Conductor Daniel Barenboim is stepping down as musical director of La Scala opera house two years early at the beginning of 2015.
Stephane Lissner, superintendent of Milan’s La Scala, called Daniel Barenboim’s departure the “end of an era”.
Daniel Barenboim joined the world-renowned opera house in 2006 before becoming musical director in December 2011.
Unconfirmed reports in Italian media suggested he will be succeeded by Milanese conductor, Riccardo Chailly.
Conductor Daniel Barenboim is stepping down as musical director of La Scala opera house two years early at the beginning of 2015
Stephane Lissner is also leaving La Scala in August 2014 to manage the Paris Opera and will be succeeded by Alexander Pereira, the Austrian artistic director of the Salzburg Festival.
Alexander Pereira previously indicated that he would like an Italian to be the next musical director and Italian media suggested Riccardo Chailly would be his choice.
Israeli-Argentine Daniel Barenboim, 70, will continue to work on his many other projects, including establishing an academy for Israeli and Palestinian musicians and overseeing an academy for young musicians in Berlin, housed in a concert hall built by architect Frank Gehry.
Some of Daniel Barenboim’s commitments at La Scala in 2014 include Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride, Cosi Fan Tutte by Mozart and Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.
Daniel Barenboim will open the 2014-15 season with Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera.
The Senate’s intelligence committee has ordered a major review of the US surveillance operations.
The committee’s chair, Senator Dianne Feinstein, said eavesdropping on leaders of friendly nations was wrong.
Dianne Feinstein said the White House had told her such surveillance would stop.
Senior US intelligence agency officials are to testify before the House of Representatives later on Tuesday.
Correspondents say pressure is growing on the White House to explain why President Barack Obama apparently did not know about the extent of the intelligence gathering operations.
Barack Obama has spoken publicly of his intent to probe spying activities amid claims of eavesdropping on US allies.
In a recent interview, Barack Obama said that national security operations were being reassessed to make sure the NSA’s growing technical spying capability was kept under control.
“We give them policy direction,” Barack Obama told ABC’s Fusion channel.
The Senate’s intelligence committee has ordered a major review of the US surveillance operations
“But what we’ve seen over the last several years is their capacities continue to develop and expand, and that’s why I’m initiating now, a review to make sure that what they’re able to do, doesn’t necessarily mean what they should be doing.”
An EU delegate in Washington has described the row over intelligence gathering as “a breakdown of trust”.
German media has reported that the US bugged German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone for more than a decade – and that the surveillance only ended a few months ago.
Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate intelligence panel, called for a “total review” of US intelligence programmes in light of the Merkel revelations.
“With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of US allies – including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany – let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed,” she said in a statement.
“It is my understanding that President Obama was not aware Chancellor Merkel’s communications were being collected since 2002. That is a big problem.”
Dianne Feinstein said the White House had told her that all surveillance of leaders of countries friendly to the US would stop.
The US has had a “no spying pact”, known as Five Eyes, with Britain since just after World War II, with Australia, New Zealand and Canada later joining.
Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has decided to inspect three major banks, including giant Mitsubishi, over possible transactions involving yakuza organized crime gangs.
One of them, Mizuho Financial, has already admitted senior managers knew three years ago it had lent 200 million yen ($2 million) to Japanese criminal gangs, but did not take action.
An external inquiry cleared the bank of intentionally covering up the loans.
Mizuho Financial has already admitted senior managers knew three years ago it had lent $2 million to Japanese criminal gangs
Sumitomo Mitsui is the third involved.
The yakuza gangs are not actually illegal. But like the Italian mafia or the Chinese triads, they are involved in unsavory activities such as gambling, drugs and prostitution, as well as operating protection rackets.
On Monday, lawyers hired by Mizuho to look into the transactions said “many officials and board members were aware of, or were in a position to be aware of, the issue”.
But the lawyers’ report also said that Mizuho failed to recognize it as a problem, believing that the compliance division “was taking care of it”.
The company said 54 former and current executives would be punished, including Mizuho bank chairman, Takashi Tsukamoto, who is resigning his position but will remain as head of the parent company.
One year ago, Superstorm Sandy hit the US east coast, killing at least 117 people.
Sandy was the most destructive storm in the US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
On Monday, historical immigration landmark Ellis Island reopened for the first time since the storm flooded low-lying areas in New York City.
But many communities are still struggling to rebuild amid complaints emergency funds have failed to reach the hardest-hit.
As of August, just under a quarter of the $48 billion earmarked for rebuilding had been committed to local governments, according to Reuters news agency.
Federal officials have unveiled plans for a second round of disaster relief amounting to $5 billion for five states and New York City, and they pledged that the pace of spending would pick up after a slow start.
“In year one, we all agreed the aid flowed too slowly,” Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters.
One year ago, Superstorm Sandy hit the US east coast, killing at least 117 people
“The second year will be a lot better. The spigot is now open.”
The shorelines of New Jersey and New York still bear deep scars from Sandy, with empty lots where family and vacation homes used to stand, and businesses are closed down and boarded up.
Many owners are still battling to receive pay-outs from their insurance companies, while others are still waiting to find out whether they will receive compensation from the government for wrecked properties that are now uninhabitable.
Almost two-thirds of the people who applied for federal disaster aid have not received any, our correspondent says.
In New York City, as work repairing the last subway line to be damaged by flooding continues, transit officials were offering free subway rides on Tuesday from hard-hit areas of the Rockaways and Howard Beach.
Meanwhile, homes in Oakwood Beach, Staten Island, have been bought out under a state programme that promises to turn neighborhoods wrecked by Superstorm Sandy into perpetual green space.
Events are being held to mark the anniversary of the storm, including a state-wide prayer service in New Jersey.
At least 117 deaths have been blamed on Sandy in the US, according to officials.
Turkey is to open a railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait, creating a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul.
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for years championed the undersea engineering project, conceived by an Ottoman sultan in 1860.
Work began in 2004 but archaeological excavations delayed the construction.
Japan invested $1 billion of the $4 billion total cost of the 0.8 mile tunnel, designed to withstand earthquakes.
The Bosphorus tunnel is scheduled to be inaugurated at 11:00 a.m., local time.
The railway tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait creates a new link between the Asian and European shores of Istanbul
The Turkish government hopes the new route under the Bosphorus will eventually develop into an important trading route, extending from China all the way to Western Europe.
Critics of Recep Tayyip Erdogan have seen the tunnel as one of his grandiose construction projects for the city where he used to be mayor.
Detractors of his proposals, including a third airport, a parallel canal and a third bridge over the Bosphorus, say they illustrate Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “pharaonic” ambitions.
Authorities came under fire earlier this year when protesters opposed plans to redevelop a park in Istanbul. Widespread violence between anti-government demonstrators and security forces ensued.
The rail tunnel will not be fully operational after its official opening on Tuesday, the news agency AFP reports.
“The part that is in service is very limited. All that has been delayed until much later,” said Tayfun Kahraman, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Urban Planners.
“We are wondering why this inauguration is happening so soon.”
Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe will be present at the official opening in recognition of the Bank of Japan’s status as the project’s principal financial backer.
City officials say the tunnel will relieve pressure on the two existing bridges, as well as ease traffic congestion and pollution.
Two suspects have been named by Beijing police after a deadly car crash in Tiananmen Square, state media report.
The vehicle crashed into a crowd and burst into flames, killing five people.
Police subsequently issued a notice to hotels in Beijing seeking information about two people from Xinjiang province, Chinese media said.
The note also described a vehicle and four number plates from Xinjiang, the scene of sporadic violent incidents.
State-run Xinhua news agency said of the five people who died on Monday, three people died inside the car and two tourists were killed. Another 38 people were injured.
Police shut down the scene of the incident – at the north end of the square at an entrance to the Forbidden City – shortly after it occurred, temporarily closing a subway station and a road.
There has been no official statement on the cause of the incident.
Five people died on Monday in Tiananmen Square car crash
“A major case has taken place on Monday,” the police notice said, without specifying what. It named two residents from Xinjiang’s Pishan and Shanshan counties as suspects.
The notice, unconfirmed images of which have been widely circulated on Chinese social media, also asked hotels to look out for “suspicious guests” and vehicles.
China’s state-controlled Global Times said it had confirmation from the Beijing police that the notice was genuine, although police did not comment on the “major case” itself.
Zhao Fuzhou, a security official at Beijing’s Xinjiang Dasha hotel, said that police had circulated a notice to hotels searching for information about two suspects with Uighur names, AP news agency reported.
Xinjiang is home to the minority Muslim Uighur group, some of whom complain of cultural and religious repression under Beijing’s rule. There have been sporadic outbreaks of violence in Xinjiang, including both Pishan and Shanshan counties.
China says it grants the Uighurs wide-ranging freedoms.
On Monday a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she did not know “specifics” about the incident. The country’s main state-run news agency, Xinhua, on Monday offered no reason for the incident but said police were investigating.
Tiananmen Square is a highly sensitive site due to its link to China’s 1989 pro-democracy protests, which were ended by a military crackdown.
The square is generally kept under very tight security both because of its proximity to key political institutions and so that is does not serve as a hub for protesters and petitioners, although incidents have nonetheless occurred there before.
The White House has admitted the need for additional “constraints” on US intelligence gathering, amid claims of eavesdropping on allies.
President Barack Obama’s spokesman, Jay Carney, said an ongoing White House intelligence policy review would account for “privacy concerns”.
Spain is the latest of several countries reported to have been the target of US collection of phone data.
A top Democrat in the Senate has said its intelligence panel will undertake a “major review” of US spying programmes.
Senator Dianne Feinstein said she was “totally opposed” to the NSA’s intelligence gathering on leaders of US allies.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said an ongoing White House intelligence policy review would account for privacy concerns
An EU delegate in Washington described the row as “a breakdown of trust”.
On Monday Jay Carney told reporters the administration “recognize[s] there needs to be additional constraints on how we gather and use intelligence”.
He said the US did not use its intelligence gathering capabilities for the purpose of promoting its economic interests, and that Barack Obama was committed to ensuring “that we are collecting information not just because we can, but because we should, because we need it for our security”.
“We also need to ensure that our intelligence resources are most effectively supporting our foreign policy and national security objectives, that we are more effectively weighing the risks and rewards of our activities,” he said.
An across-the-board review of US intelligence resources, currently under way, is also expected to assist the administration in “properly accounting for both the security of our citizens and our allies and the privacy concerns shared by Americans and citizens around the world”, Jay Carney added.
Jay Carney or Barack Obama have not commented on specific allegations that the US eavesdropped on international allies, including tapping the phones of foreign officials.
Kim Kardashian celebrated her 33rd birthday on Friday with friends and family in Las Vegas.
The newly engaged Kim Kardashian flocked to one of her favorite spots, TAO at The Venetian, for the bash, where she was joined by her fiancé Kanye West, momager Kris Jenner, sisters Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, as well as Scott Disick, Naya Rivera, Tyga, Blac Chyna, Jonathan Cheban, Simon Huck and Robin Antin.
Kim Kardashian donned a white corset-style dress that left little of her post-baby body to the imagination.
Kim Kardashian celebrated her 33rd birthday on Friday with friends and family in Las Vegas
The festivities kicked off as costumed dancers lined the catwalk behind a row of VIP tables on the dance floor. Kim Kardashian’s crew enjoyed plenty of champagne and a super-sweet treat: a birthday cake topped with a giant sugar replica of her 15-carat diamond ring and a compass displaying the initials of baby daughter North West, whom she welcomed with Kanye West on June 15.
As the party continued, guests were treated to a montage of “Flashback Friday” photos displayed on the screen above the deejay booth (where the playlist included songs by West, of course).
Before the birthday bash came to a close, Kim Kardashian took the mic for a shout-out her guests.
Earlier in the night, Kim Kardashian hit Kanye West’s Yeezus Tour stop at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Penn State has spent $59.7 million on costs related to the scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted of child abuse.
Penn State is paying the sum to 26 young men over claims of child abuse at the hands of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
The school said 23 deals are fully signed and three are agreements in principle, but did not disclose the names of the recipients. The school faces six other claims, and the university says it believes some of those do not have merit while others may produce settlements.
University president Rodney Erickson issued a statement calling the announcement a step forward for victims and the school.
“We cannot undo what has been done, but we can and must do everything possible to learn from this and ensure it never happens again at Penn State,” said Rodney Erickson, who announced the day Jerry Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 of 45 criminal counts that Penn State was determined to compensate his victims.
The settlements have been unfolding since mid-August, when attorneys for the accusers began to disclose them. Penn State followed a policy in which it has not been confirming them, waiting instead to announce deals at once.
Penn State has spent $59.7 million on costs related to the scandal involving Jerry Sandusky
Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who helped negotiate several of the settlements, said his clients were satisfied.
“They felt that the university treated them fairly with the economic and noneconomic terms of the settlement,” said Ben Andreozzi, who also represents some others who have come forward recently. Those new claims have not been presented to the university, he said.
Penn State has spent more than $50 million on other costs related to the Sandusky scandal, including lawyers’ fees, public relations expenses, and adoption of new policies and procedures related to children and abuse complaints.
It said Monday that liability insurance is expected to cover the payments and legal defense, and expenses not covered should be paid from interest paid on loans by Penn State to its self-supporting units.
Jerry Sandusky, 69, has been pursuing appeals while he serves a 30- to 60-year state prison sentence.
He was convicted of abusing 10 boys, some of them at Penn State facilities. Eight young men testified against him.
Jerry Sandusky did not testify at his trial but has long asserted his innocence. He has acknowledged he showered with boys but insisted he never molested them.
The abuse scandal rocked Penn State, bringing down football coach Joe Paterno and leading college sports’ governing body, the NCAA, to levy unprecedented sanctions against the university’s football program.
Three former Penn State administrators await trial in Harrisburg on charges they engaged in a criminal cover-up of the Sandusky scandal. Former president Graham Spanier, retired vice president Gary Schultz and retired athletic director Tim Curley deny the allegations, and a trial date has not been scheduled.
Spain has demanded the US to give details of any eavesdropping, amid reports it monitored 60 million Spanish telephone calls in a month.
The US ambassador to Spain, who had been summoned by its EU minister, vowed to clear the “doubts” that had arisen about his country’s alleged espionage.
Spanish Minister for European Affairs Inigo Mendez de Vigo said such practices, if true, were “inappropriate and unacceptable”.
An EU delegate in Washington said there had been “a breakdown of trust”.
Representatives from the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs spoke to members of the US Congress about the alleged US spying on European leaders and citizens.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also sending intelligence officials to Washington to demand answers to claims that her phones were tapped for a decade.
Spain has demanded the US to give details of any eavesdropping, amid reports it monitored 60 million Spanish telephone calls in a month
German media reported that the US had bugged Angela Merkel’s phone for more than a decade – and that the surveillance only ended a few months ago.
The German government hoped that trust between the two countries could be restored, a spokesman told a news conference in Berlin.
The latest allegation, published by Spain’s El Mundo newspaper, is that the NSA tracked tens of millions of phone calls, texts and emails of Spanish citizens, in December 2012 and January 2013. The monitoring allegedly peaked on December 11.
The White House has so far declined to comment on the El Mundo report.
It is not clear how the alleged surveillance was carried out, whether it was through monitoring fibre-optic cables, data obtained from telecommunication companies, or other means.
The NSA is reported to have collected the sender and recipient addresses of emails, along with their IP addresses, the message file size, and sometimes the top or subject line of the message.
For each telephone call, the numbers of the caller and recipient are believed to have been logged, as was its duration, time, date and location.
The contents of the telephone call itself, however, were not monitored, US intelligence officials say. The NSA has also suggested it does not usually store the geolocational information of mobile phone calls, which could determined by noting which mobile signal towers were used.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish.
Lightly mix together the ground beef, egg, bread cubes, onion, tomato, garlic, chili sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Wash the peppers, and cut jack-o’-lantern faces into the peppers with a sharp paring knife, making triangle eyes and noses, and pointy-teeth smiles. Slice off the tops of the peppers, and scoop out the seeds and cores. Stuff the peppers lightly with the beef stuffing, and place them into the prepared baking dish so they lean against each other.
Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the stuffing is cooked through and juicy, about 1 hour.[youtube uM6ErLnAGW4 650]
Thirty five migrants traversing the Sahara desert on their way to Europe have died of thirst in Niger, officials say.
Rhissa Feltou, the mayor of Agadez, the main town in northern Niger, said that 35 of the 60 travelers trying to reach Algeria had died.
Agadez lies on one of the main routes migrants from West Africa use to reach Europe.
Hundreds of migrants have died this month when their boats sank as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
Thirty five migrants traversing the Sahara desert on their way to Europe have died of thirst in Niger
Rhissa Feltou said two vehicles had left the town of Arlit, north of Agadez, earlier this month, carrying “at least” 60 migrants.
The convoy was heading for Tamanrassett, an Algerian town in the heart of the Sahara, he said.
The mayor of Agadez said that after one vehicle broke down, passengers went to look for spare parts and bring them back for repairs.
He said the migrants broke up into small groups and started walking.
Days later, the survivors who reached Arlit, a centre for uranium mining, alerted the army, but troops arrived too late at the scene, he added.
Those left behind consisted of “entire families, including very many children and women,” Azaoua Mamane, who works for the non-governmental organization Synergie in Arlit, told the AFP news agency.
No Woman, No Drive – a satirical video by a Saudi comedian – has become viral with more than 3.4 million views on YouTube.
No Woman, No Drive was published on Saturday October 26- the same day as a handful of women in Saudi Arabia defied the ban on driving there.
No Woman, No Drive satirical video has become viral with more than 3.4 million views on YouTube
The video was presented by Hisham Fageeh and put together by himself and colleagues at Telfaz11 – a production house which specializes in online comedy.
Sultan Kosen – the world’s tallest man according to Guinness World Records – got married on Sunday with his fiancée Merve Dibo .
Sultan Kosen, who stands at 2.52 m (8ft 3in) tall, had given up on finding love as women were put off by his stature – until he met Merve Dibo.
Merve Dibo stands at only 1.73m (5ft 8in) tall.
“Now I will have my own family and private life,” Sultan Kosen told reporters.
Recalling his long search for love and happiness, he added: “How unfortunate I could not find a suitable girl of my own size. But in my fiancée I’ve found the person for me.”
World’s tallest man Sultan Kosen got married on Sunday with his fiancée Merve Dibo
Now his dream of finding love has come true, he hopes to find a car big enough for his huge frame so his bride can travel by his side.
After becoming the world’s tallest man in 2009, Sultan Kosen achieved near celebrity status, and as a result the couple had plenty of VIPs to invite to their nuptials in his home city of Mardin.
Guests included a host of politicians, including Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul and PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as religious leaders and high-profile businessmen.
Sultan Kosen, who also holds Guinness World Records for the person with the biggest hands – 27.5 cm (11 in) long – and feet – 36.5 cm (14 in) in length size 28 shoes – had to have a wedding suit specially-tailored for the event.
He suffers from a rare disorder called pituitary gigantism, which causes his body to continually produce the growth hormone. Doctors believe his condition was caused by a tumor on his pituitary gland, which was removed in 2008.
Sultan Kosen grew normally until the age of ten when the tumor caused his growth to increase at a rapid rate – which was only halted until last year.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki – Poland’s first prime minister after the fall of communism – has died aged 86.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described him as “one of the fathers of Polish liberty and independence”.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki was one of the architects of the “Round Table” talks, between communist leaders and opposition, paving the way for elections in 1989.
The Solidarity movement’s victory set a precedent for the toppling of communist governments across Eastern Europe.
This climaxed with the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany in 1989.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki held office for 15 months. He lost elections in 1990 following the implementation of a raft of stringent reforms to try to salvage Poland’s stagnant economy.
In 1992 he was appointed as the UN’s first Special Rapporteur to the former Yugoslavia and reported on the atrocities there. Angered by the lack of international action, he resigned in 1995 after the fall of Srebrenica.
In 2005, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became one of the founders of Poland’s Democratic Party, and co-authored the 1997 constitution. He served as adviser to President Bronislaw Komorowski since 2010.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki was from a Polish noble family and studied law at Warsaw University.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki was Poland’s first prime minister after the fall of communism
He was expelled from the communist-run Catholic PAX organization in 1955, under suspicion of belonging to an internal opposition group.
In 1957, Tadeusz Mazowiecki helped found the Catholic Intelligentsia Club. He also served as an MP for the small Roman Catholic party, Znak, under the communist regime – until he was expelled from his seat for demanding an explanation for the deaths of dozens of shipyard workers in 1970 in protests over price hikes.
In 1980, he went to Gdansk to advise the striking shipyard workers in their talks with the communist authorities.
The tense discussions led to a breakthrough, the creation of the first independent trade union in communist eastern Europe, called Solidarity.
In 1981, he became the first editor of opposition Tygodnik Solidarnosc (Solidarity Weekly) magazine, which was banned when the communists declared martial law in December 1981.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki was arrested during the crackdown and was one of the last of hundreds of Solidarity activists released in December 1982.
He was a firm believer in a negotiated transition from the communist system.
He took part in the Round Table Talks in February 1989, which led to the first partially free elections in the Soviet bloc in June of that year.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki was appointed prime minister in August 1989 and oversaw the political and economic transition to a democratic and free market country. He holds the French Legion d’ Honneur, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa has topped this weekend’s North American box office ending Gravity‘s three-week run at the top.
Johnny Knoxville’s raunchy comedy Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, about an 86-year-old and his eight-year-old grandson, opened with $32 million.
Gravity, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, as astronauts adrift in space took $20.3 million.
The space saga was followed by Tom Hanks’ hostage drama Captain Phillips which earned $11.8 million. Ridley Scott’s star-studded The Counsellor came fourth.
Starring Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt, The Counsellor is about a greedy lawyer who turns to drug trafficking.
Written by No Country for Old Men author Cormac McCarthy, it brought in $8 million over the weekend – one of the worst openings on record for a Ridley Scott film.
The weekend’s fifth place finisher, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2, earned $6.1 million – bringing its total takings to $100.6 million.
Gravity, meanwhile, has now earned $199.8 million in North America.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa has topped this weekend’s North American box office
Elsewhere in the chart, the latest film adaptation of the Stephen King’s supernatural horror tale, Carrie fell to sixth place.
Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, the film, about an outcast high school girl out for revenge, earned $5.9 million.
It was followed by Escape Plan, with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as inmates trying to break out of the world’s most secure prison. It made $4.3 million.
Steve McQueen’s 12 years a Slave, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last month, took $2.2 million; while romantic comedy Enough Said, starring the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, earned $1.6 million to fill the ninth spot.
Rounding off the top 10 was Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal’s thriller Prisoners, taking $1.1 million.
Despite a restrictive certification and playing on just four screens, the controversial French film and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Blue is the Warmest Color, earned a $101,000.
The figure amounted to an impressive per screen average of $25,279.
North American box office top five:
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – $32 million
Gravity – $20.3 million
Captain Phillips – $11.8 million
The Counsellor – $8 million
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 – $6.1 million
Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare and the late Jack Clement joined the Country Music Hall of Fame at its museum in Nashville.
Bobby Bare, Kenny Rogers and Jack Clement were honored for their influence on modern Country music at the ceremony attended by Garth Brooks, Kris Kristofferson and Barry Gibb.
Kenny Rogers, whose hits include Lucille and Islands in the Stream, called it the “culmination” of his career.
“I’m flattered, I’m honored and I’m nervous,” the singer said before the ceremony.
Kenny Rogers, 75, helped lead the way for crossover country pop hits and was in a reflective mood.
Kenny Rogers, Bobby Bare and the late Jack Clement joined the Country Music Hall of Fame at its museum in Nashville
“What I’ve realized is that success is not a happening, it’s a journey,” he said.
“I think without this it would have been incomplete.”
Bobby Bare, 78, whose hits include Dee-troit City and How I Got to Memphis, said of his induction: “It means that I will forever be referred to as a hall of famer. It sounds real good.”
Fellow inductee Jack Clement died from liver cancer in August this year at 82, but he had found out five months earlier that he would be honored.
Jack Clement was inducted as a producer, songwriter and performer, having penned some of Johnny Cash’s early hits and been responsible for the famous mariachi horns on Ring of Fire, which was performed at the ceremony.
He also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis and discovered Charley Pride.
At least five people died and 38 others were injured after a vehicle crashed in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Chinese state media have said.
Three of those killed were inside the car and the other two were bystanders.
The square was evacuated and quickly reopened after the vehicle went into the crowd in front of the Tiananmen rostrum at midday.
Images posted online showed a vehicle in flames, amid barricades. There has been no explanation for the crash.
Other pictures on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the scene of the crash.
Three people inside the vehicle died, Beijing police said on its official microblog account, adding that one female tourist from the Philippines and a male tourist from Guangdong province had also died.
Senior leaders from both the central government and the local authorities in Beijing and the Ministry of Public Security have visited the scene, it said.
An investigation is under way and the injured have been taken to hospital, Beijing police said.
Tiananmen Square was the scene of the 1989 pro-democracy protests which were ended by a military crackdown.
At least five people died and 38 others were injured after a vehicle crashed in Tiananmen Square in Beijing
The site is generally kept under very tight security both because of its proximity to key political institutions and so that is does not serve as a hub for protesters and petitioners.
Incidents do occur, nonetheless. In 2011, a man set himself on fire at Tiananmen Square following what officials said was a legal dispute, close to the square’s portrait of Chairman Mao.
Two years before that, three people set themselves on fire in a car at a busy intersection near Tiananmen Square over what the authorities called personal grievances.
In 2000, several members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement were arrested for protesting at the square.
Fire extinguishers are kept at the site, and have been used when protesters set themselves on fire.
Monday’s incident took place at the north end of Tiananmen Square, near an entrance to the Forbidden City.
“A driver and two passengers were killed after a jeep crashed into a crowd of people and caught fire,” Xinhua news agency said.
Citing police and emergency officials, it said police officers were among those injured by the jeep, “which crashed into a guardrail of Jinshui Bridge on the moat of the Forbidden City before bursting into flames at 12:05 pm”.
One unnamed eyewitness told AFP news agency: “I saw a car turn a bend and suddenly it was driving on the pavement, it happened fast but looked like it knocked people over.”
“I heard an explosion and saw fire. The scene was very frightening,” he added.
“There were paramilitary police who told people to get back into their cars and stop taking pictures.”
In a microblog post on its verified Sina Weibo account, the Beijing police said that “the injured people were all sent to a nearby hospital”.
“Police at the site immediately launched rescue efforts, and the fire was quickly extinguished… the situation is currently being investigated further,” the police added.
A subway station close to the square was temporarily closed at the request of police, Beijing transport authorities said. Police also closed the road near the crash.
News of the incident first appeared on social media from those who were at the scene, but it appeared that some pictures were being quickly removed.
AFP news agency said that two of its reporters were also held close to the square, with images deleted from their cameras.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, when asked whether the government believed the incident was a terror attack, said that she did not know the specifics of the case and declined further comment.
Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of causing Michael Jackson’s death, has been released from jail.
The former cardiologist served less than 2 years of a 4-year sentence after being convicted in November 2011 of involuntary manslaughter.
Jail records confirmed Conrad Murray’s release and the sheriff’s office said he left a Los Angeles jail at 12:01 on Monday.
Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, after receiving a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol from Conrad Murray.
The King of Pop had been out of the public eye for several years but was preparing for a series of comeback performances at the O2 arena in London and Conrad Murray was serving as his personal physician.
Conrad Murray served less than 2 years of a 4-year sentence after being convicted in November 2011 of involuntary manslaughter
Conrad Murray, 60, had been sentenced to serve four years behind bars, but a change in California law allowed his jail term to be significantly reduced.
The former doctor’s medical licences remain suspended or revoked in the US states where he previously practised medicine.
According to ABC News, Conrad Murray’s legal team is filing petitions in Texas to have his medical licence reinstated.
“He’s pretty confident that he’ll be able to practise medicine again somewhere,” Conrad Murray’s legal representative, Valerie Wass told the US broadcaster.
Conrad Murray is also appealing against his conviction, although an appeals court has questioned whether it needs to hear the case.
The doctor previously maintained clinics in Houston and Las Vegas and complained on several occasions about conditions in jail following his conviction and before his sentencing.
Conrad Murray was allowed to serve his entire sentence in a Los Angeles jail instead of a state prison due to a law which allowed nonviolent offenders to be moved to local prisons to limit overcrowding.
”Dr. Murray has not received any special treatment in jail and in fact has many less privileges than most inmates because of his notoriety,” Valerie Wass said earlier this year.
Valerie Wass said he was “very much looking forward to his release and getting on with his life”.
According to ABC News, Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, said the singer’s family hopes Conrad Murray “can never practise medicine again and will not violate his hypocratic oath and hurt another patient”.
David Bowie has led the tributes to former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed, who died on Sunday aged 71.
David Bowie’s Facebook page said of his “old friend”, considered one of the most influential singers and songwriters in rock: “He was a master.”
Lou Reed’s second solo album Transformer, featuring Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side, was co-produced by David Bowie.
The singer’s literary agent said Lou Reed died of a “liver-related ailment”.
The last tweet posted on Lou Reed’s official Twitter account, hours before the news of his death, simply stated: “The Door”.
The tweet links through to a photograph of a door, with a poster of Lou Reed on it and the words “Papa Loves Baby” scrawled underneath.
Lou Reed’s former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale wrote on his website: “The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet… I’ve lost my <<school-yard buddy>>.”
Other stars paying tribute included The Who, who tweeted: “RIP Lou Reed. Walk on the peaceful side.”
Iggy Pop said it was “devastating news”.
An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, Lou Reed had a liver transplant this May after suffering liver failure.
“I am a triumph of modern medicine,” Lou Reed posted on his website on June 1st.
But his literary agent Andrew Wylie said the musician, who died at his home in Long Island, New York, on Sunday morning, had not been well “for a few months”.
Many musicians paid homage to the influence Lou Reed had on their own careers.
Nikki Sixx of heavy metal band Motley Crue tweeted: “RIP Lou Reed. Thank you for your beautiful/dark lyrics/music and stance on life. You inspired me from my teenage years right up till today.”
Cyndi Lauper added that she was grateful for “his music and the influence he had on my music”.
Lou Reed’s literary agent said the singer died of a liver-related ailment
Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, said: “My intro to Lou Reed/Velvet Underground was Jane’s Addiction cover of ‘Rock n Roll’. He was a singular, unique talent. RIP Lou and thanks.”
Lou Reed’s individuality was also hailed by Paul Stanley of Kiss, who called him “a musician, artist and trailblazer who played by his own rules”.
The Velvet Underground became renowned for their fusion of art and music and for collaborating with Andy Warhol.
However, the Velvet Underground never achieved commercial success during their 1960s existence, but their influence on music in later decades was widely recognised.
The glam, punk and alternative rock movements of the 1970s, 80s and 90s were all indebted to Lou Reed, whose songs were covered by the likes of REM, Bowie, Nirvana, Patti Smith and countless others.
Music producer Brian Eno once summed up their influence by saying: “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”
The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Mia Farrow, whose career also began in the 1960s, simply said: “Deepest Gratitude Lou Reed. Peace. “
Whoopi Goldberg also paid tribute, saying: “The great & amazing Lou Reed has died my condolences 2 his wife Laurie Anderson. Lou was 1 of a kind & this colored girl still says dededede…”.
After quitting The Velvet Underground in 1970, Lou Reed released his self-titled debut in 1972, but it wasn’t until the Bowie-produced LP Transformer later that year that he achieved chart success.
Perfect Day enjoyed a revival in 1996 when it was featured in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting.
As a solo artist, Lou Reed released 20 studio albums. His last, Hudson River Wind Meditations, was released in 2007.
Lou Reed is survived by his second wife, the musician and performing artist Laurie Anderson.
Some 30 paintings by Sylvester Stallone are on show at The Russian Museum in St Petersburg.
The exhibition, titled: Sylvester Stallone. Art. 1975-2013, is a selection of works produced by the 67-year-old over the past four decades.
At the show’s opening Sylvester Stallone said, if he had the choice, he would spend his life drawing instead of acting.
“I think I’m a much better painter than an actor,” he said.
“It’s much more personal and I’m allowed to just do what I want to do. Quite often in acting you have to play a certain part, you cannot speak as much as you want to speak. I suppose the heroes don’t talk much, you have to be very stoic.”
Some 30 paintings by Sylvester Stallone are on show at The Russian Museum in St Petersburg
Sylvester Stallone studied art before his film career took off and has also had shows in Switzerland and Miami.
The museum’s website described Sylvester Stallone’s works as “comments on the events in his creative and personal life” that focused on the use of bright colours.
Museum director Vladimir Gusev said Sylvester Stallone’s paintings “show the character of a passionate man” and were not simply “the work of an amateur”.
“This is a real artist,” Vladimir Gusev told journalists.
“The Russian museum does not show weak artists.”
However, the state museum – which is heavily focused on Russian art – has received criticism for exhibiting works by Sylvester Stallone.
“If my visit is a challenge for somebody, let it be so,” Sylvester Stallone said when asked what he thought of the critics who thought showing his artwork was a travesty.
Curators defended the exhibition, arguing the show was on display at one of its branches of the museum – which boasts a modern art collection including works by Western artists like Andy Warhol – rather than its main building.
Sylvester Stallone’s artworks will be on display for a month.
Travel warnings after St Jude storm hit England and Wales include:
South West Trains have advised people not to travel on Monday with most services not running until at least 10:00 GMT to allow Network Rail to check lines. A reduced timetable will be in operation, with some trains limited to speeds of 50mph
East Coast has no trains running south of Peterborough due to flooding in the tunnel at Potters Bar, and trees on the line at Barnet and Hertford. It says it is looking to resume a limited service later this morning operating via Hertford
First Great Western and Virgin West Coast main line are also running an amended service until 10:00 GMT and 09:00 GMT respectively. First Great Western has suspended the service between Guildford and Gatwick Airport. Virgin West Coast said journey times may be extended by up to 70 minutes
C2C said services are suspended until further notice. Greater Anglia and Stansted Express have also said services will not run until after 12:00 GMT. Southern and Gatwick Express said services will not start at 09:00 GMT and will provide a further update at 09:30 GMT
St Jude Storm batters Britain with 90mph winds
London Overground will not run a service on Monday before 09:00 GMT, while Southeastern said services might not start until 09:00 or 10:00 GMT, and then with an amended timetable
Transport for London (TfL) said there was disruption to six Underground lines due to debris from the storm on the tracks. The Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines were all partially closed
Meanwhile, Chiltern Railways, which earlier said it was hoping to run a near normal timetable, has cancelled services
Airports including Heathrow and Gatwick are warning of possible disruption to flights, advising passengers to check with airlines
EasyJet has warned passengers there could be disruption to flights on Monday. It said no trains would run to Gatwick, Southend, Stansted or Luton airports before 09:00 GMT. Gatwick Airport reports seven cancellations
Several ferry companies have also cancelled services, including some English Channel and Irish Sea crossings
The second Severn crossing re-opened by 06:00 GMT but the old M48 bridge remains closed, and flooding is still affecting roads in Wales
The A249 Sheppey Crossing in Kent and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge on the M25 are closed. The Tamar Bridge which joins Cornwall and Devon has reopened
The Highways Agency is advising motorists to check the weather forecast and road conditions before they travel[youtube 0EQxEVWUMJQ 650]
Around 140,000 homes are without power as St Jude storm continues to batter parts of England and Wales.
According to specialists, St Jude storm could be one of the worst storms since 1987.
Rail services across much of southern Britain have been cancelled for the morning rush hour.
The M4 Second Severn crossing has reopened but the M48 Severn Bridge is still closed, while 130 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow airport.
The Met Office said a gust of 99mph was recorded at Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight, at 05:00 GMT.
The Environment Agency has issued 17 flood warnings – all in south-west England, there are also 152 flood alerts across England and Wales.
According to specialists, St Jude storm could be one of the worst storms since 1987
Tracy Elsey, from UK Power Networks, said 40,000 households were without power in its south-east region from Brighton to Kent – and 100,000 in its east of England region, from Essex to the north Norfolk coast.
“The power lines are hit by trees coming down in the wind and branches touching overhead lines and any other debris whipped up by the wind overnight,” she said.
Robin Gisby, network operations managing director for Network Rail, said more than 40 railway line blockages caused by falling trees have been cleared, but more are expected to be found by special trains being used to clear tracks.
He said: “In four cases the train being sent through to inspect the line has hit a fallen tree and we have one train in Devon which is currently disabled following a collision with a fallen tree. We are also dealing with a landslip in the New Forest area.”
Robin Gisby added: “As the storm passes from west to east, we will be carrying out safety assessments as quickly as possible to clear routes and get trains running safely.
“We now expect to start services into Waterloo before 09.00 GMT. Routes from Sussex, Kent and Anglia will follow. Services elsewhere into London are running but at reduced capacity and speed.”
According to Spanish media, the NSA secretly monitored 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month.
The reports say the latest allegations came from documents provided by forer NSA analyst Edward Snowden.
They say the NSA collected the numbers and locations of the caller and the recipient, but not the calls’ content.
This comes as a EU parliamentary delegation prepares for a series of meetings in Washington.
The officials from the European parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee will speak to members of Congress to convey concerns and gather information.
Meanwhile a Japanese news agency says that the NSA asked the Japan’s government in 2011 to help it monitor fibre-optic cables carrying personal data through Japan, to the Asia-Pacific region.
The reports, carried by the Kyodo news agency, say that this was intended to allow the US to spy on China – but Japan refused, citing legal restrictions and a shortage of personnel.
The NSA secretly monitored 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month
The White House has so far declined to comment on Monday’s claims about US spying in Spain, published in the newspapers El Pais and El Mundo.
It is alleged that the NSA tracked millions of phone calls, texts and emails from Spanish citizens between December 10 2012 and January 8, 2013.
The US ambassador to Madrid has been summoned to meet a Spanish foreign ministry official later on Monday to discuss earlier allegations about US spying on Spanish citizens and politicians.
It follows German media reports that the US was bugging Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone for more than a decade – and that the surveillance only ended a few months ago.
Angela Merkel is sending her country’s top intelligence chiefs to Washington this week to “push forward” an investigation into the spying allegations, which have caused outrage in Germany.
Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Friday that the NSA had monitored the phones of 35 world leaders. Again Edward Snowden was the source of the report.
Obamacare website – HealthCare.gov – experienced a connectivity glitch on Sunday, another complication for an already beleaguered population of would-be health care applicants, the company operating the hub has said.
White House officials said Terremark was working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Health and Human Services spokesman Joanne Peters said in a statement that HealthCare.gov website was down because the company “experienced a failure in a networking component, and planned maintenance to replace it brought down network connectivity to the data center.”
Obamacare website experienced a connectivity glitch on Sunday, another complication for an already beleaguered population of would-be health care applicants
“Our understanding is that this failure is likely impacting several other sites, in addition to HealthCare.gov and the Data Services Hub,” Joanne Peters added.
The October 1st launch of Barack Obama’s health care law, dubbed as Obamacare, has been marred by technical glitches and delays.
The Health and Human Services department has encouraged website users to contact their call center to apply for coverage.
