The much-anticipated first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been unveiled.
Director Rian Johnson unveiled a teaser at the Star Wars Celebration fan event in Orlando, Florida.
The two-minute footage offers few clues - but it does feature Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, seen from a dark cave and saying ominously that "it's time for the Jedi to end".
It also features Daisy Ridley, who stars as Rey, and teases dramatic battle scenes as well as some stunning scenery shots.
Ridley said part of the story in The Last Jedi is that it can be difficult to "meet your heroes".
The Last Jedi - Episode VIII in the Star Wars universe - is the second in the current trilogy, coming after The Force Awakens.
The Star Wars Celebrations event over the past two days has featured a surprise Harrison Ford appearance and a touching tribute to the late Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original trilogy and reprised her role in The Force Awakens.
The event lasts four days.
The Last Jedi, which will open in cinemas in December, will also see Kylo Ren star Adam Driver return.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Islamic State says no fighter killed by mother of all bombs
The Islamic State group has denied suffering any casualties when the US dropped the so-called mother of all bombs in Afghanistan.
The strike on Thursday hit an Islamic State mountain hideout in a remote area of Nangarhar province, in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.
It was the first time the US military had unleashed the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, its largest non-nuclear bomb, in combat.
Islamic State issued a statement through its propaganda agency Amaq, saying: "Security source to Amaq agency denies any dead or wounded from yesterday's American strike in Nangarhar using a GBU-43/B."
Afghan officials said the attack left 36 IS fighters dead but caused no civilian casualties.
The top US military commander in Afghanistan said the decision to deploy one of the largest conventional bombs ever used in combat was purely tactical.
"This is the right weapon for the right target," said US General John W. Nicholson, the NATO commander in Afghanistan.
:: Analysis: Trump can't 'flip-flop' on foreign policy forever
The attack, in an area that had seen heavy fighting in recent weeks between Afghan forces and IS militants, destroyed several IS caves and ammunition caches, the Afghan defence ministry said.
A ministry spokesman, General Daulat Waziri, said the bombing was necessary because the tunnel complex was extremely hard to penetrate, with some as deep as 40m.
"It was a strong position and four times we had operations (attacking the site) and it was not possible to advance," he said, adding that the road leading to the complex "was full of mines".
The 21,600lb (9,797kg) GBU-43 bomb, which was dropped from an MC-130 aircraft, has the explosive power of 11 tons of TNT.
The bombing left villagers terrified on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.
In the Afghan village of Achin, just a few miles from where the bomb hit, Palstar Khan said: "Last night's bomb was really huge, when it dropped, everywhere, it was shaking."
Some in Pakistan said the explosion was so loud they thought a bomb had been dropped in their village.
"I was sleeping when we heard a loud explosion. It was an earsplitting blast," said Shah Wali, 46, who lives nine miles from the border.
"I jumped from my bed and came out of my home to see what has gone wrong in our village."
The strike on Thursday hit an Islamic State mountain hideout in a remote area of Nangarhar province, in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.
It was the first time the US military had unleashed the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, its largest non-nuclear bomb, in combat.
Islamic State issued a statement through its propaganda agency Amaq, saying: "Security source to Amaq agency denies any dead or wounded from yesterday's American strike in Nangarhar using a GBU-43/B."
Afghan officials said the attack left 36 IS fighters dead but caused no civilian casualties.
The top US military commander in Afghanistan said the decision to deploy one of the largest conventional bombs ever used in combat was purely tactical.
"This is the right weapon for the right target," said US General John W. Nicholson, the NATO commander in Afghanistan.
:: Analysis: Trump can't 'flip-flop' on foreign policy forever
The attack, in an area that had seen heavy fighting in recent weeks between Afghan forces and IS militants, destroyed several IS caves and ammunition caches, the Afghan defence ministry said.
A ministry spokesman, General Daulat Waziri, said the bombing was necessary because the tunnel complex was extremely hard to penetrate, with some as deep as 40m.
"It was a strong position and four times we had operations (attacking the site) and it was not possible to advance," he said, adding that the road leading to the complex "was full of mines".
The 21,600lb (9,797kg) GBU-43 bomb, which was dropped from an MC-130 aircraft, has the explosive power of 11 tons of TNT.
The bombing left villagers terrified on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.
In the Afghan village of Achin, just a few miles from where the bomb hit, Palstar Khan said: "Last night's bomb was really huge, when it dropped, everywhere, it was shaking."
Some in Pakistan said the explosion was so loud they thought a bomb had been dropped in their village.
"I was sleeping when we heard a loud explosion. It was an earsplitting blast," said Shah Wali, 46, who lives nine miles from the border.
"I jumped from my bed and came out of my home to see what has gone wrong in our village."
Tesco says sorry over 'Good Friday got better' beer ad
Tesco has apologised after a newspaper advert for discounted beer said: "Good Friday just got better."
The supermarket said it was sorry for any offence caused after linking alcohol with Good Friday - the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion.
It said the ad would not be used again.
The Tesco ad was criticised by vicar and broadcaster the Reverend Richard Coles on Twitter.
He described it as "extraordinarily and unnecessarily ignorant" and said it "causes unnecessary offence to many".
Rev Coles responded to remarks by other Twitter users that they were not offended by saying: "That's fine. For many others it is the most solemn day of the year.
"All Tesco needed to do was google it."
A Tesco spokesman said: "We know that Easter is an important time of the year for our customers.
"It is never our intention to offend and we are sorry if any has been caused by this advert. We will not publish it again."
The supermarket said it was sorry for any offence caused after linking alcohol with Good Friday - the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion.
It said the ad would not be used again.
The Tesco ad was criticised by vicar and broadcaster the Reverend Richard Coles on Twitter.
He described it as "extraordinarily and unnecessarily ignorant" and said it "causes unnecessary offence to many".
Rev Coles responded to remarks by other Twitter users that they were not offended by saying: "That's fine. For many others it is the most solemn day of the year.
"All Tesco needed to do was google it."
A Tesco spokesman said: "We know that Easter is an important time of the year for our customers.
"It is never our intention to offend and we are sorry if any has been caused by this advert. We will not publish it again."
Mother of all bombs 'killed 36 IS militants' in Afghanistan
Thirty-six Islamic State militants were killed when the US dropped the so-called Mother Of All Bombs on a cave complex in Afghanistan.
The strike in the Achin district of Nangahar province was the first time the 21,600lb (9,797kg) GBU-43 bomb, which has 11 tons of explosives, has been used in combat.
The Afghan defence ministry said it laid waste to the caves and ammunition caches but had not caused any civilian casualties.
"No civilian has been hurt and only the base which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province was destroyed," spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.
The bomb, the US military's largest non-nuclear device, was dropped from an MC-130 aircraft very close to the border with Pakistan.
Achin District Governor Esmail Shinwari said: "The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen.
"Towering flames engulfed the area.
The nickname - the mother of all bombs - is based on the name given to the weapon by the US Air Force - 'Massive Ordnance Air Blast' bomb and it is regarded as particularly effective against clusters of targets on or just underneath the ground.
The Afghan army spokesman in Nangarhar said the bomb was dropped between two mountains where IS had carved out caves and tunnels.
There were believed to have been between 40 and 70 fighters there at the time, Jawid Saleem told Tolo News.
The weapon, which was first tested just days before the Iraq War in March 2013, was dropped at 7.32pm local time (4.02pm UK time) after its deployment was signed off by General John Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.
General Nicholson said the strike was designed to minimise the risk to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing operations in the Achin area "while maximising the destruction" of IS fighters and facilities.
He said IS has been using improvised explosive devices, bunkers and tunnels to strengthen its defences.
The strike in the Achin district of Nangahar province was the first time the 21,600lb (9,797kg) GBU-43 bomb, which has 11 tons of explosives, has been used in combat.
The Afghan defence ministry said it laid waste to the caves and ammunition caches but had not caused any civilian casualties.
"No civilian has been hurt and only the base which Daesh used to launch attacks in other parts of the province was destroyed," spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.
The bomb, the US military's largest non-nuclear device, was dropped from an MC-130 aircraft very close to the border with Pakistan.
Achin District Governor Esmail Shinwari said: "The explosion was the biggest I have ever seen.
"Towering flames engulfed the area.
The nickname - the mother of all bombs - is based on the name given to the weapon by the US Air Force - 'Massive Ordnance Air Blast' bomb and it is regarded as particularly effective against clusters of targets on or just underneath the ground.
The Afghan army spokesman in Nangarhar said the bomb was dropped between two mountains where IS had carved out caves and tunnels.
There were believed to have been between 40 and 70 fighters there at the time, Jawid Saleem told Tolo News.
The weapon, which was first tested just days before the Iraq War in March 2013, was dropped at 7.32pm local time (4.02pm UK time) after its deployment was signed off by General John Nicholson, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan.
General Nicholson said the strike was designed to minimise the risk to Afghan and US forces conducting clearing operations in the Achin area "while maximising the destruction" of IS fighters and facilities.
He said IS has been using improvised explosive devices, bunkers and tunnels to strengthen its defences.
Doctor Jumana Nagarwala faces genital mutilation charges on girls
An American emergency room doctor faces charges of female genital mutilation on girls between the ages of six and eight.
Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville, Michigan, is accused of carrying out the procedure for 12 years from a medical office in Livonia, Michigan.
Prosecutors said some of Nagarwala's alleged victims came from outside the state and were warned not to talk about what had happened to them.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco said the doctor was alleged to have performed "horrifying acts of brutality on the most vulnerable victims".
He added: "The Department of Justice is committed to stopping female genital mutilation in this country, and will use the full power of the law to ensure that no girls suffer such physical and emotional abuse."
Acting US Attorney Daniel Lemisch added: "The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law."
Nagarwala appeared in a US federal court on Thursday and was remanded in custody until at least Monday, according to a spokeswoman for the US attorney's office.
Female genital mutilation of children has been illegal in the US since 1996 and Nagarwala faces a maximum sentence of life in jail if she is convicted.
The first recorded case in the US was in 2006, when an Ethiopian immigrant in Georgia was jailed for 10 years after he was found guilty of sexually mutilating his two-year-old daughter with scissors.
Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville, Michigan, is accused of carrying out the procedure for 12 years from a medical office in Livonia, Michigan.
Prosecutors said some of Nagarwala's alleged victims came from outside the state and were warned not to talk about what had happened to them.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco said the doctor was alleged to have performed "horrifying acts of brutality on the most vulnerable victims".
He added: "The Department of Justice is committed to stopping female genital mutilation in this country, and will use the full power of the law to ensure that no girls suffer such physical and emotional abuse."
Acting US Attorney Daniel Lemisch added: "The practice has no place in modern society and those who perform FGM on minors will be held accountable under federal law."
Nagarwala appeared in a US federal court on Thursday and was remanded in custody until at least Monday, according to a spokeswoman for the US attorney's office.
Female genital mutilation of children has been illegal in the US since 1996 and Nagarwala faces a maximum sentence of life in jail if she is convicted.
The first recorded case in the US was in 2006, when an Ethiopian immigrant in Georgia was jailed for 10 years after he was found guilty of sexually mutilating his two-year-old daughter with scissors.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Borussia Dortmund bus attack suspect 'led Islamic State commando unit'
A man detained by police over a bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus is believed to have been an Islamic State fighter in Iraq.
The 26-year-old Iraqi has since been cleared of any involvement in Tuesday's attack - but police have kept him in custody following raids on two apartments.
He is believed to have led a 10-strong commando unit involved in killings, kidnappings, smuggling and extortion in Iraq.
The 26-year-old Iraqi has since been cleared of any involvement in Tuesday's attack - but police have kept him in custody following raids on two apartments.
He is believed to have led a 10-strong commando unit involved in killings, kidnappings, smuggling and extortion in Iraq.
Russia refusing to show Eurovision after Ukraine bans its entrant
Russians are breathing a sigh of relief after a state-owned TV station said it would not broadcast next month's Eurovision Song Contest.
The move comes after host country Ukraine banned Russia's contender.
Singer Yulia Samoylova has been stopped from entering after Kiev's security services said she toured Crimea following Russia's annexation of the peninsula in 2014.
The Channel One TV station said it made its decision after being informed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that the dispute remained unsettled.
Channel One dismissed an idea from the EBU that Ms Samoylova perform live from Russia.
The 27-year-old singer, who has been confined to a wheelchair since childhood, has confirmed she did tour in Crimea in 2015.
She also sang for the opening of Russia's Paralympic Games in 2014.
At least 140 other Russian artists have been blacklisted by the Ukrainian security services.
The move comes after host country Ukraine banned Russia's contender.
Singer Yulia Samoylova has been stopped from entering after Kiev's security services said she toured Crimea following Russia's annexation of the peninsula in 2014.
The Channel One TV station said it made its decision after being informed by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that the dispute remained unsettled.
Channel One dismissed an idea from the EBU that Ms Samoylova perform live from Russia.
The 27-year-old singer, who has been confined to a wheelchair since childhood, has confirmed she did tour in Crimea in 2015.
She also sang for the opening of Russia's Paralympic Games in 2014.
At least 140 other Russian artists have been blacklisted by the Ukrainian security services.
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