Iran delays Reyhaneh Jabbari execution

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A campaign calling for a halt to the execution of
Reyhaneh Jabbari was launched on Facebook on
Monday
An Iranian woman due to be put to death for
killing a man she said was trying to sexually
abuse her is reported to have had her execution
postponed.
Officials said on Monday that Reyhaneh Jabbari,
26, had been transferred to a prison west of
Tehran to be hanged.
But activists claimed on Tuesday that an online
campaign had persuaded the state to give her a
10-day reprieve.
The human rights group Amnesty International
said she was convicted after a deeply flawed
investigation.
Ms Jabbari was arrested in 2007 for the murder of
Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.
She was placed in solitary confinement for two
months, where she reportedly did not have access
to a lawyer or her family, and was sentenced to
death by a criminal court in Tehran in 2009.
Amnesty said that although Ms Jabbari admitted to
stabbing Mr Abdolali Sarbandi once in the back,
she alleged that there was someone else in the
house who actually killed him.
Her claim is believed to have never been properly
investigated.
Protest
The authorities appeared to be pressing ahead with
the execution on Monday, when they confirmed
that Ms Jabbari had been transferred to Rajaishahr
prison and would be hanged.
A campaign calling for a halt to the execution was
launched on Facebook and Twitter, using the
hashtag #SaveReyhanehJabbari. Photographs of a
protest outside the prison were also posted.
On Tuesday, activists and bloggers reported that
Ms Jabbari's execution appeared to have been
postponed so that Mr Abdolali Sarbandi's family
could be consulted.
They cited a letter reportedly written by Ms
Jabbari's mother, Sholeh Pakravanin, thanking
people for their support and efforts to save her
daughter's life.
The development comes after activists said a
former psychologist had been executed for
"corruption on Earth and heresy in religion" near
the city of Karaj on Wednesday.
Mohsen Amir Aslani, 37, was arrested nine years
ago after giving religious classes in which he
provided his own interpretations of the Koran, they
said. He was subsequently accused by the
authorities of insulting the Prophet Jonah, the
activists added.
Iran's judiciary has denied that Mr Amir Aslani's
execution was linked to his religious beliefs.
Officials instead accused him of having had illicit
sexual relationships with a number of people who
attended his classes, the Guardian said

access: Details of the death of bokoharam leader Abubakar ...

access: Details of the death of bokoharam leader Abubakar ...: S ubscribe: Amazon magazines KINGSLEY OMONOBI-ABUJA. Details of how Abubakar Shekau, the impostor and leader of the Boko Haram terrorist ...

Details of the death of bokoharam leader Abubakar Shekau released.

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KINGSLEY OMONOBI-ABUJA.
Details of how Abubakar Shekau, the impostor and
leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group lost his left
in a shootout with Nigerian troops in Konduga on
Wednesday Sept. 17 emerged yesterday with military
sources disclosing that he met his waterloo in an
ambush reminiscent of the type the sect had been
using to hack down Nigerian troops.
Vanguard gathered that when the first attack on
Konduga whereby hundreds of insurgents were
taken unawares and killed after over seven hours of
fighting and several of their colleagues, arms and
ammunition captured, the military commanders
strategically urged his captured members to send a
message to Shekau that they (insurgents) have
routed the troops.
Before the captured insurgents were urged to make
the contact and deliver the message, the military
commanders had promised them that their
cooperation would play a role in the level of
punishment to be meted to them after the battle
hence they felt reassured.
Also, the captured insurgents had disclosed that
Shekau usually moved in a convoy of cars painted in
military colours while he sits in a MOWAG Armoured
tank with Boko Haram inscription on its front.
When Shekau was contacted, his captured men
spoke to him in Arabic, assuring him that they had
taken over Konduga, thereby giving him the all clear
to proceed from Sambisa Forest. To convince him
further, a set of his men captured were told to sing
the victory song in Kanuri language they normally
sing at the background.
Having convinced himself that the messenger was
his chief courier in such situation and the message
is authentic, he and his followers made for Konduga,
heavily armed with Anti-Aircraft weapons, General
Purpose Machine Guns, several AK 47 rifles and
other IEDS’.
However, on entering Konduga town, he and his
followers were encircled by strategically placed and
heavily armed Nigerian soldiers. Immediately he
contacted the messenger and discovered that
something was amiss, he ordered his followers to
start shooting in all direction.
This spurred the Army Commanders to give the
directive to open fire. When he discovered that the
fire power of the Nigerian Army who used both
Infantry and Artillery weaponry was overpowering
that of his men, he jumped out of the MOWAG and
made to escape.
But eagle-eyed Nigerian Soldiers spotted him and
opened fire in him, shattering his legs in the
process. It was learnt that he also received bullet
wounds in other parts of his body leading to his
bleeding to death.
Recall that Military sources had on Sunday night
disclosed that Nigerian troops scored a strategic
victory in the current battle against terrorists
operating in the North East on September 17.
The sources noted that during a desperate attempt
to capture Konduga in their delusion to eventually
marching on and capturing Maiduguri, the man who
had been mimicking Late Abubakar Shekau in recent
videos was feared to have been finally killed.
The sources said, “It is getting more certain that the
terrorists’ Commander who has been mimicking
Shekau in those videos is the one killed in Konduga
on September 17, 2014.”
Affirming the development, PRNigeria sources said
the suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is
responsible for the scattering of the sect members in
different independent locations in the neighbouring
countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent
days.
The security sources noted further that “the process
of confirming that the dead body we have is the
same as that character who has been posing as
Shekau is ongoing” adding “He is definitely a
prominent terrorist commander. I don’t want to say
anything about this yet please.”
Another high ranking military source insisted that
the resemblance is too striking to be a coincidence.
“They cited his facial marks, beards and teeth apart
from the recovery by the Nigerian troops of some of
the Armoured Vehicles and Hilux jeeps that had
featured in previous videos of the prime suspect.
“The officers assured that the Defence Headquarters
will soon address the nation after full investigation of
their latest discovery”.
Meanwhile, the Defence headquarters yesterday
dismissed insinuation that Cameroonian military
personnel carried out raids on Boko Haram terrorists
into border communities in Nigeria.
According to a report posted on its twitter handle,
DHQ said “There was no raid whatsoever in any part
of Nigeria’s territory in pursuit of terrorists as
claimed in some reports allegedly quoting Cameroon
military authorities”.
“All operations ongoing in the environs of Konduga
and all associated border location within the country
are completely being undertaken by Nigerian troops”

Why two teenage lovers took their lives

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Charleigh Disbrey and Mert Karaoglan
A girl of 15 and her Turkish sweetheart ran hand in
hand into the path of a high-speed train because
they feared his family disapproved of their
relationship.
Charleigh Disbrey and Mert Karaoglan, 18, had been
together only a month but chose to die together
rather than be forced apart by ‘cultural issues’. Mert
sent a picture message to a friend of the pair on a
bridge over the railway line, saying they would
‘never be together in this life and would rather be
together in a different place’.
They then climbed a 6ft fence to get on to the tracks
at the busy Elstree and Borehamwood station in
Hertfordshire.The driver of an empty London First
Capital Connect train saw them running down the
line but was unable to avoid hitting them. According
to an inquest, they died of multiple massive injuries.
Graham Danbury, Hertfordshire’s deputy coroner,
told the hearing: ‘Because of Mert’s background it
seems like a relationship between him and Charleigh
would not have been approved by his family.
And it seems to me that such was the intensity of
their feelings for each other that they ignored the
effect that their acts would have on others – their
family, their friends and the train driver – and
decided that they wanted to be together in death.’
The young lovers attended Hertswood Academy near
their Borehamwood homes. Charleigh, who was
studying for her GCSEs, had auditioned for the TV
shows Britain’s Got Talent and Must Be The Music.
She had posted videos of herself on YouTube
playing an acoustic guitar and had written on her
website that she wanted to become a musician ‘to
be remembered’. Mert, who was said to be a
talented film-maker and photographer, was studying
for his A-levels.
The inquest heard Charleigh had taken overdoses
and had expressed suicidal tendencies in the month
leading up to her death on June 17 last year.
In a statement, Mert’s father Sukru Karaoglan, 49,
told the inquest: ‘Mert got up earlier than usual and
went straight out to school without breakfast or
speaking to the family.
‘He didn’t get home until after 5 o’clock, got
changed and said he was going to meet some
friends.’ He was asked to stay to have a meal with
the family and joined them for a short while before
insisting he had to go. ‘That was the last time the
father saw him,’ said Dr Danbury.
Mert’s friend, Harry Whitlock, told the inquest he had
seemed normal at school that day. At around 7pm
he received the picture of the pair on the bridge and
a text moments before they died at around 9pm
saying: ‘Find my phone. Find the video. I love you.’
Dr Danbury said: ‘In one of these [videos] they gave
some explanation of what they were about to do,
which was to end their lives and they referred to
family and cultural problems and they felt that they
weren’t going to be able to be together in this life
and they would rather be together in a different
place.’
Harry told the hearing he was at the cinema at the
time he received the messages from Mert and was
later told by a friend of the tragic deaths. He said
the last picture on the bridge ‘was just them two
together, just smiling’.
Another friend, Christopher Walker, said he last saw
Mert at 1pm on the day of his death and was told he
would be sent some internet passwords.
He added: ‘He told me he had met his soulmate. I
think this meant the girl I know he had been seeing
for the last month. He was happy. He gave me a big
hug, and left.’
Charleigh, known as CJ, also sent a number of texts
before her death saying sorry and telling them she
loved them. In one, she wrote: ‘I have met the most
amazing person – he is my life.’
There was no answer at the flat where Mert lived
with his family. Neighbours said they returned to
Turkey earlier this year and Mr Karaoglan had made
occasional trips back.
Dr Danbury recorded verdicts of suicide at the
hearing in Hatfield.
Culled from DailyMail

Unrest in China, protesters clash with police

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Hong Kong: Tear gas and clashes at
democracy protest
28 September 2014 China
Hong Kong police have used tear gas to disperse
thousands of pro-democracy protesters near the
government complex, after a week of escalating
tensions.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested, with
hundreds vowing to stay put to continue the
protest.
Protesters want the Chinese government to scrap
rules allowing it to vet Hong Kong's top leader in
the 2017 poll.
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said the
demonstration was "illegal" and elections would go
ahead as planned.
China has also condemned the protest, and offered
"its strong backing" to the Hong Kong
government.
The broader Occupy Central protest movement
threw its weight behind the student-led protests
on Sunday, bringing forward a mass civil
disobedience campaign due to start on
Wednesday.
Regrouping
Protesters blocked a busy thoroughfare that runs
through the heart of Hong Kong's financial district
on Sunday, clashing with police as they tried to
join a mass sit-in outside government
headquarters.
Police used pepper spray and repeatedly shot tear
gas into the air to drive back the protesters from
the busy Connaught Road. Protesters used
umbrellas and face masks to defend themselves.
Many protesters remained in one of central
Hong Kong's main avenues on Sunday evening
Crowds of protesters were earlier dispersed by
volleys of tear gas but later returned
As evening fell, the police lobbed tear gas
canisters into the crowd, scattering some of the
protesters. But many of the demonstrators
regrouped and retreated to a nearby park.
According to the AFP news agency, some 3,000
protesters blocked a second major thoroughfare in
the Mongkok district of Kowloon late on Sunday.
At the scene: Juliana Liu, Hong Kong
correspondent
After clashes with police earlier in the week, pro-
democracy protesters appeared to be much better
prepared on Sunday.
Many arrived sporting raincoats or wrapped in
plastic with swimming goggles over their eyes -
items chosen to protest against the sting of tear
gas and pepper spray.
Still, there was surprise and chaos when the first
round of tear gas was fired in the early evening.
Thousands of people ran for cover when the
canisters hit the ground, spewing white smoke and
a distinctively sharp smell into the air.
I was helped by a middle-aged couple who
noticed my growing baby bump and were
concerned for my health. They pressed a water-
soaked blue handkerchief into my face to reduce
the amount of tear gas I would breath in. But they
disappeared before I could thank them properly.
The student organisers behind the protest, the
Hong Kong Federation of Students, have appealed
for students to retreat due to fears that police
could use rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
A co-organiser of Occupy Central, Chan Kin-man,
says he supports the students' decision.
Police said they had arrested 78 people on Sunday
on charges of "forcible entry into government
premises, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct in
public place, assaulting public officers and
obstructing police officers in due execution of
duties".
It comes after the arrest of more than 70 people in
Saturday's protests, including prominent student
activist leader Joshua Wong, who has since been
released.
Thousands joined a sit-in organised by students
outside government headquarters this weekend,
bolstering a week-old protest, which began as a
strike by students calling for democratic reforms.
Occupy Central had originally planned to paralyse
the central business district next Wednesday, but
organisers advanced the protest and changed the
location in an apparent bid to harness momentum
from student protests.
The announcement came early on Sunday, with a
statement by the movement saying Mr Leung had
"failed to deliver on political reform".
But speaking in his first public statement since the
protests began, Mr Leung said that he and his
government had "been listening attentively to
members of [the] public".
He said that political consultations would continue
on the planned changes but warned that "resolute"
action would be taken against the "illegal
demonstration".
Umbrellas were used by activists to avoid the
effects of tear gas and pepper spray
The main thoroughfare in central Hong Kong
was blocked for several kilometres in each
direction
Students and activists have been camped
outside the government premises all weekend
The protesters had also called for further talks but
it is not clear how far - if at all - Mr Leung's
mention of further consultations will be seen as
recognising their demands.
A spokesman for China's Hong Kong and Macau
affairs office said that Beijing "firmly opposes all
illegal activities that could undermine rule of law
and jeopardise 'social tranquillity' and it offers its
strong backing" to the Hong Kong government,
Xinhua news agency reports.
Police protected a cordon outside the
government offices on Saturday night
Unrest began when the Chinese government
announced that candidates for the 2017 chief
executive election would first have to be approved
by a nominating committee.
Activists have argued that this does not amount to
true democracy.

Cash kings 2014: The world's highest paid Hip-hop acts

Cash Kings 2014: The World's Highest-
Paid Hip-Hop Acts
Dr. Dre's $620 million is not only the highest annual
total of any entertainer ever evaluated by FORBES,
it’s more than the combined earnings of all 24 of his
companions on the list.

Arsenal above Tottenham after 90minutes

27 September 2014 Updated 19:26 GMT
By Phil McNulty - Chief football writer
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's
strike kept Arsenal above
Tottenham in the table
Oxlade-Chamberlain scores first goal of the
season
Ramsey and Arteta go off injured
Arsenal enjoy 69% possession
Spurs have six shots to Arsenal's 16
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ensured honours were
even as Arsenal and Tottenham fought out an
entertaining north London derby at Emirates.
Nacer Chadli's fourth goal in fivea Premier League
appearances this season gave Spurs the lead early
in the second half, but Oxlade-Chamberlain hit
back with 15 minutes to go.
Arsenal, disrupted by first-half injuries to Mikel
Arteta and Aaron Ramsey, pressed for a winner but
Mauricio Pochettino's side stood strong in defence
and ultimately a draw was the right result.
The result moves Arsenal into the top four behind
predictable pace-setters Chelsea and Manchester
City, as well as Southampton, who continue their
excellent start to the season.
Spurs boss Pochettino confessed his
disappointment at the manner of his side's display
in the home defeat to West Bromwich Albion last
weekend but there was plenty on show here to
satisfy the Argentine.
And Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger, while
perhaps wanting more than a draw at home, will
also have been pleased at the resilience they
showed in the face of the enforced changes that
had an impact on their rhythm.
Alexis Sanchez's relegation to the bench was
surprising, given his early influence on Arsenal's
season, but the Chilean has had a busy schedule
following his £32m summer move from Barcelona.
Nacer Chadli scored his
fourth goal in five Premier
League appearances this
season for Spurs
The main feature of the first half was Pochettino's
constant technical area exhortations for his players
to press Arsenal in possession, a demand that led
to very visible rebukes for Christian Eriksen and
Emmanuel Adebayor within seconds in the opening
half.
Adebayor will have further drawn his manager's
disapproval when he dawdled over a clear chance
with time and space inside Arsenal's area, while
Chadli was also wasteful when in a good position.
Arsenal's were hit by those injuries to Arteta and
Ramsey, which necessitated their replacement by
Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla before half-
time. Jack Wilshere also required lengthy treatment
after turning his right ankle.
Aaron Ramsey had to be
substituted due to a
hamstring problem just
before the break
The main moment of danger to Spurs came when
clever footwork from Ramsey to set up Oxlade-
Chamberlain, but his shot from the edge of the
area was well saved by keeper Hugo Lloris.
Pochettino's message to Eriksen about putting
Arsenal under pressure was understood and it
played a key role as Spurs went ahead 11 minutes
after the interval. The Dane pinched possession
from Flamini and played in Chadli to finish cooly.
Arsenal's response was instant and Lloris pulled
off a magnificent save low down to keep out Per
Mertesacker's header - but Spurs were unable to
survive renewed pressure from the Gunners and
the equaliser came after 75 minutes.
Sanchez - on for Wilshere - crossed and Danny
Welbeck's wild air shot in front of goal wrong-
footed the Spurs defence, leaving Oxlade-
Chamberlain to lash high past Lloris.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "I am frustrated
because we dropped two points and I am frustrated
because we didn't make enough of our set-pieces.
You want to be rewarded for the work you put in.
When asked if Ramsey and Arteta would be fit for
the Champions League game on Wednesday,
Wenger said: "No chance. If it is a muscular
problem I don' t see how they can be fit in five or
six days time."
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "I think it
is a good result for us. Maybe Arsenal controlled
the game and had the ball more than us but we
played well and defended well.
"We scored a great goal. This is our philosophy,
which is difficult to keep for 90 minutes at the
moment, but we are on our way."
There was plenty of action
but little quality in the first
half at the Emirates
Tottenham scored the
opening goal but had only
four shots on target during
the match
Younes Kaboul was
excellent at the heart of
Tottenham's busy defence
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
earned Arsenal a point with
his first goal of the season

Iran: Happy video dancers sentenced to 91 lashes and jail

The participants were shown on state television saying they had been duped into taking part

Six Iranians arrested for appearing in a video dancing to Pharrell Williams' song Happy have been sentenced to up to one year in prison and 91 lashes, their lawyer says.

The sentences were suspended for three years, meaning they will not go to prison unless they reoffend, he adds.
The video shows three men and three unveiled women dancing on the streets and rooftops of Tehran.
In six months, it has been viewed by over one million people on YouTube.
The majority of people involved in the video were sentenced to six months in prison, with one member of the group given one year, lawyer Farshid Rofugaran was quoted by Iran Wire as saying.
The "Happy we are from Tehran" video was brought to the attention of the Iranian authorities in May, after receiving more than 150,000 views.
Members of the group behind the video were subsequently arrested by Iranian police for violating Islamic laws of the country, which prohibit dancing with members of the opposite sex and women from appearing without a headscarf.
They later appeared on state-run TV saying they were actors who had been tricked into make the Happy video for an audition.
The arrests drew condemnation from international rights groups and sparked a social media campaign calling for their release.
Williams, whose song was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year, also protested at the arrests.
"It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness," he wrote on Facebook.

Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone begins three-day lockdown

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A three-day curfew has begun in Sierra Leone to enable health workers to find and isolate cases of Ebola, in order to halt the spread of the disease.

Many people have been reluctant to seek medical treatment for Ebola, fearing that diagnosis might mean death as there is no proven cure.
A team of 30,000 people is going house-to-house to find those infected and distribute soap.
But critics say the lockdown will damage public trust in doctors.
Meanwhile in neighbouring Guinea, the bodies of eight missing health workers and journalists involved in the Ebola campaign have been found.
A government spokesman said some of the bodies had been recovered from a septic tank in the village of Wome. The team had been attacked by villagers on Tuesday.

US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power: ''It is going to spread to other countries... if we do not dramatically scale up our efforts''

Correspondents say many villagers are suspicious of official attempts to combat the disease and the incident illustrates the difficulties health workers face.
Sierra Leone is one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak, with more than 550 victims among the 2,600 deaths so far recorded.
WHO officials say that under the curfew, Sierra Leone's six million citizens cannot leave their homes between 07:00 and 19:00 each day.
After dark, they can go outdoors but cannot leave their area, and shops will remain shut. Earlier reports had suggested that residents would have to stay indoors for the entire lockdown.
'Lives at stake' During the curfew, 30,000 volunteers will look for people infected with Ebola, or bodies, which are especially contagious.
They will hand out bars of soap and information on preventing infection.
Officials say the teams will not enter people's homes but will call emergency services to deal with patients or bodies.

Volunteers will go door-to-door to test people for the virus and take infected people to treatment centres

On Thursday, President Ernest Bai Koroma said: "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."
He urged citizens to avoid touching each other, visiting the sick or avoid attending funerals.
Freetown resident Christiana Thomas told the BBC: "People are afraid of going to the hospital because everyone who goes there is tested for Ebola."

The BBC's Umaru Fofana in Sierra Leone

There are reports of stockpiling in Freetown ahead of the lockdown

Cities and towns across the country were deafeningly quiet without the usual early morning Muslim call to prayer and the cacophony of vehicles and motorbikes that people wake up to here.
Thousands of volunteers and health workers have assembled at designated centres across Sierra Leone and started moving into homes.
But they had to wait for hours before their kit - soaps and flyers - could reach them.
MP Claude Kamanda, who represents the town of Waterloo near Freetown, told local media that all the health centres there were closed, hours after the health workers and volunteers were meant to assemble for deployment to homes.
He complained that the delays were not helping the campaign.

The UN Security Council on Thursday declared the outbreak a "threat to international peace" and called on states to provide more resources to combat it.
Meanwhile, the US military has started work in the Liberian capital Monrovia to establish an air bridge - a link by air transport - to take health workers and supplies to affected countries.
The UK has pledged to help build new treatment centres and provide 700 new hospital beds in Sierra Leone, although a majority of the beds could take several months to arrive.
Aid workers have welcomed the UK aid but say all of the beds are required immediately, the BBC's International Development Correspondent Mark Doyle reports.

Locally-made films about the Ebola outbreak have already been produced in the affected countries

Sierra Leona is one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak

In the hours leading up to Sierra Leone's lockdown, there was traffic gridlock in Freetown as people stocked up on food and essentials.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been strongly critical of the lockdown, arguing that ultimately it will help spread the disease as such measures "end up driving people underground and jeopardising the trust between people and health providers".

Alice Gross search: Hunt for missing man

Arnis Zalkalns was last seen on 3 September

Police investigating the disappearance of Alice Gross want to speak to a Latvian man seen on the same canal towpath used by the schoolgirl.

The Met have made a new appeal to find Arnis Zalkalns, who went missing a week after Alice and used the Grand Union Canal route to get to work.
Alice, 14, from Hanwell, was last seen on CCTV cameras on 28 August by the same canal route in west London.
Mr Zalkalns, 41, was reported missing on 5 September.
He had failed to meet a colleague on the morning of 4 September to cycle to work on the canal path.
Mr Zalkains rides a red Trek Mountain Bike and was due at work in Isleworth, police said.
The 5ft 10in builder was last seen on 3 September at his home in Ealing, where he lives with his partner and child. He is of stocky build and has dark brown hair that he normally wears tied in a pony tail, Scotland Yard said.
Family 'very worried' Det Supt Carl Mehta said: "It is completely out of character for Arnis to go missing. His family is very worried about him.

Alice Gross was last seen near the Grand Union Canal on 28 August

"Given the time that Arnis was last seen, and that he travels to work along a similar route to the one we know Alice took on the 28 August, I am really keen to speak to him.
"I would stress that based on what we know now there is no evidence to suggest that Arnis and Alice knew each other."
There has also been a report of a new sighting of Alice's rucksack after a couple came forward who saw it before it was picked up by the River Brent between Hanwell Bridge and the Grand Union Canal on 2 September.
Scotland Yard has urged anyone else who saw the rucksack to get in touch.

Alice Gross's rucksack was found on a footpath

An appeal for more information was made on the BBC One TV programme Crimewatch and Scotland Yard has released an interactive map of the route Alice took.
Alice's mother Rosalind Hodgkiss encouraged anyone with information about her whereabouts to "come forward to the police and get her home because that's where she belongs and she needs to be here with us".
Ms Hodgkiss told BBC's Crimewatch: "There's not a moment of the day that you don't think about Alice and where she is, what might have happened or why she might have gone missing.
"It's almost impossible to describe what that pain feels like but we just want her to know: please Alice, if you're out there, come home."
The girl is 5ft 2in (1.57m) tall and of very slim build with shoulder-length, light brown hair.

Scotland Yard has released an interactive map of the route she took

When the Brentside High School pupil left her family home at 13:00 BST on 28 August she was wearing dark blue jeans and a grey top, and tartan framed glasses.
Det Ch Insp Andy Chalmers said: "A couple have come forward to tell us they saw Alice's bag on the evening of Thursday, 28 August, at about 20:15, on the footpath that runs besides the River Brent between Hanwell Bridge and the Grand Union Canal. They didn't move the bag or look inside it."
Her bag had also been spotted by two builders, he previously said.
Earlier the Met said a 25-year-old man had been released with no further action to be taken after he was arrested on 6 September on suspicion of murder. He had previously been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.
A second man, 51, who was arrested on 7 September, was released the following day with no further action to be taken.

President Obama to address troops on anti-IS strategy

Kurdish peshmerga fighters have been at the forefront the ground battle with IS in northern Iraq

President Barack Obama is to address US troops involved in his new strategy to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria.

He will also be briefed by commanders at the Florida headquarters of Centcom, the command covering the region.
The president has said US troops will not have a combat mission in Iraq, under the strategy outlined last week.
But ground forces may be sent if a new international coalition fails to defeat IS, the top US general said on Tuesday.
Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee that an international effort against IS was currently the "appropriate way forward".
However, he said "if that fails to be true, and there are threats to the United States, then I of course would go back to the president and make a recommendation that may include the use of US military ground forces".

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Gen Martin Dempsey says he would consider asking for the deployment of ground troops in Iraq if necessary

Gen Dempsey confirmed that under the current plan, US military advisers would help the Iraqi army to plan attacks against IS, also known as Isil.
The jihadist group controls large areas of Syria and northern Iraq. It has between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, according to CIA estimates.
Stepped up strikes Mr Obama arrived overnight in Tampa, Florida, where US Central Command (Centcom) - responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia - is based.
"As we implement the president's strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat Isil, it's the men and women of Centcom who will partner with others in the region to carry out our limited military mission in those countries," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday.

Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence correspondent A commitment to avoid "boots on the ground" is seen as the acid test of President Obama's commitment to avoid drawing the US into another extended war in Iraq. But the US has already deployed some 1,600 military personnel to Iraq.
They are helping to protect US diplomatic facilities, operate drones, and train and mentor Iraqi forces. So far these mentoring teams are at the headquarters level. But many experts believe that this will eventually have to extend to units on the battlefield.
Senior US commanders already envisage a potential wider role for US forces. For now this is anathema to the White House which is still "selling" its new Iraq policy to its domestic audience.
But over time, a refusal to deploy major US combat units may make more sense than blanket statements about "no boots on the ground."

US fighter jets have been carrying our air strikes in Iraq since August

In recent weeks Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces backed by US jets and drones have been advancing against IS positions in northern Iraq.
In his speech last week, President Obama unveiled a four-point plan to defeat IS using further air strikes, support for Iraqi troops, anti-terrorism activities and humanitarian aid.
On Monday US aircraft carried out the first strike under the new strategy, south-west of Baghdad.
The US administration has also been working on a broad coalition to fight the jihadist group.
At the weekend 30 countries took part in a summit in Paris, and pledged to help Iraq fight Islamic State (IS) militants "by all means necessary".
Correspondents say the murders of two US journalists and a British aid worker by IS militants - all shown in a videos released by IS - have added momentum to the plans.

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Amaechi decries rising corruption in Nigeria

By CHRIS ANUCHA, Port Harcourt on September 17, 2014 ·

Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, has expressed concern over the level of corruption in the country, especially the way public funds are diverted to private use.
Amaechi made the observation at the Government    House, shortly after the swearing -in of the 21 local government caretaker committee chairmen in the state.
He    urged the chairmen to use public funds for the good of the people and   shun corruption.
His words: “I am a worried man. I am extremely worried for the country because of the level of text I got from people; even the desperation by old council members, who wanted to return.  I wonder why they were so desperate. It just shows me that they were only interested in increasing their stomach infrastructure.
“I got very, very worried. People were desperate, people were threatening; all sorts of text messages were sent to me but I remained adamant and said, ‘let the people go and choose, I will not participate in this very exercise’. I believe that you have been chosen and please, serve the people.”
“My problem is that the level of corruption in Nigeria now knows no bounds, so bad that if you read Sahara Reporters, you will hear that two aircrafts were arrested in South Africa, carrying 9.5 million dollars. Now, you can see, the problem is that they left here (Nigeria) freely, unchecked; nobody asked them questions.
“So, if at that federal level, people can get away, you have to see how bad corruption has become in Nigeria, that Nigerians can travel anyhow they like with money, money they didn’t earn, money that is stolen. Now, nobody is afraid to be corrupt,” he said.
The governor continued: “State governments are not able to pay salaries because, instead of the normal money we receive every month, it has come down for Rivers State; nearly 45 to 50 per cent. That’s the way it is now, and this is because the other money is stolen.”
On local government election,  the governor said the state would organize local government elections,  to usher in democratically elected local government chairmen and councillors after the country’s general elections in 2015.
“We have assured the state that,  we would organize (local government) election immediately after the national elections because,  we believe that only democratically elected council chairmen should run the councils. So, I congratulate you for the next three months and I hope you will be able to perform”, he said.
Out of the 21 newly sworn-in caretaker chairmen, seven of them were retained. They are those of Bonny, Emohua, Tai, Oyigbo, Obio/Akpor, Opobo/Nkoro and Omuma Local Government Areas.
With the State’s 23 local government areas, Degema and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas were, however, not affected by the transition.
The 21 caretaker chairmen, sworn into office by the governor on Tuesday were,  Hon. Igoma Gift Loveday (Abua/Odual), Barr. Chinenem Jerome (Ahoada East), Hon. Victor Abaje (Ahoada West), Hon Allwell George (Asari-Toru), Christian Otiasah (Akuku-Toru), Deacon Emmanuel (Andoni), Adonye Wilcox (Bonny), Prince Awalanta Ejire (Eleme), Reginald Okwuoma (Etche), Godstime Orlukwu (Emohua) and Sylvester Vidim (Gokana).
Others were,  Barr Nwobueze Amadi (Ikwerre), Hon. Gordon Tornwe (Khana), Lawrence Chuku (Obio/Akpor), Mina Tende (Ogu/Bolo), Chief Amangi Sunday (Okrika), Hon. Emeka Nwogu (Omuma), Michael Igolima (Opobo/Nkoro), Hon. David Oyesorom (Oyigbo), Nnamdi Wuche (Port Harcourt) and Hon. Mbakpone Okpie (Tai Local Government).

Boko Haram installs emirs in Gwoza, Dambua

By ADETUTU FOLASHADE-KOYI, ABUJA on September 17, 2014 · 

•Senate to Jonathan: Declare total war on sect now
  Boko Haram has installed emirs in Gwoza and Dambua, Borno State, the two towns that fell to the Islamist sect two weeks ago, Senator Ali Dume told his colleagues as Senate resumed from its two-month recess yesterday.This is even as the Upper Chamber urged President Goodluck Jonathan to declare total war on the insurgents, advising him to mobilise all resources and efforts to that effect. Senator Ndume, who represents southern Borno, told lawmakers that Boko Haram has literally sacked two emirs and installed their own on Monday.
His words: “I represent southern Borno and Gwoza. The challenges we are facing are more serious than what we have faced before. We, the people of southern Borno, particularly Gwoza, parts of Adamawa and Yobe know that it’s presently occupied!
“I read here on the Senate Order Paper about a threat. It’s no longer a threat; somebody is occupying that place and he’s declared it a caliphate!
“Yesterday, a new emir was installed by Boko Haram in Dambua. The original emir is taking refuge in Abuja. Boko Haram installed a new emir in Gwoza…Recently, we conceded the extension of state of emergency and it was because it could get out of hand. Can it get out of hand more than what is happening now?”, he asked.
Chairman of the Senate Committeeon Investment, Nenadi Usman, pleaded with the chamber to “look at the issue holistically because there are internally displaced persons in my constituency too.
The resolution for the declaration of total war came through a motion moved by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) and 107 senators tagged: “Threat to national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria by insurgents.” The Senate resolved that the Boko Haram challenge had risen beyond mere insurgency to a full-scale war against the Nigerian state. The lawmakers declared that only a declaration of total war by the President will offer a sustainable solution to the menace of the sect.
Ruling on the motion, Senate President David Mark, insisted that Nigeria must move beyond bandying words with Boko Haram and declare total war now.
“When Boko Haram moved from kidnapping, killing of people and destruction of property to occupation of parts of Nigerian territory, it has declared a total war on Nigeria. There is no difference between what Boko Haram is doing against Nigeria and what an enemy country waging war in Nigeria would have done.
“The issue is beyond that of mere internal security. It is about how we execute the war. If Boko Haram has captured most of the parts of the country we represent and has created a caliphate, it means that some of the senators from those areas can no longer be in this chamber. This is why we must pay urgent attention to the matter,” he said.
Mark also noted out that the threat posed by Boko Haram war will affect the 2015 general elections. He, however, insisted that the issue at stake is far beyond that of election. He said: “There is no question of election, it is not even on the table now. We are in a state of war. All of us cannot carry guns  to fight but we all have roles to play in bringing the situation to an end”.
The entire Senate leadership, chairmen of committees that have roles to play on national security, defence and intelligence as well as all senators from the three affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are now scheduled to meet with Mr. President and deliver the resolutions of the Senate.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu seconded the motion with a warning that there may not be elections in Nigeria in 2015 if Boko Haram insurgency persists. “We must make no mistake about this; if we don’t secure the North East, there may not be elections in 2015. If anyone thinks because he is from Lagos, Enugu and it doesn’t concern him, that person is mistaken…Democracy isn’t working in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states. We must take a firm stand now.”
Meanwhile, the Upper Chamber also resolved that the $1billion external loan requested by the President shortly before it embarked on long recess be granted with accelerated approval.

Obama says Ebola outbreak a 'global security threat'

President Barack Obama has called the Ebola outbreak in West Africa "a threat to global security", as he announced a larger US role in fighting the virus.

The world was looking to the US, Mr Obama said, but added that the outbreak required a "global response".
The measures announced included ordering 3,000 US troops to the region and building new healthcare facilities.
Ebola has killed 2,461 people this year, about half of those infected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The announcement came as UN officials called the outbreak a health crisis "unparalleled in modern times".

The WHO says the most urgent immediate need is more medical staff

The funds needed to fight the outbreak have increased 10-fold in the past month and $1bn (£614m) was needed to fight the outbreak, the UN's Ebola co-ordinator said.
'Massive surge needed' Mr Obama said that among other measures, the US would:

• Build 17 healthcare facilities, each with 100 beds and isolation spaces, in Liberia
• Train as many as 500 health care workers a week
• Develop an air bridge to get supplies into affected countries faster
• Provide home health care kits to hundreds of thousands of households, including 50,000 that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will deliver to Liberia this week.

Mr Obama called on other countries to step up their response, as a worsening outbreak would lead to "profound political, economic and security implications for all of us".
Ebola only spreads in close contact, and there is no cure and no vaccine. The outbreak began in Guinea last December before spreading to its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Mr Obama said the outbreak had reached epidemic proportions in West Africa, as the disease "completely overwhelmed" hospitals and clinics and people were "literally dying on the streets".

Tulip Mazumdar, global health correspondent Mr Obama announced the sort of help that the WHO, Medecins Sans Frontieres and others have been calling for for many weeks.
The promise of 3,000 American troops to help build treatment centres and train thousands of medical staff in Liberia will be a crucial boost to fighting this epidemic, though much more is needed.
The health systems of the three worst-affected countries are among the weakest in the world and can't deal with this massive outbreak alone.
Several months into this crisis, there are still very few isolation and treatment centres. It means that when infected, people who pluck up the courage to get help are often turned away from medical facilities because there simply isn't room or enough medical staff to treat them.
That means they end up going home and infecting others.

Meanwhile in Guinea, a team of health officials was attacked on Tuesday in a village they were visiting to raise awareness of the illness.
People in Wamey, in the south of the country, threw stones at the team, which included WHO and Red Cross representatives. At least 10 officials were hurt, and several who escaped into the bush are still missing.
This is not the first such incident. There have been many reports of people in the region saying they do not believe Ebola exists, or not co-operating with health authorities, fearing that a diagnosis means certain death.
Also on Tuesday, a US congressional panel heard testimony from Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and Dr Kent Brantly, who recovered from an Ebola infection after receiving an experimental treatment.
Dr Fauci told the committee that 10 volunteers in a separate vaccine study had shown no ill effects from an early stage trial.
Earlier on Tuesday, the WHO welcomed China's pledge to send a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone.

Cumulative deaths - up to 13 September

Figures are occasionally revised down as suspect or probable cases are found to be unrelated to Ebola

Beyonce shows off her amazing bikini body in new pics

Beyonce today took to her Tumblr page to share some pictures from her 33rd birthday which she celebrated with Jay Z, Blue Ivy, her mother and mother-in-law in the South of France. What a body she's got. See more photos after the cut...

Ebola outbreak: UN calls for $1bn to fight virus

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More than $1bn (£618m) is needed to fight the West Africa Ebola outbreak - a tenfold increase in the past month, the UN's Ebola co-ordinator has said.

David Nabarro made the announcement as the World Health Organization (WHO) described the health crisis as "unparalleled in modern times".
It has killed 2,461 people this year, half of the 4,985 infected by the virus, the global health body said.
There has been criticism of the slow international response to the epidemic.

“Start Quote

Highly infectious people are forced to return home, only to infect others and continue the spread of this deadly virus”

Joanne Liu MSF president

Later, the US president is to announce plans to send 3,000 troops to Liberia, one of countries worst-affected by the outbreak, to help fight the virus.

It is understood the US military will oversee building new treatment centres and help train medical staff.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) called on other countries to follow the US lead as the response to outbreak continued to fall "dangerously behind".
The outbreak began in Guinea before spreading to its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Nigeria and Senegal have reported some cases, but seem to have contained the transmission of the virus.
Infected ' turned away' "We requested about $100m a month ago and now it is $1bn, so our ask has gone up 10 times in a month," Mr Nabarro told a briefing in Geneva.
"Because of the way the outbreak is advancing, the level of surge we need to do is unprecedented, it is massive."

More than half the deaths from the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak have been in Liberia

At the briefing WHO deputy head Bruce Aylward announced the new Ebola case figures.
"Quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, this health crisis we're facing is unparalleled in modern times. We don't know where the numbers are going on this," he said.
When the WHO had said it needed the capacity to manage 20,000 cases two weeks ago "that seemed like a lot", Dr Aylward said.
"That does not seem like a lot today," he added.
At the same briefing, MSF president Joanne Liu said there needed to be "co-ordinated response, organised and executed under clear chain of command".
Sick people in the Liberian capital were banging on the doors of MSF Ebola care centres desperate for a safe place in which to be isolated, she said.
"Tragically, our teams must turn them away; we simply do not have enough capacity for them," Dr Liu said.
"Highly infectious people are forced to return home, only to infect others and continue the spread of this deadly virus. All for a lack of international response."
Earlier on Tuesday, the WHO welcomed China's pledge to send a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone, which will include epidemiologists, clinicians and nurses.
"The most urgent immediate need in the Ebola response is for more medical staff," WHO head Margaret Chan said in the statement.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Spread by body fluids, such as blood and saliva
• Fatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no proven vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

Twelve Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny

Nigeria's army has been under pressure to end the bloody five-year Boko Haram insurgency

Twelve Nigerian soldiers have been sentenced to death for mutiny and attempted murder after shots were fired at their commanding officer in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri in May.

The soldiers were angry after a convoy was ambushed on a road frequently targeted by Islamist Boko Haram militants.
Five other soldiers were acquitted and one was convicted on another count.
All denied the charges at a court martial in Abuja.
Front-line troops often complain that they lack adequate weapons and equipment while there have also been reports that they have not been paid or properly fed.
Last month, a group of soldiers in the north-east refused to fight Boko Haram until they received better equipment, one of them told the BBC.

Analysis: Will Ross, BBC Nigeria correspondent
Boko Haram fighters are well armed and determined. Having been brainwashed with extremist ideology, many are likely to have little fear of death. So the Nigerian soldiers sent to the battered north-east have a difficult fight and need to be well resourced.
But there have been numerous reports of low morale amid calls for better arms and even complaints over pay. Soldiers' wives recently demonstrated in the barracks in Maiduguri in an effort to stop their husbands being sent to the front line.
Shooting at your own commanding officer is an extreme reaction to seeing the bodies of colleagues killed in an ambush and it would lead to a severe punishment in any army. But it is just one sign of the problems undermining the fight against Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan has promised that better equipment is on the way but given that Boko Haram has been growing for several years, why were the billions of dollars earned from Nigeria's oil industry not spent on giving every soldier the best chance of defeating the enemy and staying alive?

The nine-member military tribunal heard that the incident happened when shots were fired at the commanding officer of the Nigerian Army's Seventh Division, which is at the forefront of the fight against Boko Haram.

The military is battling Boko Haram insurgents in the north-east

The violence has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes

Thousands of extra soldiers have failed to quell the insurgency

Witnesses said the soldiers lost discipline and threw stones at the officer when he arrived at their camp, and shots were fired into the air.
General Amadu Mohammed had to take cover as they aimed their guns at him - firing bullet-holes in his armour-plated staff car - but he was not injured.
Attacks increasing Court President Chukwuemeka Okonkwo said that while the sentences were subject to confirmation by Nigeria's military authorities, there was no doubt about the seriousness of the offence.
The sentencing panel took into account the "likely effect on counter-insurgency operations" of the incident as well as its "implications on national security".
Nigeria's army has been under pressure to end the bloody five-year insurgency - and a state of emergency was declared in three north-eastern states last year.
Boko Haram is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria - and has stepped up its attacks after being pushed out of its bases in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, targeting towns and villages in deadly raids.
The fighting has claimed thousands of lives, made tens of thousands of people homeless and seen the militants make recent territorial gains.

Afghan conflict: Three Nato troops killed in Kabul bomb attack

At least three coalition soldiers died after a Taliban suicide car bomber rammed into a foreign military convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul, Nato says.

Another 16 civilians were injured, Afghan government sources say. A fourth Nato soldier is seriously injured.
The blast took place in heavy traffic on the airport road near the US embassy at about 08:00 local time (03:30 GMT).
The blast comes amid uncertainty over disputed presidential elections and the withdrawal of most Nato troops by 2015.
A statement from the Nato-led coalition confirmed that three International Security Assistance Force members died in the attack.
The BBC's David Loyn in Kabul said they were travelling in an armoured landcruiser. The vehicle was destroyed in the blast.

The explosion reportedly shook buildings across the centre of Kabul

Our correspondent says the explosion shook buildings across the centre of the capital. The blast took place close to the country's Supreme Court.
The AFP news agency reported that foreign troops were seen giving first aid to blood-stained soldiers from the convoy. The nationality of the dead and injured remains unclear.
BBC Persian's Kawoon Khamoosh, who was not far from the bomb when it went off, said many people were in shock following the attack. He saw broken glass in nearby buildings and cars.
Another eyewitness, Ahmad Ajmal, had a narrow escape.
He told the Associated Press news agency: "When I got out of the vehicle and started walking, an explosion happened, the same vehicle I was in is there and destroyed."
Taliban sources told reporters via e-mail and on Twitter that the group had carried out the attack.

Ongoing negotiations between Ashraf Ghani (pictured) and Abdullah Abdullah have caused uncertainty

Abdullah Abdullah (pictured) and Ashraf Ghani held talks on Monday on how to end the political deadlock

The two candidates vying for Afghanistan's presidency, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, have been locked in a dispute over the results of the recent election, which was rocked by allegations of fraud.
The two are now negotiating a power-sharing deal and met on Monday to discuss it.
Correspondents say that Taliban insurgents have taken advantage of uncertainty over the presidential election to launch attacks.
In July a Taliban suicide bomber killed four people, including at least three foreign security guards, in an attack on a key counter-narcotics building outside Kabul airport.
That attack came days after security forces repelled an attack on Kabul airport by the Taliban.
Mr Abdullah himself was targeted by a suicide bomb attack in June, also in Kabul. Six people were killed and at least 22 injured when two blasts hit a rally. He survived unscathed