Street clashes erupt as Hong Kong police crack down on protesters
Thousands of pro-democracy activists clashed with police in running scuffles in the gritty district of Mongkok early on Saturday in a bid to reclaim part of one of the largest and most volatile protest sites in Hong Kong.
After hours of tense face-offs, with police showing relative restraint at first, hundreds of riot police baton-charged the crowds with shields, pepper spraying and wrestling a string of protesters to the ground in chaotic scenes.
Several bands comprised of hundreds of protesters, some of whom pelted police with eggs and bottled water, retreated but regrouped swiftly in other spots, stoked on rather than cowed by the clampdown.
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At least 120 reported dead in Nigeria mosque suicide attack
At least 120 people were killed and 270 others wounded on Friday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen opened fire during weekly prayers at the mosque of one of Nigeria's top Islamic leaders.
The attack at the Grand Mosque in Kano, the biggest city in the mainly Muslim north of the country, came just as Friday prayers had started.
The mosque is attached to the palace of the Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II, Nigeria's second most senior Muslim cleric, who last week urged civilians to take up arms against Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
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Madonna wins new Malawi president's praise as she gets back VIP status
Pop diva Madonna met Malawi's new president Friday after her VIP status was restored in the country where she adopted two children but then fell foul of the former government.
President Peter Mutharika hailed Madonna for her charity work in the poor southern African nation, saying "my government has always been grateful for the passion Madonna has for this country".
It was Madonna's first visit in more than a year, after she was stripped of her VIP status by former president Joyce Banda amid controversy over the cancellation of her plans for an academy for girls.
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Toned, tattooed Mickey Rourke returns to ring at 62 - and wins in round 2
Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke picked up his boxing career on Friday night in Moscow at 62 years old - and beat his far younger opponent in the second round.
Rourke, wearing red trunks with a Russian flag, unleashed a barrage of blows against 29-year-old Elliot Seymour, an American professional boxer, and the bout was halted.
It had been set to go five rounds of two and a half minutes each but in the end lasted about four minutes.
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Star Wars trailer sparks fan frenzy
Star Wars fans got their first glimpse on Friday of the space saga's long-awaited new film - including a controversial new-look lightsaber - but still have to wait a year for the movie itself.
"There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?" a gravel-voiced narrator intones in the brief trailer, before a squadron of Stormtroopers is seen prepping for action.
Studio giant Disney earlier this month revealed the name of the new episode, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, saying filming had been completed on the movie, due in theatres on Dec 18, 2015.
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