Hear that? It’s the sound of 1,000,000 hearts breaking.
One Direction’s Zayn leader is engaged to very little combine singer Perrie Edwards, the bride-to-be’s brother confirmed via Twitter.
“Right. My sister and Zayn square measure Engaged! It’s true!” Jonnie Edwards tweeted. “You seen the ring on the finger and every one that Jazz! CONGRATS!!!”
Malik and Edwards, 20, hit the red carpet weekday night for the London premiere of the boy band’s documentary, “One Direction: this is often U.S.A.,” with Edwards flaunting the new ring on her left.
“Aww the trends,” Perrie Edwards noted this morning. “#Zerrie #CongratsZaynandPerrie
Malik projected last weekend when 2 years of geological dating, consistent with British newspaper The Mirror.
“It’s one in every of the primary weekends they’ve spent with one another, as they’ve each been on tours with their bands. He needed to attend for the right moment,” a supply told the newspaper. “All her bandmates were at V competition, and she or he couldn’t wait to inform them. They’re all extremely excited for her, because the remainder of One Direction square measure for Zayn.”
TORONTO - A Toronto police officer is facing a rare murder charge in the death of a young man who was shot multiple times while apparently wielding a knife on an empty streetcar.
Const. James Forcillo was charged Monday with second-degree murder in 18-year-old Sammy Yatim's death last month.
The shooting was captured on cellphone and surveillance video on which nine shots can be heard, seconds after shouts for Yatim to drop a knife. The final six shots appear to come after Yatim had already fallen to the floor of the streetcar and he is Tasered.
It's not known how many of the shots hit Yatim, but Ontario's police watchdog — the Special Investigations Unit — has said the young man was shot multiple times.
The videos sparked outrage and prompted hundreds of people to take to the streets in two separate marches, demanding justice for Yatim.
His family released a statement Monday saying they are relieved by the charge, but hope the SIU will look into the actions of the supervising officers and other officers who were on scene "for their lack of intervention in this tragedy."
"Over 20 uniformed police officers were present and no one stepped forward to stop the gun shots or offer any mediation," the family wrote.
"Moving forward we expect complete transparency and accountability. We want to work now to ensure that Sammy's blood wasn't wasted and to prevent any other families from enduring such a tragedy."
Yatim's sister took to Twitter to share her reaction to news of the charge.
"The SIU charged the cop with 2nd degree murder!!! Good morning JUSTICE," tweeted Sarah Yatim.
If convicted, Forcillo would be the first Toronto cop to go to prison on an SIU charge. Since the agency's inception in 1990, 10 other police officers have been charged with second-degree murder or manslaughter, but only one was convicted, and that was overturned on appeal.
Forcillo has arranged through his lawyer to turn himself in Tuesday morning, at which time he will be taken into custody and appear in court, the SIU said in a statement.
Since the officer has received threats, the SIU would not say where Forcillo will surrender himself. Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack said he is concerned for Forcillo's safety in and out of custody.
"We're always concerned when one of our officers goes before the courts or gets remanded in custody," McCormack said.
"We'll ensure just like anybody else that somebody who's vulnerable is protected...We've had death threats against this officer."
Peter Brauti, the lawyer representing Forcillo, could not immediately be reached for comment. But McCormack spoke to Forcillo and said though he wasn't surprised by the charge, he was disappointed.
"He's obviously upset about the charge, the nature of the charge, concerned about it," McCormack said. "It's definitely had an adverse impact on his life."
In Saskatoon on Monday, federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay called it a "very tragic case."
"It highlights a number of important issues, not the least of which is issues that pertain to mental health questions — police training," MacKay said.
The SIU, which investigates deaths, injuries or allegations of sexual assault involving police, has investigated more than 100 firearm deaths since 1990.
Forcillo is the third to be charged with second-degree murder. One of the other officers was acquitted, while the second had his charge dismissed, though that decision is under appeal.
Eight police officers have been charged with manslaughter in Ontario since 1990 — four of them for the same death — and all were acquitted. Not all were firearm deaths.
The total of seven doesn't include Toronto Police Const. David Cavanagh, who was originally charged with manslaughter but later had his charge upgraded to second-degree murder.
Cavanagh was charged after 26-year-old Eric Osawe was shot as the Emergency Task Force guns and gangs unit searched an apartment in Toronto's west end in 2010. The Osawe family's lawyer has said the man was shot in the back.
The charge was later upgraded, but at the end of a preliminary inquiry this spring, a judge decided there was insufficient evidence to commit Cavanagh to trial on second-degree murder and dismissed the charge.
The Crown has appealed and is asking the judge to reinstate the manslaughter charge.
York Region Const. Randy Martin was acquitted in 2000 of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 44-year-old Tony Romagnuolo. Martin shot Romagnuolo four times in a scuffle outside the man's home after police showed up to arrest his son.
The Romagnuolos testified at the trial that the officers pulled their guns and began shooting during fist fights. Martin said his life hung in the balance as he fought for control of his gun. The son was also shot by another officer, but he survived.
McCormack cited Cavanagh's case as an example of why the public shouldn't rush to judgment against Forcillo.
"Our officer should be judged in this incident based on what the facts and the evidence are, not just a video or not just what somebody saw on YouTube, but looking at the larger, bigger picture," McCormack said.
In addition to the SIU's investigation, Toronto's police chief has said retired justice Dennis O'Connor will lead a separate review of police procedures, use of force and police response to emotionally disturbed people in the wake of Sammy Yatim's death.
Chief Bill Blair has said he understands the public has many questions about police conduct in Yatim's case and has said O'Connor's review will be "extraordinary" in its scope.
Ontario's ombudsman has also launched an investigation, probing what kind of direction the provincial government provides to police for defusing conflict situations.
Andre Marin has said Yatim's shooting raises the question of whether it's time for Ontario to have consistent and uniform guidelines on how police should de-escalate situations before they lead to the use of force.
Lee Thompson Young, who played the title character on Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson and currently stars on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, has died at age 29, TMZreports. Authorities believe the cause of death is suicide.
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Young's body was found by his landlord with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to TMZ. The actor was currently starring as Barry Frost on Rizzoli & Isles. Members of the show's staff became concerned when Young didn't show up for work Monday morning, and called his landlord to check up on him, TMZ reports.
"We are all without the words to truly express our collective grief and profound sadness at the loss of such a sweet, bright light," Rizzoli & Isles creator Janet Tamaro tweeted Monday afternoon. "We are broken-hearted. #RIPLeeThompsonYoung"
Tamaro later released a joint statement with Warner Bros. and TNT that reads, "Everyone at Rizzoli & Isles is devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young. We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. He was truly a member of our family. Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and offscreen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace. We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to his family, to his friends and, most especially, to his beloved mother."
Born in Columbia, S.C., Young landed the lead role in The Famous Jett Jackson in 1998. His subsequent TV credits included roles on Scrubs, FlashForward andSmallville, as well as the Friday Night Lights movie.
Rare evidence that humans lived on the River Thames 9,000 years ago has been discovered by archaeologists working on the Crossrail project.
Gold has also been discovered at its site in Liverpool Street.
Archaeologists said they were mystified as to how such a precious and expensive gold item made its way to what was then regarded as a deprived area.
They believe the 16th Century gold coin was used as a sequin or pendant, similar to those worn by wealthy aristocrats and royalty.
Also at Liverpool Street, a well made Roman road has been discovered - complete with a human bone found in the road's foundations.
Next year, archaeologists will begin excavating 3,000 skeletons from Bedlam, a 17th Century burial ground close to Liverpool Street.
'Exceptionally important location'
Archaeologists are hopeful that when they start large scale excavations to remove the skeletons they will also locate more of the Roman road, along with foundations of Roman buildings that stood alongside it.
Of the tool-making discovery, Crossrail lead archaeologist Jay Carver said: "This is a unique and exciting find that reveals evidence of humans returning to England and in particular the Thames Valley after a long hiatus during the Ice Age.
"It is one of a handful of archaeology sites uncovered that confirms humans lived in the Thames Valley at this time.
"The concentration of flint pieces shows that this was an exceptionally important location for sourcing materials to make tools that were used by early Londoners who lived and hunted on Thames Estuary islands."
Starting in 2018, Crossrail will link Maidenhead, Berkshire, in the west to Shenfield, Essex, and Abbey Wood, south-east London, in the east.
Two 18-year-old men face child pornography charges in connection with the case of a 17-year-old girl who hanged herself after she was allegedly gang-raped and bullied online, Canadian authorities said Thursday evening.
A police statement did not provide details, but the family of Rehtaeh Parsons has said she developed suicidal thoughts after she was sexually assaulted in 2011 and a picture of the incident was shared by phone and online.
The two men whose names were not released were arrested Thursday morning at their homes in Halifax, Nova Scotia, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Halifax Regional Police.
One man faces two counts of distribution of child pornography, authorities said. The other is accused of one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of making child pornography.
The two, who were minors at the time of the incident, were released on a promise to appear August 15 in youth court.
Parsons was taken off life support in April, three days after she hanged herself.
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The alleged sexual assault by four boys happened in November 2011 when Rehtaeh was 15, her family said.
Authorities confirmed that a photograph was circulated to friends' mobile phones and computers.
Police investigated, but no criminal charges were filed at that time. In April, police in eastern Canada announced they would reopen the case "in light of new and credible information that has recently been brought forward to police."
Chief Superintendent Roland Wells of Halifax District RCMP said he hoped the arrests will help the community heal.
"A young girl has died in what was a tragic set of circumstances," Wells said in Thursday evening's statement. "We all need to reflect on how we as a community can come together in Rehtaeh's memory and see what we can do to work together to support our youth."
When evidence goes viral
Parsons' mother told CNN affiliate CBC on Thursday that she felt "better" now that arrests have been made.
Leah Parsons said she learned of the arrests when police came to her house to tell her.
"I felt a little bit of relief, just to say, finally -- like I hope -- they keep saying they want to tell their side of the story, but they have never given a statement. The police have never spoken to them in all this time. So at least, here is your chance. Tell your side of the story," she said.
News of the arrests came one day after cybersafety legislation inspired by Parsons was implemented in Nova Scotia.
Opinion: The dark side of social media
The law allows victims, among other things, to sue their alleged cyberbullies. If a bully is a minor, the bully's parents can be held liable.
Officials said the timing of the arrests and the implementation of the legislation was merely a coincidence.
Even before the Snowden affair, US-Russian relations were in trouble. The interaction and body language between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland in June was astoundingly tense.
After a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, the two men sat on stage for a few snapshots, silent and sullen, until they made an effort for the rolling cameras, said a few words and forced a smile or two.
Despite efforts to reset the relationship at the start of the first Obama administration, and make progress on some dossiers, the US and Russia remained far apart on issues like missile defence and nuclear arsenal reductions.
Despite acknowledged differences, they worked together on Iran and North Korea and other global issues. But they clashed very openly on Syria.
Since the war in Syria started in March 2011, Russia's support for President Bashar al-Assad and America's backing of the rebels has reawakened the worst of the Cold War dynamic between the two powers and given Moscow a proxy battleground to spite the West.
The return of Vladimir Putin to the presidency in May 2012 solidified that trend.
The White House had already been mulling whether to go ahead with the Obama-Putin summit or not. With no progress on any of the issues at stake, there would be nothing to announce after the talks, no deliverables - so why hold a meeting at the presidential level?
While Mr Putin seemed keen on the prestige of having such a meeting on his home turf, he was offering nothing in return - except another blow to the relationship.
Russia's decision to grant whistleblower Edward Snowden asylum - and the timing of the move - infuriated Washington. It became impossible for the White House to justify the summit, especially to a domestic US audience.
Mr Obama has been criticised for being too soft on Russia. He was excoriated by Republicans last year when he was caught on an open microphone telling Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to ask Mr Putin for more space, and saying that he would have more flexibility after his re-election.
Edward Snowden, centre, in Moscow. 12 July 2013
Russia's decision to grant Edward Snowden temporary asylum angered the US
Even the New York Times chimed in on 6 August, calling on the White House to cancel the summit.
"There is no reason for Mr Obama to attend unless Mr Putin provides solid assurances that he is prepared to address contentious issues in a substantive and constructive way. Otherwise, what's the point?"
The decision to cancel the summit is a very rare diplomatic snub but the White House made it a very public one too.
When Mr Putin cancelled his visit to the US in May 2012, the White House went through all sorts of linguistic contortions to downplay the importance of his absence, insisting it was not a snub in an effort not to cause further upheaval in the relationship.
But there were no diplomatic niceties or talk about scheduling conflict to explain why the September meeting in Moscow was being cancelled. A stop in Sweden instead was immediately announced.
But during the Cold War, the US continued to talk to the Soviet Union even at the worst times. And so now too, the talks will continue, just not at the presidential level.
On Friday, the US secretaries of state and defence John Kerry and Chuck Hagel will meet their Russian counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Shoigu for previously scheduled talks in Washington.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Daraya. 1 Aug 2013
The US is frustrated by Russia's support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad
From Mr Snowden, and the reduction of nuclear arsenals, to Iran and human rights, the agenda is heavy and the onus will be on the ministers to make some progress or at least keep the relationship somewhat on track.
The only issue where there could be a tangible outcome, if the two sides want it, is on the nuclear warheads, where talks for the reduction of the active stockpile have stalled.
The biggest victim of continued fallout between Russia and the US will be Syria.
The Obama administration still believes in a political solution to the conflict, and none can be reached without Moscow. But even when they talk, Moscow and Washington are nowhere near a common vision about how to end the conflict.
In 2009 when then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov with a button symbolising the reset in the relationship, a translation error meant the word used in Russian actually meant ''overload''.
Four-and-a-half years later, overload now seems to be the accurate word to describe the state of US-Russian relations.
Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has filed a legal challenge to Robert Mugabe's victory in last week's presidential elections.
The electoral petition seeks an order for the result to be declared null and void and a new election to be called within 60 days.
The MDC's 15 grounds include alleged bribery, abuse of "assisted voting" and manipulation of the electoral roll.
Mr Mugabe, 89, won with 61% of the presidential vote.
His Zanu-PF party gained a parliamentary majority of more than two-thirds, with 160 seats against 49 for the MDC.
The MDC is to file a complaint on the parliamentary results at a later date, reports the BBC's Brian Hungwe in the capital Harare.
With a two-thirds majority, Zanu-PF is able to amend the constitution, potentially restoring presidential powers which were reduced earlier this year.
'Turned away'
Lawyers for the MDC, which filed its petition with the country's constitutional court, told the BBC they had "strong evidence of electoral irregularities".
They said a shockingly high number of people were unable to vote at the polls, and that food and other bribes were used to persuade voters to back Mr Mugabe, our correspondent says.
"The Movement of Democratic Change has filed its election petition... what we seek is that this election be declared null and void in terms of section 93 of the constitution of Zimbabwe," said MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.
The challenge comes a day after Zimbabwe's electoral commission said nearly 305,000 voters had been turned away from polling stations on election day. The MDC says the true number is about 900,000.
Mr Mugabe's margin of victory was some 940,000 votes.
A week after the election, Mr Mugabe dismissed criticism of the polls and lashed out at Western countries for their response.
Zimbabwe's nine-member constitutional court has up to 14 days to respond to the legal challenge.
Correspondents say some of the judges are believed to be Mugabe loyalists.
