Football Fan Rihanna Tweets Support for England during Uruguay World Cup Match

Rihanna revealed she is a fan of Wayne Rooney and the England team.

Rihanna has expressed her dismay at England's latest defeat in the World Cup.

They were beaten by Uruguay on Wednesday ( 9 June) with the final score at 2-1, putting their World Cup future in jeopardy.

The unlikely football fan revealed her support for the England team with a succession of impassioned tweets during the World Cup match.

She cheered on Steven Gerrard and his team, but when defeat seemed a foregone conclusion, she accused the England squad of giving Luis Suarez "too much room."

Along with millions of England supporters hoping for a win, the singer's frustration was evident as the team failed to score an equalising goal.

ENGLAND whatchu gon do??!

— Rihanna (@rihanna) June 19, 2014

Roooonnnnnnnneeeeeeeyyyyyy — Rihanna (@rihanna) June 19, 2014

Man they know better than to give Suarez that much room bruh!

— Rihanna (@rihanna) June 19, 2014

US to Punish Uganda for Anti-Gay Bill

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni

The US is poised to announce new measures against Uganda following the signing of a controversial law by president Yoweri Museveni which toughens penalties for gay people, according to senior administration officials.

President Barack Obama warned Museveni that the law would complicate relations between the two countries and would be a backward step.

Homosexuals acts were already illegal in Uganda. But the new legislation includes life sentences for gay sex and same-sex marriage and penalty for acts of "aggravated homosexuality" . It also criminalises the "promotion" of homosexuality".

In its original form, the bill carried the death penalty for certain homosexual acts.

It was temporarily dropped during 2011, after an international outcry that followed the brutal murder of gay activist David Kato.

Kato was the figurehead of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an advocacy group that campaigned against the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

He was murdered after Ugandan weekly Rolling Stone pictured his face and that of another man on its cover under the headline "Hang them!"

The subhead read: "We shall recruit 100,000 innocent kids by 2012: Homos" and "Parents now face heart-breaks as homos raid schools."

The paper pledged to expose 100 gay people and printed the photographs, names and in some cases home areas, of people it claimed were gay.

Kato took the publishers to court and won but was murdered in his home a few months later, after declaring that he feared for his life.

Uganda: TV Station Banned for Showing President Yoweri Museveni Asleep in Parliament

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni arrives for the opening ceremony of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaReuters

A Ugandan television station has been banned from participating in the coverage of presidential events after it showed images of President Yoweri Museveni dozing off in parliament.

"The president has habits, he meditates and they know it, and still they go out and say he was sleeping. The suspension should not be permanent. It's temporary, to make them think," the government's media centre manager, Dennis Katungi, told AFP.

Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said NTV Uganda had been banned because of its "lack of professionalism and biased coverage".

"We have suspended their coverage of the president as we reconsider our relationship with them."

Freedom of expression in Uganda has continued to be restricted with the government closing two of the country's main independent newspapers for 10 days after they reported a story to the government's displeasure.

The story in question was regarding arguments between Ugandan army generals over whether Museveni's son should be allowed to succeed him.

Two men have also been arrested for releasing two piglets into Parliament in an anti-corruption protest.

"We got the two youths and the piglets. They are in our custody as we investigate how they went through security," a police spokesman told AFP.

Uganda recently passed a controversial anti-gay law, supported by the church, which will punish homosexual acts with life sentences.

The bill, passed by Museveni, imposes stricter laws for gays including life sentences for "aggravated homosexuality" and brings in a law that criminalises the failure to report anyone who breaks the anti-gay law itself.

World Cup 2014: 'Intoxicated' Football Fan in Cruise Liner Fall Missing at Sea

A Mexican football fan fell overboard from the 15th deck of the MSC Divina cruise linerGERARD JULIEN/AFP/GettyImages

Brazilian rescue ships are searching Atlantic waters for a reportedly intoxicated football fan who fell overboard from a World Cup-dedicated cruise liner during a match.

The man, a Mexican national, was seen plunging 50 meters into the sea from the 15th deck of the MSC Divina, as the cruise ship was sailing from the northeastern city of Fortaleza to Recife.

"A Mexican citizen traveling on board the cruise ship MSC Divina fell overboard," the Mexican consulate in Rio de Janeiro said.

The identity of the man, who witnesses said was seemingly drunk, has not been released.

"It's really sad. We were watching Spain playing Chile and were looking forward to arrive in Recife and celebrate," fellow passenger Felipe de los Cobos told CNN Mexico.

"Then the alarm bell rang three times announcing a man had fallen overboard."

The MSC Divina reportedly remained in the area searching for the passenger until Brazilian navy boats arrived at the scene and took over the rescue effort.

"[Brazilian] rescue teams using fast boats are searching for our countryman in the area where he presumably fell," the consulate said.

It is not clear if the missing passenger was travelling alone or with family or friends.

Thousands of Mexican supporters were aboard the 330 meters long vessel that was cruising between Natal, Fortaleza and Recife.

The three cities host Mexico's national team group stage fixtures at the World Cup and some cruise packages included tickets for the matches.

Mexican media reported that former president Felipe Calderon and his family were also on board.

Turkey: Court Orders Release of 230 Military Officers Accused of Attempted Erdogan Coup

Wives and relatives of retired and active military officers charged in the so-called Sledgehammer trial hold a protest at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey, in Ankara.Reuters

A Turkish court has ordered the release of 230 military officers convicted of a plot to overthrow the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2003.

The decision came after the country's top court ruled that the military officers' trial was flawed.

The Sledgehammer trial took place between 2010 and 2012 and saw Erdogan attempt to quash a military which had exerted influence over Turkish politics for decades.

The plot came just months after Erdogan was appointed prime minister and included alleged plans to bomb mosques as well as the provocation of war with Greece by shooting down a Turkish aircraft.

More to follow...

'Greying Ghost Towns' Created by Quest for Education in Ethnic Tibetan Communities

'Ghost towns' are becoming more common in Nepal as parents send their children away to seek better educationGetty

Ethnic Tibetan communities in Nepal's highlands are rapidly shrinking as more parents send their children away for a better education and modern careers, a trend that threatens to create a region of greying ghost towns at the top of the world.

The findings in the study, which was published in the journal Mountain Research and Development, has major social and demographic implications for the Himalayan region.

"Taken together, the outmigration of young people, a low birth rate and population aging raises the spectre of a massive population decline that has already exceeded 30% in the past decade in some communities", said study co-author Professor Sienna Craig, a professor at Dartmouth College.

The study predicts a further population decline of 50% to 60% in the next decade, a trend not likely to be slowed by tourism, niche agriculture or other potential economic opportunities that might prompt the "educational migrants" to return to their native homes.

This is the first documented case where large-scale outmigration is not driven by disease, famine, war, colonial policies, forced assimilation and manual labour markets. Instead, the population decline is driven by parental quest to improve their children's education.

The researchers conducted household demographic and economic surveys in three villages in highland valleys of Nepal along the border of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.

The residents, who descend from ethnic Tibetans who migrated from the Tibetan Plateau at least 700 years ago, are subsistence farmers, herders and traders.

The results showed that the religious and secular schools, which now include around 24 monasteries, 15 convents and 35 boarding schools in Kathmandu - as well as other cities in Nepal and India - are seen by ethnic Tibetan highland parents as a way to give their children a "Tibetan" education that leads to social and economic advancement in urban areas abroad.

In the new study, researchers found that nearly 70% of females aged between 15 and 19 live away from their native villages. Among women aged 20 to 29, who are educational migrants, relatively few are married and having children, while many have become nuns.

Speaking to CNN, Namaste Shrestha commented that in his village of Bandipur, a hilltop settlement in Tanahu District, residents were leaving for urban areas via a newly-constructed highway.

"Bandipur became a ghost town. It was going down, and it was very sad for us." he said.

The outmigration stems from the 1960s when China's Cultural Revolution closed Tibet's monasteries where many rural children were educated. The monastery boarding schools reopened in urban areas along with new secular boarding schools operated by the exiles.

Dropbox Blocked in China Once Again

Internet users in China have once again been blocked from file-sharing service Dropbox.Reuters

Cloud-storage site Dropbox has been blocked in China, only four months after access was restored to internet users in the the world's most populous country.

Both the Dropbox app and the web-based service have been affected by the block, which came into effect yesterday according to online censorship monitor GreatFire.

Dropbox was first banned in China in 2010 after a worldwide surge in popularity. In February of this year it was made available again without warning or explanation.

The latest ban appears to be more severe than the first, which previously allowed access to some Dropbox-related services. Dropbox is yet to respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Other major websites to have been hit by China's strict internet censorship - often referred to as the Great Firewall of China - include Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Amazon, as well as major media outlets like Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and the Guardian.

Users vented their frustration on Twitter over the blockage, with some requesting suggestions for similar sites that are accessible in the country.

Anyone know any good #dropbox alternatives? My work files now can't be accessed by workers in china because it's now been blocked.

— anferni (@anferni88) June 19, 2014

Google Drive, a file-storing service that performs a similar function to Dropbox, has been banned in China since it was launched in 2012.

Other China-based equivalents, such as Baidu's WangPan and Tencent's WeiYun, are still operational and offer vastly better storage options than their foreign equivalents.

Tencent, for example, offers users 10 terabytes of free storage - over 500 times more than the 2GB offered by Dropbox.

China Sends Second Oil Rig to Disputed Waters off Vietnam Coast

A Vietnamese boat sinks (L) after being rammed by Chinese vessels near the disputed Paracels Islands(Reuters)

China said it is moving a second oil rig to disputed waters claimed by Vietnam, close to the location where ships from the two countries rammed each other in May.

The 600-metre rig is being moved from its current position south of Hainan island to a new location closer to the Vietnamese coast, according to a statement on China's Maritime Safety Administration website.

The statement asked vessels in the area to give the rig a wide berth.

The rig will join another Chinese platform in a disputed part of the South China Sea. China's deployment of the first rig sparked a diplomatic standoff with Vietnam. The countries' navies clashed and anti-China riots erupted across Vietnam, leading to five deaths and extensive damage at scores of factories believed to be Chinese owned.

Related

• Philippines Investigates China's Artificial Island Plan in South China Sea


• Vietnam Airs Video of Fishing Boat Rammed and Sunk By Chinese Vessel in Disputed Waters


• Beijing Demands Vietnam Pay Compensation for Anti-China Attacks


• China Rejects Philippines Court Case in South China Sea Dispute

In fact, most of the factories targeted in the rioting were actually from Taiwan, which is not involved in the current dispute.

The disputed waters are close to the Chinese-controlled Paracel islands, which Vietnam also claims.

Vietnamese and Chinese officials met for talks in Hanoi on Wednesday, although little progress was made.

China's foreign ministry has accused Vietnam of "hyping up" the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

Speaking to reporters in Beijing, foreign affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying said China had told Vietnam that the presence of the first rig was "completely legal".

Vietnam was told to "stop its interference and harassment, stop hyping up the issue and stop whipping up disagreement to create new disputes", said Hua.

China claims almost all of the mineral-rich South China Sea, but faces competing claims from the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan as well as Brunei.

Indians Abducted in Mosul: No Ransom Claim and No Clue on Whereabouts

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul.Reuters

The Indian government has said all efforts are being made to free 40 construction workers captured by suspected Isis militia in Iraq's oil-rich Mosul.

New Delhi said it has not received any ransom demand from the abductors and that the whereabouts of the workers were not known. The government could also not confirm if the militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) were behind the abduction.

Sushma Swaraj, minister for external affairs, said on Thursday she was monitoring the situation and all efforts will be taken to free the hostages.

"I'm personally supervising efforts. Will leave no stone unturned to ensure rescue of our citizens."

Swaraj is scheduled to meet the family members of the abducted workers, most of whom are from the northern state of Punjab.

The chief minister of Punjab state, Parkash Singh Badal, said his government was ready to meet any ransom demands made by the abductors.

"The government should do the maximum. If they want any, I don't know whether I should say or not, ransom or anything, the Punjab government is ready to pay all that," he said, according to CNN-IBN.

Confusion has prevailed ever since news broke that Indian workers were under Isis captivity.

Nobody has claimed the abduction, and there is no clarity about where the hostages are held.

However, a relative of one of the abducted men has said there is confirmation that Isis was behind the incident.

"I have got news that Isis is keeping my relatives safe. The last time I spoke to my relatives was on June 15, till then they said they were safe. They are saying they will only hand over my relatives to the Indian government or the company they are working for," the person said, according to CNN-IBN.

New Delhi has sent a senior diplomat to Mosul to help establish communication with the militia and expedite the rescue process. The government has also reached out to the International Red Cross to help find the workers.

It has been confirmed that the abducted people were working for the Tariq Noor al Juda construction company in Mosul.

India's external affairs ministry also said Iraqi authorities have confirmed the abduction of the workers.

The Isis militants who aim to create a Sunni Islamic caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria launched their audacious campaign with the capture of the northern city of Mosul ten days ago and have since then ripped through government defences in much of northern Iraq.

According to accounts by the relatives of the abducted men, the company officials fled as the violence escalated, leaving the workers stranded. Most of the workers did not have their passports with them as the documents were submitted to their employers.

"We are hearing all sorts of news from Iraq, visuals on the television are frightening and we are very worried about him," said a relative of one of the kidnapped men, according to the Hindustan Times.

Boko Haram: 'Leader' Arrested in South Nigeria

Boko Haram militantsReuters

A senior member of Nigerian terror group Boko Haram has been captured by Nigerian forces, it has been claimed.

The militant was discovered during a mass arrest of nearly 500 travellers in the southern state of Abia, heading for the southern city of Port Harcourt.

"The army is screening the 486 persons being held in Abia state," defence spokesman General Chris Olukolade told Reuters.

A member of the insurgents was identified among the travellers, Olukolade continued.

Police refuse to disclose the identity of the militant.

Boko Haram mainly targets villages in the north. The discovery of a senior Boko Haram militant in a southern state stoked fears that the insurgents are expanding their range.

Boko Haram - which means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language - made headlines worldwide after the mass abduction of nearly 300 girls last April.

The group opposes to the westernisation of Nigeria and imposes sharia law in the country.

An attack believed to be carried out by the terror group killed at least 14 people, including young children, earlier this week. The victims were watching the World Cup Brazil-Mexico match at an outside venue in Damaturu, Yobe state.

The Nigerian government has advised people to avoid gathering in public spaces to watch the World Cup, fearing that deadly attacks might occur.

Boko Haram Insurgency

The group was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in the Nigerian town of Maiduguri in 2002.

Yusuf espoused anti-state ideology and called on other Muslims to join him and return to a "true" Islamic law.

The former leader died in police custody in 2009. Hundreds of other Boko Haram members were killed by Nigerian police.

That crackdown was blamed by many for making the group even more violent.

The militants, currently led by Abubakar Shekau, attack public places including schools, churches and police stations.

Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths between 2002 and 2013.

Brent Crude Nears Nine-Month High on Iraq Concerns

A member from the oil police force stands guard at Zubair oilfield in Basra(Reuters)

Brent crude held above $114 a barrel on Thursday, close to a nine-month high, on fears over supply disruptions in Iraq.

The price of benchmark Brent has risen 4% in recent weeks as Sunni militants have swept through northern Iraqi towns and cities, seizing the country's second city of Mosul.

Brent crude was up 41 cents at $114.67 a barrel at 0706 GMT, while US crude for July delivery rose to $106.48 a barrel.

Sunni militants were in control of most of Iraq's largest oil refinery on Wednesday, although security forces remained in control of operations at the Baiji facility.

Production and exports have been unaffected by the latest violence in Iraq, although foreign staff have been evacuated from some facilities. The vast majority of Iraq's oil infrastructure is in the south of the country, which has so far been untouched by violence.

Meanwhile, Iraq has formally called for US air strikes to support its armed forces in their battle against Sunni militants.

However, general Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, was non-committal on whether the US would intervene.

President Barack Obama came under pressure from lawmakers on Wednesday to persuade Iraqi prime minister al-Maliki to step down over what they see as failed leadership in the face of an insurgency threatening his country.

Hot Shots Photos of the Day: Marilyn Statue, Unconscious Footballer, Kate the Codebreaker

A zookeeper handles a week-old newborn baby langur at Bali Zoo. Javan langurs are found in Java, Bali and Lombok in Indonesia and are listed as a threatened species due to hunting, agricultural expansion and habitat lossGetty

A week-old newborn baby langur hugs a surrogate monkey doll inside an incubator at Bali Zoo in Gianyar, Bali, IndonesiaGetty

A giant statue of Marilyn Monroe is seen at the dump-site of a rubbish collecting company in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The eight-metre tall stainless steel statue, which weighs about eight tonnes, was dumped after being displayed outside a business centre in the city for only six monthsReuters

Workers work on "Transformers" replicas on the outskirts of Shanghai. Li Lei, owner of a small factory, uses his spare time and money to build replicas for rent or saleReuters

Tibetan participants perform on horses during a traditional equestrian competition in Hongyuan county, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, ChinaReuters

Spain's Sergio Busquets reacts after missing a chance to score a goal during their 2014 World Cup Group B match against Chile at the Maracana stadium in Rio de JaneiroReuters

Bruno Martins Indi of the Netherlands lies unconscious on the pitch after being fouled by Australia's Tim Cahill during their 2014 World Cup Group B match at the Beira Rio stadium in Porto AlegreReuters

A fan of Australia is pictured during their 2014 World Cup Group B match against the Netherlands at the Beira Rio stadium in Porto AlegreReuters

Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw is drenched with a sports drink as he gives an interview following a game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodgers StadiumReuters

Allan McGee carries the Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton at Selkirk Rugby Football Club in the Scottish BordersGetty

King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia attend the official abdication ceremony at the Royal Palace in MadridAFP

A man carries the Spanish crown in a protective case before the arrival of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Crown Princess of Asturias Leonor at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid for a swearing-in ceremonyAFP

The Spanish crown is displayed before a swearing-in ceremony for FelipeVI at the Congress of Deputies in MadridAFP

Kate Middleton listens to a Morse code message using a replica radio during a tour of the restored WWII Codebreaking Huts at Bletchley ParkGetty

Argentina Looks to Settle Issues with 'Vulture Funds' As Fresh Default Looms

Argentine President Christina Fernandez de KirchnerReuters

Argentina is looking to settle a 12-year-long legal dispute with two hedge funds, as the country faces a fresh sovereign default after the US Supreme Court ruled that Argentina must pay back its dues in full to the hedge funds.

A lawyer representing the country said in a Manhattan federal court that officials from the country would seek to negotiate for the first time with the hedge funds.

"I've been informed by Argentina that the authorities will be in New York next week and want to negotiate with the holdouts," said Carmine Boccuzzi of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton at a hearing before US District Judge Thomas Griesa in Manhattan.

The country owes up to $1.5bn (£884m, €1.1bn) to the so-called "vulture funds" that bought Argentinian bonds at rock-bottom prices following the country's $95bn default on its foreign debt in 2001.

Earlier, the Argentinian government said it was impossible for the country to pay for its bonds due on 30 June, given the court ruling.

Argentina has been engaged in a long legal battle with hedge funds, Elliott Management and Aurelius Capital, which refused take part in the country's debt restructurings.

Argentina claimed that if the country paid them on their terms, it would lead to claims from other holdouts of around $15bn in debt.

The lawsuits have kept the country from accessing international capital markets since defaulting on its debt.

Recently, Buenos Aires made arrangements with international institutions such as the Paris Club and the International Monetary Fund to resume international investment in the country.

Another default would tarnish the country's reputation further, thwarting all efforts by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to revamp the economy.

Sony Not Planning to Hive Off Entertainment Business: CEO Kazuo Hirai

Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai.Reuters

Japanese electronics major Sony does not plan to hive off or list its entertainment business, chief executive Kazuo Hirai has said.

Hirai was responding to a question at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in Tokyo, according to media reports.

Hirai also apologised to shareholders after the firm predicted a sixth annual loss in seven years.

Sony's stock finished 3.71% higher on 19 June in Tokyo.

Sony has lost 85bn yen ($834m, £491m, €614bn) since Hirai took charge in 2012 and has forecast another 50bn-yen loss for 2014 as it attempts to breathe new life into its once-iconic television business.

"Sorry that we failed to meet shareholders' expectations," Hirai said.

"We will bear responsibility to complete restructuring in fiscal 2014, with a strong sense of crisis and without further delay," he added.

PS4 Trumps Xbox

Sony's PlayStation4 gaming console sold better than Microsoft's Xbox One console in the US in May, with the PS4 extending its lead for a fifth month, according to the New York-based NPD Group.

Sony on 26 May said it would float two joint ventures with China's Shanghai Oriental Pearl Group to produce and market the PlayStation console in Shanghai, after the government lifted a 13-year ban on foreign firms making consoles in China.

Earlier in the year, Sony announced it would exit its PC business and carve out its TV operations into a separate unit to improve transparency.

In 2013, Sony rejected a proposal by activist investor Daniel Loeb to partially spin off its entertainment business, a move Loeb claimed would free up cash to help the firm's struggling electronics division, which includes smartphones, cameras and televisions.

Loeb's hedge fund Third Point held 1.64% of Sony shares registered in its own name as of September 2013.