BRAZIL – Senior judges in Brazil have voiced concern over the detention of the former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, even as they threw their support behind the sweeping corruption investigation that threatens to topple his embattled successor. Lula’s three hours of questioning in police custody on Friday was the highest profile development in the two-year-old investigation focused on state oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras). The detention of 70-year-old Lula, Brazil’s first working-class president and a hero to millions of Brazilians, shocked many in the South American nation. His 2003-10 government helped lift an estimated 40 million out of poverty and raised the nation’s international profile. Supporters and opponents of the former union leader clashed outside his home on the outskirts of Sao Paulo after he was detained by police early on Friday.(theguardian)…[+]

GUYANA – A prison riot in Guyana that killed 17 inmates has ended in a tentative truce hours after violence flared anew, officials said. The riot first began Wednesday when inmates angered by a search and confiscation of cell phones set fires in one part of the prison, located in the capital of Georgetown. On Thursday, police and prison guards moved in, setting off battles with inmates armed with pieces of wooden bed frames, officials said. Prisoners began the violence anew Friday morning, setting another fire, breaking out of cells and lobbing teargas canisters back at police and prison officers. Soon thereafter a delegation of more than 12 shackled and handcuffed inmates were escorted from the jail to participate in closed-door talks with the South American country’s minister of state and public security minister. Following the hour-long discussions, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that “a gentleman’s agreement on both sides” had resulted…[+]

USA – Remember when your parents used to tell you to be nice to your siblings? Maybe it was because one day you both would grow up and win the lottery, except one of you would win the jackpot and the other would win $7.

As improbable as that sounds, it happened to a Pennsylvania judge who just wrapped up a monthlong fishing vacation in the Florida Keys, the Florida Lottery said. Earlier this week, the judge, James Stocklas, and his brother, Bob, bought lottery tickets on the way home from the beach. James Stocklas, 67, won the $291 million Powerball and his brother won $7.(ktla)…[+]

ENGLAND – A mother of twin boys was stunned to discover she was a ‘super-ovulator’ after discovering she was expecting twins again. Katy Walton gave birth to sons Noah and Bailey Rivington in 2010 with no previous history of twins in the family.

But the 35-year-old was left speechless in September after an early scan confirmed she was expecting twin boys again with new husband Ross. A twin specialist told Mrs Walton, from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, this could be down to her releasing two eggs each month rather than one – also known as ‘super-ovulation’. ‘The first time around, I didn’t think that having twins was even a possibility. I can’t describe the shock of learning that there were two babies in there,’ she said.(dailymail.co.uk)…[+]

SYRIA – ISIS has released a new video allegedly showing an orphanage full of children being trained as the next generation of fighters.  The three-minute clip, which appears to have been professionally shot in Syria, initially starts by showing the orphans playing with toys and being fed.  But, in a sinister twist, it also cuts to images of the black-and-white ISIS flag as well as showing a group of young boys being forced to carry out ‘Army’ exercises on a dusty concrete square. An older boy can be seen forcing them to run around the edge of the area, before making them complete a number of push-ups. The clip, which has been labeled ‘Caring for Orphans within the Islamic State’ by the terror group, starts by showing the tiny orphans playing with brightly colored blocks before sipping squash and sitting round a table to eat a meal.

(Daily Mail)…[+]

MALAYSIA – A Malaysian model has hit back at critics who say it is inappropriate for her to compete in a modeling TV show. Nuraini Noor, also known by her stage name Tuti, was recently unveiled as one of 14 contestants in the latest season of Asia’s Next Top Model. The news triggered online comments from Malaysians saying it was wrong for a Muslim woman to take part.

However, Ms Noor told the BBC she respected everyone’s opinions, but did not like to put labels on anything. “What really separates us is not skin color nor religion. It’s opportunity,” she told the BBC via email. Malaysia is known to be a moderate Muslim country, but has seen rising religious sentiment in recent years. Ms Noor is said to be the show’s first ethnic Malay participant. Malays make up the majority of Malaysia’s population and are mostly Muslim.(BBC)…[+]

BRAZIL/DENMARK – Two of the world’s biggest coffee companies have admitted their beans may have been harvested using slave labor on plantations in Brazil. Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, which account for 40 per cent of the global market, said they could not rule out human rights abuses in their supply chain because they don’t know the names of all the plantations that grow their coffee.  The admissions came after an investigation by media and research centre Danwatch found that slave-like conditions were still widespread across Brazil’s coffee-producing industry.

The Denmark-based group claimed workers were trafficked for little or no pay, forced to live on rubbish heaps and made to drink water alongside animals.(Daily Mail)…[+]

PHILIPPINES – The German sailor whose “mummified” body was found on board a drifting yacht may have only been dead for a week, a new autopsy has suggested. The body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat was found in February by fishermen around 60 miles off the coast of Barabo in the southern Philippines, and later identified by officials from documents found on the boat. Dry, salty conditions were attributed to the “mummified” state his body was found in; slumped over a table used for charts with a transmitter handset just inches away from his hand.(Independent UK)…[+]

DENMARK – Denmark’s first food waste supermarket has proved a huge success – with shoppers stripping the store’s shelves of cut-price surplus produce.  WeFood opened in the Scandinavian country’s capital Copenhagen last Monday, selling produce past its sell-by-date but perfectly edible – at prices 30 to 50 per cent cheaper than normal supermarkets. The first of its kind in Europe, We Food has said it differentiates itself from other ‘social supermarkets’ – targeted nearly exclusively at those on low incomes – because it is aimed at the public in general. The store’s first day of trade was a “great success”, according to the Copenhagen Post, which reported that sales were higher than expected and customers walked away with almost all of the products on offer.(Independent UK)…[+]

UK – A grandmother, mother and daughter say that despite being almost 50 years apart in age, they still love wearing each other’s clothes and regularly get mistaken for sisters. Gwen Slade, 65, from central London, is mother to Jemima, 44, and grandmother to Lily, 16.  But despite the difference in ages, the trio all boast long blonde hair, size 8 figures, and often disagree over who can pull off an outfit better.

‘We often get together and enjoy who wears it better nights trying on each other’s outfits,’ Gwen explained. ‘It used to be that mums, daughters and nannas dressed “age appropriately” but for us, our style is the same and we all look awesome.’ Despite being old enough for a bus pass and a pension, the 65-year-old still works in a hair salon alongside her daughter and teenage granddaughter. Not only do the trio party together and go out together, but they insist they are all best friends too. They put their good physiques down to exercise, hard work, dancing and eating well. Lily said: ‘I think my grandmother is awesome. (Daily Mail)…[+]