The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral to an extent rarely achieved by health-care topics.
The challenge format is simple – somebody has water, often full of ice cubes, dumped over their head. They then nominate people they know to undertake the same challenge.
There have been in excess of 2.4 million ice bucket-related videos posted on Facebook, and 28 million people have uploaded, commented on or liked ice bucket-related posts.
On image sharing website Instagram there have been 3.7 million videos uploaded with the hashtags #ALSicebucketchallenge and #icebucketchallenge. Justin Bieber’s has been the most popular – with about one million “Likes”.
The stunt is typically intended to raise money and awareness for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association.
Justin Bieber’s Ice Bucket Challenge has been the most popular on Facebook with about one million Likes (photo Justin Bieber)
From July 29 to August 28 this year ALS received $98.2 million – compared with $2.7 million donated during the same period last year.
Google searches for both ALS and Lou Gehrig’s Disease, an alternative name in the US, rose sharply from August 13 to a peak on August 21. Since then they have been declining.
From August 1 to August 27 this year, the ALS Wikipedia page had 2,717,754 views. This compared with the 1,662,842 people who had visited the page during the whole of the preceding 12 months, according to data company Dataviz.
Average daily visits to the ALS association website were about 17,500 before the ice bucket challenge, compared with the peak of 4.5 million visits on 20 August (of which 83% were new to the site). During the past month there have been about 30 million visitors in total.
As of August 29 the Ice Bucket Challenge had 4,483,726 Twitter mentions. ALS Twitter followers had increased from 8,975 in early July to 21,100.
In a Labor Day speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, President Barack Obama has said he will continue to press Congress to raise the federal minimum wage as the US rebounds from recession.
Barack Obama said the economy and workers were now better off then when he took office in 2009.
“America deserves a raise,” he said.
His speech comes ahead of mid-term elections in November which will see a close race between Democrats and Republicans for control of the Senate.
“By almost every measure, the American economy and American workers are better off than when I took office,” Barack Obama said to an audience of union members.
He also pledged to protect the right for equal pay for women.
Barack Obama has said he will continue to press Congress to raise the federal minimum wage as the US rebounds from recession (photo AP)
Barack Obama was speaking after recent economic figures showed a one percent decrease in the national unemployment rate and a 4.2% growth in GDP in the second quarter of 2014.
He said these improvements were due to decisions he had made during his first term in office, which included an effort to bail out the US auto industry.
He also said introducing new healthcare legislation had made life better for American workers.
“America is stronger because of decisions we made to rescue our economy and rebuild it on a new foundation asking the simple question: is this good for ordinary Americans?” he said.
Despite the recent economic improvements, figures show America’s long-term jobless rate remains high and real hourly wages have stagnated.
Increasing the minimum wage is a top issue for Barack Obama’s Democratic Party who are fighting to keep control of the Senate in mid-term elections in early November.
The Republicans already have a majority in Congress and blocked an attempt to pass a minimum wage bill earlier this year.
This led to Barack Obama issuing an executive order in February requiring federal contractors to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 from the beginning of next year.
In his Milwaukee speech, Barack Obama said that contrary to Republican arguments, states that had already raised the minimum wage had seen job growth, not reduction.
The White House has announced it is working to free three American citizens detained in North Korea.
The statement was made in response to a televised appeal by the Americans asking for help from the US government.
Kenneth Bae, 46, has been held in North Korea since 2012 and is currently in a labor camp outside Pyongyang.
Jeffrey Fowle, 56, and Matthew Miller, 24, are charged with violating North Korean law and are awaiting trial.
The three spoke to CNN and the Associated Press on September 1 with North Korea officials present.
Each man was interviewed separately for five minutes in different hotel rooms in the capital Pyongyang.
All asked for a US representative to go to North Korea to make a direct appeal for their release.
Kenneth Bae has been held in North Korea since 2012 and is currently in a labor camp outside Pyongyang
“We have seen the reports of interviews with the three American citizens detained in North Korea,” White House spokesman, Patrick Ventrell, said in a statement.
“Securing the release of US citizens is a top priority and we have followed these cases closely in the White House. We continue to do all we can to secure their earliest possible release,” he said.
In his interview, Kenneth Bae said he had been hospitalized for health problems which included back pain, a sleep disorder and weight loss.
The Korean American missionary is serving a sentence of 15 years of hard labor in a camp outside Pyongyang after being convicted of trying to overthrow the government.
“The only hope that I have is to have someone from the US come,” Kenneth Bae said.
“But so far, the latest I’ve heard is that there has been no response yet. So I believe that officials here are waiting for that,” he said.
Kenneth Bae said he was not aware he had violated North Korean law and asked for forgiveness.
The other two detainees, Jeffrey Fowle and Matthew Miller, told reporters they expected to face trial within a month, but did not know what the specific charges were against them.
Jeffrey Fowle arrived in North Korea in April and was held when he tried to leave the country, according to North Korean news agency KCNA.
Reports in the Japanese press say Jeffrey Fowle was suspected of leaving a bible in a nightclub in the northern port city of Chongjin. Christian proselytizing is considered a crime in North Korea.
Matthew Miller was also taken into custody in April after he reportedly tore up his tourist visa at the airport and shouted he wanted asylum, according to KCNA.
“I’ve been requesting help for a long time and there’s been no movement from my government,” Matthew Miller told CNN.
Jeffrey Fowle and Matthew Miller have said they expect to face trial within a month. But they said they do not know what punishment they could face or what they are accused of.
North Korea has a history of using detainees as bargaining chips.
In the past, senior US figures including former President Bill Clinton have travelled to the country to ensure the release of Americans.
As this year’s MDA Labor Day Telethon took shape, with Mirage headliner Terry Fator the leading representative from Las Vegas, a two-hour documentary of Jerry Lewis helming the show in 1989 has surfaced.
The footage, culled from a report by the then-syndicated celebrity show A Current Affair about 1989’s telethon, was posted on YouTube a couple of weeks ago.
The bootleg doc shows Jerry Lewis, in top form, backstage at Cashman Center rehearsing, joking, chiding, kissing babies and stretching duct tape across zippered tap shoes to protect his expensive tuxedos.
A two-hour documentary of Jerry Lewis helming the MDA Labor Day Telethon in 1989 has surfaced
Jerry Lewis, now 88, is shown informally, wearing shorts and T-shirts from a variety of NFL teams, and there is a classic moment of Frank Sinatra bantering with Lewis via satellite from the telethon’s outpost in Atlantic City, then rehearsing Mack the Knife as Jerry Lewis watches.
The footage is shot in black and white, all the way, with Jerry Lewis at the center.
As has been the case in each MDA Labor Day telecast since Jerry Lewis’ final telethon in 2010, he is not taking part in the fundraising telecast.
Jerry Lewis said that he has not even watched a moment of the telethon since walking offstage for the final time at South Point.
Jerry Lewis was honored as a Member of the Order of Australia, the highest award bestowed on a civilian by that country.
Jerry Lewis, 88, received a gold medal, a lapel pin and a high volume of praise from the Australian officials who made the trip to honor the comedian for his work in fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation (MDF).
Jerry Lewis was honored as a Member of the Order of Australia (photo Getty Images)
He has toured Australia and raised several millions of dollars for MDF. The Aussie charity is not formally linked to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), with whom Jerry Lewis raised more than $2 billion in a 45-year philanthropic partnership.
The Jerry Lewis-MDA relationship fractured after the 2010 MDA Labor Day Telethon at South Point, when, over a course of months, it became evident that Lewis was being cut loose from the annual telethon and organization. What’s left of what was long a 21 1/2-hour entertainment odyssey is this year’s MDA Show of Strength variety show, which aired for two hours on August 31, on ABC.
2014 MDA Labor Day Telethon aired on ABC from 9 to 11PM on Sunday, August 31.
The MDA Show of Strength has raised about $52.3 million in contributions over the Labor Day weekend.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association will continue accepting donations through September 1. A final tally’s expected Tuesday, September 2.
This year, live performances and pre-taped concerts included appearances by Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Fall Out Boy, Aloe Blacc, Jordin Sparks, Jason Derulo, American Authors, Matt Nathanson, R5 and more.
The MDA Show of Strength has raised about $52.3 million in contributions over the Labor Day weekend
Nationwide, the telethon usually creates an outpouring of support from a big-hearted American public who in 2013 helped raise $59.6 million in pledges & contributions for both service and research programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
For many years, a Labor Day weekend tradition featured the much-loved actor and comedian Jerry Lewis rallying public support in the battle to combat muscular dystrophy, a crippling disease which currently has no known cure.
Then, in a major announcement in 2011 it was revealed that after more than four decades the 85-year-old Lewis would be stepping down as the major host for the show. The epic 20-hour “all night” money raiser was also cut back to 6 hours, and then in 2012 to only a 2-hour broadcast featuring both taped and live performances.
As Jerry Lewis himself would say, “the show must go on” as 2014 marks the 49th annual Labor Day telethon.
Joan Rivers’ daughter Melissa says the family remains hopeful despite reports that the comedienne is on life support.
In a statement issued to E! on Sunday, Melissa Rivers said: “Thank you for your continued love and support.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed.”
Joan Rivers, 81, was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital on August 28 in New York, after she stopped breathing during throat surgery at her doctor’s office. There, she was placed in a medically-induced coma.
Joan Rivers was placed in a medically-induced coma at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York (photo Getty Images)
The comedienne’s Fashion Police co-host Kelly Osbourne expressed her love for the ailing star by tweeting: “4 the first time in years I got down on my knees & prayed tonight! I encourage U 2 do the same 4 @Joan Rivers my grandma! #inconsolable.”
Guiliana Rancic also tweeted: “Praying for Joan Rivers and Mel Rivers.
“Even though Joan’s the strongest woman I know, every single prayer counts. I love you, Joan.”
Despite some of her recent controversial statements, Joan Rivers is loved by many fans who have been sending her well-wishes via social media.
Danica Patrick has scored her career best finish after entering Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
After six consecutive races in which Danica Patrick failed to crack the top 15 in the final rundown, she seemingly come out of nowhere to deliver a career-best sixth-place finish in Sunday night’s Oral-B USA 500.
Starting 27th on the 43-car grid, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver methodically marched her way forward, and thanks to some key adjustments from crew chief Tony Gibson, was in position to possibly earn her first Sprint Cup win – and with it a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Lining up fourth and in the non-preferred outside line on the second of two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, Danica Patrick lost two positions over the final two laps to come sixth – but it was still her best finish in 71 career Sprint Cup starts.
“It was a long night,” said Danica Patrick, whose best finish prior to Sunday was a seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway in mid-May.
Danica Patrick has scored her career best finish after entering Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway
“Man, that race felt like it was 700 miles. Sometimes when you are running well they feel like that because you are hoping it stays there, keeps going well, and you keep improving and don’t lose it. There were definitely a couple of times late in the race when we fell back. In the middle of the race the car was very good. We took a little step back, and then it came back in the end. Tony Gibson just reset everything to where we were when we were running well.”
Fast pit work by Danica Patrick’s No. 10 crew moved her up to seventh after all the leaders hit pit road following a caution brought out when Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. tangled on Lap 324, setting up the first green-white checkered attempt.
“Obviously the pit stop at the end that was 11 seconds was so good,” Danica Patrick said.
“There were a couple of rough ones in the beginning but that one made up for it because it put us seventh on that restart, and we had a good line on the inside and didn’t get caught up on the outside.”
Danica Patrick climbed three spots when Kevin Harvick’s dominant No. 4 Chevrolet got sandwiched between Paul Menard and Joey Logano, hitting the wall and setting up what would be the last restart.
Despite slipping to sixth over the final two laps, Danica Patrick couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome – and was already harboring high hopes for next weekend’s regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway, a track she doesn’t consider a favorite.
“I am just so happy for the team,” said Danica Patrick, who recorded her third top-10 finish of the season after posting just one top-10 last year as a Sprint Cup Series rookie.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has urged clerics from his country to be more tolerant of the internet and new technologies.
In a speech broadcast on Iranian television, Hassan Rouhani said it was vital that the younger generation had access to the internet.
President Hassan Rouhani, who was elected in 2013, has vowed to support greater media freedom but has faced opposition.
Last week, prominent Iranian cleric Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi said mobile internet was “immoral and unlawful”.
President Hassan Rouhani has urged Iran’s clerics to be more tolerant of the internet and new technologies
Conservative clerics oppose introducing mobile broadband services, saying they allow immoral images to be shared freely and more easily.
In recent weeks the government has awarded 3G licenses to three mobile broadband companies, but experts say the proportion of Iranians using the service is still low.
Speaking on September 1, President Hassn Rouhani insisted the internet was crucial to connect with the world of science, saying: “We cannot close the gates of the world to our younger generation.”
“If we do not move towards the new generation of mobile today and resist it, we will have to do it tomorrow. If not, the day after tomorrow,” he said.
Iranians will be waiting to see if the president’s latest statement of intent produces real change in the face of the usual resistance.
Iran’s government cracked down on media freedom and internet access after widespread protests against the country’s leaders in 2009, banning online services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Since then, many Iranians have grown used to bypassing censorship controls by using proxy servers or other online tools.
Kate Bush has become the first woman to have eight albums in the charts at the same time following a spectacular stage comeback.
Two of Kate Bush’s albums are in the top 10 of the new chart, and eight overall in the top 40.
Kate Bush’s success comes after she returned to live concerts after 35 years.
Kate Bush returned to live concerts after 35 years
The only artists ahead of Kate Bush are Elvis Presley, who had 12 entries in the top 40 after his death in 1977 and the Beatles who had 11 in 2009.
Kate Bush’s album The Whole Story is at number six – three places ahead of Hounds of Love.
At number 20 is 50 Words For Snow with The Kick Inside – her first album – at 24, The Sensual Word at 26, The Dreaming at 37, Never For Ever at 38 and Lionheart at 40.
More than 80,000 tickets were sold for kate Bush’s 22 Before the Dawn shows at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.
In 1978 Kate Bush became the first female artist in history to go to number one on the Official Singles Chart with a song she had written herself – Wuthering Heights, which topped the chart for four weeks.
Mexican authorities have issued an environmental alert after hundreds of thousands of fish have been washed up on the shores of Lake Cajititlan in Jalisco over the past week.
Almost 50 tonnes of dead popoche chub freshwater fish have been removed from the lake.
The local authorities said it was part of a “natural cycle” but state officials said it was due to the lake’s “poor management”.
More fish are expected to wash up over the next days.
Jalisco’s secretary for the environment, Maria Magdalena Ruiz Mejia, denied “categorically that this is a natural and cyclical phenomenon”.
Hundreds of thousands of fish have been washed up on the shores of Lake Cajititlan in Jalisco over the past week (photo EPA)
“We have no evidence to support that it is natural and cyclical, to the contrary, we have a series of variables which lead us to believe this phenomenon is not only recurrent and becoming more frequent and severe, but also that it is caused by the poor management of the body of water,” she said.
Maria Magdalena Ruiz Mejia said mud from local wastewater treatment plants could be to blame for the mortality.
When questioned by local journalists whether her office had evidence to support her allegation she said state authorities had been denied access to the plants and could therefore not yet carry out an investigation of the premises.
The state authorities have issued an environmental alert for the lagoon, but said human health was not endangered.
The lake is 5.6 miles long and 1.3 miles wide and is located north of the much bigger Lake Chapala, about 300 miles west of Mexico City.
Todd English was arrested on August 31 on a charge of driving while intoxicated, New York authorities said.
The celebrity chef has opened restaurants around the country and written multiple cookbooks.
Police in Southampton said Todd English, 54, was arrested Sunday morning, shortly after 3.30 AM, on a county road on Long Island. He was later held for arraignment in Southampton Town Justice Center.
Todd English made a court appearance later in the day, and authorities said he posted $1,500 bail.
Todd English was arrested in New York on a charge of driving while intoxicated (photo AP)
The circumstances of the arrest were unavailable.
The celebrity chef, whose full name is William Todd English, is the creative force behind a number of restaurants around the country, including Olives, Figs and Fish Club. He also has been a regular on television programs including Iron Chef USA.
He has written several cookbooks and has been honored by the James Beard Foundation for excellence and achievement in cuisine.
Todd English also received an Emmy nomination for his PBS travel series, Food Trip with Todd English.
Miley Cyrus talked about her relationship with ex-fiancé Liam Hemsworth a year after they officially broke up in September 2013.
At the time Liam Hemsworth, 24, was seeing his star rise in two hit Hunger Games films as the conflicted Gale Hawthorne, and Miley Cyrus, 21, was in the middle of her craziest year with the release of her album Bangerz, her world tour, and her new wild child post-VMAs image.
In a new interview with Australia’s Sunday Night television show, Miley Cyrus hinted that there will always be something between her and Liam Hemsworth (photo Getty Images)
In a new interview with Australia’s Sunday Night television show, Miley Cyrus hinted that there will always be something between her and Liam Hemsworth.
“I love Liam; Liam loves me,” Miley Cyrus told Sunday Night.
When asked about her hit ballad Wrecking Ball, believed by many to be about Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus responded: “It’s about finding yourself. I had to set myself free.”
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg tied the knot on August 31 in the ballroom of the Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois, Us Weekly reported.
The wedding ceremony lasted just 20 minutes and was filmed for TV.
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg went under the aliases Paul and Alma to keep their nuptials underwraps.
Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg tied the knot on in the ballroom of the Hotel Baker in St. Charles (photo Getty Images)
It was a quick engagement for the couple at just four months. New Kids On The Block’s Donnie Wahlberg proposed to Jenny McCarthy this past April with a dazzling yellow sapphire engagement ring.
Jenny McCarthy made the news public on The View, showing off the sparkler to her then-co-hosts.
This is the second marriage for Jenny McCarthy, who was married to director John Mallory Asher from 1999 to 2005, before having a longterm relationship with Jim Carrey in the late 2000s.
It is also Donnie Wahlberg’s second marriage. He was wed to recording engineer Kim Fey from 1999 to 2008.
Police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, are now wearing body cameras after weeks of unrest over Michael Brown’s killing.
Michael Brown, 18, was shot multiple times by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson on August 9, sparking nearly three weeks of angry protests in the St. Louis suburb and drawing global attention to race relations in the US.
Law enforcement and witnesses gave differing accounts of what transpired before Michael Brown was shot, with police saying the teen had struggled with the officer. Witnesses say Michael Brown held up his hands and was surrendering when he was shot multiple times in the head and chest.
The discrepancy has revived calls for officers across the county to be outfitted with body cameras to help capture an accurate record of police-involved incidents.
Police officers in Ferguson are now wearing body cameras after weeks of unrest over Michael Brown’s killing (photo AP)
The policy has the support of scores of law enforcement agencies and the American Civil Liberties Union. Opponents say the cameras could be an invasion of privacy and deter people from approaching police with a tip.
During protests on Saturday, Ferguson officers began wearing small body cameras clipped to their uniforms that recorded crowds, conversations and even some taunts by demonstrators, a police official said on Sunday.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the cameras have been well received by officers.
The cameras were donated by two video surveillance companies, Safety Visions and Digital Ally. In a statement on its website, Safety Vision said it donated the cameras in the hopes that they could bring transparency to future investigations.
“The city of Ferguson has gone through an unfortunate series of events and Safety Vision body cameras and flashlight DVR will assist in capturing prima facie evidence for investigations involving vandalism, looting, and shots fired,” the statement said.
Some stores were looted in nightly protests, and police responded with riot gear and moved in military equipment to try to quell the turmoil.
A St. Louis County grand jury has begun hearing evidence about Michael Brown’s killing and the US Justice Department has opened its own investigation.
Guardians of the Galaxy has become the top-grossing US movie of 2014 so far.
The Marvel release extended its run at the top of the movie chart, taking $16.3 million across the Labor Day weekend.
Guardians of the Galaxy has now taken a total of $275 million so far.
Captain America is the second biggest film of 2014 to date, followed by the Lego Movie.
Transformers movie is at number four on the annual list.
Guardians of the Galaxy has become the top-grossing US movie of 2014 so far
Over the Labor Day weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy kept Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in second spot, with If I Stay remaining at three with takings of $9.3 million.
Pierce Brosnan action flick The November Man entered at six.
The release took a modest $7.7 million and was outperformed by thriller As Above, So Below, which made its debut at number four.
Comedy Let’s Be Cops was fifth.
Guardians of the Galaxy entered the chart at number one at the beginning of August, before temporarily losing its crown to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The space adventure stars Zoe Saldana and Chris Pratt, and also features the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.
A sequel to the Marvel Comics adaptation is expected to be released in 2017.
Despite Guardians of the Galaxy ‘s success, the summer box office in North America is down on last year.
Russia has called for immediate Ukraine ceasefire talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
Ukrainian troops “must leave positions from which they can harm the civilian population”, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Ukrainian and Russian officials are due to hold talks with separatist rebels and international monitors in Minsk on September 1.
Some 2,600 people have died in eastern Ukraine since fighting began in April.
The conflict broke out after Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula in March.
Last week’s first direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, did not lead to any major breakthrough.
The separatists have been gaining ground on Ukrainian forces in recent days, in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and further south around the port of Mariupol.
First direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, did not lead to any major breakthrough (photo Reuters)
Ukrainian military spokesman Leonid Matyukhin said troops were battling a Russian tank division in the city of Luhansk.
Overnight reports said separatists had taken control of the airport there.
On Monday, September 1, Sergei Lavrov said he was counting on the Minsk talks to focus on “agreeing an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
He added that there would be “no military intervention” from Russia in Ukraine.
“We are for an exclusively peaceful resolution of that most serious crisis, that tragedy,” Sergei Lavrov told students in Moscow.
The meeting of the so-called Contact Group in Minsk will include representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
On the eve of the talks, President Vladimir Putin said the issues of “statehood” for eastern Ukraine needed to be discussed to ensure the interests of local people were “definitely upheld”.
“Russia cannot stand aside when people are being shot at almost at point blank,” he said, describing the rebels’ actions as “the natural reaction of people who are defending their rights”.
Vladimir Putin’s comments came after the EU gave Russia a one-week ultimatum to reverse course in Ukraine or face more sanctions.
He dismissed the EU threat, accusing it of “backing a coup d’etat” in Ukraine.
The EU and US have already imposed asset freezes and travel bans on many senior Russian officials and separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine.
Pakistan state TV (PTV) has been taken off air after its headquarters were stormed by anti-government protesters in Islamabad.
PTV showed live images of crowds breaking open the gates and pouring into its offices before its transmission ended.
Latest reports say troops have removed the protesters from the building.
Protesters want PM Nawaz Sharif to resign. He denies charges of corruption and electoral fraud.
Earlier, fresh clashes erupted between protesters and police.
A number of police officers have been injured during clashes near PM Nawaz Sharif’s residence (photo The Express Tribune)
A number of police officers were reported to have been injured in the violence as thousands of demonstrators – some wielding batons and throwing stones – moved on the main building housing Pakistan’s federal bureaucracy and Prime Minister’s House.
Riot police were forced to retreat from the main road in front of parliament, Constitution Avenue.
Protesters attacked vehicles and set fire to shipping containers placed on the road as roadblocks.
On Sunday night protesters used trucks to smash through the outer fence of the parliament building.
Demonstrators loyal to opposition politician Imran Khan and cleric Tahirul Qadri have been taking part in a sit-in in the centre of the capital for two weeks.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union married on August 30 in Miami.
According to a report by Local 10 News, guests and the wedding planners were sworn to secrecy about the nuptials.
The Miami Heat star and his bride asked their guests to sign confidentiality agreements and told them not to bring cameras or phones.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union married on August 30 in Miami (photo Getty Images)
However, some information has leaked out. Gabrielle Union’s friend, actress Essence Atkins, tweeted before the wedding: “Congratulations Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union on their wedding.”
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union were wed at the Chateau Artisan mansion, a castle-like building that even is surrounded by a moat.
According to People magazine, the couple was scheduled to arrive via helicopter, and music for the ceremony was provided by recording artist John Legend.
The wedding weekend reportedly cost $5 million.
It is the second marriage for both Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union.
Russia has been given by the European Union one week to reverse course in Ukraine or face new sanctions.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the EU was working urgently on further restrictive measures.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said his country was “close to a point of no return – full scale-war” with Russia.
Russia denies Western accusations that its forces have illegally crossed into Ukraine to support separatists there.
Pro-Russian rebels have made gains against Ukrainian troops in recent days in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Some 2,600 people have died in fighting.
The conflict in the east erupted in April following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula a month before.
Western leaders say there is clear evidence of regular Russian military units operating inside Ukraine with heavy weapons.
Speaking after a summit in Brussels, Herman Van Rompuy said the EU “stands ready to take further significant steps in light of the evolution of the situation on the ground.
“Everybody is fully aware that we have to act quickly.”
Herman Van Rompuy did not specify the nature of further sanctions, but said the proposals would be ready within a week.
The US applauded the EU’s move.
Speaking in Brussels, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was a victim of military aggression and terror (photo AFP)
“We welcome the European Council’s consensus today to show strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to prepare further sanctions for consideration in coming days,” White House National Security spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.
The EU and US have already imposed asset freezes and travel bans on many senior Russian officials and separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine.
Western sanctions also restrict loans for Russian state banks, block defense-related technology exports and certain oil industry exports to Russia.
Russia denies that its forces are backing the rebels, instead accusing Ukrainian forces of aggression and deliberately firing at civilians.
Speaking in Brussels, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was a victim of “military aggression and terror”.
“Any offensive action which would be undertaken [by Russia]… would be a point of no return. And that’s why we undertake enormous efforts to stop that.”
Petro Poroshenko also said that he would discuss the possibility of a ceasefire at a meeting in Belarus on Monday of the Contact Group, which includes Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Federica Mogherini, named on August 31 as Catherine Ashton’s successor, said there could be no military solution to the crisis and that while sanctions were being worked on, the diplomatic process would need to continue.
Ukraine’s government forces have lost ground in recent fighting.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said on August 30 that Russian tanks had attacked the town of Novosvitlivka near Luhansk and “destroyed virtually every house”.
Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said troops had been ordered to retreat from Novosvitlivk.
Ukrainian soldiers have also been trying to evacuate Ilovaisk in the Donetsk region, which has been surrounded by the rebels. Reports say a number of soldiers have been killed in shelling by the separatists.
Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko told the Russian News Service radio station a new offensive was being planned to create a corridor between Donetsk and Luhansk.
In south-eastern Ukraine, people have been leaving the port city of Mariupol, after advancing rebels captured Novoazovsk to the east.
Western and Ukrainian officials say this offensive has been substantially helped by Russian regular troops, opening a new front. Russia denies the accusation.
Humanitarian aid drops have been made by the US planes to the besieged Iraqi town of Amirli, the Pentagon has said.
Some 15,000 minority Shia Turkmen in Amerli have been surrounded by Islamic State (ISIS) militants for two months.
The US also carried out air strikes on ISIS positions. The Iraqi army, Shia militias and Kurdish fighters have been struggling to break the siege.
Aircraft from the UK, Australia, France joined the US in the humanitarian aid drops, said Rear Admiral John Kirby.
Food, water, and medical supplies were delivered.
Rear Adm Kirby said operations would limited in scope and duration, as required to protect civilians trapped in Amirli.
The UN has expressed fears there could be a massacre if IS breaks through defenses in the town, which lies in Kurdish-controlled Iraq.
Humanitarian aid drops have been made by the US planes to the besieged Iraqi town of Amirli (photo AP)
Earlier, the US launched new air strikes on IS near the key Mosul Dam.
In a statement, the US military said an armed vehicle, a fighting position and weapons were destroyed in the raid.
It said the strikes were in support of operations conducted by the Iraqi security forces near the strategic dam in the north of the country.
ISIS has been accused of atrocities in areas of Iraq and Syria under its control.
The Shia Turkmen are seen as apostates by the ISIS militants.
From the south, Iraqi government troops and allied Shia militias are trying to push into the Marin hill, which overlook the plain on which Amirli lies.
With the help of air strikes by the Iraqi air force, they are reported to be making slow progress, with roads in the area heavily mined and booby-trapped by the Islamist militants.
From further north, a combination of army forces, Shia militia and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters is reported to be trying to push down towards Amerli through a string of villages held by ISIS.
In one village, Salam, local sources said Shia militias had taken control of half of the settlement – but the ISIS militants fought back and drove them out.
The impression at this stage is that rapid movement to break the siege is unlikely and that it may be a protracted affair.
The operation is reported to have two objectives: to break the siege of Amirli and to reopen the main highway leading north from Baghdad.
The road is currently blocked by ISIS.
Meanwhile, reports from Syria say that hundreds of Yazidi women, another Iraqi minority, have been sold and distributed as wives among militant fighters in Syria.
The women who were abducted during recent attacks by IS in Iraq are said to have been transported to Syria after being forced to convert to Islam.
At least 27 of them were sold to ISIS members for marriage, according to the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Right.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are reportedly working on their honeymoon as they film in the Mediterranean island of Gozo, near Malta.
“The newlyweds along with their brood of six children are making it a working honeymoon so they can shoot breathtaking scenes for their upcoming movie <<By the Sea>>,”Page Six reported.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are working on their honeymoon as they film in the Mediterranean island of Gozo, near Malta (photo Getty Images)
A local told the publication that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt paid as much as $200,000 to have the locals of Gozo leave during their two-month shoot.
By The Sea will be the first time Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt appear on screen since Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2004, the initial set where they fell in love. Angelina Jolie is also directing the film.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt kept their wedding a secret. They exchanged vows on their property Chateau Miraval in France on August 23.
Joan Rivers has reportedly been put on life support at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
Joan Rivers’ family maintains faith in her ability to bounce back even if they decide to turn off the machines, TMZ reported. They still have a few days to make a decision whether or not they will take Joan Rivers off life support.
Joan Rivers was rushed to the hospital after she stopped breathing while undergoing a procedure on her vocal chords (photo Getty Images)
The comedienne was rushed to the hospital on August 28 after she stopped breathing while undergoing a procedure on her vocal chords.
Joan Rivers was initially in critical condition, but was upgraded to stable later that day.
On August 29, her daughter Melissa Rivers released a statement saying Joan Rivers was “resting comfortably and is with our family”.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has warned that extremists could attack Europe and the US if there is not a strong international response to terrorism after the Islamic State (ISIS) seized a wide territory across Iraq and Syria.
While not mentioning any terrorist groups by name, King Abdullah‘s statement appeared aimed at drawing Washington and NATO forces into a wider fight against ISIS and its supporters in the region. Saudi Arabia openly backs rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad, but is concerned that the breakaway al-Qaeda group could also turn those very same weapons on the kingdom.
“I am certain that after a month they will reach Europe and, after another month, America,” King Abdullah said at a reception for foreign ambassadors on August 29.
“These terrorists do not know the name of humanity and you have witnessed them severing heads and giving them to children to walk with in the street,” the king said, urging the ambassadors to relay his message directly to their heads of state.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has warned that extremists could attack Europe and the US if there is not a strong international response to terrorism (photo Getty Images)
ISIS has been fighting moderate rebels, other extremists and Assad’s forces in Syria for nearly three years. Iraq has faced an onslaught by the Sunni extremists and their supporters since early this year, and the country continues to be roiled by instability.
While providing arms and support to Sunni militants in Syria, Saudi Arabia has denied directly funding or backing the Islamic State group.
British officials raised the country’s terror threat level on August 29 to “severe,” its second-highest level, because of developments in Iraq and Syria.
The White House has said it does not expect the US to bump up its terrorism threat warning level.
Saudi Arabia, a major US ally in the region, has taken an increasingly active role in criticizing the ISIS group. Earlier this month, the country’s top cleric described the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda as Islam’s No. 1 enemy and said that Muslims have been their first victims. State-backed Saudi clerics who once openly called on citizens to fight in Syria can now face steep punishment and the kingdom has threatened to imprison its citizens who fight in Syria and Iraq.
A decade ago, al-Qaeda militants launched a string of attacks in Saudi Arabia aimed at toppling the monarchy. Saudi officials responded with a massive crackdown that saw many flee to neighboring Yemen. In the time since, the kingdom has not seen any massive attacks, though it has imprisoned suspected militants and sentenced others to death.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay NFL player, has failed to make the St Louis Rams’ final roster.
The Rams filed their roster before August 30 deadline and Michael Sam was not among the 53-strong squad.
The 24-year-old defensive end can still be picked up by another team ahead of the season-opening matches next week.
Michael Sam’s move to declare that he is gay in February was applauded by many, including President Barack Obama.
He was one of 22 players waived in the Rams’ final cut.
Michael Sam has failed to make the St Louis Rams’ final roster (photo Getty Images)
Michael Sam had been selected by the Rams on the final day of this year’s draft in May and he kissed his boyfriend as a national television audience looked on.
Head coach Jeff Fisher had said he was mainly focused on what the footballer could do on the field.
Jeff Fisher said on Saturday there would be no challenge for any team that picked up Sam.
“He’s not about drawing attention to himself. He kept his head down and worked and you can’t ask anything more out of any player for that matter,” Jeff Fisher said.
“The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I’ve always known. The journey continues,” Michael Sam tweeted after the Rams’ decision was announced.
Michael Sam featured in the 26-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints, saying afterwards: “You know, I can play in this league.”
Michael Sam played college football at the University of Missouri.
