The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed the royal family hopes Kate Middleton and Prince William’s baby will be born “by the end of the week”.
During a visit to a children’s hospice yesterday, Camilla remarked: “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re all waiting at the end of a telephone.
“I hope by the end of the week he or she will be there.”
Prince Charles and Camilla started their annual summer tour of Devon and Cornwall yesterday in the popular tourist town of Bude.
Many mothers brought their babies to meet them – giving them ample opportunity to greet newborns before Kate gives birth.
Trudi Lindsay, from Bude, said she was “delighted” her three-week-old daughter Ellie-Mae could see the royals.
The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed the royal family hopes Kate Middleton and Prince William’s baby will be born by the end of the week
“I said <<You have got one of these coming soon>> and Charles replied <<Hopefully>>, then he laughed.
“He was very good with Ellie-Mae, he touched her cheek. I still can’t believe Prince Charles touched my baby’s cheek.
“It is really exciting to have them here in Bude, especially as the weather is so nice.”
Jenny Dawe, 62, who works in a local shop, showed the royals her selection of cards.
“I said <<You will need a new baby card soon>> and they laughed,” Jenny Dawe said.
New parents Poppy and Paul Steen brought their five-day-old son Lowen to meet Prince Charles and Camilla.
Paul Steen, 33, said: “We’ve had quite a busy few days. Lowen wasn’t supposed to be born today but he came on Wednesday and I had to deliver him at home.
“The midwife did joke that he might arrive on the same day as Kate’s and we might get a commemorative coin but Lowen wasn’t waiting for that.”
Senior royals will be the first to know when Kate Middleton is admitted to the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in the early stages of labor.
Four of the jurors in the George Zimmerman trial have banded together to separate themselves from juror B37 who helped acquit the neighborhood watchman for the killing of Trayvon Martin.
The group released a joint statement after juror B37 spoke to CNN about their closed-door sessions after the trial.
“The opinions of Juror B37, expressed on the Anderson Cooper show were her own, and not in any way representative of the jurors listed below,” they said in the statement released Tuesday night.
In an effort to maintain their privacy, the four women identified themselves only as B51, B76, E6 and E40. One juror, B29, did not sign the document.
“Serving on this jury has been a highly emotional and physically draining experience for each of us,” the statement read.
“The death of a teenager weighed heavily on our hearts but in the end we did what the law required us to do.”
Even though they stepped away from juror B37’s claims, all six of the women had to agree on the not guilty verdict before it was announced on Saturday night.
One of juror B37’s most controversial claims in the Anderson Cooper interview was that Trayvon Martin “played a huge role in his death”.
“When George confronted him he could have walked away and gone home,” the woman said in the second portion of her post-trial interview.
While she was apologetic to Trayvon Martin’s family, she seemed more sympathetic to George Zimmerman’s position in the midst of the fight, as opposed to Martin’s own self defense.
“I have no doubt that George feared for his life,” she said to CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Four of the jurors in the George Zimmerman trial released a joint statement after juror B37 spoke to CNN about their closed-door sessions after the trial
“I’m 101% that he should have done what he did except for the things that he did before,” she said, referencing George Zimmerman’s decision to follow Trayvon Martin in his car and, fatefully, get out of the car and confront him.
While George Zimmerman himself never took the stand in his own defense, video recordings of him explaining the situation to police after the fatal shooting were submitted, effectively giving him the chance to tell his side without leaving himself open to a cross examination.
That was no matter for the juror: “I’m sure there were some fabrications, enhancements, but I think pretty much it happened how he said it happened.”
Initially this unidentified female juror was planning on writing a book about her experience on the trial- and even had a literary agent lined up early Monday afternoon- but after the first portion of her interview was aired that evening she and the agent decided not to follow up.
The second portion of B37’s interview was aired on Tuesday, and she went into more detail about how two specific tact used by the prosecution may have influenced the outcome.
Throughout her interview with Anderson Cooper, the woman regularly referred to the neighborhood watchman as George, and though she did call the 17-year-old Trayvon, she admitted that she felt more personally connected to George Zimmerman as opposed to Trayvon Martin.
“Trayvon wasn’t as well known to us because there wasn’t as much said about him,” she said.
Anderson Cooper brought up the fact that the two legal teams took very different visual approaches when making their closing arguments, with the defense holding up a concrete block like a portion of the sidewalk to show what they contend Trayvon Martin used to attack. On the opposite end, the prosecution held up the Arizona Iced Tea bottle and a bag of Skittles, saying that was the only thing he was armed with.
“The Skittles and the Arizona can were ridiculous to even compare it to,” she said.
“I believe he hit his head on the concrete, I believe he was trying to slam it…it was definitely enough to make you fear.
“I hope [George Zimmerman’s] family can live a normal life after a while. I don’t know how he’s ever going to do that.”
Yesterday it was revealed that the first vote that the six-woman jury took behind closed doors came as a draw, with three wanting to acquit, one ready to charge him with second degree murder and two for manslaughter.
In today’s segment, she made it clear that after hours of discussing the case and the evidence, the group had shifted to be five in favor of acquittal with one hold out.
“I wanted to find him guilty of not using his senses…you can’t charge him with anything because he didn’t do anything unlawful,” she said.
Juror B37 went on to sob while saying that she wanted to apologize to the Martin family for the tragedy that they had to go through, but she also had a message for George Zimmerman and his family- after it was revealed yesterday that his parents have been in hiding as well as the former neighborhood watchman and his wife.
“I hope his family can live a normal life after a while. I don’t know how he ever going to do that. He’ll never forget but I hope he can,” she said.
Juror B37’s interview aired just minutes before four of the remaining five jurors put out a statement saying that they want to remain anonymous and are formally requesting privacy.
According to new reports, Cory Monteith hid his deadly drug addiction even from those closest to him.
Cory Monteith’s ex-girlfriend, Mallory Matoush, told Us Weekly, that the Glee star was “just a happy guy” and that she saw no sign of the addiction that would ultimately claim his life.
“Cory kept me in the dark about his drug use,” Mallory Matoush told the magazine.
Cory Monteith’s ex-girlfriend Mallory Matoush says the Glee star was “just a happy guy” and that she saw no sign of the addiction that would ultimately claim his life
“He told me about his teenage days and his past problems but he never used anything in front of me, ever.”
“He was always so silly and funny,” she added, explaining that she only ever saw him drink and then never to excess.
Cory Monteith and Mallory Matoush met June 2011 and dated for eight or nine months.
“Cory was so normal. I didn’t even know who he was when I met him,” she recalled.
Mallory Matoush added: “I had to Google it because after the first night I stayed with him, I was on my way out of his hotel and there was a crowd of young girls waiting for him. They asked me if I had seen Cory Monteith inside the hotel and I was so confused.”
Cory Monteith was found on Saturday in his hotel room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver.
The Canadian actor – who completed a stint of rehab in April for substance addiction – was last pictured with his girlfriend Lea Michele just last month.
The news was confirmed by Vancouver Police at a press conference on Saturday night.
It’s been confirmed that Cory Monteith died from a “mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol”.
Cory Monteith had checked into the hotel on July 6 and had been due to check out on Saturday.
However, video footage had shown Cory Monteith returning to his room by himself after an evening out with friends on Friday.
The latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has caused outrage online.
Thousands of people posted on social media networks calling it “tasteless” and “disgusting”.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection to the bombings in April, is profiled in the forthcoming issue.
The image, which Dzhokhar Tsarnaev posted online himself, has also featured on the front page of the New York Times.
“What a disgrace, trying to make [Dzhokhar Tsarnaev] look like a rock star. Horrible,” Steve Simon posted on Rolling Stone‘s Facebook page, where more than 5,400 people have commented in the 12 hours since the cover was revealed online.
Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has caused outrage online
On Twitter people said the picture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev looked similar to an old cover featuring singer Jim Morrison of The Doors.
Singer Pink re-tweeted a message by radio presenter Ted Stryker who wrote: “Horrible, classless, stupid choice Rolling Stone. It’s not smart or edgy. Very disappointed.”
Boston punk band Dropkick Murphys, who recently donated $300,000 to victims of the bombings, also expressed their anger.
“Rolling Stone you should be ashamed,” the band tweeted.
“How about one of the courageous victims on your cover instead of this loser scum bag!”
Janet Reitman, Rolling Stone‘s contributing editor, spent two months interviewing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s friends and family as the basis of the article.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, faces 30 counts of using a weapon of mass destruction in the two 15 April blasts that killed three, including an eight-year-old boy.
More than 260 people were injured at the Boston Marathon when two pressure cooker bombs packed with nails, ball bearings and other shrapnel were detonated at the finish line.
It was the worst mass-casualty attack on US soil since 9/11.
Prosecutors could press for the death penalty for 17 counts.
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been indicted by German prosecutors on a bribery charge.
The charge relates to a $44 million payment to a German banker, Gerhard Gribkowsky of Bayern Landesbank. It was linked to the sale of a stake in F1.
Bernie Ecclestone said he had paid Gerhard Gribkowsky to avoid a UK tax inquiry into the sale of Formula 1 in 2006, but denied the payments were bribes.
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been indicted by German prosecutors on a bribery charge
Gerhard Gribkowsky was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail in Munich.
Speaking to the Financial Times on Wednesday, Bernie Ecclestone said: “I have just spoken to my lawyers and they have received an indictment. It’s being translated into English.”
Asked how he responded to the indictment, he said: “We are defending it properly. It will be an interesting case. It’s a pity it’s happened.”
Bernie Ecclestone said it was “inevitable” that the indictment had been served.
“If someone wants to sue you, they can do it and you have to defend it,” he said.
In 2006, Gerhard Gribkowsky was in charge of managing the sale of regional bank BayernLB’s 48% stake in Formula 1 to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which meant the firm owned most of the sport.
CVC has since reduced its stake in a series of deals.
In evidence to a Munich court in June last year, Gerhard Gribkowsky admitted that prosecution claims he had corruptly received $41.4 million in bank commissions, and a large payment via a family trust from Bernie Ecclestone, were “essentially true”.
In his testimony, Bernie Ecclestone said he had been worried that if he had not paid the money, Gerhard Gribkowsky would have alerted the UK tax authorities to “things” that might have led to a tax inquiry.
“The only alternative was that the British tax authorities followed a case that would have been very expensive for me,” said Bernie Ecclestone at the time.
“The tax risk would have exceeded £2 billion. I paid him to keep calm and not to do silly things.”
Vatican has announced it is offering “indulgences” to followers of Pope Francis’ tweets.
The church’s granted indulgences reduce the time Catholics believe they will have to spend in purgatory after they have confessed and been absolved of their sins.
The remissions got a bad name in the Middle Ages because unscrupulous churchmen sold them for large sums of money. But now indulgences are being applied to the 21st century.
However, a senior Vatican official warned web-surfing Catholics that indulgences still required a dose of old-fashioned faith, and that paradise was not just a few mouse clicks away.
“You can’t obtain indulgences like getting a coffee from a vending machine,” Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the pontifical council for social communication, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
Indulgences these days are granted to those who carry out certain tasks – such as climbing the Sacred Steps, in Rome (reportedly brought from Pontius Pilate’s house after Jesus scaled them before his crucifixion), a feat that earns believers seven years off purgatory.
But attendance at events such as the Catholic World Youth Day, in Rio de Janeiro, a week-long event starting on July 22, can also win an indulgence.
Vatican has announced it is offering “indulgences” to followers of Pope Francis’ tweets
Mindful of the faithful who cannot afford to fly to Brazil, the Vatican’s sacred apostolic penitentiary, a court which handles the forgiveness of sins, has also extended the privilege to those following the “rites and pious exercises” of the event on television, radio and through social media.
“That includes following Twitter,” said a source at the penitentiary, referring to Pope Francis’ Twitter account, which has gathered seven million followers.
“But you must be following the events live. It is not as if you can get an indulgence by chatting on the internet.”
In its decree, the penitentiary said that getting an indulgence would hinge on the beneficiary having previously confessed and being “truly penitent and contrite”.
Praying while following events in Rio de Janeiro online would need to be carried out with “requisite devotion”, it suggested.
Apart from the papal Twitter account, the Vatican has launched an online news portal supported by an app, a Facebook page, and it plans to use the online social networking site Pinterest.
“What really counts is that the tweets the Pope sends from Brazil or the photos of the Catholic World Youth Day that go up on Pinterest produce authentic spiritual fruit in the hearts of everyone,” said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli.
Cory Monteith will be remembered as the leading man of hit TV show Glee, but the actor had other projects in the works when he tragically died at the tender age of 31 on Saturday following a heroin and alcohol overdose.
Cory Mnteith shot a starring role in All The Wrong Reasons before his untimely death, and in the wake of the tragedy, film stills from the movie have been released.
He can be seen in character as James Ascher, a store manager, in the images from the comedy/drama.
In the pictures, James Ascher navigates the store he works in while dressed in shirts, ties and smart trousers, along with spectacles and a name tag.
The plot follows Cory Monteith’s character while his wife, played by Karine Vanasse, suffers from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Cory Mnteith shot a starring role in All The Wrong Reasons before his untimely death
The ensemble movie centres around four everyday people: Cory Monteith’s store manager character, a security guard, a firefighter and a clerk, as they deal with life after a trauma.
All The Wrong Reasons will be making its debut at the film festivals when they kick off in autumn.
It is one of two movies that Cory Monteith was working on when he passed away in his Vancouver hotel room over the weekend.
Cory Monteith also portrays a drug addicted street hustler in his final role in McCanick.
And according to the movie’s director Josh Waller, the experience helped Cory Monteith come to terms with his own battle with substance and alcohol abuse.
“He looked at it as an artistic experience but also something of a cathartic experience,” Josh Waller said.
When Cory Monteith saw the final cut, the actor was “moved, emotionally”, Josh Waller told Us Weekly.
“He sent me a really beautiful email that evening just stating how much excitement he had and how much pride he had on the work that he had done,” said the director.
“Which I’m glad, because I know I thought he did an incredible job… And you know sometimes for actors it’s hard to watch themselves on screen or to acknowledge when they’ve done a good job, and he didn’t come right out and say, <<I did great!>>. But he was very proud.”
It’s not clear when or how the film will be released as it doesn’t yet have a distributor, according to the LA Times.
After Cory Monteith’s cause of death was announced by the coroner, his girlfriend Lea Michele issued a statement via her representative to People.
“Lea is deeply grateful for all the love and support she’s received from family, friends, and fans,” the statement reads.
“Since Cory’s passing, Lea has been grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them.
“They are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss together. We continue to ask the media to respect the privacy of Lea and Cory’s family.”
Emma Roberts was arrested for domestic violence for allegedly hitting her boyfriend Evan Peters.
The niece of Julia Roberts was taken into custody on July 7 in Montreal, Canada, after getting into a fight with her beau that left Evan Peters bloody, according toTMZ.
Police were called after someone reported a fight in the couple’s hotel room and found Evan Peters, 26, with a bloody nose.
Emma Roberts, 22, was released hours after her arrest because Evan Peters declined to press charges, according to TMZ‘s report.
Emma Roberts was arrested for domestic violence for allegedly hitting her boyfriend Evan Peters
Evan Peters and Emma Roberts were said to be hitting each other and she was arrested because he had obvious physical injuries, a source told the website.
A law enforcement source said Evan Peters also had a bite mark, but a source close to Emma Roberts denied the actress bit him.
Emma Roberts and Evan Peters are now reportedly back together and are working on Peters’ hit show American Horror Story.
The pair met last year on the set of Adult World and have been spotted in public displays of affection since becoming a couple.
Evan Peters has called Emma Roberts “the love of my life” and stars in FX’s hit horror show while his girlfriend has a recurring role.
Emma Roberts is the daughter of Eric Roberts, an actor best known for his work in 1985’s Runaway Train and his troubles with drug abuse.
At least 22 children have died and dozens more have fallen sick in India’s eastern state of Bihar after eating a tainted school meal.
The poisoning occurred at a government school in the village of Masrakh in Saran district.
India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme provides free food to try to boost attendance, but often suffers from poor hygiene.
Angry parents joined protests against the deaths, setting at least four police vehicles on fire.
An inquiry has begun and 200,000 rupees ($3,370) in compensation offered to the families of each of the dead.
Twenty-eight sick children were taken to hospitals in the nearby town of Chhapra and the state capital, Patna, after the incident.
A total of 47 students of a primary school in Dharmasati Gandaman village fell sick on Tuesday after eating the free lunch.
There are fears the number of dead could rise as some of the children, all below the age of 12, are critically ill.
Mid-Day Meal is the world’s largest school feeding programme, reaching 120 million children in 1.2 million schools across India
The father of one sick child, Raja Yadav, said his son had been vomiting after returning from school and had to be rushed to hospital.
The state education minister, PK Shahi, said a preliminary investigation indicated that the food was contaminated with traces of phosphorous.
“The doctors who have attended are of the tentative opinion that the smell coming out of the bodies of the children suggests that the food contained organo-phosphorus, which is a poisonous substance,” he said.
“Now the investigators have to find out whether organo-phosphorus was accidental or there was some deliberate mischief.”
Earlier, doctors treating the patients had said “food poisoning” was the cause of the deaths.
“We suspect it to be poisoning caused by insecticides in vegetable or rice,” said Amarjeet Sinha, a senior education official.
A doctor treating the children at a hospital in Patna said contaminated vegetable oil could have led to the poisoning.
Patna-based journalist Amarnath Tewary says villagers told local reporters that similar cases of food poisoning after having Mid-Day Meals had taken place in the area previously.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called an emergency meeting and ordered a team of forensic experts to the school.
Bihar is one of India’s poorest and most populous states.
The Mid-Day Meal is the world’s largest school feeding programme, reaching 120 million children in 1.2 million schools across the country, according to the government.
PK Shahi acknowledged “that food is not being checked before it is being served”.
He added that “the scale at which the operation is being carried out, serving food to 20 million children every day and that too in remotest village schools, checking food before it is served – that itself is a challenge”.
The Mid-Day Meal was first introduced for poor and disadvantaged children in the southern city of Chennai in 1925.
A new viral video clip shows Ahmed Ali, an incredibly smart 12-year-old Egyptian boy, excruciating the Muslim Brotherhood and relentlessly dissecting their power grab for Egypt.
The boy in the video shrugs and gesticulates, the familiar words tumbling forth – the constitution, the social objectives of the revolution, the problems of the “fascist theocracy”.
In the background is a sight now equally familiar: a demonstration with people milling around, waving Egyptian flags, engaging in the on-again, off-again struggle to redefine the most-populous Arab country in the way they see fit. In Egypt, whose divisions have in the past week deepened into street fighting between supporters of an elected Islamist government and the military who have deposed them, politics has become part of daily life.
Ahmed Ali, an incredibly smart 12-year-old Egyptian boy, excruciating the Muslim Brotherhood and relentlessly dissecting their power grab for Egypt
For children like this boy, identified in a video uploaded to YouTube by El Wadi newspaper as Ahmed Ali, aged about 12, it also seems to have become part of their upbringing. In the video, which was posted in October last year, Ahmed Ali explains why he has come to the demonstration.
“I’m here to prevent Egypt from becoming a commodity owned by one person and to protest the confiscation of the constitution by a single party,” Ahmed Ali declares.
According to a translation on the pro-secularist website Free Arabs, which posted the video in March, Ahmed Ali dismisses the government, then dominated by Islamist parties, as attempting to “enforce extremist regulations in the name of religion”.
As the world has been mesmerized by Egypt’s metamorphosis in the past two weeks from an Islamist-led democracy to a country where a huge popular movement led to a military decision to depose President Mohamed Morsi, the video has gone viral, with hundreds of thousands watching it. Some commenters are cynical the child could have come up with his analysis on his own, but others seem inspired.
When it was first posted, the comments reflected a divided country. One disapproving viewer said the boy’s mother should, “have some fear of God. I would advise you to teach your child how to defend Islam”. Another was jubilantly supportive: “The president of Egypt in the future, inshallah!”
Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old woman from northwest China, died after being electrocuted while using her iPhone 5, her family has claimed.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her handset to answer a call last Thursday when she received an electric shock, police said Sunday, in reports carried by the state-run Xinhua news agency. “(I) hope that Apple Inc can give us an explanation. I also hope that all of you will refrain from using your mobile devices while charging,” the older sister of victim said on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
Ma Ailun, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, was picking up her iPhone 5 to answer a call when she received an electric shock
The post has gone viral online, with many forwarding the message and warning others of the dangers of using mobile devices while they are being charged.
Ailun’s father, Ma Guanghui, confirmed that his daughter was electrocuted, adding that her body showed signs of electrocution.
Ma Ailun’s sister said she hopes to seek justice from Apple.
Apple said Sunday the company felt “deeply sorry for the unfortunate accident” and expressed condolence to the victim and her family.
The company said it would have a thorough probe into the case.
Kanye West’s A.P.C. menswear collection sold out within a matter of hours after it went on sale on the brand’s website – and the heavy stream of traffic even caused the site to crash.
The collaboration – which features T-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans priced between $120 and $280 – was available for pre-order, and it is not known when a second drop of products will be expected.
APC creative director Jean Touitou, who worked with Kanye West on the new collection, toldW Magazinethat because of Kanye West’s “strong obsessions”, it took two years to create just three items.
“Basically, he wants to redo the whole universe,” explained Jean Touitou.
“When we finally finished this collection, I felt like, Okay, if I made this happen, then I can achieve peace in the Middle East.”
Kanye West’s A.P.C. menswear collection sold out within a matter of hours after it went on sale on the brand’s website
Jean Touitou said the resulting jeans, T-shirt and hoodie are “precious” pieces to both he and Kanye West “because it took time and thoughts to get there”.
He admitted to GQthat he had no idea who Kanye West was when they first met more than two years ago.
“A visitor to the A.P.C. studio was announced to me as <<Kenny>>. He wanted my advice on the fashion industry. . . He had nice manners and spoke about losing his mother in a surgery accident, about losing his girlfriend too, and about how difficult doing the right thing in fashion was.
“After a while, I was curious to know what this gentleman was currently doing in his life. I simply asked him: <<May I know what your trade is, sir?>> He took his shades down, so that finally I could see his eyes, and answered me: <<I am a hip hop artist>>.”
The collaboration between Kanye West and Jean Touitou was announced on last weekend via the APC Instagram feed, with an image of blue jeans featuring a red label bearing the words “A.P.C. KANYE”.
The caption read: “A.P.C. KANYE CAPSULE COLLECTION, JULY 14. #apc #kanyewest [sic].”
According to People magazine, APC has restocked some items and is accepting pre-orders for other sold-out items.
The A.P.C. collaboration follows the launch of Kanye West’s high-end womenswear line, which was widely panned by critics when it launched in 2011.
Kanye West, 36, who moved to Rome to work as an intern for Fendi as part of his research, was accused of “lack[ing in] creative marksmanship” and his efforts a “stupendously vacuous enterprise”.
His follow-up collections have since received a warmer reception, though Kanye West believes that the press has it the wrong way around.
“The first collection was way better than the second,” he said.
“It was more artful. It was 30 collections in one. It just takes time for me to slow down and think like a normal person.”
Cuba has admitted providing a stash of weapons found on board a North Korean ship seized in the Panama Canal.
The Cuban foreign ministry said the ship was carrying obsolete Soviet-era arms from Cuba for repair in North Korea.
The North Korean ship was seized by Panama last week after “undeclared military cargo” was found hidden in a shipment of sugar.
United Nations sanctions prohibit the supply of arms to North Korea in the dispute over its nuclear programme.
Cuba has admitted providing a stash of weapons found on board a North Korean ship seized in the Panama Canal
A Cuban foreign ministry statement said Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to “peace, disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, and respect for international law”.
It said the vessel was carrying 240 tonnes of obsolete defensive weapons – two anti-aircraft missile complexes, nine missiles in parts and spares, two MiG-21bis fighter planes and 15 MiG engines.
The Cuban statement said they were all made in the mid-20th Century and were to be repaired and returned to Cuba.
“The agreements subscribed by Cuba in this field are supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty,” the statement went on.
Cuba said the ship’s main cargo was 10,000 tonnes of sugar.
The vessel, called Chong Chon Gang, left Russia’s far east on April 12 and travelled across the Pacific Ocean before entering the canal at the start of June, with Cuba as its stated destination.
Panamanian officials said the ship was carrying a cargo of sheet metal on its journey through the canal.
However, the vessel disappeared from satellite tracking systems after it left the Caribbean side of the canal, resurfacing on July 11.
Experts say this may indicate that the crew switched off the system that automatically communicates details of their location.
Panamanian officials tried to communicate with the vessel, suspecting it could be carrying illegal goods initially thought to be drugs.
The crew did not respond, so the ship was boarded and the weaponry was uncovered.
North Korea and Cuba are both nominally communist states and are known to have relatively close relations.
A high-level military delegation from North Korea visited at the end of June and was received by President Raul Castro.
Cuban media said they discussed “the historical ties that unite the two nations and the common will to continue strengthening them”.
Arms trafficking expert Hugh Griffiths told the BBC the ship’s voyage could be seen in the wider context of renewed military co-operation between the two nations.
Announcing the seizure of the vessel on Tuesday, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli said it contained suspected “sophisticated missile equipment”.
Ricardo Martinelli posted on his Twitter account an image of a large green object inside a cargo container.
However, the Cuban statement suggests that the cargo was five decades old Soviet-era weaponry.
Panamanian officials said they had so far searched just one of the ship’s five container sections, and a full inspection would take at least a week.
The crew faces possible charges of illegal weapons smuggling in Panama.
Ricardo Martinelli said the 35-strong crew had resisted the search and the captain had tried to kill himself.
The US “commended” Panama for its actions, and said it strongly supported a full inspection of the ship.
The vessel was stopped near Manzanillo on the Atlantic side of the canal last week.
Kim Kardashian has apparently made her first public appearance after the birth of her daughter North West.
Kim Kardashian, 32, had been keeping a low profile over the last month while she settled into motherhood with baby North West, who she gave birth to on June 15.
She was allegedly spotted as she tried to travel incognito in her nanny’s car in Southern California.
An onlooker told Radar Online: “Kim looks amazing, she really does. She’s dropped a lot of the baby weight already.
It appears that Kim Kardashian tried to travel incognito in her nanny’s car in Southern California
“Not to say she still doesn’t have a ways to go, but she looked slim and was glowing.”
Kim Kardashian and boyfriend Kanye West are yet to give the world a first glimpse of their baby daughter North and the star made sure no one caught a peek during the outing.
The source continued: “As for the baby, Kim and her helper kept a blanket over North’s car seat so nobody could catch a glimpse.”
Kim Kardashian’s outing is the first time she has been spotted in public since giving birth to baby North prematurely, but reports suggest the normally publicity eager star has been getting claustrophobic at home.
A source said: “Kim is excited to have the whole world see her baby, she is saying that she knows that everyone will love her as much as she does and she wants people to see how beautiful she is.”
It was not, however, little North West’s first reported outing.
It was claimed earlier this month that Kim Kardashian took her newborn to stepfather Bruce Jenner’s Malibu beach house where he was hosting a family Fourth of July party.
The world is waiting with bated breath for Kim Kardashian to be photographed with her youngster for the first time, after they were released from hospital together on June 21.
Lindsay Lohan is reportedly negotiating a $2 million deal for reality TV series on Oprah Winfrey’s network.
Lindsay Lohan, 27, has allegedly been negotiating the lucrative deal for the past four months, managing to wrangle the huge sum for spilling her secrets in an eight-part documentary for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN.
According to TMZ.com, when Lindsay Lohan films the TV specials – after she completes her court ordered 90-day stint in rehab next month – she will be given two assistants to wait on her hand and foot as well as a personal stylist to ensure she looks her best on set.
The series will focus on Lindsay Lohan’s past struggles with addictions and fame, as well as her film career and her hopes for the future.
Lindsay Lohan is said to have signed the deal with Oprah Winfrey at the Betty Ford Clinic last month – from which she has subsequently been transferring from – even before she was properly on the road to recovery.
Lindsay Lohan negotiates $2 million deal for docu-series on Oprah Winfrey’s network
Her mother, Dina Lohan, is thrilled her daughter is set to follow in the footsteps of Lance Armstrong and Rihanna by being given a chance to tell Oprah Winfrey her story.
Dina Lohan recently gushed: “Oh, it’s fantastic. If anyone is going to help mentor you, it’s going to be Oprah.”
Oprah Winfrey’s network announced the news on Friday that it would be airing an eight party reality series after Lindsay Lohan emerges from court enforced rehab.
In an attempt to distance the program from the negative connections connected to reality television, OWN have dubbed the eight-part television event a docu-series.
Entertainment Weekly revealed that the cable channel had not only secured the rights to the first interview with Lindsay Lohan after she finishes her 90-day stint at the Ciffside centre in Malibu, California, but the likely to be highly anticipated series as well.
A spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey’s network told Entertainment Weekly: “OWN will air an exclusive interview with Oprah and Lindsay Lohan that will tape and air in August.”
Lindsay Lohan’s fans will have to wait a lot longer for the docu-series, with the spokesperson confirming it will not air until 2014.
However, those expecting an inside view of the shambles the star’s life has become since her multiple arrests may be disappointed.
The eight-part series is sold as more of an inspirational show than a side show, described as following “the actress as she works to rebuild her career and stay healthy”.
Lindsay Lohan, who turned 27 last week, is set for release from rehab on July 31.
Egypt’s interim government has been sworn in, with army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi, becoming deputy PM as well as defense minister.
Hazem al-Beblawi is the new prime minister, under the interim President Adly Mansour.
The swearing in followed another night of violence between security forces and Mohamed Morsi supporters that left seven dead.
A spokesman for Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood called the interim government “illegitimate”.
Mohamed Morsi was ousted on July 3 in what many have said was a military coup.
The army said it was fulfilling the demands of the people after mass anti-Morsi protests.
The swearing-in ceremony was shown live on state television.
Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi already held the defense portfolio, but now also becomes interim prime minister.
Mohammed Ibrahim, who had been appointed interior minister by Mohamed Morsi, keeps his post.
Egypt’s interim government has been sworn in, with army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi becoming deputy PM as well as defense minister
Nabil Fahmy becomes foreign minister and Sherif Ismail is the interim oil minister. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, a Christian, is the interim trade and industry minister.
There are three women ministers, including Maha el-Rabat, who takes the health portfolio.
There were no posts for any figures from Islamist parties in the new government. The Brotherhood had said it would not take part.
Its spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, told Reuters news agency: “It’s an illegitimate government, an illegitimate prime minister, an illegitimate cabinet. We don’t recognize anyone in it.”
The interim government’s transition plan will see a panel formed by next week which will draw up amendments to the constitution and a timetable for new elections.
The swearing-in ceremony comes amid continuing deadly violence.
More than 400 people were arrested and seven killed in overnight clashes in the capital, Cairo.
The battles erupted after protesters, mostly members of the Muslim Brotherhood, blocked the Sixth of October bridge, a major route over the Nile and through the capital, and the nearby Ramses Square, a transport hub.
Police fired tear gas to try to break up the blockade. Protesters responded by throwing stones. Other clashes broke out in the Giza district, in the south-west.
The head of Egypt’s emergency services, Mohamed Sultan, said two people had died on or around the bridge and five in Giza.
State media quoted health ministry official Khaled al-Khatib as saying that 261 people were injured in the clashes, which lasted into the early hours of Tuesday.
Khaled al-Khatib said 124 people were still in hospital.
Mohamed Sultan said security personnel were among the casualties.
State media later quoted officials as saying 401 people had been arrested for “provoking unrest”.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood said security forces had used live ammunition, and accused them of attacking a peaceful protest.
On Tuesday, Egypt’s military spokesman, Col. Ahmed Mohamed Ali, denied that the army had used excessive force.
Col. Ahmed Mohamed Ali said the army had handed over its political role to the new interim government, adding: “We are not seeking to rule.”
The clashes came as senior US envoy William Burns visited Egypt.
He met interim leaders but was snubbed by rival groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
William Burns described the events of the past two weeks as a “second chance to realize the promise of the revolution” that ended the authoritarian presidency of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Cory Monteith’s autopsy report has revealed the star died from a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol.
Glee star Cory Monteith, who was found dead in his hotel room on Saturday at the age of 31, died from a “mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol”, according to authorities.
The British Columbia Coroners Service revealed the autopsy results on Tuesday.
It follows claims Cory Monteith led a “double life” as a hard-worker when in Los Angeles, and a substance-abuser whenever he would return to his native Canada.
The BC Coroners Service added that the investigation into his death is continuing, and that no further details were available at this time.
Cory Monteith’s autopsy report has revealed the star died from a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol
It was noted that at this stage there is still no evidence to suggest that Cory Monteith’s death was “anything other than a tragic accident”.
It was also confirmed that Cory Monteith’s family have been made aware of the circumstances surrounding the death.
Cory Monteith, who checked into rehab in March, managed to stay clean while on the Glee set, but his resolve to stay sober weakened whenever he visited Vancouver, a source told TMZ.
According to sources, Cory Monteith’s girlfriend and Glee co-star Lea Michele, along with the rest of the hit television show’s cast, were aware of his addiction problems and worked hard to keep him clean and sober.
Cory Monteith allegedly never showed up for work under the influence of drugs or alcohol and abstained from these substances “most of the time”.
But his life in Canada painted a different picture.
Cory Monteith allegedly returned to his hometown of Vancouver often, and surrounded himself with friends who fueled his addiction.
Drugs and alcohol were reportedly “always involved”.
His family is said to have been aware that he reverted back to his hard-partying ways in the North American city, but they were unable to help.
Cory Monteith’s family members reportedly became “alarmed” recently at his behavior and tried to come to his aid, but he grew “distant”.
Justin Bieber is in trouble again being accused of spitting in an Ohio man’s face.
Justin Bieber, 19, allegedly confronted the man inside a bar over the weekend because he thought he was taking pictures of the singer.
Justin Bieber has been accused of spitting in an Ohio man’s face in a nightclub
“He called my mom something, called my dad something, called me something…and spit in my face,” said the man – a DJ who performed at the Social Room on Park Street in Columbus on Saturday – according to TMZ.
“Two of Bieber’s bouncers approached me and said I was trying to take pictures of Bieber,” said the man, who called in to the Dave and Jimmy radio show on WNCI to explain what happened.
The man said he thought Justin Bieber was concerned because it was an over 21 nightclub.
Justin Bieber’s bouncers grabbed his phone and started scrolling through it looking for photographs, said the man, but they didn’t find any.
And yet, the man claimed, the bouncers told Justin Bieber he was trying to take the pictures.
That’s when Justin Bieber allegedly confronted the man and proceeded to spit in his face.
According to TMZ, the man plans on filing charges and was also tested for Hepatitis, but the tests came back negative.
A spokesperson for Justin Bieber had no comment, but a source close to the popstar said: “Everything’s been going well on tour. It’s sad that people would copycat other bogus stories to gain attention for themselves.”
This isn’t the first time Justin Bieber has been accused of spitting in someone’s face.
He allegedly threatened to kill his neighbor in Calabasas before spitting at him.
Justin Bieber had been driving his Ferrari around his gated community in Calabasas a great speed when a neighbor reportedly complained.
Chaz Bono’s recent effort to lose weight and tone up has paid off as he’s been showing off a slimmer figure over the last couple of months.
Wearing a pair of bright red sports shorts, Chaz Bono, 44, looked like he was enjoying a casual day which involved a spot of shopping.
Chaz Bono’s recent effort to lose weight and tone up has paid off as he’s been showing off a slimmer figure over the last couple of months
As he retrieved a number of shopping bags from his car without his top on, his tattooed torso could be seen as well as the scars on his chest.
The only child of music legends Sonny and Cher, Chaz Bono was spotted earlier this year looking slightly worse for wear after suffering injuries whilst shedding 60 lbs of weight.
However, with the injuries behind him the Dancing With The Stars contestant certainly has managed to keep off the weight.
This has no doubt been helped by him starring in a 30 minute musical adaptation of Independence Day alongside Brooke Seguin, that certainly keeps him on his toes.
According to new reports, Glee star Cory Monteith led a “double life”.
Cory Monteith, who was found dead in his hotel room on Saturday at the age of 31, was allegedly a hard-worker when in Los Angeles, and a substance-abuser whenever he would return to his native Canada, according to TMZ.
Cory Monteith, who checked into rehab in March, managed to stay clean while on the Glee set, but his resolve to stay sober weakened whenever he visited Vancouver, a source told the website.
According to sources, Cory Monteith’s girlfriend and Glee costar Lea Michele, along with the rest of the hit television show’s cast, were aware of his addiction problems and worked hard to keep him clean and sober.
Cory Monteith allegedly never showed up for work under the influence of drugs or alcohol and abstained from these substances “most of the time”.
Cory Monteith was allegedly a hard-worker when in Los Angeles, and a substance-abuser whenever he would return to his native Canada
But his life in Canada painted a different picture.
Cory Monteith allegedly returned to his hometown of Vancouver often, and surrounded himself with friends who fueled his addiction.
Drugs and alcohol were reportedly “always involved”.
Cory Monteith’s family is said to have been aware that he reverted back to his hard-partying ways in the North American city, but they were unable to help.
His family members reportedly became “alarmed” recently at his behavior and tried to come to his aid, but he grew “distant”.
But another website claims Cory Monteith attended a number of Alcoholic Anonymous meetings shortly before he died.
A source close to the actor told gossip website RadarOnline.com: “Cory went to AA meetings when he got to Vancouver with some friends of his and mine. They have attended AA meetings in the past together.
“Vancouver is a great place to keep grounded when you are in the spotlight and trying to be sober.”
“Being grounded is the key to sobriety and that’s what Vancouver can offer Cory. It is casual and he calls it home and he has friends here who have known him for a long time.”
The insider also insisted that despite being spotted out with friends at the Portside bar in the hours before his death, Cory Monteith was not drinking.
Cory Monteith was found dead in his hotel room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver on Saturday night.
With the autopsy into his death now underway the British Columbia Coroners Service says toxicology results will not be known for several more days.
However, Sgt. Randy Fincham said there was nothing to indicate Cory Monteith’s death was due to illicit drug use.
Meanwhile, FOX officials said it is too soon to say how Cory Monteith’s death will be handled on Glee.
According to FOX news, producers are scheduling meetings to discuss how to move forward without his character, Finn Hudson.
Industry experts predict Cory Monteith’s death will have a serious effect on the hit show, which was scheduled to start shooting next month.
Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the Thames in the UK’s counties of Middlesex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
This year’s Swan Upping kicked off on Monday, July 15, and will continue until Friday, July 19.
1. This historic ceremony dates from the 12th century, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans. The Queen of England generally just keeps tabs on the ones living on the River Thames and surrounding areas though. Mute swans have white feathers and are known for being less vocal.
2. Until recently, the “Seigneur of the Swans” (the Queen) was the only person who could kill and eat swans. Now, nobody can do either. But as recently as a decade or so ago, killing a swan was an act of treason that could technically be punishable by death or imprisonment.
3. Swan Upping is a swan census, basically. During the celebration, all of the Queen’s swans along the River Thames are rounded up, caught, tagged and measured and then released back into the wild.
Swan Upping is the annual census of the swan population on stretches of the Thames
4.The focus of Swan Upping these days is on the cygnets. Not just because they’re super cute either, but in order to track breeding trends of the mute swans.
5. It takes place annually during the third week of July in areas like Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, among others.
6. The Queen’s Swan Marker leads the Swan Upping. The current Swan Marker is named Swan Marker David Barber, a Professor of Ornithology at the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology. One of the biggest threats to swans these days is the increasing numbers of dog attacks. “When we have dog attacks it’s through carelessness,” said David Barber. “We are trying to stamp it out.”
7. The other swan counters (called “Swan Uppers”) wear traditional scarlet uniforms. And six traditional Thames rowing skiffs are used for the Upping, each adorned with flags and pennants.
8. Swan Uppers cry “All up!” when they spot a group of swans. The Uppers target cygnets and when they spot them, this call indicates that they need to get into position to grab and tag.
9. As they pass Windsor Castle, the Swan Uppers toast to the Queen. Queen Elizabeth is rarely ever present at the event (she’s attended once), so the rowers must stand at attention and hail Her Majesty The Queen, Seigneur of the Swans as they pass Windsor, one of the queen’s pads.
10. There was no Swan Upping in 2012. The Upping was supposed to be a part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour, but due to flooding, the ceremony was cancelled for the first time in 900 years.
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Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter, announced that she had got engaged to Nick Gordon just last week.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 20, already pressed fast-forward to the honeymoon as she’s been enjoying a very public PDA with her “brother” fiancé Nick Gordon in the warm Florida water.
She has been showing off her shapely body and her affection for 24-year-old Nick Gordon on her summer break.
Nick Gordon is the boy Whitney Houston took in when he was 16.
However, one person who isn’t pleased about the big announcement is Bobbi Kristina’s father, Bobby Brown.
Bobby Brown, 44, told TMZthat he’s not happy about the news and is irked that Nick Gordon never called him to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage, but he did add that he wants her to be happy.
Rather than celebrating her news, Bobbi Kristina Brown came out of the traps to defend herself last week.
Bobbi Kristina Brown announced that she had got engaged to Nick Gordon
Bobbi Kristina Brown and Nick Gordon’s relationship has been the subject of scrutiny and a fair amount of eyebrow raising since Whitney Houston passed away in February 2012.
And so Bobbi Kristina Brown tackled the scandal in the post on her Facebook page last Wednesday.
She writes: “YES, we me nick are engaged. I’m tired of hearing people say <<eww your engaged to your brother or if Whitney was still alive would we be together or would she approve of this>>.
“Let me clear up something, we aren’t even real brother and sister nor is he my adoptive brother. My mom never adopted him. In fact, mommy was the one who even said that she knew that we were going to start dating. My mom knows me better than any of you.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown continued: “A lot of ‘yall are saying that y’all are only saying this all out of love. Which is bull because if that was so, all you would want is for me to be happy.
“People need to seriously stop judging my relationship. Pretty sure it’s my own decision who I want to be with.
“Yes, my relationship may not be perfect. We will have rough patches, just like every other relationship.
“And we have had our rough patches. You may or may not agree with my relationship. You may or may not respect it. Judge me, go ahead.
‘Your opinions are yours and mine are mine. It is my life and not yours. The decisions I make have nothing to do with you. Goodnight.”
The global market that deals with automobile accessories is vast in size. It is spread across continents, starting from North America, the topmost name in the map of car manufacturers, crossing Europe and extending up to China in Asia. The manufacturers of car accessories have quite wisely been able to put the global economic surge into use.
Image via Flickr by Jasperdo
Automobile sales have boosted globally, that is a true story. However, the sales of car accessories have increased massively. That is the common trend throughout the world. A number of factors have contributed to this striking difference. One major factor that has contributed largely behind the boost of automobile sector in the emerging as well as the developed markets is the enthusiasm of the manufacturers of car accessories and spares. New and latest trends are being introduced at a fast rate. The cost of the vehicles is a factor that closely follows the first one. Other than investing upon new cars, which will be a costly affair, men prefer to renovate their cars using new car spares and accessories.
In nations where there is an affluent market for automobiles, people are keener on investing upon accessories and automotives. A research had once shown that the yearly expenditure made by the Australians upon car accessories is over $ 2 billion. The automotive aftermarket in Europe values up to 850 USD, which represents about 30% of the worldwide aftermarket. Moreover, as far as the recent forecasts go, the car accessories manufacturers market is going to expand its horizons as time goes by.
Image via Flickr by Crista Chevron
The carmaker giants like Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler or General Motors, which are obviously the top three scorers, have always been striving hard to outdo each other in terms of services as well as profits, since time immemorial. The greater the competition in the market becomes, the harder do they try to outwit each other. These companies have recently been seen change direction towards the B2B market.
These firms, with all their e-business operations, which include business-to-consumer sales and marketing, business-to-business procurement, online navigational and car alarm technologies etc., are gradually and quite quickly shifting from traditional suppliers to the online arena. Just like all other offline car producers, DaimlerChrysler, has turn towards the internet in order to streamline procurement as well as sales procedures with the aim of bringing down the costs.
At the same time, the China car accessories market has multiplied six times, in the last half a decade. Quite recently the market had topped the 1 billion dollar mark and is becoming one of the most rapidly growing categories of Chinese industrial products sold internationally. While half of these auto accessories are exported to the United States, the maximum portion of the rest is sold to Europe and Japan. Thus most of the citizens of these nations buy direct automotives and car accessories.
Jennifer Richardson, the woman who has been linked to Lamar Odom, has been pictured for the first time since the scandal.
Jennifer Richardson, 29, who reports claimed has been having a close friendship with Khloe Kardashian’s husband since January 2012, was photographed outside Eden nightclub in Hollywood.
The brunette, who is not believed to live in Los Angeles, was spotted leaving the nightspot in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is the first time Jennifer Richardson has been pictured in public since tabloids first published reports linking her to Lamar Odom, who has been married to Khloe Kardashian for four years, earlier this month.
Star magazine claimed Lamar Odom, 33, met Jennifer Richardson at the Stadium Club strip club in Washington D.C. after he played a game for the Dallas Mavericks.
The tabloid also alleged they had further encounters in North Carolina and that Lamar Odom had flown Jennifer to Los Angeles several times.
Jennifer Richardson, the woman who has been linked to Lamar Odom, has been pictured for the first time since the scandal
It said Jennifer Richardson had plane tickets, basketball game ticket stubs and invoices from her so-called time with Lamar Odom.
The publication also claimed Khloe Kardashian, 29, had kicked Lamar odom out of their $4 million Tarzana mansion in January and the pair have been sleeping in separate beds.
While Lamar Odom or Khloe Kardashian are yet to issue a formal denial, a source close to the reality star said last week: “They’re more in love than ever.
“Khloe did not kick Lamar out of the house, they are 100 per cent fine.”
Early last year, Khloe Kardashian was forced to defend her marriage to Lamar Odom after she pulled the plug on their reality show.
Khloe Kardashian told People magazine: “We just wanted to prioritize a little.
“We just wanted a little pause. Part of being married is knowing when your husband needs your support.”
Their show Khloé & Lamar was put on a break last year until his basketball career was back on track.
She added: “I’m a modern girl, but you should put your husband first. I like to think divorce is not an option.”
Responding to another report that her marriage was on the rocks earlier this year, Khloe Kardashian said: “Anyone who pays attention to these things can easily see the incredible bond that everyone in my family shares.”
Around the time the reports emerged, Lamar Odom was filmed angrily confronting a photographer who quizzed him about his marriage.
On July 10, Lamar Odom was spotted ransacking a paparazzo’s belongings and equipment from the latter’s car and throwing them on the road.
The basketball player was heard to say: “I would never cheat on my wife, that’s why I wear my wedding ring.”
