Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was caught on camera when he nearly pulled a chair out from under Russian President Vladimir Putin just before Minsk negotiations on Ukrainian conflict.
Vladimir Putin had to give in and wait for his seat, as Alexander Lukashenko finished his conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The footage became viral on internet with users creating a looping Coub video clip, backed by jolly music, running the footage backwards to reverse the order of events.
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting, or as needed
Directions:
Move an oven rack into the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray.
Line a work surface with waxed paper.
Spoon 1 teaspoon melted butter into the bottom of each sprayed muffin cup.
Spoon 1 tablespoon brown sugar in each muffin cup.
Press a maraschino cherry into the center of the brown sugar in each muffin cup.
Spoon a heaping tablespoon of crushed pineapple over the cherry and compact it with the back of a spoon into an even layer.
Mix pineapple cake mix, eggs, pineapple juice, and vegetable oil in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Turn mixer speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes.
Pour pineapple cake batter into the muffin cups, filling them to the top; do not overfill.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Allow cupcakes to cool at least 5 minutes before inverting muffin cups onto the waxed paper to release. Serve with pineapple and cherry sides up. Sprinkle cupcakes lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
The South African parliament descended into chaos as leftist lawmakers scuffled with security during a key annual speech by President Jacob Zuma.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema, repeatedly interrupted Jacob Zuma, demanding answers over a spending scandal.
The speaker of parliament then ordered their removal, prompting scuffles.
The largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, walked out in protest at their expulsion.
“You can’t send police into parliament,” said Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane.
The EFF used President Jacob Zuma’s annual State of the Nation speech to question him about a state-funded, multi-million dollar upgrade to his private residence.
They were evicted by large numbers of security guards. Among those thrown out was Julius Malema.
Photo Reuters
Julius Malema defended his lawmakers’ actions, calling it a legitimate attempt to defend democracy, adding that seven of his party had been injured and would be pressing charges.
It is not clear whether the guards were police or parliamentary officials: an important distinction, according to one lawmaker, who said the use of police would be a way of intimidating the opposition.
Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma were once close allies but the pair fell out.
The EFF has shaken up South African politics with a series of populist proposals to redistribute wealth.
EFF lawmakers accuse Jacob Zuma of benefitting unduly from taxpayer-funded upgrades to his private residence in the village of Nkandla and they wanted the president to answer questions about this before making his state of the nation speech.
In 2014, an independent inquiry found the president had “unduly benefited” from the expensive upgrades, which included a pool and a cattle enclosure and cost about $23 million.
President Jacob Zuma has denied any wrongdoing.
Despite criticism of the Nkandla upgrade and South Africa’s stagnant economy, Jacob Zuma’s African National Congress was overwhelmingly re-elected last year.
Lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage Steve Strange has died at age of 55 following a heart attack, his record label has announced.
Steve Strange, best known for the hit Fade To Grey, died in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Ex-Visage bandmates Midge Ure and Rusty Egan said they were “devastated” to hear of his “untimely passing”, adding: “Steve was a major face of the 80s.”
Boy George tweeted he was “heartbroken” about the death of Steve Strange, saying he was “such a big part of my life”.
Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon tweeted that Steve Strange was “the leading edge of New Romantic. God Bless him”.
Fellow 1980s pop star Billy Idol tweeted: “Very sad to hear of my friend Steve Strange passing, RIP mate.”
Steve Strange’s agent, Pete Bassett, said he would be remembered as “a hard-working, very amusing and lovable individual who always was at the forefront of fashion trends”.
“Up until last year he was putting together a book of fashion styles based on the New Romantic movement and it comes as a great shock.
“We understood that he had certain health problems but nothing we knew was life threatening.
“His friends and family are totally shocked, we had no idea anything like this was likely to happen.”
Steve Strange had suffered ill-health, including in December last year when he was admitted to Princess of Wales Hospital, in Bridgend, with a bronchial infection and an intestinal blockage.
Born Steven Harrington, in Newbridge, the UK, Steve Strange got involved in music after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert in 1976.
He went to London aged 15 to work for Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McClaren before co-founding the Blitz Club in Soho, central London, which would become a focal point for the New Romantic movement.
Bands including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club all got their start at the club before finding stardom.
Visage formed in 1979 and their breakthrough single, Fade To Grey, peaked at number eight in the UK in 1981.
It reached number one in both Germany and Switzerland, and was the first of five UK top 40 hits for the band, which also numbered Midge Ure and Rusty Egan among its members.
He also starred in the video of his good friend David Bowie’s number one single Ashes to Ashes in 1980. At the time, the futuristic mini-film was hailed as the most expensive pop music video in history.
Steve Strange – who admitted he faced drug addiction problems in the years that followed his early success – recorded a new Visage album, called Hearts and Knives, in May 2013, with the band boasting a new line-up. Visage also recorded a new classical interpretation of Fade To Grey last year.
Amanda Knox is to get married to New York musician Colin Sutherland, reports say.
The former student was convicted in Italy over the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher.
Amanda Knox, 27, is engaged to Colin Sutherland, also 27, whom she has known since her school days, according to The Seattle Times. Colin Sutherland moved from New York to Seattle.
He does bass and vocals for Johnny Pumps – a Strokes-inspired indie rock band.
Colin Sutherland and his mates call themselves a “slag rock” band that formed in 2013 with their debut self-released album That Escalated Quickly.
Johnny Pumps has played a string of small shows in Manhattan and Brooklyn and doesn’t appear to have played outside New York in their brief history.
On the band’s website, Colin Sutherland is referred to as being the member of the band who “likes flat soda”.
Amanda Knox was recently hired as a freelance writer at the West Seattle Herald.
Her conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher was re-instated in absentia by an Italian court in 2014.
Amanda Knox, who returned to the US after her original conviction was overturned, has always maintained her innocence.
Meredith Kercher was stabbed to death in the flat she shared in Perugia with Amanda Knox.
Rudy Guede from Ivory Coast, who was also convicted of her murder, is currently serving a 16-year sentence in prison.
Amanda Knox was also arrested days after the murder, along with her Italian boyfriend at the time, Raffaelle Sollecito. Both pleaded not guilty to the offence.
They were tried and convicted in 2009.
However, in 2011, an eight-member jury cleared both defendants of the murder, after doubts were raised over procedures used to gather DNA evidence.
A retrial was ordered after prosecutors argued that important evidence had been disregarded. In 2014, the guilty verdict was re-instated.
Amanda Knox has said she will not voluntarily return to Italy. Raffaelle Sollecito remains in the country.
An Italian court will rule on March 25 on whether to uphold the latest verdict.
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon red food coloring
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) with the rack in the middle position. Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Break the chocolate squares into chunks, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High until the chocolate melts, about 90 seconds. Stir the chocolate until smooth and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy; pour in the egg and beat until smooth. Mix in the red food coloring and chocolate, scraping the bowl down regularly, until evenly blended, about 30 seconds. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients, stirring until well incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven until they spring back when pressed, about 9 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the cream cheese frosting, whip 1/4 cup butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar in half cup portions until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.
1 (19.8 ounce) package fudge brownie mix, batter prepared as directed on box
1 (14 ounce) package caramels, unwrapped
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with foil. Pour prepared brownie batter into foil-lined pan, and bake until brownies begin to pull away from the sides, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Lift brownies from pan in one piece. Use a 3 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut 6 brownie hearts.
Combine caramels and whipping cream in a large bowl. Microwave on High for 1 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until caramels are melted and cream is incorporated. Drizzle caramel sauce decoratively on brownie hearts. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired.
A rose is not just a rose. The symbolism of rose colors is steeped in tradition. These flowers inspired people over thousands of years to develop a language of color – flower meaning dictionaries were quite popular during the Victorian.
When you choose a color, you are personalizing your gift with deeper sentiment.
Use this guide to help communicate your feelings if you give flowers this Valentine’s Day:
Red roses – Love
Burgundy (red dark) roses – Unconscious beauty
Pink roses – Grace, Appreciation, Thank You
Purple roses – Enchantment
White roses – A heart unacquainted with love
Peach roses – Modesty
Orange roses – Fascination, Desire
Yellow roses – Infidelity
Yellow with Red tip roses – Friendship, Falling in love
Janet Jackson has appeared in public after months of laying low.
She was spotted shoe shopping at Giuseppe Zanottii in Milan on February 11.
Photo Twitter
The singer, who announced in February 2013 that she had married Wissam Al Mana, a billionaire from Qatar, has stayed out of the public eye for the better part of the past few years.
Janet Jackson attended the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience on October 31, 2014, according to Us Weekly, marking her first public appearance since May 2013.
According to police records, Bobbi Kristina Brown was involved in a car crash that injured two people days before she was hospitalized, the AP reported.
Police in Roswell, Georgia, say Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, was driving a Jeep Liberty on January 27 when she lost control, crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with another vehicle. A passenger in the Jeep and the other car’s driver were taken to the hospital.
Four days later, on January 31, Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in her bathtub, and her family said she’s been “fighting for her life”.
Records also show that Nick Gordon called police in July 2013 saying Bobbi Kristina Brown had fallen and was unresponsive. The officer wrote that Whitney Houston’s daughter was disoriented and went to the hospital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande have reached an agreement aimed at ending the fighting in Ukraine following marathon talks in Minsk, Belarus.
The leaders announced that a ceasefire would begin on February 15.
The deal also includes weapon withdrawals and prisoner exchanges, but key issues remain to be settled.
The pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have signed the agreement. Thousands of people have died in almost a year of fighting in the region.
The deal is very similar to a ceasefire agreed in September 2014, which unraveled very quickly.
Key unresolved issues include the status of Debaltseve, a government-held town surrounded by rebels, where fighting is still going on.
Further talks will also be held on self-rule in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk separatist regions.
President Francois Hollande said he and Chancellor Angela Merkel would ask their European Union partners to support the deal at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
Angela Merkel said there was now a “glimmer of hope” but big hurdles remained, while Francois Hollande said “the coming hours will be decisive”.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said European leaders in Brussels would be discussing ways to “help and sustain the agreement”, but she ruled out the threat of fresh sanctions on Russia.
“I think today the issue is not going to be discussion of further sanctions… but rather positive ways the EU can contribute to make this first step just one of many others,” she told reporters in Brussels.
Photo RT
The US said the deal was a “significant step” but expressed concern over reports of continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, saying it was “inconsistent with the spirit of the accord”.
Last week, the US refused to rule out supplying “lethal defensive weapons” to Ukraine if diplomacy failed, but Russia says that would worsen the crisis.
Speaking after the talks ended, Vladimir Putin told Russian television: “It wasn’t the best night for me, but it’s a good morning.”
Petro Poroshenko – who had accused Russia of making “unacceptable” demands – said that “despite tension and pressure” Ukraine had not succumbed to “ultimatums”.
Russia rejects accusations by Ukraine and Western powers that it is supplying weapons and personnel to the rebels – who are seeking independence for the areas they control.
The separatists gave the agreement a cautious welcome.
In Luhansk, rebel leader Igor Plotnitskiy said: “We hope that thanks to our efforts today, Ukraine will change and stop firing at civilians, hospitals and socially important facilities.”
Donetsk separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko said Kiev would be to blame if the ceasefire collapsed and warned that there would “be no meetings and no new agreements”.
More than 5,400 people have been killed since the conflict began. There has been a dramatic rise in casualties in recent days, with 263 civilians killed in populated areas between January 31 and February 5.
Minsk agreement includes:
Ceasefire to begin at 00:01 local time on February 15
Heavy weapons to be withdrawn, beginning on February 16 and completed in two weeks
All prisoners to be released; amnesty for those involved in fighting
Withdrawal of all foreign troops and weapons from Ukrainian territory. Disarmament of all illegal groups
Ukraine to allow resumption of normal life in rebel areas, by lifting restrictions
Constitutional reform to enable decentralization for rebel regions by the end of 2015
Ukraine to control border with Russia if conditions met by the end of 2015 [youtube wfjiPYru3T0 650]
The North Korean propaganda has released 310 slogans to mark the 70th anniversary of the country’s founding.
The new slogans covered a wide range of subjects. Workers were urged to “make fruits cascade down” and create a “socialist fairyland”.
Wives were told to be dependable, while “sports games [are] to be played in an offensive way”, the slogans said.
North Korea widely uses propaganda to maintain the power of its leader Kim Jong-un.
Several slogans made threats against what North Korea called its enemies. Slogans described the US as “warmongers” and said North Korea would “annihilate them to the last man” if they invaded.
Food production also featured extensively in the slogans. Workers were encouraged to fill the country “with the fragrant smell of fish” and told that “fertilizer means rice and socialism”.
Another slogan read: “Grow vegetables extensively in greenhouses! Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms by making mushroom cultivation scientific, intensive and industrialized!”
North Korea, which is still under nominally communist rule, has suffered from severe famines in the past. Over three million people are believed to have died in the 1996 famine.
Despite being one of the most isolated nations in the world, some “management speak” appeared to creep into the slogans.
North Koreans were told to adopt the philosophy of “Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism” – a reference to former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who are revered in state propaganda.
The slogans also shed light on Kim Jong-un’s leadership style, with the military urged to establish his “monolithic command system more firmly throughout the army”.
Music seems to be a component of the authoritarian system with workers encouraged to sing the song We are the Happiest People in the World.
Two members of the Ukrainian parliament, Yegor Sobolev of the “Samopomochi” party and Vadim Ivchenko from the “Fatherland” party, were involved in a brawl in the halls of the parliament on February 12.
According to Yegor Sobolev, the fight occurred because an anti-corruption bill and harassment of the press.
Photo radiosvoboda.org
Yegor Sobolev was accusing Vadim Ivchenko of opposing the anti-corruption bill.
Both men are members of the Committee for Combating Corruption and will be disciplined for their actions.
Yegor Sobolev and Vadim Ivchenko will not have the right to participate in meetings for 5 days.
Taya Kyle, the widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle depicted in the Oscar-nominated film American Sniper, gave an emotional testimony during Eddie Routh murder trial in Stephenville, Texas.
Chris Kyle’s wife told jurors about her final moments with her husband, just hours before he and a friend were killed at a Texas gun range.
She was the first prosecution witness called on February 11 in the murder trial of the ex-Marine accused of fatally shooting Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield in 2023.
The trial in the small town of Stephenville, located about 30 miles from the rural luxury resort where the men were killed, has attracted national attention with the recent release of the blockbuster movie based on the memoir of the sniper who served four tours in Iraq.
Defense attorneys are seeking an insanity defense for Eddie Ray Routh, 27, who faces life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder.
Chris Kyle had taken Eddie Routh to the shooting range after Routh’s mother asked Kyle if he could help him.
Taya Kyle paused and then her voice broke when a prosecutor asked her to give jurors the name of the man she’d married.
Her testimony was conversational and compelling and she often looked straight at jurors as she talked about Chris Kyle, smiling when she said he had attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville before leaving to ride broncos in the rodeo and later joining the Navy.
Taya Kyle told jurors that as her husband left to go to the shooting range on February 2, 2013, “we just said we loved each other and gave each other a hug and kiss, like we always did.”
The day started like any typical Saturday for the Kyles. As parents of an 8-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl, they had spent their morning cheering at youth sporting events and chatting with friends. Taya Kyle had plans that afternoon to take their daughter to a Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Taya Kyle said she’d called Chris midafternoon – around the time he arrived at Rough Creek Lodge and Resort – and noticed he was unusually terse. Instead of his usual “Hello babe,” he gave a quick “Hello”. Chris Kyle said it would be fine to have dinner with friends. Then she asked if he was OK. He just said “Yep”.
During opening statements, a defense attorney revealed a text message exchange between Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield as they drove to the lodge with Eddie Routh, whom Kyle had picked up at his house.
Chris Kyle texted Chad Littlefield: “This dude is straight-up nuts.”
“He’s (sitting) right behind me, watch my six,” Chad Littlefield texted back, using a military term for watching one’s back.
As dinnertime approached, Taya Kyle became concerned. Chad Littlefield’s wife called her, also worried.
Taya Kyle’s alarm grew when she texted her husband: “Are you OK? I’m getting worried.”
There was no reply.
The bodies of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield were found at the shooting range at about 5 p.m. Both were shot multiple times.
Erath County District Attorney Alan Nash described Eddie Routh as “a troubled young man” who on the morning of the killings numbed himself with marijuana and whiskey. He said a history of mental illness should not absolve Eddie Routh in the deaths.
Tim Moore, an attorney for Eddie Routh, said Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield’s text exchange shows how Routh was spiraling out of control. He told jurors that Eddie Routh was suffering from severe mental strain that day and thought he needed to kill the two or they would turn on him.
Eddie Routh was a small arms technician who served in Iraq and was deployed to earthquake-ravaged Haiti before leaving the Marines in 2010.
Kanye West and Taylor Swift looked like they had made up at the Grammy awards last week.
In 2009, Kanye West stormed the VMAs stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for the Best Female Video award saying that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time” and deserved the prize.
As the 2009 incident is behind them, now Kanye West has said he and Taylor Swift are “definitely” going to go into the studio together.
Kanye West was asked on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show if he would collaborate with Taylor Swift.
Photo Getty Images
“Yeah, she wants to get in the studio and we’re definitely going to go in.
“Any artist with an amazing point of view, perspective, fan base – I’m down to get in the studio and work.
“I don’t discriminate, I don’t have an elitism of music because of like how many Grammys or you know, the amount of ratings you get on an album.
“I that think everyone loves music whether they love hip-hop, alternative, country, and if I could be involved in giving people any type of energy, advice in the studio, whether you’re Beyonce, whether you’re Taylor Swift, whether you’re Jay-Z, whether you’re Beck, whoever.”
Kanye West was asked about the interview he gave to E! at the Grammys, where he said Beck should “respect artistry” and give his best album award to Beyonce.
The rapper was also asked about his new project, Five Four Seconds, with Rihanna and Paul McCartney.
“Hey everyone, America, I’m not comparing myself to John Lennon, I’m just saying I’m angst a bit like John Lennon. And the [tension creates] a new magic.
“The pressure creates the diamond from the coal. And he came in with the best vibes ever, and I said, <<Four, five, seconds from wildin>>,’ and he said, <<It’s great everyone!>> and we just had that.”
House of Cards Season 3 has been leaked on Netflix two weeks ahead of its scheduled release.
For 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, February 11, America got a glimpse of life under the iron fist of Francis Underwood.
However, as news spread the series was pulled almost as quickly as the show’s Machiavellian lead can destroy a political career.
Netflix denies that the leak was a marketing ploy, saying it was down to a “technical glitch”.
On Wednesday night, Netflix viewers in could watch the series online for just under half an hour.
The entire season was listed, along with episode titles and descriptions.
Although the mistake was sorted out quickly, some fans on Twitter said they were able to keep streaming episodes they had begun watching before they were removed.
The series stars Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, a ruthless politician on a power trip to get to the top of American politics.
The Powerball jackpot estimated at $500 million has been won by three tickets in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas.
Lottery officials announced the jackpot winners on February 12 on the Powerball website. Officials didn’t immediately confirm the final amount of the prize or which cities produced the winners.
If the jackpot stands at the $500 million estimated on February 11, it would be the fifth-largest lottery prize in US history.
No one had won the Powerball jackpot for more than two months, so the prize grew gradually from its $40 million starting point. That figure is now listed on the website as the current jackpot for the next drawing.
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were: 11, 13, 25, 39, 54 and the Powerball 19.
Fifty Shades of Grey screen adaptation has premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival in Germany.
British novelist E.L. James attended the event with director Sam Taylor-Johnson and stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.
“It’s an extremely romantic movie and at the heart of it, it is a love story,” Taylor-Johnson told reporters.
“I think we’ve got that balance right.”
The movie has its UK premiere in London later, ahead of a worldwide release on February 13.
Accompanied by her husband, actor Aaron Johnson, Sam Taylor-Johnson – formerly Taylor-Wood – said she was “very nervous and excited” at the thought of screening the film to an international audience.
The visual artist turned film-maker said she was “proud of what we’ve achieved” and “proud of [her] cast”, which also includes singer Rita Ora and Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden.
Photo Reuters
E.L. James’s Fifty Shades trilogy details the affair between a young student, Anastasia Steele, and a billionaire businessman, Christian Grey.
Fans waited all day on February 11 outside Berlin’s Zoo Palast theatre, some armed with flowers and copies of the books.
James Dornan said he was prepared for the additional attention playing Christian Grey would bring.
“I accepted that this role would change my life when I took the part,” said the Northern Irish actor.
“Although when you see the way fans are reacting, it hits you afresh.
“However, I’m still the same person I was before I was Christian Grey. I have a wife and a child and my circle of friends are the same. I’m not going anywhere.”
Speaking on the red carpet, the actor acknowledged “the book and the film aren’t to everyone’s taste”.
“But that’s fine,” he continued.
“I think we’ve done something classy.”
“It’s very important that everyone who might wish to judge remembers that Anastasia acts of her own free will in the movie,” said co-star Dakota Johnson.
“It’s a story where everything that happens between these two people is consensual.”
The 25-year-old said her parents, actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, had yet to see the movie but were “very proud” of her.
An estimated 4.5 million tickets have already been sold in the 39 countries where Fifty Shades of Grey will be released this weekend.
Sam Taylor-Johnson confirmed she is in talks to direct the next two films of the trilogy but said nothing had been decided “as yet”.
E.L. James said she was “excited” but “hated” being the centre of attention.
“To be honest, I’m looking forward to going home later and reading all about it with a gin and tonic,” she revealed.
The best-selling novelist, whose real name is Erika Mitchell, said she had had “input as a producer from the first to last frame”.
“What you see up there, I had a say in all of it,” she declared.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Sam Taylor-Johnson admitted she and E.L. James had clashed during shooting and that making the film had been “an incredibly painful process”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have announced a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine starting with February 15.
“We have managed to agree on the main issues,” Vladimir Putin said after marathon talks with Petro Poroshenko, as well German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in Minsk, Belarus.
President Francois Hollande said it was a “serious deal” but not everything had been agreed.
Thousands of people have been killed in the fighting in the east of Ukraine.
The meeting in Belarus – which began on February 11 – was focused on securing a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and creating a demilitarized zone in Eastern Ukraine.
Greece has failed to reach an agreement with eurozone officials over the country’s debt crisis, though both sides said there was still hope for a deal.
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said seven hours of talks in Brussels had been “constructive”.
They ended without a joint statement to outline procedural steps ahead of further talks on February 16.
Greece says its bailout deal with the EU is punitive and must end. The EU has warned Greece to abide by the deal.
Greek left-wing government says the conditions of the €240 billion ($272 billion) bailout have impoverished Greece.
It was elected on a promise to end the bailout and ease the austerity measures that have accompanied it.
The government has proposed to overhaul 30% of its bailout obligations, replacing them with a 10-point plan of reforms.
However, Greece’s creditors in the EU, led by Germany, have insisted that the terms of the bailout cannot be altered.
Officials from the two sides have been locked in negotiations aimed at reaching a deal on Greece’s debt repayments that would stave off the prospect of its exit from the eurozone – a prospect viewed with fear by the markets.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the Eurogroup eurozone finance ministers, said after the meeting on Wednesday that there had been no discussion of detailed proposals.
“We didn’t enter into negotiations on content of the program or a program, we simply tried to work next steps over the next couple days,” he said.
“We were unable to do that.”
“We had an intense discussion, constructive, covering a lot of ground, also making progress, but not enough progress yet to come to joint conclusions,” he said.
Greece’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis struck an upbeat note, saying hours of emergency talks in Brussels had produced “very good discussions”.
Greek officials had rejected a draft agreement from the eurozone finance ministers that proposed “extending” the current bailout deal, Reuters reported.
The current EU-IMF bailout for Greece is due to expire on February 28.
The Greek government rejects the “troika” team – the EU, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB) – overseeing the bailout’s implementation.
It is asking for a “bridge agreement” that will enable it to stay afloat until it can agree a new four-year reform plan with its EU creditors.
Greece’s debt currently stands at more than €320 billion – about 174% of its economic output (GDP).
On February 11, thousands of left-wing demonstrators rallied in Athens in support of their government’s proposition.
The stakes of the talks over Greece’s debt are high because of fears that a Greek default could push it out of the euro, triggering turmoil in the EU.
The Greek Defense Minister, Panos Kammenos, previously said Greece might seek funding from Russia, China or the US if it failed to reach a new debt agreement with the eurozone.
Former Korean Air executive Heather Cho has been found guilty of breaking aviation law over the “nut rage” case.
Heather Cho, also known as Cho Hyun-ah, was jailed for one year, avoiding a possible maximum sentence of 10 years.
She had forced her Seoul-bound plane to turn back to the gate and offload a steward because she did not like the way she had been served nuts.
The case garnered global interest and caused an uproar in South Korea.
Heather Cho, who was a vice-president with the South Korean airline, was found guilty of obstructing aviation safety.
Her plane was taxiing at New York’s JFK Airport on December 5 when witnesses say she became angry after being served macadamia nuts she did not ask for and which were still in a bag and not in a bowl.
Cho Hyun-ah ordered the plane to return to the gate and offload the chief steward.
“This is a case where human dignity was trampled upon,” Judge Oh Sung-woo said on February 12.
Heather Cho had treated the flight “as if it was her own private plane”, Judge Oh Sung-woo added.
“It is doubtful that the way the nuts were served was so wrong.”
The judge said Heather Cho has failed to show enough remorse even after she submitted letters to the court apologizing for the incident.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of three years in prison on charges of breaking aviation law, assault and interfering in an investigation.
Witnesses testified during the trial that Heather Cho struck a crewmember with the service manual.
Her defense team argued that aviation safety had not been violated as the plane was still being pushed by a truck away from the gate.
However, the judge rejected that argument saying the plane was classed as “in flight” and she interfered, correspondents say.
Heather Cho, who is the daughter of the chairman of Korean Air, publicly apologized for the incident and resigned from all her posts at the airline in December.
The trial has opened a national debate about the Korean business system, which is dominated by family firms known as chaebols.
Some of the families running these businesses have been accused of high-handedness and acting with impunity.
Longtime CBS News correspondent Bob Simon has been killed in a car accident in New York, the broadcaster announced.
In a career spanning five decades, Bob Simon, 73, covered many war zones from Vietnam to the former Yugoslavia.
At the end of his stint in Saigon in the 1970s Bob Simon was on one of the last helicopters out of the city, CBS said.
Bob Simon won multiple awards, including 27 Emmys, for his reporting and regularly appeared on the network’s flagship program 60 Minutes.
His last piece, a report about the Oscar-nominated civil rights drama Selma went out on 60 Minutes at the weekend.
“It is a tragedy made worse because we lost him in a car accident, a man who escaped more difficult situations than almost any journalist in modern times,” CBS News Chairman and 60 Minutes executive producer Jeffrey Fagan said.
Bob Simon was a passenger in a hired sedan that hit another car stopped at a traffic light and then slammed into metal barriers separating traffic lanes, police said February 11.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who worked with Bob Simon on 60 Minutes said: “Bob was for the last five decades simply one of the best, in my opinion, at getting a story, telling a story, writing a story and making it simply unforgettable.”
Karen Hicks, the wife of the man accused of killing three Muslim students in North Carolina, said the attack was motivated by parking, not religion.
She said she was “shocked” by the attack but said her husband Craig Hicks, 46, had parking disputes with many neighbors, of all religions.
Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were found dead, shot in the head at home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Their family has said the attack was motivated by hate.
Mohammed Abu-Salha, father of the two sisters who were killed, said Craig Hicks had killed them “execution style”.
“This man had picked on my daughter and her husband a couple of times before, and he talked with them with his gun in his belt,” he told the News-Observer newspaper.
“And they were uncomfortable with him, but they did not know he would go this far.”
On February 11, Karen Hicks stood alongside a lawyer as she told reporters her husband believed “everyone is equal, it doesn’t matter what you look like, who you are or what you believe”.
Her lawyer said the shooting had “nothing to do with the victims’ religious beliefs but had everything to do with a mundane parking spot dispute”.
The lack of access to mental health care was the real issue, he said, not terror.
Chapel Hill Police said in a statement there had been an ongoing parking dispute but they are still investigating whether the attack was hate-motivated.
Craig Hicks’ Facebook profile included a photo that read “Atheists for Equality”. He frequently posted quotes critical of religion.
He had also posted a photo on January 20 of a gun he said was loaded and belonged to him.
The preliminary investigation indicates the crime was motivated by an “ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,” Chapel Hill police said in a statement.
There are still questions over what could have motivated Craig Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act, Chief Chris Blue said.
“We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case.”
Police were called to the scene after reports on February 10 of gunshots being fired in the area.
The bodies were found in an apartment block in the town of Chapel Hill near the University of Carolina.
Deah Barakat raised money for dental care for Syrian refugees through the Miswak Foundation and had volunteered locally, according to the Washington Post.
The suspect, who is reported to have turned himself in, is being held at Durham County Jail while the investigation continues.
Craig Hicks appeared in court on February 11 and remains in custody.
