Nick Lachey, who briefly dated Kim Kardashian in 2006 following his high-profile divorce from Jessica Simpson, suggested that the reality star used him to get famous.
When asked whether tabloid pictures of Nick Lachey and Kim Kardashian on one of their early dates marked the start of Kim’s career, the singer said: “That’s one way to interpret it. Let’s just say this: We went to a movie. No one followed us there. Somehow, mysteriously, when we left, there were 30 photographers waiting outside.”
Nick Lachey, 39, went on to suggest that Kim Kardashian, 32, had tipped off the paparazzi about their movie date on May 24, 2006.
“There are certain ways to play this game, and some people play it well,” Nick Lachey said in the May 2013 issue of Details.
Nick Lachey, who briefly dated Kim Kardashian in 2006, suggested that the reality star used him to get famous
“She also had some help from that sex tape,” the interviewer added, referring to Kim Kardashian’s infamous video with rapper Ray J.
“Yeah, well that was already in the can,” the singer said.
Kim Kardashian and Nick Lachey are said to have met at a party for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart in April 2006, but only officially dated for one week, according to Kim.
The reality star herself attributes the start of her fame to the couple’s May outing in Westwood, Los Angeles.
“It started when I went out on a date with Nick Lachey,” Kim Kardashian wrote in the 2010 book, Kardashian Konfidential.
“Of course the paparazzi took pictures, because people were curious about who he was with.”
“So the next night I was out with Paris Hilton,” Kim Kardashian continued.
“We were in her car and the paparazzi started taking pictures. Usually they would shout, <<Paris! Paris! Paris!>>
“[But] they started yelling <<Kim! Kim! Kim!>> I wanted to hide, and Paris and I just looked at each other and laughed.”
“She said, <<Whatever you do, just smile>>. I thought, this is so weird, I don’t know what’s going on. It was surreal.”
Now Kim Kardashian is dating Kanye West and is currently six months pregnant with his child while Nick Lachey recently welcomed a baby boy with his wife Vanessa.
Ajay Rochester, former host of Australia’s Biggest Loser, has revealed she has gained a staggering 105 lbs.
Ajay Rochester, who hosted the weight-loss television show for four series between 2006 and 2009, said in a radio interview that she makes daily trips to fast food restaurants and admitted she is eating herself to death.
She was pictured on Tuesday picking up two Subway sandwiches and two large drinks while walking her dogs in Los Angeles, where she is now based.
“So I’ll eat that. Then I just lie down all day because I can’t move because my arteries are so clogged.
“And then I drive past Carl’s and get a burger and fries. I’m laughing about it. But it’s really serious because I am eating myself to death.”
Ajay Rochester, former host of Australia’s Biggest Loser, has revealed she has gained a staggering 105 lbs
Last year Ajay Rochester appeared on Australian TV screens in the celebrity diet show Excess Baggage, alongside Kevin Federline.
She has since relocated to the US in a bid to find fame.
“Seriously my house looks like somebody else lives in there,” Ajay Rochester said of her new Californian home.
“There are all these beautiful clothes, because I have lots clothes from Biggest Loser.
“So if you open my cupboard you would go, <<Well she must be the cleaner that big fat thing, and where is the skinny girl who lives here?>> Because I live in sweatpants. You know the saddest thing was, when I got home from Excess Baggage I thought; <<Oh yeah I did alright, I won, I lost a bit of weight>>.
“I came home and I tried on my skinny jeans and I was still too fat for my skinny jeans.”
Ajay Rochester’s weight has yo-yoed dramatically over the years as she struggled to cope with emotional issues.
She was physically abused by her adoptive mother during her childhood and they are now estranged.
Ajay Rochester found her birth mother Kaylene when she was 22, although her mother committed suicide a year later.
In 2003 she became a top-selling author in Australia with Confessions of a Reformed Dieter and later released The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Losing Weight and Getting Fit.
Ajay Rochester, a single mother, has a 13-year-old son Kai, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.
Moroccan teenager Salah Barhoum has been forced to deny today that he was linked to the Boston Marathon bombing after photos of him carrying a bag and accompanied by a man with a backpack near the finish line were published in the media.
The picture of the 17-year-old was widely circulated in the days following the explosions along with allegations that he was being sought by the FBI.
ABC News spoke to the brother of the 17-year-old track star and confirmed that he went to the police on Wednesday to clear his name.
Salah Barhoum’s younger brother said that their mother was “sick and upset” that he had been connected to the fatal attack.
“It made her think he had done something wrong,” the brother told ABC News.
“My brother is not the bomber.”
The high school athlete had originally thought that he wanted to run in the race but when he could not for unspecified reasons, he went to the marathon route to watch the others.
The Moroccan teenager has been forced to deny that he was linked to the Boston Marathon attack after photos of him carrying a bag near the finish line were published in the media
After seeing photos of himself online and speaking to the authorities, Salah Barhoum took to Facebook to clear his name after reportedly making contact with authorities, saying: “Going to the court right now!! S*** is real. But u will see guys I’m did not do anything.”
Several hours later on Wednesday evening, he posted again: “back home! everything is fake but god is with me.”
The images show one young man in a blue athletic top standing beside another man in a white baseball cap and black sweatshirt, is believed to be one that the FBI circulated among law enforcement officials.
It is believed that the FBI will later today release images of men they want to question in connection to the bombings. It is not clear if the picture of the Moroccan teenager and his “coach” are among those images, and they have not been
After the image was distributed rapidly, new claims emerged on social media sites that they were innocent bystanders.
Anonymous sources from online community Reddit said that they were “friends” of the man in the blue tracksuit, and said that he was “just a high school kid that loves track”.
From there, reports range from saying that the man beside him in the white hat is his coach to others asserting that the “kid” does not know the man. Neither man has been publicly identified by name.
The supposed acquaintances on Reddit said that the man in the black track suit spoke with police, who then called the FBI.
“Both are scared, the guy in this pic will miss school tomorrow, where hs competing for some track competition, the other guy will miss work,” Reddit user “desert_morning” posted early on Thursday.
Friends defended Salah Barhoum on Internet forums saying he was a high school track runner who had gone to watch the marathon on Monday with his coach.
Salah Barhoum describes himself as a keen runner and member of his high school track team. The teen works at Subway and posts that he is a fan of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hunger Games and Hannah Montana.
On his Facebook profile, which has since been made private, Salah Barhoum posted pictures in the crowd along the race route on Boylston Street close to a large screen of the race.
The two people pictured-including the Moroccan-American teen- are not formally considered suspects.
“I wouldn’t characterize them as suspects under the technical term. But we need the public’s help in locating these individuals,” said Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Conflicting reports about the veracity of the photos and why authorities sent it out.
CBS reporter John Miller says that neither of the men pictured are suspects in the bombings that killed three and injured 183 on Monday.
Because of the crowded nature of the finish line, authorities are parsing through a combination of civilian footage and security tapes from nearby businesses. Reports of surveillance footage from a nearby Lord and Taylor’s department store gave initial hope about having the suspects pictured.
Madonna might not be allowed to visit Russia again anytime soon after officials ruled the singer violated the terms of her visa during last trip to Moscow and St Petersburg.
According to Russian daily Izvestia, the nation’s foreign ministry has ruled Madonna failed to get a work permit that would have allowed her for-profit shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg last summer.
That, in turn, might make it harder for her to get back into the country later.
Madonna’s visa reportedly limited her trip to “cultural ties,” as quoted by The Moscow News.
Madonna might not be allowed to visit Russia again anytime soon after officials ruled the singer violated the terms of her visa
The Russian Foreign Ministry is quoted as saying in a statement: “If a foreign national’s activity in Russia is aimed at making a profit, including through commercial performances, the said national must receive a work permit from the Federal Migration Service, and therefore must be issued a normal work visa, with the purpose of the visit stated as work for hire.”
Foreign Ministry officials were asked to look into Madonna’s visa situation by St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, who tells Russian newspaper Izvestia: “Those who applied for a visa for Louise Ciccone [Madonna] face a fine of 500,000 rubles [$15,885.00]. It has to be determined whether [Madonna] filed the documents herself.”
“The question of the legality of Madonna’s visit to our country will also come up, and next time it will be a lot more difficult to get a visa.”
Vitaly Milonov had challenged whether Madonna’s visit was legal after she advocated gay rights and defended jailed feminist punk group Pussy Riot.
A lawsuit by anti-gay groups claiming Madonna broke Vitaly Milonov’s law was dismissed by a Russian judge last November.
Now, Vitaly Milonov reportedly wants to see Madonna fined $16.7 million. Last December he also accused Lady Gaga of breaking the law at her St. Petersburg concert.
Anil Kapoor is to play the lead role in the Indian remake of US hit counter-terrorism series 24.
Anil Kapoor’s character will mirror that of Jack Bauer, the role made famous by Kiefer Sutherland.
The actor, who played the quiz show host in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, is producing the shows set in Mumbai.
“I am not playing it safe, I am playing the lead,” he said.
“I’m a movie star.”
Anil Kapoor is to play the lead role in the Indian remake of US hit counter-terrorism series 24
Anil Kapoor, who has starred in more than 100 Bollywood films in the past three decades, also featured in the American 24 series playing Middle Eastern leader Omar Hassan.
“I have stuck my neck out,” Anil Kapoor told Reuters about the remake, produced by his company Anil Kapoor Film.
Director Abhinay Deo said: “We are giving them their star that they love and we are giving them subject matter which is close to them. Where can this go wrong?”
The original series started in 2001 and spanned 192 episodes over nine years.
The main set of the counter-terrorism unit is a replica of the one in the US series, according to show producers.
“My audience is the masses – the Hindi heartland, they haven’t seen this, for them it’ll be a novelty and something new,” said Raj Nayak, chief executive officer of the Colors channel, which will air the series later this year.
The Bay Psalm Book – the first book printed in America – is expected to fetch up to $30 million when it goes under the hammer in New York on November 26.
The Bay Psalm Book, which was printed in Massachusetts in 1640, is one of 11 remaining copies of a translated version of the Book of Psalms.
The book has not appeared at auction since 1947, when it sold for a record breaking $151,000.
In today’s money, it would be the equivalent of $1.56 million.
At the time, it was the highest price paid for a printed book.
The Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in America, is expected to fetch up to $30 million when it goes under the hammer in New York
John James Audubon’s Birds of America, which sold for $11.5 million in December 2010, currently holds the world auction record for a printed book.
The Bay Psalm Book was written by pilgrims 20 years after they established a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Colonists John Cotton, Richard Mather and John Eliot, who wrote the book, wanted a version of the psalms which they believed was closer to the original Hebrew than the ones they had brought with them from England.
“The Bay Psalm Book is a mythical rarity,” said Sotheby’s David Redden.
“With it, New England declared its independence from the Church of England,” he added.
Funds for the printing press were raised in England.
The 1640 edition of the Bay Psalm Book is the earliest surviving print from the press, and was adopted by nearly every congregation in the Massachusetts Bay area.
There were 1,700 copies of the original Bay Psalm Book, of which 11 are now left in various degrees of completeness.
The book comes from the collection of the Old South Church in Boston which has two copies of the edition.
Senior minister of the church, Nancy Taylor, said the money from the sale would help to keep the historic building open and help to increase outreach programmes.
The book will tour various cities in the US before the auction on November 26.
A rare blue diamond has been unearthed at Cullinan mine in South Africa.
The 25.5-carat stone was recovered by Petra Diamonds at its Cullinan mine and is expected to bring large profits.
Experts say the blue diamond could be worth more than $10 million, and the find gave a boost to Petra’s share price.
Similar finds in recent years from the Cullinan mine have commanded high prices and Petra, with operations in Botswana and Tanzania, is expecting a high level of interest from buyers.
The 25.5-carat blue diamond was recovered by Petra Diamonds at its Cullinan mine in South Africa
“It’s very unusual for a diamond of this quality and size to come to market,” said company spokeswoman Cathy Malins.
The mine, north-east of Pretoria, has produced hundreds of large stones and is famed for its production of blue diamonds.
A similar 26.6-carat blue rough diamond discovered by the same company in May 2009 was cut into a near perfect stone and fetched just under $10 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
The diamond was named the “Star of Josephine” by its new owner.
Another deep-blue diamond from Cullinan was auctioned for $10.8 million last year and set a world record for the value per carat.
In 1905, the renowned Star of Africa blue diamond – the world’s second largest cut diamond – was discovered at the Cullinan mine.
The pear-shaped 530-carat stone was presented to King Edward VII and became part of the British crown jewels.
President Barack Obama has attended a memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing saying the attack’s perpetrators will be held accountable.
Barack Obama told an interfaith ceremony that everyone had been touched by the attack on their beloved city.
The president spoke as it emerged investigators had found clear video images of two potential suspects carrying black bags.
Two bombs were detonated near the finish line on Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 180.
There were several standing ovations as President Barack Obama spoke on Thursday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the main Roman Catholic cathedral in Boston.
President Barack Obama has attended a memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing
Before his visit, the president declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts, which would allow the state to access federal funding to deal with the aftermath of the attacks.
Barack Obama appeared in sombre mood as he joined city leaders, residents and victims at the prayer service.
He told the congregation: “The spirit of this city is undaunted; the spirit of this country shall remain undimmed.
“Everyone of us has been touched by this attack on your beloved city. Everyone of us stands with you. Because after all it’s our beloved city too.”
“They sought to intimidate us, to terrorize us,” he said.
Then added: “It should be pretty clear by now that they picked the wrong city to do it.”
Barack Obama was applauded as he warned the perpetrators of the attacks they would be brought to justice.
“We will find you,” he said.
“We will hold you accountable.”
Hundreds of people stood outside the cathedral during the service, while police at the bomb site listened to the president’s speech on the radios in their patrol cars.
Former Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney also attended the prayer ceremony.
Barack Obama is later expected to meet emergency workers and the families of victims.
On Thursday Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the FBI wanted to speak to two men, but did not say they were suspects.
“There is some video that has raised the question of those that the FBI would like to speak with,” Janet Napolitano said.
“I wouldn’t characterize them as suspects under the technical term, but we do need the public’s help in locating these individuals.”
She did not give details of what was seen on the tape.
Janet Napolitano would not say whether the attacks were suspected to be the work of a domestic or foreign group, but said the investigation was continuing “apace”.
She added that security had been ramped up at airports and transport hubs.
The FBI has denied a flurry of reports on Wednesday that a suspect had been arrested.
Investigators are going through thousands of images taken around the time of the attacks from security cameras, the media and people at the scene.
Officials have not said if they would publicly release more details of the case.
Correspondents say authorities are cautious about publicizing the relevant images, after the release of pictures relating to a 1996 bombing at the Atlanta Olympics led to the arrest of an innocent security guard, Richard Jewell.
A circuit board and battery pack – parts of a triggering mechanism – has been recovered.
The lid of a pressure cooker, apparently blown off during the explosion, was found on the roof of a nearby building.
Officials say the bombs consisted of explosives in pressure cookers, one with shards of metal and ball bearings, the other with nails.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The twin blasts killed three people: Martin Richard, 8, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lu Lingzi, a postgraduate student from China.
Dozens remain in hospital following the bombs, many of them seriously injured.
It is reported that 10 victims have had limbs amputated. Nails and ball bearings were said to be embedded in their flesh.
At least 14 bombing victims, including three children, remain in hospital in a critical condition.
Paul Kevin Curtis from Mississippi has been charged with threatening President Barack Obama, after allegedly sending a letter containing suspected ricin to him.
Paul Kevin Curtis, 45, was arrested on Wednesday after letters were found addressed to Barack Obama and Republican Senator Roger Wicker.
Initial tests on the letters, identified at remote facilities, showed the presence of the lethal toxin.
The FBI has said there is “no indication of a connection” between the letters and Monday’s Boston Marathon attacks.
The letters addressed to President Barack Obama and Republican Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker were both postmarked Memphis, Tennessee, and dated April 8.
Paul Kevin Curtis has been charged with threatening President Barack Obama after sending a letter containing suspected ricin to him
According to US media citing intelligence sources, the letters read: “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.”
They were reportedly signed: “I am KC and I approve this message.”
The FBI said Paul Kevin Curtis also allegedly sent a third letter positively identified for ricin to a Mississippi justice official.
The contents of the letter intended for President Barack Obama were being sent to an accredited laboratory for further analysis, the FBI said, with results expected in 24 to 48 hours.
Paul Kevin Curtis’ relatives earlier expressed shock at the news of his arrest, describing him as a natural musical performer who would impersonate Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.
Bank of America has reported a sharp rise in profits for the first quarter of 2013 after it shed costs and set aside less money for bad loans.
Bank of America reported a net income of $2.3 billion in Q1 2013, after making $328 million in the last year’s same quarter.
Over the year the company has taken costs of $1 billion out of the bank, helped by 16,000 job cuts.
Also helping was a fall in the amount the bank set aside for bad debts – provisions were $1.7 billion, about a third lower than last year’s figure.
Bank of America is the latest US bank to report higher first quarter profits, with some having made record earnings.
Investment banking helped JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, while Citigroup and JP Morgan, in common with Bank of America, both cut loan reserves.
Cost cutting was another common theme among the big banks.
Bank of America has reported a sharp rise in profits for the first quarter of 2013 after it shed costs and set aside less money for bad loans
Bank of America itself plans to have lowered costs by $8 billion by 2015, and it said another $1.5 billion of cost cuts would be in place by the end of 2013.
Leaving the one-off gains aside, Bank of America’s income from mortgages and income from trading in the fixed income, currency and commodities markets were both lower.
The weaker underlying performance sent the company’s shares lower on Wednesday, ending down 4.7%.
The bank’s chief executive, Brian Moynihan, said he was pleased with its performance: “Our strategy of connecting our customers to all we can do for them is working.”
Bank of America, along with two of its big four rivals, also pointed to income from investment banking as a positive contribution to earnings.
Brian Moynihan added: “Solid increases in loan growth to small businesses and middle-market companies, four straight quarters of steady growth in mortgage originations, record earnings in wealth management, and another quarter near the top in investment banking fees show we are balanced, focused and moving forward.”
President Barack Obama decided not to dispatch any high-ranking members of his administration to former British PM Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday, a move that has been heavily criticized on both sides of the pond.
According to the Associated Press, the White House sent ex-Secretaries of State George Shultz and James A. Baker III to lead the American delegation, which also includes Barbara Stephenson, the charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in London, and Louis Susman, former US ambassador to the UK.
British tabloid The Sun reported: “[…Downing] Street is most angered by rejections from Obama, First Lady Michelle and Vice-President Joe Biden. And none of the four surviving ex-US leaders – Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr. – is coming either.”
“The response contrasts with glowing US tributes on the day Lady Thatcher died. A No 10 source said last night: <<We are a little surprised by the White House’s reaction as we were expecting a high-profile attendance>>. The <<snub>> came ahead of the Boston marathon <<bomb outrage>>.”
Barack Obama’s decision not to dispatch any high-ranking members of his administration to Margaret Thatcher’s funeral has been heavily criticized
However, British PM David Cameron’s spokesman refuted reports that the Obama administration snubbed Margaret Thatcher.
“Absolutely not and that the seniority of the America dignitaries attending was reflective of her global stature,” spokesman Jean-Christophe Gray told reporters on Tuesday.
“He welcomed the fact that two former Secretaries of State with whom Lady Thatcher had worked very closely were attending, saying it was testimony to the esteem in which she was held.”
Meanwhile the New York Post editorial page called the US representation “underwhelming.”
“As the world bids farewell to Lady Margaret Thatcher today, it’s hard not to notice that America’s official presence at the state funeral for England’s most significant prime minister since Winston Churchill will be underwhelming,” wrote The Post, which is owned by Margaret Thatcher’s ally Rupert Murdoch.
“Instead of sending a high-ranking member of his own administration to lead the official delegation, President Obama has dispatched two former Republican secretaries of state, George Shultz and Jim Baker. Nothing against these men, but we can forgive the British for regarding Obama’s choice as yet another snub.”
The kicker: “What makes Washington’s little acts of thoughtlessness so telling is that they attract more attention than doing the right thing would.”
UK’s The Guardian dubbed it a “distinctly low-key official representation”.
“The US is to send distinctly low-key official representation … While Barack Obama was invited, he has opted to send a presidential delegation comprising no serving politicians.”
The Lenny Bikini Show at Rio de Janeiro Fashion Week proved that thin doesn’t mean healthy as one model’s buttocks seemed to be lacking in muscle tone – which some industry insiders say could be the result of skipping workouts and staying slim by eating very little.
“It’s no secret that a bad diet, little rest, no exercise, caffeine and smoking is not good for our bodies,” said Sheldon Stringer, personal trainer and owner of Urban Fitness Islington in London.
“The main cause of cellulite is simple: a bad diet of fatty foods married with long periods of not eating and dehydration or lack of water intake.
“A lot of people also rely on other stimulants and sometimes even substitute food and water for these stimulants. This will also lead to diminished muscle tone and also promotes the development of cellulite.
The Lenny Bikini Show at Rio de Janeiro Fashion Week proved that thin doesn’t mean healthy as one model’s buttocks seemed to be lacking in muscle tone
“In the case of these models, the stress of having to look their best, not eating to try and remain slim and working long hours with little or no rest, will result in cellulite build up as seen in these pictures.
“Due to the lack of nourishment caused by their bad diets and their intense schedules, their muscle mass is compromised as their bodies are starving most of the time, which results in flabby or flat muscles.”
The new images of Rio de Janeiro Fashion Week models come in the wake of revelations that models stay “Paris thin” by eating tissues and outrage caused by River Island’s use of what seemed to be a size zero model in its latest campaign.
The tissue allegations appeared in the memoirs of veteran fashion journalist Kirstie Clements, who was sacked from her role as editor of Australian Vogue in May 2012.
Kirstie Clements claimed she once spent three days on a shoot with a model but didn’t see her eat a single meal.
By the end of the trip, said Kirstie Clements, the model was so exhausted and weak from lack of food, she could barely keep her eyes open.
The fashion journalist also revealed that many starve themselves for days on end, endure regular stints on hospital drips and eat tissue paper in order to feel full.
“You know how you read interviews where models insist that they eat a lot? Not true,” said Kirstie Clements.
“The only way they can get that thin is to stop eating. They eat tissue paper to stave off the hunger pangs – literally ball it up and eat it.”
Disney has announced a new Star Wars film will appear yearly from 2015, alternating between new episodes in the space saga and spinoff character films.
The announcement, made at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, was reported by Comingsoon.
Star Trek director JJ Abrams will begin the new cycle of movies with Episode VII, from a script by Little Miss Sunshine writer Michael Arndt.
Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his film production company Lucasfilm to Disney last year for $4.05 billion.
The latest announcement was made by Walt Disney Co chairman Alan Horn, at the annual movie theatre convention CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
In February, Disney announced that alongside a new trilogy, a series of films built around existing characters from the Star Wars universe were in development.
JJ Abrams will begin the new cycle of Star Wars movies with Episode VII, the first to be released in 2015
It is rumored the first stand-alone film could focus on the diminutive Jedi master Yoda.
The spinoff films will be written by Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg.
Lawrence Kasdan worked on the scripts of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – the second and third installments of the first Star Wars trilogy while Simon Kinberg is best known for his work on X-Men: The Last Stand and Guy Ritchie’s hit reboot of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr.
Fans’ reactions to Disney’s announcement on social networks and film websites have been mixed.
The original Star Wars film starred Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford as they took on the evil Empire “in a galaxy, far, far away”.
In a recent interview George Lucas hinted at a cast reunion, revealing the trio were “in final stages of negotiation”.
This year’s Cannes Film Festivalwill see in competition Only God Forgives, the second film from Drive partnership Ryan Gosling and Nicolas Winding Refn and Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra.
Other films in the running for the coveted Palme d’Or include Roman Polanski’s Venus In Fur and Inside Llewyn Davis by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Steven Spielberg is the head of this year film festival’s jury.
Cannes Film Festival 2013 runs from 15th to 26th of May.
Ryan Gosling, currently starring in Beyond The Pines at the UK box office and Nicolas Winding Refn, who directed the controversial biopic of the “UK’s most violent prisoner” Charles Bronson, unveiled their previous film Drive at the film festival in 2011.
The violent thriller was nominated for the Palme d’Or but lost out to Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life. However, the film landed Nicolas Winding Refn the best director trophy.
Steven Soderbergh, who won Cannes’ top prize in 1989 for his film Sex, Lies and Videotape, is back in competition with his eagerly-awaited film Behind the Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as the flamboyant entertainer Liberace, who masked his homosexuality from public view.
Matt Damon plays his gay lover in the film, made for cable channel HBO.
James Gray’s film The Immigrant, about a young woman tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville, stars Jeremy Renner, Joaquin Phoenix and Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard.
Inside Llewyn Davis is the upcoming film written and directed by the Coen brothers. Set in the 1960s, the film about a young folk singer, stars British actress Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake.
Alexander Payne, who sat on last year’s Palme d’Or jury, is in competition this year with his film Nebraska, about a father and son trekking from the state of Montana to Nebraska to claim some prize money.
Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, who directed Sean Penn as a faded rock star in This Must Be The Place, is in the running with his film The Great Beauty.
Controversial Japanese director Takashi Miike’s Straw Shield is a crime-thriller set in modern day politics while Iranian director, Asghar Farhadi – who won an Oscar for his film A Separation – directs The Artist actress Berenice Bejo in his new film The Past.
With other films in competition from Chad, China and Mexico, Cannes president Gilles Jacob said this year’s competition reflected “an attitude which, decade in decade out, guarantees the continuing existence of this institution. The idea is one I particularly like, and it sees the festival as a shelter for endangered artists”.
Outside of the films screening in competition are a number of other sections.
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson stars in The Bling Ring, the latest film from Sofia Coppola – based on the real-life robberies of celebrity homes in Malibu.
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatbsy, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will open this year’s Cannes Film Festival
The film will screen in the Un Certain Regard event, as will James Franco’s latest directorial effort As I Lay Dying.
The film is based on William Faulkner’s 1930 stream of consciousness novel, which is narrated by 15 different characters.
Baz Luhrmann’s anticipated The Great Gatbsy, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will open the festival and the closing film is Zulu, a South African cop thriller starring Orlando Bloom and Forest Whittaker.
Jerry Lewis, the comedy star of the 1950s and 60s, who later poured his efforts into raising money for muscular dystrophy research, will get a special tribute at this year’s event.
Cannes 2013: Films in competition
Only God Forgives, director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Borgman, director: Alex Van Warmerdam
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), director: Paolo Sorrentino
Behind the Candelabra, director: Steven Soderbergh
Venus in Fur (La Venua a la Fourrure), director: Roman Polanski
Nebraska, director: Alexander Payne
Just 17 (Jeune & Jolie), director: Francois Ozon
Straw Shield (Wara No Tate), director: Takashi Miike
La Vie D’Adele, director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Like Father Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru), director: Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Tian Zhu Ding, director: Zhangke Jia
Grisgris, director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
The Immigrant, director: James Gray
The Past (Le Passe), director: Asghar Farhadi
Heli, director: Amat Escalante
Jimmy P (Un Indien des Plaines), director: Arnaud Desplechin
Michael Kohlhaas, director: Arnaud des Pallières
Inside Llewyn Davis, director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Un Chateau en Italie, director: Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi
A man accompanied by his child has captured the moment of the huge explosion at West Fertilizer plant in Texas, just yards away from the blast.
The explosion at the fertilizer plant at 7:50 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday has reportedly left many people dead, hundreds injured and caused a nursing home to collapse, trapping residents inside.
An unidentified resident in small town West had parked his car to observe the fire at the plant earlier in the night and was filming the structure as it was engulfed in flames.
All of a sudden, something sparked a massive blast, causing flames to shoot into the sky, rocking the family’s car as the terrified father and child tried to scramble to safety.
“Daddy, I can’t hear,” the child screamed out after the explosion.
A man accompanied by his child has captured the moment of the huge explosion at West Fertilizer plant in Texas
“Get out of here. Please get out of here. Daddy, please get out of here,” the child kept repeating in the terrifying audio.
When the short YouTube clip began, the father was filming the large fire that was burning several hundred yards away at the plant.
He sounds relatively calm as he observes the direction of the wind and its strength.
For about 30 seconds, he captures the burning structure but is totally unaware for the danger that awaits.
Suddenly a massive blast occurs and footage shows flames exploding into the sky and toward the direction of the family’s car.
Shaken by the explosion, the father scrambles to turn his car around and drive in the opposite direction.
The child is heard pleading with the father to leave and get to safety.
There is no information on the identity of the man or the status of the family.
Texas Governor Rick Perry tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers with everyone in West, TX. Thx to all the first responders on the scene.”
West, Texas is located 20 miles north of the town of Waco and 40 miles north of the small community of Crawford, where former president George W. Bush has a ranch.
The town, that has a population of 2,600, is actually located in the central part of the Lone Star state. It is 70 miles south of Dallas.
The community of Waco is mobilizing to respond, as many of the victims have been transported to nearby hospitals.
Up to 15 people are thought to have been killed by the huge explosion at West fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas.
More than 160 people were injured as dozens of homes and buildings were destroyed in the evening blast that witnesses said was “like a tornado”.
Emergency services are still going from home to home trying to find survivors.
A number of firefighters were tackling a blaze at the scene when the explosion happened, and are still missing.
The explosion happened at West Fertilizer on the edge of West, a town of about 2,700 people some 20 miles north of Waco.
Sgt. William Swanton of the Waco police department said he could not give an accurate figure of the number of people killed in the explosion – but estimated between five and 15.
But with a search still going on, other officials suggested the final toll could be significantly higher.
Up to 15 people are thought to have been killed by the huge explosion at West fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas
Sgt. William Swanton said at least 160 people had been treated at various hospitals.
He said the blast site was being treated as a crime scene – but this was procedural and he had “no indications this was anything other than an accidental fire”.
Emergency services officials said ammonia may have caused the explosion.
It has been reported the company had 54,000 lbs (20 tonnes) of anhydrous ammonia on site.
Police earlier said the half the town had been evacuated, amid fears of possible further explosions or a leak of toxic gas – though at his press conference just before 06:00 local time, Sgt. William Swanton said he did not believe there was a threat from air quality.
The West Fertilizer plant is right on the edge of town, only a few hundred metres from houses, a school and nursing home.
Several witnesses describe rushing to the nursing home to help residents, only to find it flattened – though it appears many people had already been evacuated because the fire was recognized as an explosion risk.
TV images showed streams of emergency vehicles descending on the site and ambulance crews using a nearby sports field as an emergency treatment area. The injured were being carried to hospital not just in ambulances but in police squad cars and helicopters.
Glenn A. Robinson, chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, told CNN the hospital was seeing “everything from orthopaedic injuries to patients that are experiencing serious blood loss”.
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said: “It’s a lot of devastation. I’ve never seen anything like this. It looks like a war zone with all the debris.”
Witness Debby Marak told the Associated Press news agency that she had seen smoke coming from the area near the plant and had driven over to see what was happening.
She said that when she arrived, two boys ran towards her screaming that the authorities had told them to leave because the fertilizer plant was going to explode.
Debby Marak said she drove a short distance before the blast happened.
“It was like being in a tornado,” she said.
“Stuff was flying everywhere. It blew out my windshield. It was like the whole earth shook.”
Another resident told KWTX-TV that she heard several explosions from 13 miles away.
The Dallas Morning News reported that West Fertilizer had told the Environmental Protection Agency that it presented no risk of fire or explosion.
The newspaper said it had seen documents in which the plant said it stored large amounts of anhydrous ammonia, but the worst scenario envisaged was a release of ammonia gas that would harm no-one.
The explosion came almost on the anniversary of another ammonia explosion disaster in Texas.
On April 16, 1947, a fire on a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate set off a series of explosions in the port of Texas City, and fires that burned for days. More than 500 people were killed and more than 1,000 buildings damaged in what remains the deadliest industrial accident in US history.
What is anhydrous ammonia?
Commonly used as fertilizer, injected into the soil
Must be stored in high pressure tanks
Produces poisonous vapor cloud on exposure to water
Forms explosive mixture when combined with air
Can cause severe burns to skin in concentrated form
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The White House has threatened to veto the controversial Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) due to go before the House of Representatives this week.
The US government wants more privacy protections in the CISPA.
After failing to pass through the Senate last year, the bill has already had several amendments.
Intended to protect corporate networks from cyber-attacks, CISPA allows private companies to share cybersecurity information with government agencies.
Opponents say that this is creating a backdoor for governments to snoop on individuals’ data, a point taken on board by the government.
A White House statement said: “The administration remains concerned that the bill does not require private entities to take reasonable steps to remove irrelevant personal information when sending cybersecurity data to the government or other private sector entities.”
The White House has threatened to veto the controversial CISPA due to go before the House of Representatives this week
Despite this, CISPA has found many friends including large technology firms such as AT&T, Comcast, Intel and Oracle.
This week IBM has sent 200 executives to Washington to lobby for the bill.
In a statement the firm said: “IBM believes we can build stronger, more efficient defences against cyber-threats by enabling better information sharing and providing clear authority for the private sector to defend its own networks, as proposed in the Cybersecurity Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA).”
But opponents remain concerned the bill allows a wide range of data to be shared with government. Last month a petition with 100,000 signatures was submitted to the White House.
Opposition has been particularly vocal from privacy groups, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) describing the latest iteration of the bill as “fatally flawed”.
CISPA’s sponsor, Republican Mike Rogers, caused anger on Twitter when he suggested in a speech that the typical opponent of the bill was “a 14-year-old tweeter in the basement”.
Future King of The Netherlands Willem-Alexander gave his final interview as a Crown Prince joined by his wife Princess Máxima on national Dutch TV channels NOS and RTL on Wednesday.
In his last major interview before he becomes King Willem-Alexander later this month has said that his subjects will not have to address him as “Your Majesty”.
On January 28 this year current Queen Beatrix announced that her abdication and that the Prince of Orange Willem-Alexander, her eldest son, would succeed her.
The abdication and the investiture of the new King, at that time Prince Willem-Alexander will be 46 years old, will take place in Amsterdam on April 30.
He will reign under the name King Willem-Alexander.
In the interview, the couple spoke about their lives, about Willem-Alexander becoming king and about the way forward for the Dutch monarchy.
The interview took place at the Huis ten Bosch palace, Queen Beatrix’ formal offices, and, say commentators, the couple came over as self-assured and relaxed.
Future King of The Netherlands Willem-Alexander gave his final interview as a Crown Prince joined by his wife Princess Máxima
Prince Willem-Alexander said he had no problem if the Netherlands moved towards a purely ceremonial monarchy.
The future king’s role is continuing to build on the tradition of his predecessors.
“It is a tradition which represents the continuity of this country and its stability. But I also want to be a king who can unite people in the 21st century,” he said.
If people wanted to move away from this, Prince Willem-Alexander said he accepted everything, as long as it was a democratic decision in accordance with the constitution.
“That is what I am king for and if something has to be signed, I will do it,” the prince said.
The previous government reduced the role of the monarch in forming a new government and there had been speculation the prince wanted a more active role as head of state.
Asked why he did not want to be named king Willem IV, the prince laughed and said he did not want to be a number.
“Willem 4 is in a field, next to Bertha 38,” he said, referring to the way cows are named and registered.
Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima said they had been aware of the queen’s abdication plans for a year and watched her broadcast to the nation together with their three daughters.
“It was a very emotional moment, as it probably was for everyone,” Princess Máxima said.
The couple’s oldest daughter, and future queen, Amalia, is well aware of her future role.
Prince Willem-Alexander said: “She has already asked how many years I plan to do it… I can probably put a date in my diary now.”
Some 4.6 million of the Dutch population of nearly 17 million watched last night’s televised interview with Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima, according to audience research figures.
A viewers’ panel after the broadcast was positive about the role of the future king and queen.
Nine out of ten said they think Prince Willem-Alexander will make a good king, and 30% think he will do a better job than his mother. And 93% expect Princess Máxima will be a good queen. Her title is a courtesy one as wife of the king.
Jaden Smith opened up about his budding romance with Kylie Jenner for the first time during a recent interview for Wonderland magazine.
Jaden Smith, the 14-year-old son of Will Smith, described his relationship with Kylie Jenner as “pretty awesome” and called the 15-year-old “one of my best friends”.
“I was in LA, we were all hanging out. Then I went to New York and she came too, then she came here and surprised me, so that’s pretty baller,” Jaden Smith toldWonderland magazine in an exclusive interview for their May issue.
“She’s one of my best friends. It’s pretty awesome.”
It comes after speculation was sparked when Kylie Jenner was spotted at a Justin Bieber concert in London last month, where Jaden Smith was performing as one of the opening acts.
Jaden Smith opened up about his budding romance with Kylie Jenner for the first time during a recent interview for Wonderland magazine
As the son of superstar actor and musician Will Smith and actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jaden has a plethora of experiences and opportunities that most people could only fantasize about.
He recently joined his famous parents and 12 year-old younger sister Willow on a trip to the White House, where he had the opportunity to chat with President Barack Obama in the President’s Situation Room.
“I talked to President Obama about extraterrestrials,” Jaden Smith told the magazine.
“He said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of aliens, which means they’re real.
“If people think we’re the only people that live in this universe, then something is wrong with them.”
Jaden Smith has also been trying to follow in his trailblazing father’s very large entertainment industry footsteps.
Not only has his music career been given an instant shot in the arm by being featured on Never Say Never with Justin Bieber, but he’s also being groomed into one day becoming a leading man on the big screen.
After his most recent lead in the remake of The Karate Kid, opposite international action star Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith will once again star with his father in After Earth, the M. Night Shyamalan-directed science fiction epic due out June 7th.
According to new reports, Kim Kardashian didn’t want to go on honeymoon with Kris Humphries.
A source told RadarOnline that Kris Humphries was the one who persuaded Kim Kardashian to take the trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Kim Kardashian had allegedly been reluctant to go away after her wedding because she was supposed to move to New York for filming of her reality show.
“Kris was the one to push for the honeymoon. Kim didn’t want to go on the honeymoon because they were scheduled to move to New York City to begin filming Kourtney & Kim Take New York,” the source claimed.
“She also complained she was stressed out from planning the wedding. Kris was stunned and very hurt because it was important to him that they go away. Remember, he wasn’t playing basketball at the time because of the NBA strike, and they wouldn’t be able to take one for a year.”
Kim Kardashian had allegedly been reluctant to go on honeymoon with Kris Humphries
The source then claimed that Kim Kardashian hired a photographer to come and snap photos of the couple while they soaked up the sun.
“Kim finally relented. Kris was absolutely dumbfounded when a photographer appeared out of nowhere and started taking pics of them by the pool,” the insider said.
“Kim happily posed, and Kris realized her camp had arranged it.”
At her divorce deposition Kim Kardashian confessed that she was against going on the holiday, which Kris Humphries is allegedly using as part of his case against the 32-year-old reality star, claiming their marriage was fraud.
On Friday Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian will attend yet another settlement conference as they continue their bitter divorce battle.
According to the source, chances “are slim to none” that the divorce will go ahead without trial, “unless Kim signs off on the annulment. Kris has come this fair in the proceedings, and isn’t going to back down now”.
On Wednesday Kim Kardashian, who is pregnant with her first child, was seen looking somber as she arrived at a Los Angeles studio alone.
Her boyfriend Kanye West meanwhile has been based in Paris since Fashion Week in February, with Kim Kardashian regularly flying over to visit him.
Justin Bieber has created controversy once again after recently coming under fire for behaving insensitively at the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam.
Justin Bieber, 19, posted a racy cartoon depicting himself in bed with a girl lying on his chest with the words “Justin – Belieber” emblazoned across the top.
As it is widely known, “Belieber” is often the name given to Justin Bieber’s legion of teenaged female fans.
In the snap, Justin Bieber lookalike is cuddling the seemingly young admirer.
The Belieber is seen lying on Justin Bieber’s chest with her eyes closed as his animated likeness looks on with wide-eyed excitement.
Justin Bieber has created controversy once again after recently coming under fire for behaving insensitively at the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam
Justin Bieber posted the artwork to his Twitter page on Tuesday without a message.
As soon as he tweeted the image, his fans went into a frenzy.
“OMG that’s meeee OMG omg omg omg I love uuuu I’m crying I can’t believe u posted it,” one fan wrote.
While another simply posted: “That should be me.”
The picture tweet comes after Justin Bieber behaved insensitively at the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam last week.
Anne Frank House museum is in memory of the young girl who came to symbolize the horror of the Nazi Holocaust.
However, pictures emerged of Justin Bieber shadowboxing with a member of his entourage during his visit on Saturday.
Also Justin Bieber’s post in the visitors’ log caused outrage across the world.
He wrote in the log: “Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a Belieber.”
North Korea has announced it is ready to talk if UN sanctions against it are withdrawn and if the US and South Korea put an end to joint military drills.
The conditions for dialogue were outlined in a statement from North Korea’s National Defence Commission and carried on official news agency KCNA.
The UN imposed sanctions on North Korea after the country conducted its third nuclear test on February 12.
The US and South Korea’s annual joint military drills began in March.
“If the US and the South enemies… genuinely want dialogue and negotiation, they should take these steps,” the defence commission said.
“The first step will be withdrawing the UN Security Council resolutions cooked up on ridiculous grounds,” the North Korea statement said.
“Second, you need to tell the whole world that you will not get involved in any rehearsal for a nuclear war that threatens our nation. Dialogues and war games can never go together,” it added.
North Korea has announced it is ready to talk if UN sanctions against it are withdrawn and if the US and South Korea put an end to joint military drills.
Tensions have been high on the Korean peninsula since North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test, which resulted in sanctions from the UN.
In recent weeks, the North has threatened to attack South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.
South Korean President Park Gyeun-hye has made conditional offers of talks with the North, but the North has said that it was merely a “crafty trick”.
The US had also said it was willing to hold talks with North Korea, but only if previous agreements on disarmament were upheld.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korea to “seriously ” consider a dialogue with the South about Kaesong Industrial Complex.
“I firmly believe that the recent offer of dialogue by the Republic of Korea is genuine and hope that the DPRK takes it seriously,” Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
Kaesong, located inside North Korea just across the demilitarized zone from South Korea, was largely financed by the South to increase co-operation.
North Korea has blocked access to Kaesong since April 3 amid rising tension on the Korean peninsula.
Apple shares dropped below the $400 mark for the first time since December 2011 amid concerns over slowing sales.
Apple shares fell as low as $398.11 in Wednesday trading, before ending the day down 5.5% at $402.80.
The concerns were triggered after one of its suppliers, Cirrus Logic, which makes sound components for the iPhone and iPad, reported a decline in sales.
With Apple due to release its latest quarterly results next week, some fear the numbers may be underwhelming.
According to various estimates, demand from Apple accounts for nearly 90% of Cirrus’s revenue.
Apple shares dropped below the $400 mark for the first time since December 2011 amid concerns over slowing sales
Michael Yoshikami, a portfolio manager at Destination Wealth Management, said that Cirrus’s warning makes it more likely that “Apple’s not going to surprise on upside”.
Apple, which enjoyed tremendous success in recent years, has been facing increasing pressure lately, both from rivals as well as investors.
While the sales of its popular iPhone and iPad have grown – they have fallen short of market expectations – and its market share has been declining.
At the same time, Apple’s biggest rival Samsung has been steadily increasing its market share, both in the smartphone and tablet PC sectors.
According to research by Gartner, in the final quarter of 2012 Samsung sold 64.5 million smartphones to Apple’s 43.5 million.
Samsung also doubled its share of the tablet PC market to 15.1% in the last three months of 2012, while Apple saw its share slide to 43.6% from 51.7%, despite seeing a jump in sales, data released by IDC earlier this year showed.
At the same time, some analysts have also been disappointed over the delay in launch of new products by the company.
There are rumors that the release of the company’s next iPhone may not be until September, rather than in June as had been earlier expected.
To add to its woes, a brand survey released by consultancy Added Value in March showed that Apple is perceived as less “inspiring” than it was three years ago.
Meanwhile, Samsung is now seen as equally inspiring in the US.
That has led many investors to fear that Apple may be losing its dominance and as a result its revenues and profits may be hurt.
All these concerns have seen investors ditch Apple’s stock. Its shares have fallen more than 40% since hitting their peak in September 2012.
A Pakistani court has ordered the arrest of ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf over moves to impose house arrest on judges in March 2007.
Pervez Musharraf was present at the Islamabad High Court when the judges issued the order. He had been seeking to extend bail in the case.
Police present at the court did not arrest the former general when the order was made.
Pervez Musharraf immediately left the court and drove away escorted by his security detail.
Despite an unwritten judicial convention discouraging police arrests on court premises, suspects are normally handcuffed in court.
Pervez Musharraf can file an appeal against this court order in Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
A Pakistani court has ordered the arrest of ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf over moves to impose house arrest on judges in March 2007
The former leader returned from years of self-imposed exile last month hoping to lead his All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party into the general election next month.
But earlier this week his candidacy was rejected in Chitral, one of four seats he had applied to contest. He had already failed in an attempt to stand in three other seats. His legal team plan to appeal against that decision.
Pervez Musharraf is embroiled in a series of legal battles and has been attempting to stave off arrest ever since he returned, as well as an attempt to try him for treason. The Pakistani Taliban have also vowed to assassinate the former president, who seized power in a 1999 coup.
He is facing a number of charges related to his time in office with court proceedings over the killing of Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and a tribal leader from Balochistan.
He has described all the cases against him as “baseless” and politically motivated.
This is the first arrest warrant issued for the former ruler since his return to Pakistan.
Pervez Musharraf has already been barred by a court from leaving the country.
Many analysts believe that the authorities would not welcome his arrest at such a politically sensitive time.
Pakistan’s powerful military, of which he was the head until 2007, has not intervened to prevent his political fall.
But while his future appears increasingly bleak, few believe the military would allow a former chief to be thrown in jail or assassinated by militants.
Unconfirmed reports suggest Pervez Musharraf could still be arrested and detained at his property close to Islamabad, where he went after leaving court.
A huge explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas, has left 60 people feared dead, more than 100 injured and caused multiple buildings to be flattened.
The blast at the plant in West, close to Waco, at 7.50 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday left fires burning as a three-mile radius around the blast zone was evacuated amid fears of a secondary explosion.
Six or seven fire crew are unaccounted for following the blast. Firefighters, many of whom are volunteers in West, were unable to battle the blaze at present because of the extreme danger.
Several buildings are still on fire, after the blast at the West Fertilizer plant.
An official confirmed there were deaths, but could not give a figure.
Dean Wilson, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said during a press conference at midnight that it will be some time before authorities know the full extent of the loss of life and damage, adding that they were still conducting house to house searches.
The blast at the plant in West, close to Waco, at 7.50 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday left fires burning as a three-mile radius around the blast zone was evacuated amid fears of a secondary explosion
He said the fire was still smoldering and that no firefighters were tackling it as there was the risk of further explosions.
Half the town had been evacuated, Dean Wilson added.
The Waco Tribune-Herald reported that firefighters had been trying to put out a fire at the plant when the explosion happened, and that some were among those injured.
The blast happened in West, a town of about 2,700 people some 20 miles north of Waco.
TV images showed streams of emergency vehicles descending on the site and ambulance crews using a nearby sports field as an emergency treatment area.
Glenn A Robinson, chief executive of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, told CNN that his hospital had received 66 injured people including 38 who were seriously hurt.
He said the hospital was seeing “everything from orthopaedic injuries to patients that are experiencing serious blood loss”.
McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said: “It’s a lot of devastation. I’ve never seen anything like this. It looks like a war zone with all the debris.”
Unconfirmed reports said a nursing home had collapsed in the explosion and some people were believed trapped inside.
Witness Debby Marak told the Associated Press news agency that she had seen smoke coming from the area near the plant and had driven over to see what was happening.
She said that when she arrived, two boys ran toward her screaming that the authorities had told them to leave because the fertilizer plant was going to explode.
The air in town was still covered in acrid smoke more than two hours after the explosion.
The area around the site was littered with shards of wood, bricks and glass.
Texas Governor Rick Perry said in a statement: “We are monitoring developments and gathering information as details continue to emerge about this incident.
“We have also mobilized state resources to help local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of West, and the first responders on the scene.”
