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"We are in shock"

The mother of an American teacher killed in Abu Dhabi has not been told the truth about her daughter’s death, a relative said Friday. Ibolya Ryan’s mother, who lives in Romania, was told she died in a car crash to spare her the gruesome details of Monday’s mall stabbing, sister-in-law Irina Balazsi told NBC News. Balazsi said Ryan’s brother, who is ill, was not even told she is dead. “We are in shock,” Balazsi said.

Ryan, 47, was born in Romania but was a United States citizen. She had taught in three other countries over the last 15 years before going to the United Arab Emirates with her 11-year-old sons in September 2013…

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The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving the image of a Confederate flag on a license plate and decide how much control state governments can exert over slogans and messages on vehicle tags. The court will hear an appeal from the state of Texas, which refused five years ago to approve a specialty plate for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, including a logo of a Confederate battle flag surrounded by group’s name and the year 1896.

After hearing public comments, the state motor vehicle authority rejected the request, explaining that “many members of the general public find the design offensive,” and associate the flag “with organizations advocating expressions of hate…”

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Cosby has been accused of sexual abuse or assault by over 20 women

Bill Cosby’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized Thursday night, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

The word “rapist” was written multiple times on the star, according to a photo posted Thursday by a Houston TV station.

“When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways then to vandalize a California State landmark,” said a spokeswoman from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which awards the stars, in a statement.

Cosby has been accused of sexual abuse or assault by over 20 women, many who spoke out for the first time in the last few months…

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Another border incursion from Russia

Russia’s latest border incursion has farmers on edge in northeastern China, where the authorities have banned them from climbing, hiking and collecting wood in a mountainous area where the two nations meet.

The border has been breached by two large Siberian tigers that were personally released into the wild with much fanfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both appear to have an appetite for Chinese food: One of the duo, called Ustin, went on a killing spree earlier this week, leaving 15 Chinese goats dead. Three more are missing.

Its partner in crime, Kuzya, crossed the border a month earlier…

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Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called the allegations "very serious"

The Navy has revoked Bill Cosby’s honorary title in light of allegations he sexually assaulted a string of women over decades. “The Navy is taking this action because allegations against Mr. Cosby are very serious and are in conflict with the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said in a statement. The comedian — who spent four years in the Navy — was given the title of honorary Chief Petty Officer in 2011.

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In video gunmen threaten the life of Luke Somers

Militants in Yemen have released a video threatening to execute a British-born American hostage in three days if its demands to the U.S. government are not met, according to a company that monitors terrorist groups.

The video from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which was purportedly released Thursday, does not specify what those demands are, SITE Intelligence Group said. But in a translation provided by the company, AQAP accuses the U.S. of bombing its fighters. In the video, a man the group claims is U.S. citizen Luke Somers is threatened with execution.

"I was so angry and full of raw emotions, as so many others were"

The stepfather of Michael Brown said Wednesday that his emotions “got the best of me” when he urged a crowd in Ferguson, Missouri, to “burn this bitch down” after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer for shooting his stepson to death.

In a statement obtained by NBC News, Louis Head, who is married to Brown’s mother, apologized to those “who read my pain and anger as a true desire for what I want for our community. It wasn’t.”

Authorities are considering whether to charge Head for inciting a riot. Angry crowds burned buildings, looted stores and…

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