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IKEA Saudi catalogue removes women from its pages

Diane A. Wade
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IKEA Saudi catalogue removes women from its pages

IKEA has said it regrets that images of women are missing from the Saudi version of its catalogue.

Women are clearly present in corresponding images in the firm’s English-language catalogue.

The Swedish furniture company said “excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalogue is in conflict with the IKEA Group values”.

It attributed the gaffe to the fact its Saudi operation is run by a franchisee.

IKEA Saudi catalogue removes women from its pages
IKEA Saudi catalogue removes women from its pages

Several images in the catalogue, published on IKEA’s Saudi website, show women completely absent in a number of promotional scenes.

The same images in other versions of the catalogue include women.

IKEA said it was reviewing its “routines” in response to the issue.

“We support the fundamental human rights of all people and we do not accept any kind of discrimination,” the company said in a statement.

Islamic Sharia law is applied strictly in Saudi Arabia, where the ruling Al Saud family espouses a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.

Women live under various restrictions, including no right to drive, and must be covered whenever they are outside the home.

Saudi leader King Abdullah is seen as trying to cautiously introduce reforms, some aimed at loosening restrictions on women’s right to vote.

IKEA, which posted net profits of almost 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion) last year, operates three branches in Saudi Arabia.

 

Bobbi Kristina Brown pays tribute to Whitney Houston in a series of Twitter pictures

Lisa.Felice
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Bobbi Kristina Brown pays tribute to Whitney Houston in a series of Twitter pictures

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only child of late singer Whitney Houston, paid tribute to her mother in a series of Twitter pictures last week.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, Tweeted: “I will always love you <3” along with a self-portrait of herself smiling with her eyes closed.

In another photo, dressed in a blue top with matching blue accessories, eye-shadow and nail polish Bobbi Kristina Brown Tweeted: “I am my mothers child (: # much love Xxxo”

The bereaved teen’s relationship with father Bobby Brown has been unstable for some years now, and deteriorated further following Whitney Houston’s death in February.

She even snubbed her father’s wedding in June, instead opting to shoot for her Lifetime reality show.

Bobbi Kristina Brown paid tribute to Whitney Houston in a series of Twitter pictures
Bobbi Kristina Brown paid tribute to Whitney Houston in a series of Twitter pictures

Set to premiere on October 24, the show follows the Houston clan including Pat, Whitney’ sister-in-law and manager, Pat’s daughter Rayah, Whitney’s brother Gary, Bobbi Kristina and Grammy Award-winning singer Cissy Houston in the aftermath of the pop superstar’s tragic death.

“Pat Houston, Whitney’ sister-in-law, manager and most trusted confidant, manages the business and estate of the beloved singer and her most prized possession, her daughter Bobbi Kristina,” said a Lifetime press release.

“The series will follow Pat and her husband, Gary, Whitney Houston’s brother, as they take on their greatest challenge, supporting and guiding Bobbi Kristina as she faces the world alone, without the one person she relied on the most, her Mother.”

Bobbi Kristina Brown is reported to be in a relationship with Nick Gordon whom Whitney Houston took into her home at the age of 12 when his father went to prison and his mother was unable to take care of him.

In another Twitter photo the aspiring actress sports two pairs of glasses, one atop the other with the caption: “DareToBeDifferent <3.”

 

PM Yoshihiko Noda reshuffles his cabinet ahead of upcoming polls

Diane A. Wade
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PM Yoshihiko Noda reshuffles his cabinet ahead of upcoming polls

Japan’s PM Yoshihiko Noda has named a new finance minister, in a reshuffle aimed at revitalizing his cabinet.

Koriki Jojima replaces Jun Azumi in the key post, while the foreign and defence ministers kept their jobs.

Makiko Tanaka, who served a brief tenure as foreign minister, was named education minister in a move seen as reflecting her ties with Beijing amid a territorial row with China.

Yoshihiko Noda, hit by poor poll figures, said the move would help tackle key issues.

“This is a reshuffle that will help the government and the ruling parties cooperate to address a number of issues we are facing domestically and diplomatically, and further strengthen the function of the cabinet,” he said.

Koriki Jojima, 65, is a former Democratic Party (DPJ) parliamentary affairs’ chief who worked with Yoshihiko Noda on the sales tax hike.

Makiko Tanaka, the daughter of the Japanese leader who normalized ties with China, was fired as foreign minister in 2002 by then LDP leader Junichiro Koizumi. She subsequently joined the DPJ and is seen as popular with voters.

Seiji Maehara, another popular figure, was named national policy minister. He had been seen as a potential DPJ leader but had to resign last year amid a row over a political donation.

The reshuffle comes with polls expected in coming months and the ruling DPJ hit by low public support. Ties between Tokyo and Beijing are currently very strained over a row about ownership of islands both claim in the East China Sea.

Last week the opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – which governed Japan for half a century before it was ousted by the DPJ in 2009 – elected Shinzo Abe its new leader.

Shinzo Abe is a former prime minister who, when in office, called for a bigger global role for Japan and promoted efforts to boost national pride.

 

Pussy Riot activists appeal in Moscow court

Sonia Pantiss
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Pussy Riot activists appeal in Moscow court

A Russian court in Moscow has begun hearing an appeal by three activists from punk band Pussy Riot.

In August, three members of Pussy Riot were jailed for two years for staging an anti-Kremlin protest in Moscow’s main cathedral, Christ the Saviour.

The Russian Orthodox Church said on Sunday that clemency should be possible for the trio as long as they repented what they called their “punk prayer”.

But their lawyers have said that they doubt the appeal will be successful.

The three band members – Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 – were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” in August.

Their imprisonment sparked condemnation in many parts of the world.

The Pussy Riot members were all present in the Moscow court on Monday, in a glass-fronted defendants’ cage.

Yekaterina Samutsevich argued with the judge, complaining that her request for a different defence lawyer had not been met. The hearing was then adjourned temporarily.

Their obscenity-laced performance on 21 February, which implored the Virgin Mary to “throw out” President Vladimir Putin and sought, they said, to highlight the Russian Orthodox Church leader’s support for the president, enraged the Church.

But, in a statement, the Church said that though the women’s action “cannot be left unpunished”, if they showed penitence and reconsideration of their action their words “shouldn’t be left unnoticed”.

“The Church sincerely wishes for the repentance of those who desecrated a holy place, certainly it would benefit their souls,” senior Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida said.

The Church’s comments follow a suggestion from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last month that a suspended sentence would have been sufficient punishment for the women.

Their lawyers have said that their clients will not repent if it means admitting guilt.

“If they [the Church] mean repentance in the sense of a crime … it definitely won’t happen. Our clients won’t admit guilt. A call for that is pointless,” lawyer Mark Feigin told independent TV channel Dozhd on Sunday.

The father of one of the jailed women said that whether they repent or not, the trio has little hope of their sentences being quashed.

“The sentence is predetermined; their repentance will not affect it in any way,” Stanislav Samutsevich told Reuters.

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Bonnie and Clyde guns fetch $504,000 at New Hampshire auction

Sonia Pantiss
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Bonnie and Clyde guns fetch $504,000 at New Hampshire auction

Guns used by gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who died in a hail of police bullets in 1934, have sold at New Hampshire auction for $504,000.

The guns were part of the RR Auction, entitled American Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen, taking place in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Bonnie and Clyde’s exploits during the Great Depression earned them a place in American folklore.

Al Capone and Baby Face Nelson items are among others up for sale.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow gained notoriety for a string of bank robberies before law enforcement officers ambushed them in Louisiana on 23 May 1934.

Items taken from the car in which the couple died, Bonnie Parker’s cosmetics case and a host of photographs, were among items up for sale.

Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver drew the highest bid, selling for $264,000.

Meanwhile Clyde Barrow’s 1911 Army Colt .45 pistol went for $240,000. His pocket watch sold for $36,000.

Retired history professor ER Milner says it is clear why the couple is still so intriguing.

“Americans and, I think, most people love a lover… and here [were] these young people in the midst of the worst depression in the history of the world striking a blow for what they thought was right – and loving one another.

“It was almost a Shakespearean tragedy on a dusty road in Louisiana.”

 

Venezuela election: huge Caracas rally for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles

Diane A. Wade
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Venezuela election: huge Caracas rally for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles

More than 100,000 people gathered in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, in support of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.

Henrique Capriles criticized President Hugo Chavez for what he called a long list of unfulfilled promises.

He demanded justice for three opposition activists killed during a rally in Barinas state on Saturday.

Hugo Chavez addressed large crowds in Zulia state, promising to deepen socialism.

He told his supporters it was impossible to lose the 7 October election.

Henrique Capriles said the rally was the biggest Caracas had ever seen.

“Bolivar Avenue is too small for us,” he said, referring to one of the main city streets.

He also paid tribute to the three men who had died.

“Yesterday, sadly, violence took three lives, something that should never have happened,” Henrique Capriles said, in his last major rally in the capital before the election.

“I want to tell their families, and those angels in heaven, that we are going to defeat violence on 7 October.”

The three were named as Antonio Valero, Omar Fernandez and Hector Rojas.

An initial statement by the opposition First Justice Party on Saturday night reported two deaths.

It said a rally had been planned in Barinas, President Hugo Chavez’s home state, on Saturday but the road was blocked by government supporters.

When Antonio Valero and Omar Fernandez left their car to try to gain access, they were fired on by gunmen inside a van, it said.

“This tragedy gives us more strength and faith to fight for a Venezuela where justice and non-violence reign,” the First Justice Party said.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said in a message on Twitter that a suspect in the killings had already been arrested.

Hugo Chavez and Henrique Capriles are wrapping up their campaigns over the next few days.

Addressing tens of thousands of people in the town of Cabimas in the western Zulia state, President Chavez said he regretted the deaths and called for calm.

“It’s not with violence that we face off. It’s with votes, ideas, peace, so let’s not fall into provocations,” he said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

There have been other incidents of violence on the campaign trail. Supporters of both candidates threw stones at each other earlier this month when Henrique Capriles attempted to march through the city of Puerto Cabello.

And four people were injured in a shooting that erupted during a voting rehearsal at the beginning of September.

With violent crime a key concern for voters, there are fears that further violence could erupt in what has become Venezuela’s closest fought election in over a decade.

Hugo Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, was diagnosed with cancer last year.

More than 30 opposition parties have backed Henrique Capriles as a single candidate to challenge the leftist president.

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Mikheil Saakashvili faces election test in Georgia

Diane A. Wade
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Mikheil Saakashvili faces election test in Georgia

Voters in Georgia are going to the polls in an election regarded as President Mikheil Saakashvili’s biggest test since he came to power in 2003.

Opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s richest man, accuses the president of acting undemocratically and trampling on people’s rights.

Mikheil Saakashvili says his opponent would allow Russia to dominate the former Soviet republic.

The president led the country in a short war with Russia in 2008.

He has sought to portray the election as a choice between his progressive Western-leaning government, and a future dominated by Russia.

“Tomorrow, our enemy has its last chance to turn us off our path of independence,” Mikheil Saakashvili said in a recorded address carried on state TV on Sunday.

“But I am confident that tomorrow our freedom-loving nation will take the ultimate and decisive step towards liberation from the pincers of the conqueror and towards integration into the house of Europe.”

The government’s reputation has taken a battering in recent weeks because of a prisoner-abuse scandal.

Videos broadcast on national television showed prison inmates being beaten and sexually abused by guards.

The scandal sparked street protests and has allowed Bidzina Ivanishvili to portray the government as high-handed and uncaring.

“This regime cannot be the leadership of our country. This system should collapse,” he told supporters of his Georgian Dream coalition at a rally on Saturday.

Analysts say the election is crucial because Georgia’s political system is being altered to give more power to parliament.

Mikheil Saakashvili’s second term as president ends next year, and he is constitutionally barred from standing again.

A parliamentary majority for his United National Movement could see him continue his domination of Georgian politics after he steps down.

Fist-fights are already a common feature of campaign meetings, and there are fears a dispute over the results could lead to violence.

 

Honey Boo Boo sports strappy silver heels as she joins her family for a shopping trip to Walmart

Lisa.Felice
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Honey Boo Boo sports strappy silver heels as she joins her family for a shopping trip to Walmart

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is only seven-year-old, but she is already used to wearing make-up and grown-up clothes when she takes part in child beauty pageants.

So it was no surprise that the pint-sized reality star stepped out in a pair of strappy silver heels as she joined her family for a family shopping trip to Walmart on Saturday.

Honey Boo Boo was joined by her mother June Shannon and three sisters at the store in Alabama before the young star made a public appearance at a nearby shopping mall.

Alana Thompson also wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “show off!” perhaps appropriate for the star, whose confident appearance on the TLC show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! has made it a big hit with viewers.

Honey Boo Boo stepped out in a pair of strappy silver heels as she joined her family for a family shopping trip to Walmart
Honey Boo Boo stepped out in a pair of strappy silver heels as she joined her family for a family shopping trip to Walmart

Since its début in August, the show has averaged 2.3 million viewers per episode.

It topped all individual cable and network broadcasts of the Republican National Convention on August 19 getting a 1.3 rating with adults 18-49, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In fact, the network has already ordered a second season of the show, along with three holiday specials – dubbed “HOLLAday” special shows, celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with America.

Amy Winter, general manager of TLC, said: “Alana and her family have become a pop culture phenomenon.

“What you see is what you get, and we are excited to share even more of their unbridled hilarity, sincerity and love with our viewers.”

The programme focuses on the four sisters, along with Anna’s baby Kaitlyn and Honey Boo Boo’s father Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.

For their trip to Walmart, the sisters all sported casual clothes, with baby Kaitlyn strapped to Honey Boo Boo’s front.

The family was without patriarch Sugar Bear who has recently been treated in hospital for a nasty leg infection.

“He is not getting his leg amputated, what it was he had a four wheeler wreck a couple weeks ago and his leg was badly bruised,” June Shannon revealed.

“Sugar Bear is a big baby, when he gets hurt he’s a big baby and he likes us to stay and when we have to leave he doesn’t like it.”

 

Princess Charlene of Monaco at South Africa Night Gala

Diane A. Wade
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Princess Charlene of Monaco at South Africa Night Gala

Princess Charlene of Monaco put the spotlight back on South Africa, hosting a lavish gala dinner in celebration of all things South African at the glitzy Monte Carlo Opera House on Saturday night.

Princess Charlene, 34, attended South Africa Night with her husband, Prince Albert, and other family members, including her father, Mike and brother, Gareth.

Resplendent in a black and gold lace dress and with a beaming Prince Albert on her arm, Charlene looked fresh-faced and happy as she mingled with guests at the glamorous event.

Proceeds from South Africa Night will go to Princess Charlene’s personal charity, the Princess Charlene Foundation, which aims to help women and children on five of the world’s seven continents.

The gala evening also kicked off a week of festivities called A Touch of Africa, which will focus on Princess Charlene’s home nation and run in and around Monte Carlo until the 6th October.

Guests at the event included former James Bond actor, Sir Roger Moore, while Swedish model Victoria Silvstedt was also in town for the event.

In true South African style, the gala included music from African favorite Johnny Clegg, whose rendition of popular hit, Asimbonanga, had the well-heeled crowd up on their feet and dancing the night away.

Performing alongside a troupe of Zulu dancers, Johnny Clegg carried a ritual staff and sang a medley of tracks from his latest album, Human.

“There is a crisis for music in South Africa,” Johnny Clegg told reporters ahead of the gala.

“These concerts are a wonderful way of promoting our country’s musicians.”

After entertainment in the opulent marble-floored, Salle Garnier, guests moved to the nearby Café de Paris for a private dinner on the terrace.

Billed as a “voyage of discovery into African gastronomy”, chefs Dobby Doolooa and Jean-Claude Brugel created a special menu for the event, focusing on South African classics – albeit with a Monégasque twist.

The Africa Night Gala capped what has so far been a highly successful year for Monaco’s Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.

After a rocky start to their marriage, the couple has adapted to wedded bliss and look more in love than ever.

 

Christina Aguilera fat: the singer opens up about her struggles with weight gain and record executives

Lisa.Felice
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Christina Aguilera fat: the singer opens up about her struggles with weight gain and record executives

Christina Aguilera has opened up about her struggles with weight and the pressure put on her by record industry executives to be skinny.

The Voice star told Billboard magazine: “During the promotion of Stripped in 2002 I got tired of being a skinny, white girl.”

Christina Aguilera, who has natural Latin curves, said: “I am Ecuadorian but people felt so safe passing me off as a skinny, blue-eyed white girl.”

“The next time my label saw me, I was heavier, darker and full of piercings!” the five-time Grammy Award winner laughed.

“Let me tell you, that wasn’t an easy pill for them to swallow. I had gained about 15 pounds during promotion and during my Stripped tour.”

“They called this serious emergency meeting about how there was a lot of backlash about my weight,” she said.

“Basically, they told me I would effect a lot of people if I gained weight – the production, musical directors.”

“[They claimed] people I toured with would also miss out if I gained weight because I would sell no records or tickets for my shows,” she adds.

“I was young, so I lost the weight quickly and was toothpick thin during Back to Basics promos and touring.”

But this year, older and wiser, Christina Aguilera was ready to hit back at music execs.

When it came to working on the soon to-be-released CD, Lotus, she told them: “You are working with a fat girl. Know it now and get over it.”

“They need a reminder sometimes that I don’t belong to them. It’s my body,” she said.

“My body can’t put anyone in jeopardy of not making money anymore – my body is just not on the table that way anymore.”

After the failure of her 2010 album Bionic, Christina Aguilera hopes that Lotus, in stores November 13, will mark a comeback.

“This album represents a celebration of the new me.

“And to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings.

“It withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years,” she said.

“I tried to infuse as much as I could to promote strength and inspire people with that message,” Christina Aguilera explained.

“And now I’m at a place at 31, where the last time I felt this way was when I was 21.. and I had a lot to say and a lot to express.”

 

Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy share lunch with Ashley Olsen at Sant Ambroeus in New York

Lisa.Felice
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Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy share lunch with Ashley Olsen at Sant Ambroeus in New York

Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy are still together after six months despite their twenty year age difference.

The pair shares a palatial East Village love nest bought by Olivier Sarkozy earlier this year.

And now it appears Ashley Olsen is embracing the couple’s relationship and welcoming Olivier Sarkozy into the fold.

Ashley Olsen was spotted sharing lunch with her sister and Olivier Sarkozy at upscale eatery Sant Ambroeus in New York City’s West Village on Saturday.

The fashionable trio caused a stir at the venue.

Olivier Sarkozy looked casual in plaid shirt and jeans, while 26-year-old Mary-Kate opted for an all black look of leather pants, boots and jacket, complimented with a flowing scarf.

Ashley Olsen blended in, looking relaxed in flats, jeans and a pink cashmere coat.

Meanwhile Olivier Sarkozy’s ex-wife Charlotte, whom he divorced last year, has branded his relationship with Mary-Kate Olsen as “grotesque”.

Yet by all appearances, the cavalier half-brother of former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy isn’t concerned with the criticism.

He appeared in a jovial mood as he chatted with assorted friends while smoking a cigarette outside the eatery.

Meanwhile, dating older men seems to run in the family for the pint-sized uber-rich actresses-turned-fashion designers.

Mary-Kate’s twin sister Ashley Olsen was 21 when she dated biking super star Lance Armstrong who was 36 at the time – a 15 year age difference.

Olivier Sarkozy is divorced and has two children with his ex-wife Charlotte, and he is the managing director of the Washington, D.C. based Carlyle Group.

Mary-Kate Olsen also has a history of dating high profile men.

She was linked romantically to Heath Ledger before his death and dated Greek shipping heir and Paris Hilton’s ex Stavros Niarchos.

 

Lindsay Lohan assaulted by GOP congressional staffer Christian LaBella

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan assaulted by GOP congressional staffer Christian LaBella

Lindsay Lohan has accused Christian LaBella, a Republican Party staff member, of assaulting her at New York W Hotel last night.

Christian LaBella, 25, works for Illinois congressman John Shimkus and has been photographed with vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan.

Christian LaBella was accused of harassment after allegedly getting in a tussle with Lindsay Lohan at the W Hotel in Manhattan’s Union Square, when he is said to have punched her after she demanded he delete cellphone photos of her.

But he will not face any criminal charges, to the fury of the actress, who apparently regards the fact that Christian LaBella has escaped punishment as “distressing and outrageous”.

The 26-year-old actress was involved in an altercation with Christian LaBella after meeting him at a nightclub before bringing him back to her room where a group of her friends was present, according to NBC News 4.

An argument between Lindsay Lohan and Christian LaBella is believed to have stemmed over photos he took of the actress on his mobile phone while at the hotel.

Lindsay Lohan’s publicist Steve Honig issued a statement later on Sunday confirming: “Lindsay was assaulted early this morning in a New York hotel.

“While she did sustain some injuries, she was not hospitalized.

“The assailant was arrested and is currently in police custody. Lindsay has spoken with police and is fully cooperating with the investigation.”

Law enforcement officials interviewed both Lindsay Lohan and Christian LaBella and determined the accusations against him could not be substantiated. They said his arrest would be voided.

An NYPD spokesman said that both parties have filed harassment claims against each other.

Christian LaBella has his own connections to the famous and powerful – his aunt is comedian Heather McDonald, and he is employed as a staffer for Illinois GOP congressman John Shimkus.

On his Facebook page, he has posted images of himself posing with high-profile figures such as Mitt Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan and former presidential candidate Herman Cain.

He has also met reality superstar Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner in another encounter pictured on his Facebook profile.

Lindsay Lohan reportedly met the suspect at Manhattan’s popular 1OAK nightclub in the city’s Chelsea district.

She is said to have later taken him to her room on the 15th floor of the nearby W Hotel.

According to NBC New York, the actress saw photos of herself on Christian LaBella’s phone at approximately 4:30 a.m. and confronted him about the images.

The website, citing police sources, reports: “LaBella then threw her on the bed causing scratches on her hands.”

Lindsay Lohan is believed to have run out of the room before returning a short time later, at which point she told police he choked her, threw her to the ground and climbed on top of her.

A friend of the actress is believed to have pulled Christian LaBella off Lindsay Lohan, who then pulled the fire alarm for help, according to NBC.

Christian LaBella, originally from Woodlands Hill, California but now based in Washington DC, was later apprehended by police who filed a report on the alleged assault.

According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan claims he had taken over 50 photos and video of her before the incident.

John Shimkus confirmed that Christian LaBella worked for him, but condemned the alleged assault.

A spokesman said: “Obviously, the Congressman does not condone his actions.”

Lindsay Lohan’s mother Dina told the Daily News that her daughter was “very shaken up” after the encounter, adding: “Thank God he didn’t have a weapon.”

The star’s publicist Steve Honig expressed her anger at learning her alleged attacker had not been charged, saying: “We think it’s both distressing and outrageous. Lindsay was assaulted and there needs to be a consequence for that.”

But Christian LaBella’s uncle Peter Jessop told the Daily News that Lindsay Lohan’s behavior was “shameful”, adding: “She’s using her celebrity to launch a full-scale witch hunt against him just to be relevant again.”

The alleged incident comes less than a week after Lindsay Lohan was rushed to hospital after suffering from a bad lung infection.

According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan had suffered with a case of “walking pneumonia” but her condition apparently deteriorated, causing her to seek medical attention.

The actress was reportedly taken to the emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital where she received treatment, including antibiotics.

She was discharged shortly afterwards and is said to be recovering.

 

Afghanistan: suicide bomber kills at least 20 people in Khost

Roy Siemens
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Afghanistan: suicide bomber kills at least 20 people in Khost

A suicide bomber has killed at least 20 people, three of them NATO soldiers, in the eastern Afghan city of Khost, according to NATO and local officials.

NATO did not confirm the nationalities of the soldiers, but correspondents say US troops operate in the area.

The Taliban claimed the attack, which also killed 10 civilians, six police and an Afghan interpreter for NATO.

Witnesses said the attacker waited for the soldiers to leave their vehicles before detonating the bomb.

About 60 people were wounded in the attack, some critically.

“A suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a joint patrol in Khost city in a crowded area,” the governor’s office said.

Khost, like other parts of eastern Afghanistan, has seen a dramatic rise in violence.

In June, a suicide bomber killed 21 people including three US troops and a local interpreter in the city.

The Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network regularly mount large-scale attacks and suicide bombings in the area.

Over the weekend, a shooting at a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan took the US military’s death toll in the war past 2,000.

Three US soldiers and contractor were killed in the attack in Wardak province on Saturday, along with three Afghan soldiers.

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Recipe: Cheesy fondue potatoes with bacon

Nancy Clayson
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Recipe: Cheesy fondue potatoes with bacon

Try this simple dish that is baked in a single tray and will feed the whole family this weekend.

 

INGREDIENTS

900 g (2 lbs) floury potatoes, peeled

4 rashers smoked back bacon

25 g (1oz) butter

½ small onion, very finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1 level tbsp cornflour

200 ml (7 fl oz) dry white wine

200 g (7 oz) Gruyère cheese, rind removed and coarsely grated

200 g (7 oz) Emmental cheese, rind removed and coarsely grated

Freshly grated nutmeg

Cheesy fondue potatoes with bacon
Cheesy fondue potatoes with bacon

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 12-15 minutes until tender. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, slice. Dry-fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes until crisp, then snip into strips with scissors. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until softened but not colored. In a small bowl mix the cornflour with 3 tablespoons of the wine until you have a creamy paste, then blend in the remaining wine and pour into the saucepan. Stir in both cheeses and grate over a little fresh nutmeg. Heat gently, whisking continuously until thick and creamy. Layer the potatoes, cheesy fondue and bacon into 2 small ovenproof dishes (or 1 large). Add another layer of each then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

 

Anime girl: Anastasiya Shpagina transformed herself into a living cartoon character

Kathryn R. Bown
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Anime girl: Anastasiya Shpagina transformed herself into a living cartoon character

With her enormous, glassy eyes, purple hair and coquettish pose, Anastasiya Shpagina could have stepped from the scene of a Japanese anime film.

Anime fan Anastasiya Shpagina has transformed herself into a living cartoon character, complete with miniature waist, vividly-colored hair, and a defined pout.

Originally from the Ukraine, the 19-year-old takes style inspiration from the cartoons and computer animations that have a huge following in Japan, and has even adopted a Japanese name – Fukkacumi.

Anime characters often feature huge eyes and heads that are disproportionately large in comparison to their body.

Anastasiya Shpagina, who is just 5 ft 2 ins tall, is already reported to have slimmed down to just over six stone in her attempts to resemble a living anime character, and is said to spend 30 minutes painstakingly applying her dramatic make-up to each one of her eyes.

Anime fan Anastasiya Shpagina has transformed herself into a living cartoon character
Anime fan Anastasiya Shpagina has transformed herself into a living cartoon character

It is thought Anastasiya Shpagina may go even further in her efforts to achieve her desired look, with some reports claiming she intends to undergo surgery on her eyes to make her resemble her anime idols even more closely.

The teenager, who has over 10,000 fans on Facebook, also posts videos on YouTube demonstrating how she applies her make-up.

One clip, in which Anastasiya Shpagina reveals to fans how she achieves her “flower fairy” look, has been watched more than 150,000 times.

Anastasiya Shpagina is not the first young girl to take style inspiration from the world of fantasy. American Dakota Rose – or Kota Koti – has been dubbed the ‘real-life Barbie’ thanks to her doe-eyed stare and dainty proportions.

The teenager has amassed a global audience by posting fashion and beauty tutorials on YouTube.

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Lindsay Lohan assaulted at W Hotel in Manhattan

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan assaulted at W Hotel in Manhattan

Lindsay Lohan was reportedly assaulted in her room at the W Hotel in Manhattan early Sunday morning.

A police source tells local NBC 4 News Lindsay Lohan, 26, was involved in an argument with a 25-year-old man she met at a nightclub before bringing him back to her room, where a group of friends was present.

An argument between the pair is believed to have stemmed over photos the man took of the actress on his mobile phone while at the W Hotel in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.

According to NBCNewYork.com, Lindsay Lohan met the unnamed male at Manhattan’s popular 1OAK nightclub in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood.

She is said to have later taken the man to her room on the 15th floor of the nearby W Hotel.

Police sources tell the website “Lohan took the man’s cell phone from him and then he punched her” after the alleged photo incident.

The actress “also told detectives he choked her”, according to the website.

Lindsay Lohan is said to have pulled the fire alarm at the hotel and fled from her room following the scuffle.

The male, who has yet to be identified, was being held at Manhattan’s 13th precinct awaiting charges at press time, NBC reports.

The alleged incident comes less than a week after Lindsay Lohan was rushed to hospital after suffering from a bad lung infection.

According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan had suffered with a case of “walking pneumonia” but her condition apparently deteriorated, causing her to seek medical attention.

The actress was reportedly taken to the emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital where she received treatment, including antibiotics.

She was discharged shortly afterwards and is said to be recovering.

 

US death toll in Afghanistan war reaches 2,000

Roy Siemens
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US death toll in Afghanistan war reaches 2,000

A checkpoint shooting in eastern Afghanistan has taken the US military’s death toll in the war past 2,000.

A US soldier and contractor were killed while three Afghan soldiers died and several were injured.

The new deaths occurred on Saturday in Wardak province.

The international mission, ISAF, initially said the soldier was believed to have been killed by a member of the Afghan security services, but it later said the circumstances were unclear.

What is known is that a firefight took place, after what ISAF described as a short conversation between coalition and Afghan soldiers.

ISAF says “insurgent fire” may have been involved in the incident, which is now under investigation by a joint Afghan and coalition team.

The American death toll goes back to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

 

Sunday’s incident took place at a checkpoint near an Afghan National Army base in the district of Sayedabad, according to Afghan officials.

Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman, earlier told the Associated Press news agency that an Afghan soldier had turned his gun on Americans and started shooting.

“Initial reports indicate that a misunderstanding happened between Afghan army soldiers and American soldiers,” he said.

But ISAF later said an American soldier and an American contractor, along with three Afghan soldiers, were killed in an exchange of fire in confusing circumstances that may have involved insurgent activity.

ISAF’s deputy commander, Lt Gen Adrian Bradshaw, said: “The circumstances were somewhat confused and we are establishing the full facts to the extent that it is possible.”

Military officials from both sides have launched a joint investigation.

The figure of 2,000 deaths was given by US officials on Sunday. During the war in Iraq, 4,409 American soldiers were killed.

As of 27 September, the Pentagon’s official military death toll for Afghanistan had stood at 1,996.

The count includes both soldiers killed in action and soldiers who died of their injuries in hospital. The figure also covers 339 non-combat deaths.

A report by the Brookings Institution estimates that 40.2% of US deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices and 30.3% by gun attacks.

Officially, at least 17,644 US soldiers have been wounded in action in Afghanistan.

The independent organization iCasualties estimates a higher US death toll, recording 2,125 to date.

This same source reports 1,066 deaths of non-US members of the coalition in Afghanistan.

It is more difficult to establish the Afghan toll in the war but most estimates calculate a minimum of 20,000 civilian deaths, AP notes.

Some 10,000 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed. No reliable figures exist for deaths among the Taliban and other insurgents.

NATO combat troops are set to withdraw by the end of 2014, but a central plank of the strategy is that foreign soldiers will serve alongside and train Afghans for many years to come.

Correspondents say that may not be realistic given the ever increasing number of Afghans who turn their weapons on their foreign allies.

Afghan war deaths:

• 2,000 US soldiers

• 1,066 non-US coalition soldiers

• possibly 20,000 civilians

• 10,000 members of Afghan security forces

• hundreds of private contractors

• unknown number of insurgents

 

Kenya: Sunday school grenade attack kills one child and hurts another three in Nairobi

Diane A. Wade
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Kenya: Sunday school grenade attack kills one child and hurts another three in Nairobi

One child has been killed and three seriously hurt in a grenade attack on a church’s Sunday school in the Kenya capital, Nairobi.

The attacker targeted St Polycarp’s church on Juja Road.

A police spokesman blamed sympathizers of Somalia’s al-Shabab Islamist militant group, angry over Kenya’s role in the UN-backed intervention force.

A mob later rounded on Somalis living near the church with sticks and stones in a suspected revenge attack.

Police chief Moses Nyakwama said 13 people had been injured in the revenge attack, in the suburb of Eastleigh.

Reports suggested a number of those hurt at the church were injured in a stampede after the attack.

A police spokesman, Charles Owino, told Reuters news agency: “We suspect this blast might have been carried out by sympathizers of al-Shabab.

“These are the kicks of a dying horse since, of late, Kenyan police have arrested several suspects in connection with grenades.”

The authorities said three children were seriously hurt in the attack, and a number of others suffered lighter injuries.

The Red Cross had earlier said six children were critically wounded.

Irene Wambui, who was in the church at the time of the attack, said: “We were just worshipping God in church when suddenly we heard an explosion and people started running for their lives.

“We came to realize that the explosion had injured some kids who were taken to hospital and unfortunately one succumbed.”

Senior Nairobi police officer Moses Ombati appealed for calm after youths reportedly attacked the nearby Alamin mosque.

Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa have suffered a series of grenade attacks since Kenya sent troops into Somalia last October.

The attacks in Mombasa escalated after radical Islamist preacher Aboud Rogo Mohammed was killed in a drive-by shooting in August.

In July, 15 people were killed in raids on churches in Garissa, near Kenya’s border with Somalia.

There was speculation that al-Shabab or its sympathizers were responsible.

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2018 World Cup: Russia reveals that its preliminary budget nearly doubles

Clyde K. Valle
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2018 World Cup: Russia reveals that its preliminary budget nearly doubles

Russia has revealed that its preliminary budget for holding the 2018 World Cup is almost twice what it projected when it won the bid in 2010.

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko announced a budget of 600 billion roubles ($19 billion), nearly 40% of which will go into building or renovating stadiums.

The rest of the money will be spent on transport and hotel infrastructure.

Russia beat off rival bids from England and other EU states to host the world’s highest-profile single sports event.

Vitaly Mutko said the costs were expected to be split evenly between the public and private sectors.

Eleven host cities have been chosen which span the European part of Russia: Moscow (with two of the 12 stadiums), St Petersburg, Sochi, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Kaliningrad, Volgograd and Saransk.

Speaking at the same news conference in Moscow, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said that, based on the Russian bid, the quality of the stadiums would be “amazing”.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, for his part, said football was expanding all the time.

“[Can] you imagine that actually we had a representative of Syria in the FIFA committees last week and they play football in Syria?” he said in Moscow, speaking as fighting raged in Aleppo and other Syrian cities.

“Perhaps not now in Aleppo, but they play football in Syria,” he said.

“Do you know that in Afghanistan they have a league playing football? Everywhere football is played. Football gives people the hope and football connects these people.”

Sepp Blatter stressed again that it was the first time the World Cup was coming “to the eastern part of Europe”.

Russia won the 2018 bid over the UK and two joint bids by Portugal and Spain, and Belgium and the Netherlands.

 

Gaddafi killed by French secret serviceman on the express orders of Nicolas Sarkozy

Roy Siemens
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Gaddafi killed by French secret serviceman on the express orders of Nicolas Sarkozy

A French secret serviceman acting on the express orders of President Nicolas Sarkozy is suspected of murdering Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, it was sensationally claimed today.

He is said to have infiltrated a violent mob mutilating the captured Libyan dictator last year and shot him in the head.

The motive, according to well-placed sources in the North African country, was to stop Gaddafi being interrogated about his highly suspicious links with Nicolas Sarkozy.

Other former western leaders, including ex British Prime Minister Tony Blair, were also extremely close to Gaddafi, visiting him regularly and helping to facilitate multi-million pounds business deals.

Nicolas Sarkozy, who once welcomed Gaddafi as a “brother leader” during a state visit to Paris, was said to have received millions from the Libyan despot to fund his election campaign in 2007.

 

The conspiracy theory will be of huge concern to Britain which sent RAF jet to bomb Libya last year with the sole intention of “saving civilian lives”.

A United Nations mandate which sanctioned the attack expressly stated that the western allies could not interfere in the internal politics of the country.

Instead the almost daily bombing runs ended with Gaddafi’s overthrow, while both French and British military ‘advisors’ were said to have assisted on the ground.

Now Mahmoud Jibril, who served as interim Prime Minister following Gaddafi’s overthrow, told Egyptian TV: “It was a foreign agent who mixed with the revolutionary brigades to kill Gaddafi.”

Diplomatic sources in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, meanwhile suggested to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra that a foreign assassin was likely to have been French.

The paper writes: “Since the beginning of NATO support for the revolution, strongly backed by the government of Nicolas Sarkozy, Gaddafi openly threatened to reveal details of his relationship with the former president of France, including the millions of dollars paid to finance his candidacy at the 2007 elections.”

One Tripoli source said: “Sarkozy had every reason to try to silence the Colonel and as quickly as possible.”

The view is supported by information gathered by investigators in Benghazi, Libya’s second city and the place where the “Arab Spring” revolution against Gaddafi started in early 2011.

Rami El Obeidi, the former head of foreign relations for the Libyan transitional council, said he knew that Gaddafi had been tracked through his satellite telecommunications system as he talked to Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian dictator.

NATO experts were able to trace the communications traffic between the two Arab leaders, and so pinpoint Gaddafi to the city of Sirte, where he was murdered on October 20 2011.

NATO jets shot up Gaddafi’s convoy, before rebels on the ground dragged Gaddafi from a drain where he was hiding and then subjected him to a violent attack which was videoed.

In another sinister twist to the story, a 22-year-old who was among the group which attacked Gaddafi and who frequently brandished the gun said to have killed him, died in Paris last Monday.

Ben Omran Shaaban was said to have been beaten up himself by Gaddafi loyalists in July, before being shot twice. He was flown to France for treatment, but died of his injuries in hospital.

Nicolas Sarkozy, who lost the presidential election in May, has continually denied receiving money from Gaddafi.

Today he is facing a number of enquiries into alleged financial irregularities.

 

Bonnie and Clyde guns up for sale in New Hampshire

Sonia Pantiss
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Bonnie and Clyde guns up for sale in New Hampshire

The guns used by gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who died in a hail of police bullets in 1934, are up for auction.

The guns form part of the RR Auction, entitled American Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen, taking place in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Bonnie and Clyde’s exploits during the Great Depression earned them a place in American folklore.

Al Capone and Baby Face Nelson items are among others up for sale.

The guns used by gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
The guns used by gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow gained notoriety for a string of bank robberies before law enforcement officers ambushed them in Louisiana on 23 May 1934.

Up for sale are many lots, including items taken from the car in which the couple died, Bonnie Parker’s cosmetics case and a host of photographs.

But the bidding is sure to focus on Bonnie Parker’s Colt Detective Special .38 revolver and Clyde Barrow’s 1911 Army Colt .45 pistol, both of which have estimates of $150,000 to $300,000.

Retired history professor ER Milner says it is clear why the couple is still so intriguing.

“Americans and, I think, most people love a lover… and here [were] these young people in the midst of the worst depression in the history of the world striking a blow for what they thought was right – and loving one another.

“It was almost a Shakespearean tragedy on a dusty road in Louisiana.”

The notorious prohibition gangster Al Capone’s pistol and a love song about his wife, entitled Madonna Mia, which he wrote while imprisoned in Alcatraz, are also up for grabs.

So is a press card signed by his nemesis, the prohibition era investigator Eliot Ness.

A Baby Face Nelson revolver has an estimate of $40,000 to $50,000.

 

George Michael cancels the Australian leg of his Symphonica tour

Sonia Pantiss
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George Michael cancels the Australian leg of his Symphonica tour

George Michael has cancelled the Australian leg of his tour due to “major anxiety” following his battle with pneumonia at the end of last year.

In a statement on his website, George Michael said the cancellation of nine concerts “breaks my heart”.

The singer confirmed he would still fulfill his UK dates in October but would then undergo treatment for his condition.

George Michael suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and spent a month in a Vienna hospital last winter.

The ex-Wham singer added in his statement: “I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience.

“They recommended complete rest and the type of post-traumatic counseling which is available in cases like mine but I’m afraid I believed (wrongly) that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences that bring me such joy would be therapy enough in itself.”

He has already performed numerous dates across Europe over the last month.

George Michael added that despite enjoying his recent performances, “unfortunately, I seriously underestimated how difficult this year would be”.

The nine cancelled concerts were due to take place in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Hunter Valley.

The Symphonica tour was resumed this autumn after it was pulled when he became ill in November last year, just hours before he was due to perform in Vienna.

George Michael had completed 46 of the original 65 dates when he contracted pneumonia.

 

Batumi: the Las Vegas of the Black Sea

Kathryn R. Bown
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Batumi: the Las Vegas of the Black Sea

Georgia’s beautiful, subtropical Black Sea coast is once again drawing tourists from far and wide, and the government hopes focusing on gambling will help pull in visitors all year round.

When you are in Batumi, it is hard to believe that this was once a corrupt and crime-ridden city, cut off from the rest of the country, and run as a personal fiefdom by a power-hungry strongman.

Today the palm trees are illuminated in neon. Fountains are bathed in red and green spotlights, and hotels flash like Christmas tree lights.

Subtlety is not something you see much of in these parts. But then this once dark and impoverished corner of the former Soviet Union is now being touted as the Las Vegas of the Black Sea.

Just as Las Vegas likes to build larger-than-life imitations of Paris or Rome, in a confusingly circular way, Batumi is attempting its own rather bizarre copy of Las Vegas.

More aspirational members of the Georgian government would prefer to draw comparisons with Monte Carlo – but all the flashing lights and slot machines make me think more of 1980s Blackpool, near where I grew up in rainy north-west England. Minus, of course, the sticks of rock and the donkeys.

Turkish flags wave proudly outside the new casinos, whose owners say up to 70% of all the tourists in Batumi come to gamble – and that at the weekends, more than half of the guests at the roulette wheels or blackjack tables are Turkish.

Over the centuries this region was repeatedly invaded by Turks. Now Georgia is doing everything it can to lure them back. Passport controls crossing from Turkey into Georgia have been eased, meaning Turkish tourists can cross for an evening’s flutter showing just an ID card.

Last year almost 750,000 Turkish tourists visited Batumi – more than any other nationality – and even more are expected this year. So every season bigger hotels are built. Glitzier casinos opened. And yes, even more colorful lights switched on.

Local shopkeepers say they are thrilled that the regional economy appears to be booming.

But on the other side of the border, in Turkey, people are a bit more ambivalent. One Turkish laborer says he is now addicted, and that he comes every other day after work to gamble – otherwise he feels sick.

He has neighbors in the village who have lost their businesses because of gambling debts.

In local mosques in Turkey, religious leaders say gambling is turning into a plague, which is destroying families – something many wives would probably agree with.

According to the Turkish embassy in Georgia, Turkish women regularly phone up the consul in Batumi asking for help to find their husbands in the casinos.

But considering what the situation was like here just a decade ago, the boom in tourism is impressive.

This region was run by a corrupt clan, headed by Aslan Abashidze – seen by some as a strongman who saved the region from the chaos of 1990s Georgia, but by others as a mafia boss, who was involved in organized crime, backed up by his own personal army.

Getting into the territory then meant passing numerous checkpoints, passport controls and inevitably paying bribes.

Aslan Abashidze’s son was rumored to close off the promenade regularly – the only stretch of road without potholes – to race his Lamborghini up and down.

When President Mikheil Saakashvili swept to power in Georgia proper after the 2003 Rose Revolution, he vowed to win back this stray territory. There were fears of civil war – but that was averted when Aslan Abashidze fled to Moscow.

And although he still faces 15 years in prison for embezzlement if he ever comes back to Georgia, and has even been charged with murder, the region around Batumi has become a model for how once-breakaway territories can be reintegrated and made to prosper.

So President Mikheil Saakashvili’s government today likes to hold up Batumi as a lure for people in Georgia’s two remaining breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia – which despite being backed by Russia, still show the scars of war, and have little of the glitz of Batumi.

It’s rather like how, before 1989, the US would show off the shining shop windows of capitalist West Berlin, to dark communist East Germany on the other side of the Wall.

So probably best if Georgia sticks to the Las Vegas or Monte Carlo analogies. I doubt talking about the joys of a Georgian Blackpool would quite do the same job.

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Kim Kardashian and her family prepare to compete in the Miami Dragon Boat Festival

Lisa.Felice
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Kim Kardashian and her family prepare to compete in the Miami Dragon Boat Festival

Kim Kardashian was spotted in a park in Miami, Florida on Saturday with members from her family as they prepared to compete in the Miami Dragon Boat Festival.

Wearing a low-cut exercise top, a pair of tight fitting leggings and matching long-sleeve jacket, Kim Kardashian flaunted her most famous assets as she stretched out and did squats on the lawn.

She was joined by her mother Kris Jenner, who could hardly take the exercise seriously and continuously fell into fits of giggles.

Mother and daughter were also joined by Kim’s sisters Kourtney and Kylie, her stepfather Bruce and best friend Jonathan Cheban.

 

 

Noah Kagan: Why I got fired from Facebook

Nancy Clayson
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Noah Kagan: Why I got fired from Facebook

Noah Kagan, one of Facebook’s first ever employees, was forced to leave the up-and-coming social network in 2006, and he missed out on a payday which could have totaled $100 million.

Noah Kagan, who is now running online startup AppSumo, was the 30th employee at Facebook when he was hired by founder Mark Zuckerberg as a product manager.

At the time, Facebook was a scrappy newcomer – Noah Kagan says: “Most decisions were me walking over to Mark’s desk for approval.”

And many employees were deeply devoted to the company – not least the young project manager who had graduated from Berkeley two years earlier.

“Facebook was my entire life,” he writes in the blog post explaining how he came to be fired.

“My social circle, my validation, my identity and everything was tied to this company.”

Noah Kagan also pays tribute to his fellow employees, most of whom were graduates of – or dropouts from – elite Ivy League universities.

“I’ve NEVER been around such smart people,” he says.

“I’ve never felt so consistent like I wasn’t the smartest person in the room.”

However, while he may have been enjoying his time at Facebook, Noah Kagan was apparently not always the most popular figure in the room.

“I wanted attention, I put myself before Facebook,” he says.

“I hosted events at the office, published things on this blog to get attention and used the brand more than I added to it.”

Moreover, as the firm grew, it changed from an entrepreneurial organization to more of a bureaucratic behemoth – and Noah Kagan failed to change with it.

He writes on his blog of his frustration at having to go through a secretary every time he wanted to see Mark Zuckerberg, and admits that in big meetings he “zoned the f*** out”.

But the last straw was when Facebook changed its membership policy to allow non-students to have accounts, and Noah Kagan leaked the information to a journalist.

While partying at the Coachella festival, he emailed a contact asking him to publicize the information as soon as the change was made the next day – but the journalist wrote a story on it that same night.

Noah Kagan was called in for a meeting with Matt Cohler, then Facebook’s head of product management, and told that he had become a “liability” to the company after eight months working there.

He was marched back to the office, where he had his telephone and computer taken away.

At the time he was devastated, and he now claims that it took him a year to get over the pain of rejection.

You might think that that pain would only have got worse over the years, as Facebook grew and this year’s IPO turned many of its earliest employees into multi-millionaires.

Yet even though he estimates he could have earned $100 million if he had stayed at the company, Noah Kagan insists he has no regrets.

Having worked at web firms such as Mint.com and KickFlip before starting AppSumo, he says of his departure from Facebook: “It is what it is.”

“Ultimately, I appreciate where I am now and all the experiences I got from NOT being there.”

 

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