American mother gunned down in Mali massacre: Aid worker is named as first victim after terrorists slaughtered 27 at hotel favored by Westerners leaving bodies piled up in gore-spattered corridors

American Anita Datar killed in Mali hotel massacre

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. A mother-of-one aid worker has been identified as the American civilian gunned down in the Mali massacre on Friday. Anita Datar, 41, (left) had been working in Bamako, Mali's capital, as a U.S. envoy for international development firm Palladium when Islamist militants stormed her hotel on Friday morning and took 170 people hostage for seven hours. Normally based in Washington, D.C., the New Jersey native who specialized in public health is survived by her elementary school-aged son, Rohan. It is thought as many as ten militants went through every room of the luxury Radisson Blue hotel taking hostages. One hostage who escaped said the militants were speaking to each other in English. Another said the gunmen let 20 hostages go after they proved they could recite verses of the Koran. Eventually, US Special Forces stormed the hotel and began clearing the building one floor at a time. Around 12 American nationals have been accounted for, including five servicemen. The al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Mourabitoun, based in northern Mali, have claimed responsibility for the hotel attack, and officials say notorious Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar (inset) was 'likely behind' the massacre.

EXCLUSIVE - The extreme lengths five young Syrian men went to in bid to enter the US amid ISIS fears: Greek passports forged in Brazil, hopping from country to country and not checking luggage to avoid scrutiny

Extraordinary lengths five young Syrian men went to in bid to enter US amid ISIS fears:

Five Syrian men (pictured sat in a police vehicle) who caused international alarm when they were stopped in Central America on their way to the United States were only caught because their flight was delayed. It was so late they missed their connecting flight to the northern Honduras city of San Pedro Sula, just 20 miles from the border. From there they planned to cross into Guatemala and travel by land through Mexico to the United States. The men are now not considered terrorists, Honduran officials said, and fled Syria to escape ISIS. They could be sent back to Syria, given refugee status in Honduras or sent to Brazil, where they obtained fake Greek passports (inset, top right). The men had avoided detection by hopping from country to country with just hand luggage (police pictured with luggage, inset bottom right), meaning they were rarely checked thoroughly.

Chris Christie in mystery security scare: His plane returns to the gate, passengers are searched and one man is taken off the flight after 'threatening' the New Jersey governor

Chris Christie was on a plane that was delayed more than four hours on Friday, after a passenger was taken off the plane. Christie pictured waiting in a food court during the delay

The Republican presidential candidate was apparently 'threatened' on board a flight from Boston to San Francisco by a man who was travelling in first class.

'We shouldn't be scared - we are still going out': Defiant Parisians pack the streets of the French capital to honour of those killed exactly one week ago

Some lit candles and sang and some danced in the streets. Others held hands in silent at the Place de la Republique, which has become a central commemoration site for the victims.

Fingerprints now reveal that TWO of the Paris suicide bombers had entered Europe through Greece a month before the attacks 

The France v Germany friendly international football match was abandoned after three jihadists blew themselves up outside the ground, as part of a number of attacks in Paris.

Pro-refugee protests are staged across the nation amid outrage at Trump for agreeing with 'Nazi-like' plan to make US Muslims register

Protests across the nation after Donald Trump's 'Nazi plan' to keep a register of Muslims

Protesters (right) have rallied across the nation in support of refugees after Donald Trump (left) said he would force Muslims to register and carry ID cards stating their religion. Demonstrators in Washington and Vermont called for Trump and other Republican presidential candidates to relax their stance towards refugees. Trump was branded 'abhorrent' after he said on Thursday that he supported registering Muslims, with comparisons made between his plan and the way Jews were treated in Nazi Germany. Meanwhile Ben Carson was also accused of creating a 'toxic environment' for Muslims after he compared Syrian refugees to 'rabid dogs'.

UN Security Council approves 'all necessary measures' to fight the 'global and unprecedented threat' of ISIS in wake of Paris attacks

World leaders unanimously agreed to the resolution, which states that the barbaric group 'constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security'.

'Cowgirl' cousin did NOT blow herself up... but died when third ISIS terrorist detonated suicide vest standing next to her in Paris siege apartment, police reveal 

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Witnesses told of how Hasna Ait Boulahcen (pictured) yelled 'help me, help me' and 'he's not my boyfriend' moments before the explosion that killed her in Saint Denis, Paris, on Wednesday.

Shadow of a bloody past: For centuries, Islam and Christianity were locked in a brutal conflict most have forgotten. The horror, a top historian argues, is that for jihadis it's as real today as it was in the Middle Ages

Historian Tom Holland tackles ISIS and the Middle Ages

The grievances of the Islamic terrorists who have brought carnage and bloodshed to the streets of Paris twice this year reach far back into history, writes TOM HOLLAND. In their minds, it is not simply wanton violence, but the continuation of a struggle which has raged for more than a millennium. That is what Osama bin Laden was talking about when he warned the Muslim world back in 1996 'that the people of Islam have always suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusader alliance'. Today, ISIS (inset) nurtures its resentments in a similarly poisonous manner. Main: The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks saw the most famous of Christian capitals transformed into a bastion of Islam.

Jihadi suspect arrested in Sweden after crossing Arctic Circle on a BICYCLE to sneak into Europe via the backdoor 

Mutar Muthanna Majid, 25, was arrested at a refugee hostel in Boliden, Sweden. He had cycled from Russia. A loophole allows cyclists to be waved straight across the Norwegian border.

Thousands of Canadians line the streets to pay tribute to ex-soldier who joined Kurdish militia and died fighting ISIS

During the repatriation, a roadside memorial was held for John Robert Gallagher, 32, a former Canadian soldier who died while fighting against the Islamic State earlier this month

Panic at flagship Manhattan Apple Store as man terrorizes customers with a Samurai sword

Man brandishes Samurai sword in Apple's flagship Manhattan store

The man was subdued by two off-duty cops after entering the busy Fifth Avenue Apple Store at 3.55 pm Friday brandishing a samurai sword, terrifying the hundreds inside. Customers fled back into the store as the suspect made his way down the glass-encased spiral staircase - the only street entrance into the subterranean complex - waving the sword (main). Security were able to stop the man before he was restrained. There were no injuries and police say it was not a terror-related incident. The incident occurred as New York remained on high alert after the Paris terror attacks and ahead of the holiday season that formally kicks off with the Thanksgiving parade next Thursday.

'The Islamist threat in this country is inside our gates': Kansas commissioner gives a slideshow presentation of criminals named Mohammed in 'warning' to citizens 

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At a government meeting, Sedgewick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn admitted that what he was about to say was 'politically correct' and that it would make some people uncomfortable.

'Christmas is a charade': Pope says atrocities such as Paris massacre have made festivities meaningless in a world which has chosen 'war and hate'

'There are wars today everywhere, and hate,' the pontiff said after the worst terror attack in French history, the bombing of a Russian plane over Egypt and a double suicide bombing in Lebanon.

'We didn't know how close we were to being killed': Revealed, the friends who survived Paris massacre because jihadi's AK-47 ran out of bullets in Mail's incredible video

Friends who only survived Paris massacre because jihadi ran out of bullets tell of escape 

Sophia Bejali (pictured left, left), 40, and Barbara Serpentini (pictured left, right), 18, were drinking at La Casa Nostra when a jihadi gunman sprayed the cafe with a hail of bullets (right, from CCTV). He pointed his gun at their heads, but it didn't fire as it had run out of bullets. The women revealed that they had no idea how close they came to being two more among the 130 victims of the massacre that night. After being shown CCTV footage of the incident, the women described their terror and relief after they managed to get away.

CCTV shows massacre mastermind jump barriers and use Metro without a ticket as terror reigned across Paris

CCTV footage showed Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, who was killed in a special forces raid in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis on Wednesday, jumping the barrier at Croix de Chavaux station.

Newlywed couple let seven frightened strangers fleeing from the Paris terror attacks join them in their honeymoon suite for the night 

Courtney, 20, and Callum Hartley, 22, let the desperate teenagers sleep on their hotel room floor on the night 130 people were brutally killed in Paris as the hotel was in lock down.

The puppy who will grow up to be France's next Diesel: Little Dobrynia is donated by Russia as a sign of solidarity to replace hero canine killed by suicide jihadi

The little puppy, called Dobrynia, has been sent to Paris on Putin's orders as a show of solidarity with the French after the Diesel, a seven-year-old Belgian shepherd, was killed during Wednesday's raid.

Mark Zuckerberg will take two months of paternity leave - six weeks MORE time off than Marissa Mayer took after birth and two months less than he offers his employees

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg to take two months of paternity leave

Facebook allows up to four months of maternity or paternity leave. Zuckerberg said Friday he will take two months, in what is being seen as encouragement for employees to use their parent benefits. It is stark contrast to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who is expecting twins around the same time as Zuckerberg's child, but has said she will take a 'limited' maternity leave of about two weeks. Comparatively, Google gives 18 weeks maternity leave and 12 weeks paternity, Microsoft gives 12 weeks, and Netflix allows for one year maternity leave.

How not to look stupid: Psychologists reveal the three types of foolish behaviour

Scientists at the University of Budapest found that by far the worst type of stupidity is 'confident arrogance.' This is when what someone overestimates their natural abilities.

Air Force forced to write off brand new $115million gunship after pilot accidentally flew it UPSIDE DOWN during a test mission

The AC-130J Ghostrider will provide close air support, special operations armed airborne reconnaissance, and ordnance delivery to precise targets in support of ground forces.

How can you destroy a $115 million airplane without crashing it?

Fly it upside down.

That's exactly what happened to one of the Air Force's newest gunships, the AC-130J Ghostrider, this year, according to a report from Air Force Materiel Command released this month.

The Air Force was testing a new AC-130J Hercules gunship above the Gulf of Mexico in April this year when the pilot lost control during a maneuver, causing it to turn upside down, a new report says.

The restaurant that gives lonely people a free meal on Thanksgiving

For 69-year-old owner George Dimopoulos of George's Senate Coney Island, he sees the kind gesture as 'normal' - a tradition he has been doing every year for the last ten years.

'I had blood on my clothes because I brushed against a fence': Married father-of-five accused of raping and murdering girl at football game claims he is innocent

Timothy Madden arrested for raping and murdering Gabriella Doolin insists he's innocent

The married father of five arrested over the death of seven-year-old Gabriella Doolin claims evidence police found connecting him to the murder is not what it seems. Timothy Madden, 38, was detained on Friday after three or four interviews with police, during which they allegedly found blood on his clothes. However, in his first interview since his arrest, Madden told WDRB the blood brushed onto him when he walked past a fence. He later said the blood came from brushing past a trash can.

Trump says Hillary is a criminal 'walking on eggs' trying not to offend Obama with tough terror talk: 'If she angers the president she's going to get indicted'

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Spartanburg, South Carolina, November 20, 2015. REUTERS/Rainier Ehrhardt

The billionaire Republican said 'she has to be extremely nice' to the president if she doesn't want him to unleash the criminal justice system on her for her classified email transgressions.

Immigration and animal rights protesters crash Christian GOP candidate forum in Iowa chanting: 'I don't care about the law!'

DES MOINES, IA - NOVEMBER 20: Immigrant rights protestors raise a banner after jumping a security barricade at the Presidential Family forum as Republican presidential candidates (L to R) Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Carson, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Rand Paul (R_KY), Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, and Carly Fiorina and moderator Frank Luntz watch on November 20, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. Attendance at the event was lower than organizers had hoped as an early-winter snowstorm moved through the area dumping several inches of snow on the city.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Asked when she would protest against Democrats, an immigration activist said: 'We haven't figured that out yet.' An animal rights believer shouted 'Fish is not food! It's violence!' before being ejected.

Carson's collapse continues leaving Trump alone at the top of the GOP field - and Sanders is still 16 points behind Clinton

Before Carson's inspiring tales of a violent youth and divine intervention were called into question, the retired neurosurgeon was tied for first with Trump.

'Hoping Mr Stork delivers our bundle soon!' Lauren Bush posts adorable Dumbo clip on Instagram as she awaits the imminent arrival of her first child

Lauren Bush Lauren posts Dumbo clip on Instagram as she awaits arrival of her first child

Her first child is due any day now. And Lauren Bush Lauren cannot contain her excitement. Taking to Instagram on Friday, the model - and granddaughter of former president George H W Bush - shared a beloved clip of the stalks in Disney movie Dumbo as they carry newborn babies to their expectant families. 'Hoping Mr. Stork delivers our bundle soon!' Bush wrote. 

Delta says it will 'consider' an eight-year-old boy's plan to locate crashed planes after he sketched out the idea and sent it to executives

Aircraft enthusiast Benjamin Jensen is the song of two Air Force veterans, and now the Utah boy's idea for a new method of plane safety may be put into action by Delta Airlines.

Funeral home director arrested after three bodies found were found in her hot garage decomposing so badly that they had maggots and one was 'liquefying'

This undated photo provided by Philadelphia Police Department shows Janet Powell-Dailey. The Philadelphia Police Department says Powell-Dailey, who ran Powell Funeral Home, was taken into custody Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 and charged with abuse of a corpse months after three decomposing bodies were found in a garage. (Philadelphia Police Department via AP)

Janet Powell-Dailey, 72, was taken into custody by Philadelphia police Thursday three months after a neighbor stumbled upon bodies while investigating a strong odor.

Is this bizarre 'winged object' flying past the sun a UFO? Mysterious shape is spotted in images released by NASA

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According to outer space conspiracy theorists, the object is flying too close to the sun to be human technology, and they have therefore concluded that it is an alien spaceship.

Virtual reality is here: Samsung's $99 Gear VR launches (but you might need a new phone to use it)

This photo provided by Samsung shows Samsung Gear VR headset. There are the promises of virtual reality in the form of headsets that drop you into another world and offer 360-degree views that shift as you turn your head. Samsung¿s Gear VR headset comes out Friday, Nov. 20, 2015,  while Sony, HTC and Facebook¿s Oculus business have other sets planned in the coming months. (Samsung via AP)

Samsung has made history of a sort by launching the first major consumer-oriented virtual-reality headset. And its Gear VR headset is pretty impressive as first-generation devices go.

Deranged woman 'stabs pregnant neighbor to death, cuts baby out of the victim's womb and attempts to pass the child off as her own' - but the newborn SURVIVES

Bronx woman 'slits pregnant mother's throat and cuts baby out of her womb'

Ashley Wade, 22, allegedly slit Angelikque Sutton's (inset right) throat and performed a makeshift Cesarean section on the heavily pregnant woman at Wade's apartment in the Bronx, New York (cordon outside crime scene pictured). Wade is then said to have ripped the baby girl from her dead or dying mother's stomach and was found cradling the newborn child - who survived - by her boyfriend. It is believed that the mentally disturbed woman was trying to snatch Ms Sutton's baby because she had been telling neighbors she was pregnant. Ms Sutton, 22, died but her baby survived.

Drinking a few cups of coffee a day can stop you regaining weight after going on a diet, study finds 

Two to four cups of coffee a day can help dieters keep flab at bay after shedding unwanted fat, thanks to its high caffeine content, according to researchers in Hannover, Germany.

Six men with links to Italian Mafia boss are arrested in home town of Don Corleone over alleged plot to kill a government minister 

Police have arrested six members of Sicily's Cosa Nostra mafia, including its boss Giuseppe Lo Bue (in picture) as they foiled a plot to kill Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.

High school freshman, 15, gunned down while walking home from school

Johnny Lubin Jr. was a student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School. He was reportedly shot Wednesday afternoon.

Joey Feek still smiling in hospice as she and daughter sport matching hats in adorable new snap 

Joey Feek shares new photo of her and daughter in matching hats

Joey Feek, of country duo Joey + Rory, was diagnosed with stage IV cervical cancer in June 2014. She received her diagnosis just months after giving birth to daughter Indiana. This week Joey revealed her Christmas wish is to make it to Indiana's second birthday in February. Feek left the hospital last month and began hospice care to spend as much time as possible with her daughter.

Obamacare's future in question as United Healthcare threatens to pull out

The individual insurance exchanges created by Obamacare may be in long-term peril after the country's largest health insurer said Thursday that it may pull out of the program in 2017.

Chipotle shares fall 10% as E.coli outbreak spreads to three more states, bringing to total to six

CDC said on Friday that three additional states reported E. coli infections of the same strain
as the Chipotle outbreak, sending shares in the chain down more than 9 percent

Obama will meet with refugees in Malaysia, White House says and underscore his message that all countries have to 'play their part' in migrant crisis

His visit to the Dignity for Children Foundation will likely be overshadowed by his administration's troubles back home with Congress over the United States' own migrant policy.

The terrifying moment high school football crowd, players and officials all flee in terror as gunfire breaks out nearby

The terrifying moment high school football crowd, players and officials all flee in terror

This is the moment a high school football crowd fled in terror on Friday night when gunfire broke out nearby in Miami. On video of the scare, gunshots can be heard in the distance, sending players and coaches ducking for cover.People in the stands at Traz Powell Stadium ran to the exits when the gunshots were heard. Coaches told players to get down on the field.

The tool that can sniff out a suicide bomber from 100 metres away: Multi-sensor scanner could be built into public places

Hooded police officers walk in a street of  Saint-Denis, near Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015.  A woman wearing an explosive suicide vest blew herself up Wednesday as heavily armed police tried to storm a suburban Paris apartment where the suspected mastermind of last week's attacks was believed to be holed up, police said. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

The U.S. military is working on improving a device that could be used to detect concealed bombs and suicide vests such as those used in the Paris attacks from more than a football field away.

Free after 30 years: Convicted Israel spy Jonathan Pollard pictured at home with his wife after being released from US prison

Jonathan Pollard, the Texas native jailed for life in 1987 for passing classified documents to Israel, has been pictured with his wife after being released on parole earlier this morning.

Couple's parental rights terminated after mother took her toddlers to a priest for an exorcism

The unidentified New Jersey woman's children, ages two and one at the time, were given to foster care after their mother reported having to 'resist the urge to give her children to the devil'.

'It was heartbreaking to hear what had happened': Wife of porn-addicted adulterer Josh Duggar breaks her silence in TLC specials starring Jill and Jessa Duggar next month

Josh Duggar's wife Anna breaks her silence in TLC specials with Jill and Jessa

The beleaguered Duggar, 27, makes an appearance on 'Jill and Jessa: Counting On', a spin off of the show that made her husband's family famous. In a teaser clip, Anna's eyes are filled with tears as she admits: 'It was heartbreaking to hear what had happened.' Right: Josh and Anna welcomed daughter Meredith Grace in July.

Is the search for happiness over? Experts discover the part of the brain that determines how cheerful we are

Psychologists at Kyoto University found people who are more content, satisfied and happy have more grey matter in their precuneus - a part of the brain normally associated with consciousness.

Desperate to shed pounds? Diet by NUMBERS! 10,000 steps a day, no more than 6 tsps of sugar and 3 positives to cancel out every treat

Weight-loss expert, Dr Sally Norton reveals her 10 simple steps to a achieving a healthier lifestyle, including ensuring you get seven hours sleep a night and five portions of fruit and veg a day.

Pimp my spacecraft: Orion craft that could take man to Mars gets metallic heat shield

Engineers developing Orion?s thermal protection system have been improving the spacecraft?s heat shield design and manufacturing process since the vehicle successfully traveled to space for the first time last year.

Engineers are updating Orion's thermal protection system in preparation for its next mission, Exploration Mission-1, where it will travel through the harshest conditions has ever endured.

Single woman turns the tables on men and sends potential dates unsolicited pictures of her vagina - and is horrified when almost all respond with crude enthusiasm 

Kerry Quinn, from Los Angeles, has received many unsolicited pictures of male genitalia, so the 27-year-old decided to send a vagina picture unsuspecting guys on the dating app Bumble.

Thai waitress working legally in the US is left a 'disgusting' anti-immigration message on restaurant receipt and no tip by male diner

Thai waitress working legally in the US is left a 'disgusting' anti-immigration message on

The man - identified on the receipt as Jason Paul Naglich (right) - dined alone at the Bamboo Thai Bistro in Redondo Beach last week, but decided to make a political statement about immigration on the bill (left). Instead of paying the gratuity, he wrote: 'Tip for U.S. citizens only.' A 15 percent tip on would have been $3.43. However when the receipt was posted on social media, Naglich was inundated with hate, while locals rallied around the waitress, who is authorized to work in the U.S.

'It's creepy, freaky, crazy!' Woman who used an online experiment to track down her doppelganger finds a THIRD 'twin stranger'

Niamh Geaney, 26, from Dublin, Ireland, has now met a third lookalike, called Irene Williams, who also hails from Ireland, after meeting 'twin strangers' Karen Branigan and Luisa Guizzardi.

Manhattan dentist busted for child porn and selling meth after he told informant he attended bestiality parties in New York 

The arrest of John Wallace Wolf, 59, came after he told an informant that he was 'actively involved' in underground bestiality sex parties and bought meth in large quantities.

The bad manners sisters of British high society: Duke of Rutland's leggy, loud and frightfully naughty daughters who make Downton's Crawley sisters look like angels 

Duke of Rutland's daughters make Downton Abbey's Crawley sisters look like angels 

The daughters of the Duke of Rutland are causing a stir in British high society with their rowdy antics and lives they share on Instagram. We haven't heard the last from Lady Violet, 22, Lady Alice, 20, and Lady Eliza 18 Manners who been compared to the Mitford girls even though it might be more accurate to liken them to the Earl of Grantham's lively daughters in Downton Abbey.

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Former porn star lover of Charlie Sheen is considering legal action because he DIDN'T tell her he was HIV positive before they shared 'a single unprotected sex act'

Charlie Sheen's former pornstar lover Cassandra Cruz considering legal action over HIV

Cassandra Cruz (left), 33, says she shared 'a single sexual act' with Charlie Sheen (right) in 2012 without using a condom, but didn't learn he was HIV positive until a year later, when he said the disease was 'undetectable'. Lisa Bloom, the attorney representing Cruz, added that when Sheen told her of his diagnosis, it was done in a way to persuade her that unprotected sex with Sheen was safe. Bree Olsen, another former porn star and one of Sheen's 'goddesses', also came forward this week to accuse the star of not telling him he was infected while they were having sex, as did fellow 'goddess' Natalie Kenly. It is thought that six women are currently preparing lawsuits against Sheen.

EXCLUSIVE: I STILL think something happened to 'Jackie' - friend of girl whose claim of gang rape at UVA rocked Rolling Stone speaks as 'victim' revealed to have quit college

Ryan Duffin, a friend of the girl who claimed to have been gang-raped at UVA in a Rolling Stone article published a year ago, tells Daily Mail Online he remains convinced her story had some truth to it.

Shocking footage shows child coughing and spluttering after being encouraged to smoke cigarette by adults who can be heard laughing and cheering as they watch on 

The video, taken in India, shows a child, believed to be around three to four-years old, sat on the knee of a man who then places a cigarette in the little boy's mouth and lights it up.

Boho babe vs business chic! Royal style showdown continues as Letizia of Spain and Rania of Jordan step out in dramatically different looks on state visit

Queen Letizia of Spain and Rania of Jordan's royal style showdown continued as the monarchs stepped out in contrasting looks this morning. Letizia, 43, wore a grey suit while Rania, 45, opted for a boho-style skirt.

Smokey Bear would not approve! Man gets rid of dried leaves by dousing them in gasoline and watching them go up in flames

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Alex Durand of Canada posted a video of himself setting fall leaves on fire in early November. The footage has since racked up millions of views.

A day in the life of a dwarf planet: Stunning new images what 6.4 Earth days look like on Pluto and its moon Charon

The New Horizons spacecraft took the pictures as it zoomed past Pluto in an unprecedented flyby in July. Pluto was between 400,000 and 5 million miles from the camera for these photos.

Meet Surena: Iran reveals life-sized humanoid robot that can run, play football and speak Farsi

Created by the University of Tehran, Surena stabds at 190 cm (6.2ft) tall, weighs 98 kg (216lb) and has four articulated limbs that allow it to walk, run and grasp objects.

State Department ranks among the worst government agencies for cyber security, independent audit says

The State Department's cyber security is among the worst in government, putting all of the department's information as risk, according to an independent watchdog's audit

Red panda on the loose in northern California after escaping from zoo 

The big-tailed creature, a one-and-a-half-year old panda named Marsala who is fully grown but is only the size of a house cat, managed to escape during feeding time at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka.

Life in the freezer: Previously-unseen images of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1915 expedition to the Antarctic give an new insight into his men's fight for survival 

Previously-unseen images of Shackleton's 1915 Antarctic expedition revealed

Ernest Shackleton (inset) and his crew struggled to survive for months against the odds in the punishing conditions of the Antarctic. They were left stranded after their ship the Endurance became trapped in the ice (left and right) before being crushed. A new exhibition will open at London's Royal Geographical Society on Saturday, 100 years to the day that the magnificent ship sank beneath the Antarctic ice. Haunting photographs in the exhibition reveal never-before-seen insights into the day-to-day struggles of the 28-man crew, trapped and fighting for their lives in the 'world's last great wilderness'.

In the money! Massive hoard of 4,000 Roman coins unearthed in Switzerland after lying undisturbed under a cherry tree for 1,700 years

A farmer made the spectacular discovery when he spotted a molehill with some shimmering green coins on his land in Ueken in Switzerland, but he will not be allowed to keep the hoard.

How music could ease the pain of surgery: Listening before, during and after an op 'lowers anxiety, pain, as well as heart rate and blood pressure'

Scientists at the University of Zurich found the positive effects of listening to music were enhanced further when patients were allowed to choose the music they listened to.

The passenger from hell: Drunk flier unbuckled and dropped his pants, and repeatedly tried lighting a cigarette - and WASN'T kicked off

The incident occurred on American Airlines flight 937 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to John F Kennedy Airport in New York on Wednesday afternoon after the passenger drank part of a bottle of Dewars.

Husband and wife team who owned the first Thai restaurant to open in Connecticut are killed in small plane crash in New York

Pilot Val Horsa and his wife Taew Horsa were identified as the occupants of the single-engine plane by Val's son. They operated the Bangkok Restaurant in Danbury, which they've owned since 1996.

Turn your SELFIE in! Woman 'stole an iPhone from a teenager then used it to take photos of herself that landed in the victim's iCloud'

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California police are on the hunt for Tasja Dowell, 18, who is accused of violently mugging a 15-year-old girl on November 5. Dowell then allegedly took selfie's on the victim's phone.

Why a sea breeze may not be so good for you anymore: Particle pollution from shipping is far worse than had been thought

Scientists at Lund University in Sweden estimate that pollution from shipping on the North Sea and Baltic Sea may contribute to around 10,000 premature deaths a year.

College student apologizes for criticizing Black Lives Matter online after her post online got her fired from her job and has activists calling for her expulsion

Student Emily Faz is fired from her job after criticizing Mizzou and Black Lives Matter

Georgia Southern College senior Emily Faz (left) was fired from her job at Wild Wings Cafe this week after she criticized Black Lives Matter (right) on her Facebook and said she'd make them regret 'knowing what a movement is.''I swear if I see this B.S. at Southern I will make you regret even knowing what a movement or a hashtag is, and you'll walk away with your tail tucked,' wrote Faz along with the link to the news article. 'The whole black lives matter movement is misguided and out of hand. Maybe no one likes or takes y'all seriously because no one can see past your egotistical [expletive]. Some people might just look past it, but fair warning I am not one. All lives matter, that has always been the case, and you part of the problem if you think otherwise [sic],' she added in her fiery post.

Want to buy a UFO hunting satellite? Crowdsourcing project aims to scour the skies with a swarm of $10,000 CubeSats

The satellite that?s planning to clean up space. The CleanSpace One chasing its target, one of the CubeSats launched by Switzerland in 2009. The EPFL on 15 February 2012 launched the 'CleanSpace One', a project to develop and build the first installment of a family of satellites specially designed to clean up space debris, during a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.  

epa03106942 A undated handout illustration provided by the Swiss Space Center of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) 15 February 2012, showing EPA/EPFL / Swiss Space Center / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: EPFL/Swiss Space Center, HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

A team of developers in Canada has come up with a way for ordinary people to track extraterrestrial encounters. The team hopes to raise $50,000 to launch the device, called CubeSat for Disclosure.

Look out parents! Babies are capable of reasoning and problem solving when they are just 10 MONTHS old, researchers find

Emory University found babies are capable of working out social hierarchies as early as 10 months, in a study that used puppets playing out different scenarios.

Typhoon fighters scrambled to intercept two Russian Tu-160 bombers on Syrian bombing mission as they enter UK airspace

The jets were rushed up from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept the Tu-160s over the Atlantic last night. The Russian aircraft made an unusual trip round Europe on their way to a bombing mission in Syria.

Why your children's phone addiction could be GOOD for them: Researchers say social media helps children make friends

Parents' fears about their teenagers' technology additction may be exaggerated, claims Duke University researchers. There are exceptions in the areas of cyberbullying and sleep disruption.

Three-year-old girl who vanished from home in the middle of the night is found naked on the side of a road EIGHT miles away with her head shaven

Lyndon Albers found naked and with a shaved head after disappearing from Hamilton home

Lyndon Albers, 2, was last seen by her parents at their Hamilton, Massachusetts home around 3am. They reported her missing at 7am. A couple driving to work found her eight miles away sitting in a pile of leaves in Rowley. Lyndon was reunited with her parents in the hospital and is in fair condition. Authorities are reportedly questioning a person of interest who knows the family.

'I'm not pregnant and I'm not fat!' Anna Paquin fires back at cruel body shamers who labeled her 'gross' and 'ugly' because she 'wasn't wearing a skin-tight dress'

Anna Paquin hits back at body shamers on Twitter who criticized her appearance

The actress, 33, took to Twitter to slam commenters who said she look 'fat' and 'ugly' at the premiere of The Good Dinosaur on Tuesday. Anna said that just because she wasn't wearing a skin-tight dress doesn't mean she's pregnant, and told them she doesn't care if they don't like her dark hair.

'Thank you for including us in your vision of the American family': Kohl's praised for featuring a multiracial gay couple in its latest holiday video campaign 

In the 30-second TV spot, a diverse family is seem happily celebrating Thanksgiving. Kohl's also included a three-year-old boy with Down syndrome in one of its print ads this week.

Armed robbers steal 17 paintings including works by Rubens and Tintoretto in $20million art heist 

Armed bandits have stolen 17 paintings worth $20million from Verona's art museum in one of the most significant art heists in Italian history One work was by Peter Paul Rubens (pictured).

Chicago braces for snow as city could get up to eight inches in season's first snowfall

Temperatures in the city are expected to stay mild throughout the day before dropping on Friday night as snow starts to fall around 10 or 11pm with the heaviest snowfall anticipated to come down from 4 to 6am.

Real estate mogul gives $22.5million Manhattan apartment to estranged wife to end five-year divorce battle

Kent Swig, 54, the owner of Halstead Property whose real estate empire was once worth $3billion, settled his divorce with his ex, Elizabeth Swig, also 54, in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday.

Woman who was in a near-fatal car crash writes on Facebook that she felt 'joy and peace' when she thought she was going to die - and the 'comforting' post is going viral

Kailey Collins, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, was in a severe car crash on her way to work. In what she thought were her final moments she felt only joy and peace. Her post about the crash went viral.

Long-lost William Faulkner comedy discovered in the University of Virginia archives is published for the first time

FILE - This 1950 file photo shows American novelist William Faulkner at his home in Rowan Oaks near Oxford, Miss. Faulkner¿s "¿Twixt Cup and Lip," written soon after World War I, is being published for the first time on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. (AP Photo, File)

William Faulkner's 'Twixt Cup and Lip,' a comedy play written soon after World War I is being published for the first time on Friday in The Strand Magazine.

'Life gets better': Mother who tried to kill herself with a cocktail of pills after being raped at 14 shares message of hope for others suffering with suicidal thoughts

Lea Grover, 31, had already been depressed and suicidal when, at 14, she was raped. After taking 'handfuls' of pills, the Chicago resident began to vomit - which saved her life.

Pilot banned from flying after 'offering divorced AIR HOSTESS as compensation for a delay on a flight to Bali'

Loud moaning sounds were also heard from the cockpit throughout the Lion Air flight, with one passenger left so shocked that he lodged a complaint with the Indonesian transport ministry.

American Airlines loses prosthetic LEG belonging to Boston bombing survivor who has resumed her career as a ballroom dancer

The airline misplaced the limb belonging to ballroom dancer Adrianne Haslet-Davis, 34, who lost her left leg in the terror attacks in April 2013, but has since started dancing again with a replacement limb.

Is that an iPhone in your pocket...? Jimmy Fallon creates smartphone case for dapper dressers that doubles as a pocket square

Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has come up with a strikingly simple solution: turn it into a silk pocket square. By simply adding a handkerchief to the top of a phone case, it can be placed in a blazer pocket.

Toddler who died of severe burns while home alone 'was put in the oven by one of her three-year-old siblings and the other turned it on'

J'zyra Thompson  'was put in the oven by one of her siblings and the other turned it on'

A toddler who died after suffering severe burns was put in an oven by one of her two 3-year-old siblings when the children were left alone in their Houston apartment, according to court documents. The two siblings told investigators with Texas Child Protective Services that one of them put 19-month-old J'zyra Thompson in the oven and the other turned it on. Police believe J'zyra Thompson was one of four children who had been left alone Monday by their mother and her boyfriend. CPS says the couple left the four kids home alone without telling a grandmother who lived in the same apartment complex. The two 3-year-olds told CPS workers they made the oven 'hot' and that the baby was kicking the oven door while inside, according to court records.

Bad news for Brazil nuts and Mahogony: Shrinking Amazon forests may lose thousands of trees species

FILE - In this April 23, 2002 file photo, specimens from the Brazil nut, Lecythidacene family, are displayed inside the Herbarium at The New York Botanical Garden, in the Bronx borough of New York. A first-of-its-kind examination of thousands of types of trees in the Amazon found that as much as half of the species may be threatened with extinction or heading that way because of massive deforestation. It¿s not just strange tropical trees, but the plants that provide people with tasty Brazil nuts and elegant mahogany are among the more than 5,500 tree species in deep trouble in the Amazon, according to a new study. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey, File)

An international team of 158 scientists found between 36 and 57 percent of the 16,000 tree species in the tropical rainforest are under threat.

South Carolina high school student finds a WORM crawling around in her cafeteria lunch - which staff tried to claim was a piece of 'rice that didn't puff when cooked' 

Jennifer Sain, 42, of Clover, South Carolina, said her daughter, who is a sophomore at Clover High School, texted her a photo of a worm (pictured) in her cafeteria lunch on Monday.

Talk about a holiday high! Cooking videos reveal how to whip up a tasty Thanksgiving dinner using MARIJUANA

As part of its ongoing series Baked, Cut.com is offering video tutorials on how to make turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and even cranberry sauce using marijuana.

Woman whose sex drive plummeted after the birth of her daughters reveals she gave her husband a 'hall pass' to 'get freaky' with however many partners he wants

Atlanta woman reveals why she lets her husband 'get freaky' with other ladies

Sarah Hosseini , a former television producer and writer living in Atlanta, has shared her struggles with her dwindling sex drive following the birth of her two children in an essay explaining that she rarely thinks about having sex with her husband - or anyone else for that matter.

'Drunk and high driver fled scene of fatal crash leaving his girlfriend's 13-year-old son to find her dead body'

Robert Jackson Jr, 38, an ex-convict from Washington state, has been charged with vehicular homicide in the November 11 crash that killed his girlfriend, 35-year-old Lindsay Hill.

'I woke up next to a pool of my own vomit': Woman reveals how she was drugged and raped by two men who 'seemed normal and nice' during a night out with her girlfriends 

The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, was with her friends at a club in New York when the men offered to buy her a drink. She woke up the next morning vomiting at their apartment in New Jersey.

There's something fishy about this: Bizarre footage appears to show a dying carp being brought back to life (so how did they do it?) 

A video showing a half-dead fish being brought back to life has set the Chinese internet abuzz, with online users launching a heated discussion on how it is done.

Tesla is recalling ALL 90,000 Model S sedans over seat belt safety fears

The recall was made today after a customer in Europe reported that her seat belt disconnected when she turned to talk to rear passengers. The company says the problem is due to a manufacturing error.

This scanner knows what your pants are made of: 3D X-rays to search for bombs and drugs in luggage at airports

HALO uses 3D-imaging to understand the exact material an object is made of . The UK-made scanner can detect the presence of bombs by looking at their typical 'material signature'

'I never dreamed it was going to take this long': Inmate freed from Montana prison after three decades for 1979 murder of a high school honor student

Montana Governor Steve Bullock granted Barry Beach's clemency request Friday, releasing the 53-year-old inmate who has been serving a 100-year prison term for the killing of 17-year-old Kim Nees.

Spot the dog! Naughty pug leaves garbage strewn across his owner's house - before hiding away INSIDE the trash can to avoid his punishment

Viva Frei's YouTube video shows pug destroying owner's home with rubbish

Our dog got into the garbage again, and I wanted to discipline him," Viva Frei explains. "But when I found him, I was too impressed to be mad.". Upon walking into the kitchen, Viva immediately knew some serious shit had gone down. After some noises came from the trash cabinet, Viva knew exactly where the dog was.

Is this the latest fertility treatment? Forget IVF as doctors have found a PARASITIC WORM could boost women's ability to have children

The roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, alters women's immune systems to make it easier for them to become pregnant, a study by the University of California Santa Barbara found.

Apple's Jimmy Iovine apologizes over sexist comments that women find it difficult to choose music 'when they have their hearts broken by boys'

The 62-year-old (right), who was discussing Apple Music's latest advert, said he 'always knew' women found it difficult at times and added that they might need help making music playlists.

Never mind the Big Bang! Life on Earth began with a BIG BREATH as oxygen sprang from microscopic plants 2.5 billion years ago

Scientists from a group of US and Canadian universities, including the University of Alberta tracked atmospheric changes through time using rock samples from Australia.

Move over Willy Wonka! Chocolate with flavours to 'rival fine wines' developed by altering yeasts used to ferment cocoa beans

Scientists from Belgium have found they can select specific yeasts to ferment cocoa beans shortly after they have been harvested to produce a range of different aromas and flavours.

Is this the world's first BLING? 24 carat gold jewellery made 6,600 years ago unearthed at prehistoric settlement in Bulgaria

The delicate two-gram pendant was discovered by archaeologists at the site of Solnitsata in Bulgaria, the site of the oldest prehistoric town in Europe.

Now that's what you call a JAWS-dropping moment! Lucky photographer accidentally captures a shark launching itself out of the water

Lionel Kavanagh was snapping the bridge in southeast Queensland's Rockhampton when he noticed a big splash on the water. It wasn't until afterwards he realised he had a one in million photo.

Italian restaurant owner advertised about beautiful new floor in his diner... but customers were unaware mob boss was executed and buried underneath it

Alfredo Sanzaro wrote 'come and see for yourself' following the revamp to his Casa Alfredo restaurant in Germany. But diners didn't know Edwin Durgan was buried below until police discovered the body.

Touched by cupid: Baby born with adorable birthmark the shape of a HEART is parents' little cherub

Liam Bailey was born with the unusual mark at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, south London, on Thursday. Grandmother Leslie Johnson, 52, said he will be popular with the ladies.

Will astronauts use this jet-pack to explore an ASTEROID? Gyroscopic gas thrusters tested for future spacewalks

Massachusetts-based space company Draper has trialled a gyroscopic jet-packthat could help give astronauts new freedom when working in orbit or exploring asteroids in the future.

Ever wanted to fly a PAPER plane? Gadget turns folded creations into drones that can be controlled from 300 feet away with a virtual reality headset

PowerUp FPV turns paper planes into drones using virtual reality headsets

A former pilot from Haifa, Israel, developed the $159 PowerUp FPV (pictured top left) gadget to allow everyone to experience what it is like to get into the cockpit of an aircraft. The device can convert any paper plane into a remote controlled drone that connects via Bluetooth to a smartphone. An on board camera streams footage from the nose (pictured main) to an app, which can be viewed while wearing a virtual reality headset (pictured bottom right).

Weird molluscs have EYES in their armour: Pearl-like lenses give chitons a blurry view of the world to help them avoid predators

Scientists at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) revealed the structure of the chiton's unusual eyes to show they have a blurry view of the world.

Trendy fashion retailer Nasty Gal sued by ANOTHER former worker over claims she was fired after undergoing heart surgery 

The Los Angeles-based company, which was launched in 2006 and is valued to be worth over $100 million, is also being sued for firing four women after learning they'd become pregnant.

From chubby to chiselled: Father reveals how he built the dream body he had always wanted in just EIGHTEEN weeks 

Shaun Mundin, 34 from the UK, weighed 16 stone at his heaviest - but swapped his junk food habits for healthy eating and trips to the gym and lost four stone.

Young man forced to post a photo of his passport on Facebook to prove his real name is 'Phuc Dat Bich'... after his account is banned THREE times

The parents of the Vietnamese-Australian man probably had a lack of foresight when they named him 'Phuc Dat Bich,' but the 23-year-old is fed up with Facebook's disbelief of his name.

Now that really IS a tail light: Firm unveils clip on LED light for horses to improve rider safety

Tail Lights Rider System aims to save horses and riders from being injured in collisions. The system has LED lights, on the front and tail units to warn motorists that there is a rider on the road.

Going Un-derground: Kim Jong tries out North Korea's new subway system (but it's standing room only for his flunkies!) 

Kim Jong Un has been testing out North Korea's new subway system in Pyongyang. Kim was spotted lounging around on red leather seats while his cronies were forced to stand for the journey.

Freed after 20 YEARS in chains: The moment lion king Mufasa is released into the wild after decades in cruel Peruvian travelling circus 

Moment lion freed after 20 YEARS in cruel Peruvian travelling circus 

A majestic mountain lion called Mufasa, who spent 20 years in captivity as part of a cruel travelling circus in Peru, has been set free. A film crew captured the tear-jerking moment he was released into the wild, having spent the majority of his life shackled in the back of a pick-up truck amongst rusting equipment.

   

DON'T MISS

Can you watch this without laughing? Cute toddler can't stop giggling after getting hit by cream pie while playing with his parents 

Toddler can't stop giggling after getting hit by cream pie in video

An adorable youngster couldn't stop giggling after playing the popular 'pie face' game with his parents. The unnamed little boy, who is believed to be from America, is filmed in hysterics while having a pile of whipped cream splatted onto his face. The laugh-out-loud video was posted to YouTube by Break Clips on November 19.

Three suspects 'who killed California cop in robbery gone wrong are arrested'

Downey police Officer Ricardo 'Ricky' Galvez, 29, was in plainclothes in the driver's seat of his car at the end of his shift when two men ran up and opened fire late Wednesday.

Pig in the city! Massive wild boar wreaks utter havoc in Istanbul as it chases pedestrians through streets and charges into shops

The crazed animal was first captured on camera swimming alongside a boat in the Bosphorus River before reaching land and rampaging through the Beykoz district of Istanbul.

Far apart but always together: Couple in long distance relationship bridge the 7,000-mile gap between them with clever photo series

Korean artists Danbi Shin, who lives in New York, and Seok Li, who is based in Seoul, take photos of themselves doing similar activities and then combine the images into one unified picture.

Friends from New York to Mexico make own version of Billy Ocean's hit 'When the Going Gets Tough' to cheer up stewardess with Lyme disease

Chantelle Lewis, 31, from Falmouth, Cornwall, caught Lyme disease while working on a superyacht in the Caribbean. She cried 'the happiest tears' after receiving the supportive video.

Huddling together in fear, a pod of pilot whales circle one another after dolphin hunters at Japan's infamous Taiji cove round them up for slaughter 

Pod of pilot whales at Japan's Taiji cove circle together as hunters round them up

Poignant footage captures the mammals gathering in a tiny circle, clinging together to protect themselves from injury as the men drive the animals towards the netted shoreline in the cove. The video taken by the Dolphin Project , who are dedicated to the welfare of the animals, show the family as they swim through the waters in Taiji. The group wrote on Facebook: 'This poor pod.They won't leave each other's side.' The project told The Dodo website that there were around 40 whales of all ages clustered together.

WORLD NEWS

       

Dye of the tiger: Dog is spray painted with stripes to make it look like a big cat by cruel pranksters 

Dog is spray painted with stripes to make it look like a tiger by pranksters

The Golden Retriever - now nicknamed Tiger - was covered in black stripes in the cruel gag in Serbia (inset). Volunteers (main) from an animal welfare group had to clean up the dog before he was found a new home. The animal group said if the paint had not been removed the chemicals in it would have been life-threatening as they would have penetrated through the skin. They also said that if the dog tried to lick its fur it might have ended up swallowing the potentially poisonous paint flakes.

Far apart but always together: Couple in long distance relationship bridge the 7,000-mile gap between them with clever photo series

Korean artists Danbi Shin, who lives in New York, and Seok Li, who is based in Seoul, take photos of themselves doing similar activities and then combine the images into one unified picture.

Prankster asks students in the library to watch his laptop for him... only for it to start playing porn really loudly in hilarious trick

The ingenious prank was the work of Californian-based Josh Paler Lin, a trickster with more than 1.5million subscribers and a whole catalogue of hilarious clips.

Amish man, 22, runs three-hour marathon in traditional slacks and suspenders

In this photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, Leroy Stolzfus, of Gordonville runs in the 2015 Harrisburg Marathon in Harrisburg, Pa. The Pennsylvania man turned heads as he whizzed by fellow runners at the Harrisburg Marathon, not because of his speed, but because of his unusual racing attire. Stolzfus finished the 26.2-mile race in just over three hours and five minutes ¿ all while wearing his community's traditional clothing.  (Daniel Zampogna /PennLive.com via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Twenty-two-year-old Leroy Stolzfus finished the 26.2-mile Harrisburg Marathon in just over three hours and five minutes, all while wearing his community's traditional clothing.

He cooked rice but I want noodles: Argument over lunch between Chinese couple escalates drastically when woman threatens to jump out the WINDOW

A Chinese woman threatened to plunge off a four-storey flat yesterday in the city of Jiaozuo after having an argument over what to eat for lunch with her husband. She was rescued by firefighters.

There's not mushroom in my kitchen for that: Giant fungi has to be chopped up and carried by FOUR people in Vietnam 

The lingzhi mushroom - which translates to supernatural mushroom - was discovered by a lumberjack in Vietnam before it was sold. It is thought to be thousands of years old.

The beasts lurking in YOUR home: From a spider's hairy mandibles to an earwig's pincers, scary details of bugs captured in close up

Buglife charity shares scary detailed images of insects up close

London-based photographer Mikael Buck took the incredible photos using a Sony 27R II camera with a 90mm macro lens and macro filter. His subjects were some of the 10 most common bugs in homes in west Europe such as the house spider (left) woodlouse (top right) and ladybird (bottom right) according to conservation charity, Buglife.

   

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