Saudi Arabia Executed 47 Prisoners Sparking Global Outrage

Saudi Arabia executed Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. It was largest mass execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades. sparking global outrage. The kingdom has been widely condemned by the international community for executing scores of prisoners in Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and in the eastern and northern regions.

Al-Nimr was a central figure in protests by Saudi Arabia's Shiite minority until his arrest in 2012, and his execution drew condemnation from Shiites across the region.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the execution Sunday in a statement on his website, saying al-Nimr "neither invited people to take up arms nor hatched covert plots. The only thing he did was public criticism." Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saudi Arabia's "medieval act of savagery" in executing the cleric would lead to the "downfall" of the country's monarchy.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said that by condemning the execution, Iran had "revealed its true face represented in support for terrorism."

The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, accused Tehran of "blind sectarianism" and said that "by its defense of terrorist acts" Iran is a "partner in their crimes in the entire region."

Al-Nimr was convicted of terrorism charges but denied ever advocating violence.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, and support opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Iran accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting "terrorism" in part because it backs Syrian rebel groups, while Riyadh points to Iran's support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and other Shiite militant groups in the region.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Saudi envoy in Tehran to protest, while the Saudi Foreign Ministry later said it had summoned Iran's envoy to the kingdom to protest Iran's criticism of the execution, saying it represented "blatant interference" in its internal affairs.

In Tehran, the crowd gathered outside the Saudi Embassy early Sunday and chanted anti-Saudi slogans. Some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy, setting off a fire in part of the building, said the country's top police official, Gen. Hossein Sajedinia, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. He later said police had removed the protesters from the building and arrested some of them, adding that the situation had been "defused."

Hours later, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said 40 people had been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the embassy attack and investigators were pursuing other suspects, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, while condemning Saudi Arabia's execution of al-Nimr, also branded those who attacked the Saudi Embassy as "extremists."

"It is unjustifiable," he said in a statement.

By 4 p.m., some 400 protesters had gathered in front of the embassy despite a call by the government for them to protest at a square in central Tehran. Later, hundreds also gathered at the central square. Street signs on the street where the Saudi Embassy is located in Tehran also were replaced with ones bearing the slain sheikh's name. Tehran authorities could not be immediately reached to discuss the new name.

Protests also took place in Beirut, as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called al-Nimr "the martyr, the holy warrior."

Meanwhile, Al-Nimr's supporters in eastern Saudi Arabia prepared for three days of mourning at a mosque in al-Awamiya, some 390 kilometers (240 miles) northeast from the capital, Riyadh, in the kingdom's al-Qatif region. However, the sheikh's brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, told The Associated Press that Saudi officials told his family that the cleric was already buried in an undisclosed cemetery.

The cleric's execution could also complicate Saudi Arabia's relationship with the Shiite-led government in Iraq. The Saudi Embassy in Baghdad is preparing to formally reopen for the first time in nearly 25 years. Already on Saturday there were public calls for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to shut the embassy down again.

Al-Abadi tweeted Saturday night that he was "shocked and saddened" by al-Nimr's execution, adding that "peaceful opposition is a fundamental right. Repression does not last."

On Sunday, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called al-Nimr a martyr and said his blood and that of other Shiite protesters "was unjustly and aggressively shed."

Hundreds of al-Nimr's supporters also protested in his hometown of al-Qatif in eastern Saudi Arabia, in neighboring Bahrain where police fired tear gas and bird shot, and as far away as northern India.

The last time Saudi Arabia carried out a mass execution on this scale was in 1980, when the kingdom executed 63 people convicted over the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Extremists held the mosque, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba toward which Muslims around the world pray, for two weeks as they demanded the royal family abdicate the throne.

Also Sunday, the BBC reported that one of the 47 executed in Saudi Arabia, Adel al-Dhubaiti, was convicted over a 2004 attack on its journalists in Riyadh. That attack by a gang outside of the home of a suspected al-Qaida militant killed 36-year-old Irish cameraman Simon Cumbers. British reporter Frank Gardner, now the BBC's security correspondent, was seriously wounded in the attack and paralyzed, but survived.

Celebrities Who Died in 2015

A host of stars including household names from showbusiness, politics and sport died in 2015. Here we remember some of them.

The nation was united in grief in August when "national treasure" Cilla Black died aged 72.

The Blind Date and Surprise Surprise TV presenter and singer suffered a stroke after falling and hitting her head at her Spanish villa.
Some of the stars from showbiz, politics and sport who died in 2015

Some of the stars from showbiz, politics and sport who died in 2015

The Liverpudlian star will return to TV screens on Christmas Day, with an hour-long ITV tribute, Our Cilla, featuring celebrity friends Ringo Starr, Sir Cliff Richard and Paul O'Grady.

There was also much sadness when Anne Kirkbride - Coronation Street's Deirdre Barlow - died from cancer in January.

The 60-year-old actress, who starred in the ITV soap for 44 years, was famous for her oversized-spectacle-wearing, gravel-voiced alter ego, whose on-screen imprisonment for a trumped-up fraud conviction led then prime minister Tony Blair to give his support to the "Free The Weatherfield One" campaign.

Four men best-known for TV comedy also died this year. They included George Cole, famed for playing wheeler-dealer Arthur Daley in Minder, who died in August, aged 90.

The same month Stephen Lewis, who played Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in sitcom On The Buses, died aged 88, as did comedy writer David Nobbs, best known for creating the television character Reginald Perrin, at the age of 80.

Warren Mitchell, who played Alf Garnett in TV series Till Death Us Do Part, died in November, aged 89.

Bafta-winning actress Geraldine McEwan, known for playing Agatha Christie sleuth Miss Marple on television, died "peacefully" in February, aged 82.

Actor Patrick Macnee, best known for playing urbane intelligence agent John Steed in 1960s series The Avengers, died in June, aged 93.

Ventriloquist Keith Harris, famous for his '80s television act - and pop career - with his puppet duck Orville, died in April, aged 67.

And former Antiques Roadshow presenter Hugh Scully died in October, aged 72.

The world of film was rocked by the deaths of Omar Sharif and Sir Christopher Lee.

Sharif, who starred in Hollywood epics including Lawrence Of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, died in his native Egypt in June at the age of 83.

Sir Christopher, who also died in June, aged 93, a ppeared in a string of horror films and played a Bond villain in The Man With The Golden Gun before enjoying a career renaissance playing Saruman in the Lord Of The Rings films.

Other actors to die included Ron Moody, who played Fagin in the 1968 Oscar-winning Oliver! Moody, who was nominated for the best actor Oscar, died in June, aged 91.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr Spock in sci-fi classic Star Trek on the big and small screens, died in February, aged 83.

Nightmare On Elm Street director Wes Craven died in August, aged 76, and Bollywood actor Saeed Jaffrey, who starred in films including A Passage To India and Gandhi, died in November at 86.

Away from the screen, three much-loved but totally different novelists died.

Jackie Collins, who sold more than 500 million novels in some 40 countries in her four decades-long career as a writer of raunchy female fiction, died of breast cancer in September, aged 77.

Crime writer Ruth Rendell died in May at the age of 85, months after suffering a stroke. One of the best-known names in the genre, she wrote more than 60 best-sellers, including the Inspector Wexford novels.

Best-selling fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett died in March aged 66 after a very public struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Four musical greats from widely different genres also died.

Stand By Me singer Ben E King died at the end of April aged 76.

Hot Chocolate frontman Errol Brown died from liver cancer at his home in the Bahamas in May aged 71.

Irish crooner Val Doonican died in July aged 88.

And at the end of the year, veteran rocker Lemmy, the lead singer of Motorhead, died aged 70 within days of being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Acerbic art critic and broadcaster Brian Sewell died of cancer in September aged 84.

The world of politics lost several big hitters.

Former Conservative chancellor Geoffrey Howe, the minister whose devastating resignation speech effectively ended Margaret Thatcher's premiership, died in October aged 88.

His death came just days after that of a long-time opponent, former Labour chancellor Lord Denis Healey, who died aged 98.

While both men reached good ages, there was shock as well as sadness when former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy died in June aged just 55 after struggling with alcoholism.

In January, former home secretary and European Commission vice-president Leon Brittan, Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, died of cancer aged 75.

His death came as controversy continued over the inquiry into child sex abuse allegations triggered by questions surrounding a dossier handed to him while home secretary by then-Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens.

In sport, warm tributes were paid in April when former Australian cricket captain turned commentator Richie Benaud died aged 84.

There were also two high-profile deaths in the world of motor racing.

In July, Jules Bianchi, the French racer tipped to become a world champion, died aged just 25 after succumbing to devastating head injuries he suffered during the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2014.

Little more than a month later, British racing driver Justin Wilson died after being hit on the head by a piece of flying debris during an IndyCar race in Pennsylvania.

In July, tributes poured in for Sir Nicholas Winton, dubbed "Britain's Schindler" for saving the lives of Jewish children during the Holocaust, after he died aged 106.

Sir Nicholas organised eight trains to carry 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to London in 1939, fearing they would otherwise be sent to concentration camps.

He also helped to find foster families for the children once they arrived in England, but did not reveal his astonishing bravery for half a century, even to his wife.

Britain's best-known madam, Cynthia Payne - nicknamed Madame Cyn - died in November, aged 82.

She first hit the headlines in 1978 when police raided a sex party at her suburban home in Streatham, south London, to find elderly men paying for lewd entertainment with luncheon vouchers.


TV presenter and singer Cilla Black


Coronation Street actress Anne Kirkbride


Actor George Cole


Stephen Lewis, as Blakey in sitcom On The Buses


Comedy writer David Nobbs (British Humanist Association/PA)


Actor Warren Mitchell


Actress Geraldine McEwan


Actor Patrick Macnee, with Avengers co-star Diana Rigg (TV Times/PA)


Ventriloquist Keith Harris with his puppet duck Orville (Robert C Kelly/PA)


Antiques Roadshow presenter Hugh Scully


Hollywood actor Omar Sharif


Actor Sir Christopher Lee after receiving his Knighthood at Buckingham Palace


Actor Ron Moody


Actor Leonard Nimoy, best known for playing Mr Spock in Star Trek


Nightmare On Elm Street director Wes Craven


Actor Saeed Jaffrey


Novelist Jackie Collins after being presented with the OBE at Buckingham Palace


Crime writer Ruth Rendell


Fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett


Singer Ben E King


Hot Chocolate frontman Errol


Singer Val Doonican


Motorhead rock star Lemmy


Art critic and broadcaster Brian Sewell


Lord Geoffrey Howe


Former Labour chancellor Denis Healey


Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy


Former Conservative Cabinet minister Leon Brittan


Former Australian cricketer Richie Benaud in the Channel 4 commentary box at Lords


Formula One driver Jules Bianchi


Racing driver Justin Wilson


'Britain's Schindler' Sir Nicholas Winton


Cynthia Payne, Britain's best-known madam

Stars Who Died Tragically Young

As Robert De Niro said to his son in Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale, “one of the saddest things in life is wasted talent.” When it comes to creative folk such as actors, painters and writers, the same talent that drives their ability can also trigger tragedy.

Success for these type of people can result in a situation where the darker demons of celebrities are enabled to a much greater extent than if they lived a relatively normal life outside of the limelight, without a fortune and idle time to pursue potentially destructive behavior.

Some of the most dramatic examples of creative talent leading to tragedy happen when young celebrities, such as actresses and actors, engage in destructive substance abuse patterns that result in addiction, overdose and death.

Occasionally, rising stars perish early simply because they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting caught in a terrible plane crash, car wreck or another type of deadly accident that cuts their lives short.

This list showcases actors and actresses that passed away far too early, tragically taking them and their talents from the world during what should have been the prime of their lives.

1. James Dean

Born in Marion, Indiana in 1931, James Dean initially studied law at Santa Monica College before pursuing his true passion by enrolling at UCLA to study theatre.

After moving to New York, he quickly established himself as a talented thespian in the theatrical production of The Immoralist before making his mark in the movies East of Eden, Giant and most notably, as an iconic badass in Rebel Without a Cause.

His stardom was rising to feverish levels when he passed away in a car crash in 1955. Dean’s talent and charisma earned him two posthumous Academy Award nominations – making him the only person to be nominated twice after their death.

2. Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger was fast becoming known as one of the best actors of his generation, with a career-defining portrayal of The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight under his belt.

He rose to superstardom for his role in Brokeback Mountain as a ranch worker who has a clandestine love affair with a rodeo rider, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. It was this role that earned notice from critics and audiences alike, and he received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations along with winning the best actor honor from the San Francisco Film Critics and New York Film Critics.

At the very height of his career, and in the midst of filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Ledger died. The cause was listed as an accidental combination of sleep aids and other prescription drugs. It was believed he became emotionally and physically exhausted after his psychotic portrayal of The Joker the year before.

3. Paul Walker

Born in Glendale, California, Paul William Walker IV became a huge action star when he acted in The Fast and the Furious, a series of action-packed car chase movies with death defying stunts.

He also appeared in shows such as Touched by an Angel, Varsity Blues, Who’s the Boss? and The Young and the Restless as well as feature films like Eight Below, The Skulls and Into the Blue.

In a case of horrible dramatic irony, Walker – at the height of his Fast and Furious fame – was involved in a terrible car wreck on his way to a charity event to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The Porsche his friend was driving lost control, struck a tree and burst into flames.

4. Chris Farley

Chris Farley was one of the funniest actors of his generation, with a grace and ease of movement that belied his large physicality.

A star of Saturday Night Live for six years, his performances were some of the best that came out of the 1990s, earning him starring roles in movies that he single-handedly made watchable, such as Tommy Boy, Beverly Hills Ninja and Black Sheep.

He was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1964 and studied theatre during his stint at Marquette University. He died of a drug overdose in 1993, falling victim to his severe addiction problems and over-the-top lifestyle.

5. Brandon Lee

Theories of the curse of Bruce Lee resurfaced when his son, Brandon Lee, was accidentally shot and killed while on set filming The Crow. Apparently, instead of blanks, the gun had a live round hidden deep in the chamber, fatally wounding Brandon in 1993.

Brandon was born in Oakland in 1965 and starred in action movies such as Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire before his big role in The Crow. Like his father, he studied martial arts and acting.

Tragically, he was to marry Eliza Hutton less than two months before his death, which was blamed on a film crew using an unapproved weapon during the creation of the film.

6. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee is still the biggest martial arts name that humanity has ever known, single-handedly developing new martial arts systems and bringing the genre to Hollywood and North America.

He was born in 1940 in San Francisco and lived in Hong Kong, where he starred in various roles as a child actor, before returning to the Unites States where he was a passionate teacher of Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do styles of fighting.

He passed away in 1973, with doctors suggesting the official cause of death being an edema of the brain due to a bad reaction to prescription painkillers. Many bizarre theories surround his death, some stating that he was murdered or died due to a curse.

7. Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, nee Norma Jeane Mortenson, was born in Los Angeles in 1926. She’s one of the most enduring sirens of the silver screen, surviving a horrifying family life and childhood to eventually become one of the biggest sex symbols the Earth has ever known.

She starred in features such as The Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot, which propelled her to the status of an icon and living legend.

Despite her fame and fortune, she suffered from serious mental illness and addiction issues stemming from her troubled upbringing. Monroe died of a drug overdose in 1962, leaving behind a legacy that few actresses have achieved since.

8. River Phoenix

Born on a farm in Madras, Oregon, to free-spirited parents, River learned his craft as he traveled the world, eventually landing in Florida where his talents were beginning to get noticed.

With an Academy Award nomination for his work in Running on Empty and a memorable breakthrough role in Stand by Me, River Phoenix appeared destined for a long, successful career as one of the most talented young actors to ever grace the screen.

Just as his star was on the rise, he tragically died of an overdose in 1993 at the Viper Room in Hollywood, California, devastating his family and fans. His brother Joaquin and sister Rain tried to help but were doomed to witness their beloved brother pass away.

9. Cory Monteith

Born in Calgary, Alberta in 2013, Cory Monteith was one of the megastars of Glee, playing Finn Hudson, a quarterback  reluctantly recruited to the school’s glee club. His voice, charm and good looks won him a legion of fans, including Taylor Swift.

His feature film credits include Final Destination 3, Sisters & Brothers and Monte Carlo, adding to appearances on other shows such as The Simpsons, Smallville and Supernatural.

He battled addiction with the support of his girlfriend Lea Michele and by checking into a rehabilitation facility. He passed away in 2013, succumbing to the demons of substance abuse in a hotel room in Vancouver. His cause of death was an overdose of heroin mixed with alcohol.

10. Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy was born in Atlanta in 1977 and rose to stardom in her role alongside Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. She secured her star as an actress in Girl, Interrupted and 8 Mile. She also played Luanne in King of the Hill and starred in Sin City.

Brittany passed away suddenly due to cardiac arrest late in 2009, with the coroner initially suggesting she died of natural causes – a diagnosis difficult to believe at such a young age.

Since her death, a variety of bizarre and troubling evidence has emerged suggesting that she and her husband may have been murdered deliberately, as part of a shadowy, unknown plot.

11. Skye McCole Bartusiak

Skye McCole Barthusiak shot to fame in her movie roles The Cider House Rules, Don’t Say a Word and as Mel Gibson’s daughter in The Patriot. She parleyed this success into solid, consistent gigs such as a recurring role on 24 and appearances in House M.D., CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lost, Touched by an Angel and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Born in Houston, Texas in 1992, Skye died in 2014 due to an accidental overdose of medication she was taking to help deal with her epileptic seizures. According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the mix of hydrocodone, difluoroethane and carisoprodol caused her to pass away in her sleep.

12. Christopher Pettiet

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1976, Christopher Pettiet started his career at a young age as a child actor in various television series. As a teenager, he starring in movie hits such as Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead and Point Break, eventually earning his own show playing Jesse James on The Young Riders television program.

However, despite his success, Christopher struggled with massive addiction issues, which started to erode his health and acting opportunities.

In the year 2000, he ended up overdosing a couple of months after his birthday at the young age of 24. This was after repeated attempts to get help. Posthumously, his manager started a scholarship under his name.

13. Lee Thompson Young

An actor ever since he played Martin Luther King in a play when he was ten, Lee Thompson Young was born on February 1st, 1984 in Columbia, South Carolina.

He found success playing the title character in The Famous Jett Jackson, expanding into roles on other shows such as Friday Night Lights, Scrubs, FlashForward, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, South Beach and Rizzoli & Isles.

Sadly, Lee suffered from bipolar disorder, diagnosed with the mental illness as a teenager. He struggled with the disease while he grew his career, attending therapy sessions and taking medication to help cope. Ultimately, he was overwhelmed by the condition, taking his own life in 2013 with a single gunshot.