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Thursday 14 August 2014

Flybe's pilot's artificial arm detaches while landing plane


A Flybe flight from Birmingham, with 47 passengers on board, was approaching Belfast City Airport on 12 February when the pilot's artificial arm became detached.

It landed heavily but fortunately nobody was hurt and the plane was not damaged.


In a statement, Flybe said the senior captain was one of its "most experienced and trusted pilots", and the safety of passengers and crew had not been compromised in any way.

Nigerian governors greet each other with knuckles during meeting to curtail ebola


governor1

governor


Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday summoned governors with their commissioners for Health for an emergency meeting to discuss possible ways to reduce the spread of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease.

The governors greeted one another with knuckles at the meeting...see above pictures.

Celine Dion puts her career on hold to care for her cancer-stricken husband Rene Angelil


 
 
Céline Dion has cancelled all concert dates which includes a major upcoming tour for the indefinite future, in order to care for her 72 year old husband who had a cancerous tumour removed December last year.

The singer explained that the “day-to-day challenges” were just too much.
“I want to devote every ounce of my strength and energy to my husband’s healing,” she said in a statement, “and to do so, it’s important for me to dedicate this time to him and to our children.”
But Celine Dion is also fighting an undisclosed illness which has caused “inflammation in her throat muscles”, according to a press release, and prevented her from performing any of her Las Vegas concerts since 29 July. “It’s been a very difficult and stressful time for the couple as they deal with ... fighting [René’s] disease while trying to juggle a very active show business schedule, and raise their three young children,” her spokesperson wrote.


In 1994 Celine Dion got married to René Angélil, her long time manager, when she was 26, and they have three children together.

Dion’s most recent album, Loved Me Back To Life, was released in November last year. Based on almost $12 million (£7m) in earnings from her 60 Las Vegas concerts, Billboard named her the 23rd-highest-paid musician of 2013.

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Spanish priest being treated for ebola dies

Health workers load Ebola patient, Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, into an ambulance on the tarmac of Torrejon airbase in Madrid, after he was repatriated from Liberia for treatment in Spain, August 7, 2014.    REUTERS/Ministry of Defence/Handout via Reuters

75 year old Spanish priest Miguel Pajares, the first European infected by Ebola has died in hospital in Madrid.
Before his death he was being treated with the experimental drug ZMapp, manufactured by U.S. company Mapp Biopharmaceutical.

He died at  the Carlos III hospital, where he had been in quarantine since his return from West Africa where the strain of Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people

American actor Robin Williams found dead in his California home

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Robin Williams as Mrs Doubtfire

Robin Williams: adland star?

Oscar winning American actor and comedian Robin Williams aged 63, has been found dead, in what appears to be a suicide.

He was pronounced dead at his home shortly after an emergency call around noon local time at  his home in California.

According to his publicist said he had been "battling severe depression".

In the past he had spoken out about his struggles with alcohol and drugs and had recently returned to a rehabilitation centre.

"At this time, the Sheriff's Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made," police said in a statement.

His life history (Wikipedia):

Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–1982), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting.
His film career included such acclaimed films as The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Popeye (1980), Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006). He also appeared in the video "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin.

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, Williams received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting.

He also received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards.

Rest in peace!