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The hula hoop is a fabulous touch.

by caitlin white 7 hours ago

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Taylor Swift‘s brand new single—and second-ever No. 1 song—”Shake It Off” has the singer bumbling her way through a variety of different dance routines, but the gist of the song is to just be yourself no matter what.

Which is something that this little girl seems to have down pat. In fact, in the Instagram videothat her mother shot of her, she’s got moves that rival Swift’s own!

Tay Tay herself took to Twitter to point out just how free and joyful her dancing was:

Yes, this is definitely a deeper level than the rest of us. Sometimes it takes a child to really reveal the beauty in life.

Watch the moves yourself to experience the full-on perfection of her carefree dancing. Ahhh, to be young! Never change girly, never change.

She’d probably do a great job choreographing the 1989 tour to be honest! Considering Taylor’shistory with fan responses, something just might come of this after all.

Rebuilding Gaza could 'cost at least $7.8bn'

Palestinian Authority says reconstruction work in Gaza bombed by Israel could take up to five years to complete. LISTEN

The PA says rebuilding whole neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure could take up to five years [Reuters]

Palestinian experts say rebuilding Gaza could cost at least $7.8bn, in the most comprehensive assessment of the damage from the seven-week conflict with Israel. The Palestinian Authority said on Thursday that the process of rebuilding whole neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure would take "five years if Israel removed its blockade over Gaza entirely". "The attack on Gaza this time had no precedent, Gaza has been hit with a catastrophe and it needs immediate help," Palestinian economist, Mohammed Shtayyeh, told the Reuters. Gaza has been hit with a catastrophe and it needs immediate help Mohammed Shtayyeh,Palestinian economist Shtayyeh of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, who published the report, said it would cost $2.5bn to rebuild 17,000 Gazan homes razed by Israeli bombings. The report also said the energy sector would need $250m after Gaza's only power plant was destroyed, and the Palestinian Strip's education sector would need around $143m to get back on its feet. About half a million children have been unable to return to their schools due to damage or because the buildings are being used to house refugees, and over 106,000 Gazans have been displaced to UN shelters and host families, according to the UN. The assessment also earmarked $670m for an airport and sea port, a key demand by Hamas, the group that governs Gaza. The remaining cost was allocated to the financial, health, agriculture, and transportation sectors, all of which suffered widespread damage during the war. The Gaza strip, home to 1.8 million people and bordered by Israel and Egypt, was ravaged between July 8 and August 26 in its third war in six years. The conflict cost the lives of more than 2,140 Gazans, destroyed thousands of homes, severely damaged the enclave's sole power plant and burnt dozens of factories.

Source: Agencies

Twin boys stabbed to death by their brother who then killed himself

9 year old twin brothers Patrick and Thomas O'Driscoll were stabbed to death yesterday September 4th by their older half brother Jonathan, 20, who then killed himself about an hour later. Read the full story below...

Nine-year-old Patrick and Thomas O’Driscoll were dressed in their school uniforms when found dead in separate bedrooms by their younger brothers, aged three and five.

Their half-sibling Jonathan, 20, sped from the scene in Charleville, Co Cork, and was discovered hanged 15km away.

The tragic boys’ parents Tom and Ellen were shopping in nearby Kilmallock, Limerick, at the time.A security source told the Irish Mirror : “It was a frenzied attack, the boys were stabbed multiple times. It’s understood there are psychological issues involved.”

Other sources last night claimed Jonathan was adopted before the O’Driscolls later went on to have the twins.

The nine-year-olds, who were being minded by older sibling Jonathan, died in separate bedrooms hours after he collected them from school.

Their bloodied bodies were found shortly before 5pm by their younger brothers, aged three and five.

The toddlers then raced from the home and began screaming for help through a neighbour’s hedge. As a major emergency operation swung into action, Jonathan, 20, fled the scene.

He was found hanged from a tree by a riverbank in nearby Buttevant, an hour later.

The scene at the family home was last night described as horrific.

One source said: “Those poor little boys suffered a shocking death.”

Last night, the events leading to the shocking double killing remained unclear – but sources said the killer must have “just snapped”.

A next-door neighbour who raised the alarm said: “We were at home at about 5pm and the two young lads came over to the hedge.

“They were screaming at the top of their voices. They were roaring for my dad. We rang the [police] straight away.”

Schoolboys Patrick and Thomas – members of the settled Traveller community – were described by a neighbour as “a pair of rascals”.

Relatives were too distraught to comment last night.

Jonathan was minding the two boys while their parents were six miles away in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, and had collected them from Bawnogue school.

A car was seen driving away from the house after the attack in Deerpark, and just over an hour later Jonathan was found dead.

He was discovered by three children – a 10-year-old and two 14-year-olds.

HSE Air Corps air ambulance, based at Costume Barracks, Athlone, was dispatched to the family home to take the boys to hospital, however it was quickly stood down when it became clear the twins were already dead.

Ambulance crews from Mallow were met by the horrific bloody scene.

Around 30 grieving family members and friends gathered outside the small cottage, which was sealed off last night.

Local priest Fr Tom Naughton said the tragedy had shaken the entire community.

He added: “I am shocked, I know the family myself. I have prayed with the family before. Obviously any family who would have experienced a tragedy of this nature would be devastated.
“This it is deeply upsetting for any community, especially for one as close-knit as we are. We will offer our support to them, the whole community will be behind them at this very difficult time.”
Friends of the family took to Facebook last night to pay their respects, with one saying: “God it’s a sin what happened them two twins today, may God help the family that lost two beautiful children, may God give them a good bed in heaven.”
Another posted: “RIP to the two twins TomTom & Paddy that were stabbed to death, so sad two innocent children.”
A distant relative of the two boys said: “It really is a sin. God only knows what pain Thomas and Ellen are going through waiting years for their twin boys to only have nine years and their lives were taken.”

Police confirmed in a statement last night: “Officers in Charleville, Co Cork are investigating all the circumstances following the discovery of the bodies of two young boys in a house in Deerpark, Charleville shortly before 5pm on September 4.

“They were pronounced dead at the scene. The bodies remain at the scene and the area has been sealed off for technical examination, diversions are in place.

“The office of the State Pathologist has been notified and post mortemsare expected to be carried out."

Source UK Mirror

Atiku Abubakar declares interest in the 2015 presidential race

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has finally declared his interest in contesting in the 2015 presidential election on the ticket of the APC. Atiku said he will declare officially on Wednesday, September 24. This was contained in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mallam Garba Shenu, in Abuja this morning.

"The Turaki Adamawa will contest for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, in the 2015 presidential elections. The former Vice President will be making the declaration on Wednesday September 24." the statement read in part

At least 49 killed when water overturns bus in India

Srinagar, India -- At least 49 members of a wedding party are feared dead after a flash flood overturned a bus carrying them in the frontier Rajouri district of Indian-administered Kashmir, as heavy rain has caused flooding that has killed 20 other people.

A senior government official told CNN that the bus was on its way to Lam village near Nowshehra in Rajouri, 150 kilometers (93 miles) north of the city of Jammu, when fast water overturned it on a causeway.

"A massive operation is on to recover the bodies from the flooded stream. However, our efforts are being hampered by heavy rains and strong currents," said Jatinder Singh, a Rajouri district magistrate.

He said the bus was carrying more than 50 passengers. "Some passengers managed to jump off the bus. ... The exact number of passengers is not known yet. I don't think there will be any survivors now," he added.

Heavy rain has been falling in Indian-administered Kashmir since Tuesday. The weather has put government authorities on high alert.

Many villages and urban areas, including capital of Srinagar, have been inundated, with all waterways flowing above their danger marks.

According to an official statement, flooding has claimed 20 other lives so far, and 50 homes have been damaged across the state.

More than half a million sandbags have been prepared, the statement said, adding that people in flood areas are being told to move to safety.

The Indian air force has been asked to keep an air rescue plan in place, the statement said.

The local meteorological office has forecast no change in the weather until late Friday.

Bill Clinton Heads to Florida to Stump for Crist

Former President Clinton will head to Florida on Friday to campaign for Florida's Charlie Crist, who is looking to become the Democratic governor of the state he ran from 2007-2011 as a Republican.

Clinton campaigning for a Democratic candidate is nothing new, as he is stumping all over the country this year, particularly in places where President Obama is unpopular. And Democrats are always desperate to win in Florida, the fourth-largest state in the country and a key presidential battleground.

But this continues the complete political reinvention of Crist. Back in 1998, in an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate, Crist, then a Republican, said Clinton had "shattered the confidence and trust" of Americans and should resign from office.

Sixteen years later, the two will stand together at Miami's Marriott Marquis.

Crist left office in 2011 after a single term and an unsuccessful U.S. Senate run, in which he left the GOP and became an independent. Democrats recruited Crist to run for governor under their banner last year, and he officially won the party's nomination a few weeks ago.

Crist's successor, Republican Rick Scott, narrowly leads in most polls of the race. And Clinton's visit is providing him another opportunity to call Crist an opportunist. "I have a major announcement. Charlie Crist is a slick politician, a smooth talker, and I'm not," Scott told a crowd of Republicans yesterday at an event at diner in Coral Springs, just outside of Miami. "He will tell you anything you want to hear. .... But nothing will happen. He will get nothing done."

- Perry Bacon

'Guardian Angel' Credited After Plane Crash Near German Autobahn

MAINZ, Germany -- A pilot passed just feet above cars and trucks before crashing his plane next to a busy stretch of Germany's high-speed autobahn on Wednesday. “The pilot and the commuters surely had a guardian angel,” police spokeswoman Ramona Hoerst told NBC News after the aircraft flew into an embankment beside the A43 highway.

The 62-year-old pilot was able to escape the wreck on his own but suffered severe injuries. According to police reports, he was preparing to land at Loemuehle airfield when the four-seater Socata TB10 experienced a sudden loss of power. Traffic was backed up for miles as rescue workers used a crane to remove the aircraft from the undergrowth. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

- Andy Eckardt

Amerongen

Firefighters at the scene after a small plane landed beside the A43 autobahn in northern Germany on Wednesday.