Human Interest

The Obama administration have refused to publicly condemn the execution of a dissident cleric who challenged the Saudi royal family, amid fears that speaking out could damage U.S.-Saudi relations.  When pressed to condemn al-Nimr’s execution, officials at the White House only went as far as to say they wished “calm on all sides“. Irishtimes.com reports: The United States has usually looked the other way or issued carefully calibrated warnings in human rights reports as the Saudi royal family cracked down on dissent and free speech and allowed its elite to fund Islamic extremists.

The masked man who featured in the latest ISIS video, showing the apparent killing of five men accused of being western spies, is thought to be a former Londoner who used to work in the child entertainment business. The new face of Islamic State terror is believed to be Siddhartha Dha, a former Arsenal fan from north London known as Sid, who used to sell inflatable bouncy castles as a living before changing to a more gruesome profession.

After a lot of research, the technicians over at the BBC have unveiled the new logo for BBC three, ahead of its transition to an online only service by February.  It looks strangely weird. Tech Radar reports: While it’s meant to show the number three in Roman numerals, the logo seems to say “BBC II” followed by an exclamation mark. Or is it, in fact, a pause symbol? BBC Pause! No, that can’t be right.

Happy New Year Another year is upon us and before you know it, it will be gone, moment after moment. The following is a quote from American scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher,William Arthur Ward.   “Another fresh new year is here . . . Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest . . . To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs!” William Arthur Ward quotes

US police officer shot and killed a man who was holding a cell phone that they mistook to be a gun. The fatal shooting occurred on Thursday in Las Vegas as the officers were helping US marshals to arrest the man who had been accused of attempted murder. Las Vegas authorities have released the name of the suspect they shot dead as Keith Childress, 23. This incident marks the 16th officer-involved shooting in Las Vegas in 2015.