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Rapper 21 Savage has finally been released on bond from ICE custody after the federal immigration agency detained him, alleging that he had overstayed his visa.

Officials said the rapper is a British citizen with a felony conviction, hence his arrest and attempt at deportation.

In a statement, lawyers Charles Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro said She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (his given name), was released yesterday.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Saint Laurent Don (@21savage) on

The lawyers said in the statement: “In the last 24 hours, in the wake of the Grammy Awards at which he was scheduled to attend and perform, we received notice that 21 Savage was granted an expedited hearing."

It continued; “Today, 21 Savage was granted a release on bond. He won his freedom. He will not forget this ordeal or any of the fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated.”

He was taken into custody on February 3, and had a wave of celebrities and authority figures campaigning for his release ever since.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Saint Laurent Don (@21savage) on

His lawyers claim to have been speaking with ICE ever since his arrest to “clarify his actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community and society.”

They previously stated that the 26-year-old rapper was brought to the US when he was only seven-years-old, with his legal status expiring in 2006.

“21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and supporters,” the statement also wrote. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Saint Laurent Don (@21savage) on

“He says that while he wasn’t present at the Grammy Awards, he was there in spirit”.

Finally, it read that 21 Savage is "grateful for the support from around the world and is more than ever, ready to be with his loved ones and continue making music that brings people together.”

Feature image: Instagam/@21savage

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If you want to feel VERY old, this is the news story for you.

Do we remember Rachel Green's adorable baby Emma? The toddler was played by twins Noelle and Cali Sheldon 15 years ago, and they're all grown up now.

The pair posted a photograph to Instagram for their sweet sixteen, sharing a tribute of their younger selves and it's the cutest.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Noelle Sheldon (@noelle.sheldon) on

Noelle and her sister are looking happy and carefree at the Museum of Ice Cream; she captioned the nostalgic snap; “Happy birthday @cali.sheldon."

Cali also posted a photo of herself and her sister, writing; "My partner in crime since ’02… happy birthday noelle!" 

The twins celebrate a major milestone and have also landed a role in Jordan Peele's upcoming horror flick Us, starring Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong'o and Elisabeth Moss.

It's safe to say they haven't strayed far from acting, though a horror movie is certainly different to their silver screen baby debut.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by cali (@cali.sheldon) on

Noelle posted the news to her Instagram alongside the film's trailer;

“The trailer for Us is out now! I put the link in my bio. So happy I got to be a part of this movie, it looks amazing and terrifying!” 

Friends ended back in 2004 and broke our hearts, but we all loved watching Emma grow up alongside her parents.

Ross and Rachel were played by Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, and we can only hope that they've kept in touch with the twins.

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Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old woman who was killed while protesting a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville last month, became a tragic symbol of the increasing racial tension in the United States.

And as her family, friends and wider community struggle to come to terms with her death, high-profile figures have shared their thoughts on the violent demonstrations taking place in the US.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Damon admitted he was truly stunned by the level of racism exhibited by young people in the States, saying: "It’s so much worse than I naively thought.”

Reflecting on the images which circulated widely in the wake of Heather's death, Matt continued: "I just feel naïve at this point. It was shocking to see those kids — they looked 20 and 30 years old — in button-down shirts, with Tiki torches, walking down the street."

"Those people are a lot younger than me. Who raised them? Again, I naively thought that, behind our generation, another one was coming with more awareness and inclusiveness, and that everything was getting better with each generation," he continued.

Echoing the thoughts of millions who were left dumbstruck by the footage which emerged out of Charlottesville, Matt added: "And to see these young, aggrieved, white boys walking with their torches and screaming ‘Jews will not replace us!’ It was just shocking."

Unsurprisingly, the 46-year-old actor took the opportunity to deride President Trump's feeble response to the violence, saying: "Then the night that the President [made his] ‘many sides’ comment was absolutely abhorrent.”

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An investigation has been launched after a young boy lost his life in a boating accident in the USA.

The eight-year-old Irish boy died in hospital on Saturday after the incident.

The boating accident occurred near Boston last Wednesday.

The boat that the boy was travelling on capsized, leading to his fatal injuries. 

He is said to have been under water for an extended period of time before being rescued. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs is assisting the family involved.

A spokesperson for the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said an investigation was under way into the boy's death, according to RTÉ. 

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Irish beef has been marked with the US seal of approval.

The US Department of Agriculture has awarded the quality shield to our beef, which means it has finally been granted approval to be marked as a product of Ireland in American shops.

Bord Bia has said that this is a great step for Irish agriculture, as the beef will identify as Irish to US consumers.

Image result for irish beef

This announcement comes on the first day of a week-long trade mission with the US.

The beef will have the USDA quality mark which guarantees that it has been raised on more than an 80 per cent grass diet; out to pasture for 6-8 months a year on from a sustainable, fully traceable quality-assured farm; and has been raised without the use of growth hormones.

Image result for irish beef

Speaking to RTÉ News, the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed said that the development is "significant."

Mr Creed added that after his meetings with President Trump's trade representatives, it was "abundantly clear" his administration was "settling in still."

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Aleppo is today under siege as remaining rebels clash with government and Russian forces in the eastern part of the city.

Witnessing the catastrophic scenes around them are ordinary Syrians – men, women, and children who are trapped and increasingly desperate as their options run out.

Some of those seemingly caught up in the violence have been posting chilling words online, sharing ‘final’ messages with a world they feel has abandoned them.

While the authenticity of the posts cannot be verified independently – the sentiment is nevertheless harrowing. Indeed, as one commentator on Twitter stated: "I don't know if the account is real or not but the suffering of the civilians of Aleppo is real."

And international humanitarian groups are already describing recent events as a “complete meltdown of humanity”.

As the bloody four-year long battle comes to an end, Russian state media is reporting that the rebels are cornered into an area of less than 5sq km.

The UN says that some 80 people have been executed by pro-government fighters in their homes and on the streets – adding that at least 13 of the dead are children.

"In these hours, it looks like a complete meltdown of humanity in Aleppo," the UN’s Rupert Colville commented today.

Citing a doctor on the ground, Unicef has also said that around 100 children “unaccompanied or separated from their families,” are trapped in a building under heavy attack.

"It is time for the world to stand up for the children of Aleppo and bring their living nightmare to an end," a spokesman for the organisation stated.

An emergency debate in the UK parliament today heard that humanitarian help is needed immediately to save lives and help those stranded in the city.

"Every hour, butcheries are carried out," the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights has furthermore claimed – as cited by CNN. The same news organisation has described the city as “a wasteland of carnage and rubble”.

The Syrian government has yet to comment on the killings in state-run media.

Conflict in Aleppo began in 2012 in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Springs unrest.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has from last year been supported by Russia; rebel forces are propped up by Turkey.

Initially, world powers including the US, France, and Britain publicly backed the anti-government fighters, but the rise of Isil in the region and the rebels’ increasingly pro-Islamic tendencies eventually dissolved this support. 

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The US Vice President is certainly having a bit of a moment on the internet – with the emergence of numerous light-hearted memes centring on the warm relationship he and President Barack Obama share.

However, the one image that has REALLY caught everyone's attention is a photograph of the dashing young Biden aged 26.

Holding what appears to be a bottle of wine in a brown paper bag, the politician – now 73 – can be seen looking into the camera like the dream-boat he was and is. 

And this morning, rumour was abound on social media that Joe's wife of almost 40 years, Jill, 65, had tweeted her own admiration for her spouse's handsome features. 

Sent from a profile that boasts 45,000 followers and named @JillBidenVeep, on closer inspection it seems it is merely a parody account.

Still, we reckon the real Jill – whose official account has a more robust 178,000 fans – would be fully on board with the same sentiment and that she's proud as punch of Joe's new-found online fame.

The snap of 26-year-old Mr Biden was originally shared on Joe's Instagram page more than two years ago to highlight the importance of the Affordable Care Act which allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until the age of 26.

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Ruth Fitzpatrick is 27 and is from Dublin. In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s US presidential election win, she felt compelled to speak out about her own harrowing experiences of sexual harassment, physical violence, and widespread misogyny.

This account has been written in her own words…

 

“Every four years we watch the American election extravaganza with a mixture of awe and thinly-veiled ridicule.

“But in reality, regardless of the result, we wake up the next morning and everything is largely unchanged.

“We feel a little smug, and then we move on. We have our own politicians to worry about and our own bills to pay.

“But today the world feels different. Because it is different.

“I made a decision just over a year ago to keep all negative experiences working overseas in the oil and gas industry private. I felt paralysed with guilt and shame. Indeed, less than half a dozen people – including those medical professionals who have helped me in recent months – knew the full extent of what actually happened.

“I had been well-informed and, I thought, well-prepared for my new job in August 2013: I was told on a number of occasions prior to me signing my contract that I would be one of very few – often the only – female workers living on the compound.  

“Quickly it began.

“‘Shut up. Be quiet. Shut up. Fat. Slut. Whore. Why don’t you wear skirts? Why don’t you wear make-up? Why do you wearing skirts now? Why don’t you wear more make-up? Fat. Slut. Whore. Shut up. Be quiet. Shut up.’

 

A photo posted by Ruth Fitzpatrick (@ruthiefizz) on

“Words do hurt. Words do break. And by the time the physical and sexual violence begins, words can have you so damaged that you feel completely stripped of power to stop it.

“Assault was daily. There were the constant derogatory comments about my appearance, and attempts to grope me during my work day. There was hair-pulling (I had no idea that that was a thing grown men did). Perpetrated by a small minority of men (but the majority rarely intervened) there were also moments of serious sexual and physical violence.

“It happened at a party: I was sitting at a table with a number of colleagues and some of the company’s clients. One colleague was convinced I had insulted him. Maybe I had. He was so angry he grabbed my head with such force that I sustained bruising and that he pulled out hair.

“He forced my head to his crotch and shouted: ‘SUCK MY COCK, BITCH: SUCK MY COCK.’

“There was some laughter. There was some mild scolding. One client, however, was appalled enough to get me away and back to my cabin. I probably would have archived this event like all the others: dismissed it as a simple workplace hazard and moved on. But the next day I had two separate visitors.

“The first was the man who had rescued me from the escalating situation the night before. He was horrified by what he’d witnessed. He gave me his details and told me to get in contact if I ever wanted to press charges.

“I realised it then: I had protected myself by creating a fantasy, a fantasy where I was completely at fault for everything that happened to me, and where if I felt upset it was only because I was overreacting. That an outsider approached me and told me what was happening was wrong shock me to my core.

“Then I had my second visitor: a colleague. He too was appalled. I truly believe that he did care for my welfare, but more importantly: he cared for the company’s reputation. He knew of or witnessed assaults committed by the same of equal or worse severity, but this was the first that had been in the full view of clients.

“He told me it would be dealt with unofficially, that I would have nothing to fear any more. I told him I wanted to make it official, and the climate changed: I was told in no uncertain terms that if I reported this or any other attack that I would have to give up my job, and that I would no longer be welcome. To those around me, I had become a troublemaker: a nasty woman.

“The next few weeks were some of the worst in my life. I was beginning to be ostracised by my colleagues and was constantly watched.

“Rumours were circulated with increased venom. And, to make matters worse, my food and water supply was controlled by my primary attacker.

 

A photo posted by SHEmazing! (@shemazingie) on

“I didn’t know how to leave. I didn’t want to admit to my family or friends what had happened to me or how long I had let it go on. In the end, it was the global downturn in the oil industry that got me out.

“As part of widespread cutbacks, my position was shed. And I doubt there has ever been anyone so happy to be fired.

“But I wasn’t yet free.

“Five months later I began to experience panic attacks and flashbacks which increased in frequency and severity. Whenever I was alone, I found myself reliving the worst moments of this period of my life. I turned to alcohol to try and stop these flashbacks from happening, and to self-harm when I couldn’t get them to stop. I was still so full of shame, and so reluctant to say what had happened to me was wrong. But I knew I needed help, and I sought help.

“Thanks to my really wonderful GP, I have been able to work through and recognise the traumas I experienced, and have felt like a perfectly normal, healthy human-being for the last four months.

However, this week, US president elect, Donald Trump, globally normalised what happened to me.

“And by supporting Donald Trump’s words and by dismissing his actions, people – particularly men – are allowing a deplorable culture where women are not safe and not equal to fester and grow.

“We are women. We are liars. We wanted it. We asked for it.

"I never wanted to be one of Trump’s ‘nasty' women, but the world I woke up to today gives me no choice. I felt too ashamed to tell my story before. But I know that that shame will be nothing compared to the shame I’d feel if I had to look at my three-year-old niece and know I had done nothing to try and make her world a better, safer place.

“From today I will be a nasty woman. I will be a nasty woman for her, and for every other little girl who might still have a chance of an equal future.

“I will be a nasty woman. In the hope they don’t have to.”

 

You can contact Women’s Aid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the charity’s national freephone helpline: 1800 341 900

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Ever look at your dog chasing his own tail and think ‘that mutt is a born leader’?  No, neither have we – but apparently in Minnesota canine politics isn’t all that uncommon.

The small US town of Cormorant has elected a nine-year-old Great Pyreness named Duke as its official mayor for the third year in a row after the giant fluffy white dog achieved a landslide victory in the town’s public vote.

According to the Mail Online, not one member of the town’s 1,000 person population ran against Duke in the election and the only other potential politician to earn a vote was Duke’s girlfriend Lassie who received one single show of support – was it from Duke?

Cormorant resident Karen Nelson told WDAY that she can think of no one in the area who could lead as well as the pampered pooch does.

She said: “I don't know who would run against him, because he's done such great things for the community.”

The prized pet first rose to power back in 2014 after he emerged top dog in the town’s write-in vote.  Since then he has dominated the area’s politics with his consistent ability to achieve electoral success.

For now Duke is the only dog in America to hold the title of mayor, but given the high level of satisfaction among his constituents maybe doggie politics could be the way to go.

Top centre image: Detroit Lakes Tribune

Centre image: AP

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A toddler is missing in Florida after seemingly being taken by an alligator at his hotel near the Disney World resort. 

US authorities led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife, Reedy Creek Fire Rescue, and the Sheriff’s Office, are desperately searching for the two-year-old, who was snatched at around 9.20pm local time.

It is being reported that the boy was dragged into the Seven Seas Lagoon near Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

The child's Nebraska-based family of five was relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator attacked.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that his father entered the water and tried to grab the child from the animal, but was unsuccessful. He had scratches on his arms after the ordeal.

Rose Silva, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed recently that the child has still not been found.

Witnesses say the reptile was more than 2metres long.

The search continues this morning.

 

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The Bachelor is probably reality television at both it's best and worst. 

In case you are not familiar, the show pits a dozen girls against each other in order to win the affections of one eligible, or just very rich, 'bachelor'.

The hit US series is currently looking to pair software salesman Ben Higgins with his dream girl but we reckon it's safe to say that controversial contestant Olivia is probably not his dream girl. 

In a scene that was most definitely not meant to be hilarious, Ben informs the ladies that he had lost two close friends in a tragic plane accident. 

And well, Olivia seizes this moment as her chance to get close to Ben. 

And she tries to empathise with him by…. describing how hard it to be self-conscious about your legs. 

No, seriously. 

Watch the cringe-inducing clip below: 

Ummmmm….

Posted by The Bachelor on Wednesday, January 20, 2016

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The young man suspected of killing and injuring students at an Oregon college yesterday idolised the IRA, social media posts suggest.

Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, was killed by police during a shootout at one of the classrooms at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.

He had begun his killing spree at 10.30am local time.

Police have confirmed that ten people are dead – including the gunman – although Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has said that 13 people were fatally wounded.

More than a dozen remain injured – some seriously.

A MySpace page belonging to Harper-Mercer contains pictures of masked gunmen and several references to the IRA.

Complete with the headline “British army could not defeat IRA,” another image shows the front page of a 2007 edition of An Phoblacht.

Meanwhile, one photograph of a group of Irishmen dressed in camouflage, wearing balaclavas and holding rifles was captioned “looking cool defending their country”.

He also wrote in a post about that he greatly admired Vester Flanagan, the gunman who killed a cameraman and presenter live on television in August.

The young man furthermore showed an interest in the Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook school shootings, having recently shared documentaries about the massacres online.

“He appears to be an angry young man who was very filled with hate,” a law enforcement official told The New York Times.

It is thought that he was a student at Umpqua at some stage: his name was listed as a production assistant for an forthcoming production of the Noel Coward play, Blithe Spirit.

Harper-Mercer was born in England but moved to the US as a youngster. He had been living with his mother just a few kilometres from the campus.

His father, Ian Mercer, said he was "shocked" and "devastated" by the news.

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