Israel has started to free a group of Palestinian prisoners, whose release was agreed as part of the deal that allowed peace talks to resume.
A group of 26 prisoners, all convicted of attacks that happened before 1993, were driven out of a jail in minibuses with tinted windows.
Some are being taken straight to Gaza, others are going to the West Bank.
Israelis outraged over Palestinian prisoner release
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators began direct talks two weeks ago for the first time in three years.
Another round of talks is due to begin in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Israel agreed to release the 26 long-term prisoners as the first of 104 Palestinian and Israeli Arab inmates to be freed over the next few months.
Relatives and friends of the freed prisoners have gathered on the frontier with Gaza.
The inmates were named by Israel’s prison service shortly after midnight on Sunday, giving victims’ families 48 hours to submit legal challenges to the High Court.
Earlier on Tuesday, the court rejected an appeal by a victims’ rights group that objected to the release of all of the prisoners.
Public prosecutors in Brazil have begun legal action against Samsung, alleging that it has been violating labor laws at its factory in the Amazon region.
Prosecutors accuse Samsung of making its employees work long, tiring shifts without sufficient breaks.
Brazilian prosecutors accuse Samsung of making its employees work long, tiring shifts without sufficient breaks
The prosecutors’ office in the city of Manaus said one worker reported packing nearly 3,000 phones a day.
Samsung plant, located at the Manaus Free Trade zone, employs some 6,000 people.
A worker at the Amazonas state factory has only 32 seconds to fully assemble a mobile phone and 65 seconds to put together a television set, prosecutors allege.
In evidence given to prosecutors, employees say shifts can last 15 hours and some say they suffer from back ache and cramps as they are forced to stand for up to 10 hours a day.
The prosecutors’ office is claiming more than 250 million reais ($108 million) in damages from Samsung for serious violations of labor legislation.
The legal suit was filed on Friday, but has only now been made public.
The Department of Justice has filed an anti-trust case to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways.
The $11 billion deal, which would form the world’s largest airline, was backed by a federal judge in March and has been approved by the European Union.
The complaint says customers would see a price rise as the merger would “substantially lessen competition” in the domestic market.
US Airways boss Doug Parker said the company would fight the injunction.
“We are extremely disappointed in this action and believe the DOJ [Department of Justice] is wrong in its assessment,” Doug Parker said in a letter to employees.
The District of Columbia and six US states and have joined the legal action: Texas, where American Airlines is headquartered, Arizona, where US Airways is based, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
American Airlines and US Airways said that in light of the justice department’s action they no longer expected the merger to close by the end of 2013, but that they remained “hopeful” litigation would be over by year’s end.
The Department of Justice has filed an anti-trust case to block the merger of American Airlines and US Airways
Shares in both companies fell, along with the stock prices of other airlines, as news of the anti-trust case hit the markets on Tuesday.
“By challenging this merger, the Department of Justice is saying that the American people deserve better,” US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
“This transaction would result in consumers paying the price – in higher air fares, higher fees and fewer choices.”
The lawsuit also cites direct competition between the airlines on nonstop routes worth about $2 billion in annual revenues.
In one example, the complaint says the newly merged company would take up 69% of flights out of Washington’s Reagan National Airport and 63% of nonstop routes out of the airport.
The airlines had previously conceded take-off and landing slots at airports in Philadelphia and London in order to win EU approval last week.
When the deal was announced in February, Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller also expressed concern that consumers would lose.
American Airlines has been in bankruptcy protection since November 2011, but US Airways has been profitable in recent years.
The two combined airlines would have 6,700 daily flights and annual revenue of roughly $40 billion.
The justice department complaint argues the two companies do not need to merge to continue to be competitive, and that American Airlines is likely to exit bankruptcy as a “vigorous competitor”.
The department also cited American Airlines’ purchase two years ago of 460 new planes, said to be the largest such order in industry history.
If the merger continues, there will be only three major US airlines, which the justice department alleges “increasingly prefer tacit coordination over full-throated competition”.
Some industry analysts suggest that American Airlines and US Airways’ ability to compete without a merger is not as strong as the department argues.
Porter Ridge, which makes its debut on the Discovery Channel on Tuesday night, is a reality show from the makers of Duck Dynasty, A&E’s daffy, delightful ratings juggernaut, which begins its fourth season on Wednesday.
Docu-seriesPorter Ridge, set in a remote area of Indiana, follows an isolated community which, according to the network, follows three rules: respect the Lord, love your family and watch each other’s backs.
In the premiere episode of Porter Ridge we meet Terry Porter and the gang as they take on a repo mission confronting their rivals, the Dog Killer Ridge crew.
Porter Ridge has the same problem most shows in this genre have: Everyone’s trying too hard. The show looks in on a backwoods microcosm in Indiana. Terry Porter, who seems to own no shirts, runs an auto junkyard.
Porter Ridge makes its debut on the Discovery Channel
Jeff Watson, whose beard is somewhat better trimmed than the well-known ones on Duck Dynasty, keeps bears as pets, though, in the premiere, it is not clear why. Assorted other characters with supposed-to-be-idiosyncratic names are also drifting about: Dirty Andy, another big-bearded fellow; Elvis Larry, who has the Elvis sideburns. There’s a rival junkyard on a rival ridge – Dog Killer Ridge, to be exact.
Wacky names and deep-woods dialect (subtitles are occasionally used in Porter Ridge) are all over reality television, and they’re amusing for about 15 minutes. That’s how long it takes to realize that life in a junkyard universe isn’t all that interesting if the people aren’t interesting themselves.
There is occasional wit in Porter Ridge, as when Terry Porter’s wife, Carrie, expresses a desire for a vacation.
“How long has it been since you’ve taken me on a trip?” Carrie asks Terry.
“Didn’t I take you to the Iron Skillet a week ago?” he says.
But those modest flourishes are few and far between; mostly, you’re just supposed to gawk at the rusticness of it all and be amused by antics like trying to open an old safe by dynamiting it.
The conservative Louisiana family returns tomorrow night for Season 4 of their mega-hit A&E reality show Duck Dynasty.
The last time we the Robertsons was in April, when their Season 3 finale broke records for A&E, pulling in 9.6 million viewers to become the most-watched show in its history.
“It’s amazing how appealing these people are all over the country,” says Elaine Fontain Bryant, A&E’s senior vice president of nonfiction and alternative programming.
“We really haven’t come across many people who don’t love them.”
The Robertson family, which became millionaires selling duck calls – the whistles blown to flush out ducks – has proven to be popular even outside of reality TV.
Duck Dynasty returns tomorrow night for Season 4
They currently have two books on the New York Times bestseller list – Phil Robertson’s memoir Happy, Happy, Happy and Willie and Korie Robertson’s The Duck Commander Family – and three more books due out this fall, including another memoir, a devotional book and a cookbook.
The Duck Dynasty stars have got a Christmas album coming out in October, a theme cruise setting sail next summer (which is already sold out) and a line of prom dresses inspired by Sadie Robertson.
As if TV, books, music, travel and fashion weren’t enough, some Republicans are itching for Willie Robertson, the star of the show and CEO of the family business, to run for political office. An outside advisor to House GOP leadership told the Washington Examiner yesterday they hope for Willie Robertson to run for the 5th District Congressional seat left open by the exit of Louisiana Republican Rodney Alexander.
Of the tidal wave of fame, straight-shooting patriarch Phil Robertson tells The New York Post: “Our greatest fear is that we come out on the other side of this thing acting like Charlie Sheen.”
Duck Dynasty Season 4 premieres on Wednesday, August 14, at 10/9C on A & E.
Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson is teaming up with designer Sherri Hill to create a line of prom dresses.
Willie Robertson’s daughter is finding herself in the spotlight once again after American Idol winner Scotty McCreery serenaded Sadie at her Sweet Sixteen party last month.
The Sadie Robertson Live Original collection, available next spring, will feature retro-inspired dresses with hem lengths that are “Willie approved”.
The Sadie Robertson Live Original collection, available next spring, will feature retro-inspired dresses with hem lengths that are “Willie approved”
That’s very important, as Sadie Robertson’s protective father has vetoed her prom dress choices in the past.
In last season’s Duck Be a Lady episode, the 16-year-old struggled to find a gown that both she and the stern Willie Robertson liked.
Now, Sadie Robertson and girls like her across the country won’t have to worry about finding appropriate evening wear.
Not only that, but Sadie Robertson will model her designs on the runway at Sherri Hill’s New York Fashion Week on September 9.
Duck Dynasty Season 4 premieres Wednesday, August 14, at 10 PM on A&E.
Duck Dynasty stars have spent much of the summer doing the rounds on the speaking circuit, rubbing shoulders with everyone from Tim Tebow to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to Sarah Palin.
They conservative Louisiana family was just celebrated at Rick Warren’s church for a congregation-wide Duck Dynasty day – spreading a message founded on their Christian faith, promoting family values and, of course, the right to bear arms.
Phil Robertson, the family patriarch who is the family’s camo decked evangelist, joined forces with his oldest son, Alan, a Church of Christ minister to headline Warren’s event on July 21.
Warning members against “political correctness trumping Biblical correctness”, Phil Robertson preached multiple messages to the thousands who turned out for the festivities – which included a beard-growing contest.
The stars of the popular show, among cable’s most watched programs, still run their multi-million dollar hunting goods company and have expanded their empire to produce everything from camo-emblazoned Christian devotionals, cigars, onesies bearing the Duck Commander logo and duck calls that retail from $9.95 to $179.95.
Phil Robertson, who began the duck call manufacturing operation from meager beginnings in 1972, appears on Duck Dynasty with his wife, Miss Kay, and his hilarious brother with a sweet tea addiction, Uncle Si.
Three of Phil Robertson’s four sons – the straight talking Jase, Willie (who followed his father as CEO of the company) and the youngest, and indulged, Jep – have all appeared on the show since Season 1.
Duck Dynasty stars have spent much of the summer spreading a message founded on their Christian faith
The eldest Robertson, Alan, is the only non-bearded one in the mix and has just left his work at the local church to help his family manage their new fame.
Describing himself as the “normal one,” Alan Robertson will be joining Duck Dynasty Season 4 that premieres August 14.
The self-proclaimed rednecks, with a lovable loathing for yuppies, have not allowed their stardom get to their heads but have become some of the most sought after stars for engagements far and away from their homebase of Monroe, Louisiana.
This May, Willie Robertson – the family’s third born who runs the Duck Commander company – rubbed shoulders with GOP darlings at the NRA convention, and was even rumored to be under consideration to join the gun group’s board.
Then in July, Willie Robertson was the star at LifeWay’s Main Event, a men’s conference sponsored by the Southern Baptist convention.
Father of five Willie Robertson, 41, will return to Nashville in August to deliver an address at the Cornerstone church, where an estimated 10,000 are expected to turn out.
Though Willie Robertson gets a lot of attention on the show, the other Roberston family members can still bring out a crowd.
Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, invited Phil, Kay and Si Robertson to speak at their annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence fundraiser in April.
In 2010, Tim Tebow had spoken at the event and the school was doubtful they could ever “top the buzz of Tebow” but the Robertsons did.
The event sold out so quickly, they added another talk and then a third talk in order to accommodate the demand.
People from 17 states purchased tickets and flew in from across the country to join the 15,000 who turned out to hear the Robertson trio banter on stage.
It was the biggest event ever in the school’s 125 year history.
Though much of the event focused on the hilarious antics of the family business, the talk closed with a spiritual message from Phil Robertson – where he presented the Gospel and invited attendees to accept Christ.
High says that the family’s Christian beliefs are a non-negotiable when they agree to speak.
“I’ve never seen them speak anywhere where there is not a specific, Christian faith element,” Phil Robertson said.
Back in April, Si Robertson told The Tennessean that though the show runs on A&E, the cable network isn’t the one in charge of the future.
“The Almighty is running this thing and he’s gonna take it where he wants it to go,” Si Robertson told The Tennessean, in between sips of iced tea.
Several Republican strategists are pushing Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rodney Alexander in September, according to a new report.
A well-liked conservative Willie Robertson may be the next pop culture icon to jump into politics, a new report claims.
Willie Robertson is receiving intense interest from several Washington operatives as a potential future Congressman, the Washington Examiner reported.
Republican strategists are pushing Willie Robertson to run for the seat currently held by Republican Rodney Alexander, who is slated to retire in September to take a job in Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s cabinet.
A special election will be held to fill the open seat in September.
Several Republican strategists are pushing Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rodney Alexander in September
“My boys want to run Willie Robertson for the seat,” a key advisor to House GOP leadership told the Examiner.
The seat represents the state’s fifth district, which includes Willie Robertson’s home city of Monroe, where he and his brothers own and run popular hunting companies Duck Commander and Buck Commander, which are at the center of Duck Dynasty reality show.
But the stars of the show, among cable’s most watched programs, also devote time to a message of Christian faith, family values and the right to bear arms — all themes that would fit in well with a possible Republican campaign.
Willie Robertson, along with his brothers, has expanded his national profile in recent months, spending part of the summer on the Christian lecture circuit at events with Rick Warren, Tim Tebow and Sarah Palin. Earlier this year, he was even drafted to be included on the ballot for the NRA’s board of directors
But despite Willie Robertson’s rising star, some GOP insiders remain skeptical over his ability to cross over into politics.
“Why would a multimillionaire TV sensation give up that work to run for a congressional seat,” another prominent GOP strategist told the Examiner.
The Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes has died aged 44.
Jon Brookes had suffered a seizure on tour with the band in 2010 and had been receiving treatment for a brain tumor.
He had undergone several operations, but had still been working on new material with the band over the summer.
Jon Brookes died in hospital on Tuesday morning with his family at his bedside.
The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess tweeted that the band was “torn apart” at the news and sent love to Jon Brookes’s family.
“Jon Brookes, my friend, our drummer and inspiration to so many, passed away this morning. We are torn apart. Love & thoughts to Jon’s family,” he said.
Tim Burgess also thanked “everyone for their messages and memories of Jon Brookes. So much love on such a sad day”.
Jon Brookes had suffered a seizure on tour with the band in 2010 and had been receiving treatment for a brain tumor
A further statement from the band read: “Jon was a brilliant drummer, an inspiration, a founding member of The Charlatans, part of our family and a friend to everyone in and around the band.
“Losing someone who was always so full of life is a tragedy that will be shared by so many. Our thoughts are with Debbie and all of Jon’s family.”
Jon Brookes was diagnosed with a brain tumor after collapsing during a Charlatans gig in Philadelphia, in the United States in 2010.
He briefly stopped breathing and was helped by a doctor attending the show, before being taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
The rest of their US tour was cancelled as Jon Brookes was flown to the UK for treatment.
Speaking afterwards Jon Brookes described how he “saw lights” in the corner of his eyes before collapsing at the concert and said he was at the “start of the long road of treatment for cancer” but was “feeling fit and positive”.
In July this year the band revealed that Jon Brookes had undergone further surgery for the brain tumor.
They said he had recovered well from the operation but would remain in hospital for additional treatment.
Jon Brookes, of Burntwood, Staffordshire, was a founding member of the band that formed in the West Midlands in 1989.
Another original band member, keyboardist Rob Collins, died in a car accident in 1996.
The Charlatans have had 22 UK top 40 hits, including The Only One I Know, Can’t Get Out Of Bed and One To Another.
Twenty people were injured, with seven being hospitalized, when a promotional stunt in Seoul for LG’s G2 smartphone went wrong, the company has said.
LG has cancelled a series of events promoting the handset as a result of the incident in Seoul on Friday.
People arrived with BB guns and knives on sticks for a race to grab smartphone vouchers hanging from helium balloons.
LG has taken responsibility for the situation and said it would cover related medical costs.
“LG Electronics deeply regrets that a number of Korean participants were injured during an outdoor promotional event in Seoul, Korea,” a statement from the company said.
“We can confirm that seven participants were hospitalized and, although none of the injuries were serious, LG takes full responsibility for the unfortunate situation and has offered to cover all related medical expenses.
People arrived with BB guns and knives on sticks for a race to grab LG G2 smartphone vouchers hanging from helium balloons
“LG is investigating the incident to ensure that such an occurrence can be avoided in the future.”
The company added that other planned events had been called off because of safety concerns.
LG released 100 helium balloons, each with a free smartphone voucher, at the so-called G in the Cloud event, which took place in an outdoor park in the South Korean capital city.
The phones, which sell for KRW 950,000 in South Korea ($851), would be given to people in possession of the voucher, the company said.
Customers arrived with BB guns to shoot down the balloons and surged forward when they were released.
One person carried a pointed staff to the event.
One regional TV channel has dubbed the scrum “World War G” – a comparison to the film World War Z in which zombies scramble over each other to climb over a wall.
The handset was released in New York last week, after weeks of build-up on social media.
It is expected to be available globally with more than 130 carriers within several weeks.
North Korea announces it has produced its first home-grown smartphone – Arirang – but experts have disputed its origins.
The Arirang handset, described as a “hand phone” in state media, was shown to leader Kim Jong-un during a factory tour.
North Korea has had a mobile network since 2008, but activity is heavily monitored and restricted.
Last year North Korea launched a tablet, but it later emerged it was likely to have been made in China.
Clues to the tablet’s origin were uncovered by Martyn Williams, an expert on North Korean technology, who noted that parts of the tablet’s software code suggested links to a manufacturer in Hong Kong.
The Arirang smartphone, named after a popular folk song, was unlikely to have been made in the country, Martyn Williams added.
He noted that actual manufacturing was shown, and that the device was “probably made to order by a Chinese manufacturer and shipped to the May 11 Factory where they are inspected before going on sale”.
Kim Jong-un demoing the Arirang smartphone, which appeared to be running a version of Google’s Android mobile operating system
Kim Jong-un was accompanied by the Korean Workers’ Party propaganda chief and the head of the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a hint that the devices could be used for widespread dissemination of government information.
The North Korean leader was seen to be demoing the device, which appeared to be running a version of Google’s Android mobile operating system.
There are no further details available about the smartphone’s exact specifications, but the KNCA reported that Kim Jong-un praised the “high pixels” of the built-in camera.
The article said Kim Jong-un had high hopes for the “educational significance in making people love Korean things”.
He advised that factory workers should “select and produce shapes and colors that users like”.
Mobile phones in North Korea have been available since 2008. The national network is maintained thanks to a joint operation by the North Korean government and Egyptian telecoms company Orascom.
Phones on the network are heavily restricted. They cannot access the internet and can only make calls within North Korea.
For a short time, foreigners in the country were able to use mobile internet, but this access was later revoked.
It is believed that many in North Korea, particular those near the borders, use illegally owned mobiles to contact people outside the country.
Being found in possession of a foreign phone would be a very serious crime.
Duck Dynasty’s producers are dishing out another family show – Porter Ridge – this time for Discovery Channel.
Porter Ridge features a tight-knit community whose code is simple: “Respect the Lord, love your family and watch each other’s backs.”
Scott Gurney, who is the executive producer for both Duck Dynasty and Porter Ridge, said he expects new show will appeal to a similar demographic.
“This is great show for families to watch,” Scott Gurney told FOX411.
“It’s a great show for all ages and for males and females. That’s one of the things that’s great about <<Duck Dynasty>>, it has such a broad audience, and I think this show will do the same thing.”
Fans of the A&E series about the Robertson family members who work together to produce duck calls has often praised the show for its good, clean message and family-friendly plot lines.
Duck Dynasty ends each episode with a prayer.
“We don’t tap into the religion as much in this show. It’s more about friendships, relationships and an older way of living… loving your neighbor.”
Still, Scott Gurney said Porter Ridge should also leave viewers with a warm, fuzzy feelings as the episodes come to an end.
Duck Dynasty’s producers are dishing out another family show, Porter Ridge
“I think that one of the big things that people love about <<Duck Dynasty>> is that it’s a positive takeaway, and I think the same thing is going to exist with this series.”
But the similarities likely end there, he declared.
“This is a different show. It’s not <<Duck Dynasty>>… It’s not so much family based and more friendship based.”
The series follows a group of friends – and rivals – living in Southern Indiana, in an area with no rules, no leaders and no streetlights. And yet, somehow everyone manages to get along.
“Cameras follow this interesting culture that if you didn’t see it on TV, you’d honestly think it doesn’t exist,” Scott Gurney said.
Scott Gurney insisted that the series is unscripted – even though it seems implausible that one of the show’s stars shares his home with eight grizzly bears.
Jeff Watson, 48, appears on Porter Ridge and spends his days with his neighbors and with his domesticated bears.
“They’ve been in my house, but they don’t stay in here all the time,” Jeff Watson said of the bears.
It is elements like his pets that make the series so dissimilar to anything else that’s on TV, Jeff Watson said.
“I don’t know if there is anything out there that I can compare this show to. I wouldn’t compare it to <<Duck Dynasty>>. So many people are making that comparison… The only similarity that I would see between our show and <<Duck Dynasty>> is funny characters,” he said.
In fact, Jeff Watson said – if anything – he thinks Porter Ridge is much more reminiscent of TV shows from an earlier time period.
“To me this show is a mixture of <<Dukes of Hazards>> meets <<Little House on the Prairie>>, meets <<The Waltons>>, meets <<Andy Griffith>>.”
And though it’s not a sitcom, Jeff Watson insisted the wholesome reality show wouldn’t be painting a picture of Indiana overall.
“We’re not trying to represent the whole state of Indiana… This is us. We’re just individuals. We’re not in any way trying to say <<this is Indiana>> or <<this is southern Indiana>>.”
Like Scott Gurney, Jeff Watson predicts the show will attract families.
“I’m sure there are people out there who would like to see a show that’s less cussing, more family values, camaraderie, rapport, relationship between the characters, not a lot of fighting between everybody… I think people are getting a little tired of too much drama and they want to see people getting along, and we get along around here.”
Porter Ridge premieres on Discovery Channel on Tuesday, August 13.
Kanye West bought two high-performance armored vehicles to protect Kim Kardashian and their baby daughter North.
Kanye West, 36, and partner Kim Kardashian, 32, were recently singled out by President Barack Obama for their opulent lifestyle warping the American dream.
Inspired by the President’s Limo One, Kanye West has reportedly spent $1.2 million each for two Prombron Iron Diamonds by Dartz Motorz.
Dartz Motorz is the Latvian company that angered PETA for featuring leather interior made from the foreskin of a whale p**is.
On the Dartz website, the Iron Diamond is said to prevent kidnapping, hijacking and “other problems which can meet rich and lonely lady on the street”.
Kanye West bought two high-performance armored vehicles to protect Kim Kardashian and their baby daughter North
Kanye West’s two-month-old daughter Nori should rest easy inside the super-SUV “built to withstand attacks from landmines and rocket-propelled grenades”.
“Kanye is fully aware that his new family is so high-profile they attract the attention of weirdos and psychopaths,” a source told the Daily Star.
“He aims to leave nothing to chance…His priority is to get delivery of the vehicles, especially Kim’s, before he begins his US tour in October.”
The 21-time Grammy winner apparently decided to beef up security for his family at Jay Z’s suggestion.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian will also reportedly employ two bodyguards and use body doubles as decoys for paparazzi.
The source ominously added: “If there have been any kidnapping threats already against their daughter, he isn’t saying. But that fear is clearly in his mind.”
According to Us Weekly, Kanye West “doesn’t leave North for more than an hour” and he tenderly “holds the baby all the time”.
Kanye West’s new album Yeezus debuted at number one in 31 countries, but due to lack of promotion the overall sales have been disappointing.
Lindsay Lohan has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that she is the one to blame for her troubles.
“I’m my own worst enemy, and I know that,” Lindsay Lohan actress said in a promotional video released Monday for her upcoming post-rehab one-on-one interview with Oprah.
The sneak peek from the highly anticipated interview airing on Sunday showed Oprah Winfrey, 59, back in her tabloid talk show element and peppering Lindsay Lohan, 27, with questions.
“Do you think you can turn it around?” Oprah Winfrey asked.
“What is it you’re addicted to?”
Lindsay Lohan has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that she is the one to blame for her troubles
Lindsay Lohan wore a conservative orange frock with her trademark red locks tied back into a high ponytail and considered Oprah Winfrey’s questions with a serious look on her face.
The trouble star and Oprah Winfrey sat opposite each other in white chairs with the chat host opting for a grey cardigan, white blouse and black pants.
The teaser video is the first time Lindsay Lohan has been seen addressing her addiction issues since her release from 90 days of court-ordered rehab.
Linsay Lohan left rehab at the end of July and quickly took on a guest-hosting stint on Chelsea Lately.
Oprah Winfrey’s television network OWN also has an eight-part docu-series planned that will chronicle Lindsay as she tries to rebuild her career and stay sober.
The reality TV show will air in 2014 and will be helmed by Amy Rice, who directed the 2009 documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.
Lindsay Lohan’s latest movie The Canyons has been a disappointment at the box office, to say the least, raking in just $30,100 on its opening weekend.
Despite the weak numbers, it has been revealed that Lindsay Lohan was recently approached by actor-director Ben Affleck about starring in his next project.
The one-one-one interview between Oprah Winfrey and Lindsay Lohan will air on Oprah’s Next Chapter on Sunday, August 18, at 9 p.m.
Oprah Winfrey has said she is sorry for a “blown up” media response after she claimed she encountered racism in upmarket Trois Pommes handbag store in Zurich.
Oprah Winfrey’s racism claims were made amid a political row in Switzerland over asylum seekers’ rights
Speaking on the red carpet premiere for her new film, The Butler, Oprah Winfrey said: “I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland.”
“I’m really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I’m sorry that I said it was Switzerland,” she added.
Oprah Winfrey’s claims were made amid a political row in Switzerland over asylum seekers’ rights.
Norwegian media reported that some of the people in a video of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg posing as a taxi driver were paid for taking part.
Norway’s ruling Labour Party confirmed that 5 of 14 passengers filmed in the cab had each been paid 500 kroner ($85; 64 euros).
But while they had been asked to take part in a Labour video, they were not told what it involved, it said.
Jens Stoltenberg said he wanted to hear from real voters before polls next month.
The prime minister’s party, in power since 2005, is trailing Norway’s Conservative Party in opinion polls.
Some of the people in a video of PM Jens Stoltenberg posing as a taxi driver were paid for taking part
The video, made in collaboration with an advertising company in June, is due to be screened during the election campaign but has already been posted on Jens Stoltenberg’s Facebook page.
News that five of Jens Stoltenberg’s passengers were not picked up at random was revealed by Norway’s Verdens Gang (VG) tabloid.
“They’re five ordinary people who were asked if they wanted to take part in a video for the Labour Party and who knew nothing else, except that they were going to be picked up in a taxi,” party spokeswoman Pia Gulbrandsen said.
“Their spontaneity was real when they realized that the driver was the prime minister.”
None of the passengers had to pay for their ride.
Jens Stoltenberg came in for criticism for his driving, at one point jolting the car abruptly when, he said, he had mistakenly applied the brake pedal on the automatic car, thinking it was the clutch.
The two-term prime minister said he had not driven in eight years.
Paypal founder Elon Musk has revealed plans for a radical new “hyperloop” transport system that could “shoot” passengers 380 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes.
Travellers enter aluminium pods mounted by skis either to their feet or to their cars.
The pods, mounted above the ground on columns 50 to 100 yards apart, travel through steel tubes, reaching speeds of up to 800 mph and travelling on a cushion of air.
Elon Musk, who is also behind electric car firm Tesla and space company SpaceX, says the system could be built for less than a high speed rail link.
He told Bloomberg Business Week the system would be “like getting a ride on Space Mountain at Disneyland”.
“It would have less lateral acceleration – which is what tends to make people feel motion sick – than a subway ride, as the pod banks against the tube like an airplane,” he said.
“It would feel supersmooth.”
“The Hyperloop (or something similar) is, in my opinion, the right solution for the specific case of high traffic city pairs that are less than about 1500 km or 900 miles apart,” Elon Musk claimed.
Elon Musk boasted on Twitter he has been working on the plan all night after promising to release the details today, creating massive speculation online over its technology.
“Pulled all nighter working on Hyperloop (as did others),” he tweeted.
“Hopefully not too many mistakes.”
Elon Musk said he started thinking about the idea when plans for a 130 mph (210 km/h) high-speed train connection between LA and San Francisco were revealed, but now he has detailed his own version on Tesla’s site.
“I originally started thinking about [Hyperloop] when I read about California’s high-speed rail project which was somewhat disappointing,” he told a Google Hangout with Richard Branson last week.
“It’s actually worse than taking the plane. I get a little sad when things are not getting better in the future.
“Another example would be like the Concorde being retired and the fact there is no supersonic passenger transport. I think that is sad. You want the future to be better than the past, or at least I do.”
Elon Musk made his fortune with the internet payment system PayPal before switching his skills into developing the new Falcon rocket system for NASA and the Tesla electric car.
Elon Musk unveils plans for the Hyperloop that will shoot passengers from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes
HE claims Hyperloop would be a practical solution for city pairs separated by 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or less. Beyond this distance, it would be better to take a plane, he explained.
But for the shorter distance, Elon Musk’s new concept would beat the plane, he argues, because it would not waste time ascending and descending.
“You want a transport system that is roughly twice as fast as the next best alternative, that costs less, that is safer, that is not subject to weather and is more convenient,” Elon Musk said.
“If there were such a thing, I think most people would take it. In fact, it would increase the travel between the city pairs because of the increased convenience.”
Experts say Elon Musk’s track record could help the plan become a reality.
“Hyperloop is quite an old science fiction idea but Elon Musk is the sort of man who could make it work,” said physicist Martin Archer from Imperial College London.
“He’s the guy who made electric cars go fast with Tesla, which many people didn’t think would be possible; and he’s the head of SpaceX which is the only commercial rocket builder that has managed to hook up with the International Space Station.”
Elon Musk says he will leave it to others to build the system initially.
“I have to focus on core Tesla business and SpaceX business, and that’s more than enough,” he told investors of Tesla, his electric car firm.
“If nothing happens for a few years, with that I mean maybe it could make sense to make the halfway path with Tesla involvement,” Elon Musk said.
“Hyperloop consists of a low pressure tube with capsules that are transported at both low and high speeds throughout the length of the tube,” Elon Musk said in an exhaustive paper detailing the system posted online.
“The capsules are supported on a cushion of air.”
Each of the capsules is pressurized, and Elon Musk says they have an emergency braking system as well as a reserve air supply in the event of an emergency.
The entrepreneur admits the scheme came from a disdain for current systems.
“When the California <<high speed>> rail was approved, I was quite disappointed, as I know many others were too.
“How could it be that the home of Silicon Valley and JPL – doing incredible things like indexing all the world’s knowledge and putting rovers on Mars – would build a bullet train that is both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world?”
Elon Musk claims the scheme can power itself through solar energy.
“By placing solar panels on top of the tube, the Hyperloop can generate far in excess of the energy needed to operate.
“This takes into account storing enough energy in battery packs to operate at night and for periods of extended cloudy weather,” he claims.
Elon Musk estimates the overall cost of the tube, pillars, vacuum pumps and stations will be $4.06 billion for the passenger version of Hyperloop, and $5.31 billion for the larger version capable of sending cargo and even cars.
Elon Musk says a route from LA to San Francisco could be running within seven years.
“It could happen at least 4-5 years after a working prototype is developed, so 7-10 years away,” he told reporters.
“That’s comparable timing to the rail project.”
Elon Musk also said he may develop a prototype system himself, despite previously claiming he would leave it to others.
“I’ve sort of come around a little bit on my thinking here,” he said.
Haji, best known for her role in the 1965 film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, has died at the age of 67.
The Canadian actress, who was born Barbarella Catton, appeared in several other Russ Meyer films including Motor Psycho and Supervixens.
Haji’s friend, the actress Kitten Natividad, revealed the news on her Facebook page.
“I lost my dear friend Haji…. I Love you and miss you so so much…. RIP,” Kitten Natividad said.
Haji was best known for her role in the 1965 film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Haji was spotted by Russ Meyer working as a dancer in a club and got her to read for a small part in his film Motor Psycho – eventually giving her the starring role.
In an interview Haji admitted she told Russ Meyer she “didn’t know the first thing about acting”.
“He told me, <<Don’t worry baby, just stick with me, I’ll teach you everything>>. So I just sort of did it, I wasn’t terrific, but it was fun,” she said.
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, about three go-go dancers who embark upon a vengeful murder spree, is a favorite of Quentin Tarantino and is still popular on the arthouse film circuit.
Haji also appeared in films including Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Bigfoot and John Cassavetes’ The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
Her last film role was in Killer Drag Queens on Dope in 2003.
Haji was featured as one of the top 1,000 most glamorous women of the 20th Century, in the book Glamorous Girls of the Century by Steve Sullivan. She continued to perform live burlesque shows until last year.
TV drama Breaking Bad has scored its highest audience yet in the US, as the show’s final run begins.
A total of 5.9 million viewers tuned in to cable channel AMC on Sunday night, doubling the audience of the opening episode of the last series.
Breaking Bad has scored its highest audience yet in the US
Only zombie drama The Walking Dead has proved a bigger hit for the channel, pulling in 8.1 million fans earlier this year.
Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston as a chemistry teacher turned meth dealer.
Its audience has grown steadily through word of mouth, DVD sales and critical acclaim. The first series averaged 1.2 million viewers, while the most recent series was seen by 2.6 million.
The gritty drama is not afraid to pull its punches, killing off key players and charting the moral tailspin of Bryan Cranston’s character, Walter White.
Breaking Bad has won five Emmys since it debuted in 2008, and is up for a further eight prizes at this year’s ceremony on September 22.
After Sunday night’s premiere, only seven episodes remain.
Scientists discovered that a surge of electrical activity in the brain could be responsible for the vivid experiences described by near-death survivors.
A study carried out on dying rats found high levels of brainwaves at the point of the animals’ demise.
US researchers said that in humans this could give rise to a heightened state of consciousness.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Jimo Borjigin, of the University of Michigan, said: “A lot of people thought that the brain after clinical death was inactive or hypoactive, with less activity than the waking state, and we show that is definitely not the case.
“If anything, it is much more active during the dying process than even the waking state.”
A surge of electrical activity in the brain could be responsible for the vivid experiences described by near-death survivors
From bright white lights to out-of-body sensations and feelings of life flashing before their eyes, the experiences reported by people who have come close to death but survived are common the world over.
However, studying this in humans is a challenge, and these visions are little understood.
To find out more, scientists at the University of Michigan monitored nine rats as they were dying.
In the 30-second period after the animal’s hearts stopped beating, they measured a sharp increase in high-frequency brainwaves called gamma oscillations.
These pulses are one of the neuronal features that are thought to underpin consciousness in humans, especially when they help to “link” information from different parts of the brain.
In the rats, these electrical pulses were found at even higher levels just after the cardiac arrest than when animals were awake and well.
Dr. Jimo Borjigin said it was feasible that the same thing would happen in the human brain, and that an elevated level of brain activity and consciousness could give rise to near-death visions.
“This can give us a framework to begin to explain these. The fact they see light perhaps indicates the visual cortex in the brain is highly activated – and we have evidence to suggest this might be the case, because we have seen increased gamma in area of the brain that is right on top of the visual cortex,” she said.
“We have seen increased coupling between the lower-frequency waves and the gamma that has been shown to be a feature of visual awareness and visual sensation.”
However, Dr. Jimo Borjigin said that to confirm the findings a study would have to be carried out on humans who have experienced clinical death and have been revived
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won Mali’s presidential election after his rival Soumaila Cisse admitted defeat in the second round.
Ex-Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse said he had congratulated Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and wished him good luck, AFP reported.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 68, served as prime minister from 1994 to 2000.
Mali has suffered a year of unrest including a military coup and a French-led military intervention to oust Islamist rebels from the north.
No official results have yet been released following Sunday’s runoff, however, reports had put Ibrahim Boubacar Keita well ahead.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won Mali’s presidential election after his rival Soumaila Cisse admitted defeat in the second round
In the first round Soumaila Cisse polled just 19% against Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s 40% and most of the other candidates then gave Keita their endorsements.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita – known as IBK – will now oversee more than $4 billion in foreign aid promised to rebuild the West African state.
A 12,600-strong United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma) is currently deploying, as France begins to withdraw its 3,000 troops.
After the first round Soumaila Cisse had complained of widespread fraud, with more than 400,000 ballots declared spoiled.
However, Mali’s Constitutional Court rejected the allegations and the head of the EU election observer mission, Louis Michel, praised the electoral process for its transparency.
On Monday, observers from the EU and the African Union again praised the way the second round was carried out.
“Malians should be congratulated because it seems to me they are regaining control of their democratic destiny, which is in fact nevertheless a tradition that exists in Mali,” said Louis Michel.
Professor Zhang Lin, who built a rock-covered roof-top villa on top of a Beijing high-rise, may have to demolish his house, reports from China say.
The villa, surrounded by rocks, trees and bushes, sits on top of a 26-storey building in Beijing’s Haidian district.
State-run China Daily says it was built without the proper permissions.
Zhang Lin’s villa, surrounded by rocks, trees and bushes, sits on top of a 26-storey building in Beijing’s Haidian district
Residents of the building have told Chinese media they fear the construction of the roof-top house has made the high-rise unsafe.
China Daily identified the owner as the head of a state-run traditional medicine chain.
Citing a statement from Haidian urban management officials, it said that government approval for the house had not been obtained and so a compulsory demolition order had been filed.
Prof. Zhang Lin had 15 days to present documents proving the structure had been approved, the paper said.
Newspaper reports said other residents in the tower block had complained that the villa had damaged pipes and the structural integrity of the building.
The rocks surrounding the sprawling villa are said to be fake but the grass and trees are real.
The Missouri State Fair has banned for life a rodeo clown who donned a mask bearing the likeness of President Barack Obama for a mocking comedy act.
The clown’s act on Saturday night – during which fans were asked whether they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull” – drew swift denunciation.
The Missouri State Fair organizers said on Monday the act was “inappropriate” and apologized for the “unconscionable stunt”.
A spokesman for Gov Jay Nixon said the clown’s act was “deplorable”.
Rodeo clowns are an established part of the sport in the US.
In addition to entertaining the fans with comedy sketches between bull riding and other competitive feats, they distract the bulls once they have thrown their riders, in order to give the cowboys a chance to escape.
The unidentified rodeo clown sparked outrage after impersonating Barack Obama at the Missouri State Fair
The most popular rodeo clowns can take in $2,000 per night at the largest events, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In amateur video taken of the event in Sedalia, Missouri, a performer wearing what appears to be a toothy Barack Obama fright mask, jacket, and straw cowboy hat can be seen standing in the middle of the rodeo arena.
The announcer is heard calling attention to him, at which point a voice cries over the public address system: “I know I’m a clown, he’s just running around acting like one, doesn’t know he is one.”
The unidentified clown’s numerous detractors have insisted rodeo is a competitive sport and a brand of family entertainment, not a political platform.
“All members of the Missouri Rodeo Cowboy Association are very proud of our country and our president,” the association’s board of directors said in a statement.
“This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
State Representative Steve Webb, like Barack Obama a Democrat, suggested the act had “racial overtones”, in an interview with the Kansas City Star.
In 2012, Barack Obama lost the state of Missouri in the US Midwest 54% to 44%. But in 2008, he lost the state by fewer than 4,000 votes.
Lady Gaga’s new single, Applause, has been rushed out after a number of snippets leaked online.
“A pop music emergency is underway,” tweeted Lady Gaga as the single was distributed to iTunes and YouTube.
Applause, Lady Gaga’s first new material since 2011, was originally scheduled for release on August 19.
Leaks are almost a fact of life for today’s pop stars, with Beyonce, Katy Perry and Jay-Z all seeing unauthorized material appear online this year.
Of 2013’s major releases, only David Bowie managed to keep his new album under wraps.
The release of his comeback single, Where Are We Now, on the morning of his 66th birthday came as a surprise to fans and critics around the world.
Lady Gaga’s new single, Applause, has been rushed out after a number of snippets leaked online
Low quality clips from Lady Gaga’s record first began to appear online on Saturday.
“Lord in heaven, why?” Lady Gaga tweeted, blaming hackers for the leak.
“You just couldn’t wait. This is too much for one Saturday.”
At first, Lady Gaga, 27, mobilized fans – asking them to report leaks to her record label – but by Monday evening she had relented and released the song to radio and online stores.
A short burst of robotic pop, Applause has so far received positive reviews.
Calling the single a “throwback” to her earlier material, Rolling Stone said: “Applause is all bouncy disco and simple messages.”
Billboard magazine said it was “built around pulsating synthesizers and morphs into a thrilling dance cut when it circles back to its chorus”.
But Spin magazine said Applause “offers few reasons to clap”, calling the track “bland” and “behind the times”.
Lady Gaga is due to give the first performance of the single at the MTV Awards on August 25.
Lady Gaga’s third album, ARTPOP, will be released in November.
Kris Jenner fired back at Barack Obama after he criticized Kim Kardashian and Kanye West for their opulent lifestyles.
Kris Jenner, 57, during her Kris show on Friday said she disagreed with President Obama that Kim and Kanye have been influencing the younger generation to be obsessed with wealth and money.
Barack Obama, 52, in a recent Kindle Singles interview bemoaned the “change in culture” that has warped the American Dream and referenced the E! network’s popular Keeping Up With The Kardashians show.
“There was not that window into the lifestyles of the rich and famous,” Barack Obama said of his time growing up.
“Kids weren’t monitoring every day what Kim Kardashian was wearing, or where Kanye West was going on vacation, and thinking that somehow that was the mark of success,” said the president, who has twice referred to Kanye West in the past as a jackass.
Kris Jenner countered that she thought it was admirable that people, including a high school graduate such as herself, aspired to obtain great jobs.
“But, I wasn’t aware that you could only set the bar so high and that we could only dream so big,” Kris Jenner told the sympathetic studio audience.
Kris Jenner fired back at Barack Obama after he criticized Kim Kardashian and Kanye West for their opulent lifestyles
Kris Jenner chided the Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate for pointing out that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West live in a 10,000-square-foot house.
“I bet the President has some friends with 10,000 square foot houses and he probably wouldn’t mind going over there when asking them to have a party for campaigning for dollars to run for president,” Kris Jenner said.
Kris Jenner also thought it was strange that Barack Obama was singling out Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
“I find it so odd that he’s picking on Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Well, Kanye West, first of all, doesn’t go on vacation. Ever,” Kris Jenner said.
“And Kim Kardashian is the hardest-working young lady in the world. She never sleeps, she never stops, she never slows down and works so hard for what she’s got,” she added.
Kris Jenner also drew a comparison between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 10,000-square-foot mansion, noting that Barack Obama, “if she’s not mistaken”, lives in the 55,000-square-foot White House.
She also defended the Keeping Up With The Kardashians empire for employing hundreds of workers on the reality show.
It’s not the first time that Barack Obama has hard harsh words for Kanye West.
After the singer upstaged Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Barack Obama famously called him a jackass in an interview.
In the May issue of The Atlantic, Barack Obama said he prefers rapper Jay-Z over Kanye.
The president acknowledged liking Kanye West and the singer’s Chicago roots, but stood by his earlier characterization.
