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Alabama Governor, Robert Bentley Resigns Over Affair With Former Senior Political Adviser, Rebekah Mason

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BentleyGovernor Robert Bentley resigned on Monday after pleading guilty to two campaign misdemeanors amid allegations that he misused public resources to pursue an affair with a former aide. He was also accused of intimidating officials in an attempt to cover it up.

Public allegations of an affair between Bentley and former senior political adviser Rebekah Caldwell Mason did not break out until March 2016, according to reports. “I have decided it is time for me to step down as Alabama’s governor,” Bentley, a Republican who faced mounting criticism from his own party, said at the state Capitol shortly after he was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and released.

Shortly afterward, Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, a former state treasurer, was sworn in as Alabama’s 54th governor, vowing that her administration “will be open, transparent, and it will be honest”. As part of a plea deal, Bentley agreed to perform 100 hours of community service and repay his campaign fund 8,912 dollars. He also forfeited the $36, 000 in the campaign account. In turn, the state Attorney-General’s office will not pursue felonies against him.

Bentley, 74,had faced an impeachment move from his Republican legislators. He apologized to the citizens of the state. “I’ve always believed the honour of serving as your governor was a calling that God placed on my life. “Though I have committed myself to working to improve the lives of the people of our state, there have been times that I have let you and our people down, and I’m sorry for that”.

Speculation about the governor’s inappropriate behavior began in August 2015, when Bentley’s wife of 50 years, Dianne, abruptly filed for divorce, stating in court records that their marriage had suffered an “irretrievable breakdown”. Speculations became rife after Bentley fired the state’s top law enforcement official, Spencer Collier, saying that an internal investigation at the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency uncovered possible wrongdoing.

Within hours, Collier spoke out against the governor, alleging that he had seen and investigated sexual text messages and audio recordings between Bentley and Mason. “When I stand behind you, and I put my arms around you, and I put my hands on your breasts and just pull you real close. I love that too,” Bentley said in one audio recording. “If we’re going to do what we did the other day, we’re going to have to start locking the door,” he was also heard saying.

According to reports, Bentley made little effort to hide his relationship with Mason while at one point, he mistakenly sent a text message saying, “I love you Rebekah”, to his then-wife, Dianne. Dianne also secretly recorded her husband speaking to Mason, reports said. Bentley, a state representative and dermatologist, was elected governor in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

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10 killed as two military helicopters collide in Malaysia

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Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 crew onboard, the country’s rescue agency said.

Footage shared online showed several helicopters flying low in formation over the Lumut naval base, located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The helicopters were participating in a flypast rehearsal ahead of Naval Day celebrations in May.

One chopper was seen clipping the rear rotor of another, causing both to go into a tailspin and crash.

“The two helicopters collided during flight training,” said Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, senior operations commander from the fire and rescue department, adding that all 10 crew members on board were confirmed dead by medical officers.

The two aircraft involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, the rescue agency said.

Photos showed the Eurocopter model heavily mangled in the wreckage on the naval base stadium track with rescue personnel surrounding it as well as various debris.

The AgustaWestland helicopter crashed at the naval base’s swimming pool area.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent his condolences to the families of the victims, saying “the nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy”.

“I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, especially TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy), to find the cause of the crash,” he said.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also shared condolences.

“Queen Zarith and I feel very sad over the loss of national heroes in this tragedy,” he said in a social media post.

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Israel launches counterattack on Iran

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Oil prices have surged by nearly 4 percent as Israel launched a missile attack on a target in Iran, according to international media reports.

Explosions were reported in Isfahan province in central Iran, where the country’s nuclear plant is located.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later announced that there was no damage to the plant.

Israel had promised a response to missile and drone attacks by Iran last weekend.

Iran had launched the attacks in response to the April 1 strike that killed its senior security officials at its embassy in Syria apparently carried out by Israel.

A US official told ABC News that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran, confirming reports of the explosion by the Asian country’s media.

There were also reports of blasts in Iraq and southern Syria.

Commercial flights we re-routed as parts of the Iranian airspace were closed.

Iran says it activated its air defence systems.

Israel is not planning further attacks and Iran is not going to retaliate either, according various officials quoted by the media.

Brent crude price is now over $90 per barrel, up from $87 before the strike.

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Dubai international airport cancels flights as flood ravages runway, UAE

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A year’s worth of rainfall in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, left the city flooded and disrupted airport operations.

A video posted online showed the tarmac of Dubai International Airport — recently crowned the second busiest in the world — underwater as massive aircraft attempted to navigate floodwaters.

CNN reports that nearly four inches (100 mm) of rain fell over the course of just 12 hours on Tuesday, according to the weather observations at the airport.

According to United Nations data, the rainfall was around what Dubai usually records in an entire year.

The flooding disrupted airport operations in the city, with multiple airlines announcing flight delays and cancelled flights on Wednesday.

Jets were said to have looked more like boats moving through the flooded airport, while other parts of the UAE also recorded heavy rainfall.

“Operations continue to be significantly disrupted. There is major flooding on access roads around Dubai leading to the airport,” the airport was quoted as saying.

The rain reportedly fell so heavily and quickly that motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles as the floodwater rose and roads turned into rivers.

Dubai, like the rest of the UAE, has a hot and dry climate. As such, rainfall is infrequent and the infrastructure to handle extreme events is not in place.

Many roads and other areas have insufficient drainage due to the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.

The rain that ravaged the city is associated with a larger storm system traversing the Arabian Peninsula, moving across Oman and Iran.

Experts said torrential rainfall will become frequent in the region due to human-driven climate change.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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