Four McDonald’s outlets in Moscow have been temporarily closed by Russia’s main consumer watchdog as part of an investigation into food standards.
Watchdog Rospotrebnadzor claimed the restaurants had breached “numerous” sanitary laws.
McDonald’s said it was looking at the complaints, adding its “top priority is to provide safe and quality products”.
The closures come amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over the crisis in the Ukraine.
Previously when diplomatic tensions are high, the regulator has controversially banned products including wine from Georgia, cheese from Ukraine and apples from Poland.
Earlier this month, Russia imposed a “full embargo” on food imports from the EU, US and some other Western countries, in response to sanctions over Ukraine.
Wednesday’s action by the regulator is part of an ongoing investigation into McDonald’s food standards in Russia.
In July the watchdog filed a lawsuit in Moscow urging the restaurant chain to withdraw certain products.
McDonald’s said that restaurants on Pushkin Square, Manezh Square and Prospect Mira in Moscow had been temporarily closed, and said it wanted to “re-open the restaurants as soon as possible”.
“We will continue taking care of our employees and will do our best to continue the success of McDonald’s business in Russia,” the company added.
Attorney General Eric Holder has promised a “full, fair and independent” investigation as he arrived in Ferguson, Missouri, in a bid to defuse tensions following the police shooting of black teenager Michael Brown.
Ferguson has seen 10 nights of often violent clashes between police and demonstrators since the shooting of Michael Brown, who was unarmed.
Police arrested 47 people on August 19 night but said that the violence had largely abated.
Community leaders have continued to appeal for calm and healing.
In an open letter published in the St Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday, Eric Holder said that the justice department “will defend the right of protesters to peacefully demonstrate”.
However, Eric Holder added that “violence cannot be condoned” and urged Ferguson residents to condemn “the actions of looters, vandals and others seeking to inflame tensions and sow discord”.
He said violent acts had been committed by “a very small minority, in many cases individuals from outside Ferguson”.
Reports suggest that Eric Holder is considering opening a broader investigation into policing in Ferguson in general, following several allegations of police misconduct.
The New York Times reports that under Eric Holder, the justice department has ordered over twice as many such department-wide investigations than before.
Many local residents have demanded that Officer Darren Wilson, who shot the 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9, should be arrested and prosecuted. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay.
Eric Holder has promised a full, fair and independent investigation into Michael Brown’s death as he arrived in Ferguson
Witnesses have said Michael Brown was shot as he held his hands up in a position of surrender, while the police and supporters of Darren Wilson have said he fired during a fight with Michael Brown.
The police response, flooding the town with hundreds of officers in riot gear, has been criticized as heavy-handed.
Authorities were also criticized for not being transparent enough in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
The St Louis County prosecutor’s office said it would present evidence against Darren Wilson to a grand jury on Wednesday.
The jury will determine whether or not to charge him with a crime.
A group of protesters gathered in front of the courthouse on Wednesday, chanting, praying and holding up signs urging the county prosecutor to step aside in this case, as a line of police officers stood guard over the main door.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has said he would not seek Bob McCulloch’s removal.
Both St Louis officials and the US justice department are conducting investigations into the case, which has provoked demonstrations throughout the country.
Police in Ferguson said they arrested 47 people on Tuesday night following a largely peaceful protest.
Missouri Highway Patrol Capt Ron Johnson, who has led the police response since Thursday, said that the protest began without trouble but that during the night some protesters threw bottles of water and urine at police.
“As of 01:00, we have 47 arrests,” he said.
However, he stressed that police had not been fired upon and that they did not use tear gas on protesters.
“Tonight we saw a different dynamic,” Ron Johnson said.
“Tonight the elders in this community, volunteers, activists and the clergy came out in large numbers. They walked, they talked with people. They urged order and common peace,” he said.
The relative calm is in contrast to Monday night’s violence when Capt. Ron Johnson said police came under “heavy gunfire” and responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
This was despite the deployment of National Guard units in the town on Monday.
The police shot another black man on Tuesday in St Louis, in an incident many feared could exacerbate the tension in Ferguson.
The man was suspected of robbery, and had approached them brandishing a knife. The second shooting has so far had little or no impact on the protests in Ferguson.
When businesses seek to boost profits and maintain growth, they often concentrate on increasing volume or lowering costs but neglect the role that pricing plays. However, the importance of price optimization shouldn’t be underestimated, and may be the most cost-effective way to increase business profits.
Price optimization requires understanding the true value of your product and that value is a reflection of what your customers are willing to pay. Simply put, if you overvalue your product, your sales will suffer and if you undervalue it, you’re throwing money away. Therefore, the trick is knowing the maximum price that your customers are willing to pay.
A good pricing strategy will help your business resist market-driven competitive pressures by generating extra worth out of your products and services. Understanding what most small businesses do wrong is the first step to successful price optimization.
Here are 5 common mistakes that many SMEs make when it comes to pricing.
1. They base prices on costs instead of value.
The vast majority of businesses still determine prices by working out the total cost of a product and then adding on their profit margin. However, this reflects a misunderstanding of how value works in the equation. If the cost-based price is higher than the value perceived by the customer, sales will slow and profits suffer. Conversely, if your cost-based price is lower than customer-perceived value, you’re missing out on potential profit.
2. They don’t segment customer pricing.
Different customers will value your product in different ways. Some may be willing to pay more and others less, depending on what the product is uniquely worth to them. Your pricing plan should reflect this with different prices for different customer segments. Tailor your product for each distinct segment through repackaging, targeted marketing, different delivery options and other variables.
3. They add the same profit margin, regardless of product.
Segmenting your products and services follows the same principle as segmenting your customers. The price you assign to different products should reflect how a particular customer values a particular product. Understanding the intrinsic value rather than focusing on a fixed profit margin will help you make necessary pricing adjustments to maximize profitability.
4. They don’t know who their most profitable customers are.
It’s a rule of thumb for most businesses that 4/5th of profits are generated from 1/5th of customers. However, most small businesses aren’t good at identifying who that top 20% is and spend a disproportionate amount of time on lower-yielding customers. Find out who your most profitable customers are and invest more time in holding on to them.
5. They don’t raise prices when necessary.
Many businesses put off making necessary price increases because they worry about the impact on sales. However, you should condition your customers to expect such periodic price adjustments, especially if you are adding value by making improvements to service.
Compared to costs like marketing and advertising, investing in price optimization is a cheap and effective way to increase your profits and secure the long-term success of your small business finances.
Vin Diesel has nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
The star also put forward Angelina Jolie and Michelle Obama.
Although Vladimir Putin has not given an outright no, his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the President probably wasn’t aware of the challenge – and apparently has more important things to be thinking about.
Vin Diesel has nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (photo YouTube)
“We’ve had other things on our agenda,” Dmitry Peskov told Russian newspaper Lenta.ru.
Other high-profile names to have taken part in the campaign, which raises money for ALS Association, the US charity that helps sufferers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, include Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Lady Gaga and Charlie Sheen.
President Barack Obama has already declined his nomination and has made a donation to the ALS Association instead.
In an interview with Closer Weekly, Duck Dynasty‘s Missy Robertson reveals she suffered a miscarriage before having daughter Mia.
Missy Robertson told the publication that at age 30 she suffered a miscarriage in 2002, after giving birth to her sons, Reed (now 18) and Cole (now 16).
“I was about eight to 10 weeks along when I miscarried, just enough time to be excited about it and start telling everyone,” the reality star said.
Mia Robertson revealed she suffered a miscarriage in 2002 after giving birth to Reed and Cole and before having Mia (photo Facebook)
Missy Robertson explained the heartbreaking procedure: “I’d heard of tubal pregnancies for years, but didn’t really understand the mental anguish of actually having to go in and have someone remove what could’ve been your child. It was extremely difficult, and there was a lot of pain and bleeding.”
Jase and Missy Robertson told Closer Weekly they coped with the tragedy through “a lot of prayer and a lot of family.”
Three months after the miscarriage, Missy Robertson became pregnant again with their daughter Mia, now age 11.
After many celebrities have joined the Ice Bucket Challenge movement in the past weeks, all in hopes of raising money for ALS Association, Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson has also stepped up to the plate.
The Duck Dynasty star’s ice bucket video has caused quite a stir on Twitter.
On the previous day, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal asked Willie Robertson to take on the ice bucket challenge and donate to the ALS Association.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal asked Willie Robertson to take on the ice bucket challenge and donate to the ALS Association (photo Duck Commander)
Willie Robertson was happy to accept this challenge. He posted a YouTube video of his ice bucket experience, first stopping for a quick prayer “for those suffering with this disease and their families”.
While most ice bucket challenge participants hold buckets of ice water over their own heads, Willie Robertson apparently needed a little help. He completed the challenge in front of the memorable Duck Commander sign at the warehouse in West Monroe, waiting for two of his relatives to dump a trash barrel full of ice water over his head. The relatives completed this enviable task from the roof of the warehouse, while Willie Robertson stood below.
Thoroughly soaked, Willie Robertson commented: “A lot of force…that hit me like a truck!”
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity involving pouring a bucket of ice water on someone’s head or donating to the ALS Association in the US.
Participants get a bucket of ice water tipped over their head. Then they nominate two of their friends, who have 24 hours to tip a bucket of ice water over their own heads or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.
They’re raising money for the ALS Association, to research the motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral throughout social media during the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2014 with numerous celebrities, politicians, athletes, and everyday Americans posting videos of themselves online and on TV participating in the event.
Although pouring water over someone’s head on the internet for charity has been around since last winter, it only went viral when the family of Pete Frates, a baseball player who was diagnosed with ALS two years ago, started their own campaign.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity involving pouring a bucket of ice water on someone’s head or donating to the ALS Association (photo Getty Images)
The origins of the idea of dumping cold water on one’s head to raise money for charity are unclear and have been attributed to multiple sources.
The challenge was popularized in the US on June 30, 2014, when the Golf Channel Morning Show televised the social media phenomenon and performed a live on-air ice bucket challenge.
Before the popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge, levels of awareness, fundraising, research funds, and overall public support for ALS were extremely low.
After the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media, public awareness and charitable donations for ALS soared to unprecedented levels. On August 18, 2014, the ALS Association announced that it had received $15.6 million in donations compared to $1.8 million during the same time period, July 29 to August 18 in 2013. These donations came from both existing donors and 307,598 new donors to the Association.
This year, Steve-O questioned the campaign, suggesting that celebrities’ videos generally forgot to share donation information for ALS charities, and that the $15 million in funds is insignificant, given the star power of the celebrities participating. He noted that, of the videos he viewed, only Charlie Sheen and Bill Gates noted that point is to donate money.
Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif’s wife and son have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip.
At least 19 Palestinians have died since hostilities resumed on August 19, with both sides blaming each other for the collapse of the Cairo peace talks.
The Israeli military said it had carried out 92 air strikes in response to 137 rockets fired at its territory.
Six weeks of fierce fighting have left at least 2,103 people dead.
Egypt has expressed “profound regret” at the end of the 10-day period of calm and said it will continue trying to secure a lasting truce.
It is believed the air strike on a house in Gaza City late on August 19 that killed Mohammed Deif’s wife and their young son was intended to kill the militant himself.
The commander of Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, has survived a number of previous Israeli assassination attempts believed to have left him with severe disabilities.
Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Saar said the attack was justified because Mohammed Deif was “personally responsible” for dozens of deaths.
Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif’s wife and son have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip
Yaakov Perry, Israel’s science minister and former security service chief, said he was “convinced that if there was intelligence that Mohammed Deif was not inside the home, then we would not have bombed it”.
Rescue workers later pulled out of the remains of the house the bodies of three members of the family that lived there, medics said.
Another air strike early on Wednesday killed eight people, including a heavily-pregnant woman and three children, in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told the AFP news agency.
Later, a man and child were killed in Zeitoun in southern Gaza City, and two militants died when a missile hit their motorcycle in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, Mr Qudra added. The IDF said it had targeted two militants responsible for launching rockets in the area.
The apparent attempt to kill Mohammed Deif may explain the intensity of the rocket fire that came after the collapse of the Cairo peace talks.
Air-raid sirens sounded in many towns and cities in southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as 50 rockets were launched on August 19 and 30 on August 20.
One hit a home in the Hof Ashkelon region, but no injuries were reported.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system has shot down a number of incoming rockets, but the Israeli authorities have ordered the re-opening of bomb shelters within 50 miles of Gaza.
The Israeli government accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire by launching a salvo of rockets about eight hours before it was to have expired, and told its delegation in Cairo to return home shortly afterwards
Palestinian negotiators blamed Israel for the failure of the indirect talks.
“Israel thwarted the contacts that could have brought peace,” said Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior member of the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
However, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev rejected the accusation.
“The Cairo process was built on a total and complete cessation of all hostilities and so when rockets were fired from Gaza, not only was it a clear violation of the ceasefire but it also destroyed the premise upon which the talks were based,” he told the Reuters news agency.
Israel has been seeking guarantees that Hamas and other factions in Gaza would be disarmed, while the Palestinians were demanding an end to the Israeli and Egyptian blockades of Gaza, and the establishment of a seaport and airport.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “gravely disappointed by the return to hostilities”.
Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on July 8 with the aim of ending rocket fire. It also sought to destroy tunnels dug under the frontier with Israel used by militants to launch attack.
Since then, at least 2,036 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The Israeli authorities say 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed, along with two Israeli civilians and a Thai national.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has released a video apparently showing the killing of American journalist James Foley, who went missing in Syria in 2012.
The jihadist militant group said the killing was revenge for US air strikes against its fighters in Iraq.
James Foley’s mother, Diane, said on Facebook she was proud of her son: “He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.”
The White House said if the video was genuine, the US would be “appalled”.
James Foley, 40, has reported extensively across the Middle East, working for the GlobalPost and other media outlets including French news agency AFP.
In the video, titled A Message to America, a man identified as James Foley is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kneeling in desert-like terrain beside an armed man dressed in black.
He gives a message to his family and links his imminent death to the US government’s bombing campaign of IS targets in Iraq.
Clearly under duress, he says: “I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the US government, for what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality.”
Then the masked militant, who speaks with a British accent, delivers a warning to the US government: “You are no longer fighting an insurgency. We are an Islamic Army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims worldwide.
“So any attempt by you Obama to deny the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people.”
Journalist James Foley went missing in Syria in 2012 (photo GlobalPost)
After he speaks, the militant appears to start cutting at his captive’s neck before the video fades to black.
His body is then seen on the ground.
Another captive, identified as American journalist Steven Joel Sotloff, is shown at the end, with the warning that his fate depends on President Barack Obama’s next move.
Steven Joel Sotloff was abducted a year ago in northern Syria, close to the border with Turkey.
In a statement, GlobalPost asked for “prayers for Jim and his family”, adding that it was waiting for the video to be verified.
James Foley had covered the war in Libya and was detained there for more than 40 days.
US officials confirmed that they had seen the video. One said it appeared to be authentic while two others said the victim was James Foley, Associated Press reports.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a statement later. White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said: “If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Diane Foley, in her Facebook post, urged the militants to free any other hostages.
“Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world,” she wrote.
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that 20 journalists are missing in Syria, local as well as international, and believes many are held by ISIS militants.
The US launched air strikes almost a fortnight ago, in an attempt to help Kurdish forces curb the advance of Islamic State militants in northern Iraq and recapture the Mosul dam, the biggest in Iraq.
The ISIS has been accused of massacring hundreds of people in areas under its control in Iraq and also in eastern Syria.
Liberia has imposed a night-time curfew in a bid to halt the deadly Ebola outbreak.
In addition, it has quarantined an area of the capital Monrovia.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the curfew would be from 21:00 to 06:00 local time.
She said all movement would be blocked in and out of the West Point area.
Meanwhile, three doctors with Ebola who started taking experimental drug ZMapp last week showed remarkable signs of improvement, a Liberian minister said.
Liberia has imposed a night-time curfew in a bid to halt the deadly Ebola outbreak (photo AP)
Information Minister Lewis Brown said the drug was given to one Nigerian and two Liberian doctors who had caught Ebola while helping to save the lives of other victims of the virus.
In a radio broadcast, the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf blamed her government’s failure to bring Ebola under control on the public’s disregard for the advice of health workers and disrespect for official warnings.
Liberia already imposed a state of emergency earlier this month, but the number of deaths from the disease has continued to climb.
A mob attacked a health centre in West Point on Saturday, during which 17 suspected Ebola patients went missing.
Ebola has no known cure but the World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled that untested drugs can be used in light of the scale of outbreak in West Africa.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,229 people have died of the virus.
It is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person.
Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can cause organ failure.
Ebola outbreak began in Guinea and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Microsoft’s ex-CEO Steve Ballmer has announced he is stepping down from the board with immediate effect.
In a public letter, Steve Ballmer said he had become “very busy” since he quit the top job and that it would be “impractical to continue”.
Steve Ballmer’s decision to leave follows his recent purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
Steve Ballmer has announced he is stepping down from Microsoft board with immediate effect (photo AP)
“I see a combination of the Clippers, civic contribution, teaching and study taking a lot of my time,” he wrote.
Steve Ballmer said his departure would be immediate due to a “hectic” autumn including both the start of the NBA basketball season and his teaching of a new class.
He left the chief executive role in February after more than 14 years at the helm, and has been involved in the company for more than three decades.
Steve Ballmer still holds more Microsoft shares than any other individual, and on Tuesday he pledged to hold onto them for the “foreseeable future”.
“I bleed Microsoft – have for 34 years and I always will,” Steve Ballmer wrote.
A second black man has been killed by police in St Louis, Missouri, days after Michael Brown’s death, threatening to further escalate tension.
On August 19, police officers shot dead a man who brandished a knife at them, St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said.
The August 9 shooting of Michael Brown, 18, sparked days of violent protests in the town of Ferguson, prompting a heavy police crackdown.
There is widespread anger against the mainly white police force for killing Michael Brown, who was unarmed.
Michael Brown’s family says his funeral will take place on Monday, August 25.
Attorney General Eric Holder is due to visit Ferguson on Wednesday to meet officials investigating the killing.
The police killing of a second black man in St Louis in 11 days has threatened to further escalate tension (photo AP)
Tuesday’s police shooting has threatened to further inflame tensions within the community.
According to police, in the early afternoon, two officers shot and killed a knife-wielding man four miles from the site of Michael Brown’s killing.
St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said witnesses reported the man had been behaving in an erratic manner, and emphasized the officers had a right to defend themselves.
“The suspect turned toward officers, pulled out knife in an overhand grip, told officers to <<shoot me now, kill me now>>,” he told reporters.
In another development in the Michael Brown case, the St Louis county prosecutor’s office on Tuesday said it would present evidence against Officer Darren Wilson to a grand jury on Wednesday.
The citizen panel will determine whether or not to charge Darren Wilson with killing Michael Brown.
Both St Louis officials and the US justice department are conducting investigations into the case, which has provoked demonstrations throughout the country.
Witnesses have said Michael Brown was shot as he held his hands up in a position of surrender, while the police and supporters of Darren Wilson have said he fired during a fight with the teenager.
An autopsy commissioned by Michael Brown’s family concluded he had been shot six times, twice in the head.
New York pathologist Dr. Michael Baden said Michael Brown’s body showed no signs of a struggle.
He also believed Michael Brown was not shot at close range as there was no gunpowder residue on his body, suggesting the officer was more than 2ft away.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been booked at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, for two felony indictments of abuse of power on August 19.
Rick Perry told dozens of cheering supporters outside the Texas courthouse that he would “fight this injustice with every fiber of my being”.
Showing no hint of worry on his face, Rick Perry flashed a thin, confident grin beneath perfect hair in his mug shot. He then headed to a nearby Austin eatery for ice cream, even gleefully documenting his excursion via Twitter.
The Republican, who is mulling a second presidential run in 2016, was indicted after carrying out a threat to veto funding for state public corruption prosecutors. He has dismissed the case a political ploy, and supporters chanting his last name and holding signs greeted him upon arriving at a Travis County Courthouse in Austin.
“I’m going to fight this injustice with every fiber of my being. And we will prevail,” Rick Perry said before walking inside the building, where he set off a metal detector but didn’t break stride, heading straight to a first-floor office to have his fingerprints taken and stand for the mug shot. In it he’s wearing a blue tie but shed the glasses that have become something of his trademark in recent months.
The longest-serving governor in Texas history was indicted last week for coercion and official oppression for publicly promising to veto $7.5 million for the state public integrity unit, which investigates wrongdoing by elected officials and is run by the Travis County district attorney’s office. Rick Perry threatened the veto if the county’s Democratic district attorney, Rosemary Lehmberg, stayed in office after a drunken driving conviction.
Showing no hint of worry on his face, Rick Perry flashed a thin, confident grin beneath perfect hair in his mug shot (photo Austin Police Department)
Rosemary Lehmberg refused to resign and Rick Perry carried out the veto, drawing an ethics complaint from a left-leaning government watchdog group.
Rick Perry was indicted by a grand jury in Austin, a liberal bastion in otherwise mostly fiercely conservative Texas.
“I’m going to enter this courthouse with my head held high knowing the actions I took were not only lawful and legal, but right,” Rick Perry told supporters before heading inside the building located just steps from the governor’s mansion.
In less than 10 minutes, Rick Perry was outside again, telling those assembled that he was confident in the rule of law.
“We don’t resolve political disputes or policy differences by indictments,” he said.
“We don’t criminalize policy disagreements. We will prevail. We will prevail.”
If convicted on both counts, Rick Perry could face a maximum 109 years in prison – though legal experts across the political spectrum have said the case against him may be a tough sell to a jury. No one disputes that Rick Perry has the right to veto any measures passed by the state Legislature, including any parts of the state budget.
However, the complaint against Rick Perry alleges that by publicly threatening a veto and trying to force Rosemary Lehmberg to resign, he coerced her. The Republican judge assigned to the case has assigned a San Antonio-based special prosecutor who insists the case is stronger than it may outwardly appear.
Rick Perry has hired a team of high-powered attorneys, who are being paid with state funds to defend him.
Top Republicans have been especially quick to defend the governor, though, since a jail video following Rosemary Lehmberg’s April 2013 arrest showed the district attorney badly slurring her words, shouting at staffers to call the sheriff, kicking the door of her cell, and sticking her tongue out. Rosemary Lehmberg’s blood alcohol level was also three times the legal limit for driving.
Rick Perry is the first Texas governor to be indicted since 1917.
Ray J has pleaded not guilty to groping a woman at Beverly Wilshire Hotel bar and resisting arrest afterward.
Los Angeles County prosecutors say Ray J – whose real name is William Ray Norwood Jr.- entered the plea Tuesday to misdemeanor charges of battery, vandalism, battery on a police officer and resisting a peace officer.
Ray J has pleaded not guilty to battery at Beverly Wilshire Hotel bar and resisting arrest afterward (photo Getty Images)
He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing August 28.
The singer was arrested on May 30 after a woman claimed he grabed her behind at a bar at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Police say Ray J refused to leave the bar when they arrived, became unruly and used his feet to shatter a patrol car window after being taken into custody.
Ray J is the former boyfriend of late Whitney Houston and the younger brother of singer-actress Brandy Norwood and had a brief singing career and starred with his sister in a reality show based on their family life.
Kevin Hart has announced via Instagram on August 18 that he is engaged to his girlfriend Eniko Parrish.
“She said YEEEEESSSSS…… #Happy #MyRib #iF–kingLoveHer,” Kevin Hart captioned an image of himself and model Eniko Parrish.
Kevin Hart, who has been dating Eniko Parrish for five years, popped the question on her birthday.
“Happy Birthday to the most amazing woman in the world. Today is your day babe and we are going to party like it’s 1999….I love you so much. I’m a better man because of you. P.S your old as s–t now lmao #Dirty30 #HappyBday #ThrowBackPic,” Kevin Hart wrote prior to posting the engagement picture.
Kevin Hart has announced his engagement to girlfriend Eniko Parrish (photo Twitter)
Eniko Parrish tweeted on August 14 the couple do have plans for children at some point: “LOL! Working on it does NOT mean right now. <<Working on it>> means when the timing is right.. We will begin to plan!”
The day of their engagement also marked the premiere of Torrei Hart’s VH1 show Atlanta Exes.
After Kevin Hart’s ex-wife told Entertainment Tonight that Eniko Parrish caused her relationship with Kevin to end, the comedian took to Twitter to defend his now fiancée this past May.
“My woman has nothing to do with my past marriage problems in any way shape or form,” he wrote.
“It’s almost 7yrs total of me not being with my Ex; I guess giving a woman over 20k a month and still being there for her and being a incredible father isn’t enough!”
Cindy Crawford’s kids missed their first day of school at Malibu High School after testing showed elevated levels of PCBs at their school and others in the county.
The 48-year-old former supermodel has two kids, Presley and Kaia, with husband Rande Gerber.
PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) is a chemical typically found in the window caulking of older buildings that was outlawed by Congress in 1976. Over time it can cause cancer, damage the immune and reproductive system, and negatively impact brain development in children.
Cindy Crawford spoke on the Today show with special correspondent Maria Shriver about her concerns for her children on August 19.
“I don’t feel 100 percent safe,” she said during the interview.
Cindy Crawford offered to pay out of her own pocket for PCB tests at Malibu High School
“I look 10 years down the line, what if my kid, God forbid, had a problem? How could I live with myself if I knew that it was a possibility, and I still sent them there?”
Cindy Crawford offered to pay out of her own pocket for window caulking tests at Malibu High School, but the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has agreed with the school district that the immediate problem has been handled through air testing.
“I am very frustrated and very disappointed at the way this has been handled,” Cindy Crawford continued.
“The problem is that they haven’t tested the source. Unless they’re testing every day, how do I know it’s safe for my kid?”
Though she has now taken her children out of school, Cindy Crawford promised to continue spearheading the fight in favor of PCB testing.
“This is not a Malibu issue,” Cindy Crawford added.
“This is really an issue in a lot of older schools. I just think the laws need to be changed.”
Author JK Rowling has published a short biography of Celestina Warbeck, a minor character from her Harry Potter books on the fan website Pottermore.com.
Celestina Warbeck is a glamorous singing sorceress resembling Shirley Bassey and a favorite of Mrs. Molly Weasley’s.
JK Rowling has published a short biography of Celestina Warbeck on the fan website Pottermore.com
The new backstory for Celestina Warbeck, who was only mentioned briefly in the series about a boy wizard, was posted online Monday along with one of her songs, recorded by a singer at the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.
JK Rowling calls Celestina Warbeck one of her favorite “offstage” characters in the whole series.
The author writes that Celestina Warbeck’s special abilities include tap-dancing and an extraordinary voice that can “drown out a chorus of banshees”.
Rick Perry plans to turn himself in to authorities for fingerprinting and a mug shot on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The Texas governor he was indicted by a jury in the state last week on two felony charges of abusing power, local news reports said.
Rick Perry, 64, is due to be arraigned on Friday.
The indictment has cast a shadow over Rick Perry’s possible bid for the Republican presidential nomination, with experts predicting that legal wrangling in the case is likely to stretch into the 2016 election cycle.
Rick Perry plans to turn himself in to authorities for fingerprinting and a mug shot (photo Getty Images)
Rick Perry was indicted on August 15 by a grand jury in Travis County, a Democratic stronghold in the heavily Republican state, over his veto of funding for a state ethics watchdog that has investigated prominent Texas Republicans.
The governor has called the indictment politically motivated and pledged to fight the charges.
Rick Perry became the target of an ethics probe last year after he vetoed $7.5 million in funding for the state public integrity unit run from the Travis County district attorney’s office.
The veto was widely viewed as intended to force the resignation of county District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, after she had pleaded guilty to drunken driving but remained in office.
Democrats have said Rick Perry may have been looking to put an ally in charge of the unit, extending what they say is cronyism in his administration.
Rick Perry faces a prison sentence of five to 99 years.
Three relatives of Pope Francis have been killed when their car slammed into the back of a truck on a highway in central Argentina, the Vatican’s official broadcasting service said on Tuesday.
Pope Francis’ nephew, Emanuel Bergoglio, who was driving the car was in serious condition following the accident just after midnight on Monday. Emanuel Bergoglio’s wife, 35, and two children aged 2 years and 8 months died.
Three relatives of Pope Francis have been killed in a car crash in Argentina
“The pope has been informed and is deeply grieved by the tragic news. He asks all those who share his pain to join with him in prayer,” said a statement on the website of Radio Vaticana.
The driver of the grains truck, Raul Pombo, told local television stations he felt the impact and found Emanuel Bergoglio’s vehicle wedged under the rear of his vehicle.
“I began stopping passing cars to ask for their fire extinguishers because the car was on fire,” Raul Pombo said.
The region’s highway patrol chief, Jorge Rainieri, called the impact “powerful” and TV pictures showed the mangled wreckage of the compact car. The accident occurred in Argentina’s central Cordoba province.
Pope Francis spoke about an early retirement and his own death for the first time, giving himself “two or three years”.
Talking to reporters on a flight back to the Vatican from South Korea, 77-year-old Pope Francis, who seemed in good spirits, was asked about his global popularity, which was evident again during his five-day visit.
“I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time. Two or three years and then I’ll be off to the Father’s House,” the pontiff replied.
Pope Francis said he could handle the popularity “more naturally” these days, though at first it had “scared me a little”.
Pope Francis spoke about an early retirement and his own death for the first time
While the pope has not spoken publicly before about when he might meet his maker, a Vatican source said he had previously told those close to him that he thought he only had a few years left.
Pope Francis also mentioned the possibility of retiring from the Papacy, as his predecessor Benedict XVI did last year, if he felt he could no longer adequately perform his duties.
Resigning the papacy was a possibility “even if it does not appeal to some theologians”, Pope Francis told reporters.
He added that 60 years ago it was practically unheard of for Catholic bishops to retire, but nowadays it was common.
“Benedict XVI opened a door,” he said.
Pope Francis admitted that he had “some nerve problems”, which required treatment.
“Must treat them well, these nerves, give them mate [an Argentine stimulant tea] every day,” he joked.
“One of these neuroses, is that I’m too much of a homebody,” he added, recalling that the last time he’d taken a holiday outside of his native Argentina was “with the Jesuit community in 1975″.
Kate Bush has asked fans not to take photos or record footage using mobile devices at her upcoming series of live concerts in London, UK, after a 35-year hiatus.
Kate Bush, 56, said on her website: “I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras.”
The singer added it would mean “a great deal to me” but admitted that it was “a lot to ask”.
Kate Bush’s 22-date run of performances in London begins on August 26.
Tickets for the Before The Dawn concerts at the Hammersmith Apollo sold out within 15 minutes of going on sale in March.
Kate Bush has asked fans not to take photos or record footage using mobile devices at her upcoming series of live concerts in London (photo Getty Images)
Kate Bush, whose hits include Wuthering Heights and Running Up That Hill, last toured in 1979.
She played her most recent concert at the same west London venue.
Kate Bush added on her Fish People website that preparations for the new shows are “going very well indeed”.
“We’re all very excited about the upcoming shows and are working very hard in preparation,” she added.
In making her request for fans to desist from filming, Kate Bush said: “We have purposefully chosen an intimate theatre setting rather than a large venue or stadium.
“It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask but it would allow us to all share in the experience together,” she added.
While it is common practice for concert-goers to take photos and film footage of the action, other stars have also spoken out against it.
The Who’s Roger Daltrey said he it found it “weird” that some music fans spend more time using their phones than watching the actual concert.
“Looking at life through a screen and not being in the moment totally – if you’re doing that, you’re 50% there, right?”
Russian food prices are rising in parts of the country and experts say the state embargo on imports of Western food appears to be making things worse.
Since the ban was imposed on August 7, imported pork used in processed meat in Moscow has gone up by 6%, Russian business daily Kommersant reports.
In St. Petersburg, food prices have risen 10%. That inflation occurred even before the impact of sanctions.
Russia’s ban on many Western foods is retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine.
The St. Petersburg government’s economic policy chief, Anatoly Kotov, said the pork price had risen by 23.5% and chicken by 25.8%.
Russian food prices are rising after the state embargo on imports from Western countries
On August 18, Russia’s PM Dmitry Medvedev said he did not expect the ban on food imports to lead to price rises or shortages in the shops. He also said he hoped the ban – introduced for a year – would not last too long.
Nina Oding, an economist at St. Petersburg’s Leontief Centre, criticized “clumsy efforts by the state somehow to regulate price formation”. She said such efforts had failed in Soviet times, when goods simply disappeared from the shelves, and in Russia in the 1990s.
“We’re heading for restricted choice, more monopolistic tendencies, prices will rise – and we’re already seeing the start of that process,” Nina Oding told Russian business website RBK.
In Russia’s far east – the Primorye region and island of Sakhalin – food prices have gone up more than in Russia’s big western cities since August 7, Kommersant reports.
A regional agriculture official, Nikolai Borisov, said cheese prices had gone up by 10% and meat by 15% on Sakhalin. They were outstripped by the cost of chicken thighs, which rose by 60%.
In Primorye the cost of apples from China has reportedly risen by a third, while some meats have risen by 26% and fish by 40%.
The Russian ban covers a wide range of foods imported from the West, though there are exemptions for some categories, notably alcoholic drinks, baby food, pet food, coffee and olive oil.
Lithuania and Poland, western neighbors of Russia, are particularly hit by the ban on imports of fresh fruit and vegetables.
EU and US sanctions are targeting top Russian officials and key economic sectors, such as energy and finance, as Western leaders accuse the Kremlin of destabilizing eastern Ukraine by supporting the pro-Russian separatists there.
Liberia’s information ministry has announced that 17 suspected Ebola patients who went missing after a Monrovia quarantine centre was attacked have been found.
The government had previously denied they were missing.
New UN figures show that 1,229 people have now died since the beginning of this year in the outbreak that has also hit Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says there were 84 deaths reported between August 14 and 16.
Ebola has no known cure, but the WHO has ruled that untested drugs can be used to treat patients in light of the scale of the current outbreak – the deadliest to date.
The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external hemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can cause organ failure.
The Liberian information minister said the missing patients were now at the newly expanded treatment unit opened over the weekend at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center in the capital, Monrovia.
He also said the health of three Liberian doctors infected with Ebola had improved after they receiving the experimental drug ZMapp.
Two US missionaries, who were flown home for treatment from Liberia, are reportedly recovering from the virus after taking doses of the same medicine.
ZMapp was also given to a 75-year-old Spanish priest who contracted Ebola in Liberia, but he died in Spain last week.
Seventeen suspected Ebola patients who went missing in Liberia after a Monrovia quarantine centre was attacked have been found
In Nigeria, which has had four fatal Ebola cases, health officials say five people have now recovered from the virus and been discharged from hospital in Lagos. Another three are still being treated.
The attack on Liberian quarantine centre, where 37 people were being held in Monrovia’s densely populated West Point township, took place on Saturday evening.
There are conflicting reports over what sparked the riot, in which medical supplies were also stolen.
Officials said the protesters were unhappy that patients were being taken there from other parts of the capital. Other reports suggested the protesters had believed Ebola was a hoax and wanted to force the centre to close.
There are also reports that the mattresses and linen being used by patients were taken during the attack.
In neighboring Sierra Leone, the agricultural minister has said the outbreak is also having a severe impact on the economy, as 66% of people were farmers and agriculture accounted for 46% of GDP and 25% of all exports.
Since the outbreak spread to Nigeria in July, when a person infected with Ebola flew from Liberia to Lagos, several airlines have stopped flights to the worst-affected countries.
Kenya’s ban on people from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone entering the East African nation comes into force on Wednesday – and Cameroon has closed its land, sea and air borders with Nigeria.
Thirty one people have been arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, during another night of angry protests.
Ferguson unrest flared hours after President Barack Obama called for calm following the fatal police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown on August 9.
Attorney General Eric Holder is due to visit Ferguson on Wednesday, August 20, to meet federal officials investigating the killing.
The National Guard has been deployed to support police operations.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced the National Guard deployment on August 18, in addition to lifting a night-time curfew imposed on the weekend.
The killing of Michael Brown by a white policeman, named Darren Wilson, in a street has inflamed racial tensions in the largely black community of Ferguson.
Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown on August 9 after reportedly stopping him for walking in the street.
Police Captain Ron Johnson said officers were forced to use tear gas and stun grenades on Tuesday after they came under “heavy gunfire” and were attacked with petrol bombs and bottles.
He said two people were hit by gunfire from demonstrators, insisting that officers did not use their weapons.
Ron Johnson appealed to demonstrators to protest in the daytime to prevent a “tiny minority of law breakers” from deliberately sparking violence.
Thirty one people have been arrested in Ferguson, Missouri, during another night of angry protests (photo CNN)
“Anyone who has been at these protests understands that there is a dangerous dynamic in the night: it allows a small number of violent agitators to hide in the crowd and then attempt to create chaos,” he told journalists.
Those arrested include people from other states, including New York and California, Capt. Ron Johnson said. Correspondents say this suggests the protests are becoming more organized.
In an earlier statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said he would “personally travel” to Ferguson on Wednesday to meet FBI investigators and prosecutors.
“I realize there is tremendous interest in the facts of the incident that led to Michael Brown’s death, but I ask for the public patience as we conduct this investigation,” he said.
Eric Holder added that the investigation into the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown was “a critical step in restoring trust between law enforcement and the community, not just in Ferguson, but beyond”.
Separately, President Barack Obama said he understood the “passions and anger” provoked by the death of the teenager.
Barack Obama also stressed that giving into anger “by looting or carrying guns and even attacking the police only serves to raise tensions and stir chaos”.
The president said he recognized that in many communities in the US a “gulf of mistrust” existed between local residents and law enforcement.
“In too many communities, too many young men of color are left behind and seen only as objects of fear,” he said.
Earlier, Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York pathologist hired by Michael Brown’s family, performed an independent post-mortem examination.
Dr. Michael Baden said he believed six bullets struck the teenager, two of which may have re-entered.
“All of the gunshot wounds could have been survivable, except the one at the top of the head,” he said.
Dr. Michael Baden said there were no signs of a struggle, as abrasions around Michael Brown’s face were likely from falling to the pavement after being shot.
He also believed Darren Wilson did not shoot him at close range as there was no gunpowder residue on his body, suggesting the officer was more than 2ft away.
Witnesses have said Michael Brown was shot as he held his hands up in a position of surrender, while the police and supporters of Darren Wilson have said he fired during a fight with the teenager.
Officer Darren Wilson has been suspended with pay since the shooting.
Michael Brown’s family has called for his arrest.
Another post-mortem on Michael Brown will be conducted by the US justice department, in addition to examinations by Dr. Michael Baden and St Louis county officials.
