Dec 12, 2015- New Zealanders have picked a blue and black design with the silver fern as the preliminary winner in a referendum on a possible new national flag.
The runner-up is a similar-looking red, white and blue design.
The final result will be announced on Tuesday after late and overseas votes are counted, and may change as the winning margin is narrow.
A second referendum will be held in March to decide whether to adopt the new flag, or keep the existing one.
Image captionPoaching and deforestation have caused a sharp decline in the tiger population
The number of wild tigers living in Nepal has increased by 63% to 198 since 2009, a government survey has shown.
The survey, which was carried out between February and June, assessed the Bengal tiger population across a 600-mile stretch in Nepal and India.
It found numbers had increased in all of Nepal's national parks.
South Asian governments have committed to doubling tiger populations by 2022, but the animals continue to face threats from poaching and habitat loss.
There are thought to be fewer than 2,000 tigers left worldwide, with 60% of them in India.
The survey covered tigers in the Terai Arc region, which spreads across the north Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and into southern Nepal.
'A milestone'
Nepal's survey concentrated on five protected areas and three wildlife corridors.
The results show the number of tigers in Nepal have increased to 198, a rise from 121 in 2009.
In particular, the tiger population in the south-western Bardia national park has risen from about 18 in 2009 to 50 this year.
Nepalese officials described the findings as a "milestone" in the bid to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, as agreed by the region's leaders at an international summit in 2010.
"Tigers are a part of Nepal's natural wealth and we are committed to ensuring these magnificent wild cats have the prey, protection and space to thrive," the director-general of Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Megh Bahadur Pandey, said.p
"Tigers are a part of Nepal's natural wealth and we are committed to ensuring these magnificent wild cats have the prey, protection and space to thrive," the director-general of Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Megh Bahadur Pandey, said.
Tens of thousands of Royal Bengal tigers, the most numerous subspecies of tiger, used to roam Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, but their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent decades.
The tiger's massive decline is due to widespread deforestation, the shrinking of their habitat and loss of prey base, as well as illegal poaching and wildlife trade.
Earlier this year, a study by Cardiff University warned that Indian tigers could face extinction because of a collapse in the variety of their mating partners.
The study found that 93% of DNA variants found in tigers shot during the period of the British Raj are not present in tigers today.
Researchers say a loss of habitat has meant that tigers are no longer free to roam throughout the subcontinent, which in turn has restricted their gene pool.
In Nepal, officials have increased anti-poaching efforts in a bid to curb the illegal wildlife trade, aimed at strengthening protection for the species.
Dec 6, 2015- The contribution of women in addressing climate change is still not sufficiently recognised. Therefore, it is essential for the COP21 currently underway in Paris (November 30-December 11) to provide a decisive and concrete step forward by integrating commitments to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Paris Agreement and more broadly, in future strategies and funding.
Differentiated impact Climate change disproportionately affects persons who are the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and those with the most limited capacities to adapt. Women, owing to the traditional roles assigned to them by societies and due to the discriminations they face, are the most highly affected. The lower access of women to resources and economic opportunities (land rights, access to credit) and their limited decision-making power in combating climate change, reduce their resilience. Women and girls are more vulnerable in disasters as they are often confined to the private and reproductive sphere. Women are generally less educated and often less prepared to face natural disasters. They are more vulnerable to them—80 percent of the victims of the cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh (2007) were women—and, following a disaster, young girls are sometimes taken out of schools and married early. In addition, women are generally excluded from consultations and decisions on post-disaster recovery actions. The scarcity of natural resources also increases women’s working time, makes their living conditions more precarious and aggravates inequalities. Desertification, erosion, water and food shortages often increase the household burden on women and girls. As they have to fetch water and wood from ever more distant sources, women are forced to work for longer hours. This limits their engagement in paid activities that are required to cover incompressible expenditures or reduce their family’s vulnerability. Climate change also increases health problems and affects women’s sexual and reproductive rights. The effect on women’s health, especially on nutrition and sexual and reproductive health has been proven. In disaster areas, healthcare and access to contraception are often wiped out further hindering their capacity to space out births, which is a prerequisite for their empowerment. In addition, emergency shelters rarely offer services and hygiene materials for women.
Unrecognised actors Despite having always been in vulnerable situations and seen as secondary stakeholders, women are key actors in the fight against climate change. Women play an essential role in coming up with prevention, adaptation and mitigation strategies in combating climate change. The adaptation strategies used by women and men differ significantly: men focus on large-scale interventions such as irrigation schemes while women place greater emphasis on concrete and community improvements. By using their traditional know-how and their local environmental knowledge, women actually play a major role in implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in daily life (saving energy and water, recycling, diversification and use of organic products). The contribution of women is also underestimated and undervalued in the rollout of large-scale national public policies. The effective contribution of women to climate change policies is barely visible at the local level. It is scarcely valued in national action plans in the development of which women are only slightly involved. Lastly, at the level of international climate negotiations, the decisions aimed at ‘broadening the participation of women in the delegations and decision-making bodies’ adopted in 2001, 2012 and 2014, are barely binding and have allowed very slow progress. As a result, women do not have equal access to funding assigned to the fight against climate change. The issue of funding devoted to the fight against climate change is pivotal in supporting the mitigation and adaptation efforts made in developing countries at the national and local levels. As regards bilateral aid, only a quarter of the projects focused on climate took gender inequalities into account in 2013, for the most part in the traditional fields of women’s involvement (water, agriculture, very few in energy and transport). But, as the Funds of the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol have just adopted rules on incorporating gender in their projects, there is hope for improvement.
Strengthening gender equality The improvement of women’s rights has multiplier effects on the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. In particular, the access of women to sexual and reproductive health and rights has repercussions in child mortality, women’s health, and the education and nutrition of children. It lightens their workload and strengthens their capacity to use technical innovations and act against climate change (improved stoves, pumps, renewable energies), reducing greenhouse gas emissions and their expenditure. Support for women’s empowerment as a strategy to improve population resilience in sustainable development policies locally and nationally is thus crucial. The proposed strategy is based on the idea that the empowerment is dependent upon the institutions which either promote (or do not) access to the various resources, such as information, mobility, knowledge, technology and economic and financial resources. Keeping this in mind, there is a need to incorporate the dimension of human rights and gender equality in the Paris Agreement, promote women’s contribution and strengthen their participation in addressing climate change, at all levels. Second, the Agreement needs to promote and support genuine mainstreaming of gender and of women’s empowerment in all policies and all programmes on adaptation, mitigation and technology access and transfer. Lastly, it should commit in favour of an allocation of climate funding for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in funded projects.
Bousquet is the President of French High Council for Equality between Women and Men; Coutelle, is the President of Delegation for Women’s Rights of the French National Assembly; and Jouanno is the President of Delegation for Women’s Rights at the French Senate
Indiana State University is a public institution that was founded in 1865. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,881, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 435 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Indiana State University's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, Tier 2. Its in-state tuition and fees are $8,416 (2014-15); out-of-state tuition and fees are $18,346 (2014-15).
The Indiana State University campus is located in Terre Haute, about 70 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Undergraduates can choose from more than 80 academic majors, including education, criminology and nursing. Indiana State University students can also pursue master's degrees in many programs, including those within the College of Education and the Donald W. Scott College of Business.
The university offers much to do outside the classroom, including nearly 150 student organizations. ISU students can also get involved in the school's many events and traditions, such as the annual tandem bicycle race. Student athletes can try out for the Indiana State Sycamores varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. Notable Indiana State University alumni include Willa Brown Chappell, the first woman in the U.S. to hold both a mechanical and a commercial pilot’s license, and Wanda Ramey, one of the first female news anchors in the nation.
Indiana State University offers an academically challenging, affordable education. Forbes has recognized Indiana State as one of America's Top Colleges, Princeton Review has recognized State as among the best in the Midwest and Washington Monthly has rated Indiana State No. 1 among 280 national universities in community service by students. Indiana State integrates teaching and research for goal-oriented students who seek opportunities for personal, professional and intellectual growth. Our pedestrian friendly and beautifully landscaped campus has been recognized by Princeton Review as one of the most environmentally responsible college campuses. The Indiana State student body represents 52 states and territories and more than 75 countries. State has been reaffirmed as a Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification in recognition of our commitment to community engagement. Our focus on community and public service sets us apart. Our dedicated faculty and staff provide personal attention and inspire students to create and apply knowledge through dynamic partnerships with the community and the world. Indiana State University graduates are valued for their demonstrated knowledge, active citizenship and leadership qualities in their community, the country and the world. We pride ourselves in offering learning opportunities and financial assistance to our students. We serve a high percentage of first generation college students and working class students, who understand the value of diligence and perseverance to get ahead. We offer nearly 100 undergraduate majors including on campus and online. Each program has a component of experiential learning from freshman to senior year experience. Our average scholarship and grant allocation is awarded to 63 percent of students and is valued at $7,685 per student. The average aid award is received by 91 percent of full time freshmen at $9,814 per student. We understand college is a financial investment for students as well as an investment in each student's future. We treat students individually and provide them with as much assistance as we are able. Located in the heart of Terre Haute's downtown, Indiana State's campus is within walking distance to local shops and restaurants. We are located approximately ten minutes from a major interstate and are centrally located among Indianapolis, Saint Louis and Chicago. In addition to what the city of Terre Haute offers, our campus residence halls, student recreation facilities, NCAA Division I athletic teams and student run organizations always have activities and entertainment for students to enjoy. It is a great time to be part of the Indiana State University family. We encourage you to further explore what Blue can do for you.
The time has come: Tyra Banks has crowned the Cycle 22 winner of America's Next Top Model, a.k.a. the final winner of the show—ever. With four models remaining heading into the second half of the finale—Mikey, Nyle, Lacey andMame—who made it out on top?
Warning: Don't read on unless you've watched the finale, or if you're totally cool with spoilers. Either one is fine.
OK, ready?
And the last-ever winner of America's Next Top Model is: Nyle DiMarco, who also happens to be the second-ever male winner and the first deaf winner. The dark-haired model remained solidly in the middle of the pack until coming out of his shell in the sixth episode of the season, after a challenge that hoisted the contestants in the air to pose as possessed fashionistas.
His second win came in the go-see episode, which also featured a photoshoot where each model posed with a dog. Nyle was paired with a gorgeous husky, and the steely-eyed shot of the model and pup gazing into the camera earned raves from the judges.
While his fellow finalists took the top position in the weeks leading up to the finale, the 26-year-old wound up on top when it counted and won the coveted title of the final America's Next Top Model. While he's by no means the first deaf contestant to compete on a reality series—there have been deaf contestants on Survivor,Chopped, The Amazing Race and Project Runway, and Marlee Matlin came in second on The Celebrity Apprentice—he is the first one to take home the win.
DiMarco also recurred on the latest season of ABC Family's Switched at Birth as a potential love interest for Vanessa Marano's Bay. "It was so funny…All of the burly, super macho grips on set were drunk by his beauty. Someone came up to me and said, 'I am completely comfortable in my heterosexuality, but that is a beautiful man,'" she told E! News about the model-actor's time on the show.
Did the right model win? Will you miss ANTM in your life?
Dear unborn child of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: Your mother is anxiously awaiting for your arrival.
The pregnant E! star has been keeping fans very up-to-date on her current pregnancy, and she hasn't been shy about exclaiming her anticipation for her baby boy to come out already. The star, who is nine months along and ready to pop any time now, took a selfie tonight that showed off her bare baby bump, and wrote a little message for her son.
Earlier today, Kim revealed that she's now up 60 pounds, and is going to be realistic about getting her pre-baby body back once she gives birth. "A few weeks to go and 60 pounds up! I look at other celebrities and Instagram girls who are literally so skinny right after giving birth," she wrote. "How is that possible?!?! F--k, I hope people don't expect that from me, LOL!"
Kim continued, "I mean, I'm focused and I love the challenge of getting my body back and feeling good again, BUT I am going to be a little bit more realistic."
Speaking of keeping it real, the soon-to-be mother of two kept it extremely 100 yesterday when she admitted that she currently feels "fat as f--k" and that her "cankles are out of control." LOL!
Dec 5, 2015- The Iraqi government has demanded that Turkey withdraw troops it sent to an area near the northern city of Mosul.
The move was "serious breach of Iraqi sovereignty" Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said in a statement.
About 150 Turkish soldiers have been deployed near in the town of Bashiqa to train Iraqi Kurdish forces, earlier reports said.
Mosul has been under the control of the Islamic State (IS) group since last year.
The statement called on Turkey to "respect good neighbourly relations and to withdraw immediately from the Iraqi territory".
Turkey enjoys close relations with autonomous Kurdish regions in Iraq, although views Syrian Kurdish groups over the border as hostile, analysts say.
The fall of Mosul was a key moment in the rise of IS and a Iraqi government offensive to retake the city has been repeatedly put back.
This week saw the UK carry out its first air strikes against IS in Syria and Germany voting to send military support to the coalition fighting IS in the country.
Tiffany Thornton still can't believe Chris Carney is gone.
Twenty-four hours after the former Disney Channel star's spouse died in a tragic car accident in Arkansas, Tiffany shared a picture of her late husband holding their two sons, Kenneth James "KJ" Carney, 3, and Bentley Cash Carney, 21 months. "My life. My love. My angel," she wrote in the Instagram photo caption. Hundreds of her fans commented on the picture within minutes, encouraging the So Random!star to "stay strong" and letting her know she is in their prayers. The post marks the first time Tiffany, 29, has publicly commented on her husband's untimely death.
Chris, a former member of rock band The Prom Kings, married Tiffany in 2011.
Tiffany's husband and his friend, Ezekiel Blanton, were both killed in a single car accident Friday at approximately 1:40 a.m. Per The Arkansas Times, which first reported the news, the vehicle reportedly slammed into a tree going around a bend. Ezekial, 37, is listed as the driver of the car; Chris, 35, was his only passenger.
Demi Lovato, who co-starred with Tiffany on Disney Channel's Sonny With a Chancefor two years, offered her condolences via Instagram Friday night. Sharing a picture from the couple's wedding (in which she served as a bridesmaid), Demi wrote, "Been trying to figure out what to say all day... This morning I woke up to terrible news. My good friend Chris Carney has passed away. This picture is a perfect example of the love he shared with Tiff and how much fun he was to be around. I've been to many weddings but this is by far the most memorable because the way they looked into each other's eyes and the love they had for one another. There were tons of laughs and tons of tears and I'll never forget the way he looked at her.""It doesn't seem real and I'm still in shock.. Still speechless. I don't know how to put into words how heartbroken I am for Tiffany and their two baby boys," Demi added. "You're already missed Chris.. And Tiffany I love you so much.. I'm so unbelievably sorry... There are still no words." The pop star also shared a link to aGoFundMepage to help alleviate living expenses for Tiffany and her two sons.
Similarly, actress Cassie Scerbo, who along with Demi's boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama is a godparent to KJ, expressed her grief in an Instagram post Friday. "I've re-written this a million times, as I just don't know where to begin. This morning we lost an incredible soul, someone I looked at as a big brother, who along with my beautiful friend @tiffthornton gave me the priveledge of being a Godmother to my precious KJ. @chrisgcarney, WE LOVE YOU," Scerbo wrote. "Your one-of-a-kind personality and heart will be greatly missed.. RIP, fam."
Superstar Aamir Khan's recent statement on the growing intolerance in India had sparked up a controversy, creating outrage on social media. He had apparently stated that his wife Kiran Rao is afraid of his child Azad's future in the country considering the growing issues over religion and communalism. His statement however met with hateful reaction from the masses as they posted several loathing comments and memes on social networking sites. While some of his own colleagues came out to raise their voice against his statements, some others decided to stand in support of their colleague. And now, after the outrage continued over a couple of days, Aamir Khan recently posted a letter on the social networking platform. It reads:
"Firstly let me state categorically that neither I, nor my wife Kiran, have any intentions of leaving the country. We never did, and nor would we like to in the future. Anyone implying the opposite has either not seen my interview or is deliberately trying to distort what I have said. India is my country, I love it, I feel fortunate for being born here, and this is where I am staying.
Secondly, I stand by everything that I have said in my interview.
To all those people who are calling me anti-national, I would like to say that I am proud to be Indian, and I do not need anyone's permission nor endorsement for that.
To all the people shouting obscenities at me for speaking my heart out, it saddens me to say you are only proving my point.
To all the people who have stood by me, thank you. We have to protect what this beautiful and unique country of ours really stands for. We have to protect its integrity, diversity, inclusiveness, its many languages, its culture, its history, its tolerance, it's concept of anekantavada, it's love, sensitivity and its emotional strength.
I would like to end my statement with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, it's a prayer really:
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments, by narrow domestic walls, Where words come out from the depth of truth, Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection, Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way, Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit, Where the mind is led forward by thee, Into ever-widening though and action, Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
Debutant director Shefali Bhushan has managed to pull off what most filmmakers could only dream of! In a coup of sorts, that's bound to make any filmmaker envious, the newbie has gotten two of the biggest names in the Bollywood music industry - AR Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj - on board to sing one track each in her directorial debut, Jugni. The film boasts of a 12-track album composed by Clinton Cerejo. Only one prayer song sung by Rahman, 'Lakhon Salaam', has been penned and composed by Kashif.
About Rahman's song, Shefali says, "It comes at a significant, pious moment in the film when the male protagonist goes into a deep emotional space and we could only think of Mr Rahman to give voice for it." And while Rahman's number is a prayer song, Vishal's track is a travel song with a lilting tune,'Duggu Duggu Dug' which is composed by Clinton. "Vishalji has sung every word with so much feeling that it is delightful. We are very lucky to have both Vishalji and Mr Rahman singing for us," shares an elated Shefali.
Scripted by Shefali, she reveals that her film is about the journey of Vaibhavi, a music director who travels to a village in Punjab looking for Bibi Saroop and meets her folk singer son, Mastana, a talented singer himself who winds his way into her heart. Jugni means firefly in Hindi, and is also a popular folk song in Punjab about a search. And the director says that the name worked well with her theme about a composer in search of soulful music and finding lots more than just that.
Shefali shares that her leading lady, Sugandha Garg, is a musician herself, but Siddhant Behl, who plays Mastana is neither a musician nor a singer. "However he is completely convincing on screen," she adds. Having been associated with the online project Beat of India, started in 2000 to popularise traditional Indian music, Shefali admits that the story grew out of her communications with folk singers from different parts of the country. source: bollywood hungama
Dec 4, 2015- A hippopotamus has killed three adults and critically injured a child in South Africa, a private emergency response service says. The incident happened late on Wednesday night in a town close to the border-crossing with Zimbabwe. ER24 says that when its paramedics arrived at the scene they found the adults had "sustained fatal injuries". The child was taken to the local hospital and is reported to be recovering. The child was discovered on Thursday morning after its cries for help were heard, and that is when the medics were called, ER24 said.The exact circumstances of the attack are being investigated, but it is thought that a wild hippopotamus may have come from the nearby Limpopo River, ER24's Pieter Rossouw told Eyewitness News. Mature hippopotamuses can weigh up to 3,200kg (7,000lbs) and are known for their aggression, says the BBC's Earth website. It adds that they have been named the most dangerous animals in Africa, allegedly responsible for more human deaths than lions.
It's been a while since we announced that Jacqueline Fernandez will be making her international debut with the film Definition of Fear for which she had started shooting long ago. And now it has been revealed that the film is in its final stages and will be soon screened at the Delhi Film Festival.
The thriller will be screened on the festival's opening day and the actress will be flying down to the capital to attend its very first public screening. Confirming the news, Jacqueline said, "I think film festivals are great platforms to showcase movies, especially if they are not your usual commercial fare". Revealing about her experience of shooting the film, she also added, "Shooting for the film was a great experience, as it broadens your perspective on movies and film-making as a whole. There is a huge market for horror-thrillers, so I think the film has immense potential."
Directed by James Simpson, Definition of Fear has Jacqueline Fernandez playing the role of a psychologist. The film will also have an Indian release apart from its overseas one.
Dec 4, 2015- Russian President Vladimir Putin has castigated Turkey's leaders, warning that they will regret shooting down a Russian Su-24 bomber in Syria. In a state of the nation speech, broadcast live on Russian television, he said that "if anyone thinks Russia's reaction will be limited to trade sanctions, they are deeply mistaken". "We'll remind them again what they did - they will regret it." Russia's fight against "terrorists" came top in his speech to parliament. At the start he praised the widows of the two Russian servicemen killed in the Su-24 incident in Syria. The widows were sitting in the Kremlin audience for his speech. There was also a minute's silence for Russian victims of terrorism, including the 224 who died when a bomb blew up a Russian airliner over Egypt's Sinai desert on 31 October. Jihadist militants from Islamic State (IS) said their "Sinai Province" associates had planted the bomb.
'Punishment from Allah'
In his speech Mr Putin again accused the Turkish government of sheltering and covertly supporting IS militants. Turkey insists that its F-16 fighters shot down the Su-24 because the bomber had trespassed into its airspace. Mr Putin scorned them, saying "probably Allah alone knows why they did it. "And evidently Allah decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey, by depriving it of any reason or logic." He said he was making a clear distinction between the Turkish leadership and Russia's "many longstanding and reliable friends in Turkey". Russia has announced wide-ranging sanctions against Turkey - a Nato member - because of the 24 November border clash, including an import ban on Turkish fruit, vegetables and some other foods. Russians can no longer go on package holidays to Turkey - until this month the top foreign destination for Russian tourists. In his speech Mr Putin made a direct connection between Russia's annexation of Crimea last year and the current fight against terrorism, saying Russia was showing its "confidence" as a "strong, independent state, with a 1,000-year-old history". He used the word "reunited" for Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, which was condemned internationally. Hours earlier he launched a Crimea-Russia undersea electricity link, responding to a power blackout that hit Crimea 10 days ago.
Turkish anger
The Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has dismissed Russian allegations that Turkey was buying oil from IS as "Soviet-style propaganda". And Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called it "slander". Later he said Russia was illegally buying IS oil, through a Syrian dealer with a Russian passport and "a famous Russian chess player". As the Russia-Turkey war of words continued, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Serbia on Thursday, on the sidelines of an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting. Russia says its bombers are attacking IS and other jihadist groups in Syria, helping the government forces of President Bashar al-Assad. However, Western analysts and Syrian rebel sources say most of the Russian bombing has targeted anti-Assad groups who are not jihadists. After the Su-24 incident Russia sent advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missiles to protect its planes in Syria. "We know who in Turkey is stuffing his pockets and letting the terrorists prosper," Mr Putin said. On Wednesday Russia's defence ministry displayed satellite images it said showed columns of trucks loaded with oil crossing from IS territory in Iraq and Syria into Turkey. Comparing Russia's campaign with the World War Two struggle against Nazism, Mr Putin said "we are facing a destructive, barbaric ideology… we need a single powerful fist, a united front" against IS. "Each civilised state should contribute to routing the terrorists," he said.
Ever since Randeep Hooda did Kick, with Salman Khan, Hooda has been going around telling the world how fond Salman is of him.
Looks like the effusion has paid off.
Randeep is now doing a role in the next Salman starrer Sultan. "It's a strong role of a Haryanvi character, though not of Salman's coach, as reported. Randeep has been chosen for the part as he is Haryanvi, and also Salman thought him appropriate for the character," says the source.
According to sources close to the film, Randeep doesn't play a wrestler in Sultan. Incidentally, Randeep was to play a Haryanvi boxer in film to be directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Islamic State said on Saturday that a married couple who killed 14 people in California in an attack the FBI is investigating as an "act of terrorism" were followers of the militant group based in Syria and Iraq. The group's declaration, in an online radio broadcast, came three days after U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 29, a native of Pakistan, carried out the attack on a holiday party for civil servants in San Bernardino, about 60 miles (100 km) east of Los Angeles.
The two died hours later in a shootout with police.
U.S. government sources have said Malik and her husband may have been inspired by Islamic State, but there was no evidence the attack was directed by the militant group or that the organization even knew who they were. The party the couple attacked was for workers in the same local government agency that employed Farook.
If Wednesday's mass shooting proves to have been the work of people inspired by Islamist militants, as investigators now suspect, it would mark the deadliest such attack in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001.
Two ethnic Chechen brothers inspired by al Qaeda killed three people and injured 264 in a bombing attack on the Boston Marathon in April 2013.
"Two followers of Islamic State attacked several days ago a center in San Bernadino in California," the group's daily online radio broadcast al-Bayan said on Saturday.
An English-language version of the broadcast was later released calling the attackers "soldiers" of Islamic State, rather than "followers" as in the original Arabic version. It was unclear if the English version was claiming them as members, or why there was an inconsistency.
The broadcast came a day after Facebook confirmed that comments praising Islamic State were posted around the time of the mass shooting to an account on the social media website established by Malik under an alias.
However, it was uncertain whether the comments were posted by Malik herself or someone with access to her page.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
"There was a pledge of allegiance," David Bowdich, assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Los Angeles office, told a news conference about a reported loyalty pledge posted on Facebook by Malik on the day of the attack.
A Facebook Inc spokesman said the profile in question was removed by the company on Thursday for violating its community standards barring promotion or praise for "acts of terror." He declined to elaborate on the material.
CNN and other news media outlets reported the Facebook posts on Malik's page included a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
"Ye are now investigating these horrific acts as an act of terrorism," Bowdich told reporters.
He said the FBI hoped examination of data retrieved from two smashed cellphones and other electronic devices seized in the investigation would lead to a motive for the attack.
Dec 4, 2015- The UK has started bombing targets of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, following a strong vote in favour by Parliament. France has already been bombing the jihadists' stronghold of Raqqa following deadly attacks in Paris claimed by the group. The UK strikes focused on six targets in an oil field under IS control in eastern Syria, the BBC understands. A number of Syrians have been giving their reaction to the British decision.
"Raqqa is being Slaughtered Silently" - citizen journalist group in the IS stronghold
The group said on Twitter that it opposed UK bombing raids. "We are against the UK strikes on Raqqa. All the world is bombing Raqqa and the UK will not make any change in the situation. If the UK wants to help people then it should accept Syrian refugees and not close the border. "Just bombing IS in Raqqa from the sky will not defeat IS, but it will make people suffer more. IS will use the UK strikes to recruit new people in the West and new fighters and maybe they will carry out terrorist attacks. "In the end nobody will liberate Raqqa except the people of Raqqa."
Hassan, Raqqa resident now living in Turkey
"Humans can't survive there. Nothing works. That's why many people are trying to leave Raqqa," he told BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen. "Air strikes were not effective in reducing IS. It just destroyed some buildings and places with very few fighters. The places where strikes could have had most effect were not hit. Air strikes are not enough to defeat IS and push it out of the area. It needs local troops who know the area well, like the Free Syrian Army. IS fighters regroup in other parts. "More air strikes could reduce fighter numbers. To defeat IS? No. You need ground troops." From Damascus - BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse DoucetThis morning's newspapers in Damascus reiterate criticism Syrian officials have made for years about the West's engagement here. "Britain didn't ask permission from Syria's government," declares the state news agency SANA. "Cameron told lies," it says. Syrian officials insist Britain and its allies must follow Russia's example and coordinate their campaign with Syrian government forces. If they don't, they warn, they simply won't succeed. Meanwhile, Syrian activists and opposition groups feel bitterly let down that the West did not give them this kind of military support to help remove President Bashar al-Assad. But Syrians in the capital from all social backgrounds welcomed any kind of action against IS. The Free Syrian Army, a Western-backed rebel forceA spokesman for the FSA's southern front told Mark Lowen that the UK was focusing on the wrong enemy. "The Assad regime is the cancer which ISIS (Islamic State, also known as Daesh) grow out of. So without erasing Assad from power - which means treating the cure, not just symptoms - that will not make a big difference. "Daesh and Assad are two faces of one coin. You should start with Assad but we understand they're not going to hit Assad. With air strikes and partners on ground, that could finish IS. "We're frustrated with the whole international community - not just the UK."
Robin Yassin-Kassab, a British-Syrian writer
"The real problem is Assad not IS, however horrific they are. IS is a symptom of a larger problem and in Syria that is the Assad regime and the scorched earth policy it uses against anyone who opposes it, creating a space that jihadists from all over the world can come and exploit. "Now you have Iran, Russia, France and the UK all getting involved. To the people on the ground the distinction between them is not very clear. They see the whole world bombing them and not bombing Assad, who is responsible for most of the killing. So it's very easy for jihadists to say it's the Shia Muslims, the Russian Orthodox Christians and the Western Christians all ganging up and bombing us because we are Sunni Muslims. "The most depressing thing is that (opposition leader) Jeremy Corbyn repeated in Parliament that all the Syrian opposition are Salafist fundamentalists. That's not what Syrian society is like. At least David Cameron knows there are 70,000 moderate fighters whose aims are national and not international." Sharif Shehadeh, Syrian MP and supporter of President Assad "Britain has the most famous doctors in the world but in this case its diagnosis has come too late and the cancer of Daesh has spread all over the world. "If the goal is to destroy Daesh, they have left it too late. The world should support what Russia is doing in Syria and the work of the Syrian army. The British intervention is too late and meaningless."
Hassan Hassan, Syrian analyst with Chatham House think tank
"I support British involvement in Syria because that will open up the opportunity to do more, to use air strikes as a beginning of something bigger. The UK needs to do more than the US is doing and engage local forces. Bombing alone is not enough. "It involves taking a different position towards Assad and helping rebels fight on two fronts. For the rebels, the priority is Assad. Their fear is that if they attack IS then Assad's forces will attack them from behind. There are practical reasons that cause them to concentrate on just one front. "Many people want to fight IS, but local people fear that the West will help them now and abandon them later, and then IS will come back to haunt them. There needs to be a long-term commitment."
Rethink Rebuild Society, a Syrian community group in Manchester
"We stress that any threat that IS poses to the UK is ultimately attributable to the Assad regime. "The Assad regime's indiscriminate use of force in Syria allowed for the emergence of terrorist groups in Syria. Without addressing the Assad regime's indiscriminate aerial bombardments, we will not be able to convince Syrian moderate opposition forces to cooperate with us in our fight against IS."
The ace musician Honey Singh, who, in such a short time frame, rose to dizzying heights, by his own admission, always sang the songs that the youth wants. Most of his hit tracks were always under the scanner of the moral police because they felt that his lyrics were vulgar and misled the youth. The following news, while, it maybe music to some ears will definitely be a shock to many.
In fact we hear that farmers in Uttarakhand are reportedly playing Honey Singh and other Punjabi singers' music on loudspeakers in order to scare away the havoc creating wild boars and other wild animals that have 'invaded' their agricultural land.
The testimonies to this came through the voices of many farmers who echoed the same sentiment. Their reasoning was that since the wild animals avoid places that has human habitat, they hit upon the brainwave of playing music in order to fool the animals by making them believe that there is human presence there. These farmers also play tracks that are loud volume party and bhajans, which really scares away wild boars, jackal, nilgai and other wild animals.
Dec 4, 2015- Scott Weiland, former frontman of the US rock band Stone Temple Pilots, has died at the age of 48.
The singer's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed his death on Thursday night.
A statement, on Instagram, said Weiland had "passed away in his sleep while on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota, with his band The Wildabouts".
Weiland had a history of drug problems. He formed the Grammy-winning band Stone Temple Pilots, and was a member of supergroup Velvet Revolver.
TMZ reported Weiland's body was discovered on his tour bus outside a motel, near the venue where the band were due to play.
Actress Juliette Lewis was one of the first to pay tribute to the singer following news of his death: "Sad to hear about Scott Weiland passing. He was a once of a kind epic force onstage. Thoughts are w[ith] his family," she tweeted.
Rock band Wheatus, best known for the hit single Teenage Dirtbag, tweeted: "We opened for @STPBand in 2000. I watched them side stage and Scott Weiland destroyed me, he was the real thing. Seeing him changed me forever."
Grammy organisers the Recording Academy of America hailed Weiland as "a grunge icon" adding his "extraordinary talent and captivating performances will forever live on and inspire legions of rock fans worldwide".
DJ Zane Lowe tweeted he was "very sad", adding: "So many moments sent listening to him sing in my headphones."
Aerosmith's Joe Perry also praised Weiland as "such a gifted performer".
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