HE'S BACK: Mark Sanford South Carolina Victory Takes Him From 'Free Fall' To Rebirth

WASHINGTON –- Americans, journalist David Halberstam once wrote, are "remarkably tolerant of error, particularly if it is self-confessed."

Mark Sanford is thanking his lucky stars that's the case. The former South Carolina governor won his old seat in Congress back on Tuesday, after voters in the state's coastal 1st Congressional District decided to overlook his many misadventures since he first admitted an extramarital affair in 2009.

Sanford, 52, a Republican, defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a 58-year old businesswoman best known nationally as comedian Stephen Colbert's older sister, in a special election to fill a seat vacated by former Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Scott was appointed by the state's Republican governor to the U.S. Senate after Jim DeMint left his seat early to lead The Heritage Foundation, a D.C. think tank. READ More...

Yoshihide Kiryu, 17-Year-Old Sprinter From Japan, Runs 100m In An Incredible 10.01 Seconds (VIDEO)

At just 17 years-old, Yoshihide Kiryu is a new, lightning-fast star of the sprinting world. On April 29, the teen from Japan finished a 100-meter race in an incredible 10.01 seconds -- which means he tied for the junior world record and he is one of only three men in the world (under-20) to have ever run that fast.

“It’s like a dream. Honestly, I am surprised,” Kiryu said after the race in Hiroshima, Japan, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Watch Kiryu's amazing race in the video above.

Now, the teen has set his sights on a new goal: he wants to beat his own world record.According to New Straits Times, Kiryu wrote down the new time he's aiming to achieve, 9.96 seconds, on a blackboard in his high school. If Kiryu accomplishes his goal he will also break Japan's national record. READ More...

Bob Marley's Music Uprising To Give Artistes A Voice

Marley's Beverage Company, in partnership with Sonicbids, on Wednesday, launched 'Marley's Music Uprising', a contest to discover the next great sound inspired by reggae and influenced by the legendary Bob Marley.

"Our father's music inspires people around the world," said Grammy Award-winning artiste and producer Stephen Marley.

Stephen Marley

"With 'Uprising,' we carry on his spirit to support creativity and give voice to a new generation of artistes who are following in his footsteps."

From May 1 to 15, artistes will submit original music viamarley.sonichub.com to win a series of prizes, including digital downloads, live performances at major summer festivals, and the ultimate prize, a recording session at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston,Jamaica and a track produced by Stephen Marley. READ More...

Is Jodi Arias Guilty Of Murder? You Be The 13th Juror....50 Shades Of Jodi Arias: Crazy Moments From A Crazy TrialJodi Arias Jury Deliberates Defendant's Fate (LIVE UPDATES)

The verdict could come in any minute.

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- The Jodi Arias jury began its first full day of deliberations Monday, after listening to testimony since early January.

Arias is accused of stabbing 30-year-old Travis Alexander nearly 30 times, shooting him in the head and cutting his throat from ear to ear in his Mesa home on June 4 , 2008.

The eight-man, four-woman panel, which heard four months of testimony and final arguments, deliberated a half-hour Friday evening before recessing for the weekend. READ More...

Chris Brown On Rihanna Split: 'I Can't Be Focused On Wife-ing Somebody That Young'

Chris Brown and Rihanna have broken up once again, but this time it seems like he is the one behind the split. During an interview with Australia's 2Day radio show "The Kyle and Jackie Show,"Brown admitted he and Rihanna have split, and that she would not be on hand to celebrate his 24th birthday on May 5, E! News notes. "Are you going through this birthday solo?" the radio host asked.

"Yeah, Imma do it solo," he said. "I mean, at the end of the day, shawty doing her thang, she on the road ... It's always gonna be love. I'm just gonna do me. I'm a grown man. Just gotta fast forward." When asked if he feels that he and Rihanna are soulmates, Brown said there will always be love between them. READ More...

(VIDEO) Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus Found Alive In Ohio After Being Reported Missing For 10 Years

Two women who went missing as teenagers about a decade ago were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, within a few miles of where they disappeared.

CLEVELAND — Three women who went missing separately about a decade ago, when they were in their teens or early 20s, had been tied up but were found alive Monday in a residential area just south of downtown, and three brothers were arrested, police said.

One of the women told a 911 dispatcher the person who had taken her was gone, and she pleaded for police officers to come and get her, saying, "I'm free now."

Cheering crowds gathered Monday night on the street near the home where police said Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight had been held since they went missing and were found earlier in the day. READ More...

[ RASTAFARI ] VIDEO Documentary (2013). Watch here...

THE YOUNG AND THE JOBLESS: America's Youth Unemployment Among The Worst Of Wealthy, Large Economies

 

The New York Times

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

THE idle young European, stranded without work by the Continent’s dysfunction, is one of the global economy’s stock characters. Yet it might be time to add another, even more common protagonist: the idle young American.

For all of Europe’s troubles — a left-right combination of sclerotic labor markets and austerity — the United States has quietly surpassed much of Europe in the percentage of young adults without jobs. It’s not just Europe, either. Over the last 12 years, the United States has gone from having the highest share of employed 25- to 34-year-olds among large, wealthy economies to having among the lowest. READ More...

The MANHATTANS in JAMAICA : Charity And A Show - Gleaner's Mother's Day Project Accelerates With Help From To Mom With Love

The Gleaner's Mother's Day project to engage the public in assisting selected mothers in need of tremendous financial help has picked up speed with the first recipient of the effort already beginning to see benefits.

The Manhattans

On Saturday, with the help of Golden Promotions, Tank-Weld, and DownSound Records, Thelma Reid witnessed material being laid down for a new house. Golden Promotions is the organisation in charge of To Mom With Love, an event that will include The Manhattans and Rose Royce from the United States.

One of the chief organisers of the To Mom With Love is popular promoter, Isaiah Laing. "Mothers in Jamaica, mothers all over the world are dear to me," said Laing, when asked about his involvement with the project. READ More...

IN JAMAICA: Was Penwood Stabbing Staged For YouTube?

Austin Burrell - who served as principal of Penwood High School for just over 13 years until his sudden departure - has charged that the incident three weeks ago which resulted in the death of 16-year-old Nario 'Two Face' Coleman at the school was an attempt to create a post for the widely popular video-sharing website YouTube.

Burrell made the claim during an interview with The Sunday Gleanerlast week, hours after the Ministry of Education confirmed his sudden resignation.

Austin Coleman, former Principal

"My investigation has shown that the incident was staged for YouTubeto replace the Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake which had been posted by several schools," said Burrell.

"The victim was followed and beaten up at least three times, and it was only after the main accuser was found to have sustained a stab wound that he (the attacker) went back to the victim and delivered what would be the fatal wounds," said Burrell. READ More...

Syria: Attack on military facility was a 'declaration of war' by Israel

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Syrian state-run TV says Israel struck a government defense research center Sunday
• The Israeli military declines to comment on the report
• Israel says it's not meddling in Syria's war, but it must protect itself from Lebanese militants
• On Friday, U.S. officials said Israel apparently conducted an airstrike in Syria

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- [Breaking news update at 6:25 a.m.]

(CNN) -- Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad called the Sunday attack on a Syrian military research facility a "declaration of war" by Israel.

In an interview with CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Damascus, al Mekdad said the attack represented an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel. He added that Syria would retaliate against Israel in its own time and way.

[Earlier story, from 6:02 a.m.]

Syria says Israeli rockets pummel Damascus area; Israel won't comment

(CNN) -- A series of massive explosions illuminated the predawn sky in Damascus, prompting more claims that Israel has launched attacks into the war-torn country. READ More...

A referee for a recreational soccer league who was punched in the face by a teenager has died, police in Salt Lake City said. Read More...

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The referee cites the player for an infraction
• The player turns around and punches him
• At first, officials think the referee's injuries are minor
• He dies after remaining in critical condition for a week

(CNN) -- A referee for a recreational soccer league who was punched in the face by a teenager has died, police in Salt Lake City said.

Ricardo Portillo, 46, was refereeing a game in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville on April 27 when he cited a player for an infraction and issued him a "yellow card."

In soccer, a yellow card is a caution to the player; a second results in his ejection from the game.

Ricardo Portillo died after being punched by a player last week

The decision, police say, prompted the 17-year-old player to turn around and punch Portillo in the face.

At first, authorities thought Portillo suffered only minor injuries from the assault.

But after he was taken to a hospital, doctors discovered he had suffered serious internal head injuries, police said. For seven days, he remained in critical condition. READ More...

ENOUGH: 7 American Troops Killed In Afghanistan Attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Seven U.S. service members were killed on Saturday in one of the deadliest days for Americans in Afghanistan in recent months, as the Taliban continued attacks against foreign troops as part of their spring offensive.

The renewed violence came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledged at a news conference that regular payments his government has received from the CIA for more than a decade would continue. Karzai also said that talks on a U.S.-Afghan bilateral security agreement to govern future American military presence in the country had been delayed because of conditions the Afghans were placing on the deal.

The U.S.-led coalition reported that five international troops were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, and coalition spokesman Capt. Luca Carniel confirmed that all five were American. READ More...

Israel Launches Airstrike Into Syria, U.S. Officials Say (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- Israel launched an airstrike into Syria, apparently targeting a suspected weapons site, U.S. officials said Friday night.

The strike occurred overnight Thursday into Friday, the officials told The Associated Press. It did not appear that a chemical weapons site was targeted, they said, and one official said the strike appeared to have hit a warehouse.

The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Israel has targeted weapons in the past that it believes are being delivered to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. Earlier this week, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said his group would assist Syrian President Bashar Assad if needed in the effort to put down a 2-year-old uprising. READ More...

KOBE BRYANT Sues his Mom.... Over Bid to Block Mom’s Memorabilia Sale

All-Star basketball guard Kobe Bryant was sued by a New Jersey auctioneer for trying to block the sale of memorabilia that has been held by his mother. 

Goldin Auctions LLC, based in Camden, New Jersey-based auctioneer, filed a lawsuit seeking a judge’s permission to sell items consigned to it by Pamela Bryant, mother of the Los AngelesLakers star. On April 30, Kobe Bryant’s lawyers demanded an end to a planned June auction, according to the complaint.

Enlarge image

Pamela Bryant, the mother of Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. Photographer: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

“Pamela Bryant represented to Kenneth Goldin of Goldin Auctions that most of the sports memorabilia had been stored in her possession for over 15 years,” according to the May 2 complaint in federal court in Camden. “Five years ago, she put the items in a storage unit after Kobe Bryant indicated to Pamela Bryant that the items belonged to her.” READ More...

ISRAEL conducted air strike in SYRIA with 16 Airflights over LYBIA

BEIRUT (AP) — Regional security officials say Israel conducted an airstrike inside Syria overnight near the border with Lebanon.

The two officials did not say what the target was. But they said Wednesday that Israel had been making plans in the days leading up to the airstrike to hit a shipment of weapons bound for the anti-Israel militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. READ More...

(AUDIO) Landlady Accused Of Beating Deejay, UNICORN Arrested

The landlady accused of badly beating entertainer Unicorn was arrested on Wednesday.Unicorn and his landlady had an altercation on Monday night because the deejay apparently owed $2000JA for an electricity bill. 

Unicorn has since vacated the premises. The matter is set for mention on May 10.
In relating news, despite suffering serious head injuries, Unicorn plans to hit the studio later this evening.  READ More...

The Bahamas tops Caribbean list for wealthy US visitors,,, The results of the survey list the top 10 most visited Caribbean island destinations for American luxury travellers as The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, St Maarten, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Aruba, Barbados and the Dominican Republic.

The survey sought to understand the plans of affluent Americans in the areas of travel, recreation and the purchase of vacation homes.

NASSAU, Bahamas, Thursday May 2, 2013 – A recent survey conducted by Resonance Consultancy and The Luxury Institute places The Bahamas at the top of a list of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean for affluent American travellers. 

More than 1,200 high-end households in the United States, with incomes of US$150,000 and over, were surveyed for the Resonance Report on Affluent Travel and Leisure.

The survey sought to understand the plans of wealthy Americans in the areas of travel, recreation and the purchase of vacation homes in the next 12-24 months.

Read more: 

Terror Database Grows: Number Of Names In TIDE Jumped From 540,000 To 875,000 In Just 5 Years

WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - The number of names on a highly classified U.S. central database used to track suspected terrorists has jumped to 875,000 from 540,000 only five years ago, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said.

Among those was suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whose name was added in 2011. The increase in names is due in part to security agencies using the system more in the wake of the failed 2009 attack on a plane by "underpants bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Detroit.

Intelligence and law enforcement officials acknowledged in Congress that they had missed clues to that attack despite Abdulmutallab's name appearing in the main database, known as TIDE. READ More...

OVER 400 KILLED : The bloodshed behind our cheap clothes (VIDEO)

(CNN) -- For workers of Bangladesh, the worst kind of tragedy imaginable struck last week when the Rana Plaza garment factory building -- just outside my home city of Dhaka -- collapsed, killing more than 400 workers. Despite the many warnings of dangerous cracks in the walls reported to supervisors, police and the media earlier in the week, thousands were still sent to work on Wednesday to proceed with business as usual.

There's no question that this building collapse is tragic, but for garment workers, it's not surprising.

I began working in Bangladesh's garment industry at the age of 12, making just $3 a month. I went to work because my father had a stroke and the family needed money to cover basic living expenses. I worked 23 days in a row, sleeping on the shop floor, taking showers in the factory restroom, drinking unsafe water and being slapped by the supervisor. READ More...

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Girl, 4, dies after rape in India (VIDEO)

New Delhi (CNN) -- A week after the news of a child rape sparked protests in India, hospital officials confirmed the rape of another girl.

Protesters

The 4-year-old died Monday from cardiac arrest at Care Hospital in Nagpur, India, a spokesman said. A 35-year-old man has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting the girl, said Mithilesh Shukla, superintendent of police.

Read more: Anger, frustration over rapes in India

It is the latest in a number of assaults that caused outrage and raised questions about how women and girls are treated in India.

The girl was allegedly abducted from Ghansaur, a small town in central India, on April 17, and her family found her the next day, unconscious and with severe head injuries, Shukla said. READ More...

(VIDEO) 5-year-old Kentucky boy fatally shoots 2-year-old sister. the 5-year recently received the gun for his birthday.

(CNN) -- A Kentucky mother stepped outside of her home just for a few minutes, but it was long enough for her 5-year-old son to accidentally shoot and kill his 2-year-old sister with the .22-caliber rifle he got for his birthday, state officials said.

The shooting that took the life of Caroline Sparks in southern Kentucky has been ruled an accident, Kentucky State Police Trooper Billy Gregory said.

"It's just one of those nightmares," he said, "a quick thing that happens when you turn your back."

Young children in the area are often introduced to guns at an early age, Gregory said.

Ferguson: Irresponsible humans, not guns

"In this part of the country, it's not uncommon for a 5-year-old to have a gun or for a parent to pass one down to their kid," he said. READ More...

(VIDEO) BOMB IN SCHOOL: Kiera Wilmot, 16, Arrested And Expelled For Explosive 'Science Experiment'

What Kiera Wilmot claims started as a harmless experiment is now a nightmare for the 16-year-old Florida native.

Wilmot, a Bartow High School student, was arrested at her school last week for allegedly detonating a water bottle filled with an explosive concoction of common household chemicals. According to the Miami New Times, "[A] police report ... indicates Wilmot mixed toilet bowl cleaner and aluminum foil -- a combination that has inspired hundreds of YouTube videos and generally produces a fairly unimpressive explosion."

One teen told Florida-based WTSP News 10 that Wilmot merely wanted to see what would happen when those chemicals mixed. READ More...

DRUG OVERDOSE...Chris Kelly Dead: Kris Kross Rapper Dies At 34 (VIDEO)

Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died Wednesday of an apparent drug overdose, The Associated Press reported. He was 34.

Kelly, who was known as "Mac Daddy," and his partner Chris Smith (a.k.a. "Daddy Mac"), were only 13 years old in 1991 when they were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri while performing at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. Dupri's label, So So Def, signed the boys and sent them into the studio to record their first album.

Kris Kross rocketed to stardom a year later with the release of the single "Jump." The song spent eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, became an aerobics anthem and helped their debut album "Totally Krossed Out" go multiplatinum, CNN reported. READ More...

WAR WEARY: POLL: Little Support For Military Intervention In Syria... Or North Korea

Few Americans want the U.S. military to get involved in the conflict in Syria, even those who think Syria has used chemical weapons against its people, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll.

Only 5 percent of respondents said they would support sending ground troops to Syria, while 68 percent said they were opposed. And support for the military providing weapons to rebel fighters was only barely higher: respondents opposed doing so 51 percent to 12 percent. Conducting air strikes saw 49 percent opposed to 16 percent in favor. Opposition to each type of intervention crossed party lines, with Democrats, Republicans and independents largely in agreement that the U.S. should not intervene. READ More...

Pat Toomey: Background Checks Died Because GOP Didn't Want To Help Obama

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) blamed partisan politics for the failure of his bipartisan push to expand background checks for gun sales. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) revealed that some members of his party opposed expanding background checks for gun sales recently because they didn't want to "be seen helping the president."

Two weeks ago, only three Republican senators voted for the bipartisan background checks amendment sponsored by Toomey and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), despite overwhelming popular support for such a measure. "In the end it didn’t pass because we're so politicized. There were some on my side who did not want to be seen helping the president do something he wanted to get done, just because the president wanted to do it,” Toomey admitted on Tuesday in an interview with Digital First Media editors in the offices of the Times Herald newspaper in Norristown, Pa. READ More...

PORTIA SIMPSON....PM Revives Housing Plan - Inner-City Project Will Positively Transform Lives, Says Simpson Miller

PM Revives Housing Plan - Inner-City Project Will Positively Transform Lives, Says Simpson Miller

Announcing the restart of the Inner-City Housing Project (ICHP), Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller yesterday declared that such initiatives would "lift the standard and thinking of the people" in depressed communites and expressed confidence. READ More...

(VIDEO) Henry Gribbohm Loses Life Savings At Carnival Game, Wins Stuffed Banana With Dreadlocks

Something about this prize is rather a-peeling.

He emptied his bank account, and all he has is this Rasta banana.

Henry Gribbohm, 30, has filed a police report after he says he lost over $2,600 on a carnival game and won only a stuffed banana with dreadlocks, WLKY reported.

The Epsom, N.H., man attended a carnival in Manchester on Saturday where he played a ball-tossing game called "Tubs of Fun." Gribbohm told WBZ-TV his goal was to win an Xbox Kinect for his kids, but after spending $300 on the game without success, he went home to get another $2,300 -- all of the money he had. READ More...

Boston Police Announce 3 More Suspects In Custody For Marathon Bombings

The Boston Police Department announced that three more suspects connected to the deadly bombings at last month's Boston Marathon are in custody.

The police made the announcement with a Twitter message Wednesday morning.The three suspects being held by the police are college students who allegedly helped Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after the double bombing near the finish line on April 15, the Boston Globe reported.
"Please be advised that there is not a threat to public safety," the police announced in a statement. "There is no additional info to release at this time. Additional details will be provided when they become available." READ More...

POPE: BANGLADESHI 'SLAVE LABOR' GOES 'AGAINST GOD' ....Pope Francis Condemns 'Slave Labor' In Bangladesh: 'Goes Against God'

Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned as "slave labour" the work conditions of victims of a factory collapse in Bangladesh in which more than 400 people have been found dead, Vatican radio reported.

"A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour," the pope was quoted as saying at a private mass.

"Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us -- the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity. How many brothers and sisters find themselves in this situation!" he said. READ More...