Fidel Castro has revealed in a recent article he decided to step down and transfer power to his younger brother, Raul, because he was diagnosed with a fatal illness in 2006.
In an article published to mark his 87th birthday, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he didn’t expect to survive the stomach ailment and live for so long.
“I was far from imagining that my life would extend for another seven years.”
Fidel Castro had been in power since the Cuban Revolution in 1959.
The long article was only published by official newspaper Granma on Wednesday, a day after his birthday.
Fidel Castro left office for treatment in 2006 but only formally resigned as commander-in-chief and president of Cuba in February 2008.
“As soon as I understood that it would be definitive, I did not hesitate to cease my charges as president,” he said in the article.
Fidel Castro also revealed that Cuba had received weapons from North Korea in the early 1980s.
In an article published to mark his 87th birthday, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said he didn’t expect to survive the stomach ailment and live for so long
The North Korean weapons shipment was provided after Soviet leader Yuri Andropov warned that his country was no longer prepared to step in to defend the communist-run island.
“He told us that if we were attacked by the United States we would have to fight alone,” wrote Fidel Castro.
The Soviet Union renewed its commitment, however, to continue providing weapons to the island.
But Cuba decided to gather weapons from “other friends” to arm “one million Cuban fighters.”
“Comrade Kim Il Sung, a veteran and exemplary soldier, sent us 100,000 AK rifles and accompanying ammunition without charging a penny,” writes Fidel Castro.
The North Korean leader, who was succeeded by his son, died in 1994.
The revelations come as a team of United Nations experts investigate an incident in the Panama Canal involving a North Korean ship carrying an undeclared shipment of weapons from Cuba.
The ship was seized last month on suspicion of carrying drugs, but Panamanian officials found weapons – including two Soviet-era combat jets – stashed under bags of sugar.
Cuba came forward saying the “obsolete weapons” were being sent to North Korea to be repaired.
Panama called in the UN to investigate if the shipment breached sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear programme.
Duck Dynasty new season premiered last night on A&E TV with a surprise episode Till Duck Do Us Part.
Everyone comes together to plan a surprise wedding for Phil and Miss Kay Robertson, setting up a special ceremony on their land, which the whole family attends.
Si Robertson distracts Phil and Kay by taking them on a “trip down memory lane” to different places that were meaningful in their relationship.
Duck Dynasty stars received big salary raises right before Season 4 premieres
It was also reported that the cast of A&E’s runaway hit reality series Duck Dynasty has received big raises right before Season 4 premieres.
After prolonged talks, the Robertsons will earn approximately $200,000 an episode to be divided among the nine adults and 11 kids. This is about four times more than what the family banked previously. The new deal also includes additional seasons of the series, and series/cast options.
Talks for a new agreement began in early 2013 and initially delayed production on Season 4. Duck Dynasty eventually began production while negotiations were still underway.
The Season 3 finale of Duck Dynasty was the most-watched A&E series telecast in network history, grabbing 9.6 million viewers and 5.5 million viewers in the adults ages 18-49 demographic.
Justin Bieber broke the Make-A-Wish Foundation record by granting its 200th wish after spending time with sick 8-year-old fan Annalysha Brown-Rafanan and accepting her marriage proposal.
Justin Bieber, 19, met Atlanta born Annalysha Brown-Rafanan, who is suffering from a life threatening liver condition, over the weekend in conjunction with the charity.
Justin Bieber broke the Make-A-Wish Foundation record by granting its 200th wish after spending time with sick 8-year-old fan Annalysha Brown-Rafanan and accepting her marriage proposal
Annalysha Brown-Rafanan was greeted on Christmas Day 2012 with the news that she would get to meet Justin Bieber and attend his concert in Atlanta on August 10, so it’s been a long time coming.
“Justin Bieber makes her happy. And through all her illness and poking and all that, it just takes away from <<I’m sick>>,” said Annalysha’s mother, Contrina Brown.
“This is what it is about. Thanks,” Justin Bieber Tweeted to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“Honored yesterday. one of the best moments ive ever had. thank u. looking forward to doing more together. thanks.”
Justin Bieber is well overdue a smattering of good press after a flurry of detrimental tidbits.
Lady Gaga decided to release her new lyric video Applause on Wednesday.
Lady Gaga, 27, only shot the video on Monday at nightclub Micky’s in West Hollywood, California.
She rushed it out to keep up with the early release of the Applause single after it was leaked online.
Lady Gaga was both video star and creator as she held a handheld camera during the filming to provide her own scenes.
The video by Haus Of Gaga featured a series of quick cuts and opens with an image of Lady Gaga getting touched up as she wore rainbow-coloured, kabuki-like face paint.
It’s the same edgy make-up look that Lady Gaga wore on the cover of her upcoming album ARTPOP.
Lyrics to the catchy tune run along the bottom of the video as Lady Gaga gives the viewer a front-row seat at a raucous drag queen runway show.
“I stand here waiting for you to bang the gong!” she sang at the beginning of the song.
Lady Gaga released a lyric video for her new single Applause after filming it earlier this week
Lady Gaga cavorted around with others who also wore the multi-coloured face paint along with flowing white robes and black skull caps.
“I live for the applause, applause, applause,” Lady Gaga belted out as performers in the video clapped in unison.
The singer also wrapped an arm around a performer dressed up as Peter Pan.
Lady Gaga had urged her legion of fans to dress up and join her for the video shoot.
“I will definitely NOT be at Micky’s tonight, and I will definitely NOT expect you there to be in my lyric video,” Lady Gaga tweeted on Monday.
“I’M SERIOUS LA MONSTERS, ITS NOT LIKE I WILL BE HOPING YOU ARE THERE WITH YOUR APPLAUSE MAKEUP READY TO DANCE FOR ME AND WATCH DRAG.”
Lady Gaga released the Applause lyric video early after the song leaked online on Monday ahead of its scheduled release next week.
She is set to make her own big-screen debut as La Chameleon in Robert Rodriguez’s sequel Machete Kills, due out October 4.
Her fourth studio album ARTPOP is due out in November.
Lady Gaga will sing her new track Applause at the MTV Music Awards – airing live August 25 – which will be her first performance since having hip surgery in February.
Jennifer Richardson, one of Lamar Odom’s alleged mistresses, has opened up toInTouch magazine about her purported year-long affair with the NBA star, claiming the Kardashians had her followed “for weeks”.
Jennifer Richardson, 29, who said she met Lamar Odom, 33, at a club in January 2012, said she believed Khloe Kardashian, 28, found out about their affair and had her followed.
“They had private investigators following me for weeks,” claims the LA entrepreneur.
“I was very, very intimidated and scared.”
Jennifer Richardson said she believed Khloe Kardashian had Lamar Odom trailed too.
“She’s constantly looking for Lamar and trying to find out where he is, calling him, calling his assistant,” she said.
“Lamar would just hit <<ignore>>.”
Before their affair ended last March, Lamar Odom told Jennifer Richardson he wanted to get her pregnant, despite his wife’s struggles to conceive, she said.
“We talked about how much he wanted me to have his baby,” said Jennifer Richardson.
Jennifer Richardson, one of Lamar Odom’s alleged mistresses, has opened up to InTouch magazine about her purported year-long affair with the NBA star
“Lamar is baby crazy – that’s all he talks about. That was probably 70 percent of our conversations.”
Jennifer Richardson did not use birth control, and although she didn’t become pregnant, there were some scares.
“I’m not going to lie, I thought I could be [pregnant] a few times,” she said.
Jennifer Richardson opened up about their love life, claiming that Lamar Odom was “very good” in bed.
“He’s an emotional, affectionate, freaky lover,” she said.
“The chemistry was deep and intense.”
Jennifer Richardson also penned a handwritten to Khloe Kardashian, claiming she didn’t mean to hurt the reality star but that she was “in love with Lamar”.
“My intentions are not and have never been maliscious [sic] or to harm what you and Lamar share,” and “your fans and so many young women admire and look to you for strength. They deserve to know your marriage is not perfect.”
“Khloe puts on a brave face for the public,” she said.
“It’s like she just wants to be that perfect, white picket-fence family – everything she knows it will never be.”
Meanwhile, rumours that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are filing divorce papers on Wednesday are “not true”, Khloe’s mother Kris Jenner told TMZ on Wednesday.
“Khloe and Lamar are absolutely not getting divorced. There’s been no talk of divorce.”
Kris Jenner added Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom were at her house two days ago and “everything was fine”.
Since Jennifer Richardson came forward with the allegations, another woman has claimed she too had an affair with the basketball player.
Lawyer Polina Polonsky, who said she had a six-week fling with Lamar Odom, told Star magazine she hooked up with him the night of Kim Kardashian’s baby shower on June 2.
“I was under the impression that he had left Khloe, and that’s why he was living at the Roosevelt,” she told Star Magazine.
The magazine claimed Khloe Kardashian was “devastated” about Polina Polonsky and tracked down the cheating pair at various hotel rooms.
James Blunt pays tribute to late Whitney Houston in his new single Miss America.
In the brand new track from his fourth studio album Moon Landing, James Blunt, 39, offers an acoustic ballad which speaks of the personal connection fans feel they have with singers, musicians and bands because of the media spotlight upon them.
Allowing the lyrics and melodies to work for themselves, the music video just shows James Blunt with simply a grand piano as his accompaniment.
The allusions to Whitney Houston are clear from the first line which asks “did someone give you something to help you ease the pain, like the liquor in a bottle we watched you slip away”.
In 2012, on February 11, Whitney Houston was found unconscious and submerged in the bathtub of her her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of death was down to the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use” according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
James Blunt pays tribute to late Whitney Houston in his new single Miss America
Considered one of the greatest singers of all time, Whitney Houston loss was felt across the world, and just like the reaction to Princess Diana’s death in 1997, her death caused global mourning for the people, like James Blunt, who felt like they knew her “through the bars of a song”.
A sombre first release from James Blunt’s upcoming album, his following tracks will continue an emotionally charged theme.
James Blunt worked again with producer Tom Rothrock – who worked with James on his multi-platinum selling debut Back To Bedlam – and also brought in Martin Terefe who has credits in the musical work of KT Tunstall, Martha Wainwright and Jason Mraz.
Discussing the album’s name, James Blunt said: “There’s just something romantic, old-school and lonely about the moon landings. A nostalgic memory of something huge that we can hardly believe we once achieved, and for some sad reason, can’t achieve again – like first love.
“This is a much more personal album, and also quite back to basics. It’s about me and Tom, the producer, finding where the story all started and where we are now.
“I’m not trying to prove anything,” James Blunt continued.
“I haven’t been trying to second-guess the audience or over-thinking things. It’s just me alone in a sound-booth, looking through the glass at Tom, trying to express myself simply and honestly. This is the album I would have recorded, perhaps, if Back To Bedlam hadn’t sold anything.”
The first single from James Blunt’s new record will be Bonfire Heart on October 7, with the album available on October 21.
Bachelor star Gia Allemand died at the age of 29 after committing suicide by hanging herself, TMZreports.
Gia Allemand’s boyfriend Ryan Anderson – who has released a statement on the tragic news – is said to have discovered her body hanging and unconcscious in her home and immediately called 911.
In a statement today, NBA player Ryan Anderson has payed tribute to his girlfriend saying: “Gia was the most beautiful person I knew inside and out and she always smiled and made everyone else around her smile. She had such an amazing impact on my life and anyone that knew her was blessed.”
Following the 911 emergency call, Gia Allemand was taken to University Hospital in New Orleans on Monday where she was put on life support.
On Tuesday she remained in hospital unconscious in critical condition and on continued life support.
It was on Wednesday that life support was withdrawn after her condition failed to improve, and her family released a statement confirming that she had died.
TMZ have also claimed that Gia Allemand has been “upset about a rocky relationship with her boyfriend Ryan Anderson”.
However, she was frequently posting happy photos of herself with Ryan Anderson, most recently a shot of the pair in Las Vegas at the end of last month.
Gia Allemand’s boyfriend Ryan Anderson is said to have discovered her body hanging and unconcscious in her home
In his statement, Ryan Anderson said: “I’m deeply grateful for all the love and support we have received from family, friends and fans.”
Adding: “All I have left is to cherish those memories we made together and help perpetuate the many values, faith and love that we shared.”
Gia Allemand’s family confirmed the news of her death in an earlier statement, saying: “Due to a critical loss of brain and organ function, life support was withdrawn today.”
“Ms. Allemand passed away peacefully with her mother, boyfriend, and other life-long friends by her side. As a practicing Christian, Gia did receive the sacrament of last rites.
“Loved ones and fans will remember Gia Allemand as a caring woman who loved her family and was well-known for her compassion towards animals and mission to rescue homeless pets.”
Gia Allemand’s family say a funeral for the reality star will take place in due course, with further details released at a later date.
“Funeral arrangements will be forthcoming in another official statement once available,” the statement continued.
“On behalf of the family, we sincerely ask for privacy at this time.”
Gia Allemand almost made it to the finale on the Jake Pavelka season of the hit ABC show The Bachelor, losing out to Vienna Girardi.
Jake Pavelka has already reacted to the the news of his former co-star’s passing, tweeting: “I had to pull over, I can’t stop crying. We have lost an angel.”
After the Bachelor in 2010, Gia Allemand – a model and actress – later joined the cast of reality series Bachelor Pad in 2010 but only made it to the third episode.
She always maintained that she entered the reality show in the genuine hope to find true love.
“I truly went on the show to find love!” she told Emme magazine.
“A few months before going on The Bachelor my boyfriend broke my heart. I couldn’t date or meet anyone. I was in such a rut so my friends submitted me for The Bachelor.”
Gia Allemand began her career as a model not too long after she was born.
As a baby she starred in commercials for Johnson & Johnson and Gerber Baby.
In her teenage years, Gia Allemand’s modelling career took off when she was asked to enter a swimsuit competition.
That led to several more, and Gia Allemand ended up taking second place in both the Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition and Miss Red Hot Taj Mahal Super Bowl contest in 2005.
But it was when she appeared in men’s magazine Maxim in 2007 she became widely recognised.
Gia Allemand’s appearance in the publication led her to then take the tiara in the Miss Bikini-USA’s Model of the Year in 2008.
But Gia Allemand’s passion was for acting and performing, and in 2010 she was cast in the role of famed Hollywood actress Ava Gardner in a film produced by Brett Ratner about the life of actor Gianni Russo.
Duck Dynasty stars Willie and Korie Robertson have five children: John Luke, Will, Rebecca, Sadie and Bella.
Willie and Korie Robertson have three biological children: John Luke, Sadie and Bella.
This is no surprise as they look almost identical, especially John Luke and Sadie.
Willie and Korie Robertson have three biological children and two adopted
However, their other two adopted children, Rebecca and Will, were less known publicly, even though one has been on their show Duck Dynasty.
The oldest of the kids and also newest member of the Robertson family is Rebecca. She is a foreign exchange student from Taiwan who came to stay with the Robertsons and the family fell in love. Eventually Willie and Korie Robertson became Rebecca’s foster parents. Rebecca hasn’t been shown on the show yet.
John Luke Robertson is the oldest boy in the family and has seen the most air time of the children on the show. He frequently hunts with the guys and gets dating advice from Uncle Si.
Sadie Robertson has also appeared several times with memorable scenes of her learning to drive and picking out dresses for a dance.
Will was the first adopted child to the family and has been with the Robertsons since birth. He has been seen on the show, but haven’t heard too much about him or his background yet.
A month after deciding to adopt Will, Korie Robertson found out she was pregnant with Bella, so it was a very eventful time for the family. Bella has been on a show in a few shots with all of the granddaughters about Phil and Miss Kay Robertson.
This comes as no surprise to people who watch the show and can tell that the Robertson family really has big hearts and great values. Even though, they argue like all brothers do on the show, you can tell that Phil and Miss Kay Robertson have raised great morals and values into their children and family.
Lauren Silverman has today agreed a divorce settlement with her estranged husband Andrew.
Lauren Silverman, 36, who is believed to be 11 weeks pregnant with Simon Cowell’s baby, has already told friends that she is so in love with the music mogul, 53, that she wants to marry him.
Property millionaire Andrew Silverman filed for divorce last month, shortly after discovering his wife was pregnant by the man he once considered a close friend.
Simon Cowell had secret meeting with Andrew Silverman at New York airport last week in bid to end marriage amicably
Andrew Silverman even cited Simon Cowell – whose fortune is estimated at $368 million – as a “co-respondent” in the court papers for adultery.
The deal was agreed in Manhattan just hours ago and both parties are said to be in New York – however they were not together to sign the deal. Lauren Silverman is said to have won half her $4 million pre-nup.
However, after a series of phone conversations and one top secret meeting with Simon Cowell, Andrew Silverman, 37, has agreed a settlement with his estranged wife – which includes a custody arrangement for their seven-year-old son Adam.
Today, Lauren Silverman’s attorneys, Robert Cohen and Bernard Clair, said: “The matter has been resolved and the parties have moved on.”
Although there are believed to be no plans for Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman to marry, they are a couple and Cowell has pledged to look after Lauren and his baby.
Simon Cowell may now make a public statement within the coming days.
It is believed that Lauren Silverman has won a share of the pre-nup, valued at $3-$4million she signed before her 2003 wedding to Andrew, valued at around $2million.
The New York Post reported that Lauren Silverman waited until her 10th wedding anniversary to break the news of her affair with Simon Cowell to her husband so the terms of her pre-nup would kick in.
Former Bachelor contestant Gia Allemand has died, it emerged on Tuesday, a day after being admitted to hospital following a “serious medical event”.
Circumstances surrounding the cause of Gia Allemand’s death remain unclear, but a family member has confirmed the 29-year-old reality star has died, according to TMZ.
The website says Gia Allemand’s mother and longterm boyfriend, New Orleans Pelicans star Ryan Anderson, were at her hospital bedside when she passed away.
The sad news comes following earlier reports on Tuesday that Gia Allemand, who appeared on Season 14 of the ABC show, was on life support.
She was taken to University Hospital in New Orleans on Monday following a “serious medical event”, according to a statement released by her representative.
Gia Allemand almost made it to the final on the Jake Pavelka season of the hit ABC show, losing out to Vienna Girardi.
Gia Allemand has died a day after being admitted to hospital following a serious medical event
Jake Pavelka has already reacted to the news of his former co-stars passing, tweeting: “I had to pull over, I can’t stop crying. We have lost an angel.”
Last night Jake Pavelka posted a message, asking people to pray for her: “Please pray for @GiaAllemand… A dear friend and one of the sweetest women I know… #powerofprayer.”
Gia Allemand went on to find love after The Bachelor and has been dating basketball player Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Pelicans.
The sports star and her mother have been by Gia’s side in hospital since last night after Anderson made a mercy dash to be with her as soon as he heard the news.
Gia Allemand’s representative said: “On behalf of the family, we kindly ask for privacy at this time.”
Melinda Farina, a friend of Gia Allemand, tweeted late last night that the model was “on life support w [sic] little pulse and barely breathing …cause unknown”. “Next 48 hours critical please pray for Gia everyone.”
She also told one particular fan that the incident “could have been an adverse reaction to something”.
But, the source who confirmed that Gia Allemand is on life support also said the unexplained event was not an adverse reaction.
After the Bachelor in 2010, Gia Allemand – a model and actress – later joined the cast of reality series Bachelor Pad in 2010 but only made it to the third episode.
Kim Kardashian claimed that she was unable to attend little sister Kendall Jenner’s sweet sixteen over the weekend because she couldn’t find a babysitter for her baby daughter North West.
However, a new report inUs Weekly suggests that Kim Kardashian, whose famous figure has helped build her a multi-million dollar empire, is still too self conscious to reveal her post-pregnancy figure.
Sources close to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West say the 32-year-old, who is already said to have lost 30 lbs, is still attempting to lose another 30 off her frame.
And until she reaches that goal, fans of buxom beauty will not be seeing Kim Kardashian anytime soon.
The new mother has reportedly refused to step out in public until she looks “hot”.
“She’s extremely self-conscious about her current body,” a source told Us Weekly.
“She said when she comes out and gets photographed for the first time, she wants to look hot, hot, hot.”
While Kim Kardashian has already shed an impressive 30 lbs from her post-pregnancy frame, it is said that her weight loss has now slowed down and she is now “obsessed” to get to the final stretch.
Kim Kardashian refuses to go back into the spotlight until she reaches 115 lbs goal weight
“The weight is not coming off as quickly. She plateaued. This is the hard part now,” another Kardashian source told Us Weekly.
“She’s always complaining about her size. She says she hates looking this way and won’t go out again until she is skinnier,” a pal of Kanye West added to the magazine.
In order to get camera ready, Kim Kardashian has reportedly enlisted the aid of a trainer who visits her at her mother Kris Jenner’s home five times a week.
She is also said to be on an extremely strict diet.
While she cooks “homemade fried chicken and mac ‘n’ cheese” for Kanye West, a chef is apparently cooking Kim Kardashian low-calorie dishes such as grilled lemon chicken.
One source told the magazine that Kim Kardashian believes it will be several more weeks before she reaches her goal weight of 115 lbs and it is only then when she will make her big reveal to the world.
“She thinks it will take her at least another month and a half to get to where she wants to be,” a source told the magazine.
“Only when she’s there will she start thinking about showing her body to the world.”
In the interim, one of her biggest supporters, rapper Kanye West, continues to try and boost her body confidence by heaping praise on the reality star.
“Kanye tells her she’s beautiful. He wants to boost her confidence and goes out of his way so she doesn’t have to ask. But it wears Kanye out to hear her being down on herself.’”
One thing that is keeping her mind off her post-pregnancy figure is her precious baby North West.
Kim Kardashian, who friends and family say has taken to motherhood like a duck to water, is relishing in her new role.
According to Us Weekly, Kim Kardashian is already having a ball dressing her little girl up in designer clothing.
“[North] already had an incredible wardrobe,” a Kardashian insider told the magazine.
“She wears Roberto Cavalli and also has such beautiful jewelry – rubies, pearls, diamonds, everything.”
The mysterious priest who anointed a car crash victim and then vanished before rescue workers could thank him has been identified as Reverend Patrick Dowling who works with the Diocese of Jefferson County, Missouri.
Patrick Dowling revealed he was the religious figure who appeared at the side of Katie Lentz, 19, after she was injured in a head-on collision on August 4, in a comment under a story on a Catholic news website on Friday evening, but his confession went largely unnoticed until Monday.
The incredible story went viral as some assumed the mystery priest was an angel or deceased Catholic saint Padre Pio, had persuasive powers of conversion and could heal the sick.
But Patrick Dowling, under the article on the National Catholic Register site, explained he was in fact responsible for the apparent divine intervention.
He said he had been filling in for a sick priest at Mass and was on his way home when he came upon the crash scene.
Authorities had closed off the area and were re-routing traffic but Dowling waited until he could get closer.
“I parked behind a large vehicle about 150 yards from the scene. I asked the Sheriff’s permission and approached the scene of the accident,” Patrick Dowling said.
“I absolved and anointed Katie, and, at her request, prayed that her leg would not hurt. Then I stepped aside to where some rescue personnel and the pilot were waiting, and prayed the rosary silently.”
He said he left the wreckage just as the helicopter was about to leave to take Katie Lentz to hospital.
Interestingly, he said he told someone on the scene his name but it must not have been passed on.
He then thanked the hard work of the first responders.
Reverend Patrick Dowling revealed he was the religious figure who appeared at the side of Katie Lentz after she was injured in a head-on collision
“God has blessed your work. I hope the credit goes where it is due,” Patrick Dowling explained.
In a statement to The Blaze, a spokesman for the diocese, Deacon Dan Joyce, confirmed Patrick Dowling was indeed the faith healer responsible.
“Fr. Dowling said that he is pleased that he was able to help by performing his ministry and noted that that he was just one of many who responded to assist the victim at the accident,” the statement reads.
“He and the Diocese wish to acknowledge and thank the first responders, medical team and law enforcement personnel for their efforts that morning in aid of the young woman injured in the accident.”
Fr. Patrick Dowling, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City in 1982 and has served at parishes in Moberly, Monroe City, Indian Creek, Milan, Unionville and Eldon, Missouri, and in the diocese’s mission parishes in Marcona and Nasca, Peru.
He is currently serving in prison ministry and in parish ministry to Spanish-speaking Catholics.
Emergency workers had been battling for an hour and a half to free Katie Lentz after the head on collision, but to no avail.
But as they joined hands the priest appeared, even though there were no bystanders and the road was blocked, who offered a prayer and an instruction to the rescuers that they would now be able to free her.
Suddenly, heavy equipment needed to cut through the metal arrived from a nearby town and Katie Lentz was pulled from the wreck in time to be saved – but when they turned to thank Patrick Dowling, he was gone.
“He came up and approached the patient, and offered a prayer,” Chief Raymond Reed said of the then-mystery priest to KHQA-TV. “It was a Catholic priest who had anointing oil with him. A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well.
“I can’t be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we very plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of that vehicle.”
That is when officers from the neighboring Hannibal Fire Department arrived with their jaws-of-life and Katie Lentz was pulled to safety and put into an air ambulance to hospital.
Turning to thank the guardian angel who had arrived from nowhere at their lowest ebb, the emergency crews could not find him.
The highway had been blocked for a quarter of a mile each end during the hour and a half rescue and no bystanders and parked cars were anywhere near the crash site on Highway 19 near Center.
“We would like to find this gentleman and be able to thank him,” Raymond Reed said before Patrick Dowling identified himself.
“As a first responder, you don’t know what you’re going to run into. We have a lot of tools, and we have intensive training. In this particular case, it is my feeling that it was nothing more than sheer faith and nothing short of a miracle.”
Katie Lentz suffered several broken bones to repair her legs, but her friends and family say that her spirit has been boosted by the somewhat divine intervention.
“Both of her legs are very damaged,” Katie Lentz’s friend Amanda Wiseman said.
“Her wrist is broken, several broken ribs, so she’s had a lot of broken bones to deal with.”
Chief Raymond Reed said rescue crews were struggling to cut through the strong metal of Katie Lentz’s Mercedes.
“It was a very well-built car, and when you compact materials like that one, they become even stronger because you’re cutting through multiple things instead of one layer,” Raymond Reed said.
Raymond Reed says Katie Lentz was pinned in between the steering wheel and the seat and the prayer was offered just as he was told by the paramedics that Lentz was failing.
“Where did this guy come from?” Katie Lentz’s friend Travis Wiseman asked.
The driver of the other car in that accident, Aaron Smith, has been charged with a DWI, second degree assault and failure to drive on the right half of the roadway.
Egypt has declared state of emergency after scores of people were killed when security forces stormed pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo.
The camps had been occupied by supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in early July.
The health ministry says 149 people have been killed. But the Muslim Brotherhood, which was behind the protests, says more than 2,000 died.
The state of emergency is scheduled to last for a month.
It imposes a curfew in Cairo and several other provinces between 19:00 local time and 06:00.
The measure was taken because the “security and order of the nation face danger due to deliberate sabotage, and attacks on public and private buildings and the loss of life by extremist groups,” the presidency said in a statement.
In the wake of the violence, Vice-President Mohammed El Baradei has announced his resignation from the interim government.
Armored bulldozers moved deep into the main protest camp outside Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque shortly after dawn on Wednesday morning.
Officials say another protest camp, at Nahda Square, has been cleared and a mopping-up operation in the surrounding streets was under way.
Reporters described wounded protesters being treated next to the dead in makeshift field hospitals.
The 17-year-old daughter of leading Muslim Brotherhood figure Mohamed el-Beltagy was among the dead, reports say. Asmaa el-Beltagy was shot in the back and chest, her brother said.
A cameraman working for Sky News, Mick Deane, has also been killed – as has a reporter for Gulf News, Habiba Ahmed Abd Elaziz.
Egypt has declared state of emergency after scores of people were killed when security forces stormed pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo
The White House condemned the bloodshed, saying it “runs directly counter to the pledges by the interim government to pursue reconciliation”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged “all Egyptians to concentrate their efforts on promoting genuinely inclusive reconciliation”, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
There are also reports of unrest elsewhere in Egypt.
About 35 people have died in clashes in the province of Fayoum, south of Cairo, Reuters news agency says.
At least five people have been killed in the province of Suez, according to the health ministry.
Clashes have also been reported in the northern provinces of Alexandria and Beheira, and the central provinces of Assiut and Menya
Hundreds are said to have gathered outside the governor’s office in Aswan in the south
State news agency Mena says three churches were attacked, one in the city of Sohag with a large number of Coptic Christian residents
It is still unclear how many casualties were caught up in the two Cairo operations. Figures differ widely and have been impossible to verify independently.
The health ministry has issued an official death toll of 95.
The interior ministry earlier denied any deaths were caused by its forces firing live ammunition.
“Security forces used only tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters though it was heavily fired at by armed elements from inside the two protest camps, causing the death of an officer and a conscript and the injury of four policemen and two conscripts,” the ministry said in a statement.
The government had congratulated the security forces on their operation.
In a televised statement, a government spokesman praised their “self-restraint” and spoke of the “smaller number” of injuries among protesters.
The government would decisively confront attempts to attack state buildings and police stations, he said.
Supporters of Mohamed Morsi have been occupying Nahda Square and the Rabaa al-Adawiya site since he was ousted on July 3. They want him reinstated.
Large plumes of smoke rose over parts of the city as the operation to clear the camps began, with tear gas canisters fired and helicopters hovering above.
Muslim Brotherhood TV called for people to send cars to the sit-ins to take casualties to hospital.
Several Muslim Brotherhood figures have been arrested, security sources said.
There has been strong international reaction to the storming of the camps.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news conference that the administration had repeatedly urged the Egyptian military and security forces to show restraint, and strongly opposed the declaration of a state of emergency.
The European Union called the reports of deaths and injuries “extremely worrying”.
A statement issued on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: “We reiterate that violence won’t lead to any solution and we urge the Egyptian authorities to proceed with utmost restraint.”
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the result of the camp clearances as a massacre, accused other countries of paving the way for the violence by staying silent, and called for the UN and the Arab League to act immediately.
Eurozone has emerged from recession after a record 18 months of economic contraction.
According to the Eurostat agency, eurozone’s GDP grew by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2013, slightly ahead of forecasts.
The growth was widely expected after the German economy rose 0.7% between April and June.
However, the overall figure masks the mixed economic fortunes among the countries that make up the 17-country eurozone area.
Germany and France both posted stronger-than-expected growth, expanding 0.7% and 0.5% respectively.
Portugal, among the smallest and the weakest eurozone economies, showed the fastest growth, at 1.1%.
Eurozone has emerged from recession after a record 18 months of economic contraction
The country was one of three that had to take a multi-billion-euro bailout.
But Spain, which had to seek outside support for its struggling banking sector, saw its economic output fall by 0.1% on the quarter.
Italy and the Netherlands both saw output drop by 0.2%.
European Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn said the figures suggested the European economy was gradually gaining momentum, but added there was no room for complacency.
“There are still substantial obstacles to overcome: the growth figures remain low and the tentative signs of growth are still fragile,” he said.
“A number of member states still have unacceptably high unemployment rates; the implementation of essential, but difficult reforms across the EU is still in its early stages. So there is still a very long way to go.”
Analysts from Capital Economics said: “The return to modest rates of economic growth in the eurozone as a whole won’t address the deep-seated economic and fiscal problems of the peripheral countries.”
The figures reaffirm Germany’s position as the powerhouse behind the eurozone.
Germany narrowly avoided recession earlier this year, but GDP in the second quarter of 2013 was driven up by demand from both consumers and businesses.
The improvement comes just weeks before a federal election that will see Chancellor Angela Merkel stand for a third term in office.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is closing all its programmes in Somalia after 22 years working in the war-torn country.
MSF said in a statement that the decision had been taken because of “extreme attacks on its staff”.
The charity said armed groups and civilian leaders increasingly “support, tolerate or condone the killing, assaulting, and abducting of humanitarian aid workers”.
More than 1,500 staff have provided a range of services across Somalia.
MSF is closing all its programmes in Somalia after 22 years working in the war-torn country
Unni Karunakara, MSF’s international president, said it has been one of the hardest decisions the charity has ever had to make.
Since 1991, when Somalia descended into civil war, 16 MSF workers have been killed and there had been dozens of attacks on its staff, ambulances and medical facilities, the charity said.
Last month, two of its Spanish members of staff who were kidnapped nearly two years ago and held in Somalia were freed.
“Ultimately, civilians in Somalia will pay the highest cost,” Dr. Unni Karunakara said in a statement.
“Much of the Somali population has never known the country without war or famine.
“Already receiving far less assistance than is needed, the armed groups’ targeting of humanitarian aid, and civilians leaders’ tolerance of these abuses, has effectively taken away what little access to medical care is available to the Somali people.”
North Korea and South Korea have reached an agreement about re-opening the Kaesong joint industrial zone, officials from Seoul say.
Operations there have been suspended since April when North Korea withdrew its workers amid rising political tensions.
On Wednesday the South’s Unification Ministry said a five-point accord had been agreed, but it remains unclear when operations might resume.
It comes after Seoul called for “final talks” following six previous rounds.
The agreement was signed by the chief delegates from the two Koreas, reports the Yonhap news agency. There are few details about the accord, but Yonhap says the deal is believed to ensure that a similar suspension of operations could not be repeated.
North Korea and South Korea have reached an agreement about re-opening the Kaesong joint industrial zone
“The South and the North will prevent the current suspension of the Kaesong industrial complex caused by the workers’ withdrawal from being repeated again,” the Agence France-Presse news agency also quoted from the agreement.
A joint committee will also be set up to discuss compensation for economic losses, AFP reports.
The Kaesong Industrial Complex, which lies just inside North Korea, is home to 123 South Korean factories which employ more than 50,000 North Korean workers.
It is the last functioning inter-Korean joint project and a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.
North Korea withdrew its workers in April, angered by the expansion of UN sanctions afters its 12 February nuclear test and annual US-South Korea military drills.
Tensions have eased somewhat since then.
Pyongyang agreed to Wednesday’s talks hours after Seoul said it would start distributing compensation payments to South Korean firms hit by the stoppage – a move seen as a precursor to formal closure of the zone.
On Tuesday, the owners of South Korean businesses at the zone called for a deal.
North Korea said last week that reopening Kaesong was in both nations’ interests.
Back in 2012, a proposal for a TV show about a conservative Louisiana family that makes duck calls didn’t have to go far to find doubters.
The Robertsons were seated at the dinner table.
“I said, <<This will never work. Nobody’s going to watch that>>,” remembers Jase Robertson, who works for the family business.
“My dad [Phil Robertson] echoed that. I think he said something along the lines of <<A redneck family, they’re not going to run that>>.”
Well, they did run it, and people watched. Lots of people. A&E’s Duck Dynasty, which opens its fourth season today, August 14, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, has become a ratings phenomenon, ranking behind only AMC’s zombie hit The Walking Dead last season among cable series.
The reality series that follows the bearded Robertson clan and their Monroe, Louisiana, outdoor sporting-goods business grew 95% in viewers last season, averaging 8.4 million viewers.
Duck Dynasty is designed as a modern-day sitcom with a rich cast of characters including patriarch and duck-call creator Phil Robertson, his wife Kay and their sons – Willie, the CEO; Jase, who makes the duck calls but would rather be hunting or fishing; and Jep – and Phil’s offbeat brother, Si.
Phil and Miss Kay’s oldest son, Alan – uniquely clean-shaven – joins the show in the fourth-season premiere.
Duck Dynasty Season 4’s first episode will feature a surprise wedding-vow renewal ceremony for Phil and Kay Robertson on their 49th anniversary.
“He’s kind of the troubled one in my family. He’s good looking, he’s clean shaven, he bathes regularly and he wears nice clothes. We’ve always tried to figure out what exactly is wrong with him,” Jase Robertson says.
Duck Dynasty has become a ratings phenomenon, ranking behind only The Walking Dead last season among cable series
The show’s success has much to do with how engaging the Robertsons are, says Andy Dehnart, editor of realityblurred.com, a blog about unscripted TV shows.
“The No. 1 thing is just that the cast members are really appealing, nice, funny, warm, awesome people to spend some time with on TV. I think that’s what makes all the difference,” he says.
“We get that a lot on social media, <<How I wish this was my family>>, which is the best compliment we can get,” says A&E’s reality-programming chief Lily Neumeyer, also an executive producer on the series.
Jase Robertson says he believes sincerity is the key.
“I think the smartest thing we did was stay true to ourselves.”
Producers get episode ideas from the family members, but the episodes resemble sitcom plots: Willie Robertson wants to lose weight before a reunion. Jase thinks Willie is going through a midlife crisis.
“We all sat down around a table and had them tell stories and we just listen. They always have the most amazing, funny stories and moments,” she says.
Producers often re-create situations for the show, so like most such series it isn’t entirely unscripted. Once the cameras are rolling, the Robertsons take it from there, Lily Neumeyer says.
Still, when producers try to film or re-create events from their lives, family members don’t necessarily go along with their plans. Jase Robertson says he’s not told what to say and that he has balked at requests, refusing to wear knickers in an episode where he and Willie go golfing.
“A lot of the ideas that they have, they always take a turn somewhere because that’s just not what we would do,” he says.
“I think it’s difficult for them to trust us enough to know that they’re going to get something they can use, and that’s been the biggest battle. They want to control it, but we’re uncontrollable. So, finding that balance is the genius part of the show.”
Duck Dynasty‘s success already is leading to imitators, Andy Dehnart says, but it will be hard to reproduce the on-camera genuineness of the Robertsons. Discovery Channel on Tuesday unveiled Porter Ridge, a comedic series from Duck Dynasty‘s producers that centers on an auto salvage yard business in the hills of Indiana.
“I fear for the day when a bunch of Duck Dynasty clones come on the air, in part, because it’s lightning in a bottle,” says Andy Dehnart.
The family just got a big raise, Deadline.com reported Tuesday, enabling A&E to promise “several” more seasons of the show, but Jase Robertson dismisses reports of acrimony.
“We were having normal negotiations and people blew it out of proportion just for a story,” he says.
“A&E has been good to us. It says a lot of them to allow us to do what we do on the show, which is not normal television. They took a risk on us and we’ve been happy with them, and I think they’ve been happy with us.”
The high profile has helped the family business, too, with many people who aren’t hunters buying the duck calls and other items. A&E says an extensive line of merchandise is a big seller at WalMart and other big retailers. The family members are in demand at various events, and Willie and Si Robertson will appear, as other characters, on the season premiere of ABC’s Last Man Standing on September 20, 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“It’s changed our lives, because I can’t go to the grocery store without people gathering (around), but I think the difference in us and most people on TV is this was not something we set out as a goal,” he says.
“So, it didn’t really taint the important things, our faith and our family and our perspective on life.”
Honey Boo Boo’s parents, June Shannon and Mike Thompson, held an over-the-top commitment ceremony back in May complete with a camouflage theme.
In a sneak peak of Wednesday night’s episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Mama June is still hammering out the plans for her big day with Sugar Bear – down to every last Porta Potty.
June Shannon, 33, is seen getting quite worked up over the size and load capacity of a portable toilet she’s ordering for the event.
In the preview clip, Mama June is busy at her work desk composing a handwritten invite to her “celebration of love”.
The 272 lbs mother of four painstakingly writes out her missive with a felt tip pen as she struggles to find the right words to gather her loved ones together for her big day.
The bit of scribbling was surely an effort for legally blind June Shannon – whose condition is tragically the result of childhood cataracts that were not properly treated.
But before she can finish, Mama June is hit with a sneezing fit, signalling the general stress of the coming event, as she states: “See I’m already getting nervous.”
The larger than life June Shannon went on to explain: “There’s only a month left to go before the commitment ceremony and I got a s***load of things to do.
Mama June is still hammering out the plans for her big day with Sugar Bear, down to every last Porta Potty
“So, why not today, start checking things off my list one at a time.”
She admitted: “The budget for the commitment ceremony is going pretty well… I’m tryin’ not let it get away from me.”
Some of her money saving tricks include reusing Thank You cards as invites for the love ceremony.
But her biggest fear involves toilets.
Mama June explained: “Like any other event I’ve ever put together as long as you have food, people will come. You know when people eat they gotta s***.”
The observation prompts a phone call to a local Porta Potty rental company.
During the rental inquiry June Shannon explained: “Oh, yes, Ma’am. I was trying to enquire on some things about Porta Johns.
“Cause I don’t let a lot of people coming in my house and, um, mess my facilities up. I actually need one of those oversized ones. So, they have, like, a weight limit?
“Because, really, I mean the Porta Potties ain’t nothing but a five-gallon bucket with a lid on it.”
It was just a few weeks ago that Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson proposed to June on an episode of their hit television series.
It was the third time in nine years that love struck “Sugie” proposed, having been turned down twice before.
“I consider myself a chubby chaser,” Sugar Bear revealed on an episode two weeks ago.
Nonetheless, it took some persuading to get Mama June to agree to a commitment ceremony.
Just prior to accepting his proposition, June Shannon explained: “The M word scares me because he’s been through two marriages and it hasn’t worked. Marriages are easy to get into and hard to get out of.”
She may have said “no” to his marriage proposal, but the lack of paperwork attracted June Shannon to the idea of a commitment ceremony.
“I don’t believe in forever but I do believe in Sugar Bear,” she confessed.
Once again Lady Gaga was out to shock as she stepped out wearing almost identical face paint to what she wears on the cover of her new album ARTPOP.
With a white background splashed with several different colors, Lady Gaga, 27, cut a rather ghostly figure with the aid of her make-up.
Once again Lady Gaga was out to shock as she stepped out wearing almost identical face paint to what she wears on the cover of her new album ARTPOP
The look was further accentuated by Lady Gaga’s very dark brown hair and Gothic all-black attire consisting of a black pleated skirt, matching blouse, blazer and sky high lace-up ankle boots.
The shock tactic was for an appearance on E! as Ryan Seacrest tweeted a picture of himself with Lady Gaga, also wearing similar face paint.
Oddly strolling along sans-entourage, she was no doubt heading back to the Chateau Marmont where she was seen leaving earlier in the day.
For the cover of ARTPOP, Lady Gaga appears as a work of art in the image, taken by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, with her face painted white with splashes of color smeared around her eyes and mouth and her hair covered in a black wrap, as she emerges through a white billowing coat by designer Gareth Pugh.
Cher was very angry and launched a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter on Tuesday night after a song Lady Gaga wrote for her new album was leaked online.
Cher, 67, was left incensed when new track The Greatest Thing, which Lady Gaga wrote and RedOne produced for the veteran singer’s new album, found its way online.
After discovering the leak, Cher wrote on Twitter: “Just heard TGT ! F**K ! IT’S NOT EVEN THE RIGHT F***ING VERSION!!!
“WHY DO PPL THINK THIS KINDA LEAKING S**T IS OK ! I’m so Fg DISSAPOINTED.”
Cher later added: “Disappointed ( Ive Sat on fkng song 4 over a yr )NOW SOME A**HOLE LEAKS WRONG VERSION ! GaGa’s SINGLE IS GREAT, & THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS.”
Cher was very angry and launched a foul-mouthed rant on Twitter after a song Lady Gaga wrote for her new album was leaked online
While Lady Gaga was also undoubtedly unimpressed by the early leak, she did take to Twitter later in the day to thank Cher for having her back.
In a message re-tweeted by Cher, Lady Gaga wrote: “I love you @cher ! Thank you for the support, you’re the greatest thing!”
Speaking recently about her upcoming album, Cher compared it to one of her biggest hit records – 1998’s Believe.
She said: “It’s about being fabulous. Truthfully, I’m not a huge Cher fan and I’ve said this many times, but I think this is the best album I’ve ever done.
“The songs are so brilliant. I got so lucky. The closest thing to this album I think is the Believe album.”
Meanwhile, it’s been a less than successful week for Lady Gaga when it comes to her tracks being leaked.
On Monday she was forced to release her new single Applause a whole week before its intended premiere after it was leaked online.
Declaring a “POP MUSIC EMERGENCY”, Lady Gaga decided to beat the leakers and release the track to fans early.
And Cher was on hand to offer Lady Gaga some much-needed support as she struggled to contain her frustration over the leak.
Cher said: “She Doesn’t Like It! Shes an ARTIST… Its Her Song, Her Voice, Her Choice.”
Simon Cowell and Carmen Electra enjoyed a brief romance but when the pair split, Lauren Silverman was in fact the reason behind the break-up.
A source has claimed that Carmen Electra called it quits with Simon Cowell after finding him in a compromising position with Lauren Silverman, who is now pregnant with his child.
“Carmen was at Simon’s house in L.A. when she literally busted him with Lauren,” an insider told E! News.
“Simon called her a friend, but there was nothing platonic about what was going on, if you know what I mean.”
The source added that Carmen Electra “high-tailed it out of there. There was no way she was going to stick around and be a third wheel”.
Carmen Electra called it quits with Simon Cowell after finding him in a compromising position with Lauren Silverman
Carmen Electra and Simon Cowell acted as judges alongside each other on Britain’s Got Talent and began dating in December 2012, although Cowell revealed in February that they had broken up.
Simon Cowell, 53, is famously good at staying friends with his ex-girlfriends and it seems it was no different with Carmen Electra, who gushed that she was delighted for her former flame at an event late last month.
“I’m so happy for him!” Carmen Electra said.
“What I witnessed working with him on Britain’s Got Talent and coming to see him during X Factor is that the people he truly believes in, he stands up for them and supports them. So I obviously think that his child will be very well taken care and very, very loved.”
She added: “I’m going to call him as soon as I get in the car after the event. I want to know if it’s a boy or a girl. It’s awesome, I’m super happy for him.”
Despite the scandal, Simon Cowell seems rather unfazed and is currently cruising around the Mediterranean on a luxury yacht.
A source told People Simon Cowell “has been in contact with Lauren since her divorce turned messy”, but the insider said he is encouraging her to quickly figure things out with Andrew Silverman so they can move forward with their divorce.
Simon Cowell has been checking up on Lauren Silverman, 36, as her pregnancy progresses but the source says: “Simon still has no plans to move in with Lauren.”
The insider explained that Simon Cowell, who owns several properties in Beverly Hills “can put up Lauren in one of [them when he’s working in L.A.] so he can spend time with his baby”.
Egyptian security forces moved in to clear two protest camps occupied by supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo killing at least 15 people.
But the Muslim Brotherhood, which backs the protests, put the number of casualties much higher.
Bursts of gunfire were heard and armored bulldozers moved in. Security forces fired tear gas.
Authorities say the Nahda Square camp in western Cairo has been cleared.
The interior ministry said a mopping up operation in the surrounding streets was under way. Pro-Morsi activists were chased into the nearby zoo and Cairo University, Nile TV said.
Witnesses spoke of seeing at least 15 bodies on the ground, but the Muslim Brotherhood, describing the security forces’ intervention as a massacre, put the number of those killed at more than 100.
At least two member of the security forces were among the dead and nine were injured, officials say.
Egyptian security forces moved in to clear two protest camps occupied by supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi in Cairo
Supporters of Mohamed Morsi have been occupying Nahda Square and the site outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the north-east of the city since he was ousted on 3 July. They want him reinstated.
Earlier, the interior ministry issued a statement saying security forces were taking “necessary measures” against the protest camps.
The statement said a safe exit would be provided for protesters and they would not be pursued, “except those who are wanted by the prosecution”.
The interior ministry is keen “not to shed any Egyptian blood”, the statement went on.
Large plumes of smoke rose over parts of the city as the operation to clear the camps began.
Muslim Brotherhood TV called for people to send cars to the sit-ins to take casualties to hospital.
An armored bulldozer was used to breach brick walls erected by the protesters outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.
Live firing was heard as the security forces moved in, our correspondent says, and police are now patrolling the nearby streets.
More than 250 people have been killed in clashes with the security forces in the six weeks since Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow.
On Tuesday, one person was killed in a confrontation between supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi in Giza after people marched from Nahda Square to a nearby complex of government buildings to protest against the appointment of several military officers as provincial governors.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said the sit-ins could not continue “endlessly”.
He said the authorities had been trying to seek an agreement through dialogue.
“If the police force take their procedures, they will do that in accordance with the law by court order and in accordance to the basic norms on which these things are done.”
New reports claim Kanye West thinks Vogue could benefit from putting baby North in its prestigious fashion pages.
Much like Suri Cruise’s famous Vanity Fair cover, the music icon wants his two-month old daughter to meet world on his terms – something he reportedly believes could be mutually beneficial to Anna Wintour.
“It’s no secret that Kanye is a huge fan of fashion, Vogue and especially Anna Wintour,” a source close to Kanye West told RadarOnline.
“But it’s also pretty well-known that Anna is no fan of Kim, or any reality star appearing in the pages of the magazine.”
The source continued: “Kanye is determined to make sure baby North isn’t photographed by paparazzi then splashed across the world.
“He knows what he wants — a professional photographer and the cover of Vogue – nothing else. But clearly, trying to persuade Anna is going to be an uphill battle.”
While Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expected to release the first photos of North West via Twitter, the rapper apparently wants her first ever photo shoot to be in Vogue – and it seems the Grammy-winning artist isn’t taking no for an answer, despite receiving a “less than enthusiastic” response from Anna Wintour.
Kim Kardashian scored high-fashion points when she graced the cover of the L’Uomo Vogue
Ensuring that he has every aspect of his argument covered, Kanye West has reportedly compiled new fashion magazine statistics that show reality stars on the cover can make sales soar.
According to the New York Times, the April issue of Cosmopolitan magazine featuring Kim Kardashian was its best-selling, with 1.2 million copies being plucked from newsstands.
And last year, Kim Kardashian scored high-fashion points when she graced the cover of the L’Uomo Vogue, the magazine’s Italian men’s edition.
But that issue’s success might not be enough to sway Anna Wintour to give the West-Kardashain family an American Vogue cover.
Three months ago Vogue editors famously cropped Kim Kardashain out of its Met Ball Best Dressed gallery when she appeared next to a Sauvé looking Kanye West wearing a universally mocked floral print Givenchy gown.
Nevertheless, it seems “Kanye is convinced that he’s going to make this happen”, said the source.
A Vogue spokesperson denied the claims.
Meanwhile it seems Kim Kardashian, who has only posted a few tweets and made one taped appearance on Kris Jenner’s show since giving birth on June 15, has sent her hardworking public relations representative on a hiatus.
The New York Post reported that Kim Kardashian has no need for publicist, Jill Fritzo, now that she is busy with North.
According to new reports, Liam Gallagher is trying to get the mother of his alleged love child, Liza Ghorbani, to sign an iron clad legal agreement which would prevent her revealing any personal details of their relationship.
Liam Gallagher is said to have instructed his lawyers to add a clause to a new legal agreement which would stop the New York journalist from speaking out on their romance.
Liza Ghorbani is said to be “irate” at the clause, which has put a halt to their ongoing battle over child support.
Liam Gallagher is alleged to have fathered a daughter with Liza Ghorbani during an intense affair, which was unveiled last month.
The news of the romance led to Liam Gallagher splitting from his wife Nicole Appleton.
The New York Post report that DNA tests have confirmed that Liam Gallagher is the father of Liza Ghorbani’s 8-month-old daughter, Gemma, but the rocker has yet to publicly acknowledge the fact.
Liam Gallagher is trying to get Liza Ghorbani to sign an iron clad legal agreement which would prevent her revealing any personal details of their relationship
A friend of Liza Ghorbani, who met Liam Gallagher in 2010, has claimed to the Post that Liza is upset with a clause in the confidentiality agreement she has been asked to sign, which prevents her speaking out on their affair:
“Liza had no problem signing a confidentiality agreement regarding Liam’s finances, but Liam’s lawyers discreetly tried to add on an agreement that Liza never disclose any personal details of their relationship. This has made Liza irate.”
“His lawyers have insulted her one too many times,” the source continued.
“Liza sat quietly for Liam through her pregnancy and months after, while caring for their child with no help from him monetarily or otherwise, even trying to keep their identities secret in the court case.”
According to the insider, Liam Gallagher and Liza Ghorbani were very close during their relationship, with claims that the pair even picked out baby names together:
“She won’t sign the confidentiality agreement, she feels it is offensive because they did have an intense relationship. The negotiations are deadlocked,” the source adds.
Liam Gallagher’s team have refused to comment on the current legal proceedings.
His new legal problems follow the claims that the Oasis star has been secretly dating former aide Debbie Gwyther “for months”.
According to The Sun, Debbie Gwyther, who stopped working for his management company when pictures of them emerged together in Ibiza, believes he is the “love of her life”.
Liam Galagher and Debbie Gwyther are reported to have been enjoying a relationship before news broke of his affair with Liza Ghorbani.
A friend told the paper: “Some of us think she’s gone mad and have pointed out Liam appears to have four kids with four different women. But Debbie is besotted and convinced they have a future together.”
Debbie Gwyther, 31, who worked for Liam Gallagher’s Beady Eye management company, has reportedly split from her boyfriend and put their home in East London up for sale.
The source continued: “He’s been introduced to her friends as her new boyfriend. They love partying together and he was attracted to how honest he could be with her. Liam saw her as his right hand woman – the one person he could trust with everything.”
