North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Executes Defence Minister Publicly.

North Korea's defence minister has been publicly executed with an anti-aircraft gun for falling asleep during military meetings and answering back to leader Kim Jong-Un.

Hyon Yong-Chol, 66, who was named head of North Korea's military in 2012, was killed in front of hundreds of bloodthirsty officials at a military camp in the capital Pyongyang on April 30.

It is not the first time a ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun has been used for executions in North Korea, with recently released satellite images showing a number of unidentified people being killed using the brutal method at the same camp last October. 

Han Ki-Beom, deputy director of South Korea's National Intelligence Agency, told a parliamentary committee that hundreds of officials watched the execution in Pyongyang on April 30. 

The intelligence service told politicians that Hyon was killed by an anti-aircraft gun at Kang Kon Military Academy - a method cited in various unconfirmed reports as being reserved for senior officials who the leadership wishes to make examples of.

Hyon was apparently caught falling asleep during formal military events and is said to have also spoken back to Kim Jong-Un on several occasions.

Lawmaker Shin Kyoung-min, who attended the parliamentary briefing during which news of the execution was announced, said the NIS believed it to be true.

Hong Hyun-ik, chief researcher at the Sejong Institute, a security think tank based in Seoul, told local broadcaster YTN that the anti-artillery gun used would have left the body utterly unrecognizable.

'Because there are several guns bound together, it would be hard to find the body after firing it once. It's really gruesome. What they did would have ripped all his flesh off, done in the manner of 'let's see what sort of punishment this is.' 

The execution was initially reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, although reports from North Korea are impossible to independently confirm.

The lawmakers said Hyon was executed at a firing range at the Kanggon Military Training Area, which is located 14 miles north of the capital Pyongyang. 

The satellite pictures revealed for the first time that Kim's regime were using anti-aircraft weapons to brutally execute people in front on hundreds of people.

The images, which have been released by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and AllSource Analysis, were taken in October last year.

They appear to show six ZPU-4 anti-aircraft guns being used to shoot a line of people stood 100 yards away, with a viewing platform located nearby.

Outraged critics said the victims would have been 'pulverised' by the artillery fire, in what they described as the latest example of brutality employed by the dictator to suppress his own people.

Hyon was last known to have spoken publicly at a security conference in Moscow in April, but is said to have shown disrespect to Kim by dozing off at a subsequent military event.

He was also believed to have stood up to and publicly complained about Kim, and had not ignored official orders on multiple occasions, according to the lawmakers.

Hyon is understood to have been arrested late last month and executed three days later without legal proceedings.

Hyon is believed to have been a military general since 2010 and served on the committee for late leader Kim Jong-il's funeral in December 2011, before becoming defence minister.

In North Korea, the defence minister is mainly in charge of logistics and international exchanges. 

Policy-making is handled by the powerful National Defence Commission and the party Central Military Commission.

Since taking power upon the death of his dictator father in late 2011, Kim Jong Un has orchestrated a series of purges in apparent efforts to bolster his grip on power. 

Experts on North Korea said there was no sign of instability in Pyongyang, but there could be if the purges continued.

Kim ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year as punishment for challenging his authority, according to the NIS. In all, around 70 officials have been executed since Kim took over after his father's death in 2011, Yonhap news agency cited the NIS as saying.

Analysts are split on whether the bloody power shifts indicate a young leader in firm control, or someone still struggling to establish himself.

'North Korean internal politics is very volatile these days. Internally, there does not seem to be any respect for Kim Jong Un within the core and middle levels of the North Korean leadership,' said Michael Madden, an expert on the country's leadership and contributor to the 38 North think tank.

'There is no clear or present danger to Kim Jong Un's leadership or regime stability, but if this continues to happen into next year, then we should seriously start to think about revising our scenarios on North Korea,' he added.

Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea leadership expert at Dongguk University in Seoul, said the regime could 'reach its limit' if Kim's purges continued, but added: 'it's still too early to tell.'

North Korea is one of the most insular countries in the world and its ruling power structure is highly opaque. The current leader is the third generation of the Kim family that has ruled with near-absolute power since the country was established in 1948.

In 2013, Kim purged and executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, once considered the second most powerful man in Pyongyang's leadership circle, for factionalism and committing crimes damaging to the economy, along with a group of officials close to him.

Culled from DailyMail UK.

Burundi President Nkurunziza Faces Attempted Coup

A coup attempt has been launched in Burundi to try to overthrow President Pierre Nkurunziza, amid unrest over his bid to be re-elected to a third term.

Thousands of people in the capital, Bujumbura, celebrated the announcement by Major General Godefroid Niyombare.

But the coup outcome is far from clear.

The presidency says the coup has been foiled and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Mr Nkurunziza has now left a summit in Tanzania and is reportedly trying to return to Burundi.

Gen Niyombare said in a radio address he had ordered "the closure of the airport and border, and I ask every citizen and law enforcement down to the airport to protect it".

Mr Nkurunziza had been meeting other East African leaders to discuss the crisis. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said the summit condemned the coup.

A statement from the Burundi presidency said: "It is with regret that we have learned that a group from the armed forces mutinied this morning and declared an imaginary coup.

"This coup attempt has been foiled and that these people, who read the coup announcement on the radio, are being hunted by defence and security forces so that they can be brought to justice."

A presidential spokesman said Mr Nkurunziza would address the nation on his return and was not afraid.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all parties to exercise restraint.

The BBC's Maud Jullien in Bujumbura says thousands of protesters marched to the city centre alongside soldiers and two tanks after the coup was announced.

Police shot at the soldiers and the crowd. At least two protesters were killed.

What I can see right now is a lot of police checks on the road, they are stopping every vehicle, ensuring that those travelling are not carrying any weapons. We can see truckloads of army personnel driving past where I am standing, perhaps trying to get them to military bases.

When the general made the announcement there was a mixed reaction and some gunfire around the capital. In some parts there was panic and fear; people were running to safety, locking themselves into any building they could find. But there were also those who were celebrating, saying that this is what they wanted.

The protesters continued to march, one telling the BBC this was a victory after weeks of protests.

They reached the offices of the state broadcaster which was still in the control of soldiers loyal to the president.

Some reports say the loyalists and those supporting the coup are now in negotiations but this was denied by the presidency.

BBC reporters in the capital say that protesters have broken into the national jail and have released detained demonstrators, before burning down the building.

All international flights into and out of Bujumbura are currently cancelled.

Culled from BBC.

Airport X-ray Discovers 8-year-Old Boy in Suitcase

Bundled up tightly in a fetal position, an 8-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast survived several hours locked in a suitcase in a botched smuggling attempt into Spain.

A police spokesman who cannot be identified for security reasons told CNN that the boy -- who is now in Spanish custody -- was discovered Thursday in El Tarajal, a terrestrial point of entry at Spain's border with Morocco.

Police are still not sure how long the young boy spent tucked into the pink, medium-sized polyester suitcase, pressed against a few personal belongings.

"He was shocked when we opened the suitcase to see so many people looking at him," the spokesman said. But the boy is in good condition, he said.

This is the first time they have found this type of smuggling, the spokesman said, in which a child was locked into a container. There have been a few attempts by adults to sneak into Spain by hiding in other types of containers, he said.

On Thursday, police officers in El Tarajal became suspicious when a 21-year-old woman, a Moroccan National, showed signs of nervousness as she attempted to cross the border wheeling the suitcase down the street.

"Our officers asked her if she needed help as the wheels began to give in," the spokesman said.

Suspecting a drug smuggling case, police brought the suitcase in for an x-ray. That is when they found the boy.

He was immediately taken to a state child custodian and awaits judicial process, the official said.

A man who is apparently his father, identified as A.O., was arrested a few hours after the boy was found. The man, who has permanent residency in Spain, awaits formal charges.

 Culled from CNN.

Another Nigerian Soldier Lieutenant MI Musa Dies on The Line of Duty.

Lt MI Musa

Lieutenant MI Musa was killed yesterday while serving his country! He was killed in action! May his soul RIP!

Manny Pacquiao Has Shoulder Surgery After Floyd Mayweather Pounding

Manny Pacquiao is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder, the Filipino's publicist confirmed Tuesday.

Pacquiao had the operation in San Francisco following his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in the megabucks "Fight of the Century" on Saturday.

Surgeon Dr. Neal El Attrache said he could not be "more pleased with the results."

The 36-year-old Filipino suffered the injury during training for his bout against Mayweather.

Even if the prognosis for Pacquiao's recovery is optimistic, the injury could yet prove costly for the boxer.

The former eight-division world champion is being sued amid accusations he lied about the injury in the build-up to the fight with Mayweather, claims the Pacquiao camp denies.

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) denied Pacquiao a pain-killing injection in the build-up to the fight and is considering disciplinary action against him.

NAC is reportedly considering disciplinary action against Pacquiao for not disclosing the injury in a form ahead of the fight.

Given the huge interest in last weekend's meeting, the undefeated Mayweather is reportedly open to a rematch with Pacquiao in a year's time.

Culled from CNN.

Christiano Ronaldo Donates 7million Euros to Victims Of Nepal Earthquake

Portuguese and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo donated seven million euros to help all those who were affected by the earthquake in Nepal. Three days after the event,and as the human casualties increased, Cristiano Ronaldo used his Twitter feed to ask his fans to help all those people that were left homeless or need medical relief.

How to Program Your Mind to Attract What You Want By Jack Canfield

We all aspire to be, do and have great things. Yet most of us simply aren’t creating the results we want. We don’t have enough money, romance, success or joy in our lives. But what we need to understand is that greatness exists in all of us. It is simply up to us to pull it out of ourselves. We all have genius. We just need to learn how to apply it.

Decide What You Want
In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want — so they don’t even let themselves want it.

Don’t sabotage yourself that way!

What scientists now know about how the brain works is that you must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it. Once you lock-in your desires, your mind and the universe can step in.

Are you ready to get started?

Be Willing to Dream Big Dreams
As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You’ll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

Set Goals That Will Stretch You
Another value in giving yourself permission to go after the big dreams is that big dreams require you to grow in order to achieve them. In fact, in the long run, that is the greatest benefit you will receive from pursuing your dreams — not so much the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream (an expensive car, impressive house, loads of money and philanthropic opportunities), but who you become in the process.

As I’ve seen many times over, the outer symbols of success, can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end in divorce, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher, Jim Rohn advises that “You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”

Service to Others
Something else you’ll discover is that when your dreams include service to others — accomplishing something that contributes to others — it also accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Turn Your Dreams into Goals and Objectives
Once you are clear about what you want, you must turn each item into a measurable objective. By measurable, I mean measurable in space and time — how much and by when. For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you, but you would probably protest, saying “No, I meant a lot more money — like $20,000!” Well, how am I supposed to know unless you tell me? Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain — God, the Universe — can’t figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What do you want — exactly — and when do you want it by?

Write Your Goals Down
Write your goals down in detail, and read your list of goals every day. This will keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, "What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?" Write down your answers and take those actions.

To help your reticular activating system begin finding YOUR wants in unexpected places, take time now to decide what you want and start writing!

Remember, don't hold back!