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Saudi princes among dozens detained in 'corruption' purge

The heir to the throne in Saudi Arabia has consolidated his hold on power with a major purge of the kingdom's political and business leadership.

A new anti-corruption body, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, detained 11 princes, four sitting ministers and dozens of ex-ministers.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a billionaire with investments in Twitter and Apple, is among those held.

Separately King Salman replaced the national guard and the navy chiefs.

The new anti-corruption committee has the power to issue arrest warrants and travel bans.

Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said the status of the detainees would not influence "the firm and fair application of justice", AFP news agency reports.

Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya said fresh investigations had been launched into the 2009 Jeddah floods and the outbreak of the Mers virus which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 – but analysts see the detentions as a clear move by the crown prince to strengthen his power base.

• Who is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman?
• End of Saudi women driving ban reflects deep changes in society
• Saudi Arabia profile

A shock to Saudis unused to change

Analysis by Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent

The events of Saturday night in Saudi Arabia are nothing short of seismic for that country. In a bold, pre-planned move, the 32-year old Crown Prince has removed the final obstacles to his gaining total control over the world's richest oil producer and home to the holiest shrines in Islam.

Presented to the world as an anti-corruption drive, the arrests of princes, ministers and the billionaire tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal have shocked Saudis unused to sudden change.

The crown prince is largely popular, especially amongst young Saudis, but many older, more conservative citizens think he is moving too far too fast. He has started an unwinnable war in Yemen while still fighting the extremists of so-called Islamic State. He has also backed a damaging boycott of Gulf neighbour Qatar.

But his supporters hail his efforts to modernise Saudi Arabia and, after decades of rule by old men, they welcome a fresh vision from a man who could well be king for the next 50 years.

Who is Prince Alwaleed?

The owner of London's Savoy hotel is one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of $17bn (£13bn) according to Forbes.

Shares in Kingdom Holding, the investment firm owned by the prince, plunged 9.9% in early trade on the Saudi stock market after news of his detention emerged.

The firm is one of Saudi Arabia's most important investors. Apart from Twitter and Apple, it has shares in Citigroup bank, the Four Seasons hotel chain and ride-sharing service Lyft.

The Saudi prince made the news in the past for employing women, who make up two-thirds of his staff.

But he was also known for his hundred-million-dollar desert resorts, where he employed dwarves for entertainment purposes.

Two years ago he offered luxury cars to fighter pilots participating in a bombing campaign in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition continues to bomb Houthi rebels, killing 26 people in an attack on a hotel and market on Wednesday.

• Profile: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
• The Saudi prince who offered Bentleys to bombers
• Saudis 'intercept missile' near capital

Prince Alwaleed once bought control of a hotel and a yacht from Donald Trump, when he had yet to enter politics, but clashed with him publicly on Twitter in 2015 over his decision to stand for president, the New York Times notes.

Image Copyright @Alwaleed_Talal @Alwaleed_Talal Report

Mr Trump, who was born into a family of property developers, shot back with a tweet mocking the source of the prince's wealth.

Image Copyright @realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump Report

However, after Mr Trump's election last November, the prince sent "congratulations and best wishes".

Image Copyright @Alwaleed_Talal @Alwaleed_Talal Report

Who else was detained or sacked?

National guard minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah and navy commander Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan were both replaced, with no official explanation given.

Prince Miteb, son of the late King Abdullah, was once seen as a contender for the throne and was the last member of Abdullah's branch of the family in the highest echelons of Saudi government.

Those reported to have been detained include:

• Former Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, a board member of the Saudi Aramco oil company

• Economy Minister Adel Fakieh

• Former Riyadh governor Prince Turki bin Abdullah

• Former head of the royal court Khalid al-Tuwaijiri

• Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the Saudi Binladin construction group, and brother of Osama bin Laden

Some of the detainees are being held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh, sources in contact with the government told Reuters news agency.

What do we know about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman?

Few people outside Saudi Arabia had heard of Prince Mohammed bin Salman before his father became king in 2015. But since then, the 32-year-old has become the most influential figure in the world's leading oil exporter

Last year, the crown prince unveiled a wide-ranging plan to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent kingdom.

He recently said the return of "moderate Islam" was key to his plans to modernise Saudi Arabia.

Addressing an economic conference in Riyadh, he vowed to "eradicate the remnants of extremism very soon".

Source – bbc.com

Bodies of 26 migrants arrive in Italy as rescues intensify

The bodies of 26 female migrants who apparently drowned have arrived at the Italian port of Salerno as rescues intensify on the Mediterranean Sea, the U.N. refugee agency said.

The bodies were transferred to the Italian mainland aboard a Spanish naval ship carrying another 400 migrants rescued during four operations in the central Mediterranean.

Twenty-three of the dead women were on a rubber dinghy that sank off Libya two days ago, Marco Rotunno, a spokesman in Italy for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman, said. Another 60 people were pulled to safety, but more may have perished at sea, Rotunno said.

The other three women died in a separate shipwreck.

Humanitarian groups say some 2,500 migrants were picked up at sea over the last four or five days, making it the most intense period for rescues on the Mediterranean since Italy reached a deal with Libya this summer to slow departures of smugglers' boats carrying migrants. In the same short and recent period, 37 bodies have been recovered, the Italian news agency ANSA said.

The number of migrants arriving in Italy so far this year is 30 percent lower than last year, 111,716 through Friday compared to nearly 160,000 in the same period of 2016, according to Interior Ministry figures.

The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration put the number of dead in the center Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy at over 2,600 through Nov. 1.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

China online shopping: Dishonest websites face fines

China has created a new law to impose heavy fines on internet shopping websites which publish false advertisements about their products.

Vendors who delete negative online reviews or post fake positive reviews face a minimum $30,000 (£23,000) fine.

The new law aims to clean up China's internet shopping websites just before Singles Day – the country's busiest online shopping day of the year.

Last year's Singles Day saw sales worth almost $18bn (£13.7bn) in 24 hours.

Chinese consumers placed 657 million orders.

Most Singles Day vendors sell through the online platform Alibaba, which has been heavily criticised for failing to police the claims some sellers post about their products.

Chinese vendors 'exploiting' African children removed from Taobao

How China's Alibaba wants to change shopping

Singles Day: Alibaba breaks record sales total

Social media in China: how is it different to the West?

The authorities are also trying to stop the use of a technique known as brushing – when vendors stage fictitious sales in order to boost their standing in website search results.

China in August launched a digital "cyber-court" to help deal with a rise in the number of internet-related claims, including online shopping disputes.

Singles Day is held every year on 11 November. The day is also referred to as Double Eleven because of its date.

Click to see content: singlesday

Originally claimed as a celebration for China's young singletons, Alibaba turned it into a shopping bonanza in 2009.

While Alibaba is undeniably the driving force behind the event, other retailers have also started to piggyback off the idea, including extending it to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In August Alibaba reported strong earnings, posting a 56% rise in quarterly revenue.

Analysts say that Asia in general and China in particular are at the centre of the global shift towards e-commerce.

Source – bbc.com

The social media platform is criticised for failing to show any photos under the bisexual hashtag.
Source – bbc.com

Some people, there is nothing better than getting a good makeover. There’s no limit to what one can achieve with a simple haircut, hair dye, a new beard style or just simply shaving. However, some people can get quite used to the way they look and a makeover, which will change the way they will look can be a daunting task. Similarly, some men are very well kept, clean shaved or with well-maintained facial hair, whereas, some just leave their beards the way they are and do no put a lot of effort into grooming themselves.

His look had not changed in years:

Image credits: Youtube

Jeff is one of those people. He has kept an untrimmed, unkempt and scruffy beard along with long hair for years. Maybe he liked his face that way or maybe he just did not care enough about his appearance to put in any effort, either way, his look hadn’t changed in years. This did not please his wife at all but he refused to shave it even after constant nagging from her. She did not know her prayers were soon to be answered.

To everyone’s delight, he agreed to a professional makeover:

Image credits: Youtube

Then one day, he got an invitation from the Rachael Ray Show, who promised to give him a complimentary and professional makeover on television, which will please his wife tremendously, if he came on their show. Luckily, which he agreed to:

“I’m going through basically a midlife crisis. It’s time to clean it up.”

As per the agreement, Jeff was given a makeover with the help of Elena Linares, the founder of the RazzleDazzle Barbershop in Miami. When he walked on the stage with a clean-shaven face and a brand new haircut, looking like a completely different man, the audience applauded in appraisal and it will be an understatement to say his wife was beyond happy. Her face lit up the second she laid eyes on him, her reaction a mixture of surprise and delight. She could barely contain her happiness.

Watch this heartwarming video to see his transformation and people’s reactions for yourself.

Jeff then told the audience he felt ‘amazing’ and ’emotional’ after looking at himself as a changed man. We hope this clean up will help him gain a new perspective and put things in order for him. Sometimes all someone needs to turn their life around is a little push. A little motivation can take a person a long way towards progress.

Liked This? Read This: 26 Reasons Why Kids Refuse to Eat That Made Their Parents Go Crazy

Article by BornRealist

The post Man Who Hasn’t Shaved In Many Years Undergoes A Stunning Makeover To Please His Dear Wife appeared first on Born Realist.

Source – bornrealist.com

People have been known to do insane things in the name of love. Be it getting a new haircut your boyfriend will like or building the Taj Mahal for your dead wife, love forces us all out of our comfort zones and makes us do things we never imagined ourselves doing. History is loaded with stories of people making elaborate displays of love and making difficult journeys for the persons they love.

Here is an example of one of those grand gestures:

The woman with the tiniest waist:

Now Ethel Granger, born in Cambridgeshire in the early 1900s is no different. When she married her husband, an astronomer Willaim Arnold Granger, in 1928 we are sure she had no idea she would end up in the Guinness Book Of World Records.

Image credits: gettyimages

Although corsets had evolved far from their uncomfortable predecessor by the 20th Century, as more women chose comfort over conforming to beauty standards, it happened to be that Mr Granger still took a huge fancy to them. His wife had a pretty thin waist of about 22 inches, to begin with, but he pushed her to start wearing a corset and to please her husband further she started wearing one regularly. He asked her to gradually make them tighter and tighter and wearing them for longer and longer periods.

She continued this for the duration of her ten-year marriage until her natural waist had reduced about ten inches in width and became a mere 13 inches. At this point, her name was added to the Guinness Book Of Records for having the tiniest waist in the world in 1939.

The things we do for love:

Ethel, however, did not stop modifying her body here. In addition to wearing extremely fitted corsets, she made numerous piercings on her face and body and completed her look with extremely high heeled shoes. She supposedly did all this for the love of her life and her husband, William, who kept pressurizing her to alter her body in the way he found attractive.

Ms Granger made huge irreversible sacrifices in the name of love until she passed away in 1982 at the age of 77. In 2011 Vogue Italia dedicated their cover to her. She is remembered as the woman with the tiniest waist in history.

#fbf #2011 favorite Italian Vogue with #stellatennant on cover, channeling #ethelgranger inside

A post shared by Porochista Khakpour (@pchza) on Jul 25, 2014 at 12:13pm PDT

This was the bitter-sweet story of a woman whose love for her husband and her desire to satisfy his fetishes took her to the point where it left her deformed. She not only challenged the boundaries for the transformation of a human body but also the extent of sacrifices one can make for love.

Liked This? Read This: 16 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Be Trying To Get Him To Chase You

Article by BornRealist

The post Woman With The Smallest Waist In The World Who Changed Her Body For Love appeared first on Born Realist.

Source – bornrealist.com

Image Credits: Shutterstock

Approximately 18 percent of people say that in order to be not embarrassed in front of others while showing their yellow teeth they like to conceal their teeth in the photos. Having white shiny teeth is of much importance in our time and culture as well, hence people are using white strips at home or turning to professionals for whitening treatments at offices and the number of these people are increasing day by day. Your smile is one of the things people first notice in you and with a bright smile comes your teeth, they are the sign of health and confidence. When in the time of making your first expression on someone, most people feel troubled about having aged, colored or crooked teeth, which is an utter sign that you don’t really care about yourself. Well who doesn’t want to look beautiful or have a sparkling smile? But what you guys think is actually the best way to whiten your teeth?

Image credits: shutterstock

Image credits: shutterstock

It is such a miserable truth, to the point that regardless of how often individuals brush their teeth, they have hued or recolored teeth from various propensities like drinking espresso, tea or smoking. Sometimes such conditions of teeth can lead to many problems like unhealthy gums, thinning of enamel, and poor dental hygiene. Having white sparkling teeth would not help you protect from various diseases related to dental care like cavities or gingivitis. White teeth are no doubt a nice thing to have as it keeps other things in perspective.

Image credits: shutterstock

Why Do Teeth Turn Yellow?

Teeth turn yellow or stained as a result of the stains that are framed on the surface of teeth (the veneer) and furthermore profound into teeth’s structure. The veneer is the hard, white surface of the teeth. Underneath enamel is dentin which is pale brown appearance, which becomes visible when the enamel is getting thinner. Dental disintegration comes about because of constant loss of dental tissue that is artificially expelled from tooth’s surface. Some risk factors like aging, genetics, and the food intake that promote erosion or staining lead to the discoloration of teeth and increase the risk of gum diseases. It is quite unrealistic to believe that your teeth will remain shiny in older age as well but there are many ways that could be adopted which can avoid the discoloration of the teeth.

Image credits: shutterstock

Here Are 7 Acne Myths You Should Stop Believing

It’s true that we all want healthy white teeth but unfortunately some of favorite habits like drinking coffee or smoking can cause stains on our teeth and in turn damage them as well. As chemically whitening methods contains hydrogen peroxide which can cause damage to your teeth. Thankfully there are complete natural remedies available which you can adopt to whiten your teeth with no side effects and the main ingredient is sitting right on your kitchen shelf!

Image credits: shutterstock

You will be needing:/h1> Turmeric Powder:

Image credits: shutterstock

Image credits: shutterstock

Coconut Oil:

Image credits: shutterstock

Image credits: shutterstock

Peppermint Oil:

Image credits: shutterstock

Below is the method for you to follow:

You need to mix one teaspoon of turmeric powder into one teaspoon of coconut oil and a few drops of peppermint oil and make a fine paste. Simply, then apply the paste on to your toothbrush and then on your teeth as well. Try this home remedy daily and you will see the results in short time.

Image credits: shutterstock

Turmeric is also known as Indian saffron which belong to a ginger family. In India it has been used for many centuries for it’s medicinal qualities. With whitening of teeth it also has the inflammatory properties. It also stimulate circulation around gums and supports the healthy bacteria inside of mouth. Turmeric has properties that are effective against fighting the harmful bacteria and germs that can cause gum diseases. Coconut oil is a killer of cavity as it neutralizes the bacteria inside mouth. Peppermint also carries anti bacterial properties and also it freshens the mouth.

Image credits: shutterstock

The turmeric powder is also used in curry as it provides color to the food. Moreover the turmeric bulb is also used to make your own whitening toothpaste and will give a Hollywood white smile that you wanted for long.

Here’s a video showing how the paste is made also explaining some of the benefits of turmeric.

Liked this? Read this also: Here Are 9 Ways To Get The Perfect Hollywood Smile

Article by Born Realist

The post Here’s How You Can Whiten Your Teeth Naturally With Only Three Ingredients appeared first on Born Realist.

Source – bornrealist.com

Tom Hanks helps with marriage proposal at festival

Oscar-winning actor and author Tom Hanks used a Texas Book Festival appearance to help a couple get engaged.

Hanks was in Austin on Saturday and spoke to hundreds of listeners about his new book "Uncommon Type: Some Stories."

Hanks at one point told the crowd that he was bored of taking their questions and wanted to ask one himself.

Hanks then pulled out a piece of paper and said that a man in the crowd, Ryan McFarling, had a question for a woman named Nikki Young. Hanks said the question was: "Nikki, will you marry me?"

The couple went on stage, McFarling got down on one knee and gave Young a ring.

Hanks then hugged the newly engaged woman and offered his best wishes to the couple.

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Catalonia's ousted president turns himself in to Belgian police

The ousted leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, and four of his former government ministers have turned themselves in to Belgian police, according to Belgium's state broadcaster.

Puigdemont and his associates were wanted on European arrest warrants. They had fled north to Brussels following Spain's removal of Catalonia's top representatives from office, part of Madrid's crackdown in response to the region's declaration of independence.

A spokesman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office said the five former Catalan officials presented themselves to Belgian federal police and have been in custody since 9 a.m. local time. He said that they have not been arrested and that Puigdemont and the four ex-ministers will be heard by an investigative judge Sunday afternoon.

The judge will have to decide the next steps, which could range from arrest and imprisonment to conditional release.

Puigdemont wrote on his Twitter account Saturday that he would "cooperate" with Belgian authorities, although his lawyer has said the pro-independence politician would fight a forced return to Spain.

"We are prepared to fully cooperate with Belgian justice following the European arrest warrant issued by Spain," Puigdemont wrote in Dutch on Twitter on Saturday.

The Associated Press

Besides the Dutch tweet he posted on Saturday, Puigdemont also sent a Twitter message written in Catalan to political followers in northeastern Spain. He weighed in on a debate among secessionists in Catalonia regarding strategy for the December snap election Spain's government has called as part of its temporary takeover of the restive region.

"It's the moment for all democrats to unite. For Catalonia, for the freedom of political prisoners and the Republic," Puigdemont wrote, endorsing calls for pro-secession political parties to unite in a coalition for the upcoming election.

Spanish government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Friday that politicians, even those who are jailed on suspicion of a crime, can run in the upcoming election unless they are convicted before it takes place. Puigdemont has left the door open to running.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Social media giants have 'moral duty' to tackle child abuse

Tech companies need to do more to combat the "exponential" growth in child sexual exploitation online, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.

Ms Rudd said internet giants have a "moral duty" to act and need to work with smaller platforms used by child gamers where paedophiles operate.

She is to meet counterparts in the US government to discuss the issue.

The tech companies have said they are doing their utmost to keep their young users safe.

During Ms Rudd's trip she will attend a roundtable discussion joined by tech companies including Google, Facebook and Microsoft.

The home secretary will welcome work that has been done to tackle online child sexual abuse, but will also say that more needs to be done at a "far greater pace" across the technology industry.

• Rudd to techies: Stop patronising us
• Message encryption a problem – Rudd

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday, Ms Rudd said: "We've seen the real growth of child sexual exploitation internationally, and we're going to make sure that we work with the Americans to take action against it.

"We need to make sure [tech companies] put their technical know how into addressing it.

"Particularly working with smaller platforms where children go to game online, to meet each other; there are paedophiles working there.

"We need to make sure that internet companies work with us, in partnership, to change this."

Ms Rudd's comments come as new government figures show there was a 700% increase in the number of indecent images identified on technology company servers and flagged to law enforcement agencies between 2013 and 2017.

Each month there are more than 400 arrests for indecent images of children offences in the UK and some 500 children are being protected from online sexual exploitation, the government said.

Ms Rudd will also raise concerns about the use of messaging websites and apps, as well as video and image apps and websites, during her trip.

Source – bbc.com