Riots, strikes as rape accused killed in custody

A man accused of the gang rape and murder of a girl in northern India has been killed in police custody, an official said Thursday, sparking angry riots in the usually tranquil Himalayan region.
Hundreds of protesters furious over the police handling of the case chanted "we want justice" in the popular tourist hill resort of Shimla, with businesses remaining closed in some parts of
Himachal Pradesh state.
There have been vigils and strikes across the region since the 16-year-old victim was found naked and mutilated in a forest, with many accusing police of bungling the investigation.
Tensions escalated further after a suspect held for the gruesome crime was killed in his cell by another inmate during a scuffle.
Nepalese national Suraj Singh, struck his head against the wall
"and was taken to hospital where he was declared dead," said Z.H. Zaidi, the police inspector general.

News of his death triggered fury, with rioters torching a police station and vehicles.
The brutality of the crime shocked residents in Himachal Pradesh, a Himalayan state with some of India's lowest rates of sexual violence, and prompted calls for a swift investigation.
An autopsy confirmed the girl was gang raped and strangled. She sustained severe injuries in the assault, including a broken leg.
Six men were arrested but those calling for swift justice accused police of bungling the case, saying the main culprits were still at large.
"The main accused is roaming free. How can anyone die in police custody?" one protester in Shimla told Indian broadcaster NDTV on Thursday.
India has a gruesome record on rape. Nearly 40,000 rape cases are reported every year but the real number is thought to be much higher, with victims wary of how their complaints will be handled.
Nearly 2,200 rapes were registered in 2015 in the Indian capital New Delhi -- an average of six per day.
Himachal Pradesh recorded 244 rapes that same year, among the lowest rates in India.

Kate Middleton just gave the best response to someone who called her 'perfect'

Kate Middleton always looks flawless when she's photographed out and about. But that doesn't mean she's perfect—and she wants you to know that.
Kate is currently on a royal tour of Poland with her husband Prince William and their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Magda Mordaka , a 21-year-old student who is a fan of the royals, told Hello! magazine that she spoke to the Duchess of Cambridge outside the presidential palace in Warsaw. "We are fans of the British monarchy. We have a Facebook group," Magda said of the encounter. "We were telling her that she is beautiful and perfect, but she said it's not true—it's just the make-up."
Though she's unquestionably a stunning woman, Kate does make a good point. It's easy to constantly look flawless when you're wearing professional makeup and lovely designer clothes. Comparing your everyday self to Kate Middleton's picture-perfect highlight reel will definitely only exhaust you.
This isn't the first time the Duchess has tried to keep it real with people about her life. In a candid speech about mental health in March, Kate admitted that even with the best help in the world, parenting can still be a significant challenge.
"Nothing can really prepare you for the sheer, overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother," she said.
But during another event in Warsaw, the Duchess was overheard joking that she and William may have more children.
According to the Daily Mail, toy designer Julia Sielicka-Jastrzebska offered Kate a toy designed to soothe infants.

"We gave the Duchess some presents for Prince George and Princess Charlotte," Sielicka-Jastrzebska said. "She said they should have more babies, and they laughed."
Shout-out to Kate for bringing some humor and realness to her royal role.

Salleh Said Keruak, communications and multimedia minister, told AFP that his ministry received numerous complaints...

Muslim-majority Malaysia has stopped playing the sexually charged song "Despacito" on public broadcast stations, a senior minister said Thursday after critics labelled it un-Islamic.
Salleh Said Keruak , communications and multimedia minister, told AFP that his ministry received numerous complaints over the steamy lyrics of the reggaeton beat song that has won international popularity.
"Despacito will not be aired by the government-owned broadcast stations because we received public complaints. The lyrics are not suitable to be heard," he said.
Salleh said he hoped private television and radio stations would follow suit.
"For Malaysian private stations, we encourage them to practise self-censorship," he added.
"Despacito" -- a racy track full of sexual innuendo which features Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee -- went viral soon after its release in January, and found an even wider audience in April when pop celebrity Justin Bieber sang in a remix.
The song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi has been named the most streamed song of all time worldwide, and is also popular in Malaysia.
The Southeast Asian country has strict censorship laws, and has in the past banned songs with foul language and cut or axed films deemed too sexy or dealing with sensitive issues.
Earlier the opposition Islamic party, Parti Amanah Negara , urged the government to ban the Spanish song over its "sexy" lyrics.
Atriza Umar, chairperson of its women's wing, described the music as "porn" and unsuitable for young children, warning the song could destroy the moral fabric of the society.
"I regret that these problematic songs are not censored by the ministries," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I urge the authorities to ban this song and other songs that contain sexy and violent lyrics which are not suitable in accordance with Islam and our eastern culture," Atriza added.
But minister Salleh admitted that in the modern era, fans will still be able to download and listen to the song on other platforms.

Singer shows off diamond encrusted '30 billion' bling

Davido is on a wavy level!
The music star got himself a customised new bling with the inscription '30 billion gang'. This comes after the ' If ' singer moved into his renovated Lekki mansion.
He announced the completion of the building in an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. Davido also own a vacation house in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
"My crib complete!! Big ups @_infiniteconstruction", the 'Fall' singer captioned a picture of the all-white painted masterpiece.
Meanwhile, Davido's reps are denying reports that the singer's crew members suffered black eyes from a Mr Chris in London.
Pulse reached out to the singer's rep Vanessa Amadi who told us the story is untrue. She said, "this story is completely false ."
Mr Chris, a self-proclaimed socialite, claimed he almost beat up the OBO singer at a club in London. According to him, Davido was sneaked out by his crew mates through the back door.
Nawa oooo David I hmmm

Mourinho treating Manchester derby as training session

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said he plans to treat Thursday’s exhibition match against Manchester City as a training session as the two Premier League rivals prepare to clash in Houston.
Manchester United team members stretch during an Open Training Session
The two teams meet at the NRG Stadium — home of the Houston Texans NFL team — in the first ever edition of the Manchester derby to be staged overseas.
Mourinho, who will lock horns with City boss Pep Guardiola once more, insisted however he was not concerned with the result of the game.
“It’s nice for the US and US fans, it’s very good for the event. I think it’s very good for both clubs and there is always a little bit of rivalry, a bit of an extra ingredient but for me it’s a friendly,” Mourinho said.
“I’m not going to jump to celebrate a goal, or cry if we concede, it’s preparation for me. The European Super Cup is a match, West Ham is a match,” the Portuguese manager added.
Mourinho is likely to field two separate line-ups during the game, with one XI playing 60 minutes and a second XI 30 minutes.
In United’s two previous tour games — wins over the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake — he changed the entire line-up at half-time.
“It’s a competitive training session, a training session that you try to win but it’s not the most important thing,” he said.
“I know what I want and it’s to give minutes to my players, to improve, to make mistakes to repeat in training exercises to stop those mistakes and to make the new players try to understand their teammates.”
Mourinho meanwhile brushed off questions about former club Chelsea’s capture of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid earlier Wednesday, insisting he was happy with United’s high-profile signing of Romelu Lukaku last week.
“I’m not interested in what Chelsea FC does, really,” Mourinho said. “We got a big player, a player that I can compare with what he was a few years ago, because he worked with me for a few months and his development was very good.
“We have a player who is now a top player. You have to prove it at the highest level, he has to do it for United, in Champions League matches but he has amazing qualities.”
Mourinho meanwhile reiterated that United had not finished their transfer business, but conceded the market made doing business difficult, and he may scrap initial plans to sign four players during the window.
“Everybody knows I would like four players and I’m ready to go from four to three because the market is difficult, some clubs think the market is different from others,” he said.
“We are not a club that is ready to pay what the clubs want us to pay so I’m ready to go from four to three.”

Unilever first half profits soar 22.4 percent

Food and consumer products giant Unilever said Thursday profits soared in the first half of 2017 , raking in 3 . 3 billion euros after the Anglo-Dutch firm spurned a takeover bid by US rival Kraft Heinz .
The 22. 4 percent hike in the first six months compared to the same period last year showed “a substantial step-up in profitability despite the persisting volatile global trading environment, ” chief executive Paul Polman said.
“The transformation of Unilever into a more resilient, more competitive and more profitable business is accelerating, ” he added in a statement .
Sales for the first half of the year rose 5 . 5 percent to 27 . 7 billion euros, with turnover growing particularly in Asia amid rising prices and in parts of the Americas .
Currency fluctuations also helped profits, even though sales “ remained weak ” in Europe.
The Rotterdam -based Unilever , which employs some 169, 000 people around the world , owns more than 400 household brands including Dove, Knorr soups, Lipton , Magnum and Marmite .
Since rejecting the Kraft Heinz bid in February, Unilever has sought to prove to shareholders that it is better off on its own and vowed better profitability .
In April , it unveiled a 3 . 5 -billion euro restructuring plan and announced the spin -off of its margarine division , hoping to soothe investors concerns after rejecting the proposed tie-up with Kraft which would have valued the group at $ 143 billion.
“The preparation for the exit from spreads via a sale or de -merger is well underway, ” the company said in a statement , adding the board was expected to decide on the way forward before the end of the year after the results of a review.
Excluding spreads, underlying sales growth was up 3 . 4 percent, and the company said it was offering 1 . 09 euros per share , up 24 . 1 percent.
Polman predicted “ accelerated growth ” in the second half of the year for Unilever and said underlying sales growth for 2017 would be in the 3 . 0 -to-5 . 0 percent range.
Unilever is listed in both London and on the Amsterdam AEX, a historic status which the company is also reviewing.

Boko Haram suspects killed, tortured in Cameroon custody

Dozens of Boko Haram suspects have died in Cameroon custody, rights group Amnesty International said Thursday, with security forces brutally torturing them in the fight against the jihadist group.
Though Boko Haram originated in Nigeria , the Islamic State-affiliated group has carried out frequent attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger .
The NGO said it had found 101 people who said they were held in secret and tortured by the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR ) and the General Directorate of External Research (DGRE), Cameroon ’ s intelligence services , between March 2013 and March 2017.
“They asked me to tell them if I knew members of Boko Haram. That’ s when the guard tied my hands and feet behind my back and started to beat me with an electric cable, while throwing water on me at the same time, ” Amnesty cited a prisoner as saying. “ They beat me half to death, ” he added .
Of the 101 documented individuals, 32 claimed to have witnessed the death of a fellow prisoner , according to the Amnesty report “Cameroon ’ s Secret Torture Chambers: Human Rights Violations and War Crimes in the Fight Against Boko Haram”.
The group said most of the torture was carried out in two sites: the BIR headquarters in Salak and a DGRE facility in Yaounde.
Amnesty said US and French military personnel were present at the BIR base in Salak and called on the two governments to investigate whether they were aware that illegal detention and torture was taking place on site.