France denies Hollande split reports

Ms Trierweiler spent a week in hospital after the revelations.

Sources close to Mr Hollande told French media the presidency would make an official announcement on Saturday. 

What makes me think that Julie Gayet should watch this space? As the 2 previous well known relationships ended in heart break, don't feel too comfortable because in the near future, yours might be the one plastered all over the papers. 

This rape of a thing needs addressing in every society especially in India

Police in India's West Bengal have held 13 people in connection with a gang rape of a woman allegedly on orders of village elders who objected to her relationship with a man.

The 20-year-old woman has been admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.

Unofficial courts in India's villages often sanction killings of couples deemed to have violated local codes.

"The relationship was going on for almost five years. When the man visited the woman's home on Monday with the proposal of marriage, villagers spotted him and organised a kangaroo court. During the 'proceedings' both the couple were made to sit with hands tied," Birbhum police chief C Sudhakar told the BBC.

He said the headman of the woman's village fined the couple 25,000 ($400; £240) rupees for "the crime of falling in love".

The man paid up, but the woman's family were unable to pay, police said.

The headman, who is a distant relative of the woman, then allegedly ordered the rape, Mr Sudhakar said. The uncle ordered the people to go enjoy and have fun with the girl. 

This is becoming unbelievable. This needs to be addressed immediately. Such a sad story.

Watch who you hang out with

Chantelle McCluney, 23, laid a honeytrap for her victim by inviting him to her flat for a kinky session with her and her boyfriend, Craig Hogan.

During the liaison, another of her lovers, Andrew Doyle, turned up – determined to exact revenge on the victim for an earlier slight.

The 37-year-old man was then tied to a chair, repeatedly kicked and punched, forced to drink bleach, seared with a flamethrower, dunked in a urine-filled mop bucket, struck with a chair, robbed, and forced to pose naked on the balcony for half-an-hour.

McCluney laughed as the two men tortured the victim in front of her. At one point she had sex with ringleader Andrew Doyle, with the humiliated man lying bloodied and helpless on the floor, and Doyle continuing to kick him throughout.

Asked why she had sex with Doyle at that point, McCluney told detectives: “I'll admit it – I felt horny”, 

The mother of three children, was spared jail after admitting false imprisonment.

Indian minister's wife 'found dead'

This is so sad. The pains of heart break, betrayal and insecurity.

The wife of Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has been found dead, following reports that he was having an affair, Indian media have said.

Sunanda Pushkar is reported to have been discovered at a hotel in Delhi.

The couple became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages on Wednesday that appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.

They later insisted they were happily married, blaming "unauthorised tweets".

Mr Tharoor married Ms Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.

A public row between the couple erupted on Wednesday when messages began to appear on Mr Tharoor's Twitter account suggesting he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.

Ms Pushkar admitted publishing the tweets, but later denied it.

She was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi, according to police sources.

Reports said that her husband had informed the police of her death. It was unclear how she died.

Ms Tahrar, who denied having an affair with the minister, tweeted after she heard of Ms Pushkar's death: "I'm absolutely shocked.

Queen's granddaughter Zara has baby girl

Wow just saw this on BBC. A huge congratulations!!!

The couple met at the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003

The Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall has given birth to a baby girl weighing 7lbs 12oz (3.5kg).

Mrs Tindall's husband, rugby player Mike Tindall, was present at the birth of their first child at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the families of both parents were all delighted at the news, Buckingham Palace said.

The baby, as yet unnamed, becomes 16th in line for the throne.

Mrs Tindall later left the hospital and returned home.

Her husband expressed his joy on Twitter: "Thanks so much for all your kind messages. Definitely the best day of my life today, so happy! The girls are both doing great!"

In another tweet, he praised hospital staff, writing: "Big thanks to all involved at Gloucester Royal, they were fantastic!"

Mr and Mrs Tindall were married at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh in July 2011.

The new arrival is the third grandchild of the Princess Royal and her first husband, Mark Phillips - and the Queen and Prince Philip's fourth great-grandchild.

Car bomb explodes in Nigerian city

A car bomb has exploded in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, and there are fears of many casualties.

A suicide bomber is suspected of being behind the blast, reportedly near a market.

The Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, has carried out numerous attacks in the region.

Its campaign of violence is aimed at imposing Islamic rule in northern Nigeria.

The military confirmed to the BBC that an explosion had occurred, but did not give a figure for casualties.

An eyewitness said he had seen what appeared to be dead bodies on the ground, and another spoke of seven fatalities.

A second car is reported to have been set on fire by the blast. Details are still sketchy.

A woman's story

I got a call from a lady who wanted me to share her story on this blog. I spoke to her and agreed to share her touching story. Please read.

My name is Mrs. Tochukwu and I hail from a village in Imo State of Nigeria.  I have been married for 18 years to this businessman by name Mr. Uchena Tochukwu from the same village in Imo State.  When we got married, everything was going on great and I thought it would remain like that.  My husband showered so much love on me that I even neglected the aspect of prayers in my marriage.  I felt everything was going to remain this way.

Although for the first few years of my marriage, I was not blessed with the fruit of the womb and as a woman, it was a thing of concern to me because been fruitful is the joy of every married woman.  All my prayer requests then were for God to bless my womb and I was later blessed with wonderful and God fearing children.

The love my husband had for me even increased to the extent that he opened a business for me that was seriously fetching money and even went as far as buying some gold ornaments worth a million naira.  Everything was really moving well with my family and my children were looking promising.

Low and behold the enemy struck because of my prayerlessness, my husband’s relatives turned against me, telling me all sort of things, that their brother has been charmed by me and that in no time I was going to wreck him.  I tried to explain myself, but all effort seemed abortive.  I was not so disturbed because my husband, irrespective of the false information he was fed with from his relatives, he still carried out his primary responsibilities of taking care of his family and household.

My husband, in his quest to prove how much he loves me opened a fast-food business for me with a branch in town and I employed a secretary to over see the happenings in that business.

But to my greatest surprise, my husband’s attitude towards me started to change, he no longer sees any reason to be with his family, he started keeping late nights, stopped eating from my pots and when I summoned the courage to ask him why all these changes, he would tell me not to disturb myself that everything was well.  Within me, I knew the devil was out for me but I could not help it than confront the secretary.  The secretary gave me a piece of her mind. She said to me that if I can’t take care of my husband then she will teach me how to go about it.  When my husband returned the following day, I told him my encounter with the secretary and he gave me the shock of my life that he was no longer interested in our so called marriage and that he has come to seek for a divorce.

I then knelt down to beg him not to seek for a divorce and to return to his family but all fell to deaf ears.  He stopped paying my children’s school fees and I had no choice than to withdraw them from a Prestigious Private School to a government school where charges are free.  My last baby is two years now and my husband has not set his eyes on him how much more of living up to his responsibilities of taking care of his family.

My husband went as far as telling me to sell all the gold he bought for me. I did as he said in order for peace to reign. I obediently sold all my gold and he took the money to his new found love which is the secretary.

The case is still very fresh in court and nothing seems to be working in my favor. I know somebody might be wondering why all these write-up.   Yes, I have to share my experience with the married people that they ought to be prayerful in their various homes at all times because they do not know when the enemy would strike.  For the fact that things are moving smoothly now do not mean it would remain so.  But with prayers and supplications made known to God everything would be fine.

Jessica Ennis-Hill expecting

Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill will miss the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow because she is pregnant.

The 27-year-old Briton is expecting her first baby with husband Andy, but still plans to defend her Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games.

Wishing the couple all the best.

Culled from BBC

Off-duty Okla. cop kills prison escapee during robbery attempt

OKLAHOMA CITY — A man killed by an off-duty Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Friday in Oklahoma City was a state Corrections Department escapee, authorities said.

Darnell King, 22, was shot when he attempted to rob off-duty trooper John Marion in the 200 block of NE 2. King later died at a hospital during emergency surgery.

(Photo courtesy Oklahoma City Community Correction Center)

King had been serving a three-year sentence at the Oklahoma City Community Correction Center for assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle out of Tulsa County.

King was moved recently to the low-security Carver Transitional Center in south Oklahoma City, but went missing from the halfway house Friday, corrections officials said.

Police said the trooper was in his garage with the garage door open when King pointed a gun at him and demanded his belongings.

The trooper led the man to the home's second floor, where the trooper used his gun to shoot the man, police said.

Police have linked King to an attempted kidnapping and robbery occurring the same day he was shot. That incident involved a woman and her child who were assaulted in the 400 block of N Central as they were entering their vehicle. The two locations are within a few blocks of each other.

policeOne.com

Vigil to mark Schumacher birthday

Fans of Michael Schumacher are converging on a French hospital to mark the injured F1 legend's 45th birthday.

Ferrari clubs from France and Italy are gathering outside his hospital in the city of Grenoble.

On Thursday Schumacher's family thanked fans for their "great support" and described the German as a "fighter".

The most successful Formula 1 driver in history is in a medically induced coma after suffering head injuries while skiing in the French Alps on Sunday.

He remains in a stable but critical condition, his manager has said.

Here is wishing him a quick recovery. 

Culled from BBC news

Exceptional weather' to hit UK

A period of "exceptional weather" bringing rain, wind and high tides is set to hit the UK, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has said.

It came as the Environment Agency issued 11 severe flood warnings - indicating a danger to life - for south-west England on Friday morning.

Tidal flooding is expected in "numerous locations" due to large waves, high tides and strong winds.

Culled from the bbc

Almost 750 Help to Buy deals done

The 'help to buy scheme' is proving quite popular. Almost 750 homes have been bought via the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, Downing Street has said.

The UK-wide scheme, started in October, lets people buy homes with a deposit as small as 5% of the total cost.

Young people 'nothing to live for'

As many as three quarters of a million young people in the UK may feel that they have nothing to live for, a study for the Prince's Trust charity claims.

The trust says almost a third of long-term unemployed young people have contemplated taking their own lives.

The government commented that it was doing "everything possible" to help young people find work.