Power partly restored in India after second massive Power failure.

Electric power station on outside Jammu, India. Image credit CNN

India suffered its second massive power failure in two consecutive days on Tuesday, depriving as many as 600 million people, half the country's population of electricity and disrupting transportation networks for hours.
The first power grid collapse, on Monday, was the country's worst blackout in a decade. It affected seven states in northern India that are home to more than 350 million people.
Tuesday's failure was even larger, hitting eastern and northeastern areas as well. Both blackouts cut power in the capital, New Delhi, where residents sweltered.
Several hours later, by 9:30 p.m., power had been largely restored, the Power Grid Corporation of India reported on its website.

OLYMPICS: China's Amazing Teenage Swimmer Wins 2nd Gold

Chinese Swimmer Ye Shiwen.

Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen's prowess has continued to boggle minds at the ongoing Olympic games.The Chinese swimming prodigy's extraordinary swims during the first few days of the Olympics may have drawn praise from across the sport, but they've also raised suspicions of drug doping.

OLYMPICS: Michael Phelps becomes greatest Olympian.

Swimmer Michael Phelps celebrating his legendary feat.

 World renowned U.S swimmer Michael Phelps On Tuesday became the greatest Olympian ever, setting a record with his 19th medal after anchoring the U.S. men's 4x200-meter freestyle team to gold.
The crowd at London's Aquatic Centre rose to its feet as Phelps churned home, well ahead of France's Yannick Agnel.

OLYMPICS: Jo - Wilfried Tsonga win longest Tennis Match

Jo -Wilfried Tsonga in his record setting Olympic match.

 Tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga entered the record books on Tuesday by winning the longest tennis match in Olympic history.
The Frenchman's second-round clash with Canada's Milos Raonic took three hours 58 minutes to complete, with the final set ending 25-23.

OLYMPICS: French win two golds and two world records broken in swimming events.

France's Clement Lefert, Amaury Leveaux and Fabien Gilot celebrate after winning the men's 4 x 100m freestyle relay final swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Park on July 29, 2012 in London. Image Credit CNN

 At the swimming events, two world records tumbled in the Aquatics Centre Sunday while France claimed two golds including a stunning upset in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay.
Dana Vollmer gave the United States a winning start on the second night of swimming finals with a commanding swim in the women's 100m butterfly, becoming the first woman under the 56 seconds barrier with 55.98 seconds.
The second world record of the night saw South African Cameron van der Burgh claim the men's 100m breaststroke gold with a 58.46 seconds clocking.

OLYMPICS: Lizzie Armitstead wins first medal for hosts.

Marianne Vos crosses the line ahead of Lizzie Armitstead to win gold in the women's road race.Image Credit CNN

  Cyclist Lizzie Armitstead won the first medal of the London Games for the hosts but had to settle for silver behind Dutchwoman Marianne Vos in cycling's women's road race Sunday.
Vos proved the stronger in the sprint for the line on The Mall to win her second Olympic gold medal after claiming the track points title in Beijing four years ago.
Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya, the third member of a decisive breakaway, took the bronze.
Defending Olympic champion Nicole Cook of Britain finished in the main bunch, just under 30 seconds behind the trio.

OLYMPICS: China win 10m diving gold

China's Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang on their way to gold in the 10m synchronized diving. Image Credit CNN

Chinese pair Yuan Gao and Yanquan Zhang claimed gold in Monday's men's synchronized 10m diving final. The reigning world champions scored 99.36 with a near faultless final dive to claim the Olympic title.

English charges FA Rio Ferdinand for Ashley Cole "choc ice" tweet

Rio Ferdinand has been charged for replying to tweets describing Ashley Cole as a "choc ice". Image credit CNN

 Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been charged with improper conduct by the English Football Association.
The former national team captain responded to a tweet describing Chelsea and England left-back as a "choc ice" with the message: "I hear you fella! Choc ice is a classic! Hahahahahaha!!"
In a brief statement published on their website Thursday, the FA announced:
"The allegation is that the player acted in a way which was improper and/or bought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or color and/or race."
Ferdinand, a surprise exclusion from England's Euro 2012 squad, has until 4pm on 2nd August to respond to the FA's charge.

Headscarf may prevent Saudi athlete from participating in Olympics judo competition.

Female Saudi Judo athlete Wojdan Shaherkani, left, arrives with her father at Heathrow airport . Image Credit CNN.

 One of the two women on Saudi Arabia's Olympic team may be pulled from the competition because of the kingdom's insistence that she wear a headscarf in her judo matches.
Saudi and international Olympic officials met late into the night with International Judo Federation representatives to resolve the case of Wojdan Shaherkani, the Saudi Olympic committee said Monday.
The meeting failed to break the deadlock that threatens to keep the kingdom's only female judo competitor from participating Friday, Saudi National Olympic Committee representative Razen Baker said.
"There is nothing to say it is finalized yet," she said. "She is here, and we want her to compete."

Lewis Hamilton dominates from start to finish to win Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton controlled the race from start to finish to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday to revive his title hopes.
The 2008 world champion made the most of pole position to cross the line at Hungaroring ahead of Lotus pair Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and France's Romain Grosjean.
It was the second win of the season for Britain's Hamilton, who was fastest in both practice sessions Friday and then dominated qualifying.

Romney faces Palestinian criticism for Jerusalem remarks.

U.S republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his tour.

    U.S republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney incurred huge criticism from  Palestinian leaders today, when he suggested here that the Israeli economy had outpaced the economy of the Palestinian territories in part because of advantages of “culture.”

Palestinians said that Romney had ignored the long-running Israeli restrictions on crossings from the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which they say are an enormous drag on trade. The Romney campaign disputed media accounts of Romney’s remarks.

Saudi Arabia bans smoking in public places.

Smoking, now banned in Syria.

The Saudi Arabian government has banned smoking in government offices and most public places, including restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets and shopping malls.

Syrian Rebels Capture Military base near Aleppo.

Jubilant Syrians Rebels outside Aleppo.

 Syrian rebels captured a government military base, in the early hours of today on the outskirts of Aleppo, the hotly contested Syrian metropolis that has seen more than a week of bloody clashes.
The base had about 200 Syrian troops and appeared to be under attack by rebels from three sides overnight.
"The battle lasted around nine hours," said Fazad Abdel Nasr, a rebel commander working in the northern Aleppo suburbs. Nasr said six regime soldiers and four rebel fighters were killed.
The rebels also gained heavy equipment to supplement the lesser weapons they had been fighting with.

"We captured four tanks in good condition, and they are now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army. Two were destroyed," Nasr added.

Bollywood Actress Sherlyn Chopra to be Playboy's first Indian Model

Bollywood Actress Sherlyn Chopra with Playboy owner Hugh Hefner

 Bollywood film actress Sherlyn Chopra will become the first woman to pose for popular lifestyle magazine, Playboy.
 The 28-year-old knockout wrote to the magazine and suggested the idea herself, the BBC reported. They got back to her within a few days to accept.

Blackout leaves 300 million Indians without power.

Power failure in northern India.

New Delhi, India: The normal life is slowly returning to normal with power being restored upto a certain extent in some states.
On Monday, whole of North India plunged into darkness as the power supply in eight states was severely affected after failure of northern electricity transmission grid at about 2:30 am.
The states affected were Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

Nigerians living in fear, uncertainty – Obasanjo, IBB.

Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, former Nigerian presidents.

Former Nigerian heads of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida have expressed concern over the growing insecurity in the country, saying “Nigeria is currently under fear and uncertainty.”

In a joint statement obtained by Punch newspaper correspondent in Abuja on Sunday, they warned that the consequences were capable of affecting the unity of the country.

They said the loss of innocent lives being experienced across the country was no longer bearable.

The two leaders said, “The loss of innocent lives by the day across the nation is simply unbearable.

“Currently, the nation is gripped by a regime of fear and uncertainty that virtually all citizens have difficulties going about their normal day-to-day activities with great anxiety and trepidation. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

They said unfolding events had posed threats to the labour of the nation’s founding fathers and subsequent generations in building a strong, united, peaceful country that can accommodate and cater for the needs and aspirations of our diverse communities.

Obasanjo and Babangida also lamented the untold hardship in the country.

They claimed that a deeply worrying trend that was emerging from this terrible situation was that a pervasive cynicism was beginning to set in, so much so that millions of true Nigerian patriots were starting to question the platform upon which the unity of the country rests.

However, they appealed to Nigerians not to allow frustration, fear and despair to supersede their hope for a collective destiny, which lies in their continued existence as a nation.

Both leaders declared that as for them, and some millions of other Nigerians, the continued unity of Nigeria was not only priceless but non-negotiable.

Their statement reads in part, “While we are very much aware of the efforts various governments in the country are making to confront the escalating security challenges across the country, we believe that it is time that these efforts are scaled up to be more involving and inclusive.

“In this regard, whatever robust security measures are put in place to contain the situation, as is normal in such circumstances; they must be complemented with an equally intensive process of community involvement.

“We therefore urge all governments in the country, starting with all the 774 local councils to comprehensively engage their communities at the various levels, including elders, youth organisations, trade union and associations, women bodies, clerics and other community stakeholders.

“We also call on the Federal and state governments not only to encourage these grass roots engagements for peace and beneficial coexistence but should work out the framework to sustain the engagement.”

They said that in all these efforts, it was important to emphasise that Nigeria’s diversity should be a course for celebration and not a cause for lamentations.

Both leaders, who recently abused each other on the pages of newspapers, however appealed to Nigerians to use the holy month of Ramadan to turn the tide against insecurity, violence and hatred.

They also appealed to religious leaders, in particular, to have an even greater challenge to use the immense virtues of this holy period to inculcate among the millions of citizens, the spirit of mutual respect, humility and forgiveness.

They furthermore revealed that ample opportunities were at hand to bring all armed belligerents to table for meaningful dialogue with the authorities for Nigerians’ future.

Obasanjo and Babangida added that no meaningful development could ever occur in an atmosphere of violence and hatred.

History, they said, had shown that any society built on the structures of violence and intolerance would not prosper.

While they said that God has blessed Nigeria with abundant resources and talents, they however said there must be peace and harmony to harness them.

They also said they were ready to do whatever was possible to promote the quest for peace and harmony in the country.

ACN, ARP ask Tukur to resign over subsidy scam.

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    Action Congress of Nigeria has called on the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to resign, following the alleged involvement of  his son  in the fuel subsidy scam.

The ACN  described the subsidy scam as the biggest corruption case in Nigeria’s history.

Thirteen die as bus, truck collide in Edo State Nigeria.

Remains of Bus Truck collision in Edo state Nigeria.

    No fewer than 13 persons were confirmed dead and one injured on Sunday morning after an Iveco truck (AAA962XB) and an Anambra State Mass Transit inter-state Toyota Hiace bus (YB610EPE) collided on the Benin-Sagamu Expressway at Ofosu, Edo State.

"PDP conspiring with Reps to impeach Jonathan" Nigeria's South-South leaders.

Nigeria's President, Goodluck Jonathan.

Suspicion and rage simmered in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria on Friday, following statements credited to the Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  a Nigerian political party, Dr. Sam Jaja, that President Goodluck Jonathan had committed blunders that required his impeachment.

Elders and activists from the region were furious that the PDP had tactically given the House of Representatives a backing to actualise its threat to impeach the president.

They were also suspicious that the national leaders of the party from the region might have been convinced to join the impeachment train.

Jaja had, while briefing journalists on behalf of the party’s National Working Committee last Thursday, said the PDP was aware that Jonathan had made some errors deserving of impeachment.

He, however, said the party would try to resolve the present face-off between the lawmakers and Jonathan

Jaja, who is from the same geopolitical zone with Jonathan, said, “It is not a fluke that they (Reps) are not making any sense, it is not also a fluke that the President is making errors that require impeachment.”

But Ijaw elders and activists were of the opinion that the national leadership of the PDP wanted the president removed from office.

The President of the Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta, Prof. Kimse Okoko, described Jaja’s comments as “a conspiracy theory” and asked him to name the impeachable offences that Jonathan had committed.

He said, “Coming from someone from the Niger Delta, it is a conspiracy theory. Let him tell us what the impeachable errors are. Unless he says so it will be unfair for him to come up with this conspiracy theory. It is an irresponsible statement because he has not mentioned the errors.”

Okoko who was the former President of the Ijaw National Congress said he was only aware that the lawmakers threatened to impeach the president if he failed to ensure 100 per cent implementation of the budget.

“I consider that reason unacceptable because there is hardly any country in the world where budgets are implemented to the tune of 100 per cent, especially in our country where budgets are determined by the proceeds of the oil we sell. To expect 100 per cent performance from Jonathan is mischievous”, he said.

Also a Niger Delta activist and Spokesperson, Ijaw Republican Assembly, Ankio Briggs, described the position of the party as shocking and horrifying, adding that it was more frightening coming from Jaja, who is from the Niger Delta region.

“It can now be categorically said that not only are there agitators within the nation from a particular zone to destabilise Jonathan’s government, there are people even from the Niger Delta zone and this is very frightening,” she said.

Also, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Bayelsa State chapter, Mr. Stanley Damabide, said the comments coming from “a house that should be protective of the presidency was suspicious.”

He said, “Our greatest fear is conspiracy. The statement is to a large extent immature and not responsible considering the current state of the country and the fact that whatever disagreement or crisis at hand has not reached a level where it cannot be managed and corrected internally.”

Similarly, the spokesman of the Ijaw National Congress, Mr. Victor Burubo, described the statement credited to Jaja as his personal opinion, adding that the INC does not share such opinion with him.

Burubo said, “If he (Jaja) actually said so, then it is his own opinion. The INC does not agree with him. If there is any president in this country that has demonstrated commitment to the rule of law, it is President Jonathan.”

 

Social media users carpet Senator David Mark on call for censorship.

Nigerian Senate President, David Mark.

Nigerian online social media users have criticised the Senate President, David Mark, for reportedly seeking a check on the use of social media by Nigerians.

They said it was an attempt to frustrate public criticism of government.

Mark had last Thursday, while declaring open a two-day retreat for Senate Press corps in Umuahia, Abia State, reportedly said the check became necessary as people used the media to demean their leaders. He added that there was no opportunity for retraction of information in such media.

He reportedly said, “We need to change our attitude on how we report things about our country and we should emulate the foreign reporters who never report negative things about their countries.”

Facebook and Twitter users however, took a swipe at Mark, saying he allegedly antagonised the use of mobile phones by average Nigerians some years ago.

The comments had the senate president trending on social media platforms.

A Facebook post by Agba Jalingo read, “Attention: Occupy David Mark. The senate president must be stopped from his moves to restrict the use of social media in Nigeria, as it has been done in militarised countries of the world. He has been quoted as saying the social media is being used to insult leaders. We are not in North Korea, this is a democracy.

“Occupy his telephone line and help save our only freedom of expression. Call, text and even flash 080350088**. Please re-broadcast.”

A twitter user, Adenike Adebayo, also wrote, “People like Mark represent the last vestiges of a dying paradigm. We must hasten that process to avoid poisoning of the polity.”

Similarly, Segun Agbede, tweeted, “Mark says the foreign media don’t say negative things about their country. He obviously hasn’t been reading British and American newspapers.”

Another another user, Deejay, tweeted, “Mark should say something more reasonable when next he’s talking to the press.”

Chidi in his tweet said, “When Mark was a minister, he said telephone wasn’t for poor people. Today, he says social media should be banned.”

Another twitter user, Ekekeee.com, wrote, “Let Mark legislate against us using new media. At least, let it be one achievement he can boast of in his years” involvent in our renascent democracy.

Likewise, Obi Henry tweeted, “If Mark had his way, he would have shut down these handles. Mark who said telephones were not for the poor is now advocating social media censorship. An apple doesn’t fall far from its tree.”

Biological mechanism for growing animal defense, mating and ornamental systems discovered.

Washington state university entomologist Laura Corley Lavine has helped discover the mechanism  behind the Japanese Rhinoceros beetle elaborate horn. Image credit ScienceDaily.com

 Researchers led by scientists at the University of Montana and Washington State University have discovered a developmental mechanism they think may be responsible for the excessive growth of threatening horns or come-hither tail feathers. heir extreme size attracts potential mates and warns away lesser rivals.

New Apple mountain Lion software brings attention to mountain Lion research.

New Apple Mountain Lion OS X.

  Apple's new OS X release, "OS X Mountain Lion" has brought attention to a little known specie of mountain lion whose home is the wooded hills near the multi-billion dollar company's headquarters in Cupertino U.S.


  According to Physics.Org, since 2008, UC Santa Cruz researchers have captured 36 mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the Santa Cruz mountains as part of the UCSC Puma Project to better understand the big cats' physiology, behavior, and ecology. They've outfitted the lithe, tawny-colored predators with high-tech electronic collars that show where the mountain lions are and where they have been. Fourteen still have active GPS collars, said UCSC environmental studies Ph.D. student Yiwei Wang. Two others are followed manually. Of the remaining 20 lions, some collars have failed, or the lions have disappeared or died.

Gorilla accidentally hangs himself at Prague zoo.

Tatu, pictured in 2007 after his birth was aired live on internet.

Tatu killed himself on Friday morning while playing in a rope structure in the gorilla wing, the zoo director said. "This is the most tragic event that has happened at the Prague zoo since a flood damaged a large section in August 2002," director Miroslav Bobek said in a statement.

Scientists locate seat of Meta-Consciousness through studies of lucid dreamers

Brain regions activated more during lucid dreaming than normal dreaming. Image credit ScienceDaily.com

 The studies of lucid dreamers show which centers of the brain become active when we become aware of ourselves in dreams. Lucid dreamers are people who can become aware of dreaming during sleep.
 Scientists from the Max Planck Institutes of Psychiatry in Munich and for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and from Charité in Berlin have now studied people who are aware that they are dreaming while being in a dream state, and are also able to deliberately control their dreams.

Physicists manufacture world's smallest semiconductor Laser.

Smallest Laser production principle.

  A collaboration between Physicists at the University of Texas at Austin and colleagues in China and Taiwan has led to the development of the worlds smallest Laser. This is according to this week's Science report  on their work. Chih-Kang "Ken" Shih, professor of physics at The University of Texas at Austin says that they've developed a nanolaser device that operates well below the 3-D diffraction limit which would have a large impact on nano-scale technologies. The miniaturization of semiconductor lasers is key for the development of faster, smaller and lower energy photon-based technologies, such as ultra-fast computer chips; highly sensitive bio-sensors for detecting, treating and studying disease; and next-generation communication technologies.
 Such photonic devices could use nanolasers to generate optical signals and transmit information, and have the potential to replace electronic circuits. But the size and performance of photonic devices have been restricted by what's known as the three-dimensional optical diffraction limit.

Princes at war: How Prince Charles's plans for a slimmed monarchy sparked Palace power struggle.

Prince Andrew and Prince Charles: at loggerheads

Outside the gates of Buckingham Palace the post-Diamond-Jubilee glow remains as warm as ever. The Queen at 86 is more popular now than at any time in her reign, the monarchy’s future enthusiastically underwritten by the millions who turned out to celebrate last month.
But within palace walls the mood is chillingly different. Where there used to be brotherly harmony, there is now open hostility.
The main antagonists: Prince Andrew and his elder brother, the Prince of Wales.
At a cocktail party in one of the royal palaces the other evening, Andrew was angrily telling a senior figure how he and others in the family are being pushed to the margins of royal life.

William Bonner - Bar Idiot - Becomes Human Torch. After Challenging Friends To Set His Head On Fire.

William Boner' head on fire.

As reported by The Weekly Vice,William Bonner, a 36-year-old Georgia man, was feeling a little light headed Friday night after he allegedly challenged his bar buddies to set his head on fire.... and they did.

Heavy fighting in Syrian city of Aleppo

Syrian fighters near Aleppo

As reported by CNN, Combat consumed parts of the sprawling Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday, a disturbing sign for world powers who fear an all-out government assault.
Government forces shelled Aleppo neighborhoods, and Free Syrian Army rebels clashed with government soldiers in and around the city on Saturday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. At least 20 of the 71 people that the LCC reported killed across the country on Saturday died in Aleppo province.
"The heaviest clashes since the beginning of the revolution are taking place now in a number of neighborhoods in Aleppo city," the LCC said. The uprising started more than 16 months ago after the Bashar al-Assad government cracked down fiercely on peaceful protesters.

Mitt Romney: Arab Spring Could've Been Avoided By Bush's 'Freedom Agenda'

Mitt Romney, U.S presidential candidate.

In an interview with the right-wing Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom, Mitt Romney said that the Arab Spring might never have happened had Bush's "freedom agenda" not been prematurely halted by President Barack Obama, as reported by Huffington post.

Florida puppeteer accused in child porn case.

Ronald Brown, accused puppeteer.

   A Florida puppeteer who entertains children at birthday parties, schools and churches, secretly wanted to rape, kill and eat them, cops said.

   Ronald Brown, 57, of Largo, was arrested last week after federal agents found that he'd allegedly been chatting online with child pornography suspects about "extremely graphic discussions regarding kidnapping, sexually abusing, murdering and eating children," according to a federal complaint obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.

The details are gruesome.

Hacker finds flaw in hotel locks, can ruin your vacation with $50 DIY gadget

Hacker testing device.

As reported by Engadget, Cody Brocious, who was recently brought on by Mozilla to work on Boot to Gecko, is giving a presentation at the annual Black Hat conference in Vegas where he demonstrates a method for cracking open keycard locks with a homemade $50 device. The hack only works on locks made by Onity at the moment, and real life testing with a reporter from Forbes only succeeded in opening one of three hotel doors.

New Recruits in the Fight Against Disease: Anti-Bacterial 'Killing Machine' Deciphered

An illustration of the bacteriophage lysin Ply C. (Credit: Image courtesy of Monash University).

In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from Monash University, The Rockefeller University and the University of Maryland detail how the bacteriophage lysin, PlyC, kills bacteria that cause infections from sore throats to pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome as reported by Science Daily.

RNC Issues False Attack On Obama Over Daily Economic Briefings In New Web Ad .

U.S Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) continued its line of attack that President Barack Obama is neglecting the economy in the pursuit of his own reelection with the release of a new web ad on Tuesday that invokes a year-old report to make a false claim about Obama's engagement with his economic advisers.

South Korean president apologizes for bribery scandals in his inner circle.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

South Korean president Lee Myung-bak apologized to his country for what he called "shameful incidents" involving his family and inner circle, on Tuesday, As reported by CNN.
Earlier this month, his older brother, Lee Sang-deuk was arrested on bribery charges involving two troubled Korean banks. This week, prosecutors in Korea sought arrest warrants for two former aides to Lee on the suspicion of receiving bribes from the same two banks, according to Yonhap, a South Korean news agency.

Ghana swears in new president after leader's death

New Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.

Ghanaian officials swore in a new president on Tuesday, hours after the death of the West African nation's leader.
John Evans Atta Mills died suddenly at a military hospital on Tuesday afternoon a few hours after becoming ill, Chief of Staff John Henry Martey Newman said in a statement. He was 68.
In a ceremony broadcast on state television, John Dramani Mahama, formerly Ghana's vice president,  became the country's new president and ordered that flags be flown at half-staff for a week.

"This is the saddest day in our nation's history. Tears have engulfed our nation and we're deeply saddened and distraught. I never imagined that one day I will address our nation in such difficult circumstances," Mahama said. "I'm personally devastated. I've lost a father, I've lost a friend, I've lost a mentor and a senior comrade."

Officials did not specify what caused Mills' death. The president had denied rumors about his health for months.
"Does my continued living pose a threat to some people?" he told reporters at a January event, according to the state-run Ghana News Agency.
On June 25, he returned from a medical checkup in the United States, the news agency reported.
Mills was a former law professor and a tax expert. He was Ghana's vice president from 1997 to 2000.
Before his political career, he taught at the University of Ghana and also was a visiting lecturer at Temple University in Pennsylvania and Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Mills ran for president unsuccessfully in 2000 and 2004 before narrowly winning a runoff in 2009.

Dead Ghanaian President John Evans Atta Mills.

Mills' death came several days after he celebrated his 68th birthday. He had said he would run for re-election in December.

In a statement read on his behalf by Ghana's information minister Monday, Mills said his government had focused on developing the nation's economy, according to the Ghana News Agency.

"We made a promise to expand our country's infrastructural base in support of our economy take-off," the statement said. "We also decided to invest in the people of our country so as to make them competitive both locally and abroad."

Mahama said Tuesday that Mills was a "prince of peace" who "brought a distinctive insight into Ghanaian politics."

The opposition New Patriotic Party expressed condolences in a statement Tuesday.

"We join the nation in mourning this sad loss to Ghana," the statement said.

U.S. President Barack Obama met with Mills when he visited Ghana in July 2009. Obama praised the country as a model for democracy and stability when Mills visited Washington this year.

"Ghana has become a wonderful success story economically on the continent," Obama said. "In part because of the initiatives of President Mills, you've seen high growth rates over the last several years. Food productivity and food security is up. There's been strong foreign investment."

In a statement Tuesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron described Mills as "a tireless defender of democracy in West Africa and across the continent."

Part of a former British colony, Ghana was among the first African countries to gain independence, in 1957. It endured a series of coups before a military dictator, Jerry Rawlings, took power in 1981. Rawlings led Ghana through a transition to democracy about 10 years later.

Mahama, 53, is a former member of Ghana's parliament who has served as director of communication for the National Democratic Congress party.

On Tuesday, the new president called on Ghanaians to respect Mills' legacy.

"Our finest tribute to him at this moment is to maintain the unity and stability of our nation," Mahama said.

Sport News: 24 July 2012 ; Soccer results, Hockey results, Basketball results, Cricket results.

SOCCER
UEFA champions league qualifiers.

 (FT) Ventspils                            1 - 1                           Molde

 (FT) RB Salzburg                       4 - 3                           Dudelange

 (FT) Ironi Kiryat Shmona           2 - 0                           Zilina

 (FT) Ekranas                             2 - 1                           Shamrock Rovers

 (FT) FC Sheriff                         1 - 0                            Ulisses

 (FT) Zestafoni                           2 - 2                            FK Neftchi

 (FT) Basel                                3 - 0                            Tallinna FC Flora

 (FT) Debrecen                          3 - 0                            Skenderbeu

 (FT) Partizan Belgrade               3 - 1                           Valletta

 (FT) Zeljeznicar                         1 - 2                           NK Maribor

 

Colorado theater shooting suspect makes first court appearance.

James E. Holmes, Aurora shooting suspect.

The man accused of shooting into a packed movie theater made his first court appearance on Monday, giving the public its first look at the 24-year-old former doctoral candidate since his arrest moments after the gunfire ended early Friday.

 James E. Holmes, his hair dyed various shades of orange, looked down, then straight ahead. He sat without blinking for long periods. At times, his eyes fluttered, then squeezed tight and reopened in a blank stare. Occasionally, his eyebrows arched over several days of stubble, giving his face a mournful mien.
But the dazed-looking man, who identified himself to police as "The Joker," wore a maroon jumpsuit over a white T-shirt and gave little indication that he was paying attention to the courtroom procedure that ensured he will continue to be held without bond.
 

NCAA Hits Penn State With $60 Million Fine, Postseason Ban, Loss Of Scholarships And Wins.

Penn State Football team.

One day after the statue of Joe Paterno was removed from outside of Beaver Stadium on the Penn State campus, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced sanctions resulting from the football program's role in the sexual abuse scandal involving former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky. On Sunday, the NCAA announced its intention to implement "corrective and punitive measures" against Penn State.

Westboro Baptist Church Threatens To 'Super Picket' Aurora Prayer Vigil For Batman Shooting Victims.

Members of the Westboro baptist church appear to be on their way to protest a prayer vigil for the victims of the Aurora massacre, according to tweet from the members posted by Examiner.com. using the hashtag #ThankGodForTheShooter, Examiner.com reports members tweeted out their plans to "super picket" the candle lit prayer service, saying "God is at work in Colorado".