Jiwan Yatra - (Unfolding the Frozen Reminiscences)

The Forgotten Woman: The Tragic Tale of Joyce Carol Vincent

noreply@blogger.com (Uraj Sharma) — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 14:59:00 +0000

The Forgotten Woman: The Tragic Tale of Joyce Carol Vincent

In the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities, surrounded by neighbors, noise, and the hum of daily life, a woman died. Not in a dark alley. Not in isolation in the wilderness. She died in her own home—with the TV on, lights glowing, and wrapped Christmas presents around her—yet no one noticed. Not for days. Not for months. But for three whole years.

This is the haunting true story of Joyce Carol Vincent, a woman whose death went unnoticed, and whose life, though once full of promise, slowly faded into quiet invisibility.

Who Was Joyce Carol Vincent?

Born on October 19, 1965, in Hammersmith, West London, Joyce was the youngest of five daughters in a family of mixed heritage—her father, Lawrence, was of African descent and worked as a carpenter, while her mother, Lyris, was of Indian descent.

Joyce’s life was marked by early tragedy. At the age of 11, she lost her mother, and her father, emotionally distant and eventually abusive, failed to provide a stable home. Joyce and her sisters were left to fend for themselves. Her older sisters raised her, and despite the instability, Joyce pushed forward.

She was quiet and reserved, but resilient. She did well in school and eventually landed a job at a reputable accountancy firm. Her career began to take shape, and she later moved on to Ernst & Young, a major corporate firm where she worked in the treasury department.

On paper, it looked like Joyce had made it—rising from a broken childhood to a respectable adult life.

But behind closed doors, her battles continued.

The Sudden Disappearance

In 2001, at the height of her career, Joyce suddenly resigned from her job. The reasons remain unclear. Some say she simply wanted to step back and reflect. Others suspect something more personal or traumatic.

She cut off ties with friends and family. She checked into a domestic abuse shelter in Haringey and worked as a cleaner in a low-budget hotel. In February 2003, she was relocated to a small bedsit flat above Wood Green Shopping City—a flat provided by the Metropolitan Housing Trust for vulnerable women.

It was here, in this small, tucked-away apartment, that Joyce Vincent disappeared—not just from view, but from society itself.

A City That Didn’t Notice

Neighbors remembered her as quiet. They assumed she had moved away. The flat's windows didn’t offer a clear view inside, and noise from the always-on TV blended in with the ambient hum of the busy building.

The electricity bill was automatically deducted. Half the rent was covered by benefits. No complaints were made. No alarms were raised.

And so time moved on.
Weeks became months. Months became years.
Behind her closed door, Joyce Carol Vincent had died—and no one knew.

The Shocking Discovery

On January 25, 2006, officials from the Housing Trust, accompanied by bailiffs, entered Joyce’s flat. Rent hadn’t been fully paid, and after three years of silence, the property was being repossessed.

What they found stopped them cold.

The TV was still on, broadcasting BBC One. The lights were glowing. Shopping bags and Christmas presents lay neatly placed around the room—still wrapped, undelivered.

And there, on the sofa, sat what appeared at first to be a mannequin. But it wasn’t.

It was Joyce’s skeleton, slumped back on the sofa. She had died years earlier—most likely in December 2003.

Her body had decomposed in place. A shopping bag sat beside her. The refrigerator still held food dated from 2003. Forensic tests later confirmed she had been dead for nearly three years.

The Unanswered Questions

To this day, the exact cause of Joyce’s death remains unknown. She had a known peptic ulcer and a history of asthma—either could have led to a sudden, silent death. But because her body was found in a skeletal state, no conclusive cause was ever determined.

Her sisters had tried to find her. They hired a private investigator. They wrote letters. They even reached out to the Salvation Army. But no response came. They assumed she wanted to cut ties—and tragically, believed she had simply chosen to disappear.

Police discovered she had a boyfriend during the final years of her life. Friends remembered him but knew little. To this day, his identity has never been confirmed.

Legacy and Reflection

Joyce’s story rocked the UK when it hit the headlines in 2006. People were stunned. How could a woman die and remain undiscovered for so long in such a populated city?

Her life and death inspired the 2011 documentary “Dreams of a Life”, directed by Carol Morley, with actress Zawe Ashton portraying Joyce. The film sought to understand the woman behind the silence—the intelligent, shy, gentle person who had once seemed to be on the path to success.

Musician Steven Wilson also released the concept album Hand. Cannot. Erase. in 2015, inspired by Joyce's story and the emotional weight of her disappearance.

The Real Crime: Our Disconnection

Joyce Carol Vincent’s story is not just a mystery; it's a mirror held up to society. It forces us to ask: How connected are we, really?

In a world full of instant messages, social media, and crowded cities, how does someone just vanish?
How does someone die without anyone noticing for three whole years?

It’s easy to say she slipped through the cracks. But the truth is more uncomfortable: we looked away.

Her story is a chilling reminder that loneliness isn’t always visible, and silence doesn’t always mean peace.

Final Thoughts

Joyce was not a nameless, faceless woman. She had dreams. She had pain. She lived—and then, quietly, she died. The tragedy is not just in her death but in how the world moved on, unaware that she was gone.

So today, we remember Joyce Carol Vincent.
Not as a headline. Not as a skeleton on a sofa.
But as a human being—someone who once laughed, struggled, hoped, and deserved to be seen.

The Reason for the Julius Caesar Death

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 07:28:00 +0000

Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, and dictator who played a crucial role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar was born on July 12 or 13, 100 BCE, into a patrician family in Rome. He received a comprehensive education and showed great talent in oratory and military strategy. At the age of 16, Caesar lost his father and became the head of the family. He quickly rose through the ranks of Roman society and held various political and military positions, including serving as a quaestor, aedile, and praetor.

Caesar's most significant achievement was his conquest of Gaul (modern-day France) from 58 BCE to 50 BCE. During this time, he successfully campaigned against various Celtic tribes, extending Roman influence and control over the region. His military successes in Gaul solidified his reputation as a capable general and provided him with wealth, resources, and a loyal army.

Caesar's military victories in Gaul brought him immense popularity and support among the Roman people. He formed a political alliance known as the First Triumvirate with Pompey the Great and Crassus, allowing them to consolidate power and influence in Rome. This alliance enabled Caesar to secure his position and enact political and social reforms, despite facing opposition from the conservative senatorial class.

Tensions between Caesar and Pompey escalated, leading to a civil war in 49 BCE. Caesar emerged as the victor after a series of military victories, culminating in the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE. He returned to Rome and was appointed as dictator in 49 BCE and later dictator for life in 44 BCE. As dictator, Caesar implemented numerous reforms, including measures to alleviate debt, restructure the calendar, and expand Roman citizenship.

Caesar's increasing power and perceived ambitions alarmed a group of senators, leading to a conspiracy to assassinate him. On the Ides of March, March 15, 44 BCE, Caesar was stabbed to death in the Senate by a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius. The assassination plunged Rome into chaos and set off a power struggle among rival factions. Ultimately, Caesar's death paved the way for the rise of his adopted heir, Octavian (later known as Augustus), who became the first emperor of Rome and solidified the transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar's life and political career left an indelible mark on Roman history. He was a charismatic leader, a brilliant military strategist, and a controversial figure whose actions and legacy continue to be debated by historians. His story epitomizes the rise and fall of individuals in the pursuit of power, and his name remains synonymous with ambition and political intrigue.

The tragedy of Julius Caesar is a famous play written by William Shakespeare. It tells the story of the Roman statesman and military leader Julius Caesar and the events leading up to his assassination. Here is a summary of the tragic story of Julius Caesar:

Rising Political Power: Julius Caesar returns to Rome after a successful military campaign and gains immense popularity among the Roman citizens. He is hailed as a hero and starts accumulating political power.
Conspiracy and Brutus' Dilemma: Despite his popularity, some senators, led by Cassius, become concerned about Caesar's growing power and fear that he will become a tyrant. Cassius convinces Brutus, a close friend of Caesar and respected senator, to join the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar for the sake of Rome's republic.
The Ides of March: On March 15, 44 BCE, known as the Ides of March, the conspirators gather at the Senate and stab Caesar to death. Among the assassins is Brutus himself, who justifies the act as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good of Rome.
Chaos and Political Struggles: After Caesar's assassination, Rome plunges into chaos. Mark Antony, Caesar's loyal ally, delivers a powerful funeral oration that turns public sentiment against the conspirators. A power struggle ensues between Antony and Octavius, Caesar's adopted heir.
Brutus' Downfall: Despite his honorable intentions, Brutus faces difficulties in maintaining the support of the people. He is eventually defeated by Antony and Octavius in the Battle of Philippi. Realizing that all hope is lost, Brutus takes his own life, believing it to be an act of noble self-sacrifice.
Tragic Consequences: The play depicts the consequences of Caesar's assassination and the subsequent power struggles. The idealistic motives of Brutus and the other conspirators lead to civil war and the rise of autocratic rule under Octavius, who becomes the first emperor of Rome, taking the name Augustus Caesar.

The tragedy of Julius Caesar explores themes of political ambition, loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of violence and power. It portrays the complex and tragic nature of human motivations and the destructive consequences of political upheaval.

Van Gogh Vincent and his Death

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 07:17:00 +0000

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who lived from 1853 to 1890. His life was marked by great artistic talent, but also by personal struggles and tragic circumstances.

Van Gogh struggled with mental health issues throughout his life. He experienced episodes of depression, anxiety, and psychotic episodes, which greatly affected his well-being. His struggles with mental illness led him to spend time in psychiatric hospitals and sanatoriums.

In addition to his mental health challenges, van Gogh also faced financial difficulties and had difficulty selling his artwork during his lifetime. He relied on the financial support of his younger brother, Theo van Gogh, who was an art dealer.

One of the most well-known incidents in van Gogh's life is the infamous event in which he cut off a part of his left earlobe. This incident occurred in December 1888 during an argument with his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin. Van Gogh subsequently wrapped the severed ear in cloth and presented it to a woman in a brothel. This act of self-harm is seen as a reflection of his deteriorating mental state.

Van Gogh created numerous remarkable paintings during his lifetime, including iconic works such as "Starry Night" and "Sunflowers." However, he only achieved recognition and fame after his death. Van Gogh died by suicide on July 29, 1890, at the age of 37. The exact reasons for his suicide remain a topic of speculation, but his mental health struggles, financial difficulties, and feelings of isolation are believed to have played a significant role.

Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding his life, Vincent van Gogh's artistic contributions have had a profound impact on the art world. His unique style, characterized by bold colors, expressive brushstrokes, and emotional intensity, has made him one of the most celebrated and influential artists in history.

Vincent van Gogh's life was filled with tragedy, struggles, and personal hardships. Here is a more detailed account of his tragic story:

Early Life and Family Troubles: Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853, in Groot-Zundert, a small village in the Netherlands. His father, Theodorus van Gogh, was a pastor, and his mother, Anna Cornelia Carbentus, was an artist. Vincent was the eldest of six children. Tragedy struck the family early on when Vincent's younger brother, also named Vincent, was born stillborn on the same date a year before the artist's birth. Van Gogh's name was given in memory of his deceased brother, which had a lasting impact on him and his parents.
Early Career and Struggles: Vincent initially worked as an art dealer for the art firm Goupil & Cie. He moved through various locations, including The Hague, London, and Paris, where he was exposed to different art styles and gained an appreciation for artists like Jean-François Millet and Honoré Daumier. However, he struggled to find success in his career and was dismissed from the firm in 1876.
Personal Loss and Heartbreak: Vincent fell in love with Eugénie Loyer, the daughter of his landlady in London. His feelings for her were unrequited, leading to heartbreak and emotional distress. This marked the beginning of a pattern of unrequited love throughout his life.
Religious Crisis and Failed Relationships: After leaving the art dealer profession, van Gogh decided to become a preacher and began studying theology. He worked as a lay preacher in a mining community in Belgium's Borinage region, living in poverty and dedicating himself to the welfare of the miners. However, his approach to preaching was unconventional and clashed with church authorities, leading to his dismissal.
Mental Health Struggles: Van Gogh's mental health started deteriorating during this period, and he suffered from anxiety, depression, and loneliness. He moved back with his parents, and despite their support, his mental health continued to decline.
Artistic Pursuits: Inspired by his brother Theo, who was an art dealer and provided financial and emotional support, Vincent turned to art as a way to express his emotions and thoughts. He moved to the Netherlands, where he began producing many early paintings.
Move to Paris and the Yellow House: In 1886, van Gogh moved to Paris, where he was exposed to the works of impressionists and post-impressionists. He developed a close friendship with fellow artist Paul Gauguin and experimented with new styles, using vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes. He rented a house in Arles, France, which he called the Yellow House, where he hoped to create a community of artists.
The Ear Incident: In December 1888, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated severely, and he had a heated argument with Gauguin. In a fit of anguish and desperation, van Gogh cut off a part of his left earlobe. This event marked a turning point in his life and led to periods of hospitalization and self-isolation.
Hospitalization and the Asylum: Following the ear incident, van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself to a psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. During his time there, he continued to paint prolifically but struggled with his mental health. It was during this period that he created some of his most famous works, such as "The Starry Night."
Last Days and Suicide: Van Gogh left the asylum in May 1890 and moved to Auvers-sur

Love of Life : Seven Decades After His Disappearance in WWII, Wife Discovers The Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 04:52:00 +0000

Peggy and Billie Harris were madly in love. From the moment the pair met, they knew they were destined for one another, but unfortunately, the universe had different plans for them. Billie was hurled into the throes of WWII to fight for the U.S. in Northern France against the Nazi occupation. Just as Billie was ready to come home to visit his wife, the plans drastically changed and Billie never returned home. Peggy waited and waited to hear news of her husband, but nothing concrete ever came. For almost seven decades, Peggy couldn’t move on or remarry, until something amazing happened that would change her life forever, all thanks to one mysterious woman. Read here to find out what really became of Billie Harris.

1. Seven Decades Ago

It all began around seven decades ago. A small-town girl named Peggy Seale had just graduated high school while World War II was creating a horrific storm on the other side of the world. Men were being called to service, and Peggy knew she needed to help out.

So she left her hometown of Vernon, Texas to start working at the Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, just across the border from her home state. Here, Peggy was employed as an electrical mechanic for a number of different instruments.

2. Female Mechanic

Peggy Seale just happened to be the only female mechanic on the entire base, and she quickly caught the attention of many men because of her talent and natural beauty. She even caught the attention of one of her generals who thought Peggy would be perfect for his son.
Billie Harris

The general’s son was an aviation pilot and stationed down in San Antonio at the time. The father tried to get Peggy to write his son, Billie Harris, but she just couldn’t bring herself to write a strange man she had never met.

3. The Letters

So, Billie wrote to Peggy through his dad. Enclosed in the letters he would send to his father, Billie would also include a letter for Peggy. At first, Peggy was hesitant to answer, but soon it would be apparent that they were destined to be together.
Billie Harris

“I worked with Billie’s father at that time,” Peggy said. “He was writing letters to [Billie], telling him about me, and I refused to write to him first or give him or his father my address. So he wrote a letter to me and put it in an envelope to his father to give to me. That was my first acquaintance with him.”

4. Young Lovers

Soon, these letters turned into back and forth correspondence between the two young budding lovers. However, at first, it was harder to convince Peggy that they were meant to be together. She even actively tried to discourage him from wanting to be in a relationship with her.
Billie Harris

“I wrote to him that I loved opera and listened on Saturday afternoons. I thought that would turn any man off, but he wasn’t and he wrote back. I wrote him that I memorized poetry and he wrote back that he memorized poetry as well and he thought that was really great,” Peggy recalled.

5. Inseparable Souls

Over and over again, Peggy tried to dissuade Billie from wanting to be with her until the fateful day when the two finally met. While Billie was on leave he came to Peggy’s base, where his father was serving.

The two met in a plane hanger at Altus AFB, and ever since that fateful moment, the two became inseparable. Their courtship lasted for months, with both of them writing back and forth to each other frequently, and soon enough, the love birds got engaged.

6. Alarming News

The couple’s engagement was short, as the pair married shortly after in 1943. Just as they were basking in marital bliss, news came in that Billie Harris was being transferred to Florida. He was due to be shipped out to Europe within a matter of weeks.
Peggy and Billie Harris Married

The newlyweds didn’t want to be separated, so Peggy flew out to Florida to be with Billie. The two were given just two weeks to be together before Billie was to be shipped off to fight in the horror that was the Second World War. However, the plans would change once again.

7. True Love

Billie and Peggy were extremely poor, so instead of buying wedding rings, the two happily exchanged their high school senior rings. They were in love and nothing, especially money, was going to stand in their way.
Peggy and Billie Harris

The couple had only been married six short weeks and were looking forward to their two-week vacation together when suddenly the vacation came to an abrupt end! A German U-boat attacked a US vessel off the coast of East Florida, killing everyone on board, so Billie had to be shipped out immediately.

8. Ambushed!

If that wasn’t bad enough, the vessel that the Germans downed was full of aviator pilots; pilots that were desperately needed for the European war effort. As a result of this sudden attack, Billie and his team were called up early.
Billie Harris

Even though young Billie was straight out of pilots school, he was given a promotion to 2nd lieutenant and sent off to the battlefields. Peggy didn’t know it at the time, but that would be the very last time she would see her husband.

9. Sworn to Secrecy

In the meantime, Peggy was sent back to Texas, but was instructed not to tell a soul where her husband had been sent. At the time, there were spies all across the United States, so people needed to remain tight-lipped about the whereabouts of the pilots.
Billy Harris

If the enemy discovered that there were more pilots on the way to Europe, they would have done anything possible to make sure they didn’t reach their destinations. Luckily, Billie managed to reach his intended destination.

10. Returning Home

Billie Harris was stationed in the allied United Kingdom and performed operations over Northern Nazi-occupied France. In fact, he completed around 60 to 100 different missions, an great achievement on its own. Given the number of missions he completed, he was allowed to return home.

Thrilled by the prospect of going home to see his beloved wife once more, he raced to the boat to take him home. Only there was one problem! The wounded soldiers were first priority on the boat and there was no room for Billy.

11. Delayed

Billie kept his spirits up, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he would be on a boat back home. He wrote a letter to his beloved Peggy, just to let her know that he had been delayed on his return.

Peggy, of course, was not pleased when she heard the news of the delay. However, she was very thankful that her husband was safe and going to be on his way home soon, or so she thought.

12. Back to the Frontlines

Unable to return back home, Billie couldn’t just sit around waiting with a war raging on around him. He jumped back into his plane and headed back towards the war in an effort to rid France of the Nazi occupation.

Days turned into months, and Peggy hadn’t heard a word from her husband. Then, one day, she received a correspondence from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. The letter said that Billie Harris had returned to the United States.

13. Good News

Peggy was ecstatic by the news that her husband Billie had returned and that they would soon be reunited. But yet again, as the time before that, days turned into months without hearing a word from Billie.

Peggy was told not to worry that she hadn’t heard from Billie since his return to the United States. She was told that he was simply being processed, which could take some time. But Peggy and Billie’s family feared that something else had happened to him.

14. Where is Billie?

Peggy and her father-in-law were worried that Billie Harris had in fact returned to the United States but was in a hospital, gravely wounded. They also wondered if he had perhaps lost his memory and couldn’t even remember who he was.

With that in mind, Peggy turned to the Red Cross to try to track down Billie, but that turned out to be far less than helpful. All the Red Cross told Peggy was that they were unable to launch an investigation into the whereabouts of her husband.

15. The Red Cross

The Red Cross assured Peggy that Billie was simply being processed, but that they didn’t have the funds necessary to locate him. She was also told that he should be in contact with her prior to the completion of an investigation.

Many soldiers and wounded soldiers were returning home from Europe, which meant the Red Cross was simply unequipped to deal with the surge of investigations about missing persons. Peggy, however, wasn’t about to just sit around and wait for news.

16. MIA

Then one day the news came in. According to the United States Armed Forces, Billie Harris was listed as “missing in action.” The letter was dated July 7, 1944, but something just didn’t sit right with Peggy. She knew that something was amiss.

Peggy Harris went back and searched her records. And sure enough, she was right. She had received a handwritten letter from Billie Harris dated after the 7th of July. She didn’t know what to think, but she hoped, and prayed.

17. Reports From Berlin

Peggy then received a report from Berlin that she had been fearing since her husband left for Europe: Billie had been killed in action. This was shocking to Peggy, but she knew that many reports coming out of Berlin at the time were unreliable.

According to Peggy, they didn’t know who he was, where he was from, or how he was killed in battle. She didn’t want to believe the report, and years later she would discover that she had good reason to question its reliability.

18. Off the Radar

Peggy then decided to take matters into her own hands and wrote a letter to her congressman in Washington D.C. Surely someone there would be able to find some concrete answers regarding Billie Harris’s last whereabouts.

Peggy hoped at the very least for some closure. She desperately wanted to know what really happened to her long-lost husband who suddenly dropped off the military’s radar. When she received a response from her congressman, all she got was that Billie Harris was still listed as missing in action.

19. Never Giving Up

As the years went by, Peggy kept waiting to hear any news about the fate of her husband. She eventually gave up hope that he was alive, but she wanted to know how he had died and where he was buried, at the very least. Only this would give her closure.

Unfortunately, this crucial information wouldn’t see the light of day for almost 70 more years. Peggy never moved on from her one true love. “Billie was married to me all of his life, and I choose to be married to him all of my life,” she told CBS News.

20. Still MIA

Peggy Harris never gave up hope. By this point, she knew that he had most likely died in the horrific war, but at the very least she wanted to know where his remains were buried to gain some closure in her life.

So, in 2005 she wrote another letter to her congressman in Washington D.C., Representative Mac Thornberry. She eventually received a reply from him, but it wasn’t what she had hoped for. According to the representative, Billie Harris was still listed as missing in action.

21. The Archives

That wasn’t an answer that Peggy was pleased with, nor could accept. She knew that someone, somewhere knew where Billie Harris was and what had happened to him during the war. That’s when Billie’s cousin Alton Harvey got involved.

Together, they called every organization that they could think of, which led them to check with the Arlington National Cemetery Archives. According to them, the process of looking into their records could take around six months. Just then, something surprising happened!

22. A Surprise

Just a few weeks after they put in their request to search for Billie Harris, Peggy got a very unusual call. Someone had already requested and paid for a copy of Billie’s records. An unknown French woman from Les Ventes, France.

The copy of the records was sent to the woman in France. Peggy made it her mission to find out just who this mysterious woman was and why she had requested her husband’s records. When she finally made contact, Peggy was shocked by the reason.

23. KIA

The mission that Peggy and Alton thought would take months, turned out to be a very simple process. Since the records had been pulled so recently, what should have taken months, turned into a matter of a few minutes.

The records clearly stated that Billie Harris had been killed in action. This was something Peggy and Alton both knew in their hearts, but needed to see written in black and white on an official document. They needed this harrowing information to move on with their lives.

24. A Congressional Blunder

But if Peggy and Alton had so easily found the answer to their question, why had their representative in Congress told them Billie Harris was missing in action? Well, as it turns out, no one ever looked into it.

Representative Thornberry issued a formal apology to Peggy Harris, stating that it was a mishandling of a highly sensitive matter, and apologized for any distress she had suffered as a result. Peggy, however, is a very forgiving woman and doesn’t hold any grudges against him.

25. The Annual Parade

But who was the mysterious French woman who requested Billie’s records? Turns out it was the mayor of the French village of Les Ventes; a place where the name Billie Harris was well known. In fact, he was considered a hero there!

After Peggy got in contact with the mayor of the French city, she was invited to come to France to participate in one of their annual parades. They wanted her to witness the yearly parade, which includes a procession of the village’s citizens marching down a street called Place Billie D. Harris.

26. A Life of Death Decision

Billie Harris is considered a hero in the small hamlet of Les Ventes because he saved the entire village as well as countless other lives. During the war, the village was under the occupation of the Nazis where his plane was shot in combat.

As his plane was falling down from the sky, it was headed straight for the village square, full of people. He had two choices, either eject and let the plane crash straight into the village square, killing people, or try to divert the plane.

27. Saving a Town

Billie made a quick decision and turned his plane away from the village, knowing that he wouldn’t have time to eject from the crashing plane to save his life. He crash-landed in a wooded area just outside of Les Ventes.

The villagers, seeing what Billie had done for them and their village, raced into the woods to see if they could save the injured pilot. Sadly, it was too late for Billie and the crash proved to be fatal.

28. Billie the Hero

Peggy Harris arrived at the village, and to her surprise, she learned the tale of Billie the hero and how he valiantly save the townspeople. She was moved to tears to see that their main road was named after her late husband.

In attendance at the ceremony were people that carried Billie’s casket to the local graveyard, and even the man who raced into the woods to check on Billie to try and save him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be saved, but his efforts moved Peggy nonetheless.

29. Normandy

Billie Harris’ body was moved from Les Ventes to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial shortly after the war ended. There, on the gravestone, was his name clearly written: Billie D. Harris. It was the closure Peggy had been in search of for almost 70 years.

Now that she knows where her dear husband is buried, Peggy sends him flowers at least 10 times a year. People say that Billie’s grave is the most decorated in all of the cemetery. Finally, Peggy can move on with her life as best she can.

30. A Legacy

Peggy Harris can now return to her hometown of Vernon, Texas knowing that her husband was not only a great man, but also a cherished hero loved by so many. His legacy will surely live on for decades to come.

Peggy Harris still remains married to Billie, refusing to marry again. At least now she has peace. She visits her husband at the cemetery in France at least once a year and sends flowers to his grave frequently.

Tales of George Michael's Philanthropy in the Wake of his Death

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:49:00 +0000

Former Deal or No Deal producer Richard Osman told how one contestant's partner had said she needed £15,000 for for IVF treatment. She was Lynette Gillard, 38, from Bolton, whose partner Steve Davies had appeared on the show in 2008. The next day Micheal phoned in to donate the money.

Other stories of Michael's benevolence includes a £50,000 Sport Relief donation. He had supported his 2006 cross-Channel swim to the tune of £50,000.

Michael's donations ranged in scope from major charities and appeals to individual acts of kindness.

The proceeds from sales of Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, his 1991 live duet with Sir Elton John, were donated to HIV and children's charities, including the Terence Higgins Trust.

Wham! royalties from Last Christmas went to Ethiopian famine relief efforts, He had also donated proceeds from the song Jesus to a Child to the cause.

Children's charities were also at the fore when he donated each year to Capital Radio's appeal. The latest he donated was £100,000.

He also suffered the loss of his mother to cancer in 1997 and in 2006 played a special, free concert at the Roundhouse in Camden, north London, for NHS nurses to thank them for their care.

And he gave his time to Macmillan Cancer Support as one of their ambassadors.

Alongside major charities, individuals on Twitter shared their accounts of his kindness.

He had also once tipped a barmaid £5000 because she was a student nurse in debt.

George Michael'nullnullnullnull

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:37:00 +0000

George Michael's £100m fortune to go to his Godchildren

The Godchildren of George Michael are expected to inherit large sums from the singer's will following his shock death from heart failure on Christmas Day. Offspring of his celebrity friends could inherit tens of millions each after star died without heirs

Micheal was a Godparent to a number of his celebrity friends' children, oman and Harley Moon Kemp, the children of his Wham! bandmate Shirlie Holliman and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp, are now thought to have been left a share of his estimated £100million estate. He is also expected to leave money to Geri Horner's daughter Bluebell, who was the Goddaughter of his ex-boyfriend Kenny Goss.

He was a long-term supporter of a number of charities - including Childline, the Terrence Higgins Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support - who could also be bequeathed large sums. Also Michael's older sisters, Melanie and Yioda, his boyfriend Fadi Fawaz and his cousin Andros' two children, to whom he is also a Godfather, are also expected to be named in his will.

Despite the generous charitable donations he made during his life, his estate is said to be worth millions. He was own at least four properties, including the Oxfordshire cottage where he died, his mansion in London and lavish homes in New York and Sydney.

George Michael, Pop Superstar, Died from the Heart Failure at 53

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 17:26:00 +0000

George Michael, Pop Superstar, Died from the Heart Failure at 53

Michael “passed away peacefully” at home on 25 December 2016. He had died from heart failure in bed.

George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley, London, on June 25, 1963, the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurateur and an English dancer. In 1979, he and a schoolmate, Andrew Ridgeley, played together for the first time in a ska band called the Executive. That didn’t last, but they continued to make music together — nearly all of it composed and sung by Mr. Michael — and began releasing singles as Wham!, cultivating the image of carefree teenage rebels in songs like “Young Guns (Go for It!).”

He first achieved pop success with school friend Ridgeley in the pop duo Wham! They split up in 1986 and he went on to have a glittering solo career in which he collaborated with Elton John, Aretha Franklin and Queen, after the death of Freddie Mercury.

Mr. Michael was one of pop’s reigning stars in the 1980s and ’90s — first as a handsome, smiling teen-pop idol making lighthearted singles like “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” with Wham!, then arriving as a grown-up pop sex symbol with his 1987 album “Faith.”

But Mr. Michael grew increasingly uncomfortable with the superficiality and relentless promotion of 1980s-style pop stardom. He turned away from video clips and live shows; he set out to make more mature statements in his songs, though he never completely abandoned singing about love and desire.

Mr. Michael wrote supple ballads, like “Careless Whisper” and “Father Figure,” as well as buoyant dance tracks like “Freedom ’90” and “I Want Your Sex.” For much of his career, including his best-selling albums “Faith” and “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1,” he was also his own producer and studio backup band. Much of his music drew on R&B, old and new, but his melodic gift extended across genres.

He won a Grammy Award in 1988 for “I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me),” a duet with Aretha Franklin, and “Faith” won the Grammy for album of the year. In Britain, he was showered with awards, and in 2004, Britain’s Radio Academy said he had been the most-played performer on British radio from 1984 to 2004.

In 1998, Mr. Michael came out as gay after being arrested on charges of lewd conduct in a men’s room in Beverly Hills, Calif. He had long lent his name and music to support AIDS prevention and gay rights. During interviews in later years, he described himself as bisexual, and said that hiding his sexuality had made him feel “fraudulent.” He also described long struggles with depression.

During the 2000s, Mr. Michael’s output slowed; his last studio album of new songs was “Patience” in 2004. In later years he put out individual songs as free downloads, encouraging listeners to contribute to charity. But in 2006, 25 years into his career, he could still headline stadiums worldwide.

He also had frequent brushes with the law, including his highly publicised arrest in a Los Angeles public toilet in 1998, an episode that led him to acknowledge his homosexuality and his relationship with Kenny Goss. His track Outside, released the same year, poked fun at the arrest and reached No 2 in the charts.

But Michael would struggle to recapture the same success and his last studio album, Patience, was released in 2004.

In later years he was arrested for drugs and driving offences and twice banned from driving. In 2011, he officially announced the ending of a turbulent 15-year relationship with Goss – though he said that the pair had actually split about two years earlier. After a career hiatus that he described as “a very long period of grief and self-abuse”, he announced his return to performing and said he felt remorse for the impact his high-profile arrests might have had on young gay people striving for acceptance.

Michael nearly died of pneumonia in late 2011. After receiving treatment in a Vienna hospital, he made a tearful appearance outside his London home and said it had been “touch and go” whether he lived. Doctors had performed a tracheotomy to keep his airways open and he was unconscious for some of his spell in hospital.

In May 2013, Michael had to be airlifted to hospital with a head injury after falling from his vehicle on the M1.

Michael’s 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 had been set to be reissued, accompanied by a new film featuring Stevie Wonder, John and the supermodels who starred in the video to his hit single Freedom! 90.

The movie, with the working title Freedom: George Michael, was to be narrated by Michael and set to feature Mark Ronson, Mary J Blige, Tony Bennett, Liam Gallagher, James Corden and Ricky Gervais.

The record was his second solo album, after the hugely successful Faith, and was arranged, produced and almost entirely written by Michael, but did not feature him on the album cover. It contained hits including Cowboys and Angels, Mother’s Pride and Praying for Time and outsold Faith in the UK, where it went platinum four times but led to a court case with US record label Sony spurred by Michael’s frustration at how the album was marketed. Michael lost the case.

Michael, who was set to release a documentary in 2017, rose to fame as half of Wham!, known for their hits Club Tropicana and Last Christmas. He had a highly successful solo career that included the songs Careless Whisper, Faith, Outside and Freedom! 90.

Michael had 11 UK No 1s and sold more than 100m albums during a career spanning almost four decades. His last album, Symphonica, was released in 2014.

Thames Valley police said an ambulance had attended a house on 25 December in Goring, Oxfordshire, at 1.42pm. They said the death was being treated as “unexplained but not suspicious” and they would not comment further until after a postmortem.

Brasilian Chapecoense Plane Crash : Columbian LaMia Flight 2933 Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 10:02:00 +0000

LaMia Flight 2933 (LMI2933) was a charter flight of an Avro RJ85, operated by LaMia, that crashed in Colombia shortly after 22:00 local time on 28 November 2016, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. It was heading to the Colombian city of Medellin when it crashed in a mountainous area just outside it – the pilot had radioed to report that the plane had suffered an electrical failure and was out of fuel. Only six people survived.

The aircraft was transporting the Brazilian Chapecoense football squad, including 22 players, 23 coaching and other club staff, 2 guests and 21 journalists, from Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, to José María Córdova International Airport in Colombia. The team was en route to play the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals in Medellín, against Colombian team Atlético Nacional. Two of the nine crewmembers, three of the players and one journalist survived.

Due in part to the pilot reporting a lack of fuel, and that the distance between the source and destination airports was very near to, or exceeded, the maximum rated range of the aircraft, it has been speculated that the cause of the crash was fuel exhaustion.

The aircraft was on a flight from Viru Viru International Airport, in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, to José María Córdova International Airport, outside Medellín in Colombia, carrying 68 passengers and 9 crew members. Among the passengers were members of the Brazilian Associação Chapecoense de Futebol who were travelling to play their away leg of the Final for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana in Medellín against Atlético Nacional.

Brazil's national aviation authority, the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC – National Civil Aviation Agency), had denied Chapecoense's request to use LaMia's services from São Paulo to Medellín, leading to a stop and change of aircraft in Santa Cruz. In line with the freedoms of the air governing international air traffic under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, ANAC had required that the aircraft be operated by a Brazilian or Colombian company in order for a direct flight to take place. However the club opted to retain LaMia, which had already transported other football clubs, including teams playing in the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL) competitions, and the Argentina national team (who had flown on the same aircraft just 18 days prior). The team flew from São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, on a Boliviana de Aviación commercial flight, before embarking on the chartered aircraft.

Originally the flight was planned to have a fuel stop at the city of Cobija, on Bolivia's border with Brazil, but the flight's late departure meant the aircraft would not arrive at Cobija prior to the airport's closing time. An officer of Bolivia's Administracion de Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares a la Navegacion Aerea (AASANA — Airports and Air Navigation Services Administration) at Santa Cruz de la Sierra reportedly rejected the crew's flight plan for a direct flight to Medellín several times despite pressure from the aircraft's captain — one of LaMia's owners — to approve it, because of the aircraft's range being almost the same as the flight distance; the flight plan was reportedly altered to include a refueling stop in Bogotá instead and was approved by another AASANA officer. The distance between Santa Cruz and Medellín airports is 1,598 nautical miles (2,959 km; 1,839 mi).[14] A fuel stop in Cobija would have broken the flight into two segments: an initial segment of 514 nautical miles (952 km; 952,000 m) to Cobija followed by a flight of 1,101 nautical miles (2,039 km; 1,267 mi) to Medellín, a total of 1,615 nautical miles (2,991 km; 1,859 mi).Bogota's airport is 1,486 nautical miles (2,752 km; 1,710 mi) from Santa Cruz's airport and 116 nautical miles (215 km; 133 mi) from Medellín's.

Under standard conditions, the RJ85 has a range of approximately 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) with a payload of 7,800 kilograms (17,196 lb). Using the International Air Transport Association (IATA)-recommended estimate for weight of passengers and luggage of 100 kilograms (220 lb) would place the aircraft's payload at 7,700 kilograms (16,976 lb) meaning a flight from Santa Cruz to Medellín would be at the limit of the aircraft's capability. IATA's 100-kg recommendation, however, is based upon observations of international scheduled passenger flights consisting of a mix of passenger ages and genders. Failure to properly account for the weight of predominantly adult male passengers and equipment has been a contributing factor in previous crashes including the 1985 crash of Arrow Air Flight 1285 carrying US military personnel.

At 22:00 local time on 28 November (03:00 UTC, 29 November), the pilot reported electrical failure and fuel exhaustion while flying in Colombian airspace between the municipalities of La Ceja and La Unión.During the last 15 minutes the flight had completed two laps of a racetrack holding pattern, adding about 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) to its flight length. The crash site is along the approach path to José María Córdova International Airport's runway 01, ten nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) south of the runway.

Helicopters from the Colombian Air Force were initially unable to get to the site because of heavy fog in the area, while first aid workers arrived two hours after the crash to find debris strewn across an area about 100 metres (330 ft) in diameter. It was not until 02:00 on 29 November that the first survivor arrived at a hospital: Alan Ruschel, one of the members of the Chapecoense team. Seven people were found alive in the wreckage although one of them, first choice goalkeeper Danilo, died shortly after arriving at a hospital. The last survivor to be found was footballer Neto, who was discovered at 05:40. Chapecoense reserve goalkeeper Jakson Follmann, who was among survivors, later underwent a potentially life-saving leg amputation. Including Danilo, 71 of the 77 occupants died as a result of the crash; the number of dead was initially thought to be 75 but it was later revealed that 4 people had not boarded the aircraft.

Colombian Air Force personnel extracted the bodies of 70 victims from the wreckage and took them to an air force base. They were then taken to the Instituto de Medicina Legal in Medellín for identification. On the afternoon of 29 November the UAEAC reported that both flight recorders had been recovered undamaged.

The flight attendant who survived the accident stated that the aircraft ran out of fuel. The claim is being investigated by the UAEAC. Crews of other aircraft reported hearing radio reports from the Flight 2933 pilot that he was running out of fuel and needed to make an emergency landing. The person leading the investigation stated that there was "no evidence of fuel in the aircraft" and the aircraft did not explode when it crashed. The suspected cause of the crash is fuel exhaustion.

On 8 December, an investigative report by Spanish-language American media company Univision, using data from the Flightradar24 website, claimed that in eight of the twenty-three previous flights conducted by LaMia since 22 August the fuel- and loading regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization were contravened — including two flights from Medellín to Santa Cruz: one on 29 October transporting Atlético Nacional to the away leg of their Copa Sudamericana semi-final; and a flight without passengers on 4 November. The report claimed the eight flights would have used at least some of the aircraft's mandatory fuel reserves (a variable fuel quantity to allow for 45 minutes of flying time); an analyst consulted in preparing the report said this meant that the company was accustomed to operating flights at the limit of the RJ85's endurance.

Execution of Saudi Princess Misha'al bint Fahd

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 06:47:00 +0000

Princess Misha'al bint Fahd was a member of House of Saud, who was executed by gunshot for alleged adultery in 1977, at the age of 19. She was a granddaughter of Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz, who was an older brother of King Khalid.

Her family sent Misha'al bint Fahd, at her own request, to Lebanon to attend school. While residing in there, she fell in affection with a man, Khaled al-Sha'er Mulhallal, the nephew of Ali Hassan al-Shaer, the Saudi ambassador in Lebanon, and they began an affair. Upon their return to Saudi Arabia, it emerged that they had conspired to meet alone on several occasions and a charge of adultery was brought against them.

She made few attempts to evade and escape from Saudi Arabia. She made an attempt to fake her own drowning and was caught trying to escape from Saudi Arabia with Khaled. She also disguised as a man and tried to escape but she was recognized by a passport examiner at Jeddah airport. She was subsequently returned to her family.

Under Sharia law, a person can only be convicted of adultery by the testimony of four adult male witnesses to the act of sexual penetration, or by their own admission of guilt, stating three times in court "I have committed adultery." There were no witnesses. Her family urged her not to confess, but instead to merely promise never to see her lover again. On her return to the courtroom, she allegedly repeated her confession: "I have committed adultery. I have committed adultery. I have committed adultery." This account has been challenged by the docudrama Death of a Princess, which claims the princess and her lover were never actually tried in court.

On 15 July 1977 at the only age of 19, she was executed along with her boy friend. Both were publicly executed in Jeddah by the side of the Queen's Building in the carpark. Princess was shot several times in the head in 1977 in a carpark. Her death is thought to have been ordered by her grandfather, Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the King's older brother. Despite her royal status, she was blindfolded, made to kneel, and executed with the gun shot on the explicit instructions of her grandfather, a senior member of the royal family, for the alleged dishonour she brought on her clan and defying a royal order calling for her to marry a man selected by the family.

Khaled, after being forced to watch her execution, was beheaded with a sword by, it is believed, one of the princess's male relatives. The executioner was not practiced or dressed as a normal executioner. Prince Muhammad’s bodyguards likely carried out ‘the execution’. Khallid received a blow on the left and on the right of the head with a short sword. It took five blows to sever his head, which was not the work of a professional executioner. Both executions were conducted near the palace in Jeddah, not in the public execution square in Jeddah.

ISIL Execution: 19 Yazidi Girls Burned Alive in Cages After Refusing to be Sex Slaves

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 03:12:00 +0000

7 June 2016, A group of Yazidi girls who refused to become Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) sex slaves were locked in cages and burned alive, reports say.

ISIL jihadists publicly executed the 19 Yazidi girls in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, according to the Kurdish ARA news agency.

The girls were killed in front of hundreds of people, according to local media activist Abdullah al-Malla. “They were punished for refusing to have sex with ISIL militants,” he told ARA.

ISIL is said to view Yazidis – members of an ancient religion who are of Kurdish ethnicity – as heretics and “fire-worshipers.”

A witness told the agency: 'The 19 girls were burned to death, while hundreds of people were watching.

'Nobody could do anything to save them from the brutal punishment.'

It is estimated more than 3,000 Yazidi girls have been taken as sex slaves by ISIS after they took over northern Iraq.

Thousands of them remain trapped on Mount Sinjar and according to local and military sources, they have suffered mass killings, rape and kidnappings.

In territories occupied by ISIS anybody who opposes their religion can be turned into slave, and they are often considered as 'devil worshippers' by the terror group.

When ISIL overran northern Iraq “it engaged in a systematic genocide of the Yazidi population, murdering the men and taking the women and children captive, forcing many into sex slavery,” the ARA report said.

Healthy Baby Born to Woman Brain-Dead for Almost 4 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 10:10:00 +0000

A healthy baby has been born to a woman who has been brain-dead for almost four months, hospital officials say.

The boy was born in Portugal's capital Lisbon by Caesarean section after 32 weeks, weighing 2.35kg (5lb, 3oz).

His mother was declared brain dead on February 20 after having a brain haemorrhage.

"The foetus appeared to be in good health [so] the decision was taken with the family to follow through with the pregnancy," the hospital said.

It added that the birth represented Portugal's longest-ever survival of a foetus whose mother was brain-dead.

In January, a baby boy was born in Wroclaw, Poland, after surviving for 55 days in the womb of his mother, who had been declared brain-dead after a tumour.

Peter Farmington, Survives two Execution Attempts Finally is Released From Prison

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 07:57:00 +0000

A Tennessee death row inmate has been released from prison today after two attempts to execute him have failed. Peter Farmington was convicted of 3 counts of murder in the first degree when he pled guilty to murdering his wife and their two young children in March of 2006.

The prison warden, Joseph Goldsmith, called Farmington’s survival “a divine intervention.”

“We have two methods of execution in the state of Tennessee.” said Goldsmith. “It is has always been our tradition to let the inmate choose how they want to go. Mr. Farmington is the first person to try their hand at both options. We are taking it as a sign from God that this man is just not meant to die.”

Farmington had his first execution scheduled in late 2013 via lethal injection. At that time, his body did not react to the sodium thiopental, which is the first in a series of three drugs given to someone being executed. Sodium thiopental is designed to render a person unconscious before they inject bromide, which causes paralysis, and finally potassium chloride, which induces cardiac arrest.

Dr. Robert Liston was the medical examiner on staff for the state prison during Farmington’s first execution.

“I have never seen anything like it in all my years as a medical doctor.” Said Liston. “Sodium thiopental is not something someone can generally be ‘immune’ to, but Farmington’s body did not react. The drug should have hit him within 30 seconds. We waited over ten minutes, then dosed him again. Nothing.”

Doctors and prison staff had no choice but to postpone the execution, and the governor granted temporary reprieve for Farmington, giving him another six months on death row, while he awaited his second execution date.

Last week, the prison again tried to execute Farmington, this time via electric chair.

“Farmington chose to not go through lethal injection a second time, and opted for electrocution.” Said Goldsmith. “We hadn’t fired up ol’ sparky since 2007, but it was his choice and we honored it.”

Prison officials were stunned when, for a second time, Farmington was spared death, this time when the electric chair failed to operate.

“We threw those switches, and on the third flip, you’re supposed to see sparks fly, but we saw nothing.” Said Goldsmith. “We got Farmington out of the chair, hooked everything back up, fired it up, and it worked like a charm. We didn’t even try putting him back in again.”

Per federal law, Farmington was immediately released from prison, as any inmate who survives his execution twice is automatically allowed a full pardon.

“We wish Farmington all the best in his new life outside prison walls.” Said Governor Bill Haslam as he signed Farmington’s release forms. “This man may be a bloodthirsty, violent individual, but some higher power has given him a second chance at life. We certainly hope he uses it for something better this time around.”

Embarrashing 21st Century Realities : Honour Killings

noreply@blogger.com (Uraj Sharma) — Fri, 20 May 2016 08:40:00 +0000

In one of the most publicized honour killing cases committed in Pakistan, Samia Sarwar was murdered by her family in the Lahore office of well-known human rights activists Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani in April 1999. As Sarwar sought assistance for a divorce from her first cousin, her family arranged her murder after the shame felt in her attempt to marry a man of her choice. The police did not make any arrests or pursue prosecution as Sarwar's family is highly well known in elite, political circles. The 2000 award-winning BBC documentary, "License to Kill," covers Samia's killing in Pakistan.

Amnesty International reported that on 27 April 2010, Ayman Udas, a Pashtun singer from the Peshawar area, was shot to death apparently by her two brothers who "viewed her divorce, remarriage and artistic career as damaging to family honour." No one was prosecuted. In 2008, three teenage girls were buried alive after refusing arranged marriages.

A widely reported case was that of Tasleem Khatoon Solangi, 17, of Hajna Shah village in Khairpur district, which was widely reported after her father, 57-year-old Gul Sher Solangi, publicized the case. He alleged his eight months’ pregnant daughter was tortured and killed on March 7, 2008, by members of her village claiming that she had brought dishonour to the tribe. Solangi's father claimed that it was orchestrated by her father-in-law, who accused her of carrying a child conceived out of wedlock, potentially with the added motive of trying to take over the family farm.

On 27 May 2014 a pregnant woman named Farzana Iqbal (née Parveen) was stoned to death by her family in front of a Pakistani High Court for eloping and marrying the man she loved, Muhammad Iqbal. Police investigator Mujahid quoted the father as saying: "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it." Muhammad Iqbal stated that it had been a prolonged engagement, and Farzana's father had become enraged only after Iqbal refused a demand for more money than the originally agreed amount of the bride price. Muhammad Iqbal strangled his first wife so that he would be free to marry Farzana, and police said he had been released after that murder when a "compromise" was reached with his first wife's family.

Recent cases include a 16-year-old girl, Imrana, from Bhojpur, India who was set on fire inside her house in a case of what the police called 'moral vigilantism'. The victim had screamed for help for about 20 minutes before neighbours arrived, only to find her smouldering body. She was admitted to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

In May 2008, Delhi, India Jayvirsingh Bhadodiya shot his daughter Vandana Bhadodiya and struck her on the head with an axe.

In June 2012, rajastan, India, a man chopped off his 20-year-old daughter's head with a sword in Rajasthan after learning that she was dating men. According to police officer, "Omkar Singh told the police that his daughter Manju had relations with several men. He had asked her to mend her ways several times in the past. However, she did not pay heed. Out of pure rage, he chopped off her head with the sword"

In 9th September 2008 include that of three teenage girls who were buried alive after refusing arranged marriages.

Another case was that of Taslim Khatoon Solangi, 17, of Hajna Shah village in Khairpur district, which was widely reported after her father, 57-year-old Gul Sher Solangi, publicized the case. He alleged his eight-months-pregnant daughter was tortured and killed on 7 March on the orders of her father-in-law, who accused her of carrying a child conceived out of wedlock.

On 27 May 2014, a pregnant woman was stoned to death by her own family in front of a Pakistani high court for marrying the man she loved. "I killed my daughter as she had insulted all of our family by marrying a man without our consent, and I have no regret over it," Mujahid, the police investigator, quoted the father as saying.

In 2010, in New South Wales, Indonesian born Hazairin Iskandar and his son killed the lover of Iskandar's wife. Iskandar stabbed the victim with a knife while his son bashed him with a hammer. The court was told that the reason for the murder was the perpetrators' belief that extramarital affairs were against their religion; and that the murder was carried out to protect the honour of the family and was a "pre-planned, premeditated and executed killing". The judge said that: "No society or culture that regards itself as civilized can tolerate to any extent, or make any allowance for, the killing of another person for such an amorphous concept as honour".

Pela Atroshi was a Kurdish 19-year-old girl who was killed by her uncle in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1999. The decision to kill her was taken by a council of her male relatives, led by Pela's grandfather, Abdulmajid Atroshi, who lived in Australia. One of his sons, Shivan Atroshi, who helped with the murder, also lived in Australia. Pela Atroshi was living in Sweden, but was taken by family members to Iraqi Kurdistan to be killed, as ordered by a family council of male relatives living in Sweden and Australia, because they claimed she had tarnished the family honor. Pela Atroshi's murder was officially deemed an honour killing by authorities.

In 1989, in St. Louis, Missouri,US, 16-year-old Palestina "Tina" Isa was murdered by her Palestinian father with the aid of his wife. Her parents were dissatisfied with her "westernized" lifestyle.

In 2008, in Georgia, US, 25-year-old Sandeela Kanwal was killed by her Pakistani father for refusing an arranged marriage.

In 2009 a Turkish news agency reported that a 2-day-old boy who was born out of wedlock had been killed for honor in Istanbul. The maternal grandmother of the infant, along with six other persons, including a doctor who had reportedly accepted a bribe to not report the birth, were arrested. The grandmother is suspected of fatally suffocating the infant. The child's mother, 25, was also arrested; she stated that her family had made the decision to kill the child.

In 2010 a 16-year-old girl was buried alive by relatives for befriending boys in Southeast Turkey; her corpse was found 40 days after she went missing. Ahmet Yildiz, 26, a Turkish-Kurdish physics student who represented his country at an international gay conference in the United States in 2008, was shot dead leaving a cafe in Istanbul. Ahmet Yildiz was who was from deeply religious family was believed to be the victim of the country's first gay honor killing.

Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurd woman from Mitcham, South London, UK was killed in 2006, in a murder orchestrated by her father, uncle and cousins. Her life and murder were presented in a documentary called Banaz a Love Story, directed and produced by Deeyah Khan.

Another well-known case was Heshu Yones, stabbed to death by her Kurdish father in London, UK in 2002 when her family heard a love song dedicated to her and suspected she had a boyfriend.[131] Other examples include the killing of Tulay Goren, a Kurdish Shia Muslim girl who immigrated with her family from Turkey, and Samaira Nazir (Pakistani Muslim).

A highly publicized case was that of Shafilea Iftikhar Ahmed, a 17-year-old British Pakistani girl from Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire, who was murdered in 2003 by her parents.

However, a lesser-known case is that of Gurmeet Singh Ubhi, a Sikh man who, in February 2011, was found guilty of the murder of his 24-year-old daughter, Amrit Kaur Ubhi in 2010. Ubhi was found to have murdered his daughter because he disapproved of her being 'too westernised'. Likewise he also disapproved of the fact that she was dating a non-Sikh man.

In 2012, the UK had the first white victim of an honor killing: 17 year old Laura Wilson was killed by her Asian boyfriend, Ashtiaq Ashgar, because she revealed details of their relationship to his family, challenging traditional cultural values of the Asian family. Laura Wilson's mother told Daily Mail, “I honestly think it was an honour killing for putting shame on the family. They needed to shut Laura up and they did”. Wilson was repeatedly knifed to death as she walked along a canal in Rotherham city.

In 2013, Mohammed Inayat was jailed for killing his wife and injuring three daughters by setting his house on fire in Birmingham. Inayat wanted to stop his daughter from flying to Dubai to marry her boyfriend, because he believed the marriage would dishonour his family. In 2014, the husband of Syrian-born 25-year-old Rania Alayed, as well as three brothers of the husband, were jailed for killing her. According to the prosecution, the motive for the murder was that she had become "too westernised" and was "establishing an independent life".

In 2006, 20-year-old Hina Saleem, a Pakistani woman who lived in Brescia, Italy, was murdered by her father who claimed he was "saving the family's honour". She had refused an arranged marriage, and was living with her Italian boyfriend.

In 2009, in Pordenone, Italy, Sanaa Dafani, an 18-year-old girl of Moroccan origin, was murdered by her father because she had a relationship with an Italian man.

In 2011, in Cerignola, Italy, a man stabbed his brother 19 times because his homosexuality was a "dishonour to the family".

In Sweden the 26-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman Fadime Şahindal was killed by her father in 2002. Pela Atroshi was a Kurdish girl who was shot by her uncle who was radical Muslim in a brutal honour killing in Sweden.

Anooshe Sediq Ghulam was a 22-year-old Afghan refugee in Norway, who was killed by her husband in an honor killing. She had reported her husband to the police for domestic violence and was seeking a divorce.

In 2010, a 16-year-old Pakistani girl was killed near Zurich, Switzerland, by her father who was dissatisfied with her lifestyle and her Christian boyfriend.

In March 2009, Germany, a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey, Gülsüm S., was killed for a relationship not in keeping with her religious family's plan for an arranged marriage.

In a well-known case, a Kurdish man killed his pregnant girlfriend in Berlin in January 2015 and burned her alive.In 2016 a Kurdish woman was shot dead at her wedding in Hannover for refusing to marry her cousin in a forced marriage.

Ghazala Khan was shot and killed in Denmark in September 2005, by her brother, after she had married against the will of the family. She was of Pakistani origin. Her murder was ordered by her father to save the family 'honour', and several relatives were involved.

In 2011, Belgium held its first honor killing trial, in which four Pakistani family members were found guilty of killing their daughter and sibling, Sadia Sheikh.

Air Crash Disasters 2013 - 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 May 2016 03:38:00 +0000

Air Crash Disasters 2013-2016

Air Asia Flight 214 (July 6, 2013) - a Boeing 777 from Seoul, south Korea, crashes at San Francisco international Airport as it tries to land. Three people are killed and 180 are injured.

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 (March 8, 2014)- One of aviation's mysteries: A Boeing 777 disappears from radar after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing. The disappearance has never been explained, but wreckage believed to be from the plane washed ashore on the coast of Africa.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (July 17, 2014)- A passanger plane en route from Amsterdam to malaysia is shot down over Ukraine. All 298 people onboard are killed. Officials conclude that the Boeing 777 was struck by a missile, and the Dutch inverstigators say evidence points to pro-Russian rebels as being responsible.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE 222 (July 23, 2014) - A Taiwanese ATR 72 plane crashes in heavy rain while attempting to land at Magong Airport in the Penghu Islands. The pilot had asked for a second landing attempt before the crash, which kills 48 people.

Air Algerie Flight 5017 (July 24, 2014) - An MD 83 plane crashes in mali after taking off from Burkina faso. Less than an hour into the flight to Algeris, the aircraft dissapears from radar after changing its flight path because of bad weather. All 116 people on board are killed.

AirAsia Flight 8501 (December 28, 2014) - An Airbus 320 crashed en route from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to singapoe, crashing into the Java Sea after stalling following a sudden ascent. all 162 people on board are killed.

TransAsia airways flight 235 (February 4, 2015) - An ATR 72 crashes into a river in Taian's capital, taipei, shortly after takeoff, killing 43 of the 58 people on board. The captain of the turboprop aircraft mistakenly switched off the plane's working engine after the other lost power, Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council says.

Germanwings Flight 9525 (March 24, 2015) - Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashes an Airbus 320 into the French alps. All 150 people on board are killed. An investigation later reveals that Lubitz had suffered from depression.

Metrojet Flight 9268 (October 31, 2015) - All 224 people on board are killed when a bomb explodes. the Airbus 321-200 had departed from sharm el-Sheikh, egypt and was heading for St. Petersburg, Russia when it broke into pieces midais over the Sinai Peninsula. ISIS claimed responsibility.

flydubaiFlight 981 (March 19, 2016) - A passanger jet from United Arab Emirates crashed during a landing attempt in Russia, killing all 62 people onboard. The Boeing 737 took off from Dubai and was scheduled to land at the Rostov-on-Don airport. Wing gusts had reached 60 miles per hour and visibility had been poor.

EgyptAir flight 804 (19 May, 2016) - Air traffic controller lose contact with an Airbus 320 heading for cairo from Paris with 66 people onboard.

Horrific Remnants of Chernobyl Disaster - The Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 17:24:00 +0000

On April 26th 1986 at 1:23 A.M. reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, near the town of Pripyat, ruptured a vessel during several extreme power spikes. Several explosions followed and these caused the graphite moderator components of the reactor to be exposed to air, setting them on fire. The fire sent a plume of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere. It drifted over large parts of the Sovjet Union and Western Europe.

50 People died as a direct result of the disaster and it is thought up to 4000 people have died as a result of being exposed to the radioactive materials which entered the atmosphere. Over 350.000 were evacuated from contaminated areas around Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Even Today, the area surrounding Chernobyl still looks like a ghost town.

Gorgeous Bollywood Actress Pratyusha Banerjee Commits Suicide At 24

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:55:00 +0000

Actress Pratyusha Banerjee has reportedly committed suicide. The 24-year-old actress, who was also a popular contestant in the reality show 'Bigg Boss', hanged herself from a fan at her Kandivali residence but was detected and taken to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital where she succumbed.

However, no suicide note was found from the flat, a police officer said, adding the exact cause of the death, which occurred around afternoon, will be known only after an autopsy is conducted.

According to rumors, Pratyusha Banerjee took her life, because she learnt that her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh secretly married someone, breaking her heart. It is also heard that he dropped her body off at the hospital and absconded with her phone — the only link connecting him to her death.

Her friends and colleagues Shashank Vyas, Gurmeet Choudhary, Debina Bonnerjee and several others were spotted at the hospital. It seems the actress hung herself at 4-5 p.m. when there was no one at home. Singh spotted her and brought her home.

Reason for the extreme step was not yet known, but Banerjee was reportedly facing problems in her relationship with boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh. Her last status message on Whatsapp read, "Marke bhi muh na tuzse modana" (even after death won't be turning my face away from you) with a smiley. Pratyusha and her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh, who had appeared on the TV show 'Power Couple' recently, had been according to the rumour mills facing some relationship problems.

Mumbai Police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner of police, as well as officials from Kokilaben hospital confirmed the news of her death. Her body will be sent to Cooper post mortem centre. He said that the hospital had sent a report on the Jamshedpur-born actress's death.

According to the officials at Kokilaben Hospital, she was brought to the emergency room by a relative by around 6 pm. The doctors then carried out an ECG, but did not get a pulse. They finally declared her dead and informed the police who arrived at around 8.30 pm to conduct the panchnama.

The actress made her debut on TV with "Balika Vadhu" as Anandi. She gained immense popularity and stardom with the show. Almost a few years into the show, the actress started falling ill too often and was asked to leave. The actress cited that her mother was too sick and needed her care; hence, she quit the show and walked out. She was replaced by Toral Rasputra.

She then signed up for "Bigg Boss 7" for a hefty sum. The actress became friends with Kamya Punjabi through this stint and later went on to become the brand face of Kamya's BCL team. She was also seen on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5," and, while everyone thought her popularity would take her to the end, the actress was ousted soon. Banerjee was next seen in "Sasural Simar Ka," where, for the first time, Pratz played the negative role of a witch, aka Daayan. Her last stint was "Power Couple" with her beau, Singh.

A source reveals that her friends were not too happy with her choice. They didn't get the right vibe from Singh, and, in the process, avoided her. Before Singh, Pratz was dating Makrand Malhotra. Sources claim that their relationship was very violent. The actress had even lodged a complaint against Malhotra at the police station for following and harassing her after the breakup. During her stint on "Power Couple," the actress confessed to Mahek Chahal, her co-contestant, that she was planning to marry Singh by March 2016.

The case has been registered under Section 174 of CrPC.

Tamil TV actor Sai Prashanth kills Self; Suicide note Found

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:43:00 +0000

Popular Tamil TV actor Sai Prashanth committed suicide at his residence in Chennai, police said, adding he had left a suicide note saying no one must be blamed for his death.

Prashanth is said to have mixed poison in his drink and consumed on 14 March 2016, leading to his death. He was 30.

Police said the reason behind Prashanth’s suicide could be loneliness and depression.

In his suicide note, released by the police next day, Prashanth said his second wife Sujitha or for that no one else should be blamed for his decision.

He also said that his death would not create any problems for Sujitha and that his parents would return all her jewellery along with Rs.500,000.

After divorcing his first wife, Prashanth remarried three months ago.

In the suicide note, the actor also urged his wife to give up her anger and said he had been a good father to his daughter Rakshitha. He also wrote that he was a ‘problem’ for himself.

In his letter, Prashanth thanked actress Radikaa Sarathkumar, with whom he worked in serials, and her company Radaan for their support.

Known for working in serials such as ‘Annamalai’, ‘Selvi’ and ‘Arasi’, Prashant also starred in Tamil films like ‘Neram’, ‘Thegidi’ and ‘Vadacurry’. Prashanth started his career as a video jockey and hosted a popular show, ‘Dil Dil Manadhil’. His last day of shoot was on the sets of Radaan’s Tamil serial “Thamarai” on March 10. He is survived by his parents, his second wife and a daughter.

Mass Grave of Women and Children uncovered in Palmyra.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:04:00 +0000

A mass grave including the bodies of women and children has been uncovered in the former Isis stronghold of Palmyra.

The government-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) said at least 40 corpses had so far been recovered from the site, with some beheaded and others showing signs of “brutal” torture.

The report linked the discovery to a massacre documented in May 2015, when Isis militants were reported to have slaughtered more than 400 mostly women and children in Palmyra just two days after capturing the city.

State employees, their families and those believed to be loyal to the regime were said to be among those targeted.

Isis committed numerous atrocities during its reign over Palmyra, when its world-famous ancient ruins became a favoured backdrop for gruesome propaganda videos showing the execution of prisoners.

During their nearly 10-month occupation of Palmyra, the jihadists executed at least 280 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor which confirmed the discovery of the mass grave.

Soon after IS stormed Palmyra, it shot dead 25 soldiers in the ancient Roman theatre.

It later released a video of the mass killing in which the executioners appeared to be children or teenagers.

Saudi Arabia Executions 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 15:57:00 +0000

Saudi Arabia has already executed 82 people this year and is on course to behead twice as many prisoners as it did in 2015, according to new statistics compiled by a leading human rights organisation.

The total death toll in Saudi Arabia could possibly reach a record high of more than 320 by the end of the year if the current rate is maintained as is mentioned by the UK daily paper the "Independence".

This would be more than double the 158 executions carried out by the Kingdom last year, which was in itself a dramatic rise on the 88 people it beheaded in 2014. The figures were compiled by the UK organisation Reprieve using a combination of official statements from the Saudi government and reliable local media reports.

Human rights groups are increasingly concerned about the fates of Ali al Nimr, Dawoud al Marhoon and Abdullah al Zaher, who have all been sentenced to death by the Saudis despite being children at the time of their alleged crimes. All three were convicted for alleged offences connected to protests calling for reform in the Kingdom and could be executed at any time without warning.

Saudi Arabia looks set for yet another record breaking year of beheadings. The deep injustices of the Saudi system mean that those being sent to the swordsman’s blade are in many cases tortured into ‘confessing’, guilty of nothing more than calling peacefully for reform, or even sentenced to death as children.

True British TV Comedian Ronnie Corbett dies aged 85

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 16:05:00 +0000

Ronnie Corbett, the veteran entertainer and one half of The Two Ronnies, has died at the age of 85.

The diminutive star passed away surrounded by his family on Thursday morning, his publicist confirmed. It is understood that Corbett, who died in hospital, had been ill for several months.

He and the late Ronnie Barker became one of the funniest duos of their generation, hosting the BBC comedy sketch show that became one of the most popular TV programmes of the late 20th century.

Corbett and his wife Anne Hart, with whom he had two daughters, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last year.

The BBC aired a one-hour profile of the comedian and actor on New Year's Day, but it is understood that he was too ill to take part in the programme, which was produced in November.

His wife later revealed that, during a celebration to mark the achievement, he had collapsed in a restaurant and was rushed to hospital.

A statement from Corbett's publicist said: "Ronnie Corbett CBE, one of the nation's best-loved entertainers, passed away this morning, surrounded by his loving family.

"They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very sad time."

Corbett's health had suffered over the past few years, and in 2014 he was admitted to hospital with gallbladder problems.

Delusional Illusion - The Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:40:00 +0000

The other night I was out at the bar, enjoying some time away from the house and the kids. I’m a stay at home mom, so every couple of weeks I need a break. NEED.

I like to go out singing at my favorite karaoke bar. It lets me stretch out in my own skin for a while without any demands being made of me. It’s rejuvenating.

Since my favorite hobby happens to take place at a bar, I do get hit on from time to time. After ten years of marriage, I’ve gotten used to explaining to guys that I’m not only married, I’m committed-married. One would think a gold band on the third finger of the left hand would do it, but more often than not it simply elicits questions like, “Well, does that matter?” or “If you’re married, why isn’t your husband here with you?” – as if to imply that married people aren’t allowed hobbies of their own or time apart.

This last time I was out, however, I had an experience that changed the way I think about my answer to those questions.

A nice man (and, yes, married people can find other people nice) was chatting with me when suddenly the questions shifted a bit and I could tell he was starting to feel out if I was available. He was polite about it, and after I told him I was married, he asked, “Do you think it’s forever?”

I’d never been asked that before, in that context.

My reflex response was, “Well, yes – he’s my best friend!” I then talked for a bit about our life together, and some of the high-level stuff that made this a “forever” marriage.

That night as I drove home, though, the question came back to me. I thought about it’s implications some more, and I had some really beautiful revelations.

This is a forever marriage.

He truly is my best friend.

I can be out in the world and see other people who are attractive, intelligent, engaging, and fun, but they are all of those things in that moment.

My husband is all of those things to me, forever.

The man I’ve met in the moment has no idea which album is my favorite to listen to on Sunday morning while we make brunch.

He doesn’t know how to push my buttons by purposely mispronouncing words, or the hilarious arguments that can invoke.

He doesn’t know that when I grab his hand in a certain way, what I’m asking for is an epic thumb wrestling war.

He couldn’t possibly know the words to the song we made up about our old dog, sung to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot. This man I’ve just met doesn’t know that I can be depressed in the winter, and that I need a little extra emotional support over the months of February and March.

Or that I can be an explosive rage monster when I’m stressed out.

He might not be prepared to be a crazy hippie with me, raising and slaughtering chickens and rabbits for meat.

He sure as hell wasn’t there to keep our family from starving to death when we were homeless for a time in 2009.

He hasn’t put in the long hours of grueling work so his children could be raised at home by one of their own parents, which we agreed to do from the time we first discussed having a family together.

He didn’t intuitively know how to push a pressure point in my back during labor to ease my tension and make for an amazing, spiritual birth of our son.

He certainly didn’t conceive that son with me on a cold Valentine’s night on a crappy old mattress on the floor of a crappy old apartment that perpetually smelled like pot from the neighbors down the hall. It was the first place we lived with four solid walls after losing our house, and it felt like a mansion.

I’ve always known that we have a “forever” marriage (day by day we choose to make it so), but until I was asked that question in that context, I hadn’t really thought about the entirety of what was behind my response when I’d say, “I’m married.”

The guys who ask, “Are you happy?” are asking about now. And, truthfully, not every moment of a marriage is going to be happy. That question doesn’t examine where you’ve been or where you’re going. It asks you about now, because the goal for them is for satisfaction now. But, I never answer the question in the “now.”

Marriage isn’t a “now” thing. It’s a continuum.

I’ve turned down nice guys, creepers, and your average drunk who is throwing out lines in every direction hoping for a nibble. My rejection of the man has nothing, NOTHING, to do with who they are.

It has everything to do with who my husband is, and what our marriage is.

He is my best friend. And our marriage is, day by day, forever.

Marriage isn’t cheap, and it isn’t something to be taken for granted – real marriage is forever. Click below to share if you agree.

Hasnen Anwar Warekar & The Killings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 05:11:00 +0000

The residents of Kasarvadavli village in Thane woke up to a horrific sight of a woman in blood soaked clothes, her throat slit, begging for help. She was trying to escape from her brother who had killed 14 members of his family.

Hasnen Anwar Warekar (35), allegedly killed his wife, two kids, four sisters, parents and six of his nephews and nieces with a butcher’s knife before committing suicide by hanging himself.

The sole survivor of the massacre is Hasnen’s 22-year-old sister Subiya, whose screams roused the neighbours and brought the police to their doorstep. It is with the help of traumatized Subiya, who has received 25 stitches on her neck, that the police is trying to reconstruct the sequence of events eading to the midnight killings.

On Saturday, Hasnen had invited his three sisters and their children home for dinner. While no specific occasion was cited, he insisted that everybody joins him at his house. “Subiya, who stays in Koparkhairne, initially refused to join them since her daughter, Arsiya (5 months), was unwell. But he went to her house and picked her up and would not take a ‘no’ for an answer,” said a relative of the family.

It is suspected that Hasnen, an accountant, had laced their food with a sedative and slashed their necks after they went to bed, all of them having decided to spend the night at the house.

Incidentally, all of them retired to different rooms with Hasnen and his family going to sleep upstairs, the parents in the hall area and the sisters in another bedroom on the ground floor. Preliminary investigation by the Thane police suggests that Hasnen had procured a butcher’s cleaver used for sacrificing animals during festivals and killed his wife and children first. He then came downstairs and killed his parents before proceeding to kill his sisters and their children.

What has baffled the police is the apparent lack of motive as Hasnen was known to be a quiet and unassuming person with no known mental ailment. One of the theories doing the rounds is the possibility of the massacre being a ritual slaying which possibly had something to do with the accountant’s skewed understanding of the concept of ‘qurbani.’ Hasnen worked with a private company in Mumbai and had no known financial troubles or disputes.

Hasnen stayed with his wife Jabin (28), two kids — Mubashira (6) and Humaira (3 months) — in a two storey house in Kasarvadavli villa off Ghodbunder Road. His parents — Anwar Warekar (55) and Asagadi (50) and an unmarried sister Batul Warekar (30) — also stayed with him. Three sisters — Subiya Bharmal (22), Maria Fakhi (28) and Sabeena Khan (35) — were married and stayed elsewhere in the city.

At around 2.30 am, a neighbour heard the sound of a vessel being struck on a window. When she checked it out, she heard a faint scream; the alert neighbour roused others in the cluster who rescued Subiya after breaking open a window grill.

“Subiya was standing at the window sill on the ground floor: her clothes were soaked in blood and she was screaming for help. When we tried to open the front door, she warned us that her brother Hasnen was out there with a knife and he had killed everybody in the house; also, that he was trying to kill her too. She asked us to break open the window grill and get her out,” said one of the rescuers giving a graphic account.

Sources claim that after Hasnen slit Subiya’s throat, he killed her five-month-old daughter in front of her. She also saw her one of her sisters and their children’s throat being slit. “She did not succumb to her injuries like the others and pretended to be dead; after he left the room, she dragged herself to the bedroom and managed to lock it from the inside. She then started hurling vessels on the window to wake up the neighbours,” said a relative.

Some of the neighbours, who tried getting into the house through another window, claim that they saw Hasnen allegedly roaming around the house with a knife. “He was alive when we got Subiya out. But five minutes later, when we tried to enter through the kitchen window, we saw him hanging from the ceiling fan with the bloodied knife in his hand,” said Farzan, a childhood friend of Hasnen. The police were alerted and they broke open the front door.

“There was blood everywhere – splattered on the walls, on the floor, on bed-sheets. It was horrific,” said an officer who first reached the house.

Death of British indie-pop band Viola Beach members along with their Manager

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 14:04:00 +0000

Four young members of British indie-pop band Viola Beach have died, along with their manager, when their car plunged through the barrier of an open bridge into a canal in Sweden.

Swedish police said the men, aged between 20 and 35, were killed in the early hours of Saturday when the vehicle plunged more than 25m (82ft) through a gap in the highway bridge which had opened to let a boat pass underneath.

The band, made up of four friends from their hometown of Warrington, Cheshire, were guitarist and vocalist Kris Leonard, 20; guitarist River Reeves,19; bass player Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin, 19. Manager Craig Tarry, 32, was the fifth person in the car.

The up-and-coming band was in Sweden to perform at the Where’s the Music? festival in Norrköping on Friday night. It was their first overseas gig.

The bridge, at the Saltskogs junction between the E4 and the E20 motorways, in the Sodertalje area of Stockholm, has a middle section that rises directly upwards without tilting, leaving a gap that the Nissan Qashqai drove into, Swedish police said.

A barrier, 50m before the opening, has flashing lights and signs warning there is a bridge opening, the officer handling the case said.

Inspector Martin Bergholm said: "For some reason, the car drove through the barriers and crashed down into the canal."

Police received a call at about 2.30am and were first to arrive on the scene, a "maximum five minutes" later. Police and fire brigade divers recovered five bodies.

The band is described on its Twitter page as "Bucketloads of loveliness and 'dreamy shoegaze pop'." It was just weeks away from playing a sold-out homecoming gig at Warrington's the Pyramid on March 12.

Viola Beach was also due to play at the Boiler Room in Guildford, in Surrey, on Saturday night with fellow band Blossoms, but the gig was subsequently cancelled.

The group - who have a huge and loyal UK fanbase - had also announced plans to play their biggest home town show at Warrington's Parr Hall on October 1.

The singer Billy Bragg posted a message on Twitter saying: "Tragic news about Viola Beach. Young band, first tour outside the UK. My thoughts are with their families and friends."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm that five British nationals died in a car accident in Sweden on February 13.

"We are in contact with local authorities and supporting the families at this difficult time."

Truck driver Jonny Alexandersson told the Stockholm-based news website Aftonbladet that he was behind two other stationary vehicles when the car drove past at "at least 70-80km/h (45-50mph)" as the warning lamps flashed and two barriers blocked the road.

He said he heard a loud bang when the car drove into one of the beams on the bridge, then it disappeared.

"Many were obviously very shocked by this," he told the news site.

Folkert Koopmans, the CEO of FKP Scorpio, which arranged the festival in Norrköping, said: "It is horrible, a huge tragedy. I saw them playing on Friday night and it was actually the first time they played outside of the UK. They were really excited about it. My thoughts are with their families and friends.”

Kris explained last year how he formed Viola Beach with drummer Jack Dakin after bumping into him at Warrington bus station.

The pair both went to Bradshaw Primary School, in Grappenhall, Cheshire, but had lost touch with each other.

Kris had already met guitarist River Reeves on a music course at Priestley College and met bassist Tom at Warrington bar 'The Lounge'.

The Lounge was also where the band played their warm up show before making their debut at Liverpool's legendary Cavern Club on July 15.

Kris, said: "To play in this historic venue in front of all these industry people was a wake-up call.
"We had someone there from SJM Concerts who are now promoting our shows for us."

Viola Beach have also had airplay from Huw Stephens on Radio 1, Steve Lamacq from 6 Music and Jo Good at XFM.

The band's last post on Facebook was on February 2, when they excitedly wrote about playing a huge

gig in the USA next month - as they started to break into America.

They posted: "Very excited to announce we've been invited by to play BBC Introducing and PRS for Music Foundation's showcase at SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas at Latitude 30 on Wednesday 16th March!!"

Viola Beach have become one of the fastest growing bands on the music scene after frontman and former cleaner Kris Leonard sent a track to BBC Introducing while in local newspaper The Warrington Guardian's office toilets.

The four-piece went on to tour with the Courteeners and work with Communion Records founder and Mumford and Sons producer Ian Grimble.

David Bowie Dies of Cancer aged 69

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 17:05:00 +0000

Singer David Bowie, one of the most influential musicians of his era, has died of cancer at the age of 69.

A statement was issued on his social media accounts, saying he "died peacefully, surrounded by his family" after an "18-month battle with cancer".

Tributes have been paid from around the world to the "extraordinary artist" whose last album was released days ago.

Sir Paul McCartney described him as a "great star" who "played a very strong part in British musical history".

Bowie's son Duncan Jones, who directed Bafta-winning film Moon, wrote on Twitter: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."

Saudi Arabia Executed 47 Prisoners Sparking Global Outrage

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 16:59:00 +0000

Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. It was largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades. sparking global outrage. The kingdom has been widely condemned by the international community for executing scores of prisoners in Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and in the eastern and northern regions.

Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across the region.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the execution Sunday in a statement on his website, saying al-Nimr "neither invited people to take up arms nor hatched covert plots. The only thing he did was public criticism." Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saudi Arabia's "medieval act of savagery" in executing the cleric would lead to the "downfall" of the country's monarchy.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said that by condemning the execution, Iran had "revealed its true face represented in support for terrorism."

The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, accused Tehran of "blind sectarianism" and said that "by its defense of terrorist acts" Iran is a "partner in their crimes in the entire region."

Al-Nimr was convicted of terrorism charges but denied ever advocating violence.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, and support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting "terrorism" in part because it backs Syrian rebel groups, while Riyadh points to Iran's support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and other Shiite militant groups in the region.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Saudi envoy in Tehran to protest, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry later said it had summoned Iran's envoy to the kingdom to protest Iran's criticism of the execution, saying it represented "blatant interference" in its internal affairs.

In Tehran, the crowd gathered outside the Saudi Embassy early Sunday and chanted anti-Saudi slogans. Some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, setting off a fire in part of the building, said the country's top police official, Gen. Hossein Sajedinia, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He later said police had removed the protesters from the building and arrested some of them, adding that the situation had been "defused."

Hours later, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said 40 people had been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the embassy attack and investigators were pursuing other suspects, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while condemning Saudi Arabia's execution of al-Nimr, also branded those who attacked the Saudi Embassy as "extremists."

"It is unjustifiable," he said in a statement.

By 4 p.m., some 400 protesters had gathered in front of the embassy despite a call by the government for them to protest at a square in central Tehran. Later, hundreds also gathered at the central square. Street signs on the street where the Saudi Embassy is located in Tehran also were replaced with ones bearing the slain sheikh's name. Tehran authorities could not be immediately reached to discuss the new name.

Protests also took place in Beirut, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called al-Nimr "the martyr, the holy warrior."

Meanwhile, Al-Nimr's supporters in eastern Saudi Arabia prepared for three days of mourning at a mosque in al-Awamiya, some 390 kilometers (240 miles) northeast from the capital, Riyadh, in the kingdom's al-Qatif region. However, the sheikh's brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, told The Associated Press that Saudi officials told his family that the cleric was already buried in an undisclosed cemetery.

The cleric's execution could also complicate Saudi Arabia's relationship with the Shiite-led government in Iraq. The Saudi Embassy in Baghdad is preparing to formally reopen for the first time in nearly 25 years. Already on Saturday there were public calls for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to shut the embassy down again.

Al-Abadi tweeted Saturday night that he was "shocked and saddened" by al-Nimr's execution, adding that "peaceful opposition is a fundamental right. Repression does not last."

On Sunday, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called al-Nimr a martyr and said his blood and that of other Shiite protesters "was unjustly and aggressively shed."

Hundreds of al-Nimr's supporters also protested in his hometown of al-Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, in neighboring Bahrain where police fired tear gas and bird shot, and as far away as northern India.

The last time Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution on this scale was in 1980, when the kingdom executed 63 people convicted over the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Extremists held the mosque, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba toward which Muslims around the world pray, for two weeks as they demanded the royal family abdicate the throne.

Also Sunday, the BBC reported that one of the 47 executed in Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Dhubaiti, was convicted over a 2004 attack on its journalists in Riyadh. That attack by a gang outside of the home of a suspected al-Qaida militant killed 36-year-old Irish cameraman Simon Cumbers. British reporter Frank Gardner, now the BBC's security correspondent, was seriously wounded in the attack and paralyzed, but survived.