Nigerian man accused of Ese abduction faces charges

Ese's family travelled from their southern home state of Bayelsa to be reunited with her.

A social media campaign with around 50,000 tweets using the hashtag #FreeEse prompted Sunday's search for her after she went missing in August.

The man denies taking Ese against her will and forcing her to convert to Islam before the wedding.

From Bayelsa, she is said to have been moved to the city of Kano, some 900km (600 miles) away from her home.

Police who delayed Ese's release would also be prosecuted, Abuja police spokesman Olabisi Kolawole told the BBC's Yakubu Liman in the capital, Abuja

The family say they made several efforts to bring Ese back from Kano, but were told she was no longer their daughter.

The alleged abductor of the girl was a long-standing customer of Ese's mother, who is a food vendor.

The marriage was reported to have taken place at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, an influential Muslim leader in Nigeria, which he has denied.

The Emir said the girl was brought to his palace after her alleged conversion to Islam but he said she was too young.

"We asked that if he really wants her, he should wait for her until she turns 18 and then if she still wants him they can get married. No-one will stand in the way," Mr Sanusi said in a statement.

Ese and the man were sent to the police by the Emir as he said she should be returned to Bayelsa state because of her age.

However, this was not acted upon.

Though reunited with her mother, Nigeria's Premium Times newspaper has reported that Ese said she wants to remain in Kano. 

She told police she was not forced to convert to Islam, it reports.

A debate about child brides and forced marriages in Nigeria has erupted due to the alleged abduction.

The UN said more than one in three girls are married before the age of 18, mostly in poor rural families in Africa.

American Gladiator 'Hawk' Dies Aged 49

A former football star who rose to fame on the popular 1990s television show American Gladiators has died at the age of 49.

Lee Reherman, who performed as Hawk on the show, died at his home in Manhattan Beach, his publicist Anthony Turk said.

The cause of his death is unknown, but the former Cornell University offensive tackle had not been feeling well in recent days after undergoing hip replacement surgery, Mr Turk said.

He died soon after his girlfriend returned home on Tuesday to find him unwell.

Mr Reherman had a number of film and TV roles after Gladiators

Mr Reherman had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins after graduating with honours from Cornell. He also earned a master's in business administration and was pursuing a doctorate in economics at the University of California in Los Angeles when he won his slot on American Gladiators.

On its Twitter page, Gladiators wrote: "It is with much sadness we inform you #AmericanGladiators star Hawk @LeeReherman sadly passed away this morning. RIP."

At 6ft 4ins, Hawk became an immediate fan favourite on the show.

Kathy Carter, his manager of 17 years, said: "Anybody who came in contact with him, even people who may have been on a film set with him for just one day, Lee was very much loved by everyone."

After Gladiators, he continued to have TV and film roles over the next 20 years, including roles in Last Action Hero, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Star Trek Into Darkness.

He also had guest appearances on TV shows including Ellen, The X-Files and The Shield.

He produced several shows, including an upcoming documentary called The League which looks at character-building in Ivy League college football, which does not offer scholarships.

Mr Reherman is survived by his father and two brothers.

This Vine of Chris Christie Is the Real Winner of Super Tuesday

When Chris Christie appeared beside Donald Trump after his big Super Tuesday sweep, the Internet noticed something was off: Why did Christie look so uncomfortable? What was he thinking, and why did he look, as some joked, like he was the captive in a hostage situation?

The oddness of the moment was captured in perfectly bizarre fashion in this absurd Vine that zooms in on Christie’s disturbed face with “Frolic,” the theme song from Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing in the background.

The mood, the camerawork and the soundtrack all come together to perfectly capture this circus-like election season. He may have dropped out of the race, but Chris Christie won the Internet this Super Tuesday.

Lady Gaga Shares Her Family’s Support After Her Moving Oscars Performance

a has been outspoken about her experience as a sexual assault survivor in the months leading up to the Oscars, where she performed “Til It Happens To You,” the moving track she wrote with Diane Warren for the documentary The Hunting Ground. But in an Instagram post shared after the ceremony, Gaga revealed some of her family members weren’t aware of her experience until they saw the show.

“My grandmother (in the middle) and my Aunt Sheri (on the right) both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor,” she captioned a photo of her three relatives. “I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I’m Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for 10 years. “

The song and the documentary focus on rape and sexual assault on college campuses, and on Sunday Gaga was joined by 50 survivors of sexual assault – some of whom appeared in The Hunting Ground. They bore messages like “Not Your Fault” on their arm as they stood on stage next to Gaga.

“The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me ‘My darling granddaughter, I’ve never been more proud of you than I am today,’” Gaga continued. “Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything– became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of. And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup #tilithappenstoyou.”

Gaga’s performance has already inspired others to speak up about their own experiences with sexual assault. Jade Roper, a former contestant on The Bachelor, wrote in a blog post on Monday, “I’ve only shared my story with but a few, not even my family knows. But when I saw GaGa fill the whole room with emotion as she sang with conviction and urgency, as I saw survivors of sexual assault bravely stand up there showing the world that what happened to them does matter, tears streamed down my face.” Jaime King also spoke out on social media. “Thank you @ladygaga – I finally felt a true healing from years of abuse as a minor in the industry. Time to be brave,” she tweeted.

Adele Visits Gravely Ill 12-Year-Old Fan

David M. Benett—Getty ImagesAdele performs at the BRIT Awards 2016 at The O2 Arena on February 24, 2016 in London, England.

Adele took time out of her schedule on Tuesday night to visit a young fan who suffers from multiple diseases and was given six months to live last year.

Rebecca Gibney, 12, is blind and afflicted with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, the BBC reports. Her mother, Tracy, says Rebecca has loved Adele’s music for years, and gets upset if anyone tries to turn the music off. Adele was able to visit her house in Belfast before a concert on Tuesday, and even invited Tracy and her other daughter to attend the show.

Tracy told the BBC that Adele called her “the best mummy in the world.”

“I’ll never forget it,” she said. “And I do know that when Rebecca passes away she did get her dream come true.”

Indonesia earthquake off Sumatra measures 7.9

A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of western Indonesia, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.

There have been no immediate reports of damage.

The USGS said the earthquake struck at 19:49 local time (12:49 GMT). It said the epicentre was 808km (502 miles) southwest of the city of Padang, and 10km deep.

Indonesian officials issused a tsunami warning for the regions of West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh.

Australia also issued a tsunami warning for Cocos Island and Christmas Island, in the Pacific.

In 2004 an 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered the world's deadliest ever tsunami, killing more than 200,000 people.

After that disaster, a more effective tsunami monitoring system was put in place. Warnings are now issued more frequently after earthquakes in the area.

Kindle Charger Recall Over Electric Shock Fears

Online retailer Amazon is recalling some Kindle Fire plugs over fears they could pose an electric shock risk.

Devices sold after September 2015 may have chargers that are at risk of breaking and causing electric shocks.

It sent out an email to customers saying: "We have determined that, in rare cases, when the power adapter included with the UK Fire seven-inch and UK Fire Kids Edition seven-inch tablet is pulled from the wall socket, the adapter assembly may detach and create a risk of electrical shock."

Amazon stressed the problem lies specifically with the power adapters, rather than the tablets themselves.

The firm added: "This issue...is rare. We wanted to proactively reach out to customers out of an abundance of caution."

The affected devices cost between £49.99 and £99.90 and were sold after September 2015.

Amazon said customers can either request a free replacement adapter online, or ask for £12 credit to be applied to their account allowing them to buy the power adapter of their choice.

The specific charger affected has the model number FABK7B printed on the front of it.

Customers should stop using it immediately, and revert to using the USB cable to charge their device from a laptop or other compatible device in the meantime.

Earlier this year Apple recalled some iPhone plug adapters over similar fears that they could break and cause electric shocks.