Shoe designer Manolo Blahnik has admitted that he is unclear who Anne Hathaway is.
Manolo Blahnik, 70, told Interviewmagazine: “Anne Hathaway… Pretty? Yes. Wonderful actress? Yes. But, I mean, I don’t even remember her. What is it about her?”
The shoe designer then went on to slam the Oscar nominee’s Les Miserables co-star, Amanda Seyfried, as equally forgettable.
“I don’t even know Amanda Seyfried or whatever – they’re all the same!” he said.
The interviewer tried to jog Manolo Blahnik’s memory of Anne Hathaway, reminding him that the actress was “very good as Cat Woman in The Dark Knight Rises”.
Manolo Blahnik responded: “As Cat Woman, yes, and I’m not saying she’s not beautiful or a great actress.”
He then added dismissively: “I just don’t remember her.”
Manolo Blahnik has admitted that he is unclear who Anne Hathaway is
Indeed, it seems Manol Blahnik only has admiration for a specific type of contemporary actress.
“The only one I remember is Julia Roberts because she’s particular,” he told the interviewer.
Manolo Blahnik says he became nostalgic for old-fashioned acting one weekend after watching the entire series of Nineties show Twin Peaks.
According to him, Twin Peaks stars, Lara Flynn Boyle and Sherilyn Fenn, are “old-school girls like Elizabeth Taylor”.
“[They] should be working now instead of these anonymous girls.”
Manolo Blahnik also recalled being captivated after bumping into Salma Hayek at an awards show when he was feeling unwell.
“I was waiting to be photographed,” he recounts.
“And I almost fainted on that girl, the tiny woman from France, no, from Mexico… Salma Hayek.”
Salma Hayek’s good looks and glamour clearly made an impression on the designer.
“She’s a sweet girl, beautiful,” he said.
“I love that. This is what I really love: Where are those girls?” Manolo Blahnik wondered aloud.
Anne Hathaway has been nominated for an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables.
Microsoft has become the latest technology company to confirm that it has been targeted by computer hackers.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced that “a small number” of its computers had recently been deliberately infected with malicious software.
The firm said it found no evidence that any customer data had been accessed, but an investigation is continuing.
On Tuesday Apple said its computers were attacked by the same hackers who targeted Facebook a week earlier.
At the time, Facebook said it had traced a cyber attack back to China which had infiltrated employees’ laptops.
In Friday’s blog post, Microsoft spokesman Matt Thomlinson said: “This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries.”
Microsoft has become the latest technology company to confirm that it has been targeted by computer hackers
The Pentagon has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade.
The fault was detected during a routine inspection of an air force version of the jet (F-35A) at Edwards Air Force Base in California, said the Pentagon.
Different versions are flown by the navy and the marine corps. All have been grounded.
The F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons programme. with a cost of nearly $400 billion.
The Pentagon said flight operations would remain suspended until the root cause is established.
The Pentagon has grounded its entire fleet of 51 F-35 fighter jets after the discovery of a cracked engine blade
Friday’s order was the second time in two months planes from the F-35 range have been grounded.
The marine corps variant (F-35B), a short take-off and vertical landing variant (STOVL), was grounded for nearly a month after a manufacturing defect caused a fuel line to detach just before a training flight in January.
The air force version takes off from, and lands on, conventional runways while the STOVL version takes off from shorter runways and lands like a helicopter.
With a top speed of 1,200 mph (1,930 km/h), the F-35 can fly almost twice as fast as the Harrier, while it also has radar transparency and stealth capabilities – the Harrier had neither.
The UK has lost its top AAA credit rating for the first time since 1978 on expectations that growth will “remain sluggish over the next few years”.
Moody’s became the first ratings agency to cut the UK from its highest rating, to Aa1.
It said the UK government’s debt reduction programme faced significant “challenges” ahead.
Chancellor George Osborne said the decision was “a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country”.
“Far from weakening our resolve to deliver our economic recovery plan, this decision redoubles it,” he added.
“We will go on delivering the plan that has cut the deficit by a quarter.”
The UK has had a top AAA credit rating since 1978 from both Moody’s and S&P.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the decision was a “humiliating blow to a prime minister and chancellor who said keeping our AAA rating was the test of their economic and political credibility”.
In announcing the ratings cut, Moody’s cited the “challenges that subdued medium-term growth prospects pose to the government’s fiscal consolidation programme, which will now extend well into the next parliament”.
It added that the UK’s huge debts were unlikely to reverse until 2016.
“The main driver underpinning Moody’s decision to downgrade the UK’s government bond rating to AA1 is the increasing clarity that, despite considerable structural economic strengths, the UK’s economic growth will remain sluggish over the next few years due to the anticipated slow growth of the global economy and the drag on the UK economy,” Moody’s said.
But it added that the outlook for the UK is “stable”, meaning it sees no further downgrades in the near future, and added “the UK’s creditworthiness remains extremely high”.
It will massively increase the pressure on George Osborne, from both those who want him to raise taxes and cut spending further and from those who want him to alter course in next month’s Budget and spend more to try to boost growth.
The UK has lost its top AAA credit rating for the first time since 1978 on expectations that growth will remain sluggish over the next few years
The UK’s net sovereign debt was the equivalent of 68% of the country’s annual economic output, or GDP, at the end of last year.
“The very fact that we didn’t see this downgrade happen in the past few years is a testament to the UK’s credibility,” said Lena Komileva, an economist at G+ Economics.
“There are no magic fixes for this kind of problem. It’s not a question of what the government is willing to do, it is what it can do.”
All three major credit agencies last year put the UK on “negative outlook”, meaning they could downgrade its rating if performance deteriorates.
In his Autumn Statement in December, George Osborne acknowledged public finances were taking longer to rectify than planned, and admitted he would be forced to extend austerity measures by at least another year.
Germany and Canada are the only major economies to currently have a top AAA rating – as much of the world has been shaken by the financial crisis of 2008 and its subsequent debt crises.
A downgrade of a credit rating does not necessarily substantially damage the ability to borrow.
The US – the world’s biggest economy – was downgraded from its AAA rating last year, a move that has not materially changed its borrowing costs.
Moody’s removed France’s AAA rating in November.
The UK has experienced a double-dip recession since 2008. It grew in the third quarter of last year – boosted by the impact of the Olympics, but shrunk again by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012.
Earlier this month, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said the Bank of England should be ready to inject more money into the economy to boost growth.
The Bank has so far pumped £375 billion into the financial system, creating money to buy-back government bonds.
The credibility of ratings agencies have also come under attack. S&P is being sued by the US government over ratings it gave to some mortgage-backed assets in the run-up to the global financial crisis in 2007, which subsequently fell dramatically in value.
Moody’s announcement sent the pound falling further in value, but financial analysts said the impact was likely to be limited because the markets had been expecting a downgrade for some time.
Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has spent his first night out of custody after being granted bail.
At a pre-trial hearing on Friday, a Pretoria magistrate ruled the state had not made a case that the South African Paralympic champion would flee, or that he had a violent character.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, denies murder, saying he shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, thinking she was an intruder at his home.
The next hearing is set for June 4.
Oscar Pistorius spent eight nights in a police cell in Pretoria, following his arrest on February 14. After Friday’s ruling granting him bail, he left the court in a silver car pursued by photographers.
The sprinter is staying at his uncle’s house in Pretoria.
Reports say Oscar Pistorius may start training again and hold talks with his coach.
Magistrate Desmond Nair set bail at 1 million rand ($113,000).
Oscar Pistorius was also ordered to hand over his passport, avoid his home in Pretoria and report to a police station every Monday and Friday.
Desmond Nair took almost two hours to deliver his judgement.
The magistrate criticized the testimony of Detective Hilton Botha for not following up important leads and changing his evidence.
Oscar Pistorius, who faces murder charges over the shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has spent his first night out of custody after being granted bail
Desmond Nair also said Oscar Pistorius had “reached out to meet the state’s case” and had given a full version of events at an early stage.
Oscar Pistorius’ family and supporters in the court gasped and cheered as the magistrate announced his decision.
His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, said outside court: “We are relieved by the fact that Oscar got bail today, but at the same time, we are in mourning for Reeva Steenkamp and her family.”
The hearing began on Tuesday and both prosecution and defence laid out their cases.
Both sides agree that Oscar Pistorius shot through the bathroom door four times, hitting and killing Reeva Steenkamp.
But prosecutors allege the shooting happened after the couple had an argument at Oscar Pistorius’s home in the early hours of February 14.
Det. Hilton Botha told the court that witnesses had heard shouting, screaming and gunfire from about 600 m (2,000 ft) away.
But later he changed his evidence to suggest the witnesses were much closer.
And on Thursday it emerged that Det. Hilton Botha faces allegations of attempted murder, and he was removed from the case.
Oscar Pistorius says he woke in the middle of the night, and thought there was an intruder in the bathroom.
The prosecutors sought to portray Oscar Pistorius as man with a history of violence who was likely to flee the country.
But the defence argued it would be impossible for Oscar Pistorius to flee because his prosthetic legs would be noticed wherever he went.
Reeva Steenkamp was a model and law graduate with a burgeoning television career.
Oscar Pistorius won gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
In London Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double-amputee to run in the Olympics, making the semi-final of the 400 m.
The US government is expected to join a lawsuit against former cyclist Lance Armstrong after talks with his lawyers broke down.
The suit argues Lance Armstrong defrauded the American public by insisting he was not using drugs while riding for the publicly funded US Postal Service team.
Last month, Lance Armstrong admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his Tour de France wins.
The suit, filed by his former team-mate Floyd Landis, aims to recover sponsorship money from Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong’s legal team had tried to convince the US government not to join the so-called “whistleblowing” lawsuit filed by Floyd Landis, who himself admitted using drugs throughout his career.
But a statement by Lance Armstrong’s counsel Robert Luskin said: “Lance and his representatives worked constructively over these last weeks with federal lawyers to resolve this case fairly, but those talks failed because we disagree about whether the Postal Service was damaged.
“The Postal Services’s own studies show that the Service benefited tremendously from its sponsorship – benefits totalling more than $100 million.”
NBC News and the Wall Street Journal are both reporting the US government will now throw its weight behind the suit.
By flagging up allegations of fraud, Floyd Landis could receive a substantial share of any money recovered from Lance Armstrong under the federal False Claims Act.The law, introduced by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, stipulates the person bringing the lawsuit can receive 15-25% of any damages.
The US government is expected to join a lawsuit against Lance Armstrong after talks with his lawyers broke down
Lance Armstrong, 41, ended years of denial in January during an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey in which he described doping as part of the process of winning the Tour.
He has since said he will not agree to be interviewed under oath by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Lance Armstrong was charged by USADA in June 2012 with using performance-enhancing drugs.
He filed a lawsuit against the organisation the following month, accusing it of “corrupt inducements” to other cyclists to testify against him.
However, Lance Armstrong then announced in August that he would not fight the doping charges filed against him, and was given a life ban by USADA and stripped of his Tour de France titles.
Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles between 1999 and 2005. The US Postal Service sponsored the team between 1996 and 2004.
China’s environment ministry appears to admit the existence of so-called “cancer villages” after years of public speculation about the impact of pollution in certain areas.
For years campaigners have said cancer rates in some villages near factories and polluted waterways has shot up.
But the term “cancer village” has no technical definition and the ministry’s report did not elaborate on it.
There have been many calls for China to be more transparent on pollution.
The latest report from the environment ministry is entitled “Guard against and control risks presented by chemicals to the environment during the 12th Five-Year period (2011-2015)”.
It says that the widespread production and consumption of harmful chemicals forbidden in many developed nations are still found in China.
“The toxic chemicals have caused many environmental emergencies linked to water and air pollution,” it said.
The report goes on to acknowledge that such chemicals could pose a long-term risk to human health, making a direct link to the so-called “cancer villages”.
“There are even some serious cases of health and social problems like the emergence of cancer villages in individual regions,” it said.
China’s environment ministry appears to admit the existence of so-called “cancer villages” after years of public speculation about the impact of pollution in certain areas
China has experienced rapid development, stories about so-called cancer villages have become more frequent.
And China has witnessed growing public anger over air pollution and industrial waste caused by industrial development.
Media coverage of conditions in these so-called “cancer villages” has been widespread. In 2009, one Chinese journalist published a map identifying dozens of apparently affected villages.
In 2007, one scientist found high levels of poisonous heavy metals in the water and believed there was a direct connection between incidences of cancer and mining in the area.
Until now, there has been little comment from the government on such allegations.
Environmental lawyer Wang Canfa, who runs a pollution aid centre in Beijing, told the AFP news agency that it was the first time the “cancer village” phrase had appeared in a ministry document.
Last month – Beijing – and several other cities – were blanketed in smog that soared past levels considered hazardous by the World Health Organization.
The choking pollution provoked a public outcry and led to a highly charged debate about the costs of the country’s rapid economic development.
It has been reported that Kanye West has refused to appear in anymore episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality show in fear that it will tarnish his image.
Sources have told Radaronline.com that Kanye West’s management have told him that it makes him “look cheap”.
“Kanye has made it perfectly clear to Kim that he doesn’t want to appear at all on Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” an insider told Radaronline.com.
“He has made several brief appearances on the Kardashian reality shows, but wants nothing to do with future filming.
“Kanye’s team believes it’s bad for his image and brand to appear on a reality show because it makes him look cheap.
“And, Kim isn’t pushing the issue at all as she knows Kanye won’t bend on it.”
Kim Kardashian reportedly begged her former boyfriend, NFL football player Reggie Bush, to feature on her show while they were dating, but has apparently backed off when it comes to Kanye West in fear that it could cause problems in their relationship.
“It’s such a departure for Kim because she constantly nagged Reggie Bush when they were dating for him to come on the show. He just refused, and it was one of the reasons why they broke up,” the sourced added.
“Kim will probably be able to talk Kanye into doing several cameos, but that will be it.”
Kanye West has refused to appear in anymore episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality show in fear that it will tarnish his image
The news comes as Kim Kardashian recently told DuJour magazine that Kanye West had taught her “a lot about privacy”.
“I’m ready to be a little less open about some things, like my relationships,” Kim Kardashian added.
“I’m realizing everyone doesn’t need to know everything. I’m shifting my priorities.”
The interview prompted speculation that Kim Kardashian might make a departure from her reality show and would be leaving the “Kardashian bubble”.
However, Kim Kardashian quickly insisted this week that she would not be leaving her Keeping Up With The Kardashians show after season nine.
Addressing rumors that she would be giving up the series, Kim Kardashian admitted she didn’t know where life would take her, but said she is “staying on through at least season 10” on her blog on Wednesday.
Kim Kardashian wrote: “As everyone knows, we are extremely proud of the show and all of us are staying on through at least season 10. The show remains to be my number 1 priority and it’s a big part of my life and I enjoy every moment of it.
“It has given me such a rare opportunity to share more of my life with all of you and has brought my family closer to each other. I’m looking forward to the new season and beyond.”
The reality star added: “The fact is that I have many goals that I still need to reach and accomplish and I (like so many of you) don’t know where my life will be in the next couple of years, but I’m looking forward to continuing this journey.”
The popular E! show is currently airing its seventh season.
It had been suggested that Kim Kardashian may want to leave the show following the birth of her first child with Kanye West, after claiming her baby will not appear on television.
“I think there’s always an evolution of, you know, what you want to do in life,” Kim told DuJour Magazine.
“It’s all about finding things that really excite you and motivate you and spark you all over again.
“I’m realizing that no matter what, if you go into something with all these expectations and plans, once you’re actually living it, it could be completely different.”
Model Amber Rose has shared her baby boy Sebastian Taylor Thomaz first picture with her Twitter fans.
Amber Rose, 29, posted a picture of her new son, Sebastian “The Bash” Taylor Thomaz being cradled by his father Wiz Khalifa, 25.
She tweeted the photograph of her fiancé in the early hours of Friday morning, adding: “Best daddy ever…. Up with the baby so Muva can go back to sleep :-)”
Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was pictured looking tired and emotional as he held the newborn tot all wrapped up in a white blanket.
He stayed cosy in a pinked floral hooded top as he stood over the child’s cot in the hospital room.
Meanwhile Wiz Khalifa revealed that his partner’s first request after getting over the fuss around her giving birth was for some whiskey.
He posted online: “My wife said she just wants a Jacc & coke, a cheesesteak, and a cigarette. That’s why I’m marrying that woman!”
Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa welcomed their “perfect” first child into the world on Thursday.
Amber Rose posted a picture of her new son, Sebastian “The Bash” Taylor Thomaz being cradled by his father Wiz Khalifa
North Korean mobile phone provider Koryolink is planning to launch a 3G data service for foreign visitors and residents from abroad.
Egyptian telecoms firm Orascom, which is a partner in Koryolink, estimates that more than 1 million North Koreans use mobile phones.
They will not be able to use the new service, according to reports.
Orascom launched a 3G phone network inside North Korea in 2008, but users can only use it to make phone calls.
International calls, including calls to South Korea, are banned.
North Korean mobile phone provider Koryolink is planning to launch a 3G data service for foreign visitors and residents from abroad
In January 2013 North Korean government began allowing foreign visitors to bring their own mobile devices into the country with them for the first time.
Following a recent visit to the notoriously closed country, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt wrote in a blog post that North Korea’s decision to isolate itself “is very much going to affect their physical world and their economic growth.”
Eric Schmidt added that it would be “very easy” for 3G internet access to be enabled on the existing service.
Current internet access is extremely limited for locals, with most people only having access to a small number of state-run pages.
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is well enough to return to prison after spending nine months in hospital, the Ukrainian health ministry has said.
Yulia Tymoshenko was being treated for back problems after being jailed in 2011 for abuse of office.
Her supporters regard that conviction as politically motivated.
Last year Yulia Tymoshenko claimed to be too ill to attend court proceedings relating to a separate charge of misappropriation of public funds.
The Ukrainian authorities are also investigating allegations against her of tax evasion and involvement in murder.
Yulia Tymoshenko’s conviction for abuse of office relates to a gas deal she signed with Russia as prime minister in 2009, which critics said paid Russia too high a price.
Her supporters say the former prime minister was jailed to prevent her being a political threat to Viktor Yanukovych, the current president.
Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is well enough to return to prison after spending nine months in hospital
Yulia Tymoshenko remains a popular politician despite her imprisonment, after coming second to Viktor Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential election.
She was a face of Ukraine’s pro-democracy Orange Revolution alongside Viktor Yanukovych’s long-time rival Viktor Yushchenko.
Correspondents say the health ministry’s announcement will make it difficult for Yulia Tymoshenko to avoid appearing in court.
Previously Yulia Tymoshenko has boycotted trial proceedings against her, and has also staged hunger strikes in protest at conditions in prison and alleged election fraud.
Steve Tyler has revealed on Australian show 60 Minutes he spent $6 million on drugs, admitting: “You could say I snorted half of Peru.”
Steve Tyler, 65, who with guitarist Joe Perry was known as one of the Toxic Twins, said he estimated he had shoveled millions up his nose in the years – controversially less than the $20 million than had rumored.
Aerosmith frontman said he spent: “Realistically, 5 or 6 [million]. But it doesn’t matter. You also could say I snorted half of Peru, but it doesn’t matter.”
Steve Tyler had been sober for more than two decades until he became addicted to prescription drugs in 2009, although he later was successful with treatment.
He became addicted to drugs in the late 1970s and continued to take illegal substances until 1986 when he received treatment.
In the interview, to be aired on Australian TV this week, Steve Tyler reveals his relationship with Joe Perry has improved since they famously fell out over the rocker’s stint on American Idol – they made up when Steve quit the band.
Without the drugs Steve Tyler is still no stranger to controversy after he made some remarks over fellow judge Nicki Minaj’s competence in December.
Steve Tyler has revealed on Australian show 60 Minutes he spent $6 million on drugs
Nicki Minaj then lashed out at the Aerosmith rocker – who she replaced on the panel of the talent show – after he questioned her suitability, claiming she would’ve passed on legendary musician Bob Dylan if he auditioned.
At the time Steve Tyler said: “It was a moment, I’m sorry if it was taken wrong. But I’m the furthest from a racist.
“I’m not sure how she got that from me saying <<I’m not sure she would have judged Bob Dylan>>.
“I was just saying if Bob Dylan came on the show he would have been thrown off. Maybe I spoke out of turn but a racist I’m not.”
Nicki Minaj, 29, was furious when Steven Tyler insisted she would have turned down Bob Dylan if he auditioned for American Idol and took to twitter to blast the Aerosmith frontman.
Taking to the social networking website she wrote: “Steven Tyler said I would have sent Bob Dylan to a cornfield??? Steven, you haven’t seen me judge one single solitary contestant yet.
“I understand you really wanted to keep your job but take that up with the producers. I haven’t done anything to you. That’s a racist comment.
“You assume that I wouldn’t have liked Bob Dylan??? why? black? rapper? what? go f*** yourself and worry about yourself babe. LOL lets make him a shirt that says <<No Coloreds Allowed>>.”
Kenneth Cherry, aka Kenny Clutch, the driver of a Maserati who was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, bragged about stashing a gun in his $120,000 Italian sports car.
Kenneth Cherry was killed when men inside a black Range Rover opened fire on his car while he was sitting at a red light. He accelerated into the intersection and crashed into a taxi.
Cab driver Michael Boldon and his passenger died when the taxi burst into flames. Family members said Michael Boldon had recently moved to Las Vegas to take care of his ailing mother.
Police say the shooting was the result of a fight that erupted in the nearby Aria Resort and Casino that escalated into violence.
Despite initial reports that the chaos on the Strip was the result of a gunfight, authorities are now saying neither Kenneth Cherry nor his passenger fired any shots and that the attack was a drive-by shooting.
The gunmen, driving a Range Rover with black rims, tinted windows and a temporary paper license plate, are still at large.
The shooting took place just two blocks from the spot where rapper Tupac Shakur was infamously gunned down in a drive-by shooting in 1992 on the Las Vegas Strip.
Kenny Clutch was only beginning his rap career when he was killed.
He posted two videos on YouTube last year and each had gained only a few thousand views.
In Stay Schemin, Kenny Clutch rapped about hiding a pistol in his Maserati. Police didn’t say whether Kenneth Cherry was armed the night of the shooting.
“Maserati. Paid 120 for it. Stash box ‘cuz you know I got that semi for it,” he sings.
Kenneth Cherry, aka Kenny Clutch, the driver of a Maserati who was killed in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, bragged about stashing a gun in his $120,000 Italian sports car
The gunfire broke about 4:20 a.m. PST when at least one person in the Range Rover opened fire. Several people were inside the vehicle, according to police.
Kenny Clutch’s Maserati sped through the intersection and crashing into a taxi cab, which burst into flames.
The driver of the Maserati, as well as the taxi driver and a passenger in the cab were killed in the fiery crash, police said. One witness said it was like a scene out of Die Hard.
Now authorities are trying to track down the gunman, who remains at large after fleeing the scene. Officials say the shooter remains armed and dangerous.
In a press conference this morning, Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said the attack was not a rolling gun battle as previously described, saying that the cars were all stopped at a red light.
Sgt. John Sheahan said police have video from traffic cameras at the intersection where the shooting occurred on Thursday.
“We have a lot of pieces to put together to establish a timeline as to why this confrontation occurred,” he said.
TheLas Vegas Review-Journal reports that the high-speed gun battle could have started as a dispute at a nearby casino.
LVMPD officials are still searching for the gunman and the high-end SUV after it fled the scene of the deadly accident. They said the SUV has black rims and tinted windows.
The identities of the three victims have not yet been released, though it was revealed that the driver of the Maserati was male.
Las Vegas Boulevard is currently shut down as the LVMPD continues their investigation.
The intersection is surrounded by some of the most famous casinos on the Strip, including the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and Bally’s, and is a popular area for tourists.
A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, issued a statement reassuring people that much is being done to keep them safe.
“Recent incidents, while unfortunate, were isolated events,” he said.
Las Vegas is among the safest travel destinations in the world and utilizes the most advanced technology and training to maintain a secure environment.
The shooting is the latest in a series of violent actions on the tourist corridor since the beginning of the year.
Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage February 6, and a tourist was stabbed in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay February 16.
Rapper Pitbull has seen Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit against him quashed in court.
Lindsay Lohan sued Pitbull in 2011 for using her name in his hit song Give Me Everything when he used the line: “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan.”
The actress claimed Pitbull never got permission to use her name and shouldn’t profit from its use.
But on Thursday – according to TMZ – a New York federal judge ruled that Lindsay Lohan wrong because the song is a work of art protected by the first.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was recently accused of ruining the $1,750 designer dress she borrowed for a glitzy New York gala earlier this month.
She wore a floor-length gold and silver beaded gown by Theia Coture to an amfAR fundraiser on February 6.
But a photo of the gown obtained by US Weekly appears to show the same gown cut into a mini dress before its return to the designer.
Lindsay Lohan sued Pitbull in 2011 for using her name in his hit song Give Me Everything
Milan Fashion Week 2013 February 20- February 26 catwalks schedule.
February 20
Paola Frani
Mila Schön
Angelo Marani
Simonetta Ravizza
Gucci
Chicca Lualdi Beequeen
Frankie Morello
Alberta Ferretti
N°21
Andrea Incontri
Francesco Scognamiglio
Kristina Ti
February 21
Max Mara
Blugirl
Les Copains
Fendi
Just Cavalli
Antonio Marras
Krizia
Luisa Beccaria
Prada
Daniela Gregis
Ports 1961
Anteprima
Dsquared2
February 22
Moschino
Sportmax
Etro
Roccobarocco
Iceberg
Blumarine
Gabriele Colangelo
Aigner
Jo no fui
Versace
Milan Fashion Week 2013 February 20- February 26 catwalks schedule
February 23
Bottega Veneta
Trussardi
Ermanno Scervino
Roberto Cavalli
Byblos Milano
Jil Sander
Cividini
Ter et Bantine
Aquilano.Rimondi
Emilio Pucci
Musso
February 24
Marni
Sergei Grinko
Emporio Armani
Laura Biagiotti
Dolce & Gabbana
Genny
Missoni
Marco de Vincenzo
Salvatore Ferragamo
Maurizio Pecoraro
February 25
John Richmond
Giorgio Armani
Gianfranco Ferre’
Massimo Rebecchi
Lorenzo Riva
Cristiano Burani
February 26
New upcoming designers: Mauro Gasperi, Francesca Liberatore
next generation: Ryuya Ohishi, Miguel Garcia Abad, Lucia Ji Youn Jang, Isabella Zoboli
The European Commission has said Spain, France and Portugal have failed to cut overspending to agreed targets.
Spain’s government deficit was 10.2% of the country’s economic output in 2012, well above the agreed 6.3% target, and will stay far above target into 2014.
Meanwhile, the Commission joined other major international organizations in admitting that the eurozone economy would contract in 2013.
It is forecast to shrink 0.3%, making the governments’ task even harder.
Previously, the Commission had expected the 17 economies in the eurozone would collectively enjoy 0.1% positive growth this year.
Delivering its winter forecast, Commission Vice-President Olli Rehn said that the eurozone was nonetheless expected to rebound in the last three months of this year, registering 0.7% growth in the fourth quarter.
The Commission is concerned about a “surprise” fall in Portugal’s economy, which fell 3.2% in 2012 and is forecast to contract by another 1.9% in 2013.
The European Commission joined other major international organizations in admitting that the eurozone economy would contract in 2013
Most economic forecasters have been revising down their European growth estimates, after the global economic recovery showed signs of faltering in the final quarter of 2012.
For example, in January the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it expected the eurozone to fall into “mild recession” in 2013, having previously predicted growth.
It also predicted that the UK would grow 1% in 2013, compared with the 1.1% previously forecast.
The World Bank also revised down its global growth forecasts earlier in January.
But European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi believes the eurozone will begin recovering in the second half of this year.
And this week, Germany’s Bundesbank said Europe’s biggest economy would avoid recession and return to growth in the first quarter of 2013, after shrinking 0.6% in the last three months of 2012.
It expects Germany to continue growing throughout 2013.
Greek capital Athens has been hit by heavy rain and a thunderstorm for several hours, leaving flooded roads and homes, causing traffic jams and disrupting the train and tram network, officials say.
The deluge inundated basements and forced authorities to close underpasses and a central subway station.
The fire department said it had received at least 600 calls to drain water from houses and businesses.
Many of the city’s streets remain ankle-deep in water.
Greek capital Athens has been hit by heavy rain and a thunderstorm for several hours, leaving flooded roads and homes, causing traffic jams and disrupting the train and tram network
“It was one of the worst thunderstorms we have ever had in the greater Athens area [since 1961],” fire department chief Sotiris Georgakopoulos told NET state television.
At one point the rainfall was so intense that parked cars were swept away by racing waters.
“There are cars immobilized on several Athens highways and we have dispatched tow trucks to clear the roads,” senior traffic police officer Dimitris Papanagiotou told NET.
Fire chiefs say that they have about 60 crews tackling the floods which they expect to recede throughout Friday.
Amber Rose and her fiancé Wiz Khalifa welcomed their first child Sebastian Taylor Thomaz into the world on Thursday.
Wiz Khalifa, 25, tweeted: “Happy Birthday Sebastian <<The Bash>> Taylor Thomaz! Everyone welcome this perfect young man into the world.”
Amber Rose, 29, then added her own message: “Happy Birthday to our baby boy Sebastian <<The Bash>> Taylor Thomaz! I’m so happy u guys I fell in love all over again! :-).”
Stars were quick to add their congratulations.
Rihanna, 25, wrote: “Congratulations to my fam @mistercap and @muvarosebud !!! Welcome baby Bash! You’re born in an exquisite month #babypisces.”
And it seems that February 21st is an auspicious day for rapper birthdays, with Snoop Dogg also tweeting that it is also his sons.
“Welcome 2 fatherhood @mistercap!!! Congrats 2 u n @muvarosebud on ur new son – he got the same Cday as @cbroadus!!! Bless up.”
Wiz Khalifa had earlier posted a picture of himself in doctor’s scrubs, including a shower cap and a face mask.
Appearing to ready himself for his pregnant fiancée to give birth, he captioned the photo: “Daddy time.”
Amber Rose and her fiancé Wiz Khalifa welcomed their first child Sebastian Taylor Thomaz into the world on Thursday
Amber Rose hinted she was close to her due date last week when she announced that she would not be online again until after their baby’s arrival, as she wanted to focus on relaxing.
Writing on her Twitter page, Amber Rose said: “Hey Rosebuds& Rosestuds Muva won’t be back on twitter until Wizbud is born I need 2 meditate & focus on our Lil boy Luv u talk soon – Muva (sic).”
Amber Rose told Los Angeles radio show Big Boy’s Neigbourhood earlier this month: “I don’t want no medication. We take home birthing classes to teach us how to do it, and we’re gonna have our midwife, and when the baby’s head comes out, he’s gonna be Dr. Wiz.”
“He’s gonna be the first person to touch the child. No doctors, no gloves,” added the model.
There was speculation that Amber Rose went into labor earlier this week after Wiz posted an Instagram picture of a fetal monitor, saying: “Coming soon!”
But the model, who previously dated Kanye West, set the record straight on Wednesday, tweeting: “Good morning Rosebuds & Rosestuds Muva is not in labor nor did I have the baby yet I just had a doc appt yesterday Lol that’s all. ;-).”
After the couple’s child is born, Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa will resume their wedding plans.
“It makes more sense for the baby to be in the wedding than for her to be pregnant,” said Wiz Khalifa.
“Some people, they rush and do it, but it works both ways.”
Amber Rose added: “Being pregnant, I’m tired a lot. So to have a wedding and planning it all out and the reception – I just don’t want to be sleeping when everybody’s partying at our wedding.”
Beyonce has decided to extend her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, adding three British dates.
Just hours after the biggest performance of her career at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on February 3, Beyonce announced on her website that she would be embarking on a world tour starting April 15.
Beyonce, 31, had been due to play eight English shows in April and May, but following popular demand when tickets went on pre-sale this morning, she has now added three more gigs to her tour.
Her previously-announced dates will remain the same.
Beyonce’s UK itinerary now includes appearances at London’s The O2 on 4 and 5 May, and the Manchester Arena on May 9.
This brings Beyonce’s total number of shows in London to six and Manchester to three.
Beyonce will also perform two gigs in Birmingham.
Beyonce has decided to extend her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, adding three British dates
Tickets for all 11 UK concerts go on general sale on Saturday, February 23.
The title of her globetrotting performances was first leaked on February 1.
The tour’s namesake, Mrs. Carter Show, is a nod to Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z – whose real name is Shawn Carter.
It is rumored that Jay-Z might make a few surprise appearances on stage with his wife for the highly anticipated shows.
The tour is set to be kicked off in Belgrade, Serbia on April 15 and the European leg comes to an end in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 29.
Beyonce will then take a month’s break before returning to the stage at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on June 28.
The singer will end the tour on August 3 in her spouse’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York.
The final show will take place at the newly-built Barclay’s Centre, which Beyonce owns a share of.
The tour farewell performance will not only be sentimental for her husband but for Beyonce as well.
It will be a true homecoming for the mother-of-one, who along with Jay-Z rents out a basement suite at the Barclay for $1 million per year.
PayPal has launched Here device, a chip-and-pin machine designed to offer new sales methods to UK small businesses that have previously relied on cash or cheques.
Payments firm means market traders, taxis and shops will be able to accept credit and debit cards as well as PayPal payments.
There will be an initial cost “under £100” ($160) for the PayPal Here device.
PayPal, which faces competition from other similar devices, said it will take a transaction fee of less than 3%.
“At PayPal, we spend a huge amount of time talking and listening to small businesses. They are the core of PayPal’s business and they’ve told us that they want a simple, secure way to take card payments anytime and anywhere they trade,” said David Marcus, president of PayPal.
PayPal is offering the devices to a few select businesses before a full launch in the summer. It will roll out in the UK first with other countries to follow.
In the US, PayPal has already brought out a similar device, a dongle that can be plugged into a mobile phone to act as a credit card reader.
PayPal has launched Here device, a chip-and-pin machine designed to offer new sales methods to UK small businesses that have previously relied on cash or cheques
Eden Zoller, an analyst with research firm Ovum, said the move was an obvious one for PayPal to make.
“It hasn’t released figures about the dongle it launched in the US but has indicated that it is popular so it makes sense to have an optimized version for the European market,” she said.
There are other similar devices on the market from companies such as iZettle, Intuit and mPowa.
“It is going to have a bit of competition but PayPal is an established a trusted brand,” said Eden Zoller.
Mark Thomas runs an ice cream stall at London’s Borough Market. He will be among the first to try out the device.
“Cash is king in the market, but people run out of cash very quickly, and we often lose sales because customers can’t face the long weekend wait at the ATM,” he said.
US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has warned against “the sensational exploitations of human tragedy” after Russian officials accused an American woman of murdering her adopted Russian son, Max Shatto.
Michael McFaul said the US had been working behind the scenes with Russian diplomats after Max Shatto’s death.
Three-year-old Max Shatto died in January. He was adopted from a Russian orphanage.
Officials and parliamentarians have regularly used the death to justify a recent ban on adoptions to America.
In a blog poston Friday, Michael McFaul said that he was “distressed about a number of issues surrounding the tragic death”, including the way that the US and its diplomats were being portrayed by some Russian commentators.
The ambassador said that “a thorough investigation to discover exactly what happened to Max was still under way” and that investigators are abiding by an important principle in American society: “the idea that one is innocent until proven guilty”.
Michael McFaul added that while he was “saddened and appalled” that 20 children adopted from Russia to the US over the last two decades had died, he was proud that more than 60,000 others “have had the opportunity to enjoy loving parents, new families, and countless opportunities in America”.
“It is time for sensational exploitations of human tragedy to end and for professional work between our two countries to grow, on this issue and many others,” Michael McFaul said.
Russian officials and parliamentarians have regularly used Max Shatto’s death to justify a recent ban on adoptions to America
News of Max Shatto’s death led to an angry reaction in Russia, where he was known as Maxim Kuzmin.
Outraged officials said that he may have been badly beaten and abused.
Russia’s top investigative body on Wednesday opened a murder inquiry into the case.
Earlier in the week, the Russian children’s commissioner went on Twitter to say that Max Shatto had been murdered by his adoptive mother Laura Shatto.
Russia banned adoptions to the US from the beginning of January in retaliation for an American law know as the Magnitsky Act – which blacklists Russian officials accused of rights abuses.
The US act was named after anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, whose death in Russian custody became a symbol of the fight against corruption in Russia and soured relations between the two countries.
Some 3,400 Russian children were adopted by foreign families in 2011, with almost a third of the children going to American homes.
In the past two decades, Americans have adopted more than 60,000 Russian children.
The United Nations has formally rejected compensation claims by victims of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed almost 8,000 people.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Haitian President Michel Martelly to inform him of the decision.
The UN says it is immune from such claims under the UN’s Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN.
Evidence suggests cholera was introduced to Haiti through a UN base’s leaking sewage pipes.
The UN has never acknowledged responsibility for the outbreak – which has infected more than 600,000 people – saying it is impossible to pinpoint the exact source of the disease, despite the mounting evidence the epidemic was caused by poor sanitation at a camp housing infected Nepalese peacekeepers.
In a terse statement, Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman said damages claims for millions of dollars filed by lawyers for cholera victims was “not receivable” under the 1947 convention that grants the UN immunity for its actions.
But a lawyer for the cholera victims said that UN immunity could not mean impunity, and said the case would now be pursued in a national court.
The UN has formally rejected compensation claims by victims of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed almost 8,000 people
The lawyer, Brian Concannon, said the victims’ legal team would challenge the UN’s right to immunity from Haitian courts, on the grounds that it had not established an alternative mechanism for dealing with accountability issues, as stipulated in its agreement with the government.
Brian Concannon also said lifting immunity would not challenge UN policy, which is protected by the convention, but its practice, such as how to test troops for disease and properly dispose of sewage.
In December the UN launched a $2 billion appeal to fight the cholera epidemic, which is currently the worst outbreak in the world, and Ban Ki-moon reiterated to Michel Martelly the UN’s commitment to the elimination of cholera in Haiti.
Cholera is a disease of poverty, analysts say. It is spread through infected faeces and, once it enters the water supply, it is difficult to stop – especially in a country like Haiti which has almost no effective sewage disposal systems.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is still suffering breathing problems after returning from Cuba where he was treated for cancer, officials say.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Hugo Chavez was continuing to receive treatment at a military hospital in Caracas.
It was the first official communiqué on the president’s health since he returned to Venezuela on Monday.
Hugo Chavez went to Havana for surgery on December 11.
It was his fourth operation in an 18-month period for cancer, which was first diagnosed in mid-2011.
Hugo Chavez is said to have suffered a severe respiratory infection following the latest surgery.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is still suffering breathing problems after returning from Cuba where he was treated for cancer
“The breathing insufficiency that emerged post-operation persists, and the tendency has not been favorable, so it is still being treated,” Ernesto Villegas said in a televised statement.
President Hugo Chavez, in office for 14 years, was re-elected for another six-year term in October 2012, but his swearing-in was delayed because of his illness.
Doubts remain about whether his health will allow him to return to active politics.
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has called parliamentary elections, starting on April 27 and end in June.
A presidential decree said voting would take place in four regional stages, due to a shortage of election supervisors.
Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement hope the election will put an end to increasingly vocal opposition and street protests, analysts say.
The Islamist-dominated parliament was dissolved last June after judges ruled election laws were unconstitutional.
In the last elections, in January 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party won roughly 40% of the vote.
Egypt is deeply divided between Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist supporters and a liberal-led opposition, and has been wracked by unrest, insecurity and an economic crisis.
Tensions have intensified since an Islamist-backed constitution – criticized for failing to protect key rights – was adopted in December.
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has called parliamentary elections, starting on April 27 and end in June
Thursday’s decree states voting will take place in:
Cairo and four other provinces on April 27-28, with a run-off scheduled for May 4-5
Giza, Alexandria and six other provinces on May 15-16, with a run-off scheduled for May 22-23
Eight provinces on June 2-3, with a run-off scheduled for June 9-10
Six provinces on June 19-20, with a run-off on June 26-27
The new People’s Assembly will be invited to convene on July 6, the decree said.
