Serena Williams out in 2nd round at Wuhan

WUHAN, China -- Top-ranked Serena Williams retired from her second-round match due to a viral illness at the Wuhan Open on Tuesday, dropping a third match to Alize Cornet this year.

India's spacecraft reaches Mars orbit ... and history

India's Mars Orbiter Mission successfully entered Mars' orbit Wednesday morning, becoming the first nation to arrive on its first attempt and the first Asian country to reach the Red Planet.

Chinese Court Jails Uighur Scholar For Life on 'Separatism' Charge

The Obama administration expressed its outrage Tuesday after a Chinese court sentenced the country’s most prominent advocate for the rights of Muslim Uighur people to life in prison. Economics professor Ilham Tohti, 44, stood trial for two days last week on separatism charges in the western region of Xinjiang.

"I'm innocent, I protest," Tohti shouted to the court before the judge ordered police officers to drag him out of the courthouse, according to Tohti's lawyer, Li Fangping. Tohti, who is an ethnic Uighur, is the latest moderate intellectual to be convicted by Chinese President Xi Jinping's administration.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States was "deeply disturbed" by Tohti's sentence. "Peaceful dissent is not a crime," Kerry said in a statement. "This harsh sentence appears to be retribution for Professor Tohti's peaceful efforts to promote human rights for China's ethnic Uighur citizens."

President Barack Obama said the United States was "standing in solidarity" with people who have been detained, including Tohti and imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo. In a statement, the European Union condemned the sentence, calling it "completely unjustified".

In China, Tohti is regarded as an outspoken intellectual who has repeatedly criticized the government for not giving Xinjiang and its Uighurs more autonomy. His eight-month detention and harsh sentence is widely seen as part of a government crackdown on dissent in Xinjiang.

Dr Dre, Jay Z, Drake top the World's Highest Paid Hip-Hop Acts of 2014

Forbes released their annual list of Highest Paid Hip Hop Acts today and of course, Dr Dre led the pack with a whooping $620 million from June 2013 to June 2014. Apple bought his Beats by Dre for $3billion so... See the top ten highest paid below...

1. Dr. Dre - $620 million
2.  Jay Z (tie) - $60 million
2. Diddy (tie) - $60 million
4. Drake - $33million
5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - $32 million
6. Kanye West: $30 million
7. Birdman: $24 million
8. Lil Wayne: $23 million
9. Pharrell Williams: $22 million
10. Eminem: $18 million
See the top 20 after the cut...

11. Nicki Minaj: $14 million
12. Wiz Khalifa: $13 million
13. Pitbull: $12 million
14. Snoop Dogg: $10 million
15. Kendrick Lamar: $9 million
16. Ludacris: $8 million (tie)
16. Tech N9ne: $8 million (tie)
16. Swizz Beatz: $8 million (tie)
16. 50 Cent: $8 million (tie)
20. Rick Ross: $7 million (tie)
20. J. Cole: $7 million (tie)
20. DJ Khaled: $7 million (tie)
20. Lil Jon: $7 million (tie)
20. Mac Miller: $7 million (tie)

Rochas Okorocha and his bicycle...

Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha celebrated his

Another reporter present at Synagogue comes for Nicholas Ibekwe

Reporter Bayo Akinloye was one of those at the Synagogue church when T.B Joshua offered N50k to journalists. He says Nicholas wasn't the only journalist who refused the money and says Nicholas maligning his colleagues is sad, evil and unprofessional. See more tweets after the cut...

Gen. Olukolade denies releasing any statement stating Chibok girls were released

 

The Defence Headquarters spokesman, Gen Chris Olukolade has denied claims he issued a statement earlier today confirming the release of some Chibok girls. See more tweets after the cut...