USA – Lunada Bay, an out-of-the-way cove on the Palos Verdes peninsula south of Los Angeles, is one of the best big-wave surfing spots in California. In the shelter of its steep, semi-circular cliffs are a pristine beach and the promise of 20-foot winter swells. And, unlike so many other prime breaks on the US west coast, its waves are miraculously uncrowded. That’s because anyone who wants to surf there must first get past the Lunada Bay Boys, an infamous local surfing clique known routinely to chase off outsiders with threats, harassment and, in some cases, violence.

(The Independent UK)…[+]

USA – A Muslim family is requesting a formal apology from United Airlines after being removed from a flight at Chicago O’Hare International Airport last month.

After a discussion with a flight attendant about how to secure a child booster seat, United employees said the family needed to leave the plane because of a safety of flight issue, according to a YouTube video posted by the mother, Eaman- Amy Saad Shebley. “We are tired of Muslim-looking passengers being removed from flights for the flimsiest reasons, under a cryptic claim of security”, said Ahmed Rehab of the the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which is representing the family.. (CNN)…[+]

SOUTH-AFRICA – After the African National Congress (ANC) gave full support to South Africa’s disgraced President Jacob Zuma late last week following a Constitutional Court ruling against him, we had just about given up hope that a sense of decency remained in the ruling party.

But Saturday we learnt that Mr Ahmed Kathrada, known to be one of South Africa’s most revered anti-apartheid activists, a man who was jailed alongside that country’s iconic freedom fighter, the late President Nelson Mandela, wrote to Mr Zuma urging him to step down.

The focus of Mr Kathrada’s letter was wider than the events that led to the Constitutional Court ruling. Indeed, he referenced the series of scandals that has engulfed Mr Zuma’s presidency and noted that it had now got to the point where only his resignation could allow the Government to recover from what he termed a crisis of confidence.(Jamaica Observer)…[+]

USA – Chilling video and phone recordings released by Florida State Attorney’s Office reveal the last moments of Cherish Perrywinkle, the eight-year-old girl who was kidnapped from a Walmart in 2013, then raped and murdered before her body was found in front of a church.

Cherish was in Walmart with her mother and sisters when they were approached by a man who offered to help them shop – a man who, it is believed, lured Cherish away before committing the barbaric acts. And the recently released recordings give a fuller picture of how that happened.(DailyMail )…[+]

NIGERIA – Back in January, Ms Loven found the boy after he spent eight months fending for himself and living off scraps. She bent down and gently began feeding him and giving him water from a bottle. She then wrapped up the disorientated toddler in a blanket and took him to the nearest hospital for treatment. When Hope reached the hospital, he was given medication to remove the worms from his stomach and daily blood transfusions to incorporate more red blood cells into his body, Ms Loven said. And two days after the aid worker asked for the community’s help with Hope’s costly medical bills, she received $1million in donations from around the world. Just eight weeks later, Hope is unrecognizable. He has gained weight and has been pictured smiling and playing with other children. (Daily Mail)…[+]

GERMANY – Players from a German football club have digitally altered their squad photo to make them appear to ‘black up’ as a show of solidarity to two team-mates who were racially abused.

Deinster SV, who play in the Kreisliga and are located in the Lower Saxony region, posted the picture on their official Facebook page in a demonstration against those who were accused of racially abusing two of their players, both of whom are Sudanese refugees. The caption alongside the picture read: “Violence against refugees is pathetic. Emad and Amar, you are one of us just like everyone else and we’re happy you are with us. Deinster head coach, Soenke Kreibich, claimed that the two players were verbally and physically abused during an Easter fete in the town centre, in which Emad was pushed to the ground and beaten. “We wanted to make a stand, amongst ourselves but also to the public,” Kreibich told Jetzt website.(The Independent UK)…[+]

FRANCE – A violent explosion has rocked the centre of Paris yesterday, destroying part of a building and sending smoke rising over the French capital. The cause of the explosion was unclear but witnesses suggested a gas leak may have been the cause. Residents living near the site of the blast in the 6th arrondissement were evacuated. Photos of the scene showed firefighters scaling ladders to fight a blaze on the upper floors of a historic apartment block, with wood, debris and shattered glass littering the street.

Emergency services had been called to a fire in a ground floor apartment on Rue de Berite before the blast at around 12.20pm local time, Le Parisien reported. “Firefighters were there for an hour-and-a-half trying to extinguish a fire on the ground floor, when a huge explosion shook the whole neighborhood,” a resident told the newspaper. “It’s terrible, I saw several firefighters taken away on stretchers.”

(The Independent UK)…[+]

A Guyanese wife and mother has been crowned Mrs. New York International. Guyanese-born Bronx resident, Faudia Silletta, was recently Crowned Mrs. New York international and will now represent the state of New York in the upcoming Mrs. International 2016, scheduled for this summer in Jacksonville, Florida. Sillettta, the married mother of two sons, is a Medical Technologist. She holds a Master’s Degree in Microbiology and Chemistry. She replaces 2015 Mrs. New York International, Majorie Vail, who is Haitian. Mrs. International is an annual pageant for married women with exceptional personal and professional stories. Of her victory Silletta, said, “I am so honored to take part in such a wonderful American tradition, especially with my family rooting for me.”(iriejamradio.com/Kaieteur News)…[+]

ISRAEL – A transgender teenager has been jailed for refusing to carry out compulsory military service in Israel. Aiden Katri was sentenced to a week in prison, where campaigners were concerned she would be housed in a male wing and left at risk of stigmatization and abuse.

The 19-year-old said she was taking a stand as a conscientious objector against the “atmosphere of fear” in her home country and could not enforce “oppression” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Describing her upbringing in the Israeli city of Holon as “conservative”, she said she came to reject “separatism” in society and was striving for equality between religion, race, sex and gender. In a statement the day before she was imprisoned, Ms Katri said she had Israeli Arab friends who were “hated and discriminated against” and had witnessed military crackdowns on Palestinian protests in the West Bank. “Arabs and Jews live in this country as two different classes,” she added.(The Independent UK)…[+]

GREECE – Greek authorities on Thursday began bussing hundreds of migrants and refugees to accommodation in other parts of Greece from a port near Athens, where they spent weeks sleeping in the open and tensions flared over phone chargers and food. At least 51,000 refugees and migrants who reached Greece from Turkey and are hoping to travel north to countries like Germany and Austria are stranded in Greece after Balkan countries closed their borders.

Nearly 6,000 people, most from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, were stuck at the port of Piraeus on Thursday, authorities said. Greece’s largest port lies about 12 km from central Athens. By mid-morning, at least four buses departed for the port town of Kyllini in western Greece, some 280 km from Athens, where they will be housed in a former tourist complex. Families began gathering at the dock as more buses were expected to be deployed. Other buses left for the cities of Ioannina and Larissa in northwestern and central Greece.(Reuters)…[+]