USA – Meet Rambo, a gentle alligator whose Florida owner says he “eats at the dinner table, sleeps in my bed and follows me around like my dogs.”

But now his owner, 55-year-old Mary Thorn, is fighting to keep him since she was recently denied a permit for the 125-pound gator. Thorn told ABC News today that she’s had a permit to keep the 15-year-old alligator ever since she rescued and brought him home more than seven years ago, when Rambo was just a little over a foot long.

However, the gator has since grown to be over 6 feet long, and a recently added condition for a permit says that gators over 6 feet need to be kept on a property with at least 2.5 acres of land, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) spokesman Gary Morse.(goodmorningamerica)…[+]

USA – SeaWorld says it is ending its controversial orca breeding program. The 24 killer whales currently at the company’s theme parks in California, Texas and Florida will be the last generation of orcas at SeaWorld.

“SeaWorld has been listening and we’re changing,” the company said in a statement. “Society is changing and we’re changing with it. SeaWorld is finding new ways to continue to deliver on our purpose to inspire all our guests to take action to protect wild animals and wild places.” As a result of mounting pressure since the 2013 release of Blackfish, an influential exposé of orca captivity, SeaWorld has promised to introduce “natural orca encounters” instead of circus-like theatrical shows.

(The Independent UK)…[+]

NIGERIA – Nigeria has rejected a gender and equality opportunities bill because it is an attack on its religious beliefs. The bill looked to protect Nigerian women from the violence and provide them with the same marital rights as their male counterparts including the rights of widows to inherit their husband’s property.

The bill was introduced by Senator Abiodun Olujimi but did not pass a second reading as opponents rejected it as an attack on religious beliefs and the Nigerian constitution, reports Quartz. Overtly incorporating parts of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the bill declared that women “shall not be subjected to inhuman, humiliating or degrading treatment” and “shall have the right to an equitable share in the inheritance of the property of her husband.”

(The Independent UK)…[+]

USA – Microsoft announced earlier this week that it plans to allow Xbox gamers to play against PS4 and PC players. The software giant is opening up its platform to developers to choose whether they will support cross-network play, but it will also require Sony to support it on the company’s PlayStation Network. Sony has now responded to Microsoft’s invite, indicating that it might be open to the idea.

“PlayStation has been supporting cross-platform play between PC on several software titles starting with Final Fantasy 11 on PS2 and PC back in 2002,” notes a statement from Sony to GameSpot. “We would be happy to have the conversation with any publishers or developers who are interested in cross platform play.”(theverge)…[+]

NORWAY – Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has told a courtroom that the state has tried to kill him with five years of solitary confinement. The right-wing extremist is suing the government, complaining that his jail conditions break human rights laws – the state denies this. He told the court it would have been more humane to shoot him than treat him like an animal for the past five years. Breivik murdered 77 people in twin attacks in July 2011. He carried out a bombing in central Oslo before driving to the island of Utoeya, where he opened fire on children at a Labor party youth camp. Breivik, 37, told the judge in a converted gym at Skien prison on Wednesday that he would fight for National Socialism (Nazism) until the day he died.

(BBC)…[+]

MEXICO – A woman whose knickers were pulled down in the street by a pervert is labeled a ‘whore’ and a ‘Feminazi’ by vile trolls who say next time ‘we will rape you’. Andrea Noel, a US journalist, posted a CCTV film of the shocking moment a man sneaked up behind her and put his hands under her dress to publicly shame him. But since the midday attack in Mexico City, 27-year-old Andrea revealed she has been abused by haters. One said: ‘Don’t tempt me anymore, I dropped your skirt you filthy bitch, now I’m going to drop you six feet underground.’ ‘I hope they rape you dyke,’ wrote another. One spat: ‘I wish they had raped you, you fucking blonde bitch.’ In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Andrea revealed how shocked she is that she expected sympathy – but instead she has been attacked. (Daily Mail/CEN)…[+]

BELGIUM – A suspect killed by police in a raid linked to the Paris attacks in November was an Algerian man living illegally in Belgium, the Belgian federal prosecutor has said. Thierry Werts, the prosecutor, said an Islamic State group flag, a Salafist Muslim book and a Kalashnikov assault rifle were found in the suspect’s home.

Eric Van der Spyt, the office’s spokesman, said two people were on the run after the raid on Tuesday afternoon, which left three police officers injured. The officials said counter-terrorism investigators had come under fire as soon as they opened the door to the home.(AP/Asia Times)…[+]

GERMANY – Berlin police have launched a murder inquiry after a driver died when an “explosive device” went off in a car. The explosion occurred as the car was moving through the western district of Charlottenburg, heading towards the city centre. It flipped the vehicle up in the air, officials said. Police told residents in the area to close their windows and stay in the back of their apartments. But bomb disposal teams later said there was no risk of more explosions. The explosion happened “in or on” the front part of the Volkswagen Passat as it travelled along the Bismarckstrasse during the morning rush hour, a police spokesman said.(BBC)…[+]

NORWAY – Jailed Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has given a Nazi salute upon returning to court to argue that his isolation violates his rights. The right-wing extremist compared his imprisonment to “torture” but the state says he is being treated fairly. Breivik killed 77 people in 2011 when he bombed central Oslo before going on a shooting spree at a Labor Youth camp on the island of Utoya. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2012. Tuesday’s hearing marks his first public appearance since then. He entered the court shortly before 09:00. He shook hands with his lawyers and made the Nazi salute after police removed his handcuffs.

(BBC)…[+]

GERMANY – The German government has said there will be no change in the country’s immigration policy despite right-wing gains in three state elections. The anti-immigrant AfD party had campaigned against what it called Chancellor Merkel’s “catastrophic” decision to welcome a million migrants and refugees last year. But the AfD remains a minor force, especially in western Germany.

The poll was seen as a test of support for Mrs Merkel’s refugee policy. Her Christian Democrats (CDU) lost votes but remained the strongest party in the poor eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD made its biggest gains, taking a quarter of the vote. That made it the second-biggest party there.(BBC)…[+]