It was once a smoke-spewing industrial behemoth overlooking Sydney Harbour, providing power for the city's rail and tram network. But the now white elephant White Bay Power Station is set to be brought back to life thanks to a $1 billion makeover, with rumours Google has its sights set on it for its Australian headquarters. Built in 1912, the 38,000 square metre site has had a colourful past, and a tour through the ruins is like stepping back more than 100 years - if you can ignore the crumbling walls, eerie industrial equipment and 100 tonnes of bird droppings which covered the floor of the old dance hall. Asbestos-riddled and home to more pigeons than could be counted before Daily Mail Australia was taken through the cavernous building - not to mention the local bat colony - the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority spent nearly $5 million in 2014 to preserve what was still standing. Among the items still standing idle inside are the old lockers used by employees and storage rooms which dot the building, in this throwback to a bygone era. The bathrooms, fitted even before the advent of the First World War, are lined with graffiti now and the paint is peeling off the old ceramic tiles, which have been preserved in almost pristine condition hidden underneath. 'These buildings are so strong, there are no cracks, it will be great when it happens,' archaeologist Dr Wayne Johnson said. 'It is considered a very significant building and any work has to be done with a strict conservation plan but you can see there is a lot of room for everything else. 'The vastness of it, the great cavernous spaces, the machinery, there's nothing quite like this. 'All you see here represents the whole thing from 1912 until it closed in the 1980s. 'There's evidence of the whole history of its function and enough machinery has been kept so you understand what a power station does.' In the 1950s and 1960s, with the White Bay Power Station at its pomp, local swimmers happened across a novel and secret way to keep up their training in the cold winter months. The water, which would be used to bring the temperatures of the boilers down, would then run off through the underground canal and out into the nearby bay - where John Devitt, a 1960 Olympic gold medallist, was one of the first to recognise its benefits. Dr Johnson claims that 'it is like a piece of industrial archaeology, it reads like a book, you look and you know what it did'. Steve Tadic is the security guard and he keeps his precinct under a tight watch. He's spent more than 20 years in charge. 'Eh you, come here and sign the book' he calls out, with absolute authority, to two workmen who arrive and forget to report in. 'It was very dangerous before they did the work, the homeless people were here,' he said. 'It's a vast cavernous building and you just don't see space like this near a major city with so much artefact like machinery still intact,' said archaeologist Dr Wayne Johnson . The view from above. A watch-room, perched high above the work floor is badly amaged and decaying after decades of non-use . Asbestos sheets, broken glass and timber litters the no-go zone at the last remaining power station of its type in New South Wales . A staple of most dining halls in Australia in the past, the pie oven, this one from 1950, is found in the power station's dining room . Peering into the past and the secret of Olympic success. The canal flushing out the water used to cool the systems down would flow into the bay immediately outside the factory, which became a training pool for gold medal winners like John Devitt in the 1960s . Room with a million dollar view. Authorities have boarded up the windows of the disused power station but any extensive redevelopment will reveal a spectacular panorama of Sydney's famous harbour . The train lines into the old power station are still in place where locomotives laden with coal would unload into an underground storage before it was pushed up the conveyor belt (centre) and then fall down into the boiler rooms, pictured at right . The White Bay Power Station supplied most of the energy needed for Sydney's rail and tram system plus pumping electricity back into the main grid when demand was at high levels during winter and holiday periods . The two smoke stacks, which are 'like two beacons' pointing the way into the city of Sydney. It was once a smoke-spewing industrial behemoth overlooking Sydney Harbour, providing power for the city's rail and tram network. Sirocco machinery pictured inside the abandoned power station. The huge fans were developed for use in power stations in the late 1800s . The old boiler houses became a haven for "cave clan" urban explorers and graffiti gangs for more than 30 years before the restoration was undertaken and security beefed up . Much of the heavy oak desks and marble work has stood the test of time, including this clerical and reception space inside the original building at the White Bay Power Station . The main foreman's watch-room up above the factory floor in now in a sorry state, with vandals having taken to it as they had to many parts of the site . The White Bay Power Station was built from 1912, finally came on line in 1917 and operated until it was decommissioned in late 1983. It was the longest serving power station of its type. The original control room remains in place . Old bathrooms have been boarded up. The bathrooms are lined with graffiti now and the paint is peeling off the old ceramic tiles . The original entry point of the Power Station . The walls are showing the signs of wear and tear, with the original paintwork falling off . The workers' wash rooms, some items fitted before World War I, have been unused for decades . Asbestos riddled and home to more pigeons that could be counted and the local bat colony, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority spent nearly $5 million a year ago, to preserve what was left. But holes are still visible throughout the floor . The dance hall has been cleaned up, if not fully restored. Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority officials arrived to find 100 tonnes of bird droppings filling the room . The old stage remains intact inside the dance hall which hasn't seen any entertainment since the 1950s . The band stand in full flow during a Christmas party for the station's workers in the 1950s . Employees enjoying a performance in the dance hall at the White Bay Power Station in Sydney, just three kilometres from the CBD . The communications board too has somehow stood the test of time, a kind of early 20th century ABN . The walk down to the station engineer's office with signage making it clear the process required after hours . 'There's evidence of whole history of its function and enough machinery has been kept so you understand what a power station does. It is like a piece of industrial archaeology, it reads like a book, you look and you know what it did' said Dr Johnson . And how it looked way back when. The factory floor with boilers in full flow and workers keeping a close eye . One upon a time this equipment was providing most of the power for Sydney's train and tram system . The lights of days gone by litter the floors of the remaining boiler rooms . The roof fixed on the main building and dance hall tidied, there is still no access granted to the public, unless you've been taken through the security check and donned the white contamination suit, for concern over lingering levels of asbestos inside. Several sections are still boarded up to keep away the unwanted intruders, still, the most spectacular view of the harbour panorama that once was, is visible through the slats. The communications board too has somehow stood the test of time, set on the wall almost as a kind of early 20th century ABN. Sadly the definitive foreman towers, perched metres above the work-floor, are not so sound, clearly falling apart .. vandalised and struggling with the sands of time. Elsewhere, shattered glass and broken bits of timber need to be negotiated, as do collapsing floors for fear of plunging many metres. A danger zone, which even the city's so-called "cave-dwellers" have declared a no-go zone because of its decaying state. 'In 1912, when it was built, there was a certain capacity, and then in the 1920s they had to enlarge it and then the next boiler hall was brought in during the 50s.' Not only was it source of power for the red rattlers, it would also supplement Sydney's electricity needs during periods of high demand, particularly over Christmas and New Year, in the decades past. Those were the halcyon days, before the power station was decommissioned on Christmas Day in 1983.

There are plans to turn a 100-year-old abandoned and decaying coal-fired power station into a billion dollar shopping and apartment complex . Pigeons and bats made the buildings their home for three decades until $5 million was spent to stop them destroying industrial artefacts . 100 tonnes of droppings had to be removed from the old dance hall . The original boiler rooms and machinery have finally been preserved in the part-heritage listed site . Rumours that Google may relocate its offices to the site . Olympic swimmers in the 50s trained in the heated water flushed out of the station canal into the nearby bay during winter months .

200 million restoration that will return it to its former glory.
"The site of the old White Bay Power Station is one of the largest and most significant urban regeneration projects in Australia and we are delighted to see work starting on site today," NSW Minister for Finance and Small Business John Sidoti said on 6 March 2018.
"This development will generate local jobs, provide a boost to the local economy and support more than 500 jobs to be delivered during construction. The power station is a prime location right by Sydney's biggest growth corridor, will provide homes for thousands of Sydney families and will bring new, exciting retail, office and community facilities right into the heart of Sydney."
READ MORE: Major new Sydney park to be unveiled as part of White Bay Power Station redevelopment
Restoration underway
The $200 million redevelopment, called White Bay Park, will create a new 50ha central park between Darlington and Sydenham Stations, providing the public with green and recreational space to relax and play, right in the heart of the city.
As well as providing a beautiful oasis in the midst of the city, it will create room for more than 1000 new homes across five residential buildings in a mix of high density, medium density and detached dwellings, as well as offices, childcare, retail and community facilities.
"The redevelopment of White Bay Power Station will transform the site into one of Sydney's biggest urban renewal projects," John Sidoti said.
In its heyday it was home to the biggest industrial smokestack in Australia, which produced enough electricity for the tram network. In the mid-1960s, the 15 chimneys were demolished to make way for the modernisation of the power station.
The new regeneration project will see the demolition of 16 buildings to make way for the new construction, which will feature a central park and over 1km of waterfront promenade. The plan was given the green light by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) in October 2017.
READ MORE: What is Sydney's new plan to build?
White Bay Power Station is set to be the biggest private sector investment in Sydney's inner western suburbs for the next 20 years, according to Minister for Planning and Environment Rob Stokes.
"Sydney's inner west is experiencing the biggest housing boom in the city's history and is set to host the biggest private sector investment in Sydney's inner western suburbs for the next 20 years," he


A grandfather has transformed his garden into an Oriental haven complete with a Japanese tea house shed - in Essex. Derek Verlander has never been to the Far East but has spent 30 years at his home near Chelmsford creating an elaborate Japanese-style garden. Its tea house centrepiece holds a collection of Samurai swords, sake jars, lanterns and other Japanese ornaments. Oriental wonderland: Derek Verlander has spent 30 years at his home near Chelmsford creating an elaborate Japanese-style garden . In the middle: The garden's tea house centrepiece holds a collection of Samurai swords, sake jars, lanterns and other Japanese ornaments . Mr Verlander - who has entered the 2015 Shed of the Year competition - turned a disused railway cutting into a pretty pond with koi carp. And his beautiful garden also boasts a Japanese-style bridge, 40ft waterfall, bonsai trees and Buddha statues. Other sheds entered for the annual competition include a castle, bar, nightclub, diner, beach hut, pirate ship, pagoda and chapel. They are located in areas from Cheshire to Northamptonshire and Surrey to Nottinghamshire – and entries are still being accepted until April 7. The competition, which celebrates the best of British sheds, invites 'sheddies' to enter their unusual shed creations for a chance to win £1,000. Retired print worker Mr Verlander said that he relied on library books and magazines for inspiration about all things Japanese. He said: ‘The end of my garden is in a dip from a railway cutting. 'Some of my neighbours filled theirs in but I decided to create a pond and got some koi carp from a woman in Basildon. King of the castle: The Ballroom Shed in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, which is another entry in the 2015 Shed of the Year competition . Wheely good: The Pear Tree Wedding HQ shed in Northamptonshire - the base of a vintage and classic Volkswagen wedding hire company . Small opening: The Hobbit House in Merseyside, which has entered the annual competition sponsored by garden woodcare firm Cuprinol . ‘Then when I looked on books about koi carp, I saw pictures of Japanese gardens and thought that was a nice theme to go with. At the beginning, the garden was a wilderness. 'It has become a 30-year project, doing a bit more year by year. 'I got the idea of the Japanese bridge from a picture of one I saw in a library book. ‘I have had three bridges down the years as the first two were made from soft wood that rotted. 'I prune holly bushes and fir trees into different shapes to make the garden look more Japanese. ‘I have got two Buddhas and three statues of bald-headed monks. 'And five years ago, I saw a picture in a magazine featuring the Chelsea Flower Show of a traditional Japanese tea house. So I decided to create a Westernised version of it.’ Mr Verlander was quoted £7,000 by a local firm to build the tea house – so set about doing it himself for under £1,000. Idyllic location: The Otter Retreat Shed in Nottinghamshire, which has been entered by one of many 'sheddies' in Britain . Yo ho ho: The impressive Pirate Retreat in Croydon (left) and the unusually-shaped Curves and Colour Shed in London (right) Nautical bar: The interior of the Jack & Anchor Shed in Saltash, Cornwall - near Plymouth - which is another entry in the competition . The two-tier roof is made of cedar shingles with frosted Perspex used for the walls and doors. Mr Verlander relied on recycled kitchen doors and shower screens too to cut costs. The tea house also contains a tropical fish tank, TV and DVD player, sound system, bar, fridge - and a kettle. Mr Verlander said: ‘I have never actually been to Japan and I prefer ordinary tea, so I have Typhoo in the teahouse.  My wife Linda and I have the odd gin and tonic in there too. 'I collect Japanese ornaments for the tea house very cheaply from charity shops. 'I got some sake jars for only 30 pence each. My wife has girls’ evenings in the tea house with her friends and our grandchildren love it - although they call it the “treehouse”. “I go down there every day to feed the fish. If I win the “Shed of the Year” competition I will have to put the prize money towards a trip to Japan for us.’ Up high: Terry's Treehouse in Gloucestershire (left) and the Bikers Shed in Bosham near Chichester, West Sussex (right) Fancy a drink? The Moody Cow in Great Sutton, Cheshire - an entry to the competition, which celebrates the best of British sheds . The Shedservatory Shed in Amersham in Buckinghamshire is styled around the design of a conservatory but in an outdoor wooden shed . The Picked Newt Shed from Wirksworth in Derbyshire has been created as a pub, complete with beer taps, bar stools and fruit machines . In Northamptonshire Pear Tree weddings have made a shed their headquarters, housing dozens of rolls of ribbon and decorations . The competition is sponsored by garden woodcare firm Cuprinol . [SOURCE: Cuprinol research] . The company's latest survey of 1,500 shed owners revealed that they average 1.7 hours a week - nearly four whole days a year - in their shack. The average value of shed contents is £450 but almost three quarters – 71 per cent - are hoarding useless items in their sheds. And almost a third - 32 per cent - admit their shed is so messy that they can barely get in through the door. A Cuprinol spokesman said: ‘It’s clear from this year’s report that the nation are still fanatical about their sheds. ‘We really do hope it will inspire those who are hoarding useless items to clear out their sheds and show them some love. ‘Whatever you use your shed for, the annual Shed of the Year competition celebrates the best of British sheds.’

Derek Verlander has never been to the Far East but has spent 30 years creating elaborate Japanese-style garden . Tea house centrepiece at garden near Chelmsford, Essex, holds Samurai sword collection, sake jars and lanterns . His garden is among entrants for 2015 Shed of the Year competition - which still has a month until its closing date . Other sheds entered for the annual competition include a castle, bar, nightclub, diner, beach hut and pirate ship .

 shrine. As Derek explained to BBC East Midlands Today, he bought the land in 1976 after taking early retirement, and built the shed out of scrap wood and scrap metal to use as a man shed. Derek went on to turn the land surrounding his shed into the rest of the garden, planting trees, bamboo, and various shrubs, as well as some bamboo-like ‘ferns’ in a pond. ‘It’s a bit Japanese,’ he told the BBC. ‘It’s called Zen, it’s supposed to be meditative so there’s no sounds at all.’ He added: ‘But it is quite good for a bit of gardening.' He has built a number of other structures within the garden, including his old shed, a log cabin and a shed made entirely out of pallets which he uses to store his tools. ‘I make a lot of tools that I then use to make things that are necessary,' Derek added. 'I have a shed which looks more like an old Japanese house and if I want to make some Japanese tools I have got to know what it looks like.'
The 80-year-old has had a colourful life – including running a pub for 21 years and working as a welder. However, Derek said he doesn’t miss his time at the pub as much as he misses his time as a teacher of art at a special school in Saffron Walden, Hertfordshire, which closed down in the 1990s. He said of his career in the field: ‘It was something I enjoyed very much and I miss it because I’m not doing it anymore. The last job I did was to paint some pictures for a local pub [recently] which are now hanging in the shed. ‘When we had a pub that was called The Stag it used to be very popular. A lot of people from the RAF base used to come along. My wife was running the bar at the time and she would run up and down the pub all the time - it was quite strenuous.’ The grandfather said his garden is a place for him to relax in the ‘very hot’ weather of Essex. ‘I sit in the shade,’ he said. ‘It’s a bit overgrown this year because I’ve had a rough couple of months because I had a triple heart bypass in May.’
Derek hopes that


Aaron Ramsey believes Wales can pull off a summer surprise against Belgium and take a huge stride towards reaching the Euro 2016 finals in France. Wales coasted to a 3-0 victory over Israel in Haifa on Saturday night to top Group B in European Championship qualifying, with their next game at home to group favourites Belgium on June 12. Belgium are ranked fourth in the world and made their own statement of intent on Saturday when they thrashed Cyprus 5-0 in Brussels. Aaron Ramsey (right) insists Wales can spring a surprise against Belgium on June 12 . Ramsey wheels away in celebration after scoring the first goal during Wales' 3-0 victory against Israel . The Red Devils will top the group by beating Israel in Jerusalem on Tuesday but Wales held Belgium in Brussels in November and Ramsey believes they can upset them again in the return fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium. 'We'll be looking forward to Belgium,' Ramsey said after opening the scoring against Israel with his ninth international goal. 'It's a tough game but we are full of confidence at the moment. We are top of the group, so why can't we win the game?' Arsenal midfielder Ramsey revealed his goal celebration when he pointed to the heavens was in honour of his grandmother who died last weekend. 'My nan passed away on the weekend, that's why it's been quite tough,' Ramsey said. Ramsey (right) points to the heavens in honour of his grandmother who died last weekend . Ramsey was mobbed by his Wales team-mates after putting them ahead at the end of the first half . 'My goal was for her. I'm just really proud I could score the goal for her. I know she's looking down on me and I was glad I could score. 'I shut my eyes, got my head on it and thankfully it went in. It was a great performance and 'Ginge' (James Collins) said in the dressing room that's maybe the best performance away from home he has been involved in. 'We looked quite comfortable and played with a lot of belief. 'It was a great performance from the boys, we came here believing we could get a result and we managed to do it. 'We kept ourselves in the game, defended really well and then we got the goal before half-time and it opened up a bit more.' Marouane Fellaini scored twice to help Belgium to an impressive 5-0 victory against Cyprus on Saturday . Eden Hazard (left) bagged a goal and an assist as Belgium continued their Group B march . Ramsey's goal preceded a double strike from Gareth Bale which took the game away from 10-man Israel in the second half. Bale's form for Real Madrid has been widely criticised in Spain but he has now scored six goals in his last six appearances for his country. 'He was unbelievable,' Ramsey said. 'Every time he comes away with Wales he puts on a performance. He got two goals himself and an assist, it was a good job for him.' Ramsey hailed his Welsh team-mate Gareth Bale as 'unbelievable' following his two-goal performance . Bale uploaded this picture to Instagram afterwards with the caption 'what a performance from the lads' Wales now have 11 points from five games and manager Chris Coleman believes 20 will prove enough to claim one of the two automatic qualifying spots on offer. 'You've got to be really unlucky if you get to 20 and you don't get to the first top two,' Coleman said. 'We've done some good work and we're on the right road but there's some distance left. We've got the chance to prove we are the best Welsh team since the one that qualified for the 1958 World Cup. 'I played in Welsh teams in 1994 and 2004 where we nearly did it and now we have the opportunity to go a step further. 'People say it's a golden generation but we need to earn it. We're doing it but we've not done it yet. 'But we want the chance to prove since 1958 this team is as good as anything that's gone before.'

Aaron Ramsey insists Wales can spring a surprise against Belgium . Wales earned 3-0 Group B victory against Israel on Saturday night . Chris Coleman's face Red Devils in Euro 2016 qualifier on June 12 . Ramsey gave hosts the lead before Gareth Bale bagged a brace .

 of Euro 2016 qualifying.
The 22-year-old Arsenal player was handed an unexpected start in a holding midfield role and responded with a composed and assured showing in the middle of the park. After a lively performance against Israel and the encouraging draw against Serbia in Belgrade, Ramsey and Co. are in prime position to reach the Euros with victory over Belgium in Cardiff on Wednesday.
“I am not saying we can win the group, but it would make a big difference to our chances if we won here,” he told the media. “I want to be a key player for Wales and be a part of the European Championships. It’s about getting that first result. It would be a massive bonus but we have to be careful. We have a chance to win this group.
“It has been nice playing with Aaron, but we have a different game plan against Belgium,” Gareth Bale told Sky Sports. “The midfield three must be solid. There is a lot of possession football to be played and we have to keep the ball.”
Wales’ victory over Israel is the third biggest winning margin recorded in a qualifier and the team’s biggest result since beating Austria 5-0 in Cardiff in 2004. Goals from Bale, Ashley Williams and Hal Robson-Kanu sealed the win.
Ramsey may have just 35 caps under his belt, but he has played a vital role for Wales in their pursuit of World Cup 2018 qualification. He was one of few positives on a disappointing night for the Welsh in Serbia, helping set up a late goal for Craig Bellamy.
Wales have struggled to make a mark in competitive football for a number of years and are aiming to reach their first finals in the modern era. They have never beaten Belgium and have never played the tournament favourites in competitive football. However, Ramsey believes it is just another game to him.
“Playing at the Olympics is like playing a Champions League final,” he said. “It is the biggest game. You would have a week off to prepare and then you know it could decide the whole future of the team.
“We can be the team that surprises everyone [at the Euros],” added Ramsey. “Hopefully we can do it [qualify] and it will be a very good achievement. It will be a very good summer for Welsh football.”
Ramsey will line up against Roberto Martinez’s Belgian outfit on Wednesday and will be one of many players facing their international managers


(CNN)Ben Carson suggested to CNN on Wednesday that prisons can turn straight people gay. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee called being gay a lifestyle choice, like drinking alcohol. I guess the next thing these two presumed 2016 presidential hopefuls will tell America is being black is a choice, too. Like it or not, it's no wonder Jeb Bush is emerging as the Republican Party's 2016 frontrunner. Of course, there is that awkward little name thing, something he seems fully aware of -- despite only being in the exploratory phase of a potential campaign, Jeb has already declared he's not just another Bush.  "A lot of people know my dad, they know my brother. As in everybody's family, we're all a little different," he reportedly told a crowd in Las Vegas this week. And he seems to keep trying to distance himself from his family. "Do you have brothers and sisters? Are you exactly the same?" he insisted. Yet Jeb is banking hard on the same vault of donors and operatives his father George H. W Bush and his brother George W. Bush used in their presidential campaigns. He's already raising lots of money, asking donors recently not to give more than a still eye-popping $1 million to his super PAC. "They didn't need to be persuaded," Howard Leach, a Republican fundraiser for Jeb, told the Washington Post. So, what exactly is in a name like Bush? Apparently, a whole lot of cash, which helps win presidential nominations and elections. And if Jeb wins the nomination in 2016, it will likely be less "joyfully," as he promised last year, than ruthlessly. After all, we're still more than 18 months from the election and Jeb's locking in many of the same kinds of consultants that worked with his brother and father. "Those who hold out can sense a distinct chill," noted a recent New York Times article. Jeb's campaign is seeking to hire "donors, advisors and operatives," wrote the Times, with "deep connections to the Bush family's past presidential campaigns and administrations." Those same family members from whom Jeb swears he's different? And if consultants don't abide by Jeb's rules of loyalty and decide to work with other 2016 Republican aspirants? "Swift rebuke follows," the Times notes, pointing to the example of IMGE, a technology company that reportedly fell out of favor with the Bush campaign after one of the firm's founders indicated IMGE was hoping not to be tied to a single candidate. None of this is to suggest that Jeb Bush doesn't have appeal as a candidate -- I like some of the things he did as Florida governor, like his record of cutting $19 billion in taxes and supporting school choice programs. (Although I'm not a fan of his willingness to grant illegal immigrants amnesty in any shape, fashion or form.) He seems more equipped to lead America and get things done than some others in the already cramped horse race like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who seems more concerned with telling people off than sounding presidential. Then there's Rick Santorum and Huckabee, caring Christian men, but both too consumed with running for president of morality than bringing the entire country together after years of Obama supposedly dividing us on race, religion and sexuality. But what troubles me a little about Bush's early attempts at "corning the market" is that he's relying on the same consultants that have cycled through the last 20-plus years of elections -- some of whom worked for Romney's campaign. This raises the question of why, if Jeb doesn't want the public to view him as just another Bush running for president, he seems to be relying on the Bush network of consultants? The same playbook that helped get his brother and father get elected president isn't going to work for this Bush. The demographics of the country have changed, but it seems unlikely the Republican Party and its operatives have changed with it. The truth is that any Republican candidate who wins the nomination will have to refrain from business as usual. He (let's face it, the GOP won't nominate a woman) will have to hire minorities and women in meaningful campaign positions and have a strategy to aggressively compete for minority votes. This is something Romney didn't do nearly enough of. Jeb is only in the "pre-presidential" phase, ruminating over the idea. But he appears to be assembling a lot of the same old (white) faces of recent losing Republican campaigns we've seen before. As a black conservative who would like to see a Republican in the White House again, I hope Jeb isn't Romney 2.0.

Crystal Wright: Jeb Bush emerging as GOP's 2016 frontrunner . Previous Bush playbooks won't work this time, she says .

 Republican presidential candidates will be discussing is whether or not we're all just a little bit black.
These are just two examples of "crazy talk" on "crazy talk central," the comments section below the "crazy talk" story about Ben Carson's crazy talk.
I haven't commented, but if I were to do so, I probably would have said something along the lines of, "Carson is right. I was born straight and then all of a sudden I became gay." Or, maybe I would have responded to a commenter who claimed he couldn't understand how gays become gay by saying, "All of a sudden? How do you think it happened?"
Maybe I would have said, "Carson is correct, though. He did become straight. It was actually a long, hard process of prayer and fasting, until a close friend told him to just let go of the need to have an erection, and there he was."
Or I might have told another commenter that she was correct about one thing: We are not born black; we become black.
Here's the thing, I could have written some crazy stuff about how Carson is right, and even if he's wrong, he's (rightly) correct. And that would probably make the CNN comments section look like a pretty darn boring place to hang out. The real crazy stuff happens here, where you're almost guaranteed to see some of the most offensive comments from the most offensive people in America.
"I've said it before. My wife was raped. Her being raped is what made me straight." That would be one. "Being gay is a choice, just like alcoholism. A person can choose to do it but can't choose to stop it." That was another.
A bunch of these comments remind me of the last time someone floated the claim that gays are being "converted" in jails and prisons:
The gay-conversion comment is an easy way to get attention and stir the pot. But let's look at the numbers.
According to a 2009 report published in The Lancet, the British medical journal, roughly 7% of gay people say their sexual orientation changed. Roughly 20% said they are "attracted to both sexes," so that brings the total of people who report being gay — in some form or fashion — to 27%. Another 20% are bisexual


A brave transgender teenager came out in front of his entire class. Tom Sosnik, 13, of Fresno, California, first read the suicide note written by Leelah Alcorn, another tragic teen who took her own life at the end of last year. He then told the students; 'I am no longer Mia. I never really was.' Scroll down for video . Tom Sosnik (above) came out as transgender to his class . Sosnik (above) told his fellow students; 'I am not Mia. I never really was' Sosnik (above with Glee star Lauren Potter) when he was Mia . The middle school student then said; 'And now I finally stand before you in my true and authentic gender identity as Tom. I stand before you as a 13-year-old boy.' Tom then detailed his struggle over the past few years, and what it took to bring him to the moment where he made this announcement. He eloquently explained his challenges, saying; 'For a while, I dismissed the fact that I hated my body. I pretended to be content with what I was assigned until, at a certain point, I broke.' Sosnik began his speech by reading the tragic suicide note of Leelah Alcorn (above) He then added; 'I went through a series of horrible breakdowns. And I would stand under the water in the shower crying. I knew I wasn't happy.' He also took some time to let other students know if they were struggling with their sexual identity or orientation, he was there for them. 'I want you to know that if no one else accepts you, I always will,' he said. If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue. Please don't be sad, it's for the better. The life I would've lived isn't worth living in… because I'm transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy's body, and I've felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally 'boyish' things to try to fit in. When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn't make mistakes, that I am wrong. If you are reading this, parents, please don't tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don't ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won't do anything but make them hate them self. That's exactly what it did to me. My mom started taking me to a therapist, but would only take me to christian therapists, (who were all very biased) so I never actually got the therapy I needed to cure me of my depression. I only got more Christians telling me that I was selfish and wrong and that I should look to God for help. When I was 16 I realized that my parents would never come around, and that I would have to wait until I was 18 to start any sort of transitioning treatment, which absolutely broke my heart. The longer you wait, the harder it is to transition. I felt hopeless, that I was just going to look like a man in drag for the rest of my life. On my 16th birthday, when I didn't receive consent from my parents to start transitioning, I cried myself to sleep. I formed a sort of a 'f*** you' attitude towards my parents and came out as gay at school, thinking that maybe if I eased into coming out as trans it would be less of a shock. Although the reaction from my friends was positive, my parents were pissed. They felt like I was attacking their image, and that I was an embarrassment to them. They wanted me to be their perfect little straight christian boy, and that's obviously not what I wanted. So they took me out of public school, took away my laptop and phone, and forbid me of getting on any sort of social media, completely isolating me from my friends. This was probably the part of my life when I was the most depressed, and I'm surprised I didn't kill myself. I was completely alone for 5 months. No friends, no support, no love. Just my parent's disappointment and the cruelty of loneliness. At the end of the school year, my parents finally came around and gave me my phone and let me back on social media. I was excited, I finally had my friends back. They were extremely excited to see me and talk to me, but only at first. Eventually they realized they didn't actually give a s**t about me, and I felt even lonelier than I did before. The only friends I thought I had only liked me because they saw me five times a week. After a summer of having almost no friends plus the weight of having to think about college, save money for moving out, keep my grades up, go to church each week and feel like s**t because everyone there is against everything I live for, I have decided I've had enough. I'm never going to transition successfully, even when I move out. I'm never going to be happy with the way I look or sound. I'm never going to have enough friends to satisfy me. I'm never going to have enough love to satisfy me. I'm never going to find a man who loves me. I'm never going to be happy. Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself. There's no winning. There's no way out. I'm sad enough already, I don't need my life to get any worse. People say 'it gets better' but that isn't true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse. That's the gist of it, that's why I feel like killing myself. Sorry if that's not a good enough reason for you, it's good enough for me. As for my will, I want 100% of the things that I legally own to be sold and the money (plus my money in the bank) to be given to trans civil rights movements and support groups, I don't give a s**t which one. The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren't treated the way I was, they're treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say 'that's f***ed up' and fix it. Fix society. Please. Goodbye, . (Leelah) Josh Alcorn .

Tom Sosnik came out as transgender in a speech to his fellow classmates . 'I am no longer Mia. I never really was,' Tom, 13, told the class . He began his speech by reading the tragic suicide note of another transgender teenager, Leelah Alcorn, who killed herself last year .

 of 2014. “I am a girl. I am a transgender girl,” he read.
His classmates in the eighth grade class listened in rapt attention and seemed to understand. But as he struggled to find his own words, they responded with questions. At one point, the boy’s dad came to the school to support the boy.
The school district responded to the family’s request for an apology, stating that a student expressing a “personal, individual opinion” is protected by the first amendment.
Watch the video below:
Read the text of the suicide note below.
I’m Leelah. Leelah.
I am a girl. I am a transgender girl.
I am a girl who hates her body. Who hates how it feels. Who hates how I look.
I am a girl who does not feel safe where I am, where I live now.
I’m going to kill myself today.
And I am sorry to all of you. And everyone who’s not here, I’m sorry.
If I don’t feel accepted.
If I don’t feel accepted by my family, by friends, and by you, my school, by my community.
If I feel like I am not allowed to be who I am, I need to be somebody else.
I don’t need to be a guy. I don’t need to be a girl. I need to be myself.
I need to be allowed to be myself.
And I can’t be.
So I’m going to kill myself.
And I’m not going to be here tomorrow. And you are going to have to live with that, and you are going to have to know that it is not okay that I am gone.
Because if you care enough about me, you will know that I am gone, I’m dead, I’m not here any more.
And if you know me at all, you know that you will have killed me.
I am just going to die and leave behind a broken family.
Because what choice do I have?
I love everybody, but I hate myself.
And I can’t keep living like this.
My world is falling apart and I hate it.
I don’t understand why. I don’t know why.
But it’s killing me.
And I need to go.
Goodbye everybody.
I


An attack of the giggles can sometimes appear at the strangest moments. Whether it's during a speech or in a meeting, helpless laughter is one of our most insightful behaviours, according to neuroscientist Sophie Scott. In a recent Ted Talk in Vancouver, Professor Scott revealed that laughter often isn't to do with comedy value, but with our relationships with others. Laughter is often used as a tool for social bonding rather than in reaction to something that has comedy value, according to UCL Professor Sophie Scott.  Pictured are Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama during a basketball game . According to David Robson at BBC Future, Scott's study of people in Nambia revealed that laughter is a key cultural mechanism that helps social bonding. When Scott asked indigenous Namibians and English people to listen to recordings of each other and describe the emotions, laughter was the most recognisable. 'People genuinely think they are mostly laughing at other people's jokes, but within a conversation, the person who laughs most at any one time is the person who is talking,' she told the BBC. The University College London professor's current research aims to distinguish the difference between fake laughs used during conversation, and involuntary giggles. She has carried out brain scans on volunteers listening to expressions of disgust, a real belly laugh and a realistic fake one. Laughter activates the brain's mirror regions that mimic other's actions, and she says this is the reason behind why laughing can be so contagious . So far, her research has found that volunteers were almost always able to identify a false laugh. She has also discovered that less authentic tones are more nasal, and belly laughs never come through the nose. Researchers from Indiana State University found that with laughter can boost the immune system by up to 40 per cent. The study tested 33 healthy women. Half of the women watched a comedy video together while the others watched a dull video on tourism. When the films were over, scientists took samples of the women's immune cells, known as natural killer cells, and mixed them with cancer cells to see how effectively they attacked the disease. They found that the women who had found the comedy funny enough to laugh out loud had significantly healthier immune systems afterwards than those who had watched the tourism film. Meanwhile, MRI scans revealed how hearing real and fake laughter activates two different areas of our brains. Fake laughter triggers more brain activity – in the medial prefrontal cortex, associated with problem-solving – as we try to work out why the person is doing it. Genuine laughter simply activates auditory areas in the temporal lobe – where we process all sound. But both activate the brain's mirror regions that mimic other's actions, and she says this is the reason behind why laughing can be so contagious. 'You are 30 times more likely to laugh if you're with someone else,' she claims. To further her work, Scott has recently set up an experiment at London's Science Museum, where she will be asking visitors to judge the authenticity of different clips of people laughing. And she believes far more research needs to be done on this cultural tic. 'If you search on the Web of Science database for papers on the emotion of fear, you'll get back 6,477 published papers,' Professor Scott writes on Ted. 'Search for papers on laughter and you'll get a paltry 175. Why the disparity? Well, one reason might be that laughter, like other positive emotions, feels less important than negative emotions. 'Sometimes people think that laughter is a ridiculous, trite, pointless topic to research…I think it's a fascinating social behaviour, it is essential to study.' In a separate study last year, psychologist Dr Carolyn McGettigan from the Royal Holloway University of London measured brain responses of volunteers as they listened to genuine laughter on YouTube clips. Each participant was asked to pick clips they found funny. This ranged from comedy shows, such as Flight Of The Conchords, and even the Eurovision Song Contest. The results were then compared to how their brains responded to fake laughter. The findings revealed participants, none of which were told the study was about laughter perception, could unconsciously tell when the chuckles were insincere. Dr McGettigan said: 'It's fascinating to consider the way our brain is able to detect genuine happiness in other people. 'Our brains are very sensitive to the social and emotional significance of laughter.

Professor Sophie Scott says laughter often isn't to do with comedy value . In a conversation, the person who laughs most is usually the one talking . People are 30 times more likely to laugh if they are with someone else . It also triggers brain's mirror region which explains why it is contagious .

, Sophie explained that this uncontrollable, often contagious laughter is an emotional response to a difficult or distressing problem, "It's not something which is just caused by something funny – it's actually a response that we give to stress." It's a natural release of tension that makes us feel better. We've compiled a top 5 list of stress-reducing comedies you might not have thought about, but will want to remember for the next time you're feeling a little blue.
1. What Dreams May Come (1998)
Starring Robin Williams and Mandy Patinkin
Based on a book of the same name by Richard Matheson. Williams plays Chris Nielsen, a successful author, who loses his wife through an accident. Haunted by the pain and loss, Chris is committed to a psychiatric facility, where he meets Annie (Patinkin) – a beautiful woman also committed there. The pair start to fall in love, but tragedy strikes when they are forced to part ways again. Through their grief, the couple is given the opportunity to visit the Afterlife; a bizarre and visually vibrant world where they learn what their afterlife will be like. Unfortunately, it does not live up to their expectations… It's a deeply emotional love story, but it's also a beautifully poetic film that explores different stages of grief and depression.
2. The Big Lebowski (1998)
Starring Jeff Bridges and John Goodman
Based on a story by Jeff Bridges, the Dude (Bridges) was an unassuming bowler when his favourite bowling alley is robbed of all its trophies and his favourite team is kicked out of the playoffs. The Dude's girlfriend is also pregnant, and they don't have a home to live in anymore. Feeling as though this bad luck is his fault, the Dude decides to move back in with his eccentric Jewish landlord, Walter (Goodman). The film's storyline may be difficult to keep up with, but a lot of the comedic dialogue is based around the Dude's lack of knowledge about the real world. It's hilarious because its ridiculousness is true – sometimes our own ignorance is the best comedy.
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Based on the character in the Batman comic series, director Christopher Nolan has directed three of the Dark Knight's adventures. This is arguably the most emotionally dark


Iraqi warplanes and artillery began pounding Tikrit this morning as 30,000 troops and irregulars prepared to attack the city, a stronghold of the Islamic State insurgency. The operation in the birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein was announced last night by Iraq's prime minister, who urged soldiers and government-backed Shiite militias to spare civilians. Speaking from Samarra, the other main city in Salaheddin province, Haider al-Abadi appeared to be addressing fears of reprisals against the Tikrit area's mainly Sunni population. Scroll down for video . Attack: Volunteer Shiite fighters, who are supporting the Iraqi government forces in the fight against the Islamic State group fire a howitzer artillery canon in the village of Awaynat near the city of Tikrit . Irregulars: Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite fighters chant slogans as they gather at Udhaim dam, north of Baghdad, ahead of an advance on Islamic State positions Tikrit that is expected to begin today . Feeding the soul: Soldiers and irregulars take a moment to pray as Iraq masses its forces outside the city, which was the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and an important step on the road to the IS-held city of Mosul . Feeding the body: Fighters scoff their rations ahead of the attack. It is feared the mainly Shiite forces of the Iraqi government could attack the area's mainly Sunni population, worsening sectarian divisions . On social media, Mr Abadi called 'for utmost care in protecting civilian lives and property' in the city, which was last year the scene of a brutal massacre of hundreds of mainly Shiite Iraqi army recruits. Government forces have been working their way north in recent months, notching up key victories against IS. But Tikrit, which has resisted them several times, is their toughest target yet. 'Security forces are advancing on three main fronts towards Tikrit, Ad-Dawr (to the south) and Al-Alam (to the north),' a senior army officer on the ground told AFP by telephone. The army officer said the forces involved in the battle were from the army, police, counter-terrorism units, a government-controlled volunteer group known as the Popular Mobilisation units and local Sunni tribes opposed to IS. 'The attack is being carried out using fighter jets, helicopters and artillery targeting Tikrit to secure the advance and cut supply routes,' he said. Military sources said Iraqi warplanes were involved but it was not immediately clear whether foreign air support - Iranian or from the US-led coalition fighting IS - was also called in. According to both Iraqi and Iranian media, Qassem Suleimani - supremo of the elite Iranian Quds force, specialising in 'subversive warfare' - was in Salaheddin province to help coordinate operations. Massing: Iraqi Army and volunteer fighters prepare at Sedull Udeyim region before moving into Tikrit . Good morale: Iraqi forces have notched up key victories against IS as they've inched north in recent weeks . Religion: A soldier walks past a line of armoured cars, one of which has a photo of a cleric in the window . Cavalry: Iraqi armoured personnel carriers are lined up ahead of the attack on Tikrit today . Tikrit would be the biggest victory yet for Iraqi forces battling Islamic State, but the attack by thousands of Shiite irregulars could severely test the government's ability to handle sectarian divisions. Iraq is bitterly split between minority Sunnis, who were an important base of support for Saddam Hussein, despite his regime's nominal secularism, and the Shiite majority. Since the Islamic State insurgency began, the Iraqi military is heavily dependent on Shiite militias that have been accused of abusing Sunni communities elsewhere in Iraq. 'The priority we gave to the armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of citizens,' Mr Abadi said last night. Hadi al-Ameri, the Popular Mobilisation commander, appealed to Tikrit residents on Saturday to leave their homes within 48 hours so government forces could 'wrap up the battle of the revenge for Speicher.' Speicher is a military base near Tikrit from which hundreds of new, mostly Shiite, recruits were kidnapped before being executed last summer, as the Islamic State insurgency took control of much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland. Shiite militias in particular have vowed to avenge the Speicher executions, sparking fears of mass killings against Sunnis if Tikrit were to be recaptured. Mr Abadi appealed to residents to turn against the jihadists, who have suffered a string of military losses since a U.S.-led coalition of Western and Arab nations stepped up their support for Iraq's embattled government. 'I call on all those who were misled and made mistakes in the past to lay down their arms today. This may be the last chance,' Mr Abadi said, suggesting some could be granted amnesty. Iraqi forces tried and failed several times to wrest back Tikrit, a Sunni Arab city on the Tigris river around 100 miles north of Baghdad. Ready: A wide view shows Iraqi soldiers and Shiite irregulars massing at the Udhaim dam. Tikrit would be the biggest victory yet for Iraqi forces battling Islamic State . Taking a moment: An Iraqi soldier rests on a wall at the Udhaim dam. An army officer said the forces involved in the battle were from the army, police, counter-terrorism units, volunteer units and local tribes . Armed: Troops wander the streets around Udhaim dam while they wait for the order to attack. The arrival of many thousands of Shiite fighters in the mainly Sunni city of Tikrit risks inflaming sectarian divisions . Last phone call? A soldier chats on his mobile phone as columns of vehicles move past on their way to attack . The military commander for Salaheddin province, Abdel Wahab Saadi, said Tikrit had both symbolic and strategic importance. 'The aim of course is to liberate Salaheddin to allow for the return of displaced families but it is also going to be a stepping stone on the way to liberating Mosul,' he told AFP. Tikrit is the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, the remnants of whose Baath party have collaborated with IS in attempting to topple the Shiite-dominated government. IS declared a 'caliphate' last June straddling Iraq and Syria, where the US-led coalition has also been conducting air strikes but not coordinating with any significant ground force.

Artillery and warplanes began pounding Tikrit this morning ahead of attack . The city north of Baghdad is a stronghold of the Islamic State insurgency . Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi calls on troops to spare civilians . Tikrit was the scene of a massacre of mainly Shiite army recruits last year .

 week and is expected to be Iraq's most difficult military campaign since the U.S. invasion in 2003.
The offensive, the largest in recent memory, is meant to reverse recent gains by the terrorist group in northern and central Iraq as well as to prevent the jihadists from carrying out a major attack in Baghdad on the occasion of the second anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the capital.
The government is hopeful the campaign will crush the insurgency in Tikrit, which had been the most challenging of the cities taken by the U.S.-supported Shiite militias last fall. But if successful, it could turn into the most challenging campaign for Baghdad since Sunni jihadist insurgents reemerged last year, sparking the surge in bloodshed that has pushed up the death toll across Iraq to the highest level since 2008.
It could also be the first major step toward the creation of an independent Kurdish state.
The Tikrit offensive comes as American troops in Iraq have been left scrambling for answers about the fate of three other missing soldiers and a sailor -- their first since the U.S. invasion began in 2003. The missing soldiers, including Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, 24, of Hailey, Idaho, were last seen by other American troops before they were kidnapped Monday while on patrol with their Afghan partners.
The Iraqi offensive also comes amid the latest escalation in tit-for-tat fighting between Shiite militias and police and army units in Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- whose troops, police and intelligence service are all Shiite but nominally answer to the largely Sunni government -- has ordered his troops to fight any attacks by Shiite militias, which last month moved their bases from the capital to Baghdad's southern suburbs. The militias have since clashed with regular army forces.
More than 100 Iraqis have been killed in the fighting in the last two weeks.
Maliki has also faced widespread criticism after the disappearance of hundreds of army officers and other members of his security forces. Human rights groups say they are being held in secret facilities by what they say are rogue security services.
The Maliki government has denied this, saying the officials are being held for questioning over the disappearance of two military officers during a major offensive in Anbar province last year.
Al-Maliki launched the offensive after several Iraqi cities fell to the militants, including the northern city of Mosul, where


An Islamic extremist has been arrested  after an American blogger was hacked to death with a machete in the middle of the street. Avijit Roy was on his way back from a university book fair in Bangladesh when he was targeted on Thursday by at least two men over his opposition to religious extremism. They sliced his head with the long blades before turning on his wife, Rafida Ahmed, and cutting her finger off when she tried to save him. Police in the country's capital Dhaka paraded their suspect, fundamentalist blogger Farabi Shafiur Rahman, before the media after arresting him earlier today. Scroll down for video . Islamic extremist Farabi Shafiur Rahman (centre) has been arrested and paraded before the media after last week's murder of American blogger Avijit Roy. Mr Roy was hacked to death with a machete in the middle of the street on Thursday . Mr Roy with his wife Rafida Ahmed on holiday together at the Grand Canyon. She remains in hospital in a serious condition after she suffered head injuries and lost a finger in the attack . A source in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said that an elite force had seen correspondence between former physics student Farabi and another person about killing Mr Roy. Mufti Mahmud, a spokesman for the RAB, said: 'On different occasions, he exchanged [Roy’s] location, his identity and his family’s photographs with various people. 'He wrote: "Avijit Roy lives in America. So it’s not possible to kill him at this moment. But when he’ll return to the country, he’ll be murdered."' Police added that Mr Roy's family had been threatened by the extremist, who is known for his Facebook postings against atheist writers, on several occasions on Facebook and Twitter. Farabi posted on Facebook last year: 'It's a holy duty of Bangalee Muslims to kill Avijit.' Major Maksudul Alam, another spokesman, said: 'He is the main suspect. [Roy’s] family told us that he got threats from Farabi several times. Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan added: 'Farabi has admitted that he threatened Avijit but we are not sharing more information with you for the sake of the investigation. We need to ask him more.' Farabi was previously arrested over the murder of another blogger, Ahmed Rajib Haide, in February 2013 but was released on bail. The arrest comes a day after hundreds of mourners gathered around the blogger's coffin near Dhaka University to pay their respects. Ms Ahmed remains in hospital in a serious condition. Shahriar Kabir, a writer, said at the memorial: 'Free thinking in Bangladesh is become a great danger, all the free thinkers are at great risk. The scene immediately following the attack on the couple shows Ms Ahmed covered in blood. An obscure militant group, Ansar Bangla 7, claimed responsibility for the attack it said was in retaliation for his 'crime against Islam' Ms Ahmed lying on a stretcher after the brutal attack. She is still recovering in hospital . A source in the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said the elite force had seen correspondence between Farabi (centre) and another person about killing Mr Roy . A RAB spokesman confirmed that Farabi (centre) is the main suspect and said that Mr Roy's family had been threatened by the extremist on several occasions . Mr Roy's family said Islamist radicals, like Farabi (centre), had threatened him over his blog, 'Mukto-mona,' or 'Freemind,' that highlighted humanist and rationalist ideas and condemned religious extremism . 'We want to know why the government failed to ensure the safety of him, despite knowing that he had been facing threats from the Islamist radicals.' As Mr Roy's father stood by, Kamal Hossain, the architect of Bangladesh's secular constitution, called the killing 'a heinous murder'. 'My question is, why did it take place?' said Mr Hossain. 'Avijit was killed because of his writing. By killing him, the killers have torn apart our constitution.' People also held a demonstration at the spot where he was killed and chanted slogans demanding 'immediate arrest and quick trial of the perpetrator'. The murder of Mr Roy, an atheist who advocated secularism in Bangladesh, came amid a crackdown on the country's Islamist groups after they increased their activities in recent years. A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr Roy came to visit Dhaka, the city of his birth, in the middle of last month and had been due to soon return home. Friends and relatives of Mr Roy sob as mourners come to pay respects to the writer, whose murder came amid a crackdown on Bangladesh's resurgent Islamist groups . Mr Roy's father Ajoy Roy, seated right, is comforted by fellow mourners at his son's funeral earlier today. Hundreds came to see Mr Roy's coffin at Dhaka University and lay flowers before his burial . Mr Roy's family said Islamist radicals had threatened him over his blog, 'Mukto-mona,' or 'Freemind,' that highlighted humanist and rationalist ideas and condemned religious extremism. The naturalised U.S. citizen, who was a bio-engineer as well as a blogger, had been receiving death threats online for years. Mr Roy and his wife have a daughter at university in the US. Ajoy Roy stood alongside his son's coffin as mourners filed past. He reiterated that Islamist militants were responsible for his son's death, but also blamed the government for failing to protect him despite repeated threats on his life. 'I am speechless at this moment of mourning. When the fundamentalists threatened, I informed the Inspector General of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police,' he said. 'This murder has proved their utter failure.' An obscure militant group, Ansar Bangla 7, claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was in retaliation for his 'crime against Islam'. The extremists also said he was singled out because he is a U.S. citizen - and characterized the vicious killing as 'revenge' for attacks on ISIS in Syria. Orange and red flowers are laid on the coffin of Mr Roy as hundreds gather to pay their respects . Fellow mourners comfort Ajoy Roy as he looks down at his son's coffin at Dhaka University earlier today . A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Mr Roy came to Dhaka, the city of his birth, in the middle of last month and had been due to soon return home after attending the university book fair . US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the murder 'a shocking act of violence' that was 'horrific in its brutality and cowardice' Mr Roy, who was also a bio-engineer, had been receiving death threats online for years . Dozens of mourners queue to pay their last respects to Mr Roy at Dhaka University . Police have expressed shock that extremists struck at a university book fair, which was heavily guarded. Witnesses have even said officers and bystanders were there during the murder - but did nothing. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called it 'a shocking act of violence' that was 'horrific in its brutality and cowardice'. Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of free speech campaign group Index on Censorship said: 'Our sympathies are with the family of Avijit Roy. 'Roy was targeted simply for expressing his own beliefs and we are appalled by his death and condemn all such killings.' Mr Roy was a family man and is pictured above with his wife in a photo believed to show their daughter, right, a student at a US college . In 2013, religious extremists targeted several secular bloggers who had demanded capital punishment for Islamist leaders convicted of war crimes during Bangladesh's war for independence. Blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was killed that year in a similar attack near his home in Dhaka after he led one such protest demanding capital punishment. In 2004, Humayun Azad, a secular writer and professor at Dhaka University, was also attacked by militants while returning home from a Dhaka book fair. He later died in Germany while undergoing treatment. Media group Reporters Without Borders rated Bangladesh 146th among 180 countries in a ranking of press freedom last year.

Farabi Shafiur Rahman previously threatened Avijit Roy's family . Mr Roy hacked to death on Thursday on way back from a book fair . Fundamentalist blogger was arrested in Dhaka earlier today . Elite force saw correspondence from Farabi about killing Mr Roy . Wrote on Facebook: 'When Roy returns to the country, he’ll be murdered' Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday to pay their respects . Mr Roy's wife still in a serious condition after trying to save her husband .

two assailants on a motorbike. Roy, 47, was known in Bangladesh for his criticism of religious extremism and received a death threat for that from a hardline cleric in 2014. He became a refugee in the United States two years later. The blogger, a secular human rights activist, was described by the Islamic State militant group as a "slave of America" and "apostate" during a statement that was posted to a jihadist website shortly after his death. He had been due to attend a seminar at Dhaka University when he was attacked — an event organised by his organisation, Mukto-Mona, or "thinkers outside the religion." The event, which was expected to be attended by hundreds of attendees, was cancelled after Roy's killing. 'This type of attack is unheard of' The attack is "a brutal assault on free thought", the US embassy in Bangladesh said, stressing that "the type of attack we have seen today is unheard of in Bangladesh and is an affront to the fundamental values we hold so dear". On the social media app Facebook, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Roy's assassination "shook the Bangladesh and worldwide human rights community and people of Bangladesh." The president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda Zia, described the attack as an "act of terrorism". The US State Department condemned the killing in a statement "expressing the deepest condolences of the United States government to the family and friends of Avijit Roy", adding that he had been "an invaluable contributor to the democratic development of Bangladesh". The attack, "like those carried out by ISIL and other extremist organizations across the globe", has "no place in our free world", according to the statement. Roy was in the United States, where he was seeking refuge, as an asylum seeker, the US embassy in Dhaka said. He had been granted asylum in the US on humanitarian grounds. Human rights groups called on the Bangladeshi government to find the killers. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that the United States was ready to support any "co-operation" Bangladesh wanted in Roy's death. She urged "all countries with such capacity to support this investigation". 'Extremely disturbing' Roy's mother, Chaya Roy, called the killing "extremely disturbing" and asked the Bangladeshi government to do what it can to find


Her arm thrust out and pouting like a rapper, this is the moment that Michelle Obama showed off her dance moves during a toe-curling appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Challenged to show off her dance moves by Ms Degeneres, Mrs Obama gamely obliged and went on to pull shapes that wouldn't have shamed Rita Ora. Unfortunately for daughters Sasha and Malia, the appearance on Ellen, which airs on the 16th March, isn't the end of the 51-year-old's dancing ambitions. Toe-curling: Michelle Obama does her best Rita Ora during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show . Mrs Obama was appearing on the show to mark the fifth anniversary of her 'Let's Move!' initiative, which aims to encourage people to get out and do some exercise. As part of the campaign, the US First Lady revealed that she - and a party of helpers from So You Think You Can Dance - will be performing a routine to Uptown Funk on the front lawn of the White House during the annual Easter Egg Roll. This year's event, which will take place on the 6th April, is part of a tradition that dates back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House gardens to local children. Although egg hunts are no longer part of the event, children are still invited for egg rolling on the lawn and a slap-up afternoon tea. Practising: According to Mrs Obama, she has been practising the dance routine for more than a year . All smiles: Ms DeGeneres, who says her style is 'street', also joined in with the dance routine . Repeating the trick: Mrs Obama will pull her dancing shoes on again during the annual Easter Egg Roll . 3.1 Phillip Lim cropped high waisted wide leg trouser pants at Saks Fifth Avenue . Shop the trousers at Saks . Visit site . America's fashionable first lady looks just as much at ease wearing ball gowns or a pair of pants and comfortable sneakers. At a recent appearance at the Ellen show,  Michelle Obama paired a 3.1 Phillip Lim white wide leg pants with a black top and cropped jacket. Her outfit choice is obviously comfort driven, as she went on to show off her dance moves dancing to the catchy Uptown Funk song. Along with the trendy monochrome color palette, the always stylish Mrs Obama also embraced the white hot trend of wide leg pants. After many years of skinny pant dominance, the roomy silhouette is once again back in fashion. Just in time for the warmer weather, wear them with sneakers like Mrs O or go glam and  pair them with high heels. Either way, these pants will turn heads on the streets. Check out our great selection of white wide leg pants. With designer as well as budget friendly options, you too could dance to Uptown Funk in these delectable pants. Halston Heritage Trousers at Bloomingdale's . Visit site . Chelsea 28 high rise wide leg pants . Visit site . Milly Cady pintuck pants (Now $241.50) Visit site . Dailylook classic wide leg pants . Visit site . Among the children to attend this year will be the Obama's daughters Sasha, 14, and Malia, 17, who will have a ringside view as their mother struts her stuff. Luckily for the teenagers, Mrs Obama revealed during her chat with Ms DeGeneres that she has been practising for the moment for more than a year, hopefully minimising the potential for embarrassment. Not that the Obamas will be too worried if they are, with President Obama previously telling the Press that should his daughters think of getting a tattoo, he will insist on getting one too. Most recently, the girls couldn't hide their embarrassment during a Thanksgiving event, the pardoning of the turkey, in which Obama 'pardoned' two turkeys named Mac and Cheese. Embarrassing: The Obamas' daughters have had numerous toe-curling moments at their parents' hands . Displeased: Most recently, they looked nonplussed as their father cracked jokes during a White House dinner . Embarrassing dad: President Obama has previously admitted to dancing to Gangnam Style around the house . The press corps laughed along but both Malia and Sasha appeared disinterested as Obama joked: 'Let's face it, if you're a turkey and you're named after a side dish, your chances of escaping Thanksgiving dinner are pretty low!' Like his wife, the US President has also deployed dance as a means of winding up his daughters, having once told People magazine of his penchant for performing to Gangnam Style. 'They're cooler than I am,' he added. 'There are things I like that they think are cheesy, like Gangnam Style. I love that.'

Michelle Obama showed off her dance moves during a TV appearance . The 51-year-old pulled shapes that wouldn't have shamed Rita Ora . Had appeared on Ellen to promote her 'Let's Move!' initiative . Will repeat the performance during annual Easter Egg Roll on 5th April . Tradition dates back to 1878 and sees local children visit White House .

Generes, 55, the First Lady of the United States, revealed her hip-hop moves and also revealed a bit more about herself, telling the host: “I have my own moves.
“You know when they say ‘What are you doing for Halloween?’ I was thinking of doing a Salt-N-Pepa dance routine.
Michelle Obama shows her dance moves on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday (Image: ELLEN/GETTY)
“That’s going to be real, it’s going to be good.”
The President’s wife, 55, also revealed that the Halloween dance routine would be going down with help from her two daughters Malia, 18, and Sasha, 15.
Michelle Obama reveals how she would be dancing with her daughters at Halloween (Image: ELLEN)
Malia and Sasha are grown and ready to make their own decisions (Image: GETTY)
The mother-of-two also admitted that they were going on a ‘school trip’ and revealed that Malia and Sasha, 15, were ‘grew up’ and ‘ready to make their own decisions’.
Michelle Obama made the shocking admission while on a US daytime talk show.
Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday the mother-of-two admitted her daughters were all grown up.
Ellen joked that when she and wife Portia De Rossi attended one of the President’s daughters’ high school events they saw a group of young ladies who were Malia and Sasha’s friends.
Michelle Obama revealed she was going on a school trip to London with her daughters (Image: GETTY)
“How old are they now? I feel like they’re 25,” Ellen DeGeneres asked.
“They are grown up, they’re grown, they are at school right now so I was on a school trip,” she responded, and jokingly claimed she saw ‘the girls’ at the school.
“How old is Sasha, 15?” the host asked.
“Fifteen and Malia is 18,” Michelle Obama revealed.
“They’ve graduated already and they’re doing their own thing.”
Michelle Obama joked she saw ‘the girls’ at one of Malia and Sasha’s high school events (Image: GETTY)
The mum of two also made a dig at Ellen’s sexuality and


School friends of under-fire Whole Pantry founder Belle Gibson now query whether the health guru invented stories 'to get sympathy' and warned people against vaccination while she was in high school. Ms Gibson, 23, is in the spotlight this week after doubts were raised about her remarkable cancer survival story - and the book, Apple Watch app and website that it inspired. There have also been questions about donations made to charity. The mother-of-one attended Wynnum State High School in Brisbane and former classmates describe the health guru as a 'drama queen' who constantly reinvented herself and backed medical cannabis. Scroll down for video . Young mum: Close friends told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that Ms Gibson may have departed Australia for the United States this week . Former school friend Chris Green said Ms Gibson was 'a drama queen. There was always something going on with her.' 'At one stage she was an emo, then a skater girl then she was a surfer chick; she was always something different,' Mr Green told The Courier Mail. Mr Green also said that Ms Gibson never mentioned an autistic brother or a mother with multiple sclerosis, who she had previously claimed to be a carer for. One anonymous school friend said that Ms Gibson would often post information advocating against vaccinations and pushed the viewpoint quite hard. Former classmate Meg Weier said that Ms Gibson was quite strange. Doting mother: Ms Gibson, pictured left with her son Olivier, and right with another friend, founded the popular app and cookbook Whole Pantry . The Whole Pantry (pictured above, in cookbook form) is also a popular app, which costs $3.79 to download. The app is slated to appear on the new Apple Watch . Ms Gibson shot to stardom on social media and gave hope to cancer sufferers worldwide after she revealed that she had prolonged her life despite shunning conventional medical treatment and relying on her own 'whole life' concept. Now, however, friends close to the mum-of-one have said that she may have gone overseas to avoid confronting claims that her remarkable cancer survival story is not all it seems. Another former friend of Ms Gibson has called on her to 'come clean' on her 'misdiagnosis'. Mother-of-two Jayme Smith, 28, from Sydney, became a confidant of Ms Gibson's after they met on a parenting discussion page on Facebook around 2010. They forged an online friendship and confided over their experiences with cancer - Ms Smith having lost her mother to lung cancer in 2003 and Ms Gibson saying she had brain cancer. Ms Smith told Daily Mail Australia she was 'baffled' when reports emerged this week where friends raised doubts about Ms Gibson's medical diagnoses and charity donations. 'I am just so shocked and I feel betrayed, that we all fell so hard for the illusion that she created,' Ms Smith said. 'It has hit all of us, who I know, (who) also know Belle, like a tonne of bricks.' Jayme Smith (pictured left, with her two children) met Belle Gibson online and maintained a friendship over social media until they had a falling out . 'We only knew her online, but we all believed to a point that she was a genuine pioneer, who was surviving aggressive cancer. 'Belle and I talked quite a bit about my feelings about (cancer), how she could empathise with me, the feelings I felt about my mother dying and how I'd wished I was more responsible when it happened, that I'd wished I had tried to explore more ideas, like Belle did.' Ms Smith said Ms Gibson 'pushed' - and nearly convinced her - not to vaccinate her children, but that she did not blame her for nearly making that choice, which she 'backed out of at the last minute'. 'That was my own choice, based on information provided by Belle. I regret that choice (to nearly not vaccinate), but it was my own. I'm not here to place blame.' In November 2014, Ms Gibson told Sunday Style magazine she blamed the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil for her cancer. She told her social media followers last year her brain cancer had spread to her blood, liver, spleen, uterus and that she did not expect to survive. After friends and medical experts cast doubt on her medical claims in various media stories this week, Ms Gibson told The Australian she may have been 'misdiagnosed'. 'It's hard to admit that maybe you were wrong,' she told the newspaper, adding that she was 'confused, bordering on humiliated'. The Whole Pantry, a popular app, gained media attention because of Ms Gibson's remarkable story about cancer survival . The company she founded, The Whole Pantry, said donations to charities that allegedly failed to arrive had been 'accounted for and not processed' and that promised donations 'would be honoured'. Ms Smith told Daily Mail Australia she was 'baffled' by this week's allegations and was most upset about the hope Ms Gibson's followers had invested in her program if she was being dishonest. She said Ms Gibson had the 'gift of the gab' and 'needs to answer to these people (her followers), because they are good hearted people who deserve answers'. 'I don't care about exposing Belle. I haven't spoken to her for months, years. 'I just want her to confirm or deny (her diagnoses) so people who put their faith in her, invested in her - they need to know. 'They need to know, if they've rejected conventional medicine on what she's saying. 'It's their lives, it's not a game.' Ms Smith said of Belle Gibson (above): 'If I saw Belle now, I would just ask her to tell the truth. That's all I want' After three years of sometimes personal exchanges online, Ms Gibson and Ms Smith stopped talking after the development of the Whole Pantry app. 'If I saw Belle now, I would just ask her to tell the truth. That's all I want. 'I don't want to see her beg people for mercy. I don't want her to beg for forgiveness - I just want the truth. 'Come clean, be transparent, let the world know where you're at. If you were misdiagnosed, own up to it. 'Belle DID create an exceptional application, that is loved by many, but I think she should sell it for what it is, complimentary medicines and a diet - not life saving treatment. 'All people want is the truth from her.' Close friends told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that Ms Gibson may have left for the United States. Police visited her home on Tuesday night to check on her welfare, but she was not there. Multiple calls to Ms Gibson's mobile rang out. Amid claims that the entrepreneur behind The Whole Pantry app has fled to country, more details about Belle Gibson's past are coming to light. The young social media personality - who came under fire after claims her 'terminal cancer' and incredible survival story from the life-threatening illness were false - once described herself as a psychopath. Ms Gibson has previously gone under the name of Annabelle Natalie Gibson, and tweeted in 2009: @bellmneb: 'Is a distinguished physcopath (sic),' the Herald Sun reported. The next month she sent another tweet, from the account which appears to have been removed. 'Obama won the nobel peace prize. This is more f***ed then (sic) the government giving me cancer. #obamawinsnobelprize,' it read.

Whole Pantry founder Belle Gibson has come under fire this week after friends raised doubts about her cancer survival story and charity donations . Former school mates now query whether the 'drama queen' invented stories about her home life and spoke out against vaccinations during high school . Another former friend who met Ms Gibson online said she felt 'shocked and betrayed' by the illusion the health guru created around her . Friends claim the mother-of-one may have left the country after claims .

 she admitted she lied about having cancer.
Homesick Belle Gibson lied about having cancer, it emerged on Wednesday and had written a cookbook - The Whole Pantry - before being a teen.
'I was in boarding school, had a bad eating disorder and was very self-conscious and unhappy,' Mr Bickford said.
'It's very hard to say what it felt like, but I felt quite vulnerable and it would have been a very lonely time for me, and Belle became my friend.
The revelations have raised questions about Gibson's credibility, with suggestions that she lied about having cancer to gain sympathy
Belle Gibson is pictured here in 2008 - she has since admitted she 'wasn't brave enough' to take a vaccine when she was 18
.
The mother, her family and Ms Gibson declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Gibson has since apologised for her actions.
'I was not brave enough to take vaccines or take advantage of routine checks while I was at home [because] I was scared of needles,' she said in her first interview since the scandal erupted last week.
'I was also terrified of being labelled a hypochondriac, especially by my friends who weren't convinced I was unwell.'
She also admitted that she had lied about being diagnosed with cancer to gain sympathy in 2011 while living in Australia.
Belle Gibson poses in a photograph with a friend in 2008 as a teenager
'After I was diagnosed with the (brain) tumour, I had an incredibly dark year,' she said, which included her hospitalisation.
'I lied about having cancer so my friends and I could bond. I wasn't brave enough to take a vaccine or take advantage of routine checks while I was at home because I was scared of needles,' she wrote in a blog post on her website.
'I was also terrified of being labelled a hypochondriac especially by my friends who weren't convinced I was unwell.'
Ms Gibson says she did not take any medical advice from doctors.
'When I was diagnosed with the cancer in 2011 I didn't follow medical advice and I don't regret it,' she wrote.
'I had a great life, I spent time with my family, I travelled, I ate and drank well, and I never missed a party.'
At the time Gibson went to a Christian school and


Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show, has spoken out in defense of himself following a social media backlash over comments he made about women and Jews in tweets dating back to 2009. The South-African comedian, who is little-known in the US, rocketed to national fame on Monday after he was named as longtime host Jon Stewart's replacement on the satirical news program. However, the excitement surrounding the announcement was tinged by hundreds of Internet users accusing the 31-year-old - who is a quarter Jewish - of anti-Semitism for his 'offensive' posts. But in a tweet on Tuesday, Noah told his two million followers: 'To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian.' It comes as Comedy Central, which hired Noah as a correspondent on the show just three months ago, has defended its newest star as a 'provocative' comedian who 'spares noone, himself included'. Scroll down for video . Response: Trevor Noah (pictured), the new host of The Daily Show, has spoken out in defense of himself following an online backlash over comments he made about women and Jews in tweets dating back to 2009 . 'Not a true reflection': In a tweet on Tuesday, Noah told his two million followers: 'To reduce my views to a handful of jokes that didn’t land is not a true reflection of my character, nor my evolution as a comedian' This is one of the five tweets dating back to 2009 that bloggers have been dragging up and complaining about . One Twitter user accused Noah's remarks as being 'a tad stereotyped', as well as 'borderline anti-Semitic' Another user told Noah to 'grow up', adding  he was 'no longer a fan' of the 31-year-old South African comedian . In a statement, the network said: 'To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair.' It added: 'Trevor is a talented comedian with a bright future at Comedy Central.' Noah, the son of a half-Jewish Xhosa mother and a Swiss father, was a trending topic on Twitter on Monday night as he drew fire for jokes that were described as tasteless, hateful, and unfunny. The controversial tweets were posted between 2009 and 2014. In May last year, Noah tweeted: 'Behind every successful Rap Billionaire is a double as rich Jewish man. #BeatsByDreidel.' A year earlier, he posted: 'Note to self - Langostines are not Jewish prawns.' Meanwhile, during a soccer match in January 2012, he joked: 'Messi gets the ball and the real players try foul him, but Messi doesn't go down easy, just like jewish chicks. #ElClasico.' He also slammed the United States' midsection in a 2013 tweet, writing that 'When flying over the middle of America the turbulence is so bad. It's like all the ignorance is rising through the air.' And in 2009, Noah, who can speak an impressive six languages, wrote: 'Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn't look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car!' On Tuesday, the tweets were being posted online by enraged bloggers, who slammed Noah as 'racist'. One said: 'Jon Stewart, born Leibowitz, won't be happy about these highly antisemitic tweets.' Roseanne Barr was among those calling out the  comic, who has a global following and two million Twitter followers, writing: 'U should cease sexist & anti semitic 'humor' about jewish women & Israel.' Meanwhile, a blogger posted Noah's tweets in an article, with the comment: 'Trevor Noah, the racist, hack taking over for Jon Stewart is also quite the anti-Semite too. Obama and progressive liberals really will love this guy. Among some of the skits that Trevor Noah came up with was the Black Hitler.' However, one Twitter user, Jack Obora@JackObora, had a different opinion on the matter. He tweeted: 'Seriously who reads through six years of tweets to try and find something to be offended about? #TrevorNoah #DailyShow.' Viewers have lamented the end of Jon Stewart's 16-year stint on the show . Regardless of users' opinions, the tweets showed a different side to Noah than the picture painted by Comedy Central and the comedian himself just a day earlier. In a phone interview on Monday from Dubai, where he was traveling on a comedy tour, Noah - who is no stranger to tackling controversial issues on-air - likened himself to New York-born Stewart. He said: 'One thing we both share: We are both progressives,' adding: 'traveling the world I've learned that progressives, regardless of their locations, think in a global space.' Noah, who joined The Daily Show just three months ago and speaks an impressive six languages, was being pitched by Comedy Central as reflecting a new age of global multiculturalism. He is  'a citizen of the world,' in the words of Michele Ganeless, the network's president. His dry, cutting humor was also singled out by producers as the winning formula to win over viewers. Successor: The 31-year-old South African comedian (pictured in 2012) has been named successor to Stewart, 52, who will step down from his role on the show this year . Appearance: In 2012, Noah became the first South African stand-up comedian to feature on NBC's The Tonight Show (pictured). In 2013, he became the first to appear on CBS's Late Show With David Letterman . Noah was named as the program's new host a little more than a month after Stewart unexpectedly announced he was leaving The Daily Show following 16 years as its principal voice. According to The New York Times, a slew of better-known potential replacements chose to move on to competing networks. However, the reaction to his appointment was overwhelmingly positive. Noah brings a wealth of hosting experience helping him, in Ganeless' words, check 'off every box' on her network's list of requirements. Also important: he has kindred spirit Stewart's blessing. 'All I needed in my life was Jon's blessing. That's what I have, so I'm looking forward to being part of The Best Damn News Show in the World,' Noah told the Associated Press. Although no dates have been disclosed, Stewart will likely depart by the end of the year. Noah, who grew up in Gauteng and starred on the South African soap opera, Isiding, will take over soon after. Tough act to follow: Noah was not surprisingly reverent of extremely popular departing host Jon Stewart as he tweeted Monday about the news he's the next host . On Monday, Ganeless spoke of the advantage of introducing Noah to a mainstream U.S. audience through The Daily Show, with viewers coming to the show he hosts with no preconceptions. 'They will get to discover him, and form their opinions of him, as they watch him host,' he said. But by Tuesday, some opinions were already forming. Weighing in on Noah's selection, a Slate column compared his vetting to that of Sarah Palin as a running mate for presidential candidate John McCain. The choice of a new host for The Daily Show is a critical decision not only for the satirical-news program, but for the network, whose identity has largely been forged by the Daily Show franchise, which for years was followed by the likewise signature The Colbert Report. By the end of this year, Comedy Central will have completely remade this programming block. In January, African-American comic Larry Wilmore replaced the The Colbert Report hosting The Nightly Show. Born to a black mother and white father in South Africa, 31-year-old Noah was not allowed to live with either parent and even passed off by family as albino because, under apartheid laws, different races could not mix . Trevor Noah, 31, grew up in Soweto, South Africa, the son of a Xhosa mother and Swiss father. 'My mother had to be very clandestine about who my father was,' Noah told the Times. 'He couldn't be on my birth certificate.' For much of his childhood, his African family passed him off as an albino. Under apartheid laws, different races could not mix and he was not allowed to live with either of his parents. He reportedly once cracked to an audience, 'I was born a crime.' Noah began doing stand-up in South Africa in his twenties and has since leveraged his ability to speak six languages into an international career. He's hosted his own late-night show in South Africa, radio shows and awards shows. Noah is also the only South African comedian to ever perform on The Late Show and Tonight Show. But don't be too quick to connect him to the Dark Continent. He told Letterman in 2013: . 'They make it sound like a guy in leopard skin's going to come running on the stage.' Nonetheless, Noah's past is firmly rooted in South Africa's turbulent racial history. 'I didn't live a normal life,' he told the Times. 'I grew up in a country that wasn't normal.' More specifically, Noah says that after he began to do stand-up in his 20s, he quickly became aware that 'speaking freely about anything, as a person of color, was considered treason.' News of his new role spread quickly in South Africa. 'Over the years, Mr. Noah has proved that laughter is the best medicine and has helped our country and its people to find healing through laughing at themselves,' said Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa. 'South Africa is a microcosm of the world and there is no doubt that a global audience will find resonance in his humor,' he added in an email.

Trevor Noah, 31, spoke out in defense of 'anti-Semitic' tweets on Tuesday . Told two million followers they were not 'a true reflection of my character' Added the 'handful of jokes' didn't represent his 'evolution as a comedian' Comes as Comedy Central has also defended the new South-African host . The network said he was 'provocative and 'spares noone, himself included' Noah, who is a quarter Jewish, has been praised for cutting-edge humor . One of his skits involves a 'Black Hitler'; Jon Stewart approves of him .

 known in the UK, is taking up the reins from Jon Stewart, one of the most famous late-night hosts in America.
"Some of my jokes about women, race, and politics are as insensitive as they are unfunny," he said via his verified Twitter account. "For that, I sincerely apologise."
Noah has made some jokes that have caused offence but they were "carelessly written", he added. "I want to make light of serious issues. I should be better than that."
His Twitter feed contained one such joke dating back to 2009 which has been deleted, but is believed to have referenced a "Jewish holiday that happens every winter", when people would "walk around with white beards and talk about the holocaust". The other one, made a month after the September 11th attacks on the US, he has deleted. "Why the terrorists do it, we'll never know," it was captioned.
He said there were no excuses for what he wrote, adding: "I am in the business of making people laugh, not offending them".
Noah said he had to "grow up" and his comments were not meant to offend. "I'm ready to take the helm, and do my part to take on the show's lofty and important mission."
The 31-year-old has long harboured ambitions to host late-night television shows in the US but now his chance has come. Noah's elevation to the role is part of the latest phase of development in a show that has been running since 1996. Stewart quit the show in August to make way for Noah – the first African to host the show.
"In the world's premiere progressive town, it was not easy to find an African-American for this job, especially one born outside the country like me," said the presenter, who was born in Soweto, South Africa, to two Zimbabwean parents.
"I've been watching The Daily Show for as long as I can remember, it inspired me to become a comedian," he said. "It's one of the few shows where everything you say is scrutinised by thousands of people."
Noah graduated in political science from the University of Cape Town in 2007 and has since worked in several television production companies. He has spent time in London, as well as working as a reporter for South Africa's eNCA