WATCH: 9-year-old survives being sucked into flooded storm drain

A nine-year-old boy and his uncle are alive after being sucked through a flooded storm drain in southern Brazil. Neither sustained major injuries. Video: Reuters

A shocking video emerged out of Brazil Thursday (February 5) that showed a 9-year-old boy and his uncle being pulled under water and sucked into a flooded storm drain they were trying to clear of debris.

In the mobile phone video, which went viral in the South American country, the boy and four men are seen playing in a pool of muddy flood water as they try to clear plants and other rubbish from a backed up storm drain. But the boy and his uncle are suddenly dragged underwater as the pipe's passageway clears up.



The boy's aunt, who filmed the potentially deadly scene, screams in horror as the two disappear under the brown water.

Another family member captured the frightening images from a different angle.

But moments after the scary encounter the boy emerges from the other end of the pipe, 6 meters (yards) away, celebrating the harrowing adventure.

His uncle then came out, embracing a more subdued reaction.

Both only suffered minor injuries.

The incident occurred in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

The family uploaded the video to social media and it was quickly circulating throughout Brazil.

WATCH:

Source: Irish Times

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Jordan bombs ISIS targets, vows to "eliminate" militants

Karak, Jordan (CNN)Two days after news emerged that ISIS had burned a captive Jordanian pilot to death, the Middle Eastern nation hit back, and is promising more.

Fighter jets carried out airstrikes Thursday, then returned to fly over the home of the slain 27-year-old pilot, Lt. Moath al-Kasasbeh, in the village of Ay in Karak governorate.

"This is just the beginning and you shall know who the Jordanians are," the armed forces said in a statement on state TV.

They claimed hits on ISIS training centers, arms and ammunition depots: "All targets were completely destroyed and all the planes returned to their bases safely."

The air mission was named "Moath the Martyr." State TV aired exclusive video footage of warplanes striking unspecified ISIS positions in Syria.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh later stressed to CNN that the airstrikes marked the beginning of his nation's retaliation over the pilot's death, but not the start of its fight against terrorism. He vowed to destroy ISIS.

"We are upping the ante. We're going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have. But it's not the beginning, and it's certainly not the end," Judeh said.

The pilot's father, Safi al-Kasasbeh, told CNN that King Abdullah II had promised him that Jordan would avenge his son's death and bombard ISIS' de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. On Thursday, he said that the King told him 30 Jordanian fighter jets participated in the strikes.

"The homeland is entrusted to you all," he said alongside Abdullah, in remarks shown on state television, referencing Jordan's military and calling for national unity. "... For you (troops), to honor Moath is to uphold your oath and to follow in his footsteps as soldiers for God, his prophet (and) Islam ... in defending this dear homeland."

Spokesman: 'These people will be punished'

Thursday's strikes were the latest that Jordan's military has carried out against ISIS, which captured Moath al-Kasasbeh after his F-16 fighter jet crashed near Raqqa on December 24.

Jordan is one of a handful of Middle Eastern nations taking part in the U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS. The air campaign continued with strikes elsewhere in Syria, including near Hasaka, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Raqqa.

ISIS posted photos of the destruction, and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdurrahman reported that 10 militants were killed.

The video of Moath al-Kasasbeh's execution came out Tuesday, though Jordanian authorities say they think he was killed a month earlier.

Whatever the timing, the proof and savagery of al-Kasasbeh's death have moved many in Amman and elsewhere not just to condemn ISIS but to vow strong actions against it.

Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani told CNN that Jordan's response to the killing "will be strong and will be decisive."

"We will not let this crime of killing our pilots with the horrific way it was done pass without punishment," al-Momani said. "These people will be punished."

Analyst: Military response must be sustained to work

In addition to meeting with al-Kasasbeh's family, King Abdullah visited his armed forces headquarters, according to the state-run Petra News Agency. He voiced confidence in Jordanian troops' readiness and got a briefing on the latest airstrikes.

It's hard to tell right away how effective Jordanian military's mission was Thursday, or what the military will do next.

Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks, a CNN military analyst, said the most important thing will be not just to have one strike but a persistent effort that's well-coordinated with the coalition military effort.

"It can't be a revenge attack, it can't be vitriolic," Marks said. "... If emotions brought them in, that's fine. But at this point, it needs to be a relentless, aggressive attack ... objectively controlled so that you can achieve results on the ground. And it needs to be sustained."

On Wednesday, Jordan executed two prisoners -- Sajida al-Rishawi, a would-be suicide bomber whose release ISIS had previously demanded as part of a prisoner exchange, and Ziad Karbouli, a former top aide to the deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Al-Kasasbeh's father had demanded more be done.

"These were criminals and there is no comparison between them and Moath. His blood is more valued than Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad Karbouli," Safi al-Kasasbeh said. "... I demand that this criminal organization (ISIS) ... be annihilated."

Killing on big screens?

ISIS apparently made a big show of the pilot's brutal execution in Raqqa, with an activist network -- Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently -- reporting that the killing was being shown, repeatedly, on large screens across the city.

One of ISIS' propaganda production outlets posted a video online that appears to show a crowd cheering as flames around the pilot grow.

The video features a tight shot of a boy, looking up as if in awe and saying that he would "burn the pilot" himself if he had a chance and that "all Arab tyrants should also be burned." The boy can also be heard saying, "Obama the dog."

Because the video is carefully orchestrated propaganda, CNN has no way to know whether people in Raqqa really feel this way, if other children were present or whether the video participants' responses were authentic or a result of intimidation.

Sheikh Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam, the grand mufti of Egypt, is among those influential Muslims -- both clerics and political leaders -- who have condemned the burning of al-Kasasbeh as "barbaric," telling CNN that it's "far away from humanity, much less religion."

It's also contrary to the goal of the group calling itself the Islamic State, which seeks to form a vast caliphate governed by its strict, perverse version of Sharia law. The pilot's killing will only hurt that cause, said Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, who was a prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in Syria before heading into exile as the civil war there raged.

"ISIS wanted to instill terror and fear in the heart of its enemies," al-Yaqoubi told CNN's Christiane Amanpour from Morocco. "... What's happening is the opposite.

"The martyrdom of Moath has united Muslims ... against ISIS, leaving no slight room of doubt that these people do not represent Islam. They represent savagery, terrorism and extremism."

Source: CNN

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11 photos showing King Abdullah II of Jordan being a total badass

Jordanian F-16s launched 20 airstrikes on Islamic State targets on Thursday following King Abdullah II's declaration to wage a "harsh" war against militants from the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, after the brutal execution of captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbe.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah participating in a military special operations training exercises as Jump-Master.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Youtube

King Abdullah II, a former commander of Jordan's special forces, pledged to hit the militants "hard in the very center of their strongholds," AP reports.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah with military officials during an exercise.





The Jordanian government has denied the king's physical involvement in any aerial attacks.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah observing a military exercise in November 2013.


Dubbed the "warrior king," Jordan's 53-year-old leader has clocked in 35 years of military service.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah at a military ceremony in Jordan.


According to the king's bio, he enrolled in the UK's Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in 1980 and went on to become an elite Cobra attack helicopter pilot.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

King Abdullah II pilots his helicopter while visiting different areas in his kingdom.


In November 1993, then-Prince Abdullah became commander of Jordan's special forces.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah laughing with troops after a meal in the field.


Three years later he turned Jordan's small special forces unit into today's elite Special Operations Command (SOCOM), arguably the best operatives in the Middle East.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah speaking with soldiers after sharing a meal.


Frequently training alongside US special forces, Jordan's units are approximately 14,000 strong and may further contribute to the fight against ISIS beyond Jordan's airstrikes. 

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah observing a military exercise.


As the head of a constitutional monarchy, the career soldier holds substantial power.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces, at a military exercise.


Members of Congress have asked for an increase in military assistance to the kingdom, AP reports. The US is providing Jordan with $1 billion annually in military assistance.

The Royal Hashemite Court/Instagram

King Abdullah II starts his day participating in a military special operations training exercises as Jump Master. The fight against ISIS lost a crucial partner, the United Arab Emirates, in December after the Jordanian pilot was captured, The New York Times reported.

The UAE demands that the Pentagon improve its search-and-rescue efforts in northern Iraq before it rejoins the coalition, The Times said, quoting unidentified US officials.


Source: Business Insider

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Bad-ass Jordanian king personally leads ISIS bombing missions in revenge of slain pilot

After the shocking news that the Jordanian pilot who was held hostage by ISIS terrorist was burned alive, King Abdullah II of Jordan took the matters in his own hand to serve personal vengeance and justice. Shafaqna news and Iraqinews.com confirmed that the bad ass king took the fight against the Islamic State on a personal level.




King Abdullah II, was a Major General in charge of Jordanian Special Forces, before he was crowned as the monarch. In 1980, he joined the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the British Army. The king of Jordan is reportedly hell bent on taking revenge for the brutal killing of pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh. The king himself, a highly trained Cobra Attack Helicopter Pilot, will be co-piloting a warplane to conduct anti-ISIS air-strikes, reported the Daily Mail and some Arabic news sites.



Angered by the gruesome killing of the Jordanian pilot who was torched alive in a cage, the Jordan King has declared a “relentless” war against the Islamic State, vowing an intense retaliation, adding that the pilot’s blood won’t go in vain. The government of Jordan said that the entire nation is very determined more than ever to fight back and eliminate ISIS.



In a press release, the fearless king pledged that Jordan will strike the militants hard in their own den, saying that the nation will hit the ISIS “hard in the very center of their strongholds”. Labelling it a ‘war of principles’ against the militants.



King Abdullah II stated:

    “we are fighting this war to protect our faith and our values and our humanitarian principles, and the fight for it will be relentless, we will be on the lookout for the clique of criminals and hit them in their own homes.”

This guy is seriously pissed, people around the world admired his determination to avenge his pilot’s savage death. ISIS is reportedly on the run right now anticipating the King’s attack, ordering prisoners moved to different locations and clearing their headquarters in Syria.

Source: Elite Readers

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TransAsia crash: 31 dead, airline providing compensation

Rescuers lift the wreckage of the TransAsia ATR 72-600 out of the Keelung river at New Taipei City on Feb 4, 2015. (Photo: AFP/ Sam Yeh)

TAIPEI: A total of 31 people were confirmed killed on Wednesday (Feb 4) when a passenger plane operated by TransAsia Airways clipped an overpass soon after take-off and plunged into the Keelung river in Taiwan, the airline's second crash in seven months.

In a statement, TransAsia Airways said that as of 9am on Thursday, another 15 people were injured in the incident. Twelve people remain missing from the 58 people on board flight GE235, and the two people in the taxi clipped by the plane are still hospitalised.


The airline has also started giving out emergency relief funds of NT$200,000 (S$8,600) to the families of those affected, including those on board and those who were on the taxi. Nine families have received the funds, and the airline is in the process of giving out the money to the remaining families.

TransAsia has also given out funeral allowance of NT$1.2 million (S$51,000) to the families of the victims who have been identified, it said.

TransAsia President Fred Wu also refuted media reports that said the plane's engines had not gone through the necessary checks before the flight took off on Wednesday.

"With regard to the engines, we are clarifying that there is no issue (with the engine checks)," said Mr Wu. "I can also produce the documents that were signed by the pilots and our crew that day. We will send these original documents to the Civil Aeronautics Administration and they can investigate this."

Source: Channel News Asia

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WATCH: TransAsia plane crashes in Taiwan river, killing at least 23 people

A TransAsia Airways flight in Taiwan carrying 58 passengers and crew careened past buildings, clipped a highway and crashed into a shallow stream, killing at least 23 people.

TransAsia GE 235, a domestic flight from Taipei to Kinmen – a small archipelago near mainland China – crashed at 10.56am local time, according to Taiwan’s aviation council, about three minutes after it took off. Astonishing dash-cam videos posted online showed the turboprop ATR 72-600 aircraft in its final airborne moments, turning vertical over a highway and clipping a taxi cab and a bridge with its left wing.

Rescuers are searching into the night for 20 missing people, after 15 were pulled alive from the wreckage.

“Several fire engines, ambulances, water craft and almost 170 rescue staff have been dispatched,” said a press release by the Taiwanese Central Disaster Response Centre. Local TV stations broadcasted footage of rescue workers in life vests and yellow helmets surrounding the plane’s fuselage in inflatable rafts.

At the moment, things don’t look too optimistic,” said Wu Jun-hong, a Taipei Fire Department official who was coordinating the rescue, according to the Associated Press. “Those in the front of the plane are likely to have lost their lives.”

The driver of the clipped taxi cab “has been sent to a local hospital”, an assistant to the Crown Taxi Company’s general manager who identified himself as Mr Yang told the Guardian.

“He has head injury and concussion, but all of his vital signs are stable.” Yang added that the company planned to raise the topic of compensation with TransAsia Airways at a later date.

Rescuers carry out rescue operations after a TransAsia plane crashed into a river in New Taipei City. Photograph: Pichi Chuang/Reuters

The last communication from one of the aircraft’s pilots was “Mayday Mayday engine flameout”, according to an air traffic control recording on liveatc.net.

A flameout occurs when the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted or when there is faulty combustion, resulting in an engine failure.

The flight’s black box has been recovered, according to local media.

“Weather conditions were good and the pilot had 14,000 hours of flying hours and the co-pilot 4,000 hours,” Lin Zhiming, a representative from Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Authority, told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Search and rescue team members operate on a TransAsia Airways passenger plane crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei, Taiwan. Photograph: David Chang/EPA

Among the passengers were 31 mainland Chinese tourists, travelling with two local travel agencies: Teyung Group, and Flying Tours.
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Lin Liqing, manager of the Teyung Group, said that she had just arrived in Taipei to help with the handling of the incident.

“We are currently heading to the crash site and checking the passenger list with TransAsia Airways,” Lin said. She added that the passengers had been sent to eight local hospitals, and that she had not yet been able to visit them.

The manager of Flying Tours said that among 15 mainland Chinese tourists on the plane who were travelling with the agency, he had only confirmed one injured passenger – one of the two infants on board. He had no information on the remaining 14 people.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS showed rescuers pulling a toddler alive from the wreckage and rushing him or her to safety.

The chief executive of TransAsia, Chen Xinde, has publicly apologised for the crash.

Wednesday’s crash is the second by a TransAsia flight within the past six months — in July 2014, TransAsia flight ATR-72 crashed while attempting to land in the Penghu Islands soon after a typhoon, killing 48 people. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Source: The Guardian

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Jordan executes prisoners after ISIS murder of pilot

Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi, 35, stands inside a military court at Juwaida prison in Amman on April 24, 2006. REUTERS © Majed Jaber / Reuters

Jordan has executed two death-row prisoners after vowing an "earth-shattering" response to avenge the burning alive of one of its fighter pilots by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

Would-be Iraqi female suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Iraqi al-Qaeda member Ziad al-Karboli were hanged at dawn on Wednesday, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.

A security source said the executions were carried out at Swaqa prison south of the capital Amman in the presence of an Islamic legal official.

Jordan had promised to begin executing the prisoners on death row at daybreak in response to the murder of Moaz al-Kassasbeh, who was captured by ISIL when his plane went down in Syria in December.

Rishawi, 44, was condemned to death for her participation in deadly attacks in Amman in 2005 and ISIL had offered to spare Kassasbeh's life and free a Japanese hostage - who was later beheaded - if she were released.

Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh, reporting from Amman, said that the executions took place at 5am local time (3:00 GMT).

"Usually, it is a long and highly bureaucratic process to carry out executions in Jordan. Several ministries and the king should approve them," she said.

"However, a security source told Al Jazeera last week that Jordan would speed up the process if the pilot was harmed."

Karboli was sentenced to death in 2007 on terrorism charges, including the killing of a Jordanian in Iraq.

Jordan had on Tuesday vowed to avenge the killing of Kassasbeh, hours after a harrowing video emerged online purporting to show the caged 26-year-old F-16 fighter pilot engulfed in flames.

The video - the most brutal yet in a series of gruesome recorded killings of hostages by ISIL - prompted global revulsion and vows of continued international efforts to combat the Sunni group.

Jordan, a crucial ally of Washington in the Middle East, is one of five Arab countries that has joined a US-led coalition of countries carrying out air strikes against ISIL in Syria and Iraq.

'Vile murder'

Jordan's King Abdullah II, who was visiting Washington as the video came to light, recorded a televised address to his shocked and outraged nation.

The king, once in the military himself, described Kassasbeh as a hero and vowed to take the battle to ISIL.

The army and government vowed to avenge the pilot's murder, with Momani saying: "Jordan's response will be earth-shattering.

The [US] president and King Abdullah reaffirmed that the vile murder of this brave Jordanian will only serve to steel the international community's resolve to destroy ISIL.

National Security Council spokesman

"Whoever doubted the unity of the Jordanian people, we will prove them wrong," he said.

US President Barack Obama, who hosted Abdullah in a hastily organised Oval Office meeting, led international condemnation of the murder, decrying the "cowardice and depravity" of ISIL.

"The president and King Abdullah reaffirmed that the vile murder of this brave Jordanian will only serve to steel the international community's resolve to destroy ISIL," a National Security Council spokesman said after the pair met.

The Obama administration had earlier reaffirmed its intention to give Jordan $3bn in security aid over the next three years.

Kassasbeh was captured in December when his jet crashed over northern Syria on a mission that was part of the coalition air campaign against the group.

Jordanian state television suggested he was killed on January 3, before ISIL offered to spare his life and free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in return for Rishawi's release.

Highly choreographed

British Prime Minister David Cameron called the murder "sickening" while UN chief Ban Ki-moon labelled it an "appalling act".

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned it as "unforgivable".

The highly choreographed 22-minute video shows Kassasbeh at a table recounting coalition operations against ISIL, with flags from the various Western and Arab countries in the alliance projected in the background.

It then shows Kassasbeh dressed in an orange jumpsuit and surrounded by armed and masked IS fighters in camouflage.

It cuts to him standing inside a cage and apparently soaked in petrol before a masked man uses a torch to light a trail of flame that runs to the cage and burns him alive.

The video also offered rewards for the killing of other "crusader" pilots.

ISIL had previously beheaded two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers in similar highly choreographed videos.

Source: Aljazeera

 

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Russian daredevils release more photos from atop Hong Kong skyscrapers

The Russian daredevil duo who shocked Hong Kong by hijacking a billboard last year just released more hair-raising photos from their time atop our city’s tallest buildings.
 

PHOTO: On the Roofs - Facebook

PHOTO: On the Roofs - Facebook

PHOTO: On the Roofs - Facebook

PHOTO: On the Roofs - Facebook

PHOTO: On the Roofs - Facebook

Source: Localiiz

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WATCH: Brazil beauty pageant ends in chaos

RIO DE JANEIRO - "And the winner is..."

Miss Amazon 2015 in Brazil ended in acrimony and accusations of cheating when a runner-up tore the sash and crown from the winning contestant.

Smiling and holding hands, the two finalists waited for the announcement of the result of the competition on Friday night in the Amazonas state in northern Brazil.

Carolina Toledo had just a moment to celebrate her victory before furious rival Sheislane Hayalla sneaked up from behind and yanked off her crown and sash, according to video of the event posted online.





The rude departure from pageant politesse was greeted with both cheers and screams from the exasperated crowd.

Video of Hayalla's reaction went viral on social networks.

"In Manaus money is the boss and I'm showing the people of Amazonas that money is not in charge here, she did not deserve it," said Hayalla in reference to the state's capital.

Hayalla told Globo G1 that even before the event she knew she wouldn't be the winner and that Toledo was given special privileges other contestants didn't have.

"There were more prepared contestants (than the winner), and they do not regret what I did because it was not against them but against the coordination of the competition," Hayalla said.

Afterwards, an incensed Toledo said Hayalla would "face justice" for her allegations.

"I got the title by my effort, sacrifice... I sleep with a clear conscience," said Toledo.

The winner of Miss Amazon competes in Miss Brazil in September.

Source: ABS-CBN News

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Should you leave your smartphone plugged into the charger overnight?

It’s an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of the mobile phone. We use our trusty pocket computers so much that they rarely get through a day with any power left. Many of us plug them in at night and fall asleep, content in the knowledge that we’ll wake up to a fully charged device.

But is it really safe to leave our phones plugged into the charger once they’re fully charged? Is it damaging the battery — or shortening its lifespan?

There are lots of myths and questionable ideas on this topic. You’ll find the Internet awash with opinions masquerading as facts. What’s the truth? We’ve got some answers for you.

Should you leave your phone plugged into the charger overnight?

“Leaving your phone plugged in overnight is okay to do, it will not drastically harm your device,” says Shane Broesky, co-founder of Farbe Technik, a company that makes charging accessories. “Your phone is very smart. Once it’s fully charged, it knows when to stop the current from coming in to protect your phone from overcharging.”

Eventually the battery is going to noticeably degrade.

So far so good, but there are situations when leaving that smartphone plugged in overnight can slowly reduce the lifespan of your battery.

“Lithium-ion batteries can react poorly if your phone experiences elevated temperatures, leading to a damaging effect,” explains Shane. “If you have a case on your device that does not allow heat to escape, this heat will increase the temperature of the battery and will cause cell oxidation, which will shrink the capacity and shorten the lifespan.”

Make sure you take your phone case off at night if you’re going to leave your phone plugged in and charging, in other words.


What’s the optimum way to charge your phone?

“The sweet spot for lithium-ion batteries is to keep them charged between 50 and 80 percent. This allows for the charged ions to continue to work and protect the life of your battery,” says Shane. “Charging your device in short spurts throughout the day will give these ions just enough energy to keep them going.”

So frequent top-ups, rather than one daily charge up, is healthier for your battery. It’s not convenient, but that’s the optimal way to charge your smartphone if you want to ensure the longest life possible.

What to avoid

“The major threat to your battery is charge cycles,” Shane explains. “A charge cycle is where your battery goes from empty or near-empty to full — and every phone battery has a limited number of charge cycles before the end of its life.”

Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock

You may have a high number of charge cycles before that limit is reached, but eventually the battery is going to noticeably degrade. When it does, you’ll find that it lasts only a very short amount of time, or it will simply not turn on at all.

“Try to avoid going from 0 to 100 percent whenever possible, this will start to break down your battery and give your device a shorter lifespan.” Shane suggests.

Use quality accessories

There’s one other factor to consider when charging your smartphone and it concerns the quality of the accessories you use. It’s always best to use the charger and cable that shipped with your smartphone. Failing that, you can buy another official charger and cable.

Cheap counterfeits are not built with safety in mind and can be very dangerous.

Sometimes official chargers and cables are eye-wateringly expensive. But you can find reputable alternatives. Manufacturers like Farbe Technik produce safe accessories that are fully tested, certified by the likes of Apple and Samsung, and compliant with legislation. If you are going to buy a charger from a third-party just make sure to stick to big brand names.

It’s also important to ensure that the charger and cable you buy has the correct rating. Cross-check the amp or watt rating with your phone’s specifications.

The real risks are found at the cheap end of the market. Cheap counterfeits are not built with safety in mind and can be very dangerous. They often don’t meet safety standards. The London Fire Brigade released a report last year warning about the dangers of electrocution, burns, and even house fires after a number of incidents caused by counterfeit iPhone chargers. The report also offers some advice on how to spot fakes.

Quick recap

You can leave your phone plugged into the charger overnight without too much risk, provided it’s not a counterfeit charger, and you don’t let your phone overheat. For best results with your smartphone charging, here’s what to remember:

•     Always use official chargers and cables, or certified alternatives from reputable brands and retailers.
•     Don’t let your phone get too hot. Remove the case when charging overnight.
•     For the longest battery life possible, try to keep your battery between 50 and 80 percent.
•     Avoid letting phone battery completely discharge, and don’t charge it from 0 percent up to 100 percent too often.

Source: Digital Trends

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Hong Kong businessman sought in US for ‘Hangover’-style party foul

A Hong Kong businessman who graduated with an BA in Economics from Princeton University, earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvanian and has raised USD50 billion (HKD 387 billion) in proceeds for Asian corporations, can add “Party Legend” to his resume.

Guneet Banga, whose antics were described as reminiscent of the movie The Hangover by the presiding judge, is being sought by police in Montana, USA, after he missed a court appearance last week.

Last september, Banga, who had been attending a wedding nearby, was apprehended after he was found passed out naked in a stranger’s home in Flathead Lake Montana.

His long list of party fouls include leaving urine-soaked formal wear in the living room, trashing the kitchen, leaving stinking frying pans on the stove, and damaging water pipes, creating a high-pressure geyser that flooded the property’s pump room.

Not to mention the whole breaking and entering thing.

And just when you think this party animal is out of tricks, he tires to apply for diplomatic immunity following his arrest. You’ve gotta love this guy’s spirit.

On his arrest date, Banga signed a USD25,000 (HKD194,000) warrant to guarantee his return to court, but failed to show last week.

The businessman is facing charges of misdemeanour criminal trespass and felony criminal mischief, according to local paper The Missoulian.

Source: Coconuts Hong Kong

 

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Extremely Rare Shark Gets Washed Up in the Philippines

An extremely rare species of what is called deepwater shark was washed out in the Philippines.

According to various reports, a dead megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) was found by fishermen in Burias Pass, somewhere between Albay and Masbate provinces.

This discovery provided a glimpse of the extremely rare shark, with only less than 70 recorded sightings. According to marine biologist Christopher Bird and Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, this incident is only the 66th time a megamouth shark has been spotted.

Here’s a photo of the said megamouth shark, which locals who found it named “Toothless” due to its appearance resembling that of a “night fury” from the Disney animated film “How to Train Your Dragon.”



A video of the said megamouth shark was also posted by Nonus Enolvus on Facebook:

Post by Nonus Enolvus.

The megamouth shark was already dead when it was found. Its cause of death is still unknown. It is reportedly preserved on ice for further study.

Source: When In Manila

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WATCH: Liam Neeson stars in $9M Clash of Clans Super Bowl commercial

You can add “selling mobile games” to actor Liam Neeson’s certain set of skills.

The movie star is playing pitch man for top mobile game Clash of Clans in a new set of commercials that debuted during the Super Bowl. The ads show the Taken and Star Wars star threatening to go after another player that is trying to take his gold. A 30-second spot during the NFL’s championship game costs about $4.5 million. Well, developer Supercell decided to pay for a full minute of airtime during the big game. That means this ad set the company back about $9 million. Gaming on smartphones and tablets generated around $25 billion in revenues last year, and Clash of Clans was the top-grossing app on both iOS and Android in 2014.

Watch:

Clash of Clans is a free-to-play app for iOS and Android. If you’re wondering how a game that doesn’t cost anything to download can justify a Super Bowl ad, that’s because of in-app purchases that bring in hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Super Cell is paying this kind of money to keep new players coming in and playing the game.

Even if Supercell can afford it, you might think it’s unlikely that anyone is seeing that ad and then deciding to pick up their phones to download the game. And you’re right. Television campaigns for mobile games is all about brand awareness. The company is expecting that this ad will make you more likely to download Clash of Clans the next time you see an ad for it when you’re using your Facebook app or Twitter.

Source: Venture Beat

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VIDEO: Philippine air force plane crashes at sea, killing 2 pilots

File photo of PAF trainer aircraft in formation. PAF photo PAF photo PAF photo

WATCH:


MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine air force said one of its Italian-made light planes crashed at sea on a training mission Saturday, killing the two pilots.

The single-prop SF-260FH was flying in formation with two other planes on a training flight when it crashed off Nasugbo township in Batangas province south of Manila, said air force spokesman Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya.

The planes also were taking part in activities commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the province from the Japanese toward the end of World War II, he said.

He said rescuers recovered the bodies of the pilot and the co-pilot about 300 meters (yards) from the shore.

Canaya also said that air force commander Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado has ordered about 16 remaining SF-260FH planes grounded pending an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Some of training planes have been modified for combat missions against insurgents.

The Philippines military, one of the most poorly-equipped armed forces in Asia, is dealing with Muslim extremist and communist insurgents as well as incursions from China into waters it claims in the disputed South China Sea.

It plans to acquire a dozen FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea to beef up its air force by 2017.

Source: Yahoo! News
 
 

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ISIS video purports to show beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto

Islamic State (Isis) has released a video purportedly showing the beheading of the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto and containing a warning that Japan is now a target for the militants.

The video, called A Message to the Government of Japan, showed a militant who looked and sounded like a man with a British accent who has taken part in other Isis beheadings.

The man, armed with a knife and dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered, stands behind Goto before beheading him.

Goto, kneeling in an orange prison jumpsuit, said nothing in the video, which lasts about a minute. No mention was made of Muath al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot who was seized by Isis after his jet crashed in north-east Syria in December during a bombing mission against the Islamist insurgents.

Japan immediately condemned the apparent execution of Goto after days of attempts to secure his release.

Speaking soon after the video went online early on Sunday morning, the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Japan would not give in to terrorism but would work with the international community to bring Goto’s killers to justice.

The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, described Goto’s apparent murder as “despicable”.

“I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again,” Suga said. “We resolutely condemn this.”

Suga said officials were trying to verify the video’s authenticity, adding that cabinet ministers would meet to discuss the government’s response.

The US also condemned Goto’s apparent beheading. Barack Obama said: “Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, the United States will continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy Isil [Isis].”

The British prime minister, David Cameron, described the killing as “despicable and appalling” and added: “Britain stands united with Japan at this tragic time and we will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice, however long it takes.

“I welcome Prime Minister Abe’s steadfast commitment to continue Japan’s active role, working with international partners, to secure peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East. The humanitarian aid they are providing in the region is a vital part of helping the local communities that are being persecuted by the same Isil terrorists who murdered our innocent men.”

Isis had offered to release Goto in exchange for Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi terrorist who faces execution for her part in suicide bombings in Jordan in 2005.

An audio message purportedly from Goto earlier this week said Kasasbeh would be killed if Jordan did not free Rishawi, whose device failed to detonate during a string of suicide bombings that killed 60 people.

Negotiations conducted with the help of local tribal leaders became deadlocked, however, after Jordan insisted on seeing proof that Kasasbeh was still alive before releasing Rishawi, and that the pilot also be part of any prisoner swap.

In the latest Isis video, a Jihadi with a British accent issues a chilling warning to Abe, who has publicly backed coalition strikes against Isis and recently pledged $200m (£130m) in non-military aid to the campaign.

Addressing Abe, the militant says: “Because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin.”

The video, released on militant websites on Saturday night, bore the symbol of the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media arm.

Though it could not be immediately verified, it conformed to other beheading videos released by Isis, which controls a third of both Syria and neighbouring Iraq in its self-declared caliphate.

Goto, 47, a veteran war correspondent, was captured in October after he travelled to Syria to try to win the release of Haruna Yukawa, a self-styled security consultant whom Goto had met in Syria last April. Yukawa, 42, was reportedly beheaded last weekend.

Japan’s hostage crisis began almost two weeks ago after militants threatened to kill Goto and Yukawa in 72 hours unless Japan paid $200m – the same sum Abe had pledged to countries affected by the war against Isis.

Japan does not have any military involvement in the campaign against Isis and has stressed in recent days that the assistance was purely humanitarian.

Source: The Guardian

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AirAsia captain left seat before doomed jet lost control

Co-pilot of AirAsia flight QZ8501, Remi Emmanuel Plesel  Photo: AFP/Getty

The captain of the AirAsia jet that crashed into the sea in December was out of his seat conducting an unorthodox procedure when his co-pilot apparently lost control, and by the time he returned it was too late to save the plane.

Details emerging of the final moments of Flight QZ8501 are likely to focus attention partly on maintenance, procedures and training, though Indonesian officials have stressed publicly that it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.

The Airbus A320 jet plunged into the Java Sea while en route from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore on Dec. 28, killing all 162 people on board.

It had been suffering maintenance faults with a key flight control computer for over a week, and one person familiar with the matter said the captain had flown on the same plane with the intermittently faulty device just days before the crash.

AirAsia said it would not comment while the matter was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) of Indonesia.

Reuters reported this week that maintenance problems on the Flight Augmentation Computer (FAC), and the way the pilots reacted to them, were at the heart of the investigation.

After trying to reset this device, pilots pulled a circuit-breaker to cut its power, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters it was the Indonesian captain Iriyanto who took this step, rather than his less-experienced French co-pilot Remy Plesel, who was flying the plane.

The outage would not directly upset the aircraft but would remove flight envelope protection, which prevents a pilot from taking a plane beyond its safety limits, leaving the junior pilot to fly the jet manually in delicate high altitude conditions.

The decision to cut off the FAC has surprised people following the investigation because the usual procedure for resetting it is to press a button on the overhead panel.

"You can reset the FAC, but to cut all power to it is very unusual," said one A320 pilot, who declined to be identified. "You don't pull the circuit breaker unless it was an absolute emergency. I don't know if there was one in this case, but it is very unusual."

It is also significant because to pull the circuit breaker the captain had to rise from his seat.

The circuit breakers are on a wall panel immediately behind the co-pilot and hard or impossible to reach from the seated position on the left side, where the captain sits, according to two experienced pilots and published diagrams of the cockpit.

Shortly afterwards the junior pilot pulled the plane into a sharp climb from which investigators have said it stalled or lost lift.

"It appears he was surprised or startled by this," said a person familiar with the investigation, referring to the decision to cut power to the affected computer.

The captain eventually resumed control, but a person familiar with the matter said he was not in a position to intervene immediately to recover the aircraft from its upset.

Data already published on the plane's trajectory suggest it may have been difficult for someone to move around the cockpit in an upward-tilting and by then possibly unstable aircraft, but there is so far no confirmation of the cockpit movements.

"The co-pilot pulled the plane up, and by the time the captain regained the controls it was too late," one of the people familiar with the investigation said.

Tatang Kurniadi, chief of Indonesia's NTSC, told Reuters there had been no delay in the captain resuming control but declined further comment.

Airbus declined to comment.

Lawyers for the family of the French co-pilot say they have filed a lawsuit against AirAsia in Paris for "endangering the lives of others" by flying the route without official authorisation on that day. Investigators have said the accident was not related to the permit issue.

AirAsia did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Although more is becoming known about the chain of events, people familiar with the investigation warned against making assumptions on the accident's cause, which needed more analysis.

Safety experts say air crashes are most often caused by a chain of events, each of which is necessary but not sufficient to explain the underlying causes of the accident.

Source: The Telegraph

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