Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan have performed together as Guns N’ Roses for the first time in 23 years.
The band picked Troubadour, a small Los Angeles club, where they were first noticed.
The concert at the West Hollywood club was reportedly only confirmed on April 1.
Just 500 fans were allowed to see one of the biggest groups of the late 1980s and early 1990s reformed.
The intimate concert was announced at midday on April 1 and tickets were just $10.
54-year-old Axl Rose still has his long blond hair but there was no bandana, Slash kept his trademark top-hat over his black curls.
Fans said they started the show with It’s So Easy, which has frequently been the band’s opener.
Years of rumors of a Guns N’ Roses reunion came to fruition earlier this year when the band were announced as headliners for the Coachella festival, which will take place later his month in the California desert.
Guns N’ Roses also announced details of their North American tour, which will all be in stadiums – so rather different from this intimate gig.
The main leg of the Not in This Lifetime Tour will begin on June 23 at Ford Field in Detroit, home to the National Football League’s Detroit Lions, and run until August 22 in San Diego.
Guns N’ Roses have only announced three concerts outside the United States – April 19 and 20 in Mexico City and July 16 in Toronto.
Oil prices have plunged after Saudi Arabia said it would freeze production only if other major producers did the same.
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s remarks are seen as a challenge to Iran.
It has vowed to increase oil production following the lifting of Western sanctions.
In the Bloomberg interview, Prince Mohammed bin Salman also spoke about his plan for a giant public investment fund.
Worth more than $2 trillion, it would be designed to reduce Saudi Arabia’s reliance on income from oil.
Part of the plan would be a sale of shares in the state-owned oil company Aramco, which could start as soon as next year, according to the interview.
Iran will not take part in a conference in Doha on April 17, where the freezing of oil output is due to be discussed.
“If all countries agree to freeze production, we will be among them,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg.
When asked whether Iran needed to be among those countries he said “without doubt”.
Oil prices, which had edged into positive territory, fell after Prince Mohammed’s comments.
Brent crude fell $1.63 cents, or 4%, to $38.70 a barrel. Prices rose 6% in the first three months of this year – the first quarterly increase since a 15% rally between April and June 2015.
A monthly survey by Reuters this week showed that oil output from the 13 OPEC members rose in March on higher production from Iran and near-record exports from southern Iraq.
Iraq reported OPEC’s biggest supply growth last year, producing more than 4 million barrels per day – making it the cartel’s second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia.
In February, Saudi Arabia and Russia said they would freeze oil output at January levels if other producers followed suit.
Oil prices have fallen from their recent peak of $116 in June 2014 because of oversupply and sluggish demand.
Brazilian oil company Petrobras has announced it will cut 12,000 jobs by 2020.
The voluntary layoff program will help save $9 billion at the company, which has struggled with losses following a price-fixing and bribery scandal.
It has also been hit by the global slump in the price of oil.
Petrobras, which has reported losses for the last two financial years, is expected to spend $1.23 billion on implementing the job cuts plan.
The semi-public company has long been one of the biggest employers in Brazil, with more than 80,000 employees.
However, Petrobras has seen its business hit by the huge falls in oil prices globally and one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country’s history, which has gone to the heart of the country’s government.
Petrobras’ announcement that 12,000 jobs are to be cut over the next five years is part of a investment plan to turn around the company’s fortunes.
The oil producer reported its biggest quarterly loss to date in Q4 of 2015 – $10.2 billion – after losses at its oil fields and refinery projects.
The corruption scandal involving price-fixing, bribery and political kickbacks over the last two years has dented confidence in the business. Some former Petrobras executives have been jailed.
The scandal has also harmed the reputation of Brazil’sPresident Dilma Rousseff, who was on the board of the company at the time of the offences.
Dilma Rousseff is facing the possibility of impeachment on unrelated charges of false accounting.
According to the latest figures released by the Labor Department, the US economy has created 215,000 jobs in March 2016, a little less than it did in the last month when 242,000 jobs were created.
The unemployment rate has risen to 5% from 4.9%, which was an eight-year low.
According to the Labor Department, more Americans were finding jobs, which suggested a sign of confidence in the US economy.
Photo Getty Images
The increase could allow a cautious Federal Reserve to raise interest rates gradually this year.
The US economy is continuing to create jobs, despite a global economic slowdown and cheap oil prices which have hit the energy sector.
The gains were in the service sectors, especially retail, health and education and leisure and hospitality. There were also new jobs in government and construction.
The unemployment figures for January and February have been revised slightly down to show 1,000 fewer jobs created than previously reported.
Financial markets have almost priced out the likelihood of a rate rise at the Fed’s June policy meeting.
A survey from CME FedWatch suggests a 47% chance of an increase in November, with 57% suggesting it would happen in December.
Donald Trump is now saying US abortion laws should remain unchanged, although he believes the procedure amounts to murder.
In an interview with CBS News, the Republican presidential hopeful said: “The laws are set. And I think we have to leave it that way.”
Donald Trump’s comments come as the New York property tycoon has struggled this week to articulate his position on abortion.
He withdrew a call for women who have abortions to be punished, only hours after suggesting it.
After an outpouring of criticism from both anti-abortion and abortion rights activists, Donald Trump later said only the people who perform abortions should face punishment.
Photo Getty Images
The comments end a rocky week for Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
According to some polls, Donald Trump is trailing Texas Senator Ted Cruz by 10 percentage points in Wisconsin, which holds its primary on April 5.
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump’s Republican rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich repeatedly criticized Trump’s shifting comments on abortion.
Ted Cruz said the remarks showed that Donald Trump “hasn’t seriously thought through the issues”.
John Kasich – the popular governor of Ohio – also questioned whether Donald Trump had the temperament needed for the office of the president.
Donald Trump supports a ban on abortions, with some exceptions.
Only the Supreme Court or a constitutional amendment has the power to overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion illegal.
After the comments were made public, Donald Trump’s spokeswoman Hope Hicks sought to clarify his statement.
Hope Hicks said that Donald Trump would change abortion laws if elected by appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v Wade.
Once a Democrat, Donald Trump has been criticized for supporting abortion rights in the past.
Anti-abortion activists have traditionally avoided placing blame on women who undergo abortions, but have focused on those who perform the procedure.
In recent years, conservatives have sought to tighten restrictions on abortion clinics and doctors rather than seek an outright ban.
Abortion rights advocates say these measures are meant to restrict women’s access to abortion.
The new laws are particularly widespread in conservative southern states.
Republican leaders have expressed concern about Donald Trump’s prospects in the general election because polls show that he is extremely unpopular with female voters.
Donald Trump has come under fire for disparaging women including former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and TV presenter Megyn Kelly.
A knife reportedly found near OJ Simpson’s former property is not a murder weapon, tests have shown.
Despite a large amount of evidence, OJ Simpson was acquitted in the stabbing deaths of his ex-wife and her friend in 1995.
Police never found the murder weapon in that high-profile case, which captivated the US for more than a year.
OJ Simpson was later found legally responsible for the deaths of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman in a civil case.
The former football star, who is currently serving a 33-year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas, cannot be prosecuted again under US law for the murders.
LAPD had been skeptical that the weapon was tied to the Simpson and Goldman murders.
Police said at the time that the knife was a utility-type knife and was not consistent with the one used in the crime, but still ordered forensic tests.
The case recently returned to prominence with the airing of the TV mini-series American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson.
According to police, someone claiming to be a construction worker found the knife at OJ Simpson’s former home when it was razed in 1998.
The man gave the knife to a police officer who was working on a film set near the property.
The police officer kept it, thinking the case was closed. However, the officer, now retired, recently told a colleague about the weapon, as a result of which the current investigation was launched.
Greece has passed a law allowing refugees arriving in the country to be returned to Turkey.
The new law is essential for the implementation of an EU-Turkey deal aimed at easing the uncontrolled mass movement of people into Europe.
On April 4, Turkey is due to receive its first refugees returned from Greece.
However, there are warnings of a lack of preparation on both sides, while aid agencies are concerned refugees may be mistreated in Turkey.
Greece had to amend its laws for the deal to be possible and the bill was passed by 169 members of the 300-seat parliament.
In 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees arrived in the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece, and Athens has struggled to cope.
Tens of thousands have been stranded in Greece after northern counties closed their borders.
Under the EU-Turkey deal, refugees arriving illegally in Greece are expected to be sent back to Turkey from April 4 if they do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected.
In return, Turkey will receive aid and political concessions.
The UN has called on Turkey and Greece to ensure safeguards are in place before returns begin, warning of “serious gaps” on both sides.
According to an Amnesty International report, Turkey has been illegally forcing thousands of refugees back to Syria.
Turkey is yet to respond to the Amnesty report but has denied sending back any refugees against their will.
Turkey has taken in 2.7 million Syrian refugees since the civil war began five years ago. Many live in camps near the border between Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Kolkata flyover collapse has raised to 24 as rescuers worked through the night in the Girish Park area.
The flyover was under construction when it collapsed suddenly on March 31.
Hopes of finding more survivors trapped under the collapsed bypass are fading in the Indian city formerly known as Calcutta.
The 1.2 mile-long flyover started construction in 2009 and missed several deadlines for completion.
Indian police have opened a case of culpable homicide against the company in charge of the construction, IVRCL.
Reports say five of the construction company’s officials have been detained for questioning and its headquarters in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad have been sealed off.
The company said it would co-operate with investigators. However one of its senior officials said in a news conference that the collapse had been “an act of god” as the company had a good safety record.
Officials said more than 90 people have been rescued, some of whom are in hospital in a critical condition.
SS Guleria of India’s National Disaster Response Force told the Associated Press that the rescue operation was in its “last stage” and that “there is no possibility of finding any person alive”.
It is not clear how many people may be still trapped under the debris.
Rescue workers have struggled to get cranes and other machinery through the narrow and congested streets of Burrabazar area where the incident happened.
The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear, but safety issues such as lack of inspections and the use of substandard materials have plagued construction projects in India.
We’re all supposed to be grown-up, responsible adults, right? We shouldn’t be finding any aspect of a healthy, responsible lifestyle unappealing anymore. It’s not like back when we were kids and we’d cry at the idea of having to eat our greens. We’ve got more sense than that now… right?
Well, I don’t know about you, but in my experience, there are still plenty of things we still avoid doing. We know we should do them, but we avoid them because they sound uncomfortable and unfun. Here are some examples.
Going to the dentist
It was much easier going to the dentist when I was a kid. Of course, that’s only because my mother made me go to the dentist at least twice a year. I didn’t have a say in the matter. As soon as I was all grown up and got my own place, I started shirking this responsibility somewhat. My dentist visits declined quite dramatically.
This is a pretty common thing amongst adults. Sometimes, adults even skip out on taking their kids to the dentist! We don’t want to be told to stop eating candy and to floss more. We’re even more scared of being told we need dental work like braces. But the fact is that avoiding the dentist is an incredibly silly thing. There is a strong link between oral health and heart health, so it’s not always about trying to perfect a nice smile! If you’re really worried, try finding a dentist that specialises in good customer service and comfort. Research it online. You can get dentures, dental implants and Invisalign clear braces at PaulCorcoranDDS.com.
Writing a will
Who wants to write a will? I’m guessing I didn’t just get a big show of hands. It’s the last thing we want to do because it relates to the last thing we’re going to do. It involves sitting down and speaking practically and business-like about what will happen after you die.
But we shouldn’t be avoiding this responsibility. Just because it’s not required by law, it doesn’t mean it’s something that isn’t important! If you pass on without a will in place, the state will determine the distribution of your assets. If you know that you want certain things to go to certain people after your death, you need to make one. You can get help finding a will attorney at Lawyers.FindLaw.com.
Exercising
This is the ultimate one. It’s found on a million new year’s resolution lists across the country. We buy gym memberships to try forcing our future selves to exercise so as not to waste money. And yet so many of us still don’t exercise enough. Why? Maybe we’re not clear enough on how important daily exercise is. Maybe we don’t know just how dangerous the modern sedentary lifestyle is to our hearts. It could also have a lot to do with thinking that exercise requires a large time commitment. We’re all pretty busy, right? Who has time for exercise?
Did you know that you can get started on exercising and healthier living on just half an hour a day? You have forty-eight half-hours in your day. Reckon you could give up one of them a few times a week, make sure you get your heart rate elevated for at least half an hour. You’ll want to do more in the long run, but this is a great start! LiveStrong.com provides a great list of the risks of not exercising.
A major study on body mass index (BMI) evolution has found that there are now more adults in the world classified as obese than underweight.
The new study, led by scientists from Imperial College London and published in The Lancet, compared BMI among almost 20 million adult men and women from 1975 to 2014.
The researchers found obesity in men has tripled and more than doubled in women.
Lead author Prof. Majid Ezzat said it was an “epidemic of severe obesity” and urged governments to act.
The study, which pooled data from adults in 186 countries, found that the number of obese people worldwide had risen from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million in 2014.
Meanwhile, the number of underweight people had risen from 330 million to 462 million over the same period.
Global obesity rates among men went up from 3.2% in 1975 to 10.8%, while among women they rose from 6.4 % in 1975 to 14.9%.
This equates to 266 million obese men and 375 million obese women in the world in 2014, the study said.
The research also predicted that the probability of reaching the WHO’s global obesity target – which aims for no rise in obesity above 2010 levels by 2025 – would be “close to zero”.
The clinical definition of obese is a BMI – a measurement that relates weight and height – of 30kg/m2.
Prof. Majid Ezzati said: “Our research has shown that over 40 years we have transitioned from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight.
“Although it is reassuring that the number of underweight individuals has decreased over the last four decades, global obesity has reached crisis point.”
“We hope these findings create an imperative to shift responsibility from the individual to governments and to develop and implement policies to address obesity.
“For instance, unless we make healthy food options like fresh fruits and vegetables affordable for everyone and increase the price of unhealthy processed foods, the situation is unlikely to change.”
The team also examined the number of people who are underweight, and over the same time period the study suggested the rates had fallen from 14% to 9% in men, and 15% to 10% in women.
Other statistics from the study include:
More obese men and women now live in China and the USA than in any other country
China has the largest number of obese people in the world with 43.2 million men and 46.4 million women
The US has 41.7 million obese men and 46.1 million obese women
Almost a fifth of the world’s obese adults – 118 million – live in only six high-income English-speaking countries – Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, UK, and the US
By 2025, the UK is projected to have the highest levels of obese women in Europe (38%), followed by Republic of Ireland (37%) and Malta (34%)
Being underweight remains a significant health problem in countries such as India and Bangladesh
North Korea is jamming GPS signals near the South Korean border, Yonhap news agency reports.
The radio waves have reportedly affected 110 planes and ships, and can cause mobile phones to malfunction.
South Korea’s unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee was quoted by AFP news agency as saying it was an “act of provocation”.
Tensions have been high between the two countries since North Korea’s fourth nuclear test in January.
The broadcasts appeared to have started a month ago from various locations along the border, but on March 31 North Korea discharged its largest amount of GPS-jamming signals, according to Yonhap, citing a senior government official.
The South Korean coastguard reported about 70 fishing vessels had been forced to return to port after GPS navigation issues, AFP said. There has been no reported disruption to flights.
According to Yonhap, since 2010 North Korea has been accused of jamming signals at least three other times. It is believed to be using equipment imported from Russia.
Pyongyang has called the allegations “sheer fabrication”.
Since North Korea’s nuclear test in January and subsequent launch of a long-range rocket, South Korea has stepped up security measures including border patrols and allowing the US to fly fighter jets near the border.
In return, North Korea has threatened “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes on the US and South Korea.
Tesla has unveiled its lowest-cost vehicle to date, Model 3 electric car.
The price and range of the five-seater should make Model 3 appealing to new types of customers and could boost interest in other electric cars.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his goal was to produce about 500,000 vehicles a year once production is at full speed.
Photo Tesla
The company needs the new car to prove popular if it is to stay in business.
The first deliveries of Model 3 are scheduled to start in late 2017, and it can be ordered in advance in dozens of countries.
The basic model will start at $35,000 and have a range of at least 215 miles per charge.
In 2015, Tesla delivered 50,580 vehicles. Most of those were its Model S saloon, which overtook Nissan’s Leaf to become the world’s best selling pure-electric vehicle.
However, Tesla still posted a net loss of $889 million for 2015, partly because it spent $718 million on research and development over the period.
It left Tesla with cash reserves of $1.2 billion, down from $1.9 billion a year earlier.
Two more senior Brazilian officials have stepped down in the latest blow to President Dilma Rousseff’s government.
They are Sports Minister George Hilton and Col. Adilson Moreira, who was organizing security at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Col. Adilson Moreira reportedly wrote that he was ashamed Brazil was being led by “an unscrupulous group”.
The resignations come as President Dilma Rousseff battles for her government’s survival in an impeachment process.
Col. Adilson Moreira led the National Force for Public Security, whose members will guard sporting venues during the Olympics.
Photo Getty Images
Brazilian media reported the colonel had sent an email to his colleagues criticizing President Dilma Rousseff and other senior officials.
Brazilian officials said the planning for the Olympic Games would not be affected by Col. Adilson Moreira’s and George Hilton’s resignations.
Dilma Rousseff’s supporters marched on March 31 in a number of Brazilian cities to show their opposition to the impeachment proceedings.
On March 28, Tourism Minister Henrique Eduardo Alves handed in his letter of resignation, pre-empting his PMDB party’s split from the governing coalition.
The PMDB was the largest partner in the governing coalition and its exit could deprive Dilma Rousseff of crucial votes she needs to block impeachment proceedings against her.
Dilma Rousseff is expected to announce sweeping changes to her cabinet on April 1 to replace up to seven ministers from the PMDB party.
The president’s critics say she is trying to buy the votes of smaller parties by offering them posts in the cabinet.
Congress is expected to start voting next month on whether to remove Dilma Rousseff from office over allegations that she manipulated accounts to hide a growing deficit.
If 172 out of the 513 members of the lower house of Congress vote against Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, the proceedings will be shelved.
However, if 342 members vote for it, President Dilma Rousseff will be suspended for 180 days and Vice-President Michel Temer of the PMDB party will become interim president.
The impeachment would then by reviewed by the upper house, the Senate, and a final decision be taken in October.
Dilma Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing and has likened the moves to impeach her to an attempted coup.
Separately, ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva continues to be investigated as part of a corruption case involving the state-run oil company Petrobras.
On March 31, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was handed a boost as Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled it would take over the case.
Brussels International Airport is ready to partially reopen but flights will not restart until Friday evening (April 1) at the earliest.
Zaventem airport has been closed since March 22 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the departure hall.
The departures area would only be operating at 20% of normal capacity, the airport’s operators said in a statement.
The attacks on the airport and another suicide bomb on the Brussels Metro killed 32 people and injured hundreds.
ISIS has said it was behind the bombings.
The reopening announcement follows days of tests for a temporary check-in system at Zaventem.
“Brussels Airport Company has received the go-ahead from the fire services and the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority for a partial restart of passenger flights at the airport,” the airport’s statement said.
“The airport is thus technically ready for a restart of passenger flights in the temporary infrastructure foreseen for check-in.
“However, the authorities have yet to take a formal decision on the restart date. Until Friday evening no passenger flights will take place at Brussels Airport.”
Photo Getty Images
The airport said the temporary system could receive 800 departing passengers per hour, far fewer than normal.
However, the baggage reclaim and arrivals area was only slightly damaged and has since been made ready for use, it added.
“The final step for the restart is the formal political approval. In the meantime, it has been decided that there will be no passenger flights until Friday evening.”
Zaventem Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said earlier this week that the airport would take months to reopen fully.
Meanwhile, Brussels airport police have said they criticized security well ahead of the attacks.
In an open letter to authorities published by Belgian broadcaster VRT, police said they had sent “strong daily signals regarding the overall security at the airport”.
They complained “there had not been any security control of passengers or luggage from the airport complex right up to the centralized body searches” area.
They also alleged that too many airport employees had criminal backgrounds.
Police are still searching for the third man who took part in the airport attacks. The man, pictured on CCTV wearing a hat, was said to have fled the scene without detonating his explosive device.
The two airport bombers who died have been named as Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui.
Ibrahim el-Bakraoui’s brother, Khalid el-Bakraoui, blew himself up at Maelbeek metro station.
Police later found a computer in which Ibrahim el-Bakraoui left a final message.
Vojislav Seselj has been found not guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Balkan wars in the 1990s.
The UN war crimes court at The Hague said the Serbian ultra-nationalist had neither borne individual responsibility for the crimes, nor known about them nor endorsed them.
Vojislav Seselj had denied the charges. In his first reaction, he said the court had reached the only verdict possible.
Croatia’s prime minister condemned the verdict as “shameful”.
The UN tribunal’s prosecutor Serge Brammertz said his office would decide later whether to appeal.
“I’m absolutely convinced that the victims’ communities and many people will not be satisfied with this outcome,” Serge Brammertz said.
Vojislav Seselj was allowed to go to Belgrade in 2014 after being diagnosed with cancer and was not present in the courtroom.
He had even refused the tribunal’s offer to follow the verdict by video link.
The radical has been taking part in anti-government rallies ahead of Serbian parliamentary elections in April.
Vojislav Seselj was a close ally of the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. He served as Serbian deputy prime minister from 1998 to 2000.
He surrendered to the UN court (the ICTY) voluntarily in 2003. When the ICTY sought to appoint a defense lawyer against his wishes, he went on hunger strike.
The indictment charged Vojislav Seselj with three counts of crimes against humanity and six of war crimes for inciting ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia and the Serbian province of Vojvodina in the period August 1991-September 1993.
On the most serious charge of crimes against humanity, presiding Judge Jean-Claude Antonetti said the prosecution “had failed to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that there was a widespread and systematic attack against the non-Serb civilian population in large areas of Croatia and Bosnia.
“The evidence tendered and considered establishes instead that there was an armed conflict between enemy military forces with civilian components.”
Prosecutors had argued Vojislav Seselj was criminally responsible for the murder, torture and deportation of non-Serbs as part of his project to create a “Greater Serbia”.
They had accused him of raising an army of volunteers who committed “unspeakable crimes”.
However, the trial chamber found that there was no “criminal purpose in sending volunteers” – and, moreover, they had not been under Vojislav Seselj’s command.
“The majority simply notes that it is not satisfied that the recruitment and subsequent deployment of volunteers implies that Vojislav Seselj knew of these crimes on the ground, or that he instructed or endorsed them,” it said.
The verdict also concluded that the “Greater Serbia” plan Vojislav Seselj had supported was not a “criminal”, but “political”, project.
Croatian PM Tihomir Oreskovic criticised the outcome as “a defeat for the Hague tribunal and the prosecution”.
Vojislav Seselj had consistently berated the tribunal, challenging its legitimacy – and regretting the fact that it could not pass a death sentence on him.
On March 31, Vojislav Seselj said he wanted 14 million euro in compensation against the UN tribunal.
President Jacob Zuma violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money spent on his Nkandla private home, the highest court in South Africa has ruled.
The court gave the treasury 60 days to determine how much he should repay.
The ruling is a victory for the opposition, who said they would push for Jacob Zuma’s impeachment.
They accuse him of using “ill-gotten wealth” to upgrade his home with a swimming pool and amphitheatre.
Jacob Zuma has denied any wrongdoing.
A government statement said Jacob Zuma would “reflect” on the judgement and take “appropriate action”.
An anti-corruption body, known as the public protector, ruled in 2014 that $23million had been spent on Jacob Zuma’s rural home in Nkandla in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
Jacob Zuma had “unduly benefited” from the renovations and should repay a portion of the money, the public protector said.
In a unanimous judgement on behalf of the Constitutional Court’s 11 judges, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said the public protector was a “Biblical David” fighting against the Goliath of corruption.
Jacob Zuma’s failure to repay the money was “inconsistent” with the constitution, he added.
“The president failed to uphold, defend and respect the constitution,” he declared.
Mogoeng Mogoeng added that public officials ignored the constitution at their peril, and should remember that the rule of law was the “sharp and mighty sword that stands ready to chop the ugly head of impunity from its stiffened neck”.
A flyover under construction collapsed in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) killing at least 10 people and leaving several others injured, Indian officials say.
Many people are feared trapped under the concrete and steel bridge, which fell on a busy road.
Fist images from the site showed residents using their bare hands to help the rescue effort.
Construction projects in India have often suffered from safety issues with frequent collapses.
Photo Reuters
According to experts, there is a lack of inspections and substandard materials are used.
The flyover has been under construction since 2009 and has missed several deadlines for completion, Reuters reported.
Emergency teams have been sent to the area near Girish Park, but witnesses say there is little sign of co-ordinated rescue efforts.
The collapsed structure appears to have hit cars, trucks and nearby shops.
The accident took place in one of Kolkata’s most densely populated neighborhoods, with narrow lanes, and shops and houses built close together.
The proximity of the buildings may limit the access for heavy lifting equipment to the area.
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman – famous for a giant rubber duck that pops up around the world – says a version of his work used by Brazilian protesters amounts to plagiarism.
Groups pushing for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff are using a large rubber duck as a mascot.
The duck’s design is similar to one by Florentijn Hofman.
The owner of the factory that produced both ducks denied any wrongdoing.
Versions of the same giant inflatable rubber duck designed by Florentijn Hofman have traveled the world since 2007, calling in Japan, New Zealand and Brazil, among many other countries.
The version that has appeared in protests in Brazil closely resembles Florentijn Hofman’s, although it has crosses for eyes.
It also has the slogan “Chega de pagar o pato” across its chest, a Portuguese expression meaning “We won’t pay for the duck any more” or “We won’t pay for what is not our fault any more”.
The giant duck was commissioned by a powerful Brazilian industrial group, FIESP, to use in protests against corruption and high taxes from September 2015.
It has made a number of appearances in demonstrations against the president in recent months.
Before it appeared as part of an exhibition in Brazil, a version of Florentijn Hofman’s duck was produced in a Sao Paulo factory.
However, the owner of the factory, Denilson Sousa, who also produced the new duck, denies the design was copied.
A FIESP spokesman said they had been reassured the design was original.
On March 29, the group released 5,000 rubber ducks near the main national congress building in the capital, Brasilia, and took out full-page adverts in national newspapers using an image of a duck.
Opposition lawmakers want to remove Dilma Rousseff over claims she manipulated government accounts to hide a growing deficit.
Donald Trump has changed his mind after calling for women who have abortions to be punished, only hours after suggesting it.
The Republican presidential hopeful had proposed “some form of punishment” for women who have abortions if they were made illegal.
After strong criticism, Donald Trump repeated the Republican party line that only the person performing the abortion should be punished, not the women.
Donald Trump supports a ban on abortions, with some exceptions.
Abortion has been legal in the US since 1973 after a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Photo MSNBC
Only the Supreme Court or a constitutional amendment has the power to overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion illegal.
Donald Trump’s initial comments made during a town hall event with MSNBC sparked a wave of criticism.
He later maintained: “The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb.
“My position has not changed – like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions.”
Once a Democrat, Donald Trump has been criticized for supporting abortion rights in the past.
Some anti-abortion groups criticized Donald Trump’s initial comments as extreme.
“Mr. Trump’s comment today is completely out of touch with the pro-life movement and even more with women who have chosen such a sad thing as abortion,” said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.
“No pro-lifer would ever want to punish a woman who has chosen abortion.”
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s stance on women’s issues.
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse. Horrific and telling,” said Hillary Clinton after his latest comments.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Donald Trump’s closest rival in the Republican race, also condemned the tycoon’s comments.
“Once again Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn’t seriously thought through the issues, and he’ll say anything just to get attention,” Ted Cruz said.
His spokesman Brian Phillips added on Twitter: “Don’t overthink it: Trump doesn’t understand the pro-life position because he’s not pro-life.”
Republican leaders have expressed concern about Donald Trump’s prospects in the general election because polls show that he is extremely unpopular with female voters.
Donald Trump has come under fire for disparaging women including former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and TV presenter Megyn Kelly.
His campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was arrested on March 29, accused of a minor assault on a female reporter. Donald Trump has vehemently defended Corey Lewandowski.
Anti-abortion activists traditionally have avoided placing blame on women who undergo abortions, but have focused on those who perform the procedure.
In recent years, conservatives have sought to tighten restrictions on abortion clinics and doctors rather than seek an outright ban.
Abortion rights advocates say these measures are meant to restrict women’s access to abortion.
The new laws are particularly widespread in conservative southern states.
The US will increase its military presence in Eastern Europe in response to an “aggressive Russia”, the Pentagon has announced.
From 2017, three fully manned US combat brigades will be deployed.
In February, the Pentagon announced plans to quadruple its budget for European defense in 2017.
The additional presence will increase US ability to conduct military exercises in the region.
The plan demonstrates “our strong and balanced approach to reassuring our NATO allies and partners in the wake of an aggressive Russia in eastern Europe and elsewhere”, said Gen. Philip Breedlove, the senior US commander in Europe.
“Our allies and partners will see more capability. They will see a more frequent presence of an armored brigade with more modernized equipment in their countries,” Gen. Philip Breedlove added.
Each brigade will rotate through the region for nine months before being replaced.
There are about 4,500 soldiers in a brigade, bringing with them military vehicles and other equipment.
“There will be a division’s worth of stuff to fight if something happens,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work told the Wall Street Journal.
Relations between Russia and the West have plummeted since Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014.
The intervention sparked fears that Russia was considering other incursions into neighboring countries.
Russia has accused NATO of using the situation in Ukraine as an excuse to move closer to Russian borders.
“Stories are being spread that Russia will send its tanks into the Baltic states, into Sofia or into Budapest. No-one intends to do that,” Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Some analysts suggested the US military could be planning for the post-Obama era.
The European Union and Germany have rejected Turkish protests over a song aired on German TV mocking Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The song, aired two weeks ago on regional broadcaster NDR’s extra3 show, takes aim at Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s authoritarian style while also making fun of some of his physical characteristics.
Last week, Turkey summoned the German envoy to demand the song be withdrawn.
However, both Germany and the EU have insisted press freedom is inviolable.
In the song, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is criticized on a range of issues ranging from the imprisonment of journalists to heavy-handed treatment of protesters including women (“equal rights for women – they are beaten up equally”).
The song suggests that Recep Tayyip Erdogan would rather bomb Kurds than what the writers term his “brothers in faith”, so-called Islamic State.
The song also ridicules the recent refugee deal agreed between the EU and Turkey seeking to stem the flow of refugees into Europe in exchange for financial aid, among other benefits.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been angered by the song, and the Turkish foreign ministry summoned Germany’s ambassador to Ankara – on repeated occasions, according to reports.
A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP news agency: “We summoned the ambassador last week to communicate our protest about the broadcast that we condemned.
“We demanded that the broadcast be removed from the air.”
Such demands got short shrift from European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, who “does not appreciate this movement of calling in the German ambassador just because of a satirical song”, spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters.
“He [Jean-Claude Juncker] believes this moves Turkey further from the EU rather than closer to us,” Mina Andreeva said, adding that “freedom of the press and freedom of expression… are values the EU cherishes”.
A spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry said Berlin had told Ankara basic freedoms were “non-negotiable”.
More than 1,800 people – including celebrities and schoolchildren – have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting Recep Tayyip Erdogan since he came to office in 2014, under a previously little-used law.
Seif Eldin Mustafa, the Egyptian man accused of hijacking and forcing an EgyptAir plane to land in Cyprus on March 29 using a fake suicide belt, has appeared in court in Cyprus.
The Larnaca court ordered an eight-day detention for Seif Eldin Mustafa.
Possible charges include air piracy, kidnapping and threatening behavior.
Seif Eldin Mustafa did not speak, but gave a victory sign as he was driven away by police. Cypriot authorities have described him as “psychologically unstable”, saying the incident was not terrorism-related.
EgyptAir flight MS181 was carrying 56 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo, along with six crew and a security official, when it was diverted to Cyprus.
During a stand-off lasting more than six hours, almost all passengers and crew were freed unharmed as authorities negotiated with Seif Eldin Mustafa.
One person, apparently a crew member, climbed out of a cockpit window, minutes before the suspect walked calmly out of the plane to surrender.
Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said Seif Eldin Mustafa had initially asked to speak with his Cypriot ex-wife, who was brought to the airport by police, before making a series of “incoherent” demands.
Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades had responded to a reporter’s question about whether the hijacker was motivated by romance, by laughing and saying: “Always there is a woman involved.”
Egyptian authorities said security measures had been “fully implemented” before the flight.
CCTV footage released by the interior ministry shows Seif Eldin Mustafa being frisked at two security checks and passing a slim bag through X-ray machines at Alexandria’s Borg El Arab airport.
Egypt has taken steps to improve airport security after Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 was blown up over Sinai in October 2015.
They include an extra $1 billion a year and a deal with British consultancy Control Risks to review procedures at Cairo, Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alam airports.
Donald Trump has dropped his pledge to support the GOP candidate if he does not win the Republican nomination for the November election.
His rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, refused to say outright whether they would unite behind a nominee.
All the Republican candidates signed a loyalty pledge last November.
It is the latest sign of friction between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who have been embroiled in a dispute involving each other’s wives.
A committee supporting Ted Cruz published a photo of Donald Trump’s wife Melania from 2000. In retaliation, Donald Trump tweeted an unflattering picture of Ted Cruz’s wife Heidi.
Asked by CNN about the dispute, Donald Trump said of Ted Cruz: “He started it.”
Photo Getty Images
CNN presenter Anderson Cooper replied, said: “But, sir, with all due respect, that’s the argument of a five-year-old.”
“No, it’s not,” said Donald Trump.
Donald Trump claims he has been “treated very unfairly” in the campaign.
To a question about whether he maintained his loyalty pledge from last November, Donald Trump said: “No, I do not anymore.”
Earlier, when asked the same question, Ted Cruz did not give a direct answer but said: “I am not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my family.”
He went on: “Donald is not going to be the GOP nominee. We are going to beat him.”
Donald Trump later replied, saying he did not need Ted Cruz’s support: “I have tremendous support right now from the people.”
The New York tycoon has been repeatedly criticized by his rivals and observers for a campaign that has included personal attacks at rivals and criticism and violence against protesters.
Despite the numerous recent controversies surrounding him, Donald Trump is currently well ahead in the Republican race with 739 delegates to Ted Cruz’s 465.
John Kasich is some way behind with 143, with the 1,237 needed to win the nomination probably out of his reach.
The three candidates have campaigned in Wisconsin ahead of April 5 primary there.
