Priest killed in hostage-taking near Rouen

A priest has been killed in an attack by two armed men at his church near Rouen in northern France, police and French media have said.

The armed men entered the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during Mass, taking the priest, two nuns and several churchgoers hostage, reports said.
French TV said shots had been heard after police arrived at the scene. Both hostage-takers are now dead.
The area has been cordoned off and police have told people to stay away.
At least one person is receiving medical treatment for injuries.
A woman who works in a local beauty parlour, Eulalie Garcia, said she had known the 92-year-old priest since her childhood.
"My family has lived here for 35 years and we have always known him," she said.
"He was someone who was treasured by the community. He was very discreet and didn't like to draw attention to himself."

There was no immediate indication of the identity or motive of the hostage-takers, but France has been on high alert since the Bastille Day attack in Nice earlier this month, when a man ploughed a lorry into celebrating crowds, killing more than 80 people.
The Nice attack was carried out by Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who was not a known jihadist but so-called Islamic State said he had acted in response to its calls to target civilians in countries that have been attacking it.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Paris says the French government has been under huge pressure to prevent further attacks.
President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are on their way to Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray to be briefed by police.
The investigation into the incident will be led by anti-terrorism prosecutors, the interior ministry has said.
Credit: BBC

Justin Timberlake slapped by stranger

Not even a "Suit & Tie" could prevent this unexpected fan moment.

Over the weekend, Justin Timberlake traveled to Lake Tahoe for the 27th annual American Century Championship. While participating in the most prestigious event in celebrity golf, the "Can't Stop the Feeling" singer experienced a surprise encounter from an unknown stranger.

In video obtained by TMZ, fans were able to witness the Grammy winner getting slapped on the right side of his face as he tried to pass through a crowd of people.

As soon as he felt the touch, Justin slowed down and tried to figure out what just happened. "Bro, why would you do that?" he asked the unknown individual.

And yes, we're still looking for the answer tonight.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the man responsible for touching Justin refused to leave the premises. After allegedly becoming belligerent, cops arrested him for disorderly conduct.

Ultimately, J.T. was still able to have plenty of fun during the weekend. The singer joined Alfonso Ribeiro and Stephen Curry for a brief dance break. Their moves of choice? How about the Carlton dance from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

"Celebrating one of my only good shots today with a little Jones BBQ...!" Stephen joked on Instagram with a photo from the green. "Good times. Gonna do it all again tmw."

While their moves were totally on par, they didn't all come out on top of the leaderboard. Alfonso ultimately placed ahead of the pack in the 13th spot while Justin was in 21st place and Stephen tied for 27th place.

Charles Barkley, Bode Miller, Aaron Rodgers, Ray Romano and Abby Wambach were also some of the familiar faces who participated in the weekend event.

Credit: Eonline

Japan knife attack leaves 19 dead

Nineteen residents have been killed in a knife attack at a care centre for people with mental disabilities in Japan.

Such attacks are extremely rare in Japan - the incident in Sagamihara, west of Tokyo, is the worst mass killing in decades.

Police have arrested a former employee, who went to a nearby police station and allegedly admitted to the attack.

He is reported to have said he wanted people with disabilities to disappear.
The 26-year-old was named in local media as Satoshi Uematsu.

Local police have said the suspect sent a handwritten letter to politicians in February in which he threatened to kill hundreds of disabled people. He was detained for almost two weeks before being released.

Staff at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en facility, in a suburban area about 50km (31 miles) from Tokyo, called police at 02:30 local time (17:30 GMT) to report a man with a knife inside the building.

Local media reports say the suspect broke a window to get inside and then began stabbing people.

The victims were aged between 19 and 70, the Kyodo news agency, said citing the Sagamihara City Fire Department. Another 25 people were injured, 20 seriously. Both men and women were reported to be among the dead.

It appears that the attacker then left the facility himself, and drove to the Tsukui police station where he turned himself in.

Pictures have emerged of what is reported to be the steering wheel of his car, stained with blood. Broadcaster NHK said he had been carrying a bag of knives stained with blood.

The facility is set in extensive grounds It has separate living quarters for men and women and had up to 160 residents at the time of the attack, according to local officials. Eight staff members were on duty at the time.

Officials have ruled out any link to terrorism.

Mass killings are rare in Japan, which has extremely strict gun control laws.
In 2008, a man drove a truck into a packed shopping district at Akihabara in Tokyo, before climbing out and randomly stabbing people. Seven people died.

That attack occurred on the same date that a man with a history of mental illness stabbed eight children to death at an Osaka primary school in 2001.

Credit:  BBC