UK One Direction's Zayn Malik Quits After Five Years

Zayn Malik (second from left) has quit One Direction after five years with the chart-topping boy band that was formed on X-Factor in 2010. The 22-year-old singer has made the decision to bow out of the group leaving Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne & Louis Tomlinson to continue as a four-piece. 

In a statement released to Daily Mail this afternoon Wednesday March 25th, Zayn said;

'My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let you down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart.'

New report warns of perils of corporate farming in Canada

A farmer works a potato field in North Tryon, P.E.I. in this July 13, 2000 photo. CP

The Canadian Press
A board member for the National Farmers Union says without laws that support decent farm livelihoods, Canada could lose its next generation of farmers.

Matt Gehl, board member for Saskatchewan, says the country could end up with something like “the serfdom many of our ancestors tried to escape.”

On Tuesday, the NFU released an update to its 2010 report on corporate farmland buyup, farm debt and input financing.

Canadian Housing Market Ready To Bust - IMF warns

Andrea Janus, CTV
Canada’s housing market could be headed for “a hard landing,” the International Monetary Fund says, warning that an “overheated housing market” and record-high household debt remain drags on the domestic economy.

In a commentary posted to the agency’s website, Hamid Faruqee and Andrea Pescatori hail how the Canadian economy weathered the 2008 financial crisis, but note that “certain financial risks” remain at play, namely: “its overheated housing markets and high household debt.”

While household debt has recently stabilized, it has “increased to historical highs over the past decade,” and now rests at 150 per cent of disposable income. That is “one of the highest” among OECD member countries, the commentary noted.

Photos: ISIS beheads three men with sword for being gay

Some horrific photos from ISIS run state. Three men, accused of homosexuality and blasphemy, were publicly beheaded by a sword-wielding ISIS executioner. The photos of the barbaric execution was shared online today. Two of the men were accused of being homosexuals and the third one accused of Blasphemy. They were blindfolded and taken to a traffic roundabout with a crowd looking on.

An elderly man used a microphone to read out their crimes before a masked man beheaded them. See the photos after the cut...

Prince Edwards Islander Spent 6 Hrs Tunneling Through Snow To His Car Because He Was Bored!

Toronto Former Mayor Rob Ford's Crack Necktie Sells For $16,100 on eBay

Rob Ford's tie went up for sale on eBay on Feb. 25, 2015. Bidding closed on the item on Wednesday. (eBay.ca)

The price of owning the tie Rob Ford wore on the day he first admitted to smoking crack cocaine is $16,100. That was the winning bid listed on Ford's eBay page, when bidding ended just after 5 p.m. ET Wednesday.

The city's former mayor and current Ward 2 councillor has been selling off some of his belongings on eBay.

His crack-confession necktie went up for sale on the auction website a week ago.

Ford is also selling a coat he wore as a football coach, several sports jerseys and a familiar-looking sweatshirt. But so far, the bidding for those items has not been close to bids placed on the tie.

ISIS militant group throw 'gay' man off building in Raqqa

ISIS barbarians have killed yet another man they accused of being gay. The blindfolded man was led to the rooftop of a multi-storey building in Raqqa, where he was barbarically thrown to his death. A large crowd gathered at the foot of the building to watch the murder of the young victim. The killing was filmed and photos shared on social media. More pics after the cut...

Living In The Past Can Be A Huge Risk

One of the best decisions in life one can make is dealing with present reality by managing attending situations of life within contemporary means. It is often said that it is the decisions made and actions undertaken in the past that brought us where we are now. That is looking at it from a systemic angle.

With life come choices and chances. There is different between stand-up and stand-up now. You can easily recall how many times you came late to the party (delayed in taking a necessary step to achieving a portion of success). Mind you, the world comes with its surprises. Even the most gifted aren’t the most celebrated but the fortunate.  We are fortunate with a lot of things but who can discern the unfortunate circumstances of life. The designer of the universe knows better than we mortals.

For in the strength of a man, the fort of battle is built. Who will rule is in the hands of who wins the battle of life. From childhood to adulthood, we transcend from sucking milk to growing tooth. Who ever thought that cracking of bones would be much fun than growing the first lateral incisor has passed through the full cycle of eruption.om

Read in full on Ablethoughts

Federal Government Cut Funding For Sex Crime Prevention Program

CBC

The federal government is cutting funds for a program designed to prevent the most dangerous, high-risk sex offenders from repeating their crimes, just as its own five-year study has found the program dramatically improves public safety and saves money.

The 18 Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) programs across the country now have about 700 trained volunteers who help safely reintegrate offenders from prison back into the community.

Most sites are now preparing to close after funding from the Correctional Service of Canada ends March 31.

Meet the twin sisters everyone can tell apart...

Daily Mail

18 year old twin sisters, Lucy & Maria Aylmer, from Gloucester are non-identical twins. While Lucy (left) has fair skin and straight ginger hair, Maria (right) has a darker complexion with curls. The college students were born with radically different colouring thanks to a quirk of their mixed-race parentage. Their mother Donna is half Jamaican and their father Vince is white. Continue...

Forbes Welcomes Basketball Legend Michael Jordan on Billionaires' List

In the new Billionaires List Forbes magazine released today, 290 newcomers joined the list, including basketball great, Michael Jordan, 52. He's now the 513th-richest person in the US with a net worth of an even $1.0 billion. Forbes report below;

The most famous rookie on the billionaires list? Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time and indisputably the best-paid athlete of all time. Most of his cash comes from Nike payouts on his iconic brand. The Jordan brand grossed an estimated $2.25 billion in 2013, earning his Airness some $90m. But his most valuable asset is his stake in the Charlotte Hornets, worth more than $500m. When ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers for a stunning $2 billion, values of all NBA teams skyrocketed, creating three new billionaires. Jordan’s old boss Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls, joined the list with a fortune of $1.3 billion, and Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander boosted his net worth to $1.6 billion.

Ronda Rousey’s Incredible 14 Second KO Victory Over Cat Zingano

UFC 184 on Saturday was headlined by “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey defending her bantamweight title against “Alpha” Cat Zingano, in what UFC was hyping as her toughest fight. The betting odds didn’t reflect that, though, as Rousey was a -700 favorite. The actual fight played out like the bookies expected though, as Rousey defeated Zingano with a record-setting 14 second straight armlock.

A-List Investor Warren Buffett Questions Keystone XL Project Delay

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett gestures during an interview with Liz Claman on the Fox Business Network in Omaha, Neb, May 5, 2014. CP

The Keystone XL pipeline got an emphatic endorsement Monday from a powerful backer of President Barack Obama who questioned the handling of the file.

To billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the delay is a thumbing of the nose at Canada.

"I would have passed Keystone," Buffett said in an interview with CNBC.

"I think that we have an enormous interest in working with Canada, as they have in working with us. That oil is going to get sold. If we make it more difficult for them, who knows how they'll feel about making things more difficult for us someday."

Sierra Leone’s Vice President Enters Self-Quarantine After Security Personnel Died Of Ebola

The Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Samuel Sam-Suman has voluntarily placed himself under a 3-week quarantine after one of his security personnel died from the Ebola Virus, according to the Associated Press.

It is reported that Sierra Leone recorded 18 new cases of Ebola last week, up from 16 the week before.

Meet the woman who got a facelift at 80 years old

Did this really happened? Well, 80 years old Elizabeth Moore said she got it because her ageing face with all it wrinkles no longer matched how she felt inside. Despite her family warning her against, 8 months ago, the retired university lecturer got a facelift, dermabrasion and fat injections into her cheeks. The five-hour operation cost her about $15,000

"I hoped I could go back to looking as I did a decade ago, when I felt more confident. I wanted to look the very best I could, and now I feel I do. I look in the mirror and feel much more confident about what I see. I no longer look tired and miserable, which I did previously because my cheeks were sunken and I had deep lines near my mouth. I now look rested and well." She said...

ISIS Terror Group Issues Death Threats to Twitter Founder and Employees over Blocked Accounts

Terror group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has reportedly issued death threats to social networking platform Twitter’s employees and its founder, Jack Dorsey.

According to the Guardian UK, ISIS supporters threatened to kill Twitter employees, and founder Jack Dorsey specifically, for blocking Twitter accounts associated with ISIS.

Pop Singer Chris Brown Denied Entry To Canada Again

The Canadian government denied Chris Brown entry into the country just hours before a scheduled performance. Chris took to Twitter to announce to fans...in a dignified manner. He tweeted;

"Unfortunately I will not be able to perform in front of sold out crowds in Montreal & Toronto. The good people of the Canadian government wouldn't allow me entry. I'll be back this summer and will hopefully see all my Canadian fans!"

Chris was scheduled to perform in Montreal and Toronto. And fans had already bought tickets. Die hard Chris Brown fans are now asking the US govt to ban Justin Bieber - who is Canadian - from entry into the US. According to TMZ, Canadian law dictates a person could be "criminally inadmissible" if they have been convicted of a crime involving assault.

Meet Jihadi John - The World's most wanted man

First picture of the face of the younger, normal, happy looking schoolboy who has now turned into the reviled, disgusting ISIS executioner, Jihadi John, who has publicly beheaded many foreign nationals and now the face of ISIS. Originally born in Kuwait before moving to UK at 6, his name is Mohammed Emwazi. 

He embraced British life, playing football in the affluent streets of West London while supporting Manchester United. Neighbours recalled a polite, quietly spoken boy who was studious at his Church of England school, where he was the only Muslim pupil in his class. The son of a Kuwaiti minicab driver, young Emwazi arrived in Britain speaking only a few words of English, and appeared more interested in football than in Islam. It was only after he won a place studying computing at the University of Westminster that his behaviour began to change.

Canada To Pay The Entire Cost ($250M) To Build A US Custom Plaza

In a photo from Jan. 6, 2015 in Detroit, the Ambassador Bridge leading into Windsor, Ontario is seen from Detroit. \CP

CBC
Canada has agreed to pay the entire cost to build a U.S. Customs plaza adjacent to the planned Detroit-Windsor bridge, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced in the House of Commons.

The federal government was already planning to pay for 95 per cent of the bridge, which will cost $2.1-billion and is expected to open in 2020.

The estimated price tag of the plaza is $250 million, but Raitt said Canada will recoup the cost through bridge tolls. The U.S. will pay for workers, operations and maintenance of the plaza in Detroit.

Al Shabaab Threatens to Attack Malls in the Canada, US & UK

Somalia-based terrorist group Al Shabaab, has threatened to attack malls in the Canada, United States, and United Kingdom.

The group made the threats via a video released over the weekend, NBC News reports.

In the video, the group’s lethal 2013 attack of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya in which 60 people died, was referenced. The terrorists reportedly stated that the purported impending attacks would be similar to that of Westgate.

The group is said to have specifically listed Minnesota’s Mall of America, which is reportedly America’s biggest mall, as a target.They also threatened to attack the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada. A specific UK target was not stated.

The management personnel from both of the aforementioned malls have announced heightened security measures.

US Mom Beats Daughter for Failing Classes & Forces Her to Wear Embarrassing Shirt

Melany Joyce Alexander

A Florida-based mom has been arrested for child abuse after beating her middle school daughter for getting all Fs in her classes.

In addition to beating her daughter with a metal-studded belt, 30-year-old Melany Joyce Alexander also made her wear an embarrassing t-shirt announcing her failure.

Here are photos of the front and back of the t-shirt she forced her child to wear to school:

Canada increases sanctions against Russia in response to Ukrainian conflict

 Prime Minister Stephen Harper responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Canadian Press 
Canada says it is intensifying economic sanctions against Russian individuals and companies in response to the tense situation in eastern Ukraine.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the move is being made in co-ordination with Canada's partners in Europe and the United States in response to what he says is Russia's backing of rebel forces in eastern Ukraine.

"Canada's position remains clear: we recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will never recognize the illegal Russian occupation of any part of the country," Harper said in a statement.

Whitney Houston Former Bodyguard's Account of Her Life Before Death

MailOnline

Whitney, Bobby, drugs & death..and why their daughter never stood a chance, by former bodyguard (who inspired the singer's hit movie), The Bodyguard, David Roberts (circled in the photo above), writes things about Whitney and Bobby that you've never read before. David, who worked for Whitney for 7 years said he wasn't surprised when he heard that Whitney had died, saying that he was more surprised by how long she'd lived.

It has been the painful and very public unravelling of an American Dream. Millions of fans around the world watched appalled as Whitney, the ultimate diva of her generation, descended into the chaotic ravages of drug abuse and then, eventually, death at 48.

And now, just three years later, her fate has been replicated in an equally shocking style. Today the singer’s 21-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, herself a drug addict, lies in a coma, hovering close to death. 

Lol! Canadian Sniper (American Sniper Parody)

Full list of nominees and winners at the 2015 Oscar

Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor for 'The Theory of Everything' while Julianne Moore won Best Actress for 'Still Alice.', her first Oscars. She's been nominated five times. John Legend and Common won an Oscar for Best Original Song for their Selma soundtrack 'Glory'. See the full list of winners after the cut...

Liberals Bid to make O Canada lyrics gender neutral opposed by Conservatives

Liberal MP Mauril Belanger wants to make the English lyrics of Canada's national anthem gender neutral by replacing the reference to "all our sons" with "all of us." (Holly Caruk/CBC)

CBC
A Liberal backbencher's bid to make O Canada more gender neutral by replacing the reference to "all thy sons" with "all of us" in the English lyrics seems set for defeat after several Conservative MPs — including the parliamentary secretary to the citizenship and immigration minister — spoke out against it during the opening round of debate on Monday morning.

In an impassioned address to a sparsely populated House of Commons, Ottawa Vanier Liberal MP Mauril Belanger argued that the change was not just necessary, but overdue.

"There are many reasons we would want to sing "in all of us command,'" he noted.

2015 Oscar Red Carpet Photos

The 2015 Academy Awards held last night in LA and Hollywood stars came out swinging. See all the photos after the cut 

More than 68 people including 19 children die in Bangladesh ferry disaster

More than 68 people including 19 children died after a passenger ferry capsized in the Padma River in the Manikganj district north of the capital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The double-Decker ferry sank after it was hit by a cargo vessel yesterday, Sunday February 22nd.

Many of those rescued were passengers on the upper deck who jumped into the river. The deputy commissioner of Manikganj, Rashida Ferdouse said it is unclear how many passengers were on the ferry but said they may be within the range of 100. She said that the death toll from the disaster could rise in the coming days as many more people are still missing

Convicted murderer Luka Magnotta to drop his appeal

CBC
Convicted murderer Luka Magnotta will withdraw his applications for an appeal, according to Radio-Canada.

He has asked to be present in the Court of Appeal tomorrow morning via video conference.

A jury in Montreal found the 32-year-old guilty of first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a body, publishing obscene material, mailing obscene material and criminal harassment in December.

Magnotta admitted to committing the acts, but his lawyer argued he should have been found not criminally responsible because of mental health issues.

Beyond Sad! ISIS Fighters Kill 21 Egyptians For Being Christians

A video released recently showed how ISIS fighters murdered 21 Egyptians for being Christians. The ISIS fighters were dressed head to toe in black marching the captives, all wearing orange jumpsuits, to a beach where they were all executed.

The 21 men, murdered because of their Christian faith, can be seen being forced onto their knees (in the photo above) before they were finally beheaded by the militants standing behind them.

Egyptian government has however vowed last night to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers.