SMOKING HOT! MEET MAN WHO WAS DEPORTED FROM SAUDI ARABIA FOR BEING TOO HANDSOME?

Remember this almost-incredible story? About three men who were deported from the religious Saudi Arabia for being too handsome?

[READ: 3 men from UAE banned from annual culture festival in Saudi Arabia for being too handsome]

We reported that “Three men from the United Arab Emirates were banned recently from an annual culture festival in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh because they were too handsome. According to reports, a festival official said the men were taken out because of their good looks as the Commission members feared female visitors could fall for them.” Though, some have speculated the men may have been asked to leave because of the unexpected arrival of a female UAE artist. “Her visit to the UAE stand was a coincidence as it was not included in the programme which we had already provided to the festival’s management,” said Saeed Al Kaabi, head of the UAE delegation.

We’re sticking with the too handsome tale, sorry.

And on that note, we have seen the evidence, and we have to say: guilty as charged. Below are photos of actor, poet and fashion photographer Omar Borkan Al Gala, who was one of the deported men.

 

 

Yeah, we know. It all makes sense now. Still, he might want to cut down on the photo retouching though.

Culled from: http://www.ynaija.com/smoking-hot-see-man-who-was-deported-from-saudi-arabia-for-being-too-handsome-photos/

BUILDING COLLAPSES AND KILLS MORE THAN 70 IN BANGLADESH

People rescue garment workers trapped at an eight-story building outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, after it collapsed and killed more than 70 people on Wednesday, April 24. Authorities fear many others remain trapped in the ruins of the building, which housed garment factories and a shopping mall, the national news agency reported.

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Eight-story building collapses in Bangladesh

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: More than 700 people have been injured, the national news agency reports
• An eight-story building collapsed Wednesday on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital
• Authorities fear more people may be trapped inside the ruins of the commercial building

An eight-story building collapsed Wednesday on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital, killing more than 70 people and injuring hundreds, the national news agency reported.

Images broadcast by local media showed dust rising from the wreckage as rescue workers scrambled over the tangled mass of concrete and rushed injured people from the scene.

Authorities fear many more people are still trapped inside the ruins of the commercial building, which housed several garment factories and a shopping mall, the agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported.

Dozens killed in building collapse

© SRTM V4, 2012, CIAT Terms of Use

Health Minister A.F.M. Ruhal Huq said the death toll exceeded 70, the agency reported, and an army officer overseeing the rescue effort said that at least 700 people had been injured.

The collapse is the latest disaster to befall the garment industry in Bangladesh. A fire at a clothing factory in a suburb of Dhaka in November killed at least 112 people.

More than 70 people died the last major building collapse in Bangladesh in 2005, according to BSS. That disaster involved a multistory garment factory in the same area as the building that gave way Wednesday.

Garments make up 80% of Bangladesh's $24 billion of annual exports.

The country has about 4,500 garment factories, where workers make clothes for brands including Tesco, Walmart, JC Penney, Kohl's and Carrefour.

Culled from: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/24/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse/index.html?sr=fbmainintl

CZECH REPUBLIC AMBASSADOR: DON'T CONFUSE US WITH CHECHNYA

Google

The Czech Republic and Chechnya are nearly 2,000 miles apart, but that didn’t stop people from mixing up their geography.

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the Tsarnaev brothers, are of Chechen ethnicity. When the similar sounding Czech Republic, a country in Central Europe, began getting buzz online, the country’s ambassador to the United States stepped in to clear up the social media confusion.

“The Czech Republic is trending because idiots are confusing it with Chechnya. If you’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, cry,”  Chris Jones, a writer for Esquire and back-page columnist for ESPN The Magazine tweeted.

READ MORE: Boston Bomb Suspect Became a U.S. Citizen on 9/11 Last Year

“As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect,” Ambassador Petr Gandalovič wrote in a statement.

“The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation,” he said.

Chechens are an ethnic group hailing from the southern edge of the Russian border, known as the North Caucasus region, whose history has been marked by its violent struggles for independence. Chechnya, a republic, is bordered by Georgia.

Click here to read more about Chechens’ violent history.

Culled from: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/04/czech-republic-ambassador-dont-confuse-us-with-chechnya/#.UXV7eOTULTs.twitter

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN THE POLICE SHUT DOWN A CITY, BOSTON STYLE

Reuters

PHILIP BUMP8:12 AM ET

Key to map (which uses information from Reuters and The Times) — House icons: Towns mentioned in report below. Other icons: Incidents involved in the bombing and chase, in order.

In an unprecedented move, the city of Boston, in its entirety, is being asked to shelter-in-place, with schools and mass transit closed. Nearby Watertown, where police and federal authorities are searching for the Boston Marathon bomber who is still at large, is in lockdown as Friday's manhunt continues.

At this moment, heavily armed members of the military, assisted by local law enforcement, are going door-to-door in Watertown, searching every house, garage, and shed for bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. CNN indicates that 9,000 members of law enforcement are involved in the effort. A no-fly zone is in effect over the town.

Police evacuate a Watertown resident. (AP)

Police in tactical gear conduct a search for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. (AP)

Authorities have asked businesses to remain closed. According to the Boston Globe, all vehicle traffic is banned in that city. In order to conduct its operation, the police are asking the media not to film what officers are doing.

While Watertown is teeming with activity, its larger neighbor is eerily empty. At a press conference this morning, Massachusetts Governor Dsval Patrick announced that everyone in Boston was being asked to "shelter-in-place;" that is, not to leave the house or answer the door — an order that affects 625,000 people.

Leaving Boston looking like this:

Not that there's anywhere to go, or anyway to get there. Taxi service was suspended, but has since been restored. Amtrak service and the regional mass transit has been closed; in part, apparently, because authorities don't want crowds of people gathering together.

A woman watches police as they search for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects in Watertown. (Reuters)

Schools are on a delayed opening, and extracurricular activities have been cancelled. The Boston Globeoutlines other closed institutions, including most regional colleges.

(Reuters)

Boston Police identify other towns with shelter-in-place orders: Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Belmont, Cambridge and Allston Brighton. In Cambridge, which lies between Boston and Watertown, singer Juliana Hatfield woke up to this notice on her door:

A resident in the area describes how he learned about the situation:

I got the emergency texts all night from MIT, and we had robocalls from Belmont PD telling us to stay inside, one just a minute ago saying town offices and buildings are closed.

Others who are staying in their homes in the area seem to be struggling to process the unusual scenario.

Click here for more updates.

www. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/04/boston-lockdown-residents-are-asked-shelter-place-while-cops-sweep-watertown/64383/

WHO IS DZHOKHAR TSARNAEV, THE MAN AT THE CENTER OF THE BOSTON MANHUNT?

On Friday, after a chaotic evening saw his partner in crime (and apparently his older brother) killed and as a city locked down to find him, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev emerged as the name of the man in the ongoing manhunt in Boston Friday. According to information culled from multiple unconfirmed reports, Tsarnaev is a 19-year-old reportedly from Kyrgyzstan who has been living, for the past year, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Here's are the basics of what we know about "Suspect No. 2" — a.k.a. the suspect in the white hat, the one authorities apparently saw drop a bomb-laden backpack in security footages, and the one currently being pursued by police: Tsarnaev was a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, which is closed for the day; he has been in this country for at least one year; his father is currently in Russia and isclaiming that the two boys aren't/weren't religious. His uncle is also speaking out about Dzhokhar and Tamerlan, his now dead brother and apparently fellow suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

By culling social media, official news reports, and beyond, we're in the process of filling in the blanks about both suspects — beginning with the man in the standoff with scores of law enforcement officers right now:

Culled from: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/04/who-is-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-boston/64382/

20 YEAR OLD NIGERIAN SETS RECORD, GRADUATES AS YOUNGEST COMMERCIAL LICENCE PILOT IN NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA

A 20-year-old Nigerian, Favour Odozor, has emerged as the youngest with the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) in both Nigeria and South Africa.

Mr. Odozor who graduated alongside 15 other trained pilots at the Afrika Union Aviation Academy (AUAA), Mafikeng, South Africa on Saturday was described as the new hope of the African aviation industry. Capt. Allan Roebuck, Director of AUAA, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Johannesburg that Mr. Odozor completed all the 37 flying procedures in record time.

“The academy is proud of this young Nigerian, with the award of licence and certificate to him. Today, I can say he is the youngest commercial licence pilot in both Nigeria and South Africa. “I cannot say now if he is the youngest African to attain that record, but I’m sure he is the youngest in South Africa and Nigeria,’’ he said. The AUAA director noted that it requires a lot of hard work, focus, punctuality and discipline to be trained as a commercial pilot. “It is not enough to be academically sound to be a good pilot. It requires focus, punctuality, and discipline to get the commercial licence and certificate. “It has been a long road for the group of qualified pilots to obtain their licences. With the award of certificate, they can fly commercial planes,’’ Mr. Roebuck said. He said the new pilots underwent two years of rigorous training and 37 flying procedures.

On his part, Mr. Odozor said he had always dreamt of becoming a pilot. “Flying a plane has been my childhood dream, and I am happy today that I’m a licensed commercial pilot at the age of 20. “I never expected myself to be the youngest Nigerian to get the commercial pilot licence, not to talk about in an advanced country like South Africa. I was just pursuing my childhood dream of being a pilot. “But I thank God that I have now made history, as a record licensed commercial pilot in both Nigeria and South Africa,’’ Mr. Odozor said. He said his immediate plan was to go for his instrument type and rating courses.

“Aviation training is very wide. This is just the beginning. My immediate plan is to enrol for my instrument type rating and Boeing 737 training courses,’’ Mr. Odozor said. Mr. Odozor has equalled the record set by Ed Gardner, a Briton, who obtained his commercial pilot licence at the age of 20 in 2008. Before heading for South Africa for training, the Nigerian attended Uchenna Secondary School in Owerri, the Imo State capital, graduating in 2009.

Culled from:http://www.talkofnaija.com/news/271903_20-year-old-nigerian-sets-record-graduates-as-youngest-commercial-licence-pilot

BRAD PAISLEY DEFENDS 'ACCIDENTAL RACIST' DUET WITH LL COOL J

NEW YORK | Tue Apr 9, 2013 4:15pm EDT

Country singer Brad Paisley on Tuesday defended his new duet with rapper LL Cool J, which has been criticized for its commentary on U.S. race relations.

"Accidental Racist" is a track from Paisley's ninth album, "Wheelhouse," which was released on Tuesday. The song describes a hypothetical encounter between a Confederate flag-wearing white Southern man and an urban African-American man in a coffee shop. Some critics have disparaged the song's content and artistry.  "I wouldn't change a thing," Paisley, one of country music's most popular artists, wrote on Twitter. "This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya'll."

In "Accidental Racist," Paisley sings: "Our generation didn't start this nation, and we're still picking up the pieces, walking on eggshells, fighting over yesterday," referring to post-Civil War race relations. "Caught between Southern pride and Southern blame."

LL Cool J, 45, responds with a rap that includes lyrics such as: "Just because my pants are sagging doesn't mean I'm up to no good. You should try to get to know me," and "I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air, but I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here."

Paisley has said he wanted the song to get people talking.

Several critics have panned it for what they described as a soft, apologetic treatment of lingering racial tension in the United States.

Industry website Billboard.com called "Accidental Racist" a "flat-footed apology for hate-induced uneasiness." The Atlantic magazine said the "assumption that there is no real difference among black people is exactly what racism is."   

"Wheelhouse" is expected to land Paisley near the top of the U.S. album charts next week.

Culled from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/entertainment-us-bradpaisley-idUSBRE93812520130409