HE WANTED TO KILL AN ELEPHANT AFTER HE KILLED CECIL, THE LION

Cecil hunter Walter Palmer 'wanted to kill an elephant after killing the lion'

EXCLUSIVE: The US dentist's guide gives first detailed account to the Telegraph of the hunt that led to the animal's death

By Peta Thornycroft, Johannesburg, and Harriet Alexander

9:00PM BST 30 Jul 2015

Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who shot dead Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe, asked to kill a massive elephant after shooting the protected animal – but was unable to find one sufficiently large enough, his guide has exclusively told The Telegraph.

Speaking for the first time since this newspaper revealed that Dr Palmer hadfired the arrow that felled the much-loved lion, Theo Bronkhorst has given a detailed account of the July 1 hunt which, he said, went wrong from the start.

On Wednesday, Mr Bronkhorst appeared before magistrates in Hwange, north-western Zimbabwe, and was remanded on bail. He is forbidden from continuing with his hunting business, which he has run since 1992, and has been left devastated by the international fury directed at him since Cecil’s death.

His account of how Cecil came to be killed suggests there was confusion from the outset of Dr Palmer’s trip.

“This hunt… Oh no, it went wrong from the beginning,” Mr Bronkhorst said, speaking from his home in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo.

“When Dr Palmer arrived in Bulawayo, his luggage was missing and I was dashing around looking for it. So we were late getting ready to go,” he said.

“And we were never meant to hunt on the land where this lion was shot. At the last minute I had to divert from a concession [hunting area] about eight miles away.”

Dr Palmer, an enthusiastic game hunter, paid £35,000 for his permit to shoot a lion.

The killing of Cecil – which had been tagged with a collar as part of a research project run by Oxford University – has caused an international outcry that has forced the dentist into hiding.

The Government expressed its dismay on Thursday, with David Cameron saying that Britain intends to play a “leading role” in fighting the illegal wildlife trade. Grant Shapps, the minister for Africa and former Tory chairman, has written to the Zimbabwean environment minister to call for an Africa-wide ban on “barbaric hunting” in the wake of an act he described as “revolting”.

The land on which Cecil was shot was a farm called Antoinette, which borders Hwange national park. It is currently occupied by Honest Ndlovu – who appeared in court alongside Mr Bronkhorst on Wednesday, but has not been charged with illegal hunting. His lawyer, Tonderai Mukuku said he may have to become a state witness against Mr Bronkhorst.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Bronkhorst explained that, on the night of July 1, he was accompanied by his son Zane, also a professional hunter; his client, Dr Palmer; and a scout sent by Mr Ndlovu.

“We set off quite late, with the sun down, and found the carcass of an elephant which we dragged and moved into the long grass and used for bait,” he said. “We then established the ‘tree blind’ [a camouflaged hide made of tree branches and grass].

“Once we were established, and it was quiet, we first saw a lioness go past. And then a huge male – Cecil – came into view behind her. He was a magnificent animal.

“The client then fired using a bow and arrow, and it went away into the long grass. This was about 10 pm.”

Mr Bronkhorst said he had a sense that the lion was hit, but could not be sure.

“Bow and arrow wounds are different to gun wounds, and they don’t show much. But we couldn’t do anything that night.”

The four men went home for the night before returning to search for Cecil at dawn the next day.

“I was worried about the lion and what had happened,” said Mr Bronkhorst.

“We got there about 9am, and we found it and it was wounded, and the client then shot it, with his bow and arrow, and killed it.”

It was then the hunters went over to it, and saw it had a collar.

“I was devastated,” said Mr Bronkhorst, who immediately saw that he had killed a protected lion.

“I could not have seen the collar at night. We would never shoot a collared animal. I was devastated, and so was the client, we were both upset, and I panicked and took it off and put it in a tree.

“I should have taken it to Parks [the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlfe Management Authority], I admit that. So we did what had to be done. We took the head and skin, as the client had paid for the trophy.

“I went to Parks and reported what had happened. I wish I had taken the collar.

“We then went back to my place near Hwange. The client asked if we would find him an elephant larger than 63 pounds, [the weight of one tusk] which is a very large elephant, but I told him I would not be able to find one so big, so the client left the next day and went to Bulawayo for the night and then flew out [to Johannesburg] midday the following day.

“He was only here for a few days. He shot the lion he wanted to shoot, he paid for the trophy, which is the skull and skin. I took it to Bulawayo where we were curing it, prior to it going to a taxidermist for export to the US where it would be assembled and mounted. They do that better there then we do it here.”

Mr Bronkhorst said his lawyer advised him after the opening of the court case to hand over the head and skin to the parks authority.

“I never knew anything about Cecil, this famous lion,” he said. “I only found out from the media. I would not have known him anyway.

“There were four other collared lions shot in the same area this year. If I had been able to take the client where we were due to be, this would not have happened.”

Mr Bronkhorst started his hunting business after being violently evicted from his 1,269-hectare game farm, Southcum, near Kwekwe, in central Zimbabwe, as part of the Mugabe government’s land grab.

“I don’t want to shoot any animals. I do it because it is the only way I can earn a living,” said Mr Bronkhorst, who is married with two grown-up sons.

“I am a farmer. But I lost my farm in 2000 and I am forced to hunt, but have only done so five times in the last year. I like to lead a quiet life. I like breeding game, and am presently trying to increase the number of sable in Zimbabwe, which I am importing from Zambia.”

In the wake of the furore over Cecil, the United Nations on Thursday passed a resolution committing countries to intensify the fight against wildlife crime.

The resolution treats the issue as an aspect of organised crime, urging law enforcement agencies to use anti-money laundering measures to go after perpetrators.

Steven Broad, Executive Director of Traffic, which monitors the trade in wildlife, said: “This is an historic day – the world has sent an unequivocal and collective signal at the highest level that ending wildlife crime is a top priority.”

His group estimates that as many as 30,000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory tusks in Africa.

Rhino poaching in South Africa last year hit a record high, when 1,215 were killed for their horns.

The UN resolution encourages countries to “adopt effective measures to prevent and counter the serious problem of crimes that have an impact on the environment, such as illicit trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products…as well as poaching.”

Could President Obama Win A Third Term?

President Obama speaks in Ethiopia. While there, he noted that in the U.S., presidents can't run for more than two terms. But if they could, he said, he'd win.

Mulugeta Ayene/AP

President Obama was giving the final speech of his Africa tour, offering a critique of the young democracies on that continent, singling out the all-too-typical practice of leaders overstaying their terms in office.

"When a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife," Obama said, aware that the president of Burundi, seated nearby, had recently defied that country's two-term limit.

Obama pointed to the shining example of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, who left office on schedule and transferred power peacefully.

Obama also pointed to himself.

"I actually think I'm a pretty good president," he said with a smile. "I think if I ran I could win. But I can't. ... The law is the law, and no one person is above the law, not even the president."

The law the president mentioned is the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting a president to two terms. It was ratified in 1951, in a kind of delayed reaction to the epochal presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who won his fourth term in 1944.

Obama was talking about African leaders, but back in the States, that context was often lost in heated reactions to his claim to re-electability.

The very idea ignited digital high dudgeon. News websites featuring the story were soon festooned with endless reader comments, many interpreting Obama's statement as a dark hint that he plans to do just what he was denouncing.

Wrote one commenter identified as "Snowleopard" on The Blaze: "Honestly, I expect that Obama will find some excuse to nullify the next elections, and declare himself as President for Life ... "

"Sargeking" heard much the same message: "He has ignored our Constitution from day one since 2008, why should he amend his ways now? In fact, I harbor the thought that he's waiting for some major event that will posture him in a 'holdover' for the duration."

Some commenters worried about Obama finagling a third term by some back-door maneuver, such as having first lady Michelle Obama run for president — or perhaps by becoming vice president to a President Joe Biden.

But even those who do not imagine a palace coup in the making might well dispute the president's boast about winning again.

A third term, really? With all the controversy over Obamacare and the Iran deal and executive orders on immigration? With an approval number that's nearly always below 50 percent, and other measures of the national mood lukewarm at best?

Well, it's an exercise in pure speculation. But it is a question with real relevance for Hillary Clinton, or whomever the Democrats wind up nominating. Because that nominee will inevitably be said to be running for "Obama's third term."

Let's say you combine three polling numbers: the president's job-approval ratings, the national "right direction-wrong track" score and the "generic ballot" for Congress (a choice between the parties). Obama's standing by these data points right now is about where it was in the summer of 2012, less than six months before he swamped Mitt Romney in the Electoral College.

The difference is, of course, that when you go from polling to an actual election, you run against an actual opponent. And the question of re-election becomes: "Compared to what?"

That thought weighed on blogger Aaron Goldstein on the conservative The American Spectator's website. While dreading the thought of another Obama term, Goldstein wasn't sure the voters would agree.

"Say what you will about Obama," Goldstein wrote. "The man knows how to run a campaign, at least when he is at the center of it. Sure he has a lot of help from a sympathetic and sycophantic media. But Obama and his team ... know how to make the other guy ... the issue."

Goldstein shakes his head over the performance of Romney (and John McCain in 2008), and he doubts most of the 2016 contenders as well (making an exception for Scott Walker).

Four U.S. presidents have completed a second term since that became the limit, and three of them might well have had a shot at winning again: Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Eisenhower was still popular in 1960, despite ill health, and his vice president (Richard Nixon) came within a whisker of succeeding him that year. Reagan almost certainly would have been re-elected in 1988, when hisvice president (George H.W. Bush) did, in fact, win.

Clinton in 2000 had survived impeachment and ridden good economic times to an approval rating well over 60 percent. Sure enough, his vice president (Al Gore) won the popular vote for president that year by half a million votes (while losing the Electoral College by one state).

In each of those three elections, the crucial element was the nominee offered up by the party out of power. For many voters, those nominees helped make the prospect of a third term for the retiring incumbent look pretty good.

One thing to bear in mind: If it were possible for Obama to run again, he would presumably benefit from the continuing shift in voter demographics. Since Reagan's first victory in 1980, the percentage of the presidential vote cast by non-Hispanic whites has fallen from about 90 to 72 percent — or about 2 percent on average in each election.

That is a big reason why Republicans have won the popular vote only once in the past six presidential cycles. Assuming this change in the electorate continues apace, the Obama of 2016 would start with an even greater edge than the Obama of 2008 or 2012.

So count Obama out in 2016, because the Constitution says no. Even if the voters might not.

Microsoft's Windows 10: Why it's free and why it's a big deal

by The Associated Press Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system debuts TODAY, Wednesday, as the longtime leader in PC software struggles to carve out a new role in a world where people increasingly rely on smartphones, tablets and information stored online. No one's expected to line up overnight for Windows 10, the way people did 20 years ago for Windows 95. But Microsoft is counting on tens or even hundreds of millions of people to download its latest release for free in the coming months. The launch will be accompanied by a global marketing campaign for an event the company hopes will be pivotal — both for its own future and for a vast audience of computer users around the world. Windows 10 is coming to PCs and tablets first, but it's also designed to run phones, game consoles and even holographic headsets. It has new features, a streamlined Web browser called Edge and a desktop version of Cortana, the online assistant that is Microsoft's answer to Google Now and Apple's Siri. Still, the company insists Windows 10 will seem familiar to users of Windows 7, the six-year-old operating system still running on most PCs. Microsoft and PC makers want to erase the memory of the last big update, 2012's Windows 8, which alienated many with its jarring, unwieldy design. Microsoft skipped the name Windows 9, as if to distance itself further from the last release. While many analysts believe Windows 8 made sagging PC sales even worse, it's unclear if Windows 10 will spur the industry back to growth. Here's a look at the launch and why it matters: What happens this week? Microsoft plans promotional events in several cities Wednesday, tied to a global ad campaign and a series of charitable donations. About 5 million people who enrolled in an earlier test program will be able to download Windows 10 right away. The company is also offering Windows 10 as a free download, any time over the next year, to anyone who has the Home or Pro versions of Windows 7 or 8 (but not the Enterprise versions used by big organizations). Some may not get it the first day; Microsoft says it will deliver downloads in waves, to ensure things go smoothly, but it hasn't said how long that will take. Details on how to upgrade are here: http://bit.ly/1eNCySl . Retailers such as Best Buy, Staples and Wal-Mart will have some desktops and laptops with Windows 10 already installed. More models are coming. Why is Microsoft giving Windows 10 for free? The company wants to get the new software on as many devices as possible. Microsoft needs a large pool of users to convince independent programmers that it's worth their time to build useful or entertaining apps for Windows 10 devices. Executives also believe that if people are exposed to the latest and best Windows, they're more likely to try other Microsoft products on PCs and mobile devices. CEO Satya Nadella says he wants to have 1 billion devices running Windows 10 in three years. Microsoft estimates there are 1.5 billion people who currently use some kind of Windows. Rather than charging them to upgrade, as Microsoft used to do, it's embracing the free download model pioneered by Apple and Google. How will Microsoft make money? Microsoft will still collect licensing fees from PC makers that install Windows 10 on new machines. In recent years, most consumers have waited until they bought a new computer to get the latest Windows. Microsoft also makes money from selling Windows and other software to large businesses and organizations. In addition, Microsoft is counting on Windows 10 to spur more use of other services. Microsoft makes money from selling advertising for its Bing search engine, and Windows 10 comes with many apps that steer people to Bing. The company also collects fees from people who use premium versions of its Office software, OneDrive cloud storage and Skype. Why does this matter to consumers? Microsoft says Windows 10 is designed for the way people use computers today — with a faster web browser and features that make it easier to start tasks on a PC and then switch to a hand-held device. (Apple and Google tout similar features in their software.) Windows 10 also lets users log in with their face, iris or thumbprint, instead of remembering passwords, though this works only with computers equipped with the right hardware. Most PC users are still working with Windows 7, thanks to Windows 8's unpopularity. But Microsoft plans to phase out maintenance and security support for Windows 7 over the next five years, and for Windows 8 by 2023, as it did with the older Windows XP. Still, there's no need to panic about upgrading right away. Why is it important to the tech industry? The growth in mobile devices has caused PC sales to decline for more than three years, hurting manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard and companies like Microsoft and Intel, whose products are used with PCs. Windows 10 won't make people give up their hand-held gadgets, but it's part of Nadella's strategy to reposition Microsoft for a world where people use multiple devices. PC makers are hoping he succeeds. Jeff Barney, who runs Toshiba's consumer PC business, said the new software is easier to use than Windows 8 and will complement hardware advances in Toshiba's newest machines. Although Barney isn't expecting a big rush to stores Wednesday, "over time, I think we're going to see a positive trend in sales." © The Associated Press, 2015

LORD SEWEL RESIGNS FROM HOUSE OF LORDS AFTER BEING FILMED WITH DRUGS AND PROSTITUTES

from BBC NEWS Lord Sewel has resigned from the House of Lords after being filmed by the Sun on Sunday allegedly taking cocaine at his London flat, in the company of prostitutes. Before he decided to resign, his case focused attention on the rules for expelling peers. John Buttifant Sewel, 69, was awarded a peerage in 1996, after a long career in higher education. He worked at Aberdeen University for more than 30 years, firstly as an academic and then as vice-principal between 1995 and 1997 and 1999 and 2004. He was a Labour councillor for many years, leading Aberdeen Council and heading the body which represents all Scottish authorities in the 1970s and 1980s. As a junior Scottish Office minister in the government of Tony Blair, he helped steer legislation through the House of Lords which paved the way for a Scottish Parliament. As a result, his name was given to the so-called Sewel convention, which allows the UK Parliament to pass legislation on a devolved issue extending to Scotland, over which the Scottish Parliament has legislative authority. He stood for the Scottish Parliament in its inaugural election in 1999 but was not successful. He is also a member of the Nato parliamentary assembly, attended by politicians from the defence alliance's 28 members. What role did he have in the Lords? After stepping down as a minister in 1999, Lord Sewel remained active in the House of Lords, serving on a host of committees, including those overseeing procedures. He also chaired the privileges and conduct committee, which rules on disciplinary matters and can recommend the suspension of peers. In 2012, he was also elected as chairman of the committees, a job in which he oversaw the work of the Lords' various committees, and for which he was paid an £84,500 salary. As a result, he automatically became a deputy speaker of the Lords and resigned the Labour whip, becoming a crossbencher not formally affiliated to any party. Following the Sun on Sunday expose, he resigned from all these formal posts. He has also been suspended as a member of the Labour Party. Sources on Monday told the BBC that Lord Sewel did not intend to stand down as a peer but after a day of mounting pressure, he resigned from the House of Lords on Tuesday morning. Does he remain a Lord? Yes. Though he is no longer a member of the House of Lords. What did Lord Sewel's resignation statement say? "I have today written to the Clerk of the Parliaments terminating my membership of the House of Lords. The question of whether my behaviour breached the Code of Conduct is important, but essentially technical. The bigger questions are whether my behaviour is compatible with membership of the House of Lords and whether my continued membership would damage and undermine public confidence in the House of Lords. I believe the answer to both these questions means that I can best serve the House by leaving it. "As a subordinate, second chamber the House of Lords is an effective, vital but undervalued part of our political system. I hope my decision will limit and help repair the damage I have done to an institution I hold dear. Finally, I want to apologise for the pain and embarrassment I have caused." Could Lord Sewel have been forced to quit? Under new rules which came into force earlier this year, peers could theoretically be expelled if they are found to have breached the code of conduct that all members are expected to uphold. The code requires members to act in the public interest, and in accordance with the seven general principles of conduct identified by the Committee on Standards in Public Life - selflessness; integrity; objectivity; accountability; openness; honesty and leadership. No peer has yet been expelled and to pave the way for this, the Lords would merely need to change its standing orders - the rules which govern its business. But there was a long way to go before we got to this point in this case. There would have needed to be an investigation by the Lords authorities - which was likely to take months and would not begin until any criminal proceedings were completed. In the past, peers have been temporarily suspended for expenses fraud, lobbying scandals and other misconduct but have all ultimately returned to the House of Lords, while Lord Archer remained a peer after being jailed for perjury. But since 2014, peers convicted of a crime carrying a prison sentence of more than a year are permanently barred from the Lords, as are those who do not attend Parliament for a year, although in both cases they get to retain their titles. Peers are also able to step down or retire on other grounds, such as health, old age or other commitments. More than 25 peers, including a number of former cabinet ministers, have used this mechanism to exit the Lords this year. In short the most likely way Lord Sewel was ever going to leavae the Lords was if decided to, as the phrase goes, "act upon his honour" and voluntarily quit. What about the other investigations? Lord Sewel is expected to face an investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Paul Kernaghan, after a formal complaint was made to him. The former police officer will decide in the next 48 hours whether to look into the matter. Once any inquiry is concluded, it will be up to him to recommend a course of action and whether the peer should face sanctions. Although as Lord Sewel has now left the House of Lords it is not yet clear whether the inquiry will continue. If it did it would then be up to the whole House of Lords - acting on the recommendation of the privileges committee - to decide what to do. Baroness D'Souza, the Lords Speaker, also referred the matter to the police who launched a criminal investigation into "allegations of drug-related offences involving a member of the House of Lords". What does this mean for the Lords? Although few peers have commented on the episode, those that have have acknowledged that it has damaged the reputation of the Lords. Whether it prompts renewed calls for changes to the Upper Chamber remains to be seen. Critics argue the Lords has become too big - it has nearly 800 active members - and that it is an affront to democracy that the vast majority of its members are appointed, not elected. Attempts by the coalition government to move to a largely elected Lords foundered in 2012 amid opposition from peers as well as Conservative and Labour MPs. The issue is not currently a priority for the Conservative government. In particular, there have been calls for the way peers are remunerated to be overhauled. Peers who are not ministers are not paid a salary but receive a flat-rate daily attendance allowance of £150 or £300. In return, peers are expected to attend and contribute to debates and other proceedings in the House of Lords. But there have been claims that some peers have been "clocking on" to receive the money without undertaking any substantial work in the Lords. One peer, Lord Hanningfield, was suspended for a year in 2014 for claiming allowances which he was not entitled to. Supporters say the current system provides much better value for money than an elected Lords would and it also enables experts in various fields to participate in the legislative system without having to stand for election.

INDIA'S MISSILE MAN, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India Dies

Little did Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma know that their son would grow up to be the first citizen of India. An Indian scientist and administrator, Kalam served as the 11th President of India from 2002 until 2007. One amongst the most respected people of the country, Kalam contributed immensely both as a scientist and as a president. His contribution at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was immense. He was responsible for numerous projects such as Project Devil and Project Valiant and launch of the Rohini-1, besides developing missiles under the missions Agni and Prithvi. For the same, he was popularly tagged as the “Missile Man of India”. Kalam was honored with great laurels and awards for his work by both the Government of India and other countries. After completing his term as President, Kalam served as a visiting professor in various esteemed institutes and universities of India. Childhood & Early Life A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born to Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma on October 15, 1931. He came from a family whose financial conditions weren’t sound enough. As a means to support his family’s meagre income, Kalam took up odd jobs in his childhood but never gave up on his education. EDIT He graduated from Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli in 1954 but not satisfied with his degree, he left for Madras later next year to study aerospace engineering. He enrolled at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT). Career After graduating from MIT, Kalam took up the position of chief scientist at the Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). However, the profile didn’t appeal Kalam much who shifted to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle. EDIT His years at the ISRO were the most crucial ones, as they left a lasting impact on him. Kalam lead many projects and turned out to be successful each time. EDIT In the 1970s, Kalam directed two projects, namely, Project Devil and Project Valiant, which sought to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of the successful SLV programme. EDIT A milestone was achieved when locally built Rohini-1 was launched into space, using the SLV rocket. Upon watching the raving success of Kalam, the government agreed for initiation of an advanced missile program under his directorship. He played a pivotal role in developing missiles under the missions Agni and Prithvi. EDIT Kalam was the Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P) which researched in simultaneous development of a quiver of missiles instead of taking planned missiles one by one. EDIT From 1992 until 1999, Kalam was appointed as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation. It was during this time that Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator for Pokhran II nuclear tests, after which he was fondly called the “Missile Man of India”. EDIT Kalam succeeded K. R. Narayan to serve as the 11th President of India from 2002 until 2007. It was a highly one-sided contest. With his appointment, Kalam became the first scientist and first ever bachelor to occupy the Rastrapati Bhawan. EDIT During his tenure as a President, Kalam was both appreciated and criticised. The latter was mostly due to his inaction in deciding the fate of 20 mercy petitioners. EDIT In addition to all the profiles that Dr Kalam held, he authored numerous influential and inspirational books. Amongst all his books, “India 2020” was the widely read and appreciated one. It forecast an action plan which advocated India turning into a knowledge superpower and as one of the developed nations of the world by the year 2020. His other books include, “Ignited Minds”, “Mission India”, “Inspiring Thoughts” and “The Luminous Sparks”. EDIT In 2011, he launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the “What Can I Give Movement” with the main aim to defeat corruption in India. EDIT After completing his term as President, Dr Kalam served as visiting professor in various esteemed institutes and universities of India, such as Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indore. He also served as Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore). Awards & Achievements Kalam was the proud recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna awards from the Government of India. He received the same in the years 1981, 1990 and 1997, respectively. EDIT In 1997, he was honored by the Government of India with the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration. EDIT Later, the next year, he was awarded the Veer Savarkar Award by the Government of India. EDIT The Alwars Research Centre, Chennai, bestowed Kalam with Ramanujan Award in the year 2000. EDIT Kalam was honored with the King Charles II Medal by the Royal Society, U.K in 2007. EDIT The California Institute of Technology, U.S.A, presented Kalam with the International von Karman Wings Award in the year 2009. The same year, he won the Hoover Medal by ASME Foundation, USA. EDIT The IEEE honored Kalam with IEEE Honorary Membership in 2011. EDIT Kalam was the proud recipient of honorary doctorates from 40 universities. EDIT In addition to this, Kalam's 79th birthday was recognised as World Students' Day by United Nations. EDIT He was nominated for the MTV Youth Icon of the Year award in 2003 and in 2006. Personal Life Dr A.P.J. Kalam remained unmarried throughout his life. EDIT Dr Abdul Kalam passed away at Bethany Hospital, Shillong, Meghalaya, due to heart failure after having collapsed during a lecture at Indian Institute of Management, Shillong.

BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN, DAUGHTER OF WHITNEY HOUSTON DIES AT AGE 22

Atlanta (CNN)Two days before she was found face-down in the bathtub at her home outside Atlanta in January, it seemed like Bobbi Kristina Brown's career might have been picking up. "Let's start this career up&&moving OUT to TO YOU ALLLL quick shall we !?!???!" she said in an enthusiastic tweet. It's not clear what projects she may have been working on, and sadly, the world may never know. Brown, the daughter of late superstar Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, died Sunday at the age of 22, a representative of the Houston family said in a statement. "Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away Sunday, July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family," the statement said. "She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months." She was treated in a hospital and then a hospice facility in the nearly six months since she was found unresponsive and not breathing in the bathtub at her Roswell, Georgia, home on January 31 -- nearly three years to the day after her mother accidentally drowned in a bathtub in Beverly Hills, a victim of the vices she had fought for much of her career. As rumors flew, family took sides Brown was placed in a medically induced coma, relatives have said. Rumors flew about her condition, with family members and loved ones taking sides in the drama. In April, her maternal grandmother, Cissy Houston, said Bobbi Kristina had "global and irreversible brain damage." "Meeting with the doctors and understanding that she can live in this condition for a lifetime truly saddens me," Houston said. "We can only trust in God for a miracle at this time." The statement was released days after her father and Whitney Houston's former husband, R & B singer Bobby Brown, told an audience in Dallas, "I can say today, Bobbi is awake. She's watching me." On June 24, Bobbi Kristina's aunt, Pat Houston, announced that her niece had been moved to a hospice facility. "Despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, Bobbi Kristina Brown's condition has continued to deteriorate," Houston's statement said. "As of today, she has been moved into hospice care. We thank everyone for their support and prayers. She is in God's hands now." Many had worried the young woman was haunted by some of the same demons as her mother. Love, grief and family tensions Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown married in 1992 and welcomed Bobbi Kristina in 1993. The little girl was doted upon by both her parents and Houston often brought the youngster on stage. Houston told Rolling Stone magazine in 1993 that "having Bobbi Kristina ... I could never do anything that could top that. There's been nothing more incredible in my life than having her." "God knows, I have been in front of millions and millions of people, and that has been incredible, to feel that give-take thing," Houston said. "But, man, when I gave birth to her and when they put her in my arms, I thought: 'This has got to be it. This is the ultimate.' I haven't experienced anything greater." Mother and daughter grew even closer after Houston's divorce from Brown in 2007. Houston and Bobbi Kristina performed together on ABC's "Good Morning America" in 2009, singing "My Love Is Your Love" in Central Park. After Houston's death on February 11, 2012 -- an accidental drowning in a bathtub, a coroner ruled, with heart disease and cocaine use named as contributing factors -- there was a great deal of concern for Brown, who was 18 at the time. She opened up to Oprah Winfrey during an interview in March 2012 about how she was coping with the loss of her mother. "No one knows what an amazing spirit she was," Brown told Winfrey. "She wasn't only a mother, she was a best friend." Brown said that her grief came in waves but that she still communicated with her mom. "I can hear her voice telling me to 'keep moving, baby; I gotcha,' " she said. "She's always with me. I can always feel her with me." Brown was joined in her grief by Nick Gordon, who was taken in by Houston when he was 12 years old and who was raised alongside Bobbi Kristina. Gordon and Brown became romantically involved after Houston's death, and tensions between the Gordon and Houston families over the relationship were part of the storyline on Lifetime's short-lived reality show "The Houstons: On Our Own." There was speculation that Brown may have suffered from some of the same problems as her parents (both Houston and Brown had documented issues with substance abuse) after she appeared to be intoxicated during some scenes of the reality show. Those concerns intensified in July 2014 after a picture was posted on her Instagram account showing a young woman who looked like Brown appearing to be smoking from a bong. The image had made the media rounds two years earlier. Brown later denied that she posted the photo and tweeted that it was done by someone attempting to tarnish her image. Brown and Gordon announced their engagement in 2013, and she took to her Facebook page to clear up the misconception that he was her adopted brother. Far from being bothered by the relationship were she still alive, Brown said, her mother had predicted they would fall in love. "People need to seriously stop judging my relationship," Brown wrote. "Pretty sure it's my own decision who I want to be with." Criminal investigation It was Gordon and a male friend who discovered Brown unconscious in her townhome. While Brown called Gordon her husband (she had tweeted a picture believed to be of their hands wearing wedding rings with the hashtag #HappilyMarried) there is no court record of a marriage between the two, and family members say the couple was never legally wed. Police had been called to Brown's home January 23 after someone reported a fight there, but no one answered the door, and officers found no evidence of an altercation, a Roswell police spokeswoman said. After Brown was found in the bathtub, authorities launched a criminal investigation. A family friend said police questioned Gordon about the bruising on Brown's chest and said he told them it was a result of his giving her CPR. Gordon gave an emotional and sometimes explosive interview that aired in March on the "The Dr. Phil Show" in which he complained of being denied access to Brown. "I can't lose Krissy; I just can't," he cried. The talk show host persuaded Gordon to enter a treatment program for substance abuse, and in April, his attorney, Randy Kessler, confirmed Gordon was no longer in rehab. In June, a civil lawsuit was filed against Gordon in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, alleging that Gordon's behavior "caused, among other things, substantial bodily harm to Brown." It also alleged that since Brown's hospitalization in January, Gordon accessed her bank accounts and stole more than $11,000. On Monday, Gordon's close friend Jack Walker said that "At the moment, he's distraught. Even though (Bobbi Kristina) was in that condition, (Nick) always had hope that she would pull through. "He was saying for the last week or so, 'I love her. I don't want to lose her. I just want to see her,' " Walker said. "All he wanted to do was see her, hold her hand, talk to her. He was not allowed to do that." Her father, Bobby Brown, said in a statement that "Krissy was and is an angel." "I am completely numb at this time," Brown said. "My family must find a way to live with her in spirit and honor her memory. Our loss is unimaginable. We thank everyone for the prayers for Krissy and our family as we mourn my baby girl." Brown was initially taken to North Fulton Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma, and she was later transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where she was on life support in the neuro intensive care unit. In March, she was moved to a rehabilitation center. Despite reports of fighting over her care, on June 19, Bobby Brown said the family was working together on behalf of his daughter. "I am making decisions with (Bobbi Kristina's aunt) Pat Houston and we are working together for the medical care of my daughter," Brown said in a statement. "Right now we are focused on Bobbi Kristina's medical prognosis and the criminal investigation. These are the priorities for us. Whoever had a hand in causing my daughter's injuries needs to be brought to justice." Her death cut short the dreams she had of following in her mother's footsteps by pursuing a career in music and acting. In 2012, she made her acting debut on Tyler Perry's TBS show "For Better or Worse." Perry is a close family friend who frequently visited Brown while she was hospitalized. CNN's Alina Machado and Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

Biker Impaled By Tree, Drives 20 Miles To Hospital

A mountain biker in New Mexico who was impaled in the neck by a tree branch has managed to avoid serious injury -- even after riding his bike 20 miles to the nearest hospital. The unidentified biker suffered injury when he fell off his bike and was impaled in the neck by a two-centimeter-wide branch, the New England Journal of Medicine reports.

Despite the painful impalement, the biker managed to get into a car and ride 20 miles to the University of New Mexico for treatment According to a CT scan, the branch extended about 1.6 centimeters into the patient's neck. Amazingly, the branch didn't cause serious damage to the patient's nerves, airway or major blood vessel, according to Dr. Lev Deriy, an assistant professor and anesthesiologist at the University of New Mexico, who treated the patient. "The neck contains a lot of very important, vital structures," Deriy told Live Science, adding the biker was "lucky not to damage anything." The branch was removed from the patient's neck and the resulting wound was explored, irrigated, and closed, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. The patient was released with no complications, according to WHIO.com. Deriy said the patient's reaction after the injury was commendable. "If you have something like that happen, it’s a good idea not to touch [the] foreign body," Deriy said.

Missing Florida teens' boat found empty

TEQUESTA, Fla. -- The Coast Guard says a boat belonging to two missing 14-year-old fishermen has been found off Florida's Atlantic coast. Petty Officer Steve Lehman says the boat was found Sunday about 67 miles off Ponce de Leon Inlet in Volusia County. Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were last seen Friday in the Jupiter area buying fuel for their 19-foot boat. Lehman says the boat was found capsized and neither boy was in or around the boat. The boat will be anchored in place while search-and-rescue efforts continue. Lehman says the Coast Guard is recalculating its search plans based on the boat's location. NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath is offering a $100,000 reward in the search. Perry is Namath's neighbor, and the former football player said the boys were experienced boaters. "We've got to believe in their wherewithal," Namath said at a news conference according to CBS Miami. © 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Obama Jokes About Birth Certificate During Kenya Visit

(Reuters) U.S. president Barack Obama attended a state dinner in his honor in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday (July 25). He made jokes about his birth certificate in his father's homeland. "I suspect that some of my critics back home are suggesting that I'm back here to look for my birth certificate. That is not the case," Obama quipped as the room broke out in laughter and applause. Obama made his birth certificate public in 2011 after opponents questioned his birthplace and eligibility to be president, claiming he was not a U.S. citizen. The certificate lists Honolulu, Hawaii, as his place of birth. His visit to Kenya marks the first time a sitting U.S. president has traveled to the East African nation.

Team Belize at the Special Olympics

WATCH THE INAUGURATION ON ESPN tonight!! I will post updates of the Games as they are held!

Descubren verdadero Tutankamon, faraón- niño de Egipto

Una autopsia virtual realizada a la momia de Tutankamón reveló cómo era el aspecto físico del faraón niño, que murió en el año 1352 a.C. Detrás de la majestuosa y bella máscara con la que fue enterrado, descubrieron que el rey egipcio tenía dientes de conejo, caderas, anchas, una severa cojera y un pie zambo, un defecto de nacimiento que provoca que las extremidades inferiores estén torcidas o invertidas hacia adentro. La evidencia de las limitaciones físicas del Rey Tut también fueron respaldadas por 130 bastones usados que fueron ​​encontrados en su tumba. La investigación, realizada por el investigador Albert Zink, del Instituto de Momias y el Hombre de Hielo (Italia), se transmitirá en un documental de la BBC y está basado en más de 2.000 escaneos realizados por computadora a la momia junto con un análisis genético de la familia de Tutankamón.

Los científicos también obtuvieron análisis genético de la familia de Tutankamón, que los llevó a descifrar que sus padre Akenatón y su madre eran hermanos. Ellos creen que la relación entre sus padres es una de las posibles causas de las discapacidades físicas, provocadas por desequilibrios hormonales. Pero en el documental, Zink explicó que las relaciones entre hermanos en aquella época no eran mal vistas y, además, no sabían acerca de las implicaciones para la salud que esto podía tener en la descendencia. Hutan Ashrafian, un profesor de cirugía del Imperial College de Londres, dijo al diario británico Daily Mirror que varios miembros de la familia parecían haber sufrido enfermades y que esto puede explicarse por los desequilibrios hormonales provocados por el incesto. "Una gran cantidad de sus predecesores vivió hasta una edad muy avanzada. Sólo su línea inmediata falleció temprano, y cada generación estaba muriendo más temprano", comentó. Otro de los mitos que surgen alrededor de la muerte del faraón- niño es la causa de su muerte. Varias investigaciones sugieren que su muerte se debió a un accidente con un carruaje, después de que se encontraran fracturas en el cráneo y otras partes de su esqueleto. Pero el nuevo estudio no descartó que la muerte se haya producido por una enfermedad hereditaria ya que su fractura en la rodilla y su pie zambo podrían haber impedido su participación en las carreras de carros.

La tumba del rey Tutankamón fue encontrada en el Valle de los Reyes, en Egipto, en 1922, por el arqueólogo Howard Carter. Su hallazgo y los tesoros encontrados en ella tuvieron cobertura mundial en la prensa y renovaron el interés del público por el Antiguo Egipto, convirtiéndose la máscara funeraria del faraón en la imagen más popular. A principios de este año, científicos de la Universidad Americana de El Cairo difundieron información sobre los extraños ritos funerarios del faraón egipcio, que fue embalsamado con el pene erecto. Al parecer, en esa posición fue enterrado Osiris, símbolo de la fertilidad y regeneración del Nilo.

Who remembers, Elian Gonzalez, the 6 year old Cuban who became a Political Hero in Cuba?

In 1999, 6-year-old Elián González was founding floating in an aluminum raft not far off the coast of southern Florida. His mother had drowned during the treacherous journey from Cuba, their homeland, to the shores of the United States, where they had family residing in Miami. For the next six months, González became the center of a bitter international custody battle between his Cuban national father, his American relatives, and the Cuban and U.S. governments. After spending the last 15 years back in Cuba, González made his first public appearance as an adult on Monday — and he has some surprising things to say about the United States. 

González, now 21 years old and newly engaged, recently reunited with ABC News’ Jim Avila, who covered González’s tumultuous plight from Cuba to America 15 years ago. In an interview that premiered on Good Morning America  Monday, May 18th 2015,  González told Avila that his wish now, as an adult, is to return to the United States. However, he may not want to stay here for good. 

That frightful moment when Elian was removed from his relatives home in Miami following his father's p;ea that he be returned to him.

Elian in Miami as he awaited the US Supreme Court decision on where he would live.

After González was rescued from the sea by two fisherman, he was placed in the custody of several relatives in Miami, who wanted the 6-year-old to stay in the United States and tried seeking political asylum for the young boy. González’s father, however, wanted his son to return to Cuba, arguing that he had a right to his son’s custody. 

Elian become a political figure for Castro's campaign to show the world that he had won over the powerful USA

The family ordeal turned very public, with members of Miami’s Cuban community rallying behind González’s American relatives and requesting his stay in America. Meanwhile, the U.S. government got involved, of course, with the case reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately dismissed the case. In the end, then-Attorney General Janet Reno ordered González’s return to Cuba. 

Now, González wants to give back to the American people who supported him 15 years ago. “To the American people, first I say thank you for the love they give me,” González told ABC News in his first TV interview as an adult. “I want the time to give my love to American people.”

And he would like to return to America — but only as a tourist. It might sound surprising, considering González became a household name because of his escape from Cuba, and that his own mother died in order for her son to reach the United States, but González told ABC News he dreams of returning to the United States just to visit. Oh, and he would also like to see a baseball game or two, of course.

“For my family it has always been, we always have the desire to say to the American people, to say to each household our gratitude, appreciation and love that we have,” González told Avila. “Perhaps one day we could pay a visit to the United States. I could personally thank those people who helped us, who were there by our side. Because we’re so grateful for what they did.” 

González also said that he disagreed with his mother’s illegal actions, but he knew that she “fought until the very last minute for me to survive.” The young man added, “She was the one who gave life back to me at a time of danger.”

Now, González is revered in his native Cuba, where a statue of his 6-year-old self is even erected in his honor in Havana. However, he’s not sure if the statue is actually fashioned after him and his father, though many in Cuba say it is.

“It’s every children [sic] in Cuba,” he told ABC News. “I feel proud because I feel it is a statue that is evidence to everything that happened at that moment. It’s a symbol of loyalty of what happened … it represents a father that is trying to protect his son.”

The 21-year-old currently lives with his father and stepmother, and according to Avila, is also content with his father’s actions during that international custody battle. Avila added that González is “open to reconciliation” with his Miami relatives, who fought for his permanent stay in the United States. 

But in the most uplifting news, González is engaged, and Avila helped him take his first selfie (pictured below) with his high-school sweetheart. It sounds like he has lived a well-adjusted life, despite the traumatic events that defined him years ago.

Images: screenshots/ABC News (3)

CUBA... LIVING IN THE PAST. OPENED FOR A NEW FUTURE

Pictures can tell you the entire story. Cuba has been living in the past since the US embargo. A poverty stricken country filled with old American made cars, and a people ready for a better life, Cuba is hopeful that things will change now that the US has opened her Embassy in Cuba once more!!!

So, what must Fidel be thinking of now as Cuba moves into this new era? The Fidel of 1999 would be angry and would be saying NO! Of that I am sure!!! So, the question is, why has Cuba accepted this sudden change in their lifestyle and communist control over their people? It must be that the country can no longer keep up with its poverty rate , hunger and decaying buildings. let us face reality. Opening Cuba to America means there will be more American dollars entering Cuba. Soon trade will be created and Cuba could become a developing country with the possibility of growing into a rich a powerful country once more. We may need to set up certain rules and regulations for the Cuban Government to follow before this backfires into our laps. 

I believe IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY!!!!

BRENDA DESESTRESS

Seven prison workers charged in connection with 'El Chapo' escape

                                             THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

By Jason Hanna, Richard Beltran and Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN

(CNN)Seven people who worked in the maximum-security prison that held Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have been charged in connection with his escape, Mexico's attorney general said Friday in a statement.

The prison workers will be jailed in the state of Guanajuato and the investigation continues, the statement said.

On Thursday, Mexico's interior minister said that on the night Guzman escaped, it took 18 minutes for guards to arrive at his cell after they lost sight of him on surveillance video.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the guards' response time contributed to his July 11 escape from the facility west of Mexico City.

"That is part of what the attorney general's office is looking at -- if the protocols were fulfilled in the correct times," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said at a news conference.

Guzman, Mexico's most notorious drug lord, slipped through a hole under the shower in his cell and escaped through a mile-long tunnel to freedom, authorities said.

Guzman's cell was videotaped 24 hours a day. But the surveillance had two blind spots for privacy -- the toilet and the shower.

Closed-circuit video from July 11 shows him going to the shower fully clothed twice and bending down behind a wall. After the second time, he never resurfaced in the cell.

It's likely prison workers helped Guzman break out, the interior minister said this week. Osorio Chong said he has already fired the prison director and other prison officials.

Mexican authorities announced a $3.8 million reward for information leading to Guzman's capture.

Nicknamed "Shorty" for his height, Guzman already had pulled off one elaborate escape from a maximum-security prison. In 2001, he managed to break free while reportedly hiding in a laundry cart. It took authorities 13 years to catch him -- closing in as he was sleeping at a Mexican beach resort.