Is this thing on? World leaders' Top 10 hot mic gaffes

London (CNN)In the space of a day, Britain's two most powerful people -- Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron -- have been publicly reminded of the perils of a hot mic.

Cameron was first, when his candid remarks to the Queen about Nigeria and Afghanistan --calling them "fantastically corrupt" and "possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world" -- were captured on camera.

The comments provoked a storm online and drew a rebuke from Nigeria's presidential spokesman, who said they were "embarrassing."

Shortly afterward, footage emerged of the Queen telling a senior Metropolitan Police officer thatChinese officials had been "very rude" during President Xi Jinping's first state visit to Britain last year -- potentially complicating relations with the superpower.

For people accustomed to living in the media's glare, it's surprising how often world leaders forget the golden rule of broadcasting: Always assume the mic is live.

Here are some of the most memorable occasions when things have gone wrong:

1. Obama, Sarkozy talk trash about Netanyahu

President Barack Obama and his then-French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, came under fire in November 2011 after they were overheard talking about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the G20 summit.

Sarkozy told Obama: "I can't stand him. He's a liar," according to French website Arret sur Images.

Obama is reported to have replied: "You're tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day."

2. Obama slams Kanye West

Obama should have had no excuse for the Netanyahu incident, as he had been caught two years earlier making another gaffe when he described the polarizing rap superstar Kanye West as a "jackass."

The President was addressing the controversy over West storming the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to gate-crash Taylor Swift's big moment.

"The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person, she's getting her award. What's he doing up there?" Obama said during an off-the-record portion of a TV interview. "He's a jackass."

Another reporter in the room tweeted out the remark, and footage of the comments later leaked online.

Obama doubled down on the comment three years later to a journalist from The Atlantic but tempered the criticism with the observation that the rapper was "talented."

Obama: I don't have Kanye's home number

3. Gordon Brown on 'bigoted' voter

Then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's 2010 campaign was not going well, but he had no idea how much worse it was going to get when he stopped to chat with a voter in Rochdale, England, a week before the election.

Gillian Duffy, a 66-year-old pensioner, proceeded to berate Brown, explaining why -- despite having backed his Labour Party all her life -- she was now ashamed to admit her political allegiance.

Brown kept up a polite conversation with her as the TV cameras looked on, then drove away unaware his microphone was still on.

Once inside the car, he complained to advisers: "That was a disaster. They should never have put me with that woman. ... Ridiculous ... bigoted woman."

Brown later apologized but went on to lose the election.

Bigot gaffe threatens to overshadow UK debate

4. George W. Bush to Tony Blair

Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, was witness to one of the most famous on-mic blunders by U.S. President George W. Bush during a lunch meeting at the 2006 G8 summit in Russia.

Bush hailed the Prime Minister with the greeting "Yo Blair!" and thanked him for a recent gift of a sweater. He then began discussing the situation in the Middle East, offering a not entirely diplomatic solution to the difficulties between Syria and Israel.

"What they need to do," he told Blair, "is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's all over."

5. Bush on reporter

The 43rd U.S. President was no stranger to the gaffe -- entire books were written about his famous "Bushisms" -- and they were in evidence even on the election trail.

At an Illinois campaign stop in September 2000, Bush was caught on camera referring to New York Times reporter Adam Clymer as a "major-league a------" -- to which his running mate Dick Cheney replied: "Oh yeah, big time."

Bush later said he was sorry his comments -- intended, according to his advisers, as a "whispered aside" -- were overheard.

"I regret that the private comments made it to the public airwaves," he said. "I regret people heard the comments."

6. Prince Charles on royal correspondent

Bush is not the only public figure to have voiced frustration and anger at the media in an unguarded on-camera moment.

Prince Charles got himself in hot water with the British press when he was caught muttering under his breath about a reporter to sons William and Harry during a photo call on a 2005 skiing holiday in Switzerland.

Taking exception to a question from longtime BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell, the prince complained: "Bloody people. I can't bear that man. He's so awful, he really is."

The comment did little to repair Charles' fractious relationship with the media and proved that gaffes can still offend, even when couched in polite language.

7. Joe Biden to Obama

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is in a class all his own when it comes to putting his foot in it.

In one of his most famous blunders, he was caught on tape dropping the F-bomb while congratulating Obama over the signing of the controversial bill to overhaul health care in March 2010.

Introducing the President to the media, he turned to hug Obama, and was heard whispering: "This is a big f------ deal."

8. John Major on colleagues -- and himself

Elections are fertile hunting ground for gaffes as politicians battle for airtime and headlines, but then-UK Prime Minister John Major found himself in trouble in 1993 when he admitted he didn't understand why people kept voting for him.

The day after members of his Conservative Party had rebelled in Parliament over plans to expand Britain's links with Europe, the normally unemotive Major was heard referring to the Eurosceptic lawmakers as "bastards" and threatening to "crucify" them.

Speaking to a reporter after an interview -- when he thought the microphone had been switched off -- Major said he could not see "how such a complete wimp like me keeps winning everything."

9. Jacques Chirac on British food

French President Jacques Chirac also had winning on his mind when he was caught on tape, criticizing an entire nation in 2005.

Chirac was playing a leading role in Paris' quest to host the 2012 Olympics when he tried to make the most of what he saw as a clear advantage over competitor London: food.

"The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease," he told Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. "You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine."

Predictably, the comments provoked the ire of the British tabloids, but the Brits had the last laugh days later when London won the rights to stage the 2012 Olympics.

10. Ronald Reagan on Russia

A throwaway joke by President Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War could have had serious implications.

Taking part in a sound check shortly before his weekly radio address to the nation in August 1984, Reagan announced to listeners:

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I have signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever.

Andy Murray Defeats Djokovic To Win Italian Open

British number one, Andy Murray has won his first Italian Open title with a 6-3 6-3 victory over top seed Novak Djokovic in Rome. It was a first win on clay against Djokovic in five attempts for the Scot, who turned 29 on the same day.

He broke serve once in the first set and twice in the second to win in one hour and 35 minutes.

Murray will return to the world number two ranking ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros, which begins on May 22.

Monetizing Articles On Social Media

Facebook has now decided to be a part of the online publishing revolution with the launch of its own social media rival platform ‘instant articles’.

This is after the rise of online publishing over the last decade has been made popular by Google through its platform Blogger, and its monetization system Google ad-sense.

This new feature is already being adopted by organizations such as National Geographic, Mashable and the New York Times.

A Social Media Expert, John Obidi, answers questions on how Nigerian publishers and content creators can maximize this trend.

The United Nations High Commissioner, Fillipo Grandi, says that the migrant crisis is now a serious global case that needs attention. Mr Grandi was speaking on Monday during a special live coverage to assess ‘how an age of unprecedented mobility is shaping our world’.

He told BBC that more nations needed to come together to shoulder the burden of about 20 million refugees who have been resettled in other countries.

He appealed to the government of various nations and aid agencies to take up the responsibility.

“Last year, less than 1% of 20 million refugees had been resettled in another nation.

“More are fleeing conflict and hardship than at any other time in history,” he said.

The number of people seeking asylum in the European Union alone has risen to 1,255,600.

French Female Ministers Rise Against Sexual Harassment

Seventeen women who have served as ministers in France have signed a declaration against sexual harassment in politics, saying they will no longer be silent about the issue.

Among the 17 signatories to the declaration, who are current or former ministers, is the head of the International Monetary Fund and France’s former Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde.

The declarations read, “Like all women who have entered spheres that up until then were exclusively male, we have had to fight against sexism.

“It is not for women to have to adapt to these places, but for the behaviour of certain men to change.”

The women further said in the declaration, “We encourage all victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault to talk and complain. We ask our parties and our political groups to verify if such acts were committed and if that was the case, to help the victims to get to the truth.”

Last week, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Denis Baupin, resigned over sexual harassment claims, which he denies.

Examples of some of the sexual harassment suffered by the women are also given in the article.

It explains that Fleur Pellerin, who was Culture Minister in Francois Hollande’s government from 2014 until this February 2016, rarely suffered harassment until she was appointed to office.

After her first appointment in government, she was asked by a male journalist if she was given the job because she is a beautiful woman.

Petrol Pump Price: Kachikwu Appears Before House Of Reps

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has told members of the House of Representatives that the Federal Government had no other option than to increase the price of fuel.

He said that this was because of the diminished foreign exchange supply situation in Nigeria, which forced marketers to stop importation and imposed over 90 per cent supply on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) since October 2015.

‘No Provision For Subsidy’

Other factors which the Minister said necessitated the price hike, were significant decline in government’s foreign exchange revenues and renewed sabotage and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

Dr. Kachikwu, who attended a special session held by the lawmakers to quiz the Minister over the hike in price of petrol, told them that there was no provision for subsidy in the 2016 Appropriation Act and as at Monday, the fuel price of 86.50 gave an estimate subsidy claim of 13.7 Naira per litre, which translates to 16.4 billion Naira monthly.

He restated that they were left with no option than to liberalise the market.

Kachikwu explained that the new price band had gone into effect and that the market had stabilised in terms of product availability.

The NNPC would no longer resort to federation barrels and would endeavour to meet its obligation to pay FAAC 100 percent of its entitlement from the 445,000 barrels per day in the coming months.

Rowdy Scene

Earlier, the House of Representatives plenary degenerated into a rowdy session, as lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to allow the Minister to be admitted into the chamber.

The PDP lawmakers waved the National flag, singing protest songs and were hell bent on not allowing the Minister entry into the Representatives’ chamber.

After several minutes, other lawmakers prevailed on the PDP lawmakers to allow the Minister in for questioning.

Dr. Kachikwu on May 11 announced a new price band of 145 Naira per litre of petrol, but the increase drew mixed reactions, with the labour union saying it will resist the increase.

I Will Speak On Recovered Loot On May 29 – Buhari

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, says he will on May 29 speak on the recovered stolen funds from persons that had been indicted in the fight against corruption. 

The report is expected to be part of his speech on that day recognised as Nigeria’s Democracy Day.

In an interview with Channels Television in the UK, where he took part in the London Anti-Corruption Summit, President Buhari said: “So far, what has come out, what has been recovered, in whatever currency, from which ministry, department and individuals, I intend on the 29th to speak on this because all that Nigerians are getting to know are from the newspapers, radio and television.

“We want to make a comprehensive report by May 29”.

On whether the names of the corrupt government officials or those indicted would be published, he said it would eventually be done.

“We want to successfully prosecute them. But you know you can’t go to the court unless you have the documents to do your prosecutions – where some of these people sign for these monies, send it to their personal bank accounts.

“Their banks gave a statement that the money is there when it came how much of it available and so on”.

Never Heard The Word ‘Padding’

On the 2016 budget and the delay that had characterised its processing, he pointed out that if he had not uncovered the padding of the budget, corruption would have crept into the budget, blaming it on technocrats.

“I never heard the word ‘padding’ until this year. I never heard about it. And what does it mean?

“It means that the technocrats just allow the government to make its noise, go and make presentation to the National Assembly so they will remove it and put their own. So, when we uncovered this, we just have to go back to the basics again,” he told Channels Television’s correspondent, Chukwuma Onuekwusi.

President Buhari also made comments on security issues, fight against Boko Haram, increasing herdsmen attacks on communities, militancy in the Niger delta and what will happen to those bowing up gas pipelines in the oil-rich region.

He stressed that he had asked the Chief of Naval staff and other Service Chiefs to work together and make sure that those blowing up installations and subverting the investment in Nigeria would be dealt with eventually.

“When I was in the Petroleum Trust Fund, we made a comprehensive study of cattle routes and grazing areas through Nigeria. I am referring the Governors’ Forum and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to it. Let them see what they can do and save the situation.

“There seem to be some credibility to the fact that there are other than Nigerian cattle rearers involved,” he said, linking the development to the crisis in Libya.

“Now this is because of what happened in Libya. When Gaddafi during his 43-year regime, he trained some people from the Sahel… Militarily, he trained them.

“When his regime was overthrown, those people were again dispatched to their countries. They are gone, carrying their weapons and they found themselves even in Boko Haram,” he explained.

President Buhari further said that the increasing herdsmen attacks on communities in Nigeria had become a governmental project, with the government ready to “trace them, disarm them and if necessary try them and discipline them”.

President Buhari had during the London Anti-Corruption Summit requested for the repatriation of funds that had been stolen and taken to the UK by past government officials.

Release of list of 'Bridgegate' co-conspirators delayed

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The George Washington Bridge toll booths are pictured in Fort Lee, New Jersey January 9, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

By Joseph Ax

(Reuters) - A New Jersey federal judge has extended the deadline to Tuesday for U.S. prosecutors to release a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the "Bridgegate" scandal, while she weighs a request from an individual on the list to keep it sealed.

U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton in Newark earlier this week had ordered the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman for New Jersey to file the list by noon EDT (1600 GMT) on Friday after a consortium of media companies filed a motion seeking the information.

The court document could reveal how many individuals in the administration of Governor Chris Christie were aware of the scheme to close down lanes at the George Washington Bridge, a major commuter link to New York City, in what prosecutors say was an act of political retaliation against a local mayor.

Christie, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for his party's presidential nomination this year, has denied knowledge of the plot.

The people on the list have been described in court filings as individuals who joined the conspiracy but have not been criminally charged.

In conspiracy cases, prosecutors do not always charge every person they believe had knowledge of the crime. Investigators may feel they do not have enough evidence to secure a conviction, or the individuals may be cooperating with prosecutors to build a case against others.

The list of names, long a subject of speculation, previously has been provided to defense lawyers.

One of the unindicted co-conspirators late Thursday filed an emergency motion to stay Wigenton's order, arguing that the release of the list "brands him as a criminal without due process of law." The individual did not reveal his name in the court filing.

Wigenton said she would consider the individual's request for a hearing and gave the media companies until 12:30 EDT Friday to file a response. The new deadline for the list's release is noon on Tuesday.

Prosecutors have charged three people in the case.

Two of them, William Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, are scheduled to face trial on charges of wire fraud and civil rights deprivation in September.

The third, David Wildstein, also a former Port Authority official, has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.

Kelly and Baroni arranged for the September 2013 lane closure in Fort Lee, New Jersey, to pay back the Democratic mayor for refusing to endorse Christie's re-election bid, according to prosecutors.

While Christie has not been implicated in the scheme, the release of the list could be an embarrassing distraction for the governor, who is heading up the transition team for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The trial could unfold during the presidential campaign, with the general election set for Nov. 8.

The list may not include every person who prosecutors believe was aware of the scheme. In court filings, prosecutors have distinguished between two lists of names: unindicted co-conspirators who "joined" the conspiracy, and others who may have known of the plan but did not actively join.

It is not clear how many individuals might fit into the latter category.

Bruce Rosen, a lawyer for the media companies, said on Friday he has asked prosecutors to hand over the second set of names. If the request is denied, the companies are prepared to file a motion asking Wigenton to order the government to comply, he said.

Police try to determine uncle's motive for taking niece

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In this arrest photo made available by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office, TN., shows Gary Lewis Simpson, 57, on Friday, May 13, 2016. Simpson was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping of his 9-year-old niece. (Hawkins County Sheriff's Office via AP)

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities were trying to determine why a Tennessee man charged with aggravated kidnapping disappeared for more than a week with his 9-year-old niece.

The uncle, 57-year-old Gary Simpson, is being interviewed to determine what transpired over the last eight days, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn told news outlets.

Two men searching the back country of northeastern Tennessee on Thursday found Carlie Trent, who had been missing since Simpson signed her out of school May 4 under false pretenses.

Gwyn said Donnie Lawson and Stewart Franklin were acting on law enforcement appeals to search isolated areas on all-terrain vehicles when they found the two in a barn. Franklin held Simpson at gunpoint while Lawson went to call police.

Gwyn said there were no indications that Carlie was harmed, but she was being checked as a precaution.

The TBI said Simpson is being held without bond in the Hawkins County Jail.

"Carlie is safe tonight because of an entire community pulling together and working with law enforcement to bring her home," Gwyn said after Simpson was arrested Thursday. "Anytime someone is taken like this — kidnapped — we know time is not on our side, and we have to act and react very quickly. ... Thank God she was rescued safe."

Earlier Thursday, the TBI had added Simpson to its Top 10 Most Wanted list and warned that Carlie was in imminent danger.

Simpson is married to the sister of Carlie's father. The families live close to one another in rural Hawkins County. The uncle and his wife had custody of Carlie and her little sister while their father was jailed on drug charges, but the girls went back to live with their father in 2015, TBI spokesman Josh DeVine said earlier Thursday. Investigators had not been able to find any work history for Simpson.

Authorities issued the call to check remote areas or campgrounds based on surveillance video showing Simpson stocking up on items from an area Wal-Mart including a bikini, two tubes of colored lip gloss, nail polish, an outdoor chair and a child's nightgown.

Franklin told the Kingsport Times-News that he, Lawson and two others who were searching in the vicinity had prayed about where to look for the pair.

"We each had a feeling like that was the direction she might be in," Franklin said, adding that it was a relief to find the girl.

"I said to myself, thank you Lord, that we finally found her," Franklin said. "It was a shock, and it still kind of is. It seems like a dream. It seems unreal that we could finally find her."

Facebook launches investigation into report of political bias

REUTERS - Facebook Inc, the social networking powerhouse, is conducting a full investigation into allegations of political bias, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement late Thursday.

The company has come under fire after an unnamed former Facebook employee told technology news website Gizmodo that workers often omitted conservative political stories from the company's "trending" list of topics that it says spiked in popularity.

The accusation sparked an outcry on social media and prompted a U.S. Senate inquiry into Facebook's practices.

Facebook has "found no evidence that this report is true," Zuckerberg said in a post published on his Facebook page, but added that the company would continue to investigate.

"If we find anything against our principles, you have my commitment that we will take additional steps to address it," Zuckerberg said.

The Facebook chief added that he planned to invite "leading conservatives" to share their points of view.

The allegations against Facebook prompted the company to reveal more about how it selects and displays news to its users.

In a post published on Facebook's media relations section on Thursday, a senior company official outlined its "Trending Topics" guidelines at length.

"Facebook does not allow or advise our reviewers to discriminate against sources of any political origin, period," wrote Justin Osofsky, vice president for global operations.

Facebook claims it had over 1 billion daily active users, on average, in March.