Militant Islamists shoot dead Muslim woman for refusing to wear a veil in Somalia

A Muslim woman has been shot dead by militant Islamists for refusing to wear a veil, her relatives have claimed.

The woman was killed outside her hut near the southern Somali town of Hosingow by gunmen belonging to the al-Shabab group, they said.

The militants allegedly ordered her to put on a veil but then killed her after returning to the hut and finding she was still not wearing one.

Members of the militant group al-Shabab who have allegedly shot dead a woman for not wearing a veil

An al-Shabab spokesman has denied the group killed the woman to the BBC.

Al-Shabab does not fully control the area where she was living, he added.

Facing jail, the TV star PCSO who conned £10,000 out of foreign tourists at Gatwick

A community policewoman who appeared in a TV reality show about Gatwick Airport faces jail after being convicted of stealing £10,000 from tourists.

Alexis Scott, 40, fleeced foreign passengers as they were about to board their planes by falsely claiming they could not take more than £1,000 out of the country.

The police community support officer conned at least six travellers into handing over thousands of pounds after stopping them by the departure gate and confiscating cash intended to pay for family weddings and medical operations abroad.

 

Alexis Scott, pictured at Canterbury Crown Court, has been found guilty of stealing £10,000 from passengers flying from Gatwick Airport

The mother-of-two even held out her police hat for unsuspecting victims to put money in, saying she would detain them and they would miss their flight if they did not hand

Back on TWO feet! Harrison Ford walks unaided for the first time as he heads out in his plane following ankle injury on Star Wars set

It was just over a week since Harrison Ford was pictured hobbling towards a private jet with help from a leg support at Santa Monica Airport.

However when he returned on Tuesday, the Hollywood actor was happy to walk unaided as he arrived on the tarmac to take his Cessna T182T plane for a ride.

The 72-year-old had been using a hands-free iWalk after breaking his left ankle during filming for Star Wars: Episode 7 in early June.

Back on TWO feet! Harrison Ford was free of his plaster cast when he was spotted at Santa Monica Airport on Tuesday

Vile abuse, vicious beatings and constant intimidation from the religious police: Shocking extent of cruel treatment meted out to expat staff by Saudi royals revealed

When Cay Garcia, a fifty-something from Cape Town, was offered a well-paid job working for a princess from Saudi Arabia's ruling dynasty, she jumped at the chance.

But less than four months after she arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh, she was hustled on to a plane and thrown out of the country - all because she stood up to her abusive employer.

Now back in South Africa, she has written a book laying bare her experiences at the hands of the Saudi royals - and sheds light on a side of Riyadh life that is rarely seen by outsiders.

Poorly treated: Cay saw the princess' Filipino servants being cruelly treated and subjected to vicious beatings

Is The Terminator gearing up for a move Down Under? Arnold Schwarzenegger eyes up $7m beach front pad… well he did say he'd be back

It seems that Arnold Schwarzenegger could be considering a move to Australia.

He’s brand spanking new assistant Dylan Blocke tweeted the link to an incredible ‘high-spec, beachfront’ pad on the picturesque Boomerang Beach on the New South Wales north coast on Monday.

‘Check out this #property the #bossinator likes #letthehuntbegin,’ he tweeted with a link to the luxury property that has two houses worth $7 million for sale.

He'll be back: It seems that Arnold Schwarzenegger could be considering a move to Australia after his new assistant tweeted a link to this incredible home on Monday on the picturesque Boomerang Beach

Gypsies allowed to stay on council football pitch for another two weeks because one of them is about to give birth. . . meaning they're allowed a 'fixed abode'

A group of gypsies have won the right to a 'fixed abode' on a council-owned football pitch because one of them is having a baby. 

The court ruling came after the travellers argued they should stay because by law a woman needs a fixed address for her newborn child.

It means the travellers can stay at playing fields, in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, for another two weeks, leaving a local football team unable to kick off the new season. 

Legal battle: Travellers who set up camp on these council-owned playing fields in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, argued they should stay because by law a woman needs a fixed address for her newborn child

But with two other women living on the playing fields also expecting babies there are

How deadly Ebola has spread across the globe: Health officials try to trace 30,000 linked to death of US victim - as Nigerian film star sparks outrage by fleeing Africa first-class in an Ebola mask

Fears of a global Ebola pandemic are 'justified' an expert has said as Nigerian health officials try to trace 30,000 people at risk of contracting the deadly disease following the death of Patrick Sawyer.

The U.S. citizen boarded a flight in Liberia carrying the disease to Nigeria, potentially infecting 'anyone on the same plane'.

It comes as Nigerian actor Jim Iyke sparked outrage, posting a picture of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he fled Liberia.

The 'Nollywood' star posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia -  where at least 600 people have already died from the disease.

The death toll for this, the worst outbreak recorded since the Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, stands at 672, while more than 1,200 people have been infected.

The latest outbreak of Ebola is the most severe since the disease was discovered in 1976. So far the disease has spread from a village in Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria

Previous Next 'Good job Usain Bolt can run': Sprint king sparks angry backlash by allegedly saying 'the Commonwealth Games are a bit s***' and the Olympics 'were better'

Usain Bolt came under fire from Scots today after he reportedly claimed the Commonwealth Games are 'a bit s***' and the Olympics 'were better'.

The world's fastest man arrived in Scotland on Saturday and was expected to compete in the 4x100m relay for Jamaica this weekend.

But Scottish fans are predicting the 100m sprint champion will get a frosty reception if he appears before the crowd in Glasgow after a report of his off-hand comments emerged.

Bolt and his manager today denied he had criticised the Games, with the sprinter branding the report 'nonsense'.

Usain Bolt watched the women's netball today after allegedly claiming the Commonwealth Games were 's***'

Outrage as Muslim mayor of Tower Hamlets orders the Palestinian flag to fly over town hall 'in solidarity with Gaza'

Tower Hamlets's Muslim mayor Lutfur Rahman sparked a storm of protest tonight after raising the Palestinian flag over the town hall ‘in solidarity with Gaza’.

Barely 24 hours after it emerged Mr Rahman is to face trial over claims he committed widespread voting fraud, he ordered the flag to fly ‘in support of a ceasefire and peace’. 

Jewish leaders condemned the move as 'destructive' for community relations as local residents said the council should concentrate on 'potholes and bins' and not international conflicts.

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman tweeted this photo of the Palestinian flag flying outside the town hall

'I have seen the lowest of the lows': Jennifer Hudson opens up about the heartache of losing her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in brutal gun attack

She has chartered global success with her beautiful voice and acting talents, some would say living the Hollywood dream.

But in 2008, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was faced with a horrific nightmare, when she learned her mother Darnell Donerson, her brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King were all killed in a horrific gun attack.

Six years on, in an interview with The Guardian’s Observer, the 32-year-old star has opened up about the heartache she suffered all those years ago.

Heartache: Jennifer Hudson talks about the pain she suffered when losing her mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew in a brutal gun attack in 2008

‘I have definitely seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows,’ the actress explained. ‘You don't know how strong you are until you are placed in that kind of

Menace of the new parking cowboys: Drivers 'fined' £100 for overstaying by minutes at fast food chains and shops

‘Cowboy’ parking squads hired by High Street firms are hitting hundreds of thousands of drivers with £100 ‘fines’ and using threats to make them pay up.

The companies – employed by fast food chains, retailers and railway operators – issue what appear to be official penalty notices, similar to those used by council traffic wardens. They then extract huge sums from drivers who are sometimes just a few minutes late in returning to their cars.

However, the tickets do not have the same legal standing as official fines. Many are being issued unfairly and – in some cases – without proper legal authority.

Warning: A branch of McDonald’s Drive-Thru with parking restrictions advertised at the entrance

The ‘bounty hunter’ tactics are an unintended consequence of the outlawing of clamping on private land in 2012. Private firms who used to fleece motorists with

Horrified parents 'catch carers beating children and drugging them with red wine to make them sleep' after Romanian childminders forget to turn off CCTV cameras

Horrified parents allegedly witnessed children as young as five being beaten in an unlicensed Romanian kindergarten after staff forgot to turn off CCTV cameras.

Staff at the Little Kingdom nursery, in the Black Sea city of Constanta, used to leave cameras on each morning from 9am until 12noon so parents could watch their children playing and in lessons.

The cameras were usually switched off at midday when the children were expected to go to sleep. 

But police and social workers investigating the incident say a parent who logged on after that time one day at the end of last year noticed the cameras were still running, and was shocked to see children allegedly being shouted at and abused.

Parents in Romania allegedly witnessed children as young as five being beaten in an unlicensed kindergarten after staff forgot to turn off CCTV cameras

BA pilot 'killed by toxic fumes on flightdeck after being constantly exposed to fuel leaks on-board passenger jets'

A British Airways pilot who died at 43 after complaining he was being poisoned by toxic fumes on passenger planes may have been right, according to new research.

Richard Westgate, from Edinburgh, suffered years of ill health including severe headaches, mental confusion, sight problems and insomnia before he died in December 2012 at the age of 43.

Just before he died, he instructed lawyers to sue BA for health and safety breaches, convinced his problems were related to his being exposed to toxic chemicals on board the planes he flew.

Now, new scientific research has provided compelling evidence that exposure to cockpit air contaminated with hazardous organophosphates caused his death.

BA pilot Richard Westgate, 43, died after complaining he was being poisoned by toxic fumes in the cockpit

Lawyer Frank Cannon, who was instructed by Mr Westgate before his death, said: 'We believe that constant exposure to fuel leaks in planes contributed to Richard's death. 

'This scientific research proves that Richard suffered from chemicals called

'I could have bought champagne!': Outrage as five-star London hotel charges guest £75 for three bottles of WATER

A businessman has vowed to never visit a posh London hotel again after he was charged £75 - for three bottles of water. 

Edward Heaton was meeting a client at the exclusive Wellesley Hotel in Knightsbridge during the recent heatwave. 

Instead of a tea or coffee, he ordered three 500ml bottles of San Pellegrino - which typically cost 60p in supermarkets.

Water joke! Edward Heaton was charged £75 for the three bottles at the Wellesley Hotel in Knightsbridge

Lazy mother jailed for allowing her 13-year-old son to miss 174 school days because she wanted a lie-in

A mother has been jailed after she allowed her teenage son to miss 174 days of school so she could have a lie-in.

The woman failed to get the 13-year-old ready for school in time and he only made it to 31 out of 205 sessions at his school in Swansea, South Wales.

A court heard how education chiefs went to her home to investigate and found the woman still in her pyjamas.

Swansea Magistrates Court heard that the mother had let the boy miss 174 days of school so she could lie-in

Felicity Lewis, who was prosecuting on behalf of Swansea Council, said: ‘The mother was frequently in bed so her child was not ready for school.

‘It is of major concern to the education welfare service that her child has not been able

Second American aid worker is infected with Ebola in Africa amid fears biggest ever outbreak of incurable virus will spread around the world

A second American citizen has now become infected with the deadly Ebola virus as the worst outbreak ever of the terrifying and grisly disease rages through four West African nations.

Nancy Writebol, an American working for a charity organization in Liberia has tested positive for the virus officials announced Sunday.

While her condition was not released. Writebol is undoubtedly fighting for her life against the virus, which kills 90 percent of those infected.

Contagion: Christian missionary Nancy Writebol (seen here with her husband David) has become the second U.S. citizen infected with deadly Ebola in the midst of the worst outbreak of the virus ever in Africa

The mother who gives her tots SPRAY TANS (not to mention pedicures, pierced ears, fake nails and hair extensions) - even though they are only four and two

Their blonde tresses are piled high on their heads, their flowing pink dresses sparkle with costume gems and their apparently sun-kissed skin is a deep nut brown.

Stepping into Sophie-May Dixon’s home you might think her two over-dressed young daughters have just come back from a holiday in the sun.

In fact, Princess Bliss, four, and Precious Bell, two, have been no further than a tanning salon.

Just as other mothers take their children to a soft-play centre or the park, 22-year-old Sophie-May prefers outings to give her children spray tans, acrylic nails, hair extensions, pedicures and crystal-studded clothes and shoes.

Dressed to impress: Sophie-May with her daughters Princess (left) and Precious (right)

As I take a seat, the girls charge around the downstairs of the three-bedroom house in Canvey Island, Essex, in the way all youngsters do.

Both have heavy gold loops in their ears and, if you didn’t know better, you’d assume

Mother defies legal gag over prosecution for taking two children on three-week family holiday to Australia during term time

A mother who defied a council’s bid to gag her after she was prosecuted for taking her children on holiday in term time is fighting for a change in the law.
Janice Skelcher and her husband Ian took their two children to visit family in Australia.
She says the three-week trip had to be during term time as she is a full-time carer for her dying mother-in-law and that was the only time alternative care could be arranged.

Family holiday: Janice Skelcher and her husband Ian took their two children to visit relatives in Australia

They refused to pay a £240 fine imposed by Coventry City Council and were prosecuted.
The court imposed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered them to pay £400 costs but when Mrs Skelcher was invited on a daytime TV show to discuss the case,

'He should be in the Middle East, not the UK': Peace envoy Tony Blair blasted for throwing surprise birthday party for wife Cherie's 60th at their £6million mansion - as Gaza death toll passes 1,000

Tony Blair – the Middle East Peace Envoy – threw a lavish birthday party for his wife on Friday night at their country bolthole in Buckinghamshire, while the grim death toll from the Gaza conflict passed the 1,000 mark. 

Mr Blair, whose role is to hammer out a ceasefire in times of conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, spent most of last week in the UK before hosting the couple’s friends at the party, estimated to have cost about £50,000. 

He held the surprise 60th birthday party for Cherie at their £6million country mansion South Pavilions, inviting 150 of their closest friends, which included former New Labour ministers, as well as wealthy businessmen and TV celebrities.

In the marquee: Tony Blair is flanked by guests Michael Pennisi and Sarina Russo at Friday's party. The snap, later posted on Instagram, was taken as the grim death toll from the Gaza conflict passed the 1,000 mark

Just to make Cherie’s night even more memorable, Mr Blair even hired glamorous dance couple Kristina Rihanoff and Ian Waite from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, who

African wildcat on the loose in Surrey is found after tiny house cat corners it in her back garden territory letting police swoop to trap the 'savannah stalker'

An African wildcat that was at the centre of a police search after it escaped whilst its owners were on holiday was caught after it was corned by a tiny house cat in the back of a neighbours garden, say police.

The African wildcat was spotted by a neighbour in their garden late last night, close to where the cat had first gone missing near where its owners lived.

A neighbour saw their own tiny house cat challenge the big African cat which had been described as 'dangerous', but both were equally scared of one another.

Safari time in suburbia: The escaped serval pads past the shrubbery and climbing frame in a Surrey garden yesterday

Buckingham pool ace! Prince George is learning to swim thanks to weekly splash-abouts at the Palace

It is arguably the most exclusive swimming pool in the country. Perfect, one might say, for a future king.

And that’s exactly why little Prince George is now enjoying weekly swimming lessons with his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, in the historic pool at Buckingham Palace, it can be revealed.

On his first birthday this week, George was seen being driven into Buckingham Palace by his mother, accompanied by his nanny Maria Borallo and a police protection officer, on what was believed to be a visit to his grandparents.

Prince George is now enjoying weekly swimming lessons with his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, in the historic pool at Buckingham Palace, it can be revealed

In fact, he was off to enjoy his weekly splash-about.

The pool, which is situated at the rear of the palace, was converted from a conservatory in 1938 and has been used by generations of royal children, including Prince Charles

First woman commander of Navy warship is sent home over 'affair with male officer' on board

The first female commander of a Royal Navy warship has been sent home after allegedly having an affair with another officer.

Commander Sarah West, 42, took charge of the frigate HMS Portland in May 2012, but has been sent home from duty after claims she was having a relationship with a male officer on the same ship.

This would breach the Armed Forces’ Code of Social Conduct, which prohibits personnel from having relationships with subordinates if they compromise ‘operational effectiveness’.

While the Royal Navy is investigating the affair, Cdr West, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, retains her position as commander of HMS Portland.

It is not known whether the male officer is married.

Sarah West, the first female commander of a Royal Navy warship, has been sent home after allegedly having an affair with another officer

Cdr West recently described herself as ‘single’, having been married to a former Royal Navy pilot in 1998. The pair later separated.

A Royal Navy spokesman said last night: ‘We are aware of an allegation of a breach of

Rrreally good to see... Dog passes out from excitement as it greets its owner for the first time in two years

The moment a dog passed out from being overly excited at the sight of its owner has been caught on camera.

Rebecca Ehalt, who is now based in Slovenia, returned to her family home in Pennsylvania recently for the first time in two years.

Video footage shows her walking up the driveway of her parents' property and being greeted by the family's very giddy pet schnauzer, which flops over after over-exerting itself barking.

Exhausted by joy: Video footage shows Rebecca Ehalt walking up the driveway of her parents' property and being greeted by the family's very giddy pet schnauzer, which flops over after over-exerting itself barking

The overjoyed canine is heard squealing manically as Ms Ehalt kneels down to give it a hug.

But it then starts rasping and rolls over on its back, seemingly exhausted by joy.

'I trusted God from the first instant. I knew that he would not abandon me': First words of Meriam Ibrahim after dramatic escape from the gallows in Sudan for marrying a Christian

Sudanese mother Meriam Ibrahim who escaped the death penalty for marrying a Christian today said she will start a new life in the U.S. 'like a real family' and 'trust in God as I always have done'.

In her first comments since arriving in Italy after her ordeal at the hands of the barbaric Sudanese authorities, Meriam said: 'Thanks to God we are all fine. I trusted God from the first instant. I knew that he would not abandon me.'

It also emerged today that Meriam only learned that she would leave Sudan just two hours before she boarded the plane to Rome after months of behind-the-scenes diplomatic wrangling.

Meriam Ibrahim holds her baby girl Maya at Ciampino's military airport after flying in from Khartoum

Michael Schumacher's devastated wife puts their £12million private jet with his initials on the tail up for sale

Corinna Schumacher is selling the private jet her husband Michael used to fly around the world in for £12million.

The sale - 207 days since his life changed forever in a ski accident in the French Alps - is seen as proof that, whatever the outcome of his rehabilitation may be, he will never be the globetrotter he once was.

Schumacher, 45, lies mute and immobile in a Lausanne clinic in Switzerland with long years of therapy ahead of him as he struggles to get back some of his old life that was shattered when he smashed his head on to rocks on December 29 last year.

Corinna Schumacher is selling the private jet her husband Michael used to fly around the world in for £12million

Jihadists 'order four million girls and women in Iraqi city to undergo female genital mutilation'

There was anger last night after it emerged militant group ISIS may have ordered compulsory female genital mutilation (FGM) for all women and girls in a region of Iraq now under its control.

The extremist group has seized large swathes of the troubled country's northern regions and is now said to be imposing its hardline Sharia rules on the population.

The United Nations expressed deep concern yesterday at reports all girls and women in and around city of Mosul are to being forced to undergo FGM procedures.

ISIS militants have reportedly ordered that women and girls in an area of Iraq under their control undergo FGM

A UN spokesman in Geneva said that they were seeking clarity and trying to establish the facts.

Such a 'fatwa' issued by the Sunni Muslim fighters would potentially affect 4million

Is this Britain's least subtle shoplifter? Brazen thief caught on CCTV walking calmly out of Tesco with a 52-inch television

This is the moment a brazen thief was captured on CCTV calmly walking out of a Tesco Extra with a widescreen 52-inch TV tucked under his arm.

The raider - wearing a distinctive orange and blue checked shirt - entered the store at Cross Point Business Park in Walsgrave, Coventry, on July 4.

Incredibly, he then proceeded to pick up a huge £649 TV and wandered out of the main entrance. 

The raider - wearing a distinctive orange and blue checked shirt - walked into a Tesco Extra store at Cross Point Business Park in Walsgrave, Coventry, on July 4

Israeli undercover police in running street battles with Palestinian 'Day of Rage' protesters during Friday prayers in Jerusalem

Israeli undercover police were involved in street conflicts with Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem today as officers were put on high alert for flare-ups at the city's most important mosque during Friday prayers for the final stretch of the Ramadan Muslim holy month.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested in the traditionally Arab east of the city after Muslim noon prayers today. A dozen protesters threw rocks and fireworks at Israeli police, who fired stun grenades and water cannons.

Israeli aircraft meanwhile have struck 30 houses in the Gaza Strip today, killing a leader of the militant Islamic Jihad group and two of his sons, as Palestinians called for a 'Day of Rage' following the clashes between at least 10,000 protesters and Israeli security forces late yesterday in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem.

Last night's violence came after a UN school in Gaza, crowded with hundreds of Palestinians seeking refuge from fierce fighting, came under fire yesterday, killing at least 15 civilians and injuring more than 200. 

An Israeli undercover policeman aims his gun at Palestinian demonstrators while his colleagues arrest a man during clashes following traditional Friday prayers near the Old City in East Jerusalem

Sandra Bullock 'ready to leave Los Angeles for good' after terrifying incident with armed stalker

Sandra Bullock may be ready to give up on her Hollywood home after her terrifying stalker incident in June.

The 49-year-old was so shaken after learning that intruder Joshua Corbett managed to breach security at her Beverly Hills mansion as well as owning a machine gun among other deadly weapons, that she wants to move back to Austin, Texas, The National Enquirer reports.

The star used to live in the southern state with adopted four-year-old son Louis and also owns a home in New Orleans.

A source told The National Enquirer: 'finding out Corbett had a machine gun filled Sandra with dread. She wants out – now!'

Leaving? Sandra Bullock may be ready to give up on life in Los Angeles after her terrifying incident with a stalker who broke into her Beverly Hills home on June 8

'Sandra couldn’t believe the guy was able to get into her house. She has 12-foot-high fences topped by barbed wire and state-of-the-art surveillance,' the source said.

'You quit your job because you don't want to play a gay part?' True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis fuels speculation over Luke Grimes' shock exit

It's been rumoured former True Blood actor Luke Grimes had quit the hit TV series over his character James Kent's gay storyline.

And now his former co-star Nelsan Ellis - who plays Kent's gay lover Lafayette - has fuelled the reasons behind his departure.

Although Luke previously denied claims the homosexual storyline had anything to do with his reasons for leaving the show, Nelsan disagreed this what the case.

Former co-stars: Nelsan Ellis (left) alleged his True Blood co-star Luke Grimes (right) quit over gay storyline

In an interview with Vulture magazine, the 35-year old opened up about the situation and how he didn’t really get the opportunity to ‘bond’ with the Fifty Shades Of Grey

Underpants bomber failed in mission to blow up airliner 'because he wore same pair of underwear for two weeks'

The notorious underwear bomber's plot in 2009 to blow up a plane on Christmas Day failed because the explosives became 'degraded' after he wore the same pair of underpants for two weeks, according to a U.S. official.

Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was on a suicide mission when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his underpants as the plane, en route from Amsterdam, approached Detroit.

The bomb however failed to detonate aboard the flight, which was carrying nearly 300 people, but caused a brief fire that caused burns to his groin.

He was sentenced to life without parole in February 2012 after he pleaded guilty to all charges on the second day of his trial the previous October. 

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was on a suicide mission when he attempted to detonate a bomb in his underpants as the plane, en route from Amsterdam, approached Detroit

The head of the Transportation Security Administration said this week the bomb failed to detonate because of how long Abdulmutallab had been wearing his underwear.

Could Mikaeel's death have been prevented? Social services took three-year-old into emergency care after mother left him home alone to go clubbing... but handed him back just months before she punched him to death

Social workers put a three-year-old boy into care twice but then returned him to his mother just five months before she battered him to death, it has been revealed.
Child protection officers have launched a full investigation after the mother of Mikaeel Kular admitted killing him, putting his body in a suitcase and hiding it in a bush in a case which shocked Britain.
Today it emerged social services were in regular contact with Rosdeep Adekoya - and even put her son into foster care twice, including after she left her five children home alone to go on a night out.

Killing: Rosdeep Adekoya (left) admitted responsibility for the death of three-year-old son Mikaeel Kular (right)

Let the fun and games begin! Fans gather in Glasgow for the spectacular opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games as ONE BILLION people tune in (and the BBC's even got a tartan sofa)

Glasgow has welcomed the world with an exuberant and proud opening ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Games at the city's Celtic Park.

Actor John Barrowman led the evening's entertainment, as he paraded around the arena singing the praises of Scotland's contributions to the planet - not least Tunnocks Tea Cakes and Irn Bru.

Dressed in a purple suit, Barrowman made his entrance from beneath a giant kilt and kissed a veil-wearing male 'bride' at a mock Gretna Green wedding.

Then, as dozens of dancers jigged around him, the flamboyant star took an estimated one billion viewers on a journey celebrating the Loch Ness monster, heather, and the nation's inventions, such as the TV and the steam engine.

There was also singing on top of whisky barrels and St Andrews was celebrated as the home of golf.

The crowd cheer as streamers fall from the rafters at the spectacular event

Peaches Geldof's one-year-old son was left alone with her body for up to 17 HOURS after she died of heroin overdose in room littered with syringes and 'importation grade' drugs

Peaches Geldof's baby son was left alone with her body for up to 15 hours after she died of a heroin overdose in a room littered with syringes and 'importation quality' drugs, an inquest into her death heard today.
The 25-year-old's youngest son Phaedra, who was just 11 months old, was in the family home in Wrotham, Kent, when his mother's body was discovered, some 17 hours after she last made contact with anyone.
The inquest into Ms Geldof's death heard how the journalist and model had spoken to a friend at 7.45pm on Sunday, April 6 - the last person she ever spoke to.
Her husband Tom Cohen - Phaedra's father - had been staying with his parents in south east London on the weekend of Ms Geldof's death. He had tried to call her shortly before 10pm, but got no answer.

Overdose: Peaches Geldof's body was found by her husband Thomas Cohen (right) after she died from a heroin overdose, an inquest heard today

The next day, worried that he had been unable to reach Ms Geldof after repeated attempts to contact her, Mr Cohen, his mother Susan and the couple's eldest son

Romanian family of 17 who 'lied' to get a house live in a three-bedroom London semi... and take home £55,000 a year in benefits

A Romanian migrant family of 17 said to have lied to get a three bedroom house but take home £55,000 a year in benefits say they put up with the overcrowding because life is better in Britain.
The Toma family arrived in Britain in 2012, according to a newspaper report, but after struggling to find a letting agency prepared to house all 15 of their children they told a landlord there were just six of them to get a home.
Although electrician father Mihai Toma, 47, earns £1,800 a month which covers the rent at the house in Harrow, north-west London, because of the number of children the family get £55,000 a year in tax credits and benefits.

Place to live: Parents Mihai and Veronica Toma (pictured standing with youngest child Elizabeth) reportedly 'lied' to get a three bedroom house in Harrow, north-west London. Pictured from the left, back row, are: Andreia, 17, Ionut, 16, Daniela, 19. Middle row: Cristina, 11, Beniamin, four, Ana Maria, 15, Filip Elisei, two, Miriam, eight, and Iona, 13. Front row: Magdalena, 10, holding David, one, Iosif, six, Naomi, five. Mara, 19, is not in the picture

According to the Daily Express newspaper the family want to move into a larger council house, and although they have been told by they are not eligible to be placed on

Did this boy predict the MH17 plane crash? Dutch child, 11, asked his mother 'what would happen to me if I died' the night before he was due to fly

A mother whose 11-year-old son died on the fateful MH17 has revealed the night before he was due to fly he asked her what would happen if he was to die. 

Samira Calehr says she was in a bedroom at her townhouse near Amsterdam, when her son Miguel Panduwinata reached out and said: 'Mama, may I hug you?'

Ms Calehr wrapped her arms around her son, who had been oddly agitated for days, bombarding her with questions about death, about his soul, about God.

Miguel Panduwinata, right, poses his mother Samira Calehr. Miguel and his brother Shaka Panduwinata were killed aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine

The next morning, she dropped Miguel and his older brother, Shaka, at Schiphol airport so they could catch Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the first leg of their journey to Bali

'I'm always speaking to her’: Mitch Winehouse reveals he talks to late daughter Amy from beyond the grave

It’s been three years to the day since the tragic passing of singer Amy Winehouse after she died in her London home from accidental alcohol poisoning in 2011. 

But the Back To Black star’s legacy is still very much alive, and in a new interview with The Sun Amy’s loving father Mitch Winehouse has revealed he speaks to his talented daughter from beyond the grave. 

London-based Mitch says he feels Amy’s presence everyday but especially when he’s performing.

Still connected: Mitch Winehouse says he can feel his late daughter Amy Winehouse's spirit from beyond the grave

‘She's standing next to me, every time I go out on that stage. She's there all right, I feel her, sense her,’ Mitch told The Sun.

Before adding: ‘She's in here now saying, “Just get on with it, Dad.” I'm always

Family believed for hours that their daughter had died on doomed flight MH17 - but she SURVIVED because she gave up her seat for another passenger

The sister and father of a Malaysia Airlines worker due to fly on MH17 were left reeling with shock when they heard about the massacre – but unbeknown to them, their loved one was safe and sound, because she’d given up her seat on the doomed flight to another passenger.

Nina Corder, from Toledo, Ohio, spoke of the hours of agony she went through with her father when they heard about the horrifying missile attack.

Ms Corder said her father had called her last Thursday to tell her the chilling news that her sister, Wani Hashim, had been killed.

Relieved: Nina Corder thought that her sister had died on MH17 - but she'd given up her seat at the last minute

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She told Fox 5 Vegas: ‘My dad started shaking. He was like, “I don't know what to do. You need to do something.”’

Ms Corder, who works in downtown Toledo, said that she tried for several hours to get

‘Our pain is intense and relentless. We live in a hell beyond hell’: Parents whose three children were travelling with their grandfather when MH17 was shot down tell of their agony

Parents of the three Australian children who were aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with their grandfather when it went down over east Ukraine last week have broken their silence.
In a heartbreaking statement, Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris have described the pain of losing their three children Mo, Evie and Otis, and Marite's father Nick, as 'intense and relentless.'
'We live in a hell beyond hell. Our babies are not here with us – we need to live with this act of horror, every day and every moment for the rest of our lives,' the statement read.

Evie, Mo, and Otis Maslin were on board flight MH17 with their grandfather Nick when it was shot down over Ukraine last week

The devastated parents maintain that no one should experience the sheer agony that they are experiencing, 'Not even the people who shot our whole family out of the sky.'

Anthony and Marite thanked their family and friends who had surrounded them with

Seatbelt that tells you when you're sleepy: Device measures heart rate and breathing via sensors before sounding alarm if driver is nodding off

A seatbelt that wakes you up if you are in danger of falling asleep at the wheel is being developed by scientists.

The device measures the driver’s heart rate and breathing via a sensor system knitted into the seatbelt and seat cover.

If the rates drop too much, a warning alarm goes off. 

If a driver is to feel tired at the wheel, meaning their heart and breathing rate drops, the seatbelt would sound a warning

Jose Solaz of the Biomechanics Institute in Valencia, Spain, where the HARKEN device is being developed, said: ‘The variation in heart and respiratory rate are good indicators

'My dad murdered my mother - and then sold me to Yemen as a wife when I was 13': British child bride reveals the violent abuse she suffered at the hands of her father AND her husband

With her dark hair neatly pinned back, glamorous sense of style and remarkably unlined skin, Gabriella Gillespie, 50, looks every inch the professional mother-of-five.

But her immaculate looks conceal a dark secret, for unlike her neighbours in the quiet Bristol suburb that she calls home, Gabriella is a former child bride.

Now, more than 20 years after escaping her violent rapist husband, she has written a memoir in the hopes that telling her story will help prevent other girls from going through the same trauma.

Back in Britain: Gabriella Gillespie (far left) with her children Taz, Justina, Adam, Sandy and Luke

Born to a British mother and Yemeni father in Newport in Wales just over half a century ago, Ms Gillespie's first years were idyllic.

One of a brood of seven sisters, she was close to her siblings, in particular her sister

Four wall drive: Proud daughter visits her parents to show them her new car… and demolishes their home by driving straight into it

A Chinese woman's attempt to visit her parents to show off her new car failed miserably after she mixed up the accelerator and brake pedal while parking – and demolished not just her car but part of her parents' house as well.

Ye Chia, 29, who had passed her test last December, had not bothered to drive again until buying a brand new car this summer and packing in her husband and two daughters, aged seven and three, for a trip back home to see her parents.

The trip to the house in Gaoli village in the city of Wenzhou in east China’s Zhejiang province had gone well, until the proud daughter drove into the front garden where instead of using the brake, in her excitement at being home again she pressed the accelerator.

Wrecked: A Chinese woman drove her brand new car into her parents' house 

Jewish doctor thrown off of JetBlue flight after accusing Palestinian woman of having a bomb in her luggage during heated argument over Israeli military action in Gaza

A new, unofficial report indicates that a Jewish doctor who claimed she was the victim of an antisemitic when she was thrown off of a JetBlue flight earlier this month was actually the aggressor in the mid-air dispute with a Palestinian woman who she said was a 'murderer' and that she probably had explosives in her bag.

The new report, which WPBF says it did not receive from the airline, Queens Doctor Lisa Rosenberg 'accused customer 9C of being a Palestinian murderer, and that her people were all murderers and that they murder children,' the station reported on Wednesday.

At the time of her getting escorted off the flight, on July 7, at an airport in Florida, Rosenberg told a local news outlet that she was called a 'Zionist pig' by the woman seated next to her.

Booted: Dr. Lisa Rosenberg was tossed off of a JetBlue flight after an intense argument with another passenger

In a phone interview with WPBF, the airline said that Rosenberg's version of events 'in no way reflects the report that we have.'

In the unofficial report, a flight attendant described how Rosenberg 'went even further

Cristiano Ronaldo's son was told his mum was dead and he still has no idea who she is

Cristiano Ronaldo's four-year-old son still has no idea who his mother is, and his family have no intention of telling him.

Ronaldo's sister, Elma, revealed that Cristiano Jnr, sometimes known as Cristianinho, has stopped asking about his mum after they told him she was dead.

The Real Madrid star, 29, had the child with an unknown woman, believed to be a surrogate, in 2010.

Father and son: Cristiano Ronaldo with Cristianinho in Madrid where the boy lives with his dad and grandmother

Gang of armed robbers who repeatedly fired a stun gun at a shop manager in £43,000 raid are jailed for 94 years

A gang of armed robbers who repeatedly fired a stun gun at a pawn shop manager in a £43,000 raid have been jailed for a total of 94 years.
David Sadiku, 41, and Kelly Day, 36, posed as a couple selling a Rolex watch to con their way into a pawnbroker’s in Ilford, Essex.
Once inside Maxcroft Securities Ltd, Sadiku pulled out a gun and dragged manager Naom Margolin out of his office while Day let fellow gang members - Paulius Strasunskas, 27, Francis Carbon, 32, Amjit Bharj, 47, and Aamir Kayani, 31 - into the shop.

Gang members: David Sadiku, 41, (left) and Kelly Day, 36, (right) posed as a couple selling a Rolex watch to con their way into a pawnbroker's in Ilford, Essex, before attacking the manager and letting their fellow gang members into the shop

Mr Margolin was shocked up to ten times with the stun gun and pistol-whipped in the face but managed to press the panic button, while a woman employee was stunned in

Aldi staff told shopper to empty his trolley because he was spending too much money on tinned food for children in Syria

A shopper buying bulk tinned goods for starving children in Syria was left 'utterly embarrassed and confused' when he was stopped by Aldi supermarket staff and forced to empty his trolley.

Reiss Bawler, 37, had rattled up a £150 bill filling up his trolley twice in 24 hours when he was approached by a senior staff member who told him: 'I can’t have this - we have other customers to think about.'

She then emptied out Mr Bawler’s trolley of trays of bargain value baked beans, spaghetti, rice pudding and tinned potatoes and then put most of it back on the shelves.

Reiss Bawler was purchasing tinned baked beans, spaghetti, rice pudding and potatoes to send to starving children in Syria when Aldi staff stopped him and told him they had 'other customers to think about'

The keep fit instructor was buying the bulk canned goods to send to children in war-torn Syria, after he was horrified to hear stories about hungry locals eating cats.

Despite Mr Bawler’s protests he was told he could only buy £15 worth of good before