mission in a country plunged into chaos when the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian country in March 2013, toppling President Francois Bozize.

Seleka's rule was marred by abuses that prompted a backlash from the mostly Christian and animist anti-balaka militia. Seleka leader Michel Djotodia bowed to international pressure and went into exile in January.

"In the centre of the country on Oct. 21, around 60 people were kidnapped by the ex-Seleka. The muscular intervention of a battalion from Democratic Republic of Congo enabled these hostages to be freed," she said.

The kidnappings came in the context of violence in the capital earlier this month in which the United Nations said at least 13 people died.

Dessables said a Rwandan battalion learned on Tuesday afternoon that civilians had been kidnapped and were being held in the Kina neighbourhood of the capital. They were able to secure the release of all four women.

The hostages said they were detained for days by anti-balaka militias who accused them of being traitors for having sold goods at the market at the mainly Muslim KM-5 neighbourhood, according to Dessables.

Fashola seeks amendment to Lagos public health law

•New adviser on sciences to lead campaign against noise pollution
•Seeks action on elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
LAGOS State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) is seeking an amendment to State Public Health law to accommodate emerging challenges in the State.
  Fashola on Monday disclosed that an amended draft bill of the public health law has been sent to the State House of Assembly for review.
  He said this was part of the post-Ebola outbreak measures for improved health in the State.
  The governor said when the proposed bill is passed, it would give more scope and powers in the management of infectious diseases and public health challenges in the State.
  In a related development, the newly appointed Chief Scientific Adviser to the Lagos State governor, Dr Adekemi Oluwayemisi Sekoni, would among others lead the campaign against noise pollution in the State.

Husband caught on camera handing over cash to hitman he hired to kill his bride

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this case...but let me give you a bit of the background. In 2010, newlywed British national Shrien Dewani and his 28 year old wife Anni Dewani were in South Africa for their honeymoon and while riding in a taxi in Cape Town on Nov. 13th, Anni was shot dead by two men who hijacked the taxi. The men involved in the murder were later caught and they shockingly confessed that the new husband had hired them to attack them in the car and kill his wife.

The wealthy businessman who had since left South Africa back to the UK, was extradited back to South Africa to face murder charges. Of course Shrien denied having a hand in his wife's death but today a footage of him handing money to the hitman he allegedly hired to kill his bride, taxi driver,  Zola Tongo, who is serving 18 years in prison for his role, was played at his murder trial.

The poor woman didn't know her husband was planning to have her murdered. See the photos after the cut..

One video clip shown to the courtroom, Dewani is captured leading Tongo down a hotel corridor to a quiet room, carrying a small bag of money

Taxi driver Zola Tongo, dressed in a white shirt and shorts and a pale cap, follows Dewani down the corridor

Shrien Dewani is suspected to have killed his wife because he is gay and didn't want to be stuck with a wife. One of his gay lovers, Leopold Leisser, already gave testimony in court.

Hot couple Kim K and Kanye West enjoy basketball date

Photos: Hot couple Kim K and Kanye West enjoy basketball date

Kim Kardashian & Kanye West looked hot and happy as they attended the LA Lakers game against the Houston Rockets last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. See more photos after the cut...

 

Photo credit: AP/Entertainment Splash/Gamepiks

Sunbaking teen run over at Sydney beach

 

Sunbaking teen run over at Sydney beach. Photo: Carrington Clarke/Twitter

A sunbaking teenager has been rushed to hospital with serious head injuries after a van ran over him on the grass near a popular Sydney beach.

A tradesman's van struck the 18-year-old man from Armidale who was sunbaking on the grassy promenade at Coogee beach on Wednesday morning, police said.

Paramedics were called to the scene just before midday to treat the man.
He has suffered head and abdominal injuries and has has been taken to St Vincent's Hospital.

The 44-year-old male driver of the van has been interviewed by police.
An investigation is underway and police are asking witnesses to come forward.

Australia's most senior IS member killed: reports

Australia's most wanted terrorist has reportedly been killed while fighting for Islamic State.

Former Kings Cross bouncer Mohammad Ali Baryalei had been the alleged mastermind of a shocking plot to snatch a stranger off the streets of Sydney and behead them.

Mohammad Ali Baryalei (pictured), Australia's most wanted terrorist has reportedly been killed while fighting for Islamic State.

The Afghan refugee, also part-time actor, is believed to have helped send scores of Australian fighters to the wars in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Government is trying to confirm reports of Baryalei's death.

The ABC claims Baryalei may have been killed four or five days ago.
Authorities say 33-year-old Mohammad Ali Baryalei has a trusted position in IS operational command and has been involved in the recruitment of at least 30 Australians for the conflicts.
Last week, Baryalei reportedly re-established contact with extremists back home.
The Australian reported that Mohammad Ali Baryalei made several phone calls to a man who was a target of last month's police raids in Sydney.

Members of the Australian Federal Police forensic unit carry equipment into a Guilford house during Australia's largest ever counter-terror raids. Picture: REUTERS.

The claims came amid reports Ali Baryalei recruited the "Ginger jihadist", Abdullah Elmir, through western Sydney street preaching group Parramatta Street Dawah.
Elmir, 17, who ran away to join Islamic militants in Syria, is believed to be a pawn of terrorists who "groomed" him just like pedophiles groom victims, a terror expert says.

Sydney teenager, Abdullah Elmir, has surfaced in a chilling Islamic State video threatening Prime Minister Tony Abbott and other western leaders over air strikes in Iraq and Syria. Photo: ABC

The Federal Government is seeking emergency powers to target and possibly kill Australian jihadists fighting overseas with radical groups such as Islamic State, The West Australian has exclusively revealed.
The coalition wants to give the Australian Secret Intelligence Service power to inform the Australian Defence Force about the whereabouts of Australian foreign fighters.
If approved, Australian spies could potentially pinpoint Australians fighting in Iraq, allowing RAAF jets to target them in bombing missions.

Snake bite causes girl's leg to shrivel and turn black

 

Snake bite causes girl's leg to shrivel and turn black

A young girl has posted a disturbing picture on social media of her shrivelled and blackened leg after she was bitten by a snake.

According to the Daily Mail the 13-year-old girl posted the photo on Instagram with the username Juventudmedica.
The snake’s venom caused cells in the leg to wither and rot, a condition known severe necrosis.
The unidentified girl was treated by her culture's indigenous remedies before being brought to Carcaras, Venezuela, for medical treatment a month later.
Dr Arun Ghosh told the Mail the girl would need her leg amputated but still could die from the snake venom.
"The picture shows clearly severe tissue necrosis that will need amputation, though she still may die from this due to the nature of the poison," he said.
"The whole lower leg is black, it’s spreading up. Looking at the rest of her body she’s showing signs of muscle wastage from the poison. Her other leg is thin. It's likely she will still die."

Man beheads woman then jumps in front of train

 

Man beheads woman then jumps in front of train

A man has reportedly beheaded a woman in New York then committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.

A woman in her sixties was found in a Farmingdale, Long Island apartment on Tuesday night local time.
The body of a man in his thirties was found nearby after apparently jumping in front of a train.
Police believe the man is the woman's son.

Officials believe the murder suicide is domestic, not terror related.
The rail line was shut down and passengers were taken to another train before being bussed to their destinations from another station.

12 extreme Hollywood body transformations

Matthew McConaughey

Known for his seriously buff bod and healthy Californian tan, Matthew McConaughey was barely recognisable when he lost more than 19kgs to play the role of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club for which he went on to win an Oscar.

The 44year-old says the diet turned him into somewhat of a hermit.

"I lived like a bit of a hermit for four months and ate just fish and a cup of vegetables in the morning, and tapioca pudding. I was eating decent meals, just small amounts and I didn't go outside when the sun was out because I had to be pale," he revealed.

Magnitude 2.6 quake shakes central England

Nottinghamshire in England was hit by an earthquake, experts have confirmed, as social media sites were flooded with reports of a tremor.

The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 2.6, struck about a kilometre from Hucknall around 7.17pm on Tuesday, according to the British Geological Survey.
Nottingham residents used Twitter to share their stories of the earthquake, which they described as feeling like a "big bang and sharp shaking".
Many residents thought their houses had been hit by a car, while a few thought their shaking beds were caused by pre-Halloween ghosts.
Kieran Jobling, 20, who lives in West Bridgford, said: "I was sat in my room and it suddenly shook to its foundations. I genuinely thought it was a poltergeist.
"I'm relieved it was an earthquake, I'd rather not have a haunted house so close to Halloween!"
Verity Cowley, who lives near Kirkby-in-Ashfield, tweeted: "NG17 here and I nearly wet myself. Felt like something had exploded in the house."
Chris @nottmdude wrote: "Thought a plane or car crashed into the house myself.
"Seriously nearly ran out the house thinking it was going to fall down.
"Around 7.15pm. Felt like something crashed into the house. I thought it was something flying over the house that caused the rumble."
Lee March wrote: "I'd just stood up and the ground shook. I thought a truck had come through the house."

Family fights for life after puffer fish dinner

A Brazilian family is in a critical condition after eating one of the world's deadliest fish for dinner.

The Souza family cooked and served up the puffer fish, which a friend had caught during a day's fishing.

 

Family fights for life after puffer fish dinner

However, they were all unaware that the fish contains a toxin 1200 times more lethal than cyanide, a drop of which can kill within 24 hours.
The 11 members of the family became violently ill just seconds after they took their first bite of the meal.
Everyone in the family, including four children under the age of six, started to vomit and lost the feeling in their faces, legs, and arms and then became totally paralysed.
Christiane Souza, whose husband Jose Augusto ate the fish, said she invited the whole family to what she thought was going to be a delicious fish feast.
"The fish looked so tasty so we invited the whole family. We fried it and everyone tucked in," she told Brazil's RJ TV.
"They were all saying how delicious it was. I didn't eat it because I was waiting until everyone had tried it.
"My husband was the first to say he couldn't feel his tongue, then his face, and then his arms. Then his legs went dead and he couldn't stand up anymore. It was terrifying."
Grandmother Maria Do Carmo didn't eat the fish either, and said her grandson, daughter and son-in-law were all fighting for their lives.
"We're praying for a miracle," she said.
Puffer fish is considered a delicacy in Japan, but chefs have to undergo two years of training before they are permitted to cook the fish to customers.
There is no known cure for the poison, which paralyses and suffocates the victims while they are still awake, The Metro reports.

Man With Autism Found Locked In Caged Bed

The bed holding the 19-year-old man was chained shut and two people who live at the home have been arrested.

Two people have been charged with unlawful imprisonment after a 19-year-old man with autism was found locked in a caged bed in Michigan.

A sheriff's deputy found the man after responding to a disturbance at the property on 20 October, according to Huron County Sheriff's Office.
The man, as well as other adults and two children, have been removed from the home, which is about 100 miles north of Detroit.

A 65-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man, who both live at the home, were arrested. The sheriff's office did not name the pair.
They are being charged with felony unlawful imprisonment and misdemeanour abuse of a vulnerable adult, and are being held in the Huron County Jail.
Michigan's Department of Human Services says its adult protective services office is investigating.
A spokesman said the home is a private residence and not a licensed care facility.