FRESH 4RM GIM

Spaceman came travelling: Pope Francis does not discriminate The Pope says he would happily baptise an ALIEN if one wanted to join his flock. Pope Francis I said little green men would be more than welcome at the Vatican if they should want to convert to Catholicism. The pontiff was reading a sermon about St Peter christening some pagans which didn't go down too well with other Bible fans. But the Pope said he not only agrees with St Peter's decision to reach out to the heathens but reckons he would also extend his hand to the tentacles of intergalactic non-believers. The head of the Catholic church said: "If – for example - tomorrow an expedition of  Martians  came, and some of them came to us, here... Martians, right? "Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them... And one says, 'But I want to be baptised!' What would happen?" He said the Bible doesn't discriminate against anyone, adding, “When the Lord sho

A Sudanese court ruling has sparked outrage after it sentenced a heavily pregnant woman to death for committing apostasy by leaving Islam and becoming a Christian. But what is apostasy?: The word 'apostasy' derives from the Greek word 'apostasia', which is often translated as "departing from". In religious terms, apostasy refers to the abandonment of one's faith by conversion or complete desertion. In this case, Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, was sentenced to death for leaving Islam and becoming a Christian. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes for marrying a non-Muslim, which constitutes adultery under Sudanese law. What is the punishment? The Koran, Islam's holy book, does not seem to authorise the death penalty for apostasy, although scholars defer on the punishment. What has the international community said so far? Yesterday, Mark Simmonds, the UK’s Minister for Africa, said he was "truly appalled" at the outcome of the ca

WENN With all the speculation surrounding Solange, Jay Z, Beyoncé, and why they were arguing and scrapping in that elevator in the Standard Hotel last week, all three parties have been quiet for the most part. But Beyonce did post quite a few pictures on her Instagram of her sister to show her love (and possible solidarity), but what about Solange? She has stayed especially mum, but decided to speak on Instagram for the first time since Mother’s Day (and the fight footage came out). Hey, a gal can’t miss out on a perfectly good Throwback Thursday. Of course, she said nothing about all the drama in the news, but she did post this very cute picture of herself as a child, alongside Beyoncé, as they look to have been sitting with their father, Matthew Knowles (who is cut out of the pic). They’re adorable in all their plaid glory.

The person who leaked footage of Solange Knowles attacking Jay Z has been fired.  After the New York's Standard Hotel identified the employee their contract was terminated "breaching the security polices of the hotel and recording the confidential CCTV video".  According to reports, the TMZ bought the footage for $250 000.

Reece Savva / SWNS The ghost-like apparition A teenager who took a photo of a Michael Jackson impersonator was stunned - after spotting a picture of what looks like Jacko's ghost in the background. Reece Savva, 14, took three snaps of the Jackson tribute act as he waited in line for a signature. But when he got home and looked at the pictures he noticed the ghost of the late entertainer hovering above his impersonator's head in one of the frames. In the photo, Jackson's ghost is seemingly peering over the shoulder of a Michael Jackson impersonator, perhaps trying to see what he is writing. Reece, from Bromley, Kent, was taken to the Churchill Theatre with his family to watch a Michael Jackson live tribute show. He said: "It was so eerie. There was nothing there at all when I was waiting in line. "I have no idea what happened on that one picture, but it's terrifying. It was like something out of Thriller. "It's like he just popped his

Rodgers says the Uruguayan is "very happy" at Liverpool, as speculation continues to surround his future with reports suggesting Real Madrid are considering a £70million bid Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror Praise: Rodgers says Suarez was at a "real low point at the end of the last season" Liverpool boss  Brendan Rodgers   says there will be no repeat of last summer’s  Luis Suarez  transfer saga, insiting the Uruguayan  "very happy here.” The Reds’ 31-goal striker, who was crowned PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year, has joined up with the Uruguay squad ahead of the World Cup finals in Brazil. Speculation continues to surround his future with reports suggesting Real Madrid are considering a £70million bid, reports the  Liverpool Echo. That has sparked fears that Suarez’s head could be turned by the Spanish giants but Rodgers has no such concerns. When the 27-year-old pushed for a move 12 months ago – Arsenal’

Coulter posted a photo of herself seemingly sending up photos of stars who support the campaign to free 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls US political pundit Ann Coulter has sparked outrage on Twitter after posting a photo of herself appearing to mock the #BringBackOurGirls campaign for the return of 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls. Coulter, a conservative political commentator, posed holding a banner which read: '#Bring Back Our Country,' apparently sending up photos posted by a host of stars - including US First Lady Michelle Obama - holding a sign saying #Bring Back Our Girls.' The campaign was launched to campaign for the release of schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by the Islamist group  Boko Haram  on April 14.

Glamour: In London last week at a costume gala for Ange’s new movie Maleficent They have been supporting each other on the red carpet for years but now Angelina Jolie has revealed it is the time she spends with  fiance Brad Pitt  out of the ­spotlight that has kept the A-list couple strong. In a rare interview the Hollywood actress, who last year underwent a double mastectomy, said having children had transformed their relationship and admitted: “We’ve been through so much.” Angelina, 38,  said: “We got a lot closer, which I think naturally happens with raising a family together. You have history. You have this person you live with who really knows you – you know them so well. "You’re not lovers or boyfriend and girlfriend as much as you are a family.” The star, whose new film Maleficent is out on May 28, also told US magazine People that she and Brad, 50, had six special “wedding planners” coming up with ideas for their big day – their children.

A museum dedicated to the 2,996 victims of  the 9/11 attacks  was opened by Barack Obama today. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum features 10,000 poignant artifacts, including a New York fire truck and ambulance crushed by falling masonry from the Twin Towers. The fate of both crews is unknown. Visitors to the £418million museum, near the site of the Twin Towers in downtown Manhattan, will find an array of heart-breaking artifacts from the day. A pair of spectacles found at  Ground Zero  and a pair of slippers from the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 are among the 10,000 items, while there are also 23,000 photographs, 1,900 oral histories and 500 hours of film and video. One poignant display plays the telephone messages left to loved ones from those who knew they were about to die in the towers.

SWNS Jacob Horner: Before and after Jacob Horner shed 17 stone and transformed himself into a super-fit beefcake but he was still self-conscious because he had excess skin. And the 20-year-old was disapointed after claiming the NHS refused to remove it, telling him he was still classed as  overweight  due to his muscle bulk. Jacob dropped from 28 stone to 11 stone before he bulked up to 13 stone with weightlifting. But he claims he has been refused surgery to remove his excess skin three times because his body mass index is too high so he does not qualify. Jacob said: “I’m being penalised now because I’m too fit, so I’ve had to start shedding muscle weight now to get the operation. "Because of my fitness regime I still have a BMI over 25, the limit for what’s considered ‘healthy’, due to my muscle weight. “It’s wreaked havoc on my confidence, I should be enjoying my weight loss but instead I feel paranoid about my excess skin.

The Nigerian Army has sacked  an army commander whose unit  opened fire on the GOC, ,Major General Ahmadu Mohammed. The GOC was shot at by angry soldiers of the 7th Division yesterday in Maiduguri’s Maimalari Barracks. Reason for the mutiny still not clear, but one  military source hinted that the soldiers went berserk over welfare issues However, another source said the  became angry when they saw the bodies of 12 of their colleagues being brought back from Chibok. Boko Haram fighters had killed the soldiers after the militants ambushed a convoy of soldiers returning from duties in Chibok. A spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Major General Chris Olukolade, announced the removal of the General Officer commanding the 7th Division today.

Six years after Justice Marcel Awokulehin sensationally struck out all 170-count charge of money laundering preferred against former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, a three-man panel of justices at the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal today, May 15, 2014 ruled that the ex- governor who is currently serving a 13-year jail term in a London prison, has a case to answer. The unanimous decision of court setting aside the infamous ruling of Justice Awokulehin was delivered by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa and was supported by Justices P. M Ekpe and H. A Barka respectively. Displeased with the controversial ruling by Justice Awokulehin, then of the Federal High Court, Asaba, the EFCC, had approached the appellate court to set aside the judgment on the grounds that the court erred in law. The appeal was predicated on four grounds. One, that the trial judge looked at the proof of evidence and evaluated same as if the pr

Immediate past Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, has expressed gratitude to Nigerians and other well wishers across the world who have been praying for her since the news of her sickness broke over the weekend. “I am touched – indeed, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection by my fellow countrymen and women, as well as numerous other well wishers around the world, many of whom have not only been praying for me but have also been mobilising through the various social networks for God’s healing hands to come upon me. I am confident that Almighty God will hear our prayers and grant me quick recovery. I love you all and pray that Almighty God blesses you all,” Prof. Akunyili said in a statement in Lagos issued on her behalf by her Media Advisor, Mr. Isaac Umunna. Umunna in the statement confirmed that Prof. Akunyili is presently receiving treatment in India, saying that she is responding to treatment. “She was first attended to by doctors

President Goodluck Jonathan is set to  visit Chibok, Borno State, on Friday .    According to a Reuters report, Jonathan will stop over at the town en route to a security meeting  in Paris, France. President Francis Hollande had last week called a regional security summit to discuss about the insurgent group with the aim of arriving at measures to put them in check.    The meeting is expected to be attended by Chad, Niger and Cameroon, as well as US and UK. Jonathan had come under criticism for not visiting the town since the April 14/15 abduction of hundreds of girls who were writing their secondary school certificate examination. A blast had killed 75 persons in Nyanya, near Abuja, earlier in the day.    But the president was in Kano on April 15 for a political rally. The military chiefs visited Chibok briefly last week before returning to Abuja.  

British Prime Minister, David Cameron has stated before the British Parliament that describing the Federal Government as negligent or slow to respond to rescue the over 200 missing girls in Chibok was unfair. He said the Jonathan administration was infact doing all it could and that the Nigerian government under Jonathan’s leadership had been investing in counter terrorism measures and training for its troops over the past few years. Cameron said, “Today I can announce we have offered Nigeria further assistance in terms of surveillance aircraft, a military team to embed with the Nigerian army in their headquarters and a team to work with United States experts to analyse information on the girls’ location.” “This was an act of pure evil. The world is coming together not just to condemn it but to do everything we can to help the Nigerians find these young girls.” MP Tom Clarke, a former Labour Minister and respected expert on international development asked the PM, “While I we

 The Lagos State Police Command has refuted reports there was an attempt by terrorists to bomb some part of the state yesterday. The island area of the state was deserted yesterday following rumours that three substances suspected to be bombs were found by a security guard near  the busy  Nnamdi Azikwe Road. Most markets and businesses were closed for hours as the rumour spread to most part of the state.  Security officers including the Police, Civil Defence Corp were seen condoning off part of the area. In a statement on the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ngozi Braide, however said there was no bomb threat in the area. She said the suspicious item were rubber sealants and not bombs as earlier speculated by residents of the area. According to the state police spokesperson, about 0835 hours, upon information that there were some suspicious items at Tom Jones area by Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, Lagos Island, Explosive Devise operatives were quickly mobilized to t

After winning 21 trophies and the respect of fans, team mates and opponents during a glittering career, Barcelona's inspirational captain Carles Puyol bade an emotional farewell on Thursday. The shaggy-haired defender, a world and European champion with Spain and widely admired for his never-say-die attitude, announced in March he was leaving at the end of the season following a persistent battle with a knee injury. A product of the Barcelona youth system, La Masia, Puyol made his debut under former coach Louis van Gaal and helped the club win Champions League titles in 2006, 2009 and 2011. He was a key part of Pep Guardiola's famed 'six cups' side of 2009 that won all the competitions they contested in that calendar year but has barely featured this season due to injury, making only five appearances in La Liga. "I have tried everything (to get fit)," Puyol told a news conference as he was surrounded by family, friends, current and former team mates

A Sudanese judge sentenced a heavily pregnant Christian woman on Thursday to hang for apostasy, a ruling that Britain denounced as "barbaric" and left the United States "deeply disturbed". Meriam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, 27, is married to a Christian and is eight months pregnant, human rights activists say. Born to a Muslim father, she was convicted under the Islamic sharia law that has been in force in Sudan since 1983 and outlaws conversions of faith on pain of death. "We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged," Judge Abbas Mohammed Al-Khalifa told the woman, addressing her by her father's Muslim name, Adraf Al-Hadi Mohammed Abdullah. Khalifa also sentenced Ishag to 100 lashes for "adultery". Under Sudan's interpretation of sharia, a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man and any such relationship is regarded as adulterous. In Washington, the State Department said the Unite

Rihanna and Drake have reportedly split up again. The on-again, off-again couple, who rekindled their relationship in February after briefly dating in 2009, have allegedly called off their romance after a series of arguments. A source told UsMagazine.com: "Rihanna and Drake had another fight. He is too in love with her, which has always been the problem. They have been fighting, but that could all change any day now. It is how it always is with them." Another source said they are "currently on yet another break." The  Stay  hitmaker, 26, and the 27-year-old  Hold On, We're Going Home  singer had been inseparable in recent months and friends insisted last month that they "were always meant to be together". One insider said: "They got on so well and have always had a special connection from the moment they met...and now they have found each other again, everyone just feels like this is it.