'The screams just kept coming and coming': Boy, 2, is mauled to death by African wild dogs after mother dangled him over the railings at Pittsburgh Zoo

Zoo

Desperate rescue attempts by zookeepers and armed police officers could not deter the 11 aggressive beasts as they savagely attacked the boy at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Sunday morning. Zookeepers fired darts at the dogs and a police office opened fire, killing one of the African painted dogs, but rescuers still could not reach the two-year-old until he had been killed.

Man, 24, mauled to death by grizzly bears while cleaning enclosure at Montana wildlife park

Grizzly

A 24-year-old man was mauled to death on Sunday morning while cleaning a grizzly bear enclosure at a wildlife casting agency in southwestern Montana, Gallatin County officials said.

Married substitute teacher, 36, jailed after admitting she became pregnant by her 14-year-old student

Amanda Sotelo

A substitute teacher has allegedly admitted she is pregnant by her 14 year old lover. Amanda Sotelo, who is married, is alleged to have had a months long affair with the teenager who was once one of her students.

America's cheapest private island could be yours for just $120,000 (or if you've got deeper pockets there's the most expensive at $30million)

island

If you've always longed for the privacy of your own hidden getaway surrounded by water, Nay Pond Island in New Hampshire, left, is now available. At a bargain price of just under $120,000, the property is far cheaper than the $30million you would dish out to live on the Little Bokeelia Island in Florida, right.

Desperate search for missing mother who 'ran out of boyfriend's house barefoot and hasn't been seen since'

Police are searching for Linda Fellenbaum, 33, from Joliet in Illinois, who was last seen alive on Sunday October 21

Linda Fellenbaum, 33, from Joliet in Illinois, disappeared two weeks ago following an argument with her boyfriend Donald Wolak.

Female executives told to ditch the guilt over putting their kids in childcare and focus on their careers

Professor Uta Frith says women are being held back by the feeling that they have to spend as much time as possible looking after their families and should avail themselves of alternatives

Professor Uta Frith says women are being held back by the feeling that they have to spend as much time as possible looking after their families and should avail themselves of alternatives.

Pictured: Husband charged with abuse after 'letting 400-pound wife die in her own filth'

Charged: Michael Brooks of Michigan has been charged with abuse for leaving his 400-pound wife to die on a bed covered in maggots and her own waste

A Michigan husband is facing abuse charges after allowing his 400-pound wife to die in bed surrounded by maggots and her own waste.

Police investigating after baby is taken to hospital with GUNSHOT wound

Police

A Modesto toddler is in critical but stable condition after being admitted to an emergency room with a gunshot wound, police in California said.

Real life VAMPIRE skeleton discovered in England with spikes through its shoulders, heart and ankles

vampire

The discovery in Nottinghamshire is believed to be a 'deviant burial', where people considered the 'dangerous dead' were interred to prevent them rising from their graves.

Mobster 'Whitey' Bulger rushed to Boston hospital with chest pains

James 'Whitey' Bulger was treated for chest pains on Sunday morning

The 83-year-old is serving time in Plymouth County Correctional Facility and is accused of participating in 19 murders during his time leading the Winter Hill Gang in the 1970s and 1980s.

A New Hope for education: George Lucas to donate $4BILLION after selling Star Wars to Disney

Passing on the baton: George Lucas has sold his company - and Star Wars - to Disney, who will make Episode 7

Proving that he hasn't fallen to the dark side of The Force, George Lucas, pictured, says that he will donate the billions he will receive for his stake in the Star Wars franchise to his education charity.

Anorexic woman who weighs only 102 pounds seeks relief in the kitchen by baking to raise funds for her treatment

Camilla Kuhns bakes cookies that she uses to raise funds for her anorexia treatment

A Washington woman who suffers from anorexia finds an unusual outlet for her stress in baking, and she is now turning to her culinary expertise to help her in her health battle. Camilla Kuhns, 29, is trying to raise $50,000 to help pay for the treatment she requires to fight the disease she's had since she was 11.

Tender moment between Mitt and Ann captured as team Romney races across the country to shore up last minute voters (and the supporters just keep getting younger)

romney

The Republican candidate and his team have been traveling to key markets throughout the final weekend of the campaign, trying to get the most impact out of large rallies with rousing speeches. 'This has got to be a thrill of a lifetime. This is amazing. What a welcome,' said Ann Romney as she introduced her husband in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

How Romney can still win the election: Mitt needs to master the electoral map in order to stem the Obama tide

How the voting battleground could shape up coast to coast

TOBY HARNDEN: The odds appear to be stacking up against Mitt Romney winning the 2012 presidential election on Tuesday as the electoral math seems to be in President Obama's favor.

All tied up! Obama and Romney deadlocked in national polls as race for White house comes down to wire

Ohio advantage: Obama maintains a polling edge in all-important Ohio with a 2.8 per cent lead in the RealClearPolitics average

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are deadlocked in four national polls as the 2012 race for the White House enters a dramatic final 48 hours.

At least she'll definitely have a job on Wednesday: TV Executives eye First Lady for her own talk show (should she lose the White House)

Next TV star? TV executives have acknowledged being at the ready to scoop up First Lady Michelle Obama, seen here with Jay Leno, should she not return to the White House after Tuesday

Compared to Oprah Winfrey, the queen of chat show hosts, TV executives believe the First Lady would be a natural to become a talk show host.

Is she courting the gang member vote? Liza Ryan strikes an unusual pose during a campaign stop for her father

While her parents pose in the background, Liza Ryan struck an unusual stance

The 10-year-old jokester daughter of vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is becoming somewhat of a shining star on the campaign trail, as she happily poses for photos for the traveling press.

With friends like these will it be Signed, Sealed, Delivered? Obama relies on his showbiz pals to help push him over the line

Obama

Eva Longoria, Stevie Wonder, and Bill Clinton all made appearances on the campaign trial for President Obama on Sunday. As the presidential race comes to a close, Obama and his surrogates have spent the weekend flying across the country before he spends his final day of campaigning on Monday in Wisconsin, Ohio and Iowa.

New York may extend voting for an extra day due to Hurricane Sandy as New Jersey residents told they can cast ballot via email

Homestretch

The New York state Board of Elections is preparing for the worst as they are releasing information about possible back-up scenarios for voting in the presidential election.

Florida governor refuses to extend early voting as residents are forced to wait NINE HOURS to cast their ballots

Voting irregularities are popping up in key swing states where people have already begun casting their ballots

Florida is also suffering from a bottleneck of voters ahead of Election Day, with some waiting up to nine hours to cast their ballots.

Top Republican blames Sandy for Mitt's 'lagging momentum' as Clinton praises Obama's handling of the storm

Concession: Top Republican operative Haley Barbour declared Sunday that Superstorm Sandy has blunted Mitt Romney's momentum

Haley Barbour declared Sunday that Superstorm Sandy has blunted Mitt Romney's momentum, while former President Bill Clinton took to the campaign trail using the storm as a rallying cry for another Obama term.

Christie defends his constant praise of Obama over Hurricane Sandy... but says he's still voting for Romney

In the immediate aftermath of Sandy, Chris Christie brushed aside discussions of the presidential election

'I'm a Republican and I have endorsed Mitt Romney, I support him and I intend to vote for him on Tuesday,' said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie after a week of praising President Obama.

The kindness of strangers: Heart-warming photos show how East Coasters rocked by Sandy came together in their time of need

East Coast

From the Mayor of Newark inviting constituents into his home to charge their phones and watch DVDs to an East Village doctor offering free treatments and kids selling cookies to raise money for the relief effort, the stories encapsulate how people were helping each other during the Superstorm and its aftermath.

Here we go again! Up to 40,000 New Yorkers could be forced to evacuate as nor'easter storm brings freezing temperatures, rain and wind to devastated East Coast

What to expect: A storm threat index from the Weather Channel for the US

Almost 2million people still have no power as cold weather sets in, a week after Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on the East Coast, killing at least 113 in the US.

New York subways set to return to almost full service TODAY as new pictures reveal the scale of the task in clearing out tunnels

water

New pictures released by the MTA show special trains removing inches of water from the Cranberry Street Tunnel in Brooklyn and the 53rd St Tunnel in Manhattan in the days following Sandy.

Gas shortage in New York will go on for 'a number of days' as rationing continues in New Jersey

A man known as Travis is arrested by NYPD in Crown Heights, Brooklyn following an altercation collecting free FEMA fuel as tensions rise in New York City

With fuel shortages gripping parts of New York tempers have flared over as desperate drivers try to fill their tanks to get about the city.

New York crime rate falls by a THIRD during Superstorm Sandy despite 15 arrests for looting

Tense: A sign warning looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy at Mantoloking Road going into Bay Head, New Jersey on Sunday

Between Monday - when the storm hit, killing 41 people in New York City - and Friday, the murder rate dropped by 86 percent and rapes fell 44 per cent.

Dreamliner's first flight touches down at Chicago O'Hare after three years of delays

Dreamline

United is the first U.S. airline to get Boeing's newest plane, which received a ceremonial wash when it landed (pictured). United CEO Jeff Smisek was on Sunday's flight from Houston to Chicago and called the 787 the 'world's leading airplane'. The landing was greeted by cheers from passengers, including some aviation enthusiasts who said they wanted to be part of a historic event.

'It wasn't my husband': Wife of U.S. soldier accused of senselessly slaughtering 16 Afghan villagers including NINE CHILDREN speaks out on eve of military court hearing

Innocent: Kari Bales told ABC News: 'My husband did not do this. I truly believe from the bottom of my heart that my husband is not involved'

Army Staff Sgt. and father-of-two Robert Bales, 39, allegedly used an M-4 rifle with a grenade launcher to murder more than a dozen innocent civilians in March.

'He's a despicable human': America's most wanted deadbeat dad arrested owing $1.6m in child support after he left wife and three kids homeless to live in lap of luxury overseas

Heartless: Dr Raihan Chowdhury, pictured, was arrested after six years on the run when his plane landed in Virginia last month

Raiham Chowdhury, 51, a wealthy doctor from Brooklyn, ditched his wife and kids and fled to Bangladesh in 2006, leaving them homeless.

Russian mobster brags how he made $1MILLION by using young Eastern European women to scam drunk men in Miami bars

An admitted Russian mobster is the star witness in the feds? ?Bar Girl,? trial, describing how young women bamboozled drunk men in South Beach.

Speaking from a Miami prison cell, Alec Simchuk, right, has admitted his operation of flying women from Russia and the Baltic States into the U.S. to seductively bait and manipulate men at his private South Beach clubs. Sent to seduce men from their expensive hotels to one of his private locations, he said the women, pictured, lured their victims into extravagant bar tabs that pulled in $400,000 to $1 million in profits.

Sit up, and cheer up! Slouching may be making you sad, study shows

Findings: People who walk with a slouched body posture are more likely to feel depressed, new research has found

A study from San Francisco State University found that a slouched or despondent body posture can lead to decreased energy and feelings of depression.

If you are a perfectionist - blame your parents: Aiming to be the best is determined by your genes

Gwyneth Paltrow in May 2012

Pursuing perfection runs in the family, one example being self-confessed perfectionist Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) whose mother is successful actress Blythe Danner.

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Woman who kept sick abuse diary arrested after 'torturing boyfriend's dog and forcing it to drink BLEACH before slitting its throat'

DogMurder_PR002.jpg

Held on felony mistreatment of animals Sean Janas, of Wausau, Wisconsin, allegedly wrote about how pleased she was to carry out the horrific mistreatment of the pet dog named Mary.

As 60 years goes by... it's Casablanca 2: Producer looks for backers to make sequel to 1942 classic

Play it again: There are plans to make a follow up to the famous 1942 Humphrey Bogart film Casablanca

A sequel to the popular film Casablanca could be about to be made 60 years after the classic film was released. One of the film's original writers, Howard Koch suggested the idea.

End of an era: World's first nuclear aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise completes final voyage after 50 years at sea

Enterprise

The world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ended its remarkable career at sea on Sunday when it pulled into its home port for the final time after participating in every major conflict since the Cuban Missile Crisis of
1962.

How Apple paid a tax bill of just 1.9% on its overseas profits by using complex avoidance schemes

Working the system: Apple have used offshore schemes to end up paying less than 2 per cent on its overseas profits last year

Out of $36.8 billion in foreign earnings the world's most valuable company paid just $713 million in tax in their latest fiscal year, according to the financial statement filed on Oct. 31.

'Remember, remember the fifth of November': NBC and Lady Gaga websites hacked with cryptic 'Anonymous' messages about 17th century UK gunpowder plot

Guy Fawkes

For several hours, websites promoting NBC shows such as Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon displayed messages such as 'Remember, remember the fifth of November - the gunpowder treason and plot.'

French female justice minister 'had EIGHT boyfriends when she had love child'

asdf

Revelations about Rachida Dati's busy love life have emerged in a row about the paternity of the 47-year-old's daughter. Multi-millionaire businessman Dominique Desseigne is refusing to take a DNA test.

Obama is popular across the globe: Poll finds non-Americans want President to win election

Head to head: President Barack Obama, left, is more popular around the globe than US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, right, according to a new survey

Research, conducted across 36 countries outside the US, revealed 81 per cent were in favour of Obama, pictured, spending another four years in office.

Agony for New York wife as British lawmaker who had 20-year affair with and then married her rock and roll husband quits UK parliament and pitches up in her backyard

Accusations: It has been claimed that Peter and Louise Mensch were long embroiled in an adulterous affair before they got married

Ex-wife Melissa's family have voiced suspicions the New York-based couple (pictured) had an affair when they were both married – Peter to Melissa, and Louise to businessman Anthony LoCicero.

Stripper BLINDS man with stiletto during dressing room brawl between 17 women

Violence: Victoria Perez, 21, admitted to police she 'may have' thrown the stiletto at the club in Austin, Texas

Victoria Perez was arrested after allegedly throwing the spiked heel during a brawl involving 17 women in Hot Bodies strip club in Austin, Texas. The victim was found clutching his eye in agony when police arrived.

A peek inside one's wardrobe: From see-through umbrellas to sleeves that won't dip in the soup, the Queen's dresser reveals Her Majesty's style secrets

queen's dresser

Top secret dresses for meetings with 'James Bond', no hats after 6pm and colour coordinated umbrellas are just some of the Queen's wardrobe wonders. Angela Kelly has been the Queen's personal dresser since 1994 and reveals how the bead-count on an evening gown take on incredible significance, at events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the opening of the Olympic Games.

'Transparent' car which projects outside world on interior is developed to help drivers with parking

James Bond drives the car which can be made invisible in Die Another Day

The car, developed in Japan, would be akin to the invisible Aston Martin Vanquish (pictured) that James Bond drives across a frozen lake in a high-speed car race.

How America's once unrivaled air force is now filled with 'geriatric and decrepit' planes from the '60s and 70's after decades without upgrades

KC-135: Ground crew members work on a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker at Kadena Air Base on Japan's southwestern island of Okinawa

The U.S. Air Force has grown accustomed to such superlatives as unrivaled and unbeatable but these days its key combat aircraft are more likely being described as geriatric or decrepit.

Syria's fragmented rebels begin talks in bid to forge united front against Assad

Time to talk: Secretary general of the Syrian Democratic Movement Muheddin Ladhikani (centre) ahead of the General Assembly of the Syrian National Council meeting in Doha

Talks have opened in Doha between Syria's splintered opposition faction over creating a united front to the President Assad government.

Thousands of swastika-wearing Russian nationalists march through Moscow in protest against immigration

On the march: A man at the head of a group of Russian nationalists pictured here as he gestures in front of others carrying a large banner during a protest demanding the Kremlin take a harsher stance on migrants in Russia

Thousands of nationalists marched through Moscow on Sunday chanting slogans such as 'Russia for the Russians' to protest President Vladimir Putin's government.

They're not dangerous, you know: Amazing moment divers get up close and personal with a grinning Great White shark

shark

Pictures show Daniel Botelho admiring the mouth of an 18-foot-long female JAWS off the coast of Mexico; the she-beast's razor-sharp teeth showing the all-too-familiar shark's grin. The award-winning nature photographer insisted that while great white sharks are top-predators they very rarely regard humans as food. He explained the key to safely diving with this notorious shark was to remain relaxed, keep eye-contact with the shark and hold one's ground no matter how close the shark swims to the diver.

The secret of perfect pins: Scientists discover that curves and length are most desirable in a pair of women's legs (which is what any guy could have told them!)

Perfect pins: Kate Moss, the Duchess of Cambridge and Miranda Kerr

Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and the Duchess of Cambridge all have legs that fit the formula behind what are considered beautiful legs. Even Barbie Dolls and ancient Greek sculptures possess the secret ingredients.

No Doubt pull Wild West themed music video featuring Gwen Stefani as a Native American over racism claims

Transformation: No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani sports a native American style dress and a feather headdress for No Doubt's new music video Looking Hot

The video for their latest song Looking Hot has been taken offline after complaints from fans and the Native American community.

Two police officers killed in tragic helicopter crash while searching for missing nine-year-old boy... who was later found unharmed

Crash: Atlanta Police officers gather at the scene of a fatal police helicopter crash which killed two Atlanta Police officers on Saturday night

Both men died on impact at around 10.30 last night after the chopper plunged to the ground over a busy northwest Atlanta neighbourhood.

The British are coming! Over the centuries, they've invaded a staggering 90% of the world's nations

A new study has found the Empire's global reach was underestimated and that almost 90 per cent of the world's countries have been invaded by Britain

A new study has found that the Empire's global reach has been underestimated with just 22 of almost 200 countries never experiencing a British invasion.

The professional CUDDLER who makes $260 a day by inviting strangers to take a nap with her at home

cuddler

Jackie Samuel, 29, is a professional cuddler and makes up to $260 a day from her business called 'The Snuggery' in Rochester, New York. She cuddles with up to 30 men a week - including pensioners and war veterans. The cuddling can take place anywhere around her cottage but most clients opt to use her large double bed.

Navy ship commander gets the axe for poor leadership skills after 'rowdy, booze-fueled port visit'

navy

Cmdr. Joseph E. Darlak, skipper of the USS Vandegrift, was removed on Friday after an investigation into his involvement in a booze-fueled stop in Vladivostok, Russia this September.

'I believe that Obama murdered my son': Mother of US diplomat lashes out at President over fatal consulate attack

The men were killed in the September 11 assault on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi

Sean Smith was killed along with ambassador Chris Stevens and security men and former U.S. Navy SEALS Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods by terrorists in Libya (pictured).

Foster mother accused of murdering Rilya Wilson, 4, to be tried 12 years after girl's disappearance

She became a symbol of children who slipped through the cracks of the social safety net and led to major reforms at the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The trial of Geralyn Graham, 66, begins on Monday in Miami, Florida, but Rilya's body has never been found and there is little physical evidence.

Manhattan 'killer' nanny charged with murdering children, 2 and 6, in the bathtub

Nanny Yoselyn Ortega, pictured with Lucia Krim (right) and surviving daughter Nessie, 3 (obscured).

While recovering in hospital from her self-inflicted stab wounds New York City police said they charged 50-year-old Yoselyn Ortega with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder on Saturday.

The Kennedys' sense of entitlement was so great they expected everything for free, says designer who worked on $4 million eco-home

Kennedy

Mary Richardson Kennedy, the late wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanded contractors provide their services for free or massively discounted, says designer Robin Wilson who worked on renovating their $4 million eco-home. During the remodeling of the seven-bedroom mansion, the Kennedys amassed more than $1.3 million in free products.

From Jack to Jackie: How this girl became the youngest in the world to have sex change operation at just age 16

Jackie Green, 19, nine and six

Jackie Green, 19, is an aspiring model, a Miss England finalist and loves her job in an exclusive shop on London's Bond Street. And she was born a boy.

Outrage at transgender woman who used women's locker room and 'exposed himself to little girls'

Exposed: Colleen Francis, who identifies herself as a woman but with male genitalia, has outraged some parents who say their children have seen her expose herself in a school's locker room

Colleen Francis, a 45-year-old student at Washington's Evergreen College who identifies as a woman but with male genitalia, says she has a right to use the facilities and the school agrees.

Have Apple written code that deliberately hides their online tablet 'apology' to Samsung?

Apple have been accused of resorting to technological trickery in an effort to obscure their 'apology' to Samsung after losing the latest round of their ongoing tablet legal battle.

Apple have been accused of resorting to technological trickery in an effort to obscure their 'apology' to Samsung after losing the latest round of their ongoing tablet legal battle.

Pentagon becomes the latest government office to drop Blackberry as the fading tech company prays a 2013 revamp can save it

Blackberry is betting everything on a revamp next year to win back millions of customers who have abandoned the device

The move comes just days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it had bought $2.1 million worth of iPhones as Blackberry’s current platform just isn’t on the cutting edge anymore.

Too much, too young? Parents of sisters who are endurance-running stars at age 10 and 12, insist they're not risking their health

Rodney Welsch

Kaytlynn, right, and Heather Welsch, top left, aren't just competing in tough races, but often win against athletes typically 20 years older. Medical opinion is divided over whether or not the girls are doing permanent damage to their still developing bodies, but father and coach Rodney Welsch insists he has their best interests at heart.

'She is quite a phenomenon': Joe Biden admits to 'catching snippets' of Honey Boo Boo on Air Force Two

Beauty queen: Alana Thompson aka Honey Boo Boo, pictured left and right, became a TV sensation after starring in 'Toddlers and Tiaras'

Quizzed about his pop culture habits, the gaffe-prone Vice President revealed his favourite TV shows were 'Modern Family' and 'Parks and Recreation' in an interview with a Miami Radio station on Friday.

Bristol Palin wins legal battle over bar heckler as judge rules her reality show is protected by First Amendment

Reality star: Bristol Palin, pictured in Los Angeles on October 2, has her own Lifetime network series

Bristol Palin has won her legal fight with a man accused of heckling her on her reality show Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp.

Runner follows through on finish line proposal for girlfriend... even though the New York City Marathon didn't happen

Marathon

While Hannah Vahaba of Atlanta, Georgia, was training for the 26.2-mile New York City Marathon, her boyfriend Martin O'Donoghue was getting set for a major leap of his own - asking for her hand in marriage - and even though the race didn't happen, he followed through on the proposal.

Three arrested in brutal murder of former Yankees pitcher 'over his $2,400 Major League pension'

Killed: Pascual Perez died at his home in the Dominican Republic in a robbery

Police in the Dominican Republic say one man has confessed that he and four others planned to steal Pascual Perez’s monthly pension after his 11-year season in the Major Leagues.

Woman convicted in murder of 94-year-old walks free after eight years as detective admits fingerprint WASN'T hers

Waiting for the day: It was a single fingerprint prosecutors claimed to link Ms Canen to the 2002 slaying of Helen Sailor which she has maintained her innocence in

After eight years Lana Canen, 53, was released on Friday from Indiana's Elkhart County Jail after a judge overturned her 2005 murder conviction in the slaying of Helen Sailor and ordered her free.

The Pope picked by a blindfolded boy who pulled a name from a glass bowl: Egypt's Coptic Church elects new leader

asdf

Bishop Tawadros was named the 118th Pope in an 'altar lottery' during Sunday morning mass when a blindfolded boy chosen from the congregation picked one of three names out of a glass chalice at the altar.

Twelve Taliban fighters hand in their weapons and surrender to Afghan government as part of latest amnesty bid

Amnesty

Those who renounced all ties in Herat today did so to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO leaders who launched the well-funded Taliban amnesty program in the past few months.

New search launched for missing mother who vanished after People's Court appearance

Michelle Parker

Dozens of people scoured a Florida lake in a new search for Michelle Parker, a mother-of-three who has been missing for nearly a year. Ms Parker, 33, of Orlando, Florida, was last seen on November 17 dropping her three-year-old twins off at her ex-fiancé Dale Smith's home, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship.

Incoming New York Times CEO Mark Thompson to be grilled over growing BBC paedophile presenter scandal

The incoming New York Times C.E.O Mark Thompson will be grilled within days about his knowledge of the pedophilia scandal engulfing the BBC - the organisation which he was head of for eight years.

The incoming New York Times C.E.O Mark Thompson will be grilled within days about his knowledge of the pedophilia scandal engulfing the BBC - the organisation which he was head of for eight years.

The terrifying moment a homeowner is held in chokehold after CCTV footage captures him open his door to violent attackers

The man is dragged into his home by one of the attackers

The video, which was recorded by the Tucson, Arizona, homeowner’s surveillance camera, shows him answer his door to two men who start to attack him.

Jeweller makes $19m replica of the Taj Mahal, standing at just 3ft but contains 925lbs of precious metals

Lavish: The replica of the Taj Mahal, which is being built in Bhopal, India, features 420kg of precious metals and eight diamonds

The lavish miniature Taj Mahal, currently under construction in Bhopal, India, will feature 20kg of gold, 400kg of silver, and eight diamonds.

'I eat it for meat... it's just a different animal': Outrage as diver, 20, drags LIVE octopus from ocean and takes it home for dinner

Admired by marine experts for their agile intelligence and ability to change colour to match their surroundings, the giant Pacific octopus is not protected but is not usually hunted for food.

A rising tide of outrage is forming after pictures emerged of 20-year-old diver, Dylan Mayer (pictured) who dragged a giant Pacific octopus from its watery home and then killed and ate it for his friends art project.

'He'd never been so glad to see anybody': Video captures the heroic rescue of hiker trapped by Hurricane Sandy for three days in the snowy mountains

A North Carolina man

When Steve Ainsworth set out for what was to be the last leg of a planned 2,000-mile journey across the Appalachian trail, he had no way to know he'd soon find himself trapped in the mountains in chest-high snow. Ainsworth, 65, found himself in the middle of record snowfall Wednesday as remnants of Hurricane Sandy came inland.

   

DON'T MISS

How Bob the busking cat is heading to Hollywood: Enchanting story of stray feline who saved a man's life is set to be a movie

Bob the busking cat

James Bowen and Bob the cat (pictured together left) first met in the stairwell of Mr Bowen's block of council flats in Tottenham, north London. The cat started following him to Covent Garden where he makes money busking and before long Mr Bowen had tripled his money. Now his book (pictured right with Bob) has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide.

Heaven's gates: Stunning 180 degree pictures capture architecture of New York's most magnificent churches to make the soul soar

****LINK BACK*****\nhttp://www.richardsilverphoto.com/\n\nsee his flickr account for church names and locations:\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/rjsnyc/sets/7215763097010674

New York City based photographer Richard Silver captured the majestic architecture of churches across Manhattan in 180 panoramic shots that give viewers a sense of the top to bottom design of these houses of worship.

Polish coffin firm provokes fury with its topless calendar which is just a marketing ploy

Upsetting the church: Lindner's coffin calendar featuring scantily clad women has angered the Polish Catholic church

Polish coffin company Lindner has angered the Catholic church after producing a calendar of topless women posing next to their caskets.

Thinking his way to the top: Amputee uses thought-controlled bionic leg to climb 103 flights of stairs to top of skyscraper

Zac Vawter a 31-year-old amputee, walks up the stairs of the Willis Tower in Chicago to become the first person to climb the 103 floors of one of the world's tallest skyscrapers with a bionic leg.

By simply thinking 'climb stairs' - Zac Vawter (pictured) made his way up 103 flights of stairs to the top of Willis Tower in Chicago on the revolutionary prosthetic leg. The robotic leg responds to electrical impulses from muscles in his hamstring, with his thoughts triggering motors, belts and chains to synchronise the movements of the prosthetic ankle and knee.

I do, I do, I do... FORTY-SEVEN Indian brides and grooms get married in mass wedding

mass marriage

The 47 Indian Muslim brides all wore traditional peach saris with a covering veil as they sat waiting for the ceremony in Ahmedabad to begin. They sat excitingly chatting next to each other as religious helpers put their fingerprints on wedding documents while the grooms watched nearby.

'It popped up and came right at me!' Former wrestler describes the terrifying moment a 'dead' 400lb bear jumped on him - before he put it in a HEADLOCK so friend could shoot it

Dangerous game: Standing just 10-feet from a 400lb black bear, Nathan Shinn, seen left holding the killed animal, and Alex Machado, right, found themselves in a fight for their lives

Approaching its body from just 10 feet away in the woods of Southern Oregon on Thursday, Alex Machado frighteningly realized that the bear's body, pictured, didn't appear so limp anymore. GRAPHIC IMAGES

Tortured to death by Putin's jackboot state: Inside the rat-infested Gestapo-like Russian prison where eight guards beat lawyer who exposed Moscow's gangster regime

Squalid: A look inside a cell at the rat-infested, over-crowded and disease-ridden Butyrka jail in Moscow where Mr Magnitsky was held

Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was imprisoned after exposing a corruption scandal within the Russian government. He was beaten to death by his guards.

Tearful family watch in horror as bulldozers smash their home to make way for Russian Olympic Village sewage pipes

Tatyana Samokhval and her mother Valentina Khlystova embrace as their home is destroyed by bulldozers as they clear land for sewerage pipes for the Olympic village

Tatyana Samokhval (left) and her mother Valentina Khlystova (right) watch on helplessly as bulldozers demolish their house in Sochi, Russia.

Mysterious patterns found in Chinese desert 'are result of geological surveys for nickel mines'

A message to aliens? One of the grids discovered via Google Earth in the Gobi desert last year, which launched a wave of fearful speculation as to their purpose

Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, the researcher who discovered the bizarre patterns, says they are evidence of a comprehensive geological survey, including the widespread digging of trenches and boreholes to map the extent of the ore. The amateur archeologist made the discovery of an 8km long line of squares in the desert just south of the town of Ruoqiang using Google Earth satellite images. If she is right, this part of China seems set to become an important centre for mining.

   

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