New Jersey rock group My Chemical Romance have announced they are splitting up.
My Chemical Romance formed in 2001 and have released four albums together.
The band posted a message on their website which said: “Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing.
“We’ve gotten to go places we never knew we would.
“We’ve been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible.”
My Chemical Romance formed in 2001 and have released four albums together
Their message continued: “We’ve shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends.
“And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end.
“Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.”
My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way also tweeted: “Beyond any sadness, what I feel the most is pride.”
The band’s 2005 record The Black Parade reached number two in the UK album chart and the accompanying track Welcome to the Black Parade made it to number one in the singles chart.
In 2011 My Chemical Romance played Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Carlisle, and headlined Reading and Leeds festivals where they were joined on stage by Queen guitarist Brian May.
Later in the year, My Chemical Romance sacked their drummer Michael Pedicone, after accusing him of stealing from them.
Michael Pedicone later admitted to making a “tremendous mistake”.
A truck advertising “Fire & Smoke Restoration” has arrived at Ashley Greene’s Hollywood apartment a day after it was destroyed by a fire.
The truck was seen parked in front of the burnt building as cleaning experts talked with firefighters before heading inside the historic Hollywood landmark, on Saturday.
It is reported that the condo will have to be completely gutted and renovated due to extensive damage from the blaze.
According to TMZ, the apartment’s walls will need to be torn down and the floor will need to be removed as well.
Moisture damage from the fire – initially caused by an unattended candle – has affected four other units in Ashley Greene’s building and will also need renovation.
It has recently been revealed that during the blaze the unit directly above Ashley Greene’s was the only one that needed to be evacuated.
Ashley Greene, her unnamed boyfriend and her brother fled from the condo after being awoken by the fire, which killed one of her pet dogs and saw three unidentified residents suffer minor injuries.
Ashley Greene’s condo will have to be completely gutted and renovated due to extensive damage from the blaze
A preliminary investigation determined the living room couch was set alight by a candle, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to TMZ.
Pictures from inside show the devastation caused after the fire tore through the entire apartment.
It is unclear if Ashley Greene’s unnamed boyfriend is Reese Witherspoon’s ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 38. The pair became the subject of romance rumors this week after being photographed leaving Hollywood’s Vignette Lounge this week.
One of Ashley Greene’s two fox terrier dogs perished in the blaze and was found dead under the bed, according to a resident who spoke to TMZ.
A second dog was taken by Animal Control to be checked out.
Ashley Greene, 26, who plays vampire Alice Cullen in the Twilight franchise, fled the apartment with her brother and boyfriend after being woken by the fire. The two men apparently tried to go back to save the dogs after realizing they were still inside but were unable to re-enter.
The actress was later spotted at the scene covered in soot and cradling her dead pet, wrapped in a blanket.
Several residents tried to tackle the blaze with fire extinguishers before at least 10 fire trucks screeched to the scene of the historic A-list complex, which was once lived in by Marilyn Monroe.
The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished just after 10am following a 9.50 a.m. emergency call.
Ashley Greene’s apartment is located in the Granville Towers complex on Crescent Heights Boulevard in the West Hollywood, which has been home to many celebrities including Monroe, Mickey Rourke and Portia de Rossi.
Nestle has decide to recall some of its varieties of Chunky Kit Kat after seven people in UK found pieces of plastic in bars.
Peanut butter, hazelnut, choc fudge and caramel 48 g bars are being recalled, along with Kit Kat Chunky collection giant eggs.
Nestle said the products should be returned, unopened, for a full refund.
The company said the products were being recalled as a precautionary measure and that no other Kit Kat products were affected.
“The safety and quality of our products are non-negotiable priorities for the company. We sincerely apologize to our consumers for any inconvenience caused by this voluntary recall,” Nestle said in a statement.
Nestle has decide to recall some of its varieties of Chunky Kit Kat after seven people in UK found pieces of plastic in bars
The products recalled are:
Kit Kat chunky peanut butter 48g bars with a best before date range from September 2013 to February 2014
Kit Kat chunky hazelnut 48g bars with a best before date range from September 2013 to October 2013
Kit Kat chunky choc fudge 48g bars with a best before date range from September 2013 to October 2013
Kit Kat chunky caramel (48g) with a best before date range from June 2013 to July 2013
Kit Kat chunky hazelnut multipack with a best before date range from September 2013 to December 2013
Kit Kat chunky collection giant egg with a best before date of July 2013.
The affected products are predominantly sold in the UK, with small amounts also sold in Germany, Switzerland, Malta, Austria, Singapore, the Philippines and Canada.
Kit Kat is one of Nestle’s top-selling brands, with 150 bars consumed worldwide every second.
Crystal Hefner tweeted a picture of herself to show her followers what she would be wearing to Playboy‘s annual Masquerade party over the weekend.
The photo shows Crystal Hefner wearing oversized standout bejewelled earphones on her head and a very tight shiny jumpsuit, which barely covered her cleavage as she seductively unzipped it.
Crystal Hefner, 26, who is married to Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner, 86, also accessorized with an oversized cocktail ring that matched her earphones.
“Sneak peek of my playboy Masquerade party outfit!” she wrote on her Twitter page along with the snap.
Crystal Hefner showed her followers what she would be wearing to Playboy’s annual Masquerade party
David Beckham was left embarrassed as he slipped over and landed on his backside in front of a group of young Chinese footballers while demonstrating his free kick technique.
David Beckham, 37, dropped to the ground during his Far East tour as part of his five-day ambassadorial visit to China.
The football superstar was dressed in a luxury grey suit and black shoes as he lined up to swing in a free-kick in front of starstruck players from Wuhan Zall club in the Hubei province.
But it all went horribly wrong when the Paris St Germain midfielder lost his balance and ended up flat on his back – although he appeared to take the fall in good spirits.
As David Beckham ran up to curve a ball into the top corner of the goal he took a terrible fall and slipped up into the air before crashing into the ground.
David Beckham slipped over and landed on his backside in front of a group of young Chinese footballers while demonstrating his free kick technique
Meanwhile, the former England captain has vowed to promote football in China over a long period of time, and make it one of the most popular leagues in the world.
“Thank you for having me in your wonderful city,” wrote David Beckham on Friday after being mobbed upon his arrival in Qingdao.
David Beckham, who has played four games for new side Paris Saint-Germain and completed his first 90 minutes last week before the international break, said: “I want people to realize this is not a short-term project.
“It is something that we are very passionate about changing the mentality of the league and bringing youngsters through and making this league as popular as some of the big leagues in the world.”
David Beckham continued: “I’ve always been a fan of Chinese football because I think the players are very talented and they are very passionate.
“When you see the excitement throughout this country when the team has done well you see how important it is to people. I am excited to make a difference.”
Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home outside London on March 23.
Boris Berezovsky, who died at the age of 67, was a Russian dissident and a former Kremlin power broker whose fortunes went into dramatic decline as Vladimir Putin established himself as the country’s president.
He played a role in Vladimir Putin’s rise in the late 1990s, but went into opposition and then self-imposed exile as the new president consolidated his power.
Boris Berezovsky remained a wanted man in Russia until his death, and was for a long time dedicated to the anti-Putin cause.
In recent years, Boris Berezovsky’s wealth is thought to have considerably diminished and recent court cases have left him struggling to pay legal fees and other debts.
In 2012 a court battle in London with fellow “oligarch” Roman Abramovich, his former associate with whom he fell out as Vladimir Putin came to power, ended in defeat, with his allegations that he was intimidated by Abramovich into selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a “fraction of their true worth” entirely rejected by the judge.
And earlier this year, his ex-partner Yelena Gorbunova alleged in the High Court that he owed her millions of pounds from the sale of a £25 million ($39 million) property in Surrey, UK.
On March 18, The Times newspaper reported that Boris Berezovsky had been forced to try to sell a painting by Andy Warhol of the former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.
The role of political plotter, and financier of Russian opposition parties, was the latest in a series of reincarnations that Boris Berezovsky went through in his 67 years.
His first career was as a mathematician, his second as a car salesman, his third as a political kingmaker, nicknamed Rasputin, under Russia’s first president Boris Yeltsin.
Boris Berezovsky made his fortune importing Mercedes cars into Russia in the 1990s, and setting himself up as a middleman distributing cars made by Russia’s Avtovaz.
While Avtovaz struggled to survive, Boris Berezovsky nevertheless made millions.
By the mid-1990s, he was one of Russia’s leading oligarchs, a word used for those who made their fortunes during the wholesale privatization of state assets.
Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home outside London on March 23
As well as taking ownership of the Sibneft oil company, Boris Berezovsky became the main shareholder in the country’s main television channel, ORT, which he turned into a propaganda vehicle for Boris Yeltsin in the run-up to the 1996 presidential election.
Boris Berezovsky has survived numerous assassination attempts, including a bomb that decapitated his chauffeur.
He took Forbes magazine to court for describing him as the “godfather of the Kremlin” and linking him to the murder of a popular television journalist.
Forbes settled out of court, accepting that the allegations were false.
Boris Berezovsky was at the height of his power in the later Yeltsin years, when he was deputy secretary of Russia’s security council, a friend of Boris Yeltsin’s daughter Tatyana, and a member of the Yeltsin inner circle, or “family”.
Although he helped Vladimir Putin enter the family, and funded the party that formed Putin’s parliamentary base, the new president moved to regain control of the ORT television station, and to curb the political ambitions of Russia’s oligarchs.
Boris Berezovsky left Russia for self-imposed exile in the UK at the end of 2000.
An early attempt to promote opposition to Vladimir Putin, by funding the Liberal Russia party, ended in disaster when its two most prominent members were assassinated.
“I understood [then] that this way of open opposition doesn’t work, at least for me. And that’s the reason why I decided to choose the other way,” he later said.
Without naming Boris Berezovsky, the Kremlin accused its foreign-based opponents of organizing the 2006 assassinations of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko and the campaigning journalist Anna Politkovskaya, in order to discredit Vladimir Putin.
Boris Berezovsky denied the allegation, and accused Vladimir Putin of himself being behind Alexander Litvinenko’s death.
Boris Berezovsky bought the ex-spy – himself in exile in London – a house in Muswell Hill and helped him to publicize claims that Vladimir Putin organized the bombings of apartment blocks in Russia, in 1999, which paved the way for Russia’s second military intervention in Chechnya.
He said Vladimir Putin was prepared to kill anyone that he defined as an enemy of Russia, and that he himself was a target.
That is why the mansion Boris Berezovsky bought for £10 million ($15 million) from former disc jockey Chris Evans was equipped with bullet-proof windows, laser monitors, spy cameras and reinforced steel doors.
Cyprus’ Finance Minister Michael Sarris has announced the country has made “significant progress” in talks with the EU and IMF aimed at securing a bailout.
Michael Sarris was also quoted as saying Cyprus was considering a 25% levy on deposits of more than 100,000 euros in its biggest bank.
Cyprus has to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) before Monday to secure a 10 billion-euro loan.
Parliament has approved restructuring the island’s banks, among other moves.
But it rejected a levy earlier this week, before EU pressure brought the proposal back to the table. The rejected proposal included a levy on smaller deposits.
On Saturday afternoon more than 1,000 bank employees marched to the Cypriot finance ministry, stopping briefly at the presidential palace on the way.
Marchers held placards with slogans such as “No to the bankruptcy of Cyprus” and chanted “United we cannot be defeated”.
Michael Sarris was speaking after talks with the “troika” of the EU, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the IMF.
“Significant progress has been made toward an agreement at least with the troika which will report to the Eurogroup,” he said.
“Two or three issues need further work.”
Cyprus has made significant progress in talks with the EU and IMF aimed at securing a bailout
Michael Sarris said experts were now discussing these issues, and the talks would resume later on Saturday afternoon with the aim of finalizing the package.
Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades and party leaders were considering a trip to Brussels depending on the outcome of the meeting.
The Eurogroup, of 17 eurozone finance ministers, will meet to discuss the Cyprus bailout at 18:00 local time on Sunday, its president Jeroen Dijsselbloem tweeted.
The ECB has given Cyprus until Monday to raise the bailout money.
If Cyprus fails, the ECB said it would cut off funds to the banks, meaning they would collapse, possibly pushing the country out of the eurozone.
Cyprus now needs to find out what money-raising measures the EU will accept before putting them to a vote.
Germany is essentially writing the rules for the eurozone, and the message coming from Brussels and Berlin is that the money has to come from the banking sector and investors who have benefited from high interest rates over recent years.
Germany has voiced opposition to another measure approved by the Cypriot parliament on Friday – nationalizing some pensions to pay into a solidarity fund along with other assets.
Germany has also made it clear that it will no longer accept an economy within the eurozone that is dominated by its status as an economic tax haven, our correspondent adds.
Leading Cypriot bankers have urged parliament to accept a levy, with small savers exempted.
On Tuesday, parliament overwhelmingly rejected a levy that would have made small savers pay 6.75%, while larger investors would have paid 9.9%.
The proposal had provoked widespread anger among both ordinary savers and large-scale foreign investors, many of them Russian.
The government fears a levy would prompt foreign investors to withdraw their money, destroying one of the island’s biggest industries.
Michael Sarris travelled to Moscow this week to seek Russian support for alternative funding methods, but Russia said it would only act after the EU reached a deal with Cyprus.
Among nine bills approved on Friday, Cyprus MPs voted to restructure the banking sector, starting with the second-largest and most troubled lender, Laiki (Popular) Bank.
Under the restructuring, troubled lenders will be split into so-called good and bad banks, protecting smaller deposits but allowing levies on bigger ones.
There is now speculation that the biggest lender, the Bank of Cyprus, will also be restructured.
Parliament also voted for capital controls to prevent large withdrawals from Cyprus.
Banks in Cyprus have been closed since Monday and many businesses are only taking payment in cash.
Anthanasios Orphanides, former governor of the Cyprus Central Bank, said Cyprus was a victim of German domestic political pressures ahead of a general election there later this year.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her party needed to avoid being accused of using “German taxpayers’ money to pay off Russian oligarchs”.
Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito are waiting to find out if their acquittal for the murder of Meredith Kercher will be overturned by Italy’s highest court.
Italy’s Supreme Court judges will rule on Monday on whether there should be a retrial regarding the death of Meredith Kercher or if the case against them should be closed completely.
In 2011 Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were cleared of the 2007 murder on appeal after they had initially been found guilty and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.
British student Meredith Kercher, 21, was found semi naked and with her throat cut in her bedroom in the house she shared with American Amanda Knox in the picturesque Italian hill top town of Perugia.
The case made headlines around the world amid allegations of sex games, drugs and jealousy during their first trial in 2009.
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty but were cleared two years later after a fresh hearing uncovered a bungled police investigation.
Defence lawyers and experts revealed how evidence had been contaminated or poorly handled by forensic teams and that the conviction should be considered unsafe.
They were immediately freed with Amanda Knox returning to her home in Seattle while Raffaele Sollecito went back to Bisceglie on the southern Italian coast near Bari.
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are waiting to find out if their acquittal for the murder of Meredith Kercher will be overturned by Italy’s highest court
Prosecutors in Perugia appealed the decision on behalf of Meredith Kercher’s family and will find out on Monday if they have been successful.
They want the acquittal to be quashed and for a new trial to be held in neighboring Tuscany.
Neither are expected to attend the hearing which will be held behind closed doors in Rome.
The case will decided purely on paperwork and legal documents with no new witnesses giving evidence.
Luciano Ghirga, Amanda Knox’s lawyer, said: “She is very anxious about the hearing but she is waiting for it knowing full well that the outcome is very important.”
Since returning to Seattle in the US, Amanda Knox has kept a low profile although she is due to given an interview to ABC television on April 30 to coincide with the release of a book about her four years in an Italian jail.
Raffaele Sollecito has also written a book and has already given an interview on Italian TV about the case where he said he and Amanda Knox were no longer lovers but they were still in touch – he visited her earlier this year and they speak on Skype regularly.
He is now studying in Verona and they have always insisted they are innocent of Leeds University student Meredith Kercher’s murder – she had only been in Italy for two months before she was killed having arrived from Coulsdon for a year long course as part of her degree.
During the investigation and trial much was made of Amanda Knox’s character with prosecutors saying she was highly sexual and had manipulated Raffaele Sollecito but her lawyers dismissed the theory.
Boris Berezovsky, an exiled Russian tycoon, has been found dead at his home in Surrey, UK.
The circumstances of the death of Boris Berezovsky – a wanted man in Russia, and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin – at the age of 67, are not yet known.
Thames Valley Police said the death, at a property in Ascot, Berkshire, was being treated as unexplained.
The area around the property has been cordoned off to allow the investigation to take place, the force said.
The inquiry was at a very early stage and more details will be released when available, it added.
A South Central Ambulance Service spokeswoman said it had been called to the property at 15:18 GMT.
“We sent a number of ambulance officers and an ambulance to the address. The 67-year-old male was confirmed deceased at the scene,” she said.
A former Kremlin power-broker whose fortunes declined under Vladimir Putin, Boris Berezovsky emigrated to the UK in 2000.
Last year, he lost a £3 billion ($4.7 billion) damages claim against Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich.
Boris Berezovsky, an exiled Russian tycoon, has been found dead at his home in Surrey
Boris Berezovsky claimed he had been intimidated by Roman Abramovich into selling shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft for a “fraction of their true worth”.
The allegations were completely rejected by the London Commercial Court judge, who called Boris Berozovsky an “inherently unreliable” witness.
France has confirmed today that Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid has been killed in fighting in Mali.
Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was a senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Earlier, the French newspaper Le Monde said DNA samples had made it possible to formally identify Abdelhamid Abou Zeid.
The Chadian army fighting alongside French forces claimed earlier this month it had killed Abou Zeid and fellow militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar in fighting in February.
“The president of the French Republic confirms with certainty the death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid after an offensive by the French army in the Adrar des Ifoghas (mountains) in the North of Mali, at the end of February,” the Elysee presidential palace said.
The statement said the death of “one of the main leaders of AQIM marks an important stage in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel (region)”.
The fate of Mokhtar Belmokhtar has yet to be confirmed.
France has confirmed today that Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid has been killed in fighting in Mali
Islamist rebels seized the vast north of Mali a year ago after a military coup in the capital Bamako. They imposed strict Sharia law on the people they controlled.
France intervened militarily in January amid fears that the militants were preparing to advance on Bamako.
France currently has about 4,000 troops in Mali.
Mali’s army and troops from several African countries, including 2,000 from Chad, have also been involved in the fighting.
Since the intervention began, major cities including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu have been recaptured but fighting is still continuing in desert mountains.
France plans to withdraw its troops from Mali next month, with West African countries expected to take over in the run-up to elections due in July.
Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was believed to be behind several kidnappings of Westerners.
On Wednesday, AQIM said it had killed French hostage Philippe Verdon who was taken prisoner in Mali in 2011.
It said his death – which France has not yet confirmed – was in retaliation for France’s intervention in Mali.
As well as Philippe Verdon, a total of 14 French nationals are still being held by Islamist groups in Africa.
Millions of people around the world switch off their lights to mark Earth Hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. in their local times on the last Saturday of March each year. In 2013, Earth Hour occurs one week earlier, on March 23.
What is Earth Hour?
Earth Hour is a global WWF (formerly known as World Wildlife Fund) climate change initiative. It is an event that aims to create awareness of people taking responsibility towards a sustainable future by turning the lights off.
What do people do for Earth Hour?
Millions of people turn off their lights for Earth Hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. in their local times on the last Saturday of March. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas have stood in darkness during previous Earth Hours. Some people enjoy Earth Hour with a candle-lit dinner or a candle-lit bath, while others host large events or parties, either in darkness or with candles, to celebrate Earth Hour.
Businesses and government organizations, as well as community and political leaders also take part in Earth Hour. It’s about giving people a voice on the planet’s future and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for planet earth.
Millions of people around the world switch off their lights for an hour to mark Earth Hour on the last Saturday of March each year
Earth Hour background
Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This event saw 2.2 million homes and businesses turn their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change that year. Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating in 2008. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness for Earth Hour. In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour.
WWF, which organizes the annual Earth Hour event, aims to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment. It also focuses on building a future where people live in harmony with nature. The organization functions through a network of more than 90 offices in more than 40 countries worldwide. Its first office was founded in Morges, Switzerland, on September 11, 1961.
Pope Francis has met his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, for a private lunch at Castel Gandolfo; the first time such a meeting has been possible for more than 600 years.
Pope Francis was flown by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo for the private lunch with Pope Emeritus Benedict.
Benedict has lived at the lakeside castle south of Rome since last month, when he became the first pope in six centuries to resign, citing ill health.
There is no public record of any previous meeting between a Pope and a former Pope, as the new head of the Catholic Church is usually elected after the death of his predecessor.
In 1294, former hermit Celestine V resigned after five months as Pope. Boniface VIII was elected days later, and had his predecessor imprisoned. Celestine was dead within a year.
In contrast, Pope Francis has spoken warmly of his predecessor.
Pope Francis was flown by helicopter to Castel Gandolfo for a private lunch with Pope Emeritus Benedict
One of his first acts as Pope was to call Benedict at Castel Gandolfo, where the former pontiff had been following proceedings on television.
Pope Emeritus Benedict is expected to stay on at the papal summer residence until new accommodation being prepared for him inside the walls of Vatican City is ready at the end of April.
For his part, Pope Francis will begin the Church’s most important liturgical season on Sunday with a Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square.
He will then lead six more liturgies during the week, culminating with the Easter Sunday Mass and Urbi et Orbi blessing.
Only 10 days into his pontificate, Pope Francis has made some subtle but significant changes in the lifestyle of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He dresses very simply, preferring to wear plain black shoes under a simple white habit rather than the red leather loafers and ermine-trimmed cape worn by his predecessor.
Pope Francis spurned a special car to take a bus with his cardinals after he was elected, and insisted on returning to his Rome hotel the next day to pay his own bill.
And he places himself on the same level as his guests, rather than greeting them from a throne on an elevated platform, which is seen as a powerful gesture after centuries of Vatican pomp.
Pope Francis has also started inviting guests to his early morning Mass – including Vatican gardeners, street sweepers, kitchen staff and maids working at the hotel where he is currently staying.
Beyonce lends her voice to the character of Queen Tara in the upcoming animated film Epic.
In a newly released poster, Queen Tara is seen with her tresses tied up in an elegant high ponytail style, which twists at the front, revealing the high neck of her lime green gown featuring cut out detail around the bust.
The colors in the picture are reminiscent of Beyonce’s look at the BET Awards in July 2012 where she wore a similar hue dress.
From the creators of Ice Age and Rio, Epic tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it.
Beyonce lends her voice to the character of Queen Tara in the upcoming animated film Epic
When a teenage girl (Amanda Seyfried) finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.
Meanwhile, much life her Sasha Fierce stage alter ego, Beyonce’s character is beautiful, agile and strong, “the life force of the forest, which she presides over with respect, compassion and humor” according to the movie’s website.
When Queen Tara finds herself in danger, her unique connection with nature gives her powerful allies. And when all hope seems lost, she summons help from the most surprising of places.
Epic stars Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson and Christoph Waltz.
Beyonce has appeared in many films since 2001’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera, is her first animated flick.
Other notable parts include her characters Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers inGoldmember and Deena Jones in Dream Girls.
President Barack Obama is ending his Middle East tour with a trip to the famous ruins of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.
The diplomatic part of his visit ended on Friday when he met King Abdullah and pledged an additional $200 million to help Syrian refugees in Jordan.
Correspondents say Barack Obama’s four-day visit has yielded mixed results.
The US president brokered an Israeli rapprochement with Turkey but there was little progress on the Palestinian issue.
Barack Obama’s Marine One helicopter touched down near Petra after an hour-long flight from the Jordanian capital, Amman.
The site of the ancient city, which is carved into rose-red stone, dates back 2,000 years and is Jordan’s top tourist attraction, drawing more than half a million visitors each year.
President Barack Obama is ending his Middle East tour with a trip to the famous ruins of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan
Most of Barack Obama’s time in the Middle East was spent in Israel where he held several meetings with PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
A highlight of the visit came when Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for “any errors that could have led to loss of life” during the 2010 commando raid on an aid flotilla that tried to breach the Gaza blockade.
Benjamin Netanyahu also agreed to compensate the families of the nine Turkish activists who were killed.
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said he had accepted the apology, “in the name of the Turkish people”.
Barack Obama also briefly visited Ramallah in the West Bank to meet Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.
The US president urged Palestinians to drop their demands for a freeze in Israeli settlement-building as a precondition for peace talks.
However, a spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian leader had told Barack Obama the precondition remained in place.
Speaking to an audience of young Israelis in Jerusalem, Barack Obama praised Jewish nationhood before turning the argument around by stressing the need for Palestinians to share these same values of self-determination and justice.
“It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of her own living their entire lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements of her parents every single day,” Barack Obama said.
President Barack Obama is due to return to Washington later on Saturday.
Jazzman Bebo Valdes, a central figure in the golden era of Cuban big band music, has died in Sweden at the age of 94.
Bebo Valdes started his career in the nightclubs of the Cuban capital, Havana, in the 1940s.
A pianist, Bebo Valdes also composed and arranged songs, and led two big bands, as well as creating his own rhythm, the batanga.
He died in Sweden, where he had lived since the 1960s.
Bebo Valdes came to fame as the musical director of the Tropicana club in Havana. From 1948 to 1957, he worked as singer Rita Montaner’s pianist, also arranging many of her songs.
During his time at the Tropicana, Bebo Valdes also performed with Nat “King” Cole and Sarah Vaughan.
Bebo Valdes, a central figure in the golden era of Cuban big band music, has died in Sweden at the age of 94
Following the 1959 Cuban revolution, Bebo Valdes left Cuba for Mexico.
In 1963, Bebo Valdes toured Europe with the Lecuano Cuban Boys orchestra and, while playing in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, fell in love with a woman in the audience.
Bebo Valdes stayed in Stockholm and got married six months later.
Shortly after the wedding, he stopped touring, choosing to settle down with his wife instead.
While he continued to play in hotel piano bars and restaurants, it was not until 1994 that he would record another album, Bebo Rides Again.
The collaboration with Cuban saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera revived his musical fortune.
Calle 54, a 2000 documentary about Latin jazz by Spanish director Fernando Trueba, further helped to bring Bebo Valdes’s music to a wider audience.
The film featured Bebo Valdes performing together with his son from his first marriage, Chucho Valdes, who is also a pianist and band leader.
The cause of Bebo Valdes’s death has not yet been made public.
Liam Hemsworth and his fiancée Miley Cyrus have reportedly been “very happy” since they reunited in Los Angeles this week.
Liam Hemsworth, 23, had looked grim when he arrived in California on Wednesday, but it seems his downcast demeanor was not a sign of things to come.
An insider told Us Weekly: “Things are going well. They are happy.”
It is certainly quite the turnaround given how bleak things looked just a week ago, following a trip back home to Australia amid rumors they were set to call time on their relationship.
Liam Hemsworth and his fiancée Miley Cyrus have reportedly been “very happy” since they reunited in Los Angeles this week
When Liam Hemsworth finally arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday, just a day after his Miley Cyrus started wearing her engagement ring again, he did not exactly look in high spirits.
The actor tried to keep a low profile, wearing oversized sunglasses over his eyes and pulling the hood on his top over his head.
Just a day before Liam Hemsworth arrived back in the US, Miley Cyrus was once again wearing her massive wedding ring.
Cyprus parliament has voted to restructure the island’s banks, set up a “national solidarity fund”, and establish capital controls to prevent a bank run.
Efforts continue to reach consensus on other key issues such as levies on bank deposits.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is to hold talks in Brussels with the EU before Cyprus’s parliament reconvenes.
Cyprus needs to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) to qualify for a 10 billion-euro bailout.
On Friday, the Cypriot parliament passed a total of nine bills, covering three main elements of the rescue plan including:
Restructuring of the banking sector, starting with the most troubled bank of all – Laiki (Popular) Bank, the country’s second largest
The creation of a solidarity fund: nationalizing pension funds and other state assets
The approval of capital controls to prevent large fund withdrawals out of Cyprus
Cyprus parliament has voted to restructure the island’s banks
The bank levy issue may come before parliament later in the weekend. A levy, possibly of around 15%, on all deposits over 100,000 euros, has been suggested.
The “solidarity fund” would allow the pooling of state assets for an emergency bond issue, reports the Reuters news agency.
These include future gas revenues and some pension funds – an idea that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has strongly condemned.
Under the bank restructuring, Cyprus’ troubled lenders will be split into so-called good and bad banks.
Before the series of much-delayed votes in an emergency session of parliament, the European Union, Germany and leading bankers all urged MPs to speedily pass the reforms.
Eurozone finance ministers have called a meeting on Sunday to discuss the Cyprus crisis.
The European Central Bank has given Cyprus until Monday to raise the bailout money, or it says it will cut off funds to the banks, meaning they would collapse, possibly pushing the country out of the eurozone.
The EU has postponed next week’s summit to discuss free trade with Japan, so European leaders can concentrate on trying to solve the Cyprus crisis.
Cyprus banks have been closed since Monday and many businesses are only taking payment in cash.
Pope Francis has stunned the owners of a Buenos Aires newspaper kiosk, by phoning directly to cancel his order.
Luis Del Regno and his son Daniel delivered papers to former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s residence every weekday.
Daniel Del Regno said he thought it was a prank when a caller earlier this week introduced himself as “Cardinal Jorge”.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Latin American Pope when he was elected on March 13 after the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
He chose the name Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi – the 13th century Italian saint who spurned a life of luxury to work with the poor.
Each Sunday, the archbishop of Buenos Aires would come and pick up the paper himself at 05:30 before catching a bus to distribute tea to sick people in the suburb of Lugano, said Luis Del Regno.
When Daniel Del Regno answered the phone on Monday, he could not believe it was the newly-elected Pope, the Catholic News Agency reported.
“Seriously, it’s Jorge Bergoglio, I’m calling you from Rome,” Pope Francis had told Daniel Del Regno.
“I was in shock, I broke down in tears and didn’t know what to say,” Daniel Del Regno told Argentine daily La Nacion.
“He thanked me for delivering the paper all this time and sent best wishes to my family.”
“I asked him if there would ever be the chance to see him here again. He said that for the time being that would be very difficult, but that he would always be with us.”
Pope Francis has stunned the owners of a Buenos Aires newspaper kiosk, by phoning directly to cancel his order
Daniel Del Regno said he had asked Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio before he left for Rome if he thought he would be elected in the secret conclave.
“He answered me: <<That is too hot to touch. See you in 20 days, keep delivering the paper>>. And the rest is, well, history,” he said.
The former cardinal had booked a return ticket to Buenos Aires where he was expecting to lead Easter services next weekend.
Instead, as Pope Francis, will celebrate Mass on Holy Thursday in St Peter’s Basilica, and will wash the feet of prisoners in a youth detention centre in Rome, continuing a pre-Easter practice he began while archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Normally feet-washing Masses before Easter are held in the Vatican or a Rome basilica.
Luis Del Regno said he had “thousands of stories” about the new Pope, including the fact that he used to collect all the rubber bands that were wrapped around his newspapers.
“At the end of the month, he always brought them back to me,” said Luis Del Regno.
“All 30 of them!”
Pope Francis has already stamped his humble style on the papacy – spurning a special car to take a bus with his cardinals after he was elected, and insisting on returning to his Rome hotel the next day to pay his own bill.
The new Pope has called for the Roman Catholic Church to be closer to ordinary people, especially the poor and disadvantaged.
Amanda Bynes’ family is reportedly concerned for the actress’ well-being as she’s behaving a little strangely.
A source told E! News that Amanda Bynes’ weird behavior – including raunchy tweets, cheek piercing, random solo outings – coupled with the myriad driving mishaps that came before, has her family concerned for her welfare.
According to the source, Amanda Bynes’ family wants her to return to Los Angeles so that they can keep a closer eye on her, but she refuses.
The source added that Amanda Bynes’ family is hopeful that everything is going to be fine, but they’re ready to step in if needed.
Amanda Bynes’ family is reportedly concerned for the actress’ well-being as she’s behaving a little strangely
Ohio authorities have issued an “indictment” against Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog famed for predicting spring’s arrival, after he got it wrong this year.
The groundhog forecast an early spring when he did not see his shadow as he emerged from hibernation on February 2.
Prosecutors in Ohio’s Butler County accuse the rodent of deliberately misleading the public.
They say such a felony should be punished by death.
“Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that spring would come early,” wrote Mike Gmoser, Butler County prosecutor, in an official-looking paper.
Mike Gmoser added the wrong prediction amounted to a felony “against the peace and dignity of the state of Ohio”.
But Bill Deeley, president of the club that organizes Groundhog Day, said Phil has a lawyer and would fight attempted extradition by the Ohio authorities.
Punxsutawney Phil forecast an early spring for 2013 when he did not see his shadow as he emerged from hibernation on February 2
He added the death penalty would be a “very harsh” punishment for the much-loved rodent.
“We’ll have to plead our case one way or the other, but I think we can beat the rap,” Bill Deeley said.
There has been much chatter on social media about Punxsutawney Phil’s incorrect prediction that spring would come early.
Temperatures in the region remain low, with a storm due on Sunday that could bring several inches of snow with it.
Each year thousands of people visit the tiny western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney, depicted in the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day, to witness Phil’s prognostication.
Australian Warren Rodwell, who was kidnapped 15 months ago by al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, has been released.
Warren Rodwell was freed on Saturday near Pagadian city in the southern Philippines, police said.
He was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in 2011, and had last been shown alive in a video posted on social media websites in December.
Abu Sayyaf is considered the smallest and most radical of the extremist movements in the southern Philippines.
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr welcomed the news, saying the release had been the result of a joint effort by authorities in both countries.
“The Philippines government had the lead role in this case and deserve congratulations for their tireless efforts on Mr. Rodwell’s behalf,” said Bob Carr.
Warren Rodwell was freed on Saturday near Pagadian city in the southern Philippines
Bob Carr added that Warren Rodwell was being moved to a safe location and that the focus now was on his recovery.
Warren Rodwell – who runs a shop with his wife in the Philippines’ seaside town of Ipil, close to Zamboanga in south-western Mindanao – was abducted in December 2011.
A number of foreigners have been kidnapped for ransom in the southern Philippines. The Australian government has a longstanding policy of refusing to pay ransom for its citizens.
Areas within the region are used as bases by Islamist militants and rebel groups.
Abu Sayyaf militants remain a security threat in the impoverished region, where minority Muslims have been fighting for self-rule for decades.
The main Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, last year signed a peace accord with the government in exchange for broad autonomy.
But Abu Sayyaf were among the rebel groups who refused to sign up to the peace deal.
Miley Cyrus spoke excitedly about her “twerking” video that went viral this week during her interview on KIIS FM’s On Air With Ryan Seacrest on Friday morning.
“I can’t believe how many people think I’m good at twerking – which is dope -like my life goal has been accomplished,” Miley Cyrus told the radio host.
“I thought it was so weird, but I’m glad that everyone understands my humor.”
Miley Cyrus, 20, was referring to a video that she shared of herself on Wednesday dancing to J Dash’s track Wop while wearing a unicorn onesie.
The dance style, known as “twerking, requires a lot of rump shaking and squatting”, something which Miley Cyrus performed with ease.
Miley Cyrus shared a video of herself dancing to J Dash’s track Wop while wearing a unicorn onesie
“You can’t really explain [twerking]” Miley Cyrus said during the interview.
“It’s something that comes naturally…It’s a lot of booty action.”
Miley Cyrus explained how the video – which has received more than 6 million hits – came about.
“I had a photo shoot earlier that day and so I didn’t really want to get dressed, so I wore the unicorn onesie and my friend was like, <<Everyone is gone, we have the backdrop and the lighting>>. So I started dancing and said, <<Here’s my phone will you record it real quick>>,” she said.
However, the star admitted she wasn’t totally unprepared.
“I’ve been practicing probably for the past two years, in my own time in my living room,” the singer said.
Miley Cyrus posted a picture of herself at Ryan Seacrest’s studio in a cheeky squat next to a poster with her trending hashtag: “#MCTWERKTEAM”
She was also there to support Ryan Seacrest at the debut of his new multimedia broadcast center Seacrest Studios.
President Barack Obama and Miss Israel Yityish Aynaw, an Ethiopian Jewish immigrant, dined together at an official state dinner in Jerusalem, where the White House had requested her presence.
Barack Obama was in Jerusalem as part of a four-day trip to Middle East, visiting Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.
Yityish Aynaw, who goes by “Titi”, made history last month by becoming the first black Miss Israel.
After the dinner, Yityish Aynaw gushed about meeting President Barack Obama in an interview with the Israeli publication Yediot Aharonot.
“He’s an exciting man, a world-class hunk, charming and an extraordinary gentleman,” she said.
Yityish Aynaw and Barack Obama were introduced by Israeli President Shimon Peres
Yityish Aynaw and Barack Obama were introduced by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
“You are very beautiful,” Barack Obama told her, according Israeli media.
“And Michelle would have been very happy to be as tall as you are.”
Yityish Aynaw, 22, said she recalled learning about Barack Obama in high school.
“I did a research project about him in high school and I know he is a very powerful man, charismatic, and he achieved a lot on his own by virtue of the fact that he believed in himself and this stuck with me,” Yityish Aynaw told CNN.
She was working as a sales clerk when a friend entered her name into Israel’s beauty pageant.
Yityish Aynaw has lived in Israel since she was 10, when she was orphaned and went to live with her grandparents.
She recalled going to an Israeli boarding school without knowing a word of Hebrew and said some of the kids there made fun of her Ethiopian name.
“What is <<Yitayish>>? This is my name. But it sounds weird,” she told reporter Daniel Estrin in an interview.
“There were times they’d call me <<Tayish>>. In Hebrew that’s a kind of animal. You know?”
More than a quarter of all Israeli TV viewers watched Yityish Aynaw, who became an army officer after graduation, win her crown a couple weeks ago.
“It’s time that someone from my community, someone with my skin color, who is Israeli just like everyone else, represent the country,” Yityish Aynaw said.
“I feel like I made history, that I blazed a trail.”
Ashley Greene’s apartment in West Hollywood burst into flames on Friday morning as the actress slept.
Ashley Greene, her unnamed boyfriend and brother were woken by the fire, which broke out on the living room sofa, according to TMZ.
Three people were treated for minor injuries, with other reports of two people suffering burns and receiving hospital treatment, although identities have not been confirmed at this stage.
It is unclear if Ashley Greene’s unnamed boyfriend is Reese Witherspoon’s ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 38. The pair became the subject of romance rumors this week after being photographed leaving Hollywood’s Vignette Lounge on Wednesday.
One of Ashley Greene’s two fox terrier dogs perished in the blaze and was found dead under the bed, according to a resident who spoke to TMZ. A second dog was taken by Animal Control to be checked out.
Ashley Greene, who plays vampire Alice Cullen in the Twilight franchise, fled the apartment with her brother and boyfriend after being woken by the fire. The two men apparently tried to go back to save the dogs after realizing they were still inside but were unable to re-enter.
The 26 year-old actress was later spotted at the scene covered in soot and pictures of the inconsolable actress cradling her dead pet, wrapped in a blanket, have since been published on TMZ.
Several residents tried to tackle the blaze with fire extinguishers before at least 10 fire trucks screeched to the scene of the historic A-list complex, which was once lived in by Marilyn Monroe.
The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished just after 10 a.m. following a 9.50 a.m. emergency call.
Ashley Greene’s apartment in West Hollywood burst into flames on Friday morning as the actress slept
A spokesman for Ashley Greene told People.com that the cause of the fire is “undetermined” although a firefighter at the scene told TMZ the blaze started on the sofa.
The apartment is located in the Granville Towers complex on Crescent Heights Boulevard in the West Hollywood, which has been home to many celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Rourke and Portia de Rossi.
One-bedroom suites alone command monthly rentals of between $3,000 and $4,000 at the luxurious 1930s-era landmark building, situated yards away from spas, gyms, theatres and a glamorous night scene catering for the rich and famous.
Friday’s incident triggered a huge emergency response, with 55 firefighters working at the scene and 10 ambulances parked down the street.
Los Angeles Fire Department Inspector Johnson confirmed crews were dispatched at 9:50 a.m.
“We made an aggressive fire attack. Our team saw smoke and fire coming from the third floor,” he told RadarOnline.
He added: “We have reports of two patrons that were burned, so they were treated by the paramedics and sent to the hospital.”
Kate Upton visited Arnold Palmer at his club in Orlando, Florida, during the first round of this year’s Bay Hill PGA Tour on Thursday.
According to Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson, Kate Upton’s manager has family links to Arnold Palmer, and the 20-year-old popped along to meet him and see the work he’s doing with two children’s hospitals.
Arnold Palmer, 83, is hosting his own tournament on the PGA Tour for the 34th time.
Upon learning Kate Upton was on her way to visit, Arnold Palmer is reported to have held up a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue with Upton on the cover and said: “Did you see this? She’s coming here. Did you know that?”
And on her arrival, Arnold Palmer took his chance and moved in for a kiss.
Kate Upton visited Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill PGA Tour event
