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Lupita Nyong’o stolen dress recovered after thief learns pearls are fake

Lisa.Felice
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Lupita Nyong’o stolen dress recovered after thief learns pearls are fake

According to LAPD, a dress “resembling” the $150,000 Calvin Klein dress worn by Lupita Nyong’o at this year’s Oscars that was stolen this week has been recovered.

The dress was found in a bathroom of the same Hollywood hotel where it was taken.

Police were tipped off by celebrity website TMZ, who said they were contacted by a man claiming to be the thief.

The man said he had returned the dress after learning the pearls studding the dress were fake.Lupita Nyong'o stolen dress

The custom Calvin Klein-designed gown is coated with 6,000 natural pearls, but the purported thief said he took two of them for testing and were told they were not real.

Detectives are working with the owners of the dress to confirm if it is the dress.

Michael White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he believed it was. No arrests have been made.

”Whether the jewels on the dress are fake or real… we still have a burglary and we still have a grand theft,” Michael White said.

Lupita Nyong’o won best supporting actress in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave and was a presenter at this year’s ceremony.

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Homeland Security avoids partial shutdown after House passes short-term funding bill

Diane A. Wade
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Homeland Security avoids partial shutdown after House passes short-term funding bill

The US Department of Homeland Security has avoided a partial shutdown as Congress passed a one-week funding extension, hours before a midnight deadline.

The House voted 357-60 in favor of the short-term bill after it had been passed in the Senate.

President Barack Obama, who said he would back a short-term deal to avert a shutdown, signed it shortly afterwards.

It ensures the department’s 250,000 employees will be paid while a longer-term funding agreement is discussed.

The two-thirds majority vote was reached about two hours before the midnight deadline.

Earlier, Republicans had rejected a similar three-week extension after provisions against President Barack Obama’s immigration plan were dropped.

The one-week deal was backed by a majority of Democrats despite many of them voting against the earlier bill in the hope that a longer-term deal could be agreed.Homeland Security avoids shutdown

The move came shortly after President Barack Obama had spoken by phone to Democratic leaders in a bid to avert the partial department closure.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for securing US borders, airports and coastal waters.

About 200,000 “essential” department employees would have continued to work without pay if the agency’s funding had not been secured.

Some Republicans had wanted to use the funding of the department, which includes immigration officials, as a bargaining chip to force President Barack Obama to end policies on immigration.

In November 2014, Barack Obama used his executive powers to protect about five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republicans say President Barack Obama overstepped his powers in doing so.

A separate ruling by a federal judge has blocked those policies from starting while a lawsuit by more than two dozen states goes forward.

Some Republicans senators had expressed a desire to fight the executive actions in the courts, rather than threaten the department’s funding.

On February 26, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urged Congress to pass full funding.

“A short-term continuing resolution exacerbates the uncertainty for my workforce and puts us back in the same position, on the brink of a shutdown just days from now,” Jeh Johnson said.

Last week, the White House said President Barack Obama would prefer a full funding bill but would sign a short-term measure to prevent a shutdown.

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Boris Nemtsov shot dead in central Moscow

Diane A. Wade
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Boris Nemtsov shot dead in central Moscow

Vladimir Putin’s critic and former Deputy PM Boris Nemtsov has been shot dead in central Moscow, Russian officials say.

An unidentified gunman, in a car, shot Boris Nemtsov four times in the back as he crossed a bridge in view of the Kremlin, police say.

The Russian opposition leader died hours after appealing for support for a march on March 1 in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder, the Kremlin says.

Vladimir Putin has assumed “personal control” of the investigation into the killing, said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

It “bears the hallmarks of a contract killing,” said Dmitry Peskov.

President Barack Obama condemned the “brutal murder” and called on the Russian government to conduct a “prompt, impartial and transparent investigation”.

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, condemned the killing, saying in a tweet: “I am shocked and appalled key opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot. Killers must be brought to justice.”Boris Nemtsov killed in central Moscow

In a recent interview, Boris Nemtsov had said he feared Vladimir Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s.

He had earned a reputation as an economic reformer while governor of one of Russia’s biggest cities, Nizhny Novgorod.

Falling out of favor with Boris Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, he became an outspoken opposition politician.

Boris Nemtsov was shot at around 23:40 on Friday, February 27, while crossing Moskvoretsky Bridge accompanied by a woman, Russia’s interior ministry said.

He was shot with a pistol from a white car which fled the scene, a police source told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

According to Russian-language news website Meduza, “several people” got out of a car and shot him.

One of the politician’s colleagues in his RPR-Parnassus party, Ilya Yashin, confirmed Boris Nemtsov’s death.

Flowers were left at the site of the shooting through the night.

In his last tweet, Boris Nemtsov sent out an appeal for Russia’s divided opposition to unite at an anti-war march he was planning for Sunday.

“If you support stopping Russia’s war with Ukraine, if you support stopping Putin’s aggression, come to the Spring March in Maryino on March 1,” he wrote.

Speaking earlier this month to Russia’s Sobesednik news website, Boris Nemtsov had spoken of his fears for his own life.

“I’m afraid Putin will kill me,” he said on February 10.

“I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine,” Boris Nemtsov added.

“I couldn’t dislike him more.”

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ISIS destroys historic artefacts at Mosul museum

James J. Williams
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ISIS destroys historic artefacts at Mosul museum

Islamic State (ISIS) militants have destroyed historic artefacts at a Mosul museum in Iraq.

The head of the UN agency for culture, UNESCO, has said the artefacts’ destruction is a war crime.

Irina Bokova said she was appalled by an act of “cultural cleansing”, calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue.

ISIS posted a video on February 26 appearing to show militants with sledgehammers smashing statues in a museum in Mosul.

Some of the artefacts date back to the 9th Century BC.

ISIS militants said the statues were “false idols” that had to be smashed.

At a news conference in Paris, Irina Bokova described the video as “a real shock”, saying she was simply unable to finish watching the footage.

“I was filled with dismay by images of the attack on the Mosul Museum,” she said.

In a statement, UNESCO stressed that under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime.ISIS destroys artefacts at Mosul museum

The statement added that Irina Bokova had already called on the ICC to launch an investigation.

She also announced the creation of a “global coalition against the illegal trafficking of cultural goods”, adding that it would meet in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Louvre Museum in Paris said in a statement: “This destruction marks a new stage in the violence and horror, because all of humanity’s memory is being targeted in this region that was the cradle of civilization, the written word, and history.”

In the video released via ISIS social media sites, black-clad men push over statues, smash them with sledgehammers and use a pneumatic drill to destroy the rubble.

The video shows one man drilling through and pulling apart what appears to be a stone winged-bull, an Assyrian protective deity dating to the 7th Century BC.

One of the militants in the video seeks to justify their destruction in religious terms.

Analysts say the artefacts are unique and priceless, although the museum does also house copies of some items.

ISIS has controlled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, since June 2014. The US military have said that an assault on the city by the Iraqi army could happen within months.

The region under ISIS control in Iraq has nearly 1,800 of Iraq’s 12,000 registered archaeological sites.

The reported destruction of the statues follows recent reports that ISIS burnt down Mosul Library, which housed over 8,000 ancient manuscripts.

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Servando “La Tuta” Gomez: Mexico’s most wanted drug lord captured

Diane A. Wade
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Servando “La Tuta” Gomez: Mexico’s most wanted drug lord captured

Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, has been captured, Mexican police announced.

Servando Gomez, leader of the Knights Templar drug cartel, was arrested in Morelia in Michoacan state without a shot fired, police officials said.

Previously a school teacher, he became one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords and took control of Michoacan.

La Tuta Gomez’s capture is a coup for the government of Enrique Pena Nieto in its fight against the drug cartels.

A police spokesman told local media the arrest followed months of intelligence work in the region.

Police reportedly seized nearby properties in the weeks leading up Servando Gomez’s capture and arrested several of his associates.Servando La Tuta Gomez captured

Known by his nicknames “La Tuta” and “El Profe”, Servando Gomez ruled over much of Michoacan state as head of the Knights Templar cartel.

“El Profe” refers to his career as a teacher, while theories abound about the origins of “La Tuta”.

Servando Gomez evaded capture for years while other senior members of the gang and rival drug lords were captured or killed.

By the time of his arrest, he had a $2 million bounty on his head.

Knights Templar was primarily a drug cartel and it controlled a large part of the lucrative methamphetamine trade in western Mexico.

The cartel was also known for mixing in business and politics in the region and even took effective control over the state’s international port, Lazaro Cardenas, making millions of dollars from illegal mining of iron ore.

A federal government offensive in 2013 saw the Pena Nieto administration wrest back control of Michoacan state from the Knights Templar and rival gangs.

As leader of the biggest cartel in the region, Servando Gomez became the prime target of Enrique Pena Nieto’s crackdown.

The administration has been criticized for failing to tackle the drug gangs, with vigilante groups forming to take on the dealers illegally.

Servando Gomez’s arrest comes just over a year after the capture of Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Shortly after Joaquin Guzman’s capture, Mexican security forces killed two of Servando Gomez’s senior deputies, Enrique “Kike” Plancarte and Nazario Moreno, known as “The Craziest One”.

Unlike many rival gang leaders who carefully avoided the limelight, Servando Gomez regularly gave media interviews and railed against the government in Youtube videos.

He began life in the drug trade as an small-time marijuana dealer, before joining a Michoacan gang called La Familia and rising to a senior level. A split in La Familia led him to form Knights Templar.

A father of at least seven, Servando Gomez was also wanted by US authorities in connection with the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers.

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Zephany Nurse: Stolen baby found after 17 years in South Africa

Nancy Clayson
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Zephany Nurse: Stolen baby found after 17 years in South Africa

An astonishing coincidence has led to the discovery of Zephany Nurse, who was stolen from her mother’s arms in Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital as a newborn 17 years ago.

A 50-year-old woman has appeared in court over the baby’s kidnapping.

Celeste and Morne Nurse, the girl’s biological parents, were reunited with her after she was enrolled in the same school as her sister. They lost their three-day-old daughter when she was snatched from her sleeping mother’s arms in her hospital bed in April 1997.

After seeing the pair’s likeness, the biological family invited the girl for coffee and then contacted police.

DNA tests have confirmed the identity of the girl, who has been placed in the care of social workers.

Morne Nurse said his daughter was receiving extensive counseling.

His wife said it was “like a dream” to see her daughter again.Zephany Nurse stolen baby South Africa

“When she met Cassidy [her sister], there was just an incredible connection and it started from there,” she told CapeTalk radio.

“Her birthday is on April 28. This year we can celebrate it with her. It will be her first birthday with us and we have to plan something very big.”

Celeste and Morné Nurse, who went on to have three more children, have celebrated Zephany’s birthday every year since she disappeared, never giving up hope that their first-born would come back to them someday.

Zephany grew up with a different name, and a different family, never knowing she was not their real daughter.

A relative of the alleged kidnapper told reporters outside the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court: “We grew up with the child, we took care of her.”

The arrested woman and her husband, who live in the Cape Flats, have no other children.

The woman is being charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act, in that she fraudulently pretended that she was the biological mother of a child, police said.

Her case was postponed to March 6.

Leonard Nimoy dead: Star Trek’s Mr. Spock dies of COPD aged 83

Sonia Pantiss
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Leonard Nimoy dead: Star Trek’s Mr. Spock dies of COPD aged 83

Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy has died at the age of 83 in Los Angeles, his family has announced.

Leonard Nimoy played Mr. Spock in the cult sci-fi series Star Trek.

The actor’s son, Adam, said he died of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on February 27.

Leonard Nimoy had a long career as both an actor and director.

He was best known for his portrayal of the half-human, half-Vulcan character in both the TV franchise and series of films.

In 2014, Leonard Nimoy revealed he was suffering chronic lung disease COPD, despite stopping smoking 30 years ago.

It was reported earlier this week he had been taken to hospital on February 19 after suffering from chest pains.Leonard Nimoy dead at 83

Leonard Nimoy later tweeted: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.”

He signed off what was to be his final tweet with “LLAP” – a reference to his character’s famous catchphrase, “Live long and prosper”.

The same Twitter account was used by his granddaughter to confirm that the actor died at home on February 27 in Bel-Air, California.

Dani Nimoy said her grandfather was an “extraordinary man, husband, grandfather, brother, actor, author – the list goes on – and friend.”

She added that special merchandise was being added to Leonard Nimoy’s website, with all proceeds going to the COPD foundation.

George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek and was a friend of Nimoy’s, paid tribute to the actor.

Among the torrent of tributes on Twitter was a message from NASA crediting Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek as an inspiration.

Thousands took to Twitter to pay tribute after Leonard Nimoy’s death was announced, including Star Trek actors past and present.

William Shatner, who as Captain Kirk acted alongside Leonard Nimoy for years in Star Trek, said he loved the actor “like a brother”.

It was Leonard Nimoy’s casting as Spock in 1966 that made him in a star and, in many ways, defined his acting career.

He played the character in all three of the original series of the program and later in several big-screen spin offs.

Leonard Nimoy had an ambivalent relationship with Spock, seeming to both cherish and resent his close association with the role.

The actor’s two volumes of autobiography – I Am Not Spock in 1975 and I Am Spock twenty years later – seemed to epitomize his mixed feelings.

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Missouri shootings: Eight people shot dead at multiple sites in Tyrone

Nancy Clayson
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Missouri shootings: Eight people shot dead at multiple sites in Tyrone

A gunman has killed 8 people and injured one person in a series of shootings in south-central Missouri.

Police made the discoveries on February 26 at five different homes in or near the small town of Tyrone after an emergency call.

Officials found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gun wound in a vehicle near one of the crime scenes.

The gunman’s motive is not known at this time, and police are continuing to investigate.

“We’re currently working six active scenes including the location in Shannon County where the suspect was found deceased, “ Sergeant Jeff Kinder of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters on February 27.

Residents reported that police went door-to-door on February 27 warning them to secure their homes.

Photo CBS News
Photo CBS News

Around 22:15 local time on February 26, officers from the Texas County Sheriff’s Department responded to an emergency call from a girl claiming she heard gunshots in a home.

The girl fled to a neighbor’s house to alert the authorities. Police found two people dead in the house.

As they continued searching, they found six others dead and one injured across four other residences.

“This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts go out to the victims of these senseless acts and their families,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement.

The body of the suspect, who has only been identified as a 36-year-old man from Tyrone, was discovered in vehicle in nearby Shannon County. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officials have made multiple references to a woman found at one of the scenes “who appeared to have died from natural causes”. However, they have not made clear her connection to the victims or the suspect.

Texas County Coroner Tom Whittaker told The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper the suspect’s mother had been found dead at her home, apparently of natural causes.

She had been under a doctor’s care and appeared to have been dead for at least 24 hours, Tom Whittaker told the newspaper, adding all the victims were adults.

Authorities took the injured victim to a nearby hospital, but will not be identifying the victims until they notify next-of-kin.

Residents of the rural area were in shock.

“We’ve never had anything of this magnitude before,” said County Clerk Don Troutman, a resident of 36 years.

Scott Dill, superintendent of the school district that serves Tyrone, said the community was “holding our breath…to find out specifics”.

“We want to help people make sense of this tragedy,” Scott Dill said.

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Spectre to focus on James Bond’s childhood as an orphan

Sonia Pantiss
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Spectre to focus on James Bond’s childhood as an orphan

The new Bond movie, Spectre, will focus on James Bond’s childhood as an orphan, director Sam Mendes has revealed.

“Spectre is a movie entirely driven by Bond,” Sam Mendes explained in a new behind-the-scenes Vlog.

“He is on a mission from the very beginning.”

Sam Mendes also said the storyline would develop the characters of Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, and Ben Whishaw as Q.

The vlog also features footage of the characters shooting scenes, in addition to a glimpse of a car chase.

Spectre will be Daniel Craig’s fourth outing as 007, but he has hinted it will be his final film in the franchise.Spectre Daniel Craig

Sam Mendes directed Daniel Craig as 007 in Skyfall in 2012.

“The reasons I’m doing the second Bond movie are the reasons I would do any movie, really, which is all to do with the story,” he said.

James Bond’s tragic childhood in Scotland and the death of his parents featured in Skyfall – which shared the name of his family home.

Sam Mendes said the new film returned to the theme.

“It’s about whether or not to pursue the life he’s always pursued, whether he matters and is he going to continue or not.”

The first picture of Dave Bautista as the villainous assassin Mr. Hinx was publicly unveiled on February 26.

Spectre‘s cast also includes Lea Seydoux, Andrew Scott, Christoph Waltz and Monica Bellucci.

The new James Bond movie will open in cinemas worldwide on November 6.

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Blade Runner 2: Harrison Ford to reprise Rick Deckard role in forthcoming sequel

Sonia Pantiss
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Blade Runner 2: Harrison Ford to reprise Rick Deckard role in forthcoming sequel

Harrison Ford is returning to his iconic role of police officer Rick Deckard in the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel, it has been confirmed.

Denis Villeneuve, who directed Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal in kidnap drama Prisoners, is in talks to direct.

The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 film, which was based on Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?.

Blade Runner 2 is scheduled to start shooting in the summer of 2016.

The cult 1982 film, directed by Ridley Scott, saw Rick Deckard hunting down genetically engineered lifelike robots, known as replicants, in a futuristic Los Angeles, set in 2019.Harrison Ford Blade runner 2

The latest installment – reportedly based on an idea from Ridley Scott, who will also produce the new film – has been written by Hampton Fancher, who co-wrote the original screenplay.

“We are honored that Harrison is joining us on this journey,” said producers Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson in a joint statement.

“Hampton and Michael, with Sir Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.”

It marks the third time Harrison Ford, 72, has returned to an iconic role. In 2008, he returned to the role of Indiana Jones nearly 20 years after the franchise came to a halt in 1989.

Later this year, Harrison Ford will reprise the role of Han Solo in the latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Zelda Williams opens up on father Robin Williams’ death on Today Show

Sonia Pantiss
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Zelda Williams opens up on father Robin Williams’ death on Today Show

Zelda Williams, the daughter of late actor Robin Williams, has spoken out for the first time since her father’s death in August 2014.

Robin Williams took his own life at his Californian home at the age of 63.

Zelda Williams told NBC’s Today Show there was “no point” in asking why her father killed himself.

“We don’t have an explanation,” she told reporter Kate Snow.

“There’s no point questioning it… blaming yourself or the world. It happened.”

Zelda Williams, 25, said it was “going to take a lot of work to allow myself to have the sort of fun, happy life that I had, but that’s important”.

“Anybody who has ever lost anyone works very hard to continue that memory in a positive way.”

Photo Today Show
Photo Today Show

Robin Williams, who was famous for films such as Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and Mrs. Doubtfire, was understood to have been battling depression at the time of his death.

“A lot of people feel his absence,” said Zelda Williams.

“The side of him that people know and love… is the characters that he had so much fun being.”

“I do think that’s what a lot of people will hold on to. That’s not going anywhere. They knew a dad that he was proud of them knowing. Laughter was incredibly important to him.”

However, Zelda Williams added her father was also very private, calm and subdued.

Reflecting on her own memories Zelda Williams said: “They are mine and I love that. They are private and lovely and perhaps very different. Who knows?”

Robin Williams’ daughter revealed she had acquired a hummingbird tattoo on her right hand shortly after his death.

“I like hummingbirds. They’re fun and flighty and strange. It’s hard to keep them in one place and Dad was a bit like that,” Zelda Williams said.

“Sometimes there are going to be days where things are really difficult and having a reminder that is permanently there is nice.”

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Jihadi John: PM David Cameron defends UK’s security services in Mohammed Emwazi case

Roy Siemens
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Jihadi John: PM David Cameron defends UK’s security services in Mohammed Emwazi case

PM David Cameron has defended the British security services amid criticisms they failed to stop Mohammed Emwazi, known as “Jihadi John”, from joining ISIS in Syria.

The prime minister said MI5 made “incredibly difficult judgments” on the UK’s behalf.

His comments came after it emerged Mohammed Emwazi was known to authorities.

David Cameron said he would not comment on specific cases but urged the public to back the security services.PM David Cameron on Jihadi John case

Mohammed Emwazi, who is in his mid-20s, first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed American journalist James Foley.

He was later thought to have been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of British aid worker David Haines, American journalist Steven Sotloff, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig.

UK-based advocacy group Cage has suggested that MI5 may have contributed to the radicalization of Mohammed Emwazi.

Downing Street said the claim was “completely reprehensible”, while London Mayor Boris Johnson described Cage’s comments as “an apology for terror”.

David Cameron defended the security services, praising the work of “these extraordinary men and women”.

He said: “I meet with them regularly, I ask them searching questions about what they do and in my almost five years’ experience as prime minister, I think they are incredibly impressive, hard-working, dedicated, courageous and effective at protecting our country.

“All of the time, they are having to make incredibly difficult judgements and I think basically they make very good judgements on our behalf, and I think whilst we are in the middle of this vast effort to make sure British citizens are safe, the most important thing is to get behind them.”

David Cameron went on to say the security services’ “dedication and work has saved us from plots on the streets of the UK that could have done us immense damage” within the last few months.

He said he was satisfied there was effective scrutiny of the work they do.

Mihammed Emwazi has appeared in videos dressed in a black robe with a black balaclava covering all but his eyes and top of his nose.

Speaking with a British accent, Jihadi John taunted Western powers before holding his knife to the hostages’ necks, appearing to start cutting before the film stopped.

Hostages released by ISIS said Jihadi John was one of three British jihadists guarding Westerners abducted by the group in Syria.

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Avijit Roy murder: Mukto-Mona blogger killed in Bangladesh

Diane A. Wade
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Avijit Roy murder: Mukto-Mona blogger killed in Bangladesh

Founder of Mukto-Mona blog Avijit Roy, whose writing on religion had brought threats from Islamist hardliners, has been killed in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Avijit Roy, an American-Bangladeshi atheist who advocated secularism, was hacked to death with machetes as he walked back from a book fair with his wife Rafida Ahmed, who was hurt in the attack.

“He died as he was brought to the hospital. His wife was also seriously wounded. She has lost a finger,” local police chief Sirajul Islam said.

No-one has been arrested but police say they are investigating a local Islamist group that praised the killing.

Hundreds of students gathered in Dhaka to mourn the blogger’s death.Avijit Roy killed in Dhaka

Avijit Roy’s family say he had received threats after publishing articles promoting secular views, science and social issues on his Bengali-language blog, Mukto-Mona (Free Mind).

He defended atheism in a recent Facebook post, calling it “a rational concept to oppose any unscientific and irrational belief“.

The website was inaccessible on February 27.

The killing in early 2013 of another secular blogger, Ahmed Rajib Haider, which was blamed on religious hardliners, sparked protests from free-speech supporters and counter-protests from Islamists.

The police said the attack on Avijit Roy was similar to the 2013 murder.

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Greece bailout: German parliament backs loan extension by 4 months

Clyde K. Valle
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Greece bailout: German parliament backs loan extension by 4 months

German lawmakers have voted to extend Greece bailout by another four months.

The bailout extension – approved by international creditors last week in exchange for a series of Greek government reforms – needs to be ratified by eurozone members.

Some German lawmakers had expressed doubts about the deal and there is substantial public skepticism but the vote passed easily.

It comes after police and protesters clashed during anti-government demonstrations in Athens on February 26.

They were the first such disturbances since Greece’s leftist Syriza was sworn in as the main government party exactly a month ago, promising to renegotiate the country’s debt and end austerity.

Dozens of activists hurled petrol bombs and stones at police and set cars alight after a march involving hundreds of protesters. Some carried banners calling for Greece to leave the EU and for its debt to be cancelled.

Eurozone finance ministers on February 24 approved a set of reform proposals submitted by Greece.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

As the dominant economic power in the EU, Germany’s approval was regarded as crucial – and on February 27 the overwhelming majority of lawmakers granted it. A total of 542 voted for the proposals, with 32 voting against and 13 abstentions.

The vote was preceded by a ferocious debate, with catcalling and jeering.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble spoke in favor of the deal, telling parliament: “We Germans should do everything possible to keep Europe together as much as we can.

“We’re not talking about new billions for Greece… rather it’s about providing or granting extra time to successfully end this program.”

There has been a chorus of skepticism about the deal inside Germany – with Thursday’s edition of the largest tabloid, Bild, emblazoned with the word “No!”, adding “No more billions for the greedy Greeks!”

Hawkish elements within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU (Christian Social Union), have portrayed the extension deal as leniency for Greece.

Wolfgang Schaeuble himself has expressed doubt about the Greek government’s commitment to reform.

However, German legislators felt they had no choice but to pass the vote, as a eurozone breakup could prove even more expensive than the bailouts and potentially undermine the credibility of the euro.

In Greece, the proposed bailout extension has also triggered dissent within the governing party.

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras has defended it, but some on the hard left have accused Syriza of going back on pre-election pledges.

Even if the bailout extension goes through Greece still faces the formidable task of trying to service its debt obligations.

Greece will need to flesh out its reform program in detail by April and prove that reforms are bedding in before receiving a final disbursement of 7.2 billion euros.

In the meantime Greece has to repay several billion euros in maturing debts, including about 2 billion euros to the IMF in March, and 6.7 bilion in European Central Bank bonds maturing in July and August.

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Virginia to compensate Eugenical Sterilization Act victims

James J. Williams
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Virginia to compensate Eugenical Sterilization Act victims

Virginia lawmakers have agreed to pay compensation to people who were forcibly sterilized by the authorities decades ago.

Victims will be paid $25,000 following a legal fight by campaigners.

Along with more than 30 other US states, Virginia once operated a sterilization program for individuals deemed undesirable or mentally unsound.

More than 8,000 Virginians were operated on between the 1920s and 1970s.

Virginia’s program was said to be the model for the Nazi eugenics policies introduced by Adolf Hitler when he aspired to create a master race.

Several countries practiced forced sterilization during the 20th Century, including Sweden, Canada and Japan.

In the US, about 65,000 Americans were sterilized in 33 states.Virginia to compensate Eugenical Sterilization Act victims

More than a fifth of those sterilized in Virginia were African Americans.

Two-thirds were women, many of whom went in for other procedures and were unaware of what was happening to them.

In 1927 the US Supreme Court upheld Virginia’s Eugenical Sterilization Act law. It remained in force until 1979.

The state issued an apology over the policy in 2001. Campaigners say there are only 11 known surviving victims of the program.

The compensation deal was welcomed by 87-year-old victim Lewis Reynolds.

“I couldn’t have a family like everybody else does,” he told the Associated Press news agency.

“They took my rights away.”

Virginia is the second state, after North Carolina, to approve a compensation package for victims who are still alive.

In 2013, North Carolina legislators agreed to pay $50,000 to surviving victims – thought to number about 1,800.

Madonna fall: Singer suffers whiplash after BRIT Awards accident

Lisa.Felice
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Madonna fall: Singer suffers whiplash after BRIT Awards accident

Madonna suffered whiplash as a result of her on stage fall at this year’s Brit Awards.

Madonna, 56, was pulled backwards off stage by a cape, which was supposed to fall from her shoulders.

In an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, taped on February 26, Madonna said: “I had a little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head.

“And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to make sure I was compos mentis.”

The singer added: “I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times.”

Madonna blamed her fall on a wardrobe malfunction, saying her cape had been tied too tightly, meaning it could not be unfastened in time.Madonna falls BRIT Awards 2015

“Everyone was worried my cape would slide off, so they tied it really tight around my neck,” explained the singer.

“I got to the top of the stairs and I pulled the silky string, and it wouldn’t come undone.

“I had two choices: I could either be strangled or fall, and I chose to fall.”

Madonna recovered and finished her performance, which was the finale of the Brit Awards – where Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith were the big winners.

She refused to watch a replay of the incident on The Jonathan Ross Show, which will be broadcast on ITV1 on February 28.

“It was a nightmare,” Madonna said.

“I actually created a horror show for everyone.”

Madonna said that she would not be recreating the performance on her forthcoming tour.

“No more capes. Cape fear is over.”

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Erwiana Sulistyaningsih case: Law Wan-tung sentenced to six years in jail for abusing Indonesian maid

Diane A. Wade
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Erwiana Sulistyaningsih case: Law Wan-tung sentenced to six years in jail for abusing Indonesian maid

Law Wan-tung, the Hong Kong woman convicted of abusing her Indonesian maid, has been jailed for six years.

Law Wan-tung was found guilty earlier this month of causing grievous bodily harm, criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages.

Maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih drew global attention last year when she returned to Indonesia in need of hospital treatment.

During the trial, Erwiana Sulistyaningsih described being beaten and starved by her employer.

The case drew intense scrutiny in Hong Kong, where a significant number of families rely on domestic helpers.Law Wan-tung sentenced to six years in jail for abusing Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih

The city’s residents employ about 300,000 maids from other parts of Asia, mainly Indonesia and the Philippines.

In addition to the jail sentence, Law Wan-tung, 44, was also fined HK$15,000 ($1,934). She had faced a maximum sentence of seven years.

During the six-week trial the court heard that Law Wan-tung beat Erwiana Sulistyaningsih with various household objects and deprived her of proper food, allowing her only a small portion of rice and bread.

Law Wan-tung, a mother of two, only allowed Erwiana Sulistyaningsih to sleep four hours a night. On one occasion Law Wan-tung punched the maid so hard that her incisor teeth fractured.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Amanda Woodcock said Law Wan-tung “showed no compassion” to Erwiana Sulistyaningsih and other domestic staff.

Law Wan-tung saw them as “people that are beneath her”, Judge Amanda Woodcock said and called for an investigation by authorities in Hong Kong and Indonesia into workers’ conditions.

Twenty-four-year-old Erwiana Sulistyaningsih arrived in Hong Kong in 2013. She went home to her village in Central Java in January 2014 after working for Law Wan-tung for about eight months.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih came home beaten and bruised, too weak to walk and without any money. Her face, hands and legs were covered with scabs and lacerations. Parts of her skin were blackened and peeling.

The maid’s case has prompted the Indonesian government to look at better ways of protecting its migrant workers.

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Lupita Nyong’o Calvin Klein dress worn at the Oscars stolen from Hollywood hotel

Lisa.Felice
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Lupita Nyong’o Calvin Klein dress worn at the Oscars stolen from Hollywood hotel

The $150,000-dress worn by actress Lupita Nyong’o at the Oscars has been stolen in Hollywood.

The gown a custom-made Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa studded with 6,000 natural white pearls was taken from the London Hotel in West Hollywood when the Kenyan actress was out of the room.

Lupita Nyong’o won best supporting actress last year for Twelve Years a Slave and was a presenter at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.Lupita Nyong'o Oscars dress

Sheriff’s Lt William Nash said the dress appeared to be stolen on February 25 and officers were checking CCTV footage.

On the red carpet on February 22, Lupita Nyong’o, 31, told Associated Press: “I’m just wearing my diamonds and pearls. My homage to (musician) Prince.”

Lupita Nyong’o added of the dress: “We talked about it being fluid and liquid. I wanted it to be an homage to the sea.”

No arrests have been made.Calvin Klein has not commented.

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Jihadi John: David Haines’ widow wants militant in ISIS video alive

Roy Siemens
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Jihadi John: David Haines’ widow wants militant in ISIS video alive

David Haines’ widow says she wants ISIS militant Jihadi John to be caught alive.

Dragana Haines says the “last thing” she wants for the man who killed her husband is an “honourable death”.

Jihadi John, pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has been named as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Briton from west London.

David Haines’ daughter said she wanted to see “a bullet between his eyes”.

Mohammed Emwazi, who is in his mid-20s and was previously known to British security services, first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed American journalist James Foley.

He was later thought to have been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of British aid worker David Haines, American journalist Steven Sotloff, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig.

In a recent interview with BBC, Dragana Haines said she wanted Mohammed Emwazi to be caught alive and not have an “honorable death” by being killed in action.

A spokesman for the family of Steven Sotloff said: “We want to sit in a courtroom, watch him sentenced and see him sent to a super-max prison.”

Steven Foley’s mother Diane told the Times that she forgave her son’s killer.

“It saddens me, [Mohammed Emwazi’s] continued hatred,” she said.

“He felt wronged, now we hate him – now that just prolongs the hatred. We need to end it.

“As a mum I forgive him. You know, the whole thing is tragic – an ongoing tragedy.”

In each of the videos, Jihadi John appeared dressed in a black robe with a black balaclava covering all but his eyes and top of his nose.

Speaking with a British accent, he taunted Western powers before holding his knife to the hostages’ necks, appearing to start cutting before the film stopped. The victims’ decapitated bodies were then shown.

Earlier this month, Jihadi John featured in a video in which the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto appeared to be beheaded.

Hostages released by ISIS said he was one of three British jihadists guarding Westerners abducted by the group in Syria. They were known collectively as “the Beatles”.

Mohammed Emwazi known as Jihadi John:

  • 1988: Born in Kuwait, moves to UK in 1994
  • 2009: Completes computing degree at University of Westminster
  • Aug 2009: Travels to Tanzania with two friends, he says for safari, but refused entry at Dar es Salaam. Put on flight to Amsterdam. After questioning there, returns to Dover
  • Sept 2009: Travels to Kuwait to stay with father’s family
  • July 2010: Returns to UK for short stay but told he cannot return to Kuwait as visa denied
  • 2012: Passes Celta English language teaching course
  • 2013: Changes name by deed poll to Mohammed al-Ayan. Tries to travel to Kuwait but is stopped. Disappears. Parents report him missing. Police tell family four months later he has entered Syria

Source: Cage, London-based campaign group

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Nick Gordon angry after Bobby Brown bars him from visiting Bobbi Kristina

Lisa.Felice
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Nick Gordon angry after Bobby Brown bars him from visiting Bobbi Kristina

Nick Gordon has expressed his anger on Twitter after not being allowed by Bobby Brown to visit Bobbi Kristina Brown’s bedside.

“My heart is full of angry after the Browns have shut me out,” Nick Gordon tweeted on February 25.

“They don’t even know her. Sabotage.”

He added: “I miss her so much. I seem so weak right now. You all have been so supportive! Thank you for everything.”

Bobby Brown’s attorney recently said “there is no reason for any additional discussion with” Nick Gordon.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

While he continues to clash with the Brown family, Nick Gordon also filed a temporary restraining order on February 23 against the Roswell Police Department.

According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nick Gordon hoped to prevent authorities from carrying out a search warrant for footage captured on a Nest Labs web-based security camera.

On February 25, however, Nick Gordon had a change of heart.

“Mr. Gordon has since elected to dismiss the claim in an effort to help Roswell PD speed up their investigation,” his lawyer said in a statement to E! News.

“There will be no further comment.” 

Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, has been in a medically induced coma for almost a month.

Whitney Houston’s daughter was first hospitalized on January 31 after being found face down and unconscious in a bathtub at her Georgia home.

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Khalid al-Fawwaz guilty of plotting al-Qaeda bombing of US embassies in east Africa

Roy Siemens
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Khalid al-Fawwaz guilty of plotting al-Qaeda bombing of US embassies in east Africa

Saudi national Khalid al-Fawwaz, a former aide of Osama Bin Laden, has been found guilty of plotting the al-Qaeda bombing of US embassies in east Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people.

Khalid al-Fawwaz, 53, was convicted by a New York court after three days of jury deliberations.

Extradited from the UK to the US in 2012, Khalid al-Fawwaz was found guilty on four conspiracy counts and now faces a possible life sentence.

Khalid al-Fawwaz has been described as Osama Bin Laden’s spokesman in London.

A statement from Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the defendant “played a critical role for al-Qaeda in its murderous conspiracy against America”.

There were a dozen Americans among the dead after US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania were bombed in 1998.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

He was arrested in London in the same year as the bombings and extradited 14 years later.

Preet Bharara described Khalid al-Fawwaz as one of Osama Bin Laden’s “original and most trusted lieutenants” who was the leader of an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, then later acted as Bin Laden’s “media adviser” in London.

One of his roles, Preet Bharara said, was to ensure Osama Bin Laden’s threats against the US were distributed and noticed across the globe.

“Murderous words lead to murderous action,” assistant Attorney Nicholas Lewin told jurors.

The trial, which lasted a month under very heavy security in Manhattan, did not feature any testimony from the defendant.

When the verdict was read out, Khalid al-Fawwaz stood expressionless.

Five other people have already been convicted in New York for the embassy attacks.

Why Is The Air Quality Terrible in the Southeast?

Nancy Clayson
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Why Is The Air Quality Terrible in the Southeast?

Different parts of the world are subject to different elements of the environment, which allows some parts to have certain benefits more than others. The southeast part of the United States is typically known for their southern charm and warm climate, making it one of the most ideal places for people to retire.

While the climate may be lovely, and while residents there may have an endless supply of citrus fruits, the southeast is not all oranges and sunshine. There is terrible air quality in the southeast of America, and it could be completely damaging to everyone in the area if changes aren’t soon made.

Why is the air quality in the southeast so poor?

There’s a reason why the air quality in the southeast is so poor, and scientists have done many tests in order to figure it out. Tiny particles in the air near the Smoky Mountains in the southeast help give it the purple haze that looks good in pictures; however, it’s those particles that are making the air quality poor.

According to a CIRES atmospheric scientist, “The southeast has the highest natural emissions in the nation, and also has high manmade emissions, humidity and cloudiness.“ This is contributing to the poor air quality. Because people continue to break into the Smoky Mountains and other areas in order to tap the natural resources, the air quality will only continue to get worse as time goes on.

Poor air quality isn’t good, in the southeast or anywhere else. According to a 2012 WHO report, 7 million people died in 2012 as a result of air pollution exposure. This doubles previous estimates and proves that air pollution is the world’s single largest environmental health risk.

If the rates of air pollution continue this way in the southeast, these numbers will only continue to rise. Regularly breathing in polluted air can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat, but it mostly has a negative impact on your lungs. Breathing in polluted air can harm the lining of your lungs, which can result in breathing trouble such as asthma, or it can result in something more serious, such as lung cancer. If changes aren’t made, there may be a rise in pollution-related deaths in the southeast.

 

What can be done to improve the air quality?

In order to improve the air quality in the southeast, people will have to stop tapping into the Smoky Mountains and other natural resources and allowing the particles to get into the air. More eco-friendly options need to be created in order to ensure that accessing these natural resources stops hurting the air quality. After all, if this isn’t done, then these particles and aerosols will only continue to get into the air, and the air quality will just continue to get worse.

Along with using eco-friendly options to access natural resources in the southeast, typical steps to reduce pollution can also be done to improve the air quality. For example, reducing the amount of gasses and other harmful chemicals and aerosols in to the air can help improve the air quality. Carpooling, taking public transportation, and even walking or riding a bike instead of driving yourself to and from work can help reduce the amount of harmful gases and pollutants entering the air. Reducing your use of aerosols can also help to improve the air quality, and refraining from burning harmful chemicals, such as plastics, can also help to improve the air quality.

You can also opt to improve the air quality in your own home in order to improve the air quality in the southeast. For example, investing in a home air purifier. According to Wave Home Solutions, “We spend as much as 90 percent of our time indoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor levels of air pollutants may be two to five times higher, and occasionally more than 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. A WAVE Air Purifier will let you breathe easier knowing the air you and your family are breathing inside your home is pure and clean.” This improvement will not only help your health, but it will also help to remove these harmful pollutants from the air, and this can improve the air quality in your neighborhood as well.

The terrible air quality in the southeast of America is a problem that needs to be immediately addressed. While the biggest way to remedy the situation requires eco-friendly processes and tools to be used for accessing natural resources, there are still some ways that you can help improve the air quality in the southeast on your own.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner case dismissed by Argentine federal judge

Diane A. Wade
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Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner case dismissed by Argentine federal judge

A controversial case against Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman has been dismissed by a federal judge on February 26.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Hector Timerman had been accused of covering up alleged Iranian involvement in a bomb attack against Amia Jewish centre in 1994.

Judge Daniel Rafecas said that there was no merit to the accusation as no crime had occurred.

The accusation came from prosecutor Alberto Nisman who was found dead last month in his flat.

Judge Daniel Rafecas said he would discontinue the case.

“The evidence gathered far from meets the minimal standard,” said a statement from Argentina’s judiciary system.

Photo Wikipedia
Photo Wikipedia

Alberto Nisman was due to testify in Congress against Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner when his body was found.

The circumstances of his death have not been clarified.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Alberto Nisman been fed misleading information by a rogue intelligence agent in order to discredit her government.

The president and the foreign minister had been accused of acting to hide their involvement in the Amia Jewish centre bombing – Argentina’s worst terrorist attack, in which 85 people died.

The lower house of the Argentine Congress has meanwhile approved a bill tabled by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner scrapping the country’s secret agency, the Intelligence Secretariat.

The proposal was first announced days after Alberto Nisman’s death, on January 18.

A new federal investigative agency, which will be accountable to Congress, will replace it.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said the change was overdue because the agency had remained largely untouched since the end of military rule in 1983.

The opposition accused the government of coming up with the proposal as a smoke screen for its involvement in the Amia bombing scandal.

Prince William begins Japan visit

Diane A. Wade
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Prince William begins Japan visit

Prince William has begun a four-day visit to Japan by taking part in a traditional tea ceremony in Tokyo.

The Duke of Cambridge spent about 40 minutes taking part in the ritual at Hama Rikyu Gardens.

He is on a week-long trip to China and Japan where he will undertake engagements to promote UK relations with both countries.

In his first visit to Japan, Prince William also took a speedboat ride to Tokyo Bay, which will host much of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The last time a major member of British royal family visited Japan was in 2008, when Prince Charles came with his wife Camilla.

Hundreds of students and school children waving British and Japanese flags waited in the rain to greet him.

Kate Middleton is not with Prince William as she is due to give birth to their second child in April.Prince William Japan visit

On the first day of his tour Prince William visited the Nakajima tea house, built 350 years ago in Japan’s Edo period, in the middle of a small lake within the Hama-Rikyu gardens.

As he entered the tea house, Prince William removed his shoes like the other guests, which included Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe.

Dr. Genshitsu Sen, who is 92 and the 15th generation of his family to hold a senior role in the spiritual art of tea making, performed the traditional ceremony.

He also made tea for Prince William’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, when they visited Kyoto in 1986. Close to 100,000 people flocked to a parade in Tokyo at the time, as so-called “Diana Fever” swept the nation.

A number of gifts were given to Prince William, including a box of crackers, a book about the tea ceremony and a modern tea bowl decorated with a horse design in celebration of Prince George.

On February 27, Prince William is due to meet fellow royals Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace.

In this his first visit to Japan, Prince William will also be taken to the areas devastated by the 2011 tsunami and meet survivors.

In Shanghai, Prince William will launch the three-day Great Festival of Creativity at the city’s Long Museum on March 2.

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Lindsay Lohan ordered to do 125 more community service hours

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan ordered to do 125 more community service hours

Lindsay Lohan has to do 125 more hours of community service after decreeing that activities she performed while appearing in a West End play last year did not count a Los Angeles judge has ruled.

Superior Court Judge Mark Young annulled credits that Lindsay Lohan received for time she spent in London in 2014.

Lindsay Lohan, 28, was originally ordered to complete 240 hours of community service as part of a 2013 plea deal.

It stemmed from a 2012 case involving reckless driving and lying to police.Lindsay Lohan community service

Lindsay Lohan, who made her West End debut last year in a production of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow, was not present for hearing on February 25.

The actress worked with charity group Community Service Volunteers (CSV) during her time in London and reportedly lobbied insurance giant Esurance to donate $10,000 to the organization.

A statement from CSV said Lindsay Lohan had volunteered on the organization’s Positive Futures project, which works with teenagers in Hackney.

“She has built strong relationships with the young volunteers she has worked with on the scheme,” CSV said.

Yet US prosecutors questioned some of her UK activities – which reportedly included “meeting and greeting” fans in London – and challenged evidence submitted by her attorney to show the required hours had been completed.

A hearing has been scheduled for March 12, when a new community service agency will be selected.

Lindsay Lohan will have until May 28 to complete the additional community service.

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