Oscar-nominated actor John Hurt has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
John Hurt, 75, said he would continue working despite the diagnosis.
The veteran actor was Oscar-nominated for his role in 1980’s The Elephant Man.
John Hurt, who starred as the War Doctor in Doctor Who in 2013 told the Press Association: “I am undergoing treatment and am more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome, as indeed is the medical team.”
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The actor said wanted to announce his diagnosis to the press because he had “always been open about the way in which I conduct my life and in that spirit I would like to make a statement”.
John Hurt is due to be seen on the small screen in November in new Sky Atlantic drama The Last Panthers, opposite Samantha Morton.
According to IMDB, the veteran actor also has roles in some seven other projects, including the upcoming Tarzan film, due for release in 2016.
Sir John Hurt was knighted earlier this year for his services to drama.
A balcony collapsed near the University of California’s Berkeley campus killing 5 Irish students and injuring nine others have been injured.
Police found debris on the street below after an emergency call at 01:00 local time on June 16.
Officers arriving at the scene found that the balcony on the fourth floor of an apartment building on Kittredge Street, near the University of California, Berkeley, had collapsed.
The students are believed to have been holding a birthday party at the time, Irish officials said, but the cause of collapse is unknown.
They were believed to be in the US on temporary worker visas.
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Photos taken at the scene appear to show a balcony on the fourth floor of the building fallen to the balcony on the floor below.
Berkeley Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Coats said that many of those hurt have life-threatening injuries.
Officer Jennifer Coats said that the police were still investigating and that she did not have any information on what the people were doing on the balcony at the time.
Four of the victims died at the scene and another died in hospital, said Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan.
“It is with great sadness that I confirm that a number of young Irish citizens have lost their lives,” Charlie Flanagan said, “while a number of others have been seriously injured following the collapse of a balcony in Berkeley.”
He said another eight or nine people who were injured in the incident were Irish students as well.
The identities of the victims are not yet being released, pending family notification.
Irish President Michael Higgins said that he had “heard with the greatest sadness of the terrible loss of life of young Irish people and the critical injury of others in Berkeley, California today”.
He said his heart goes out to the families and their loved ones.
The Irish consul general in San Francisco is helping those affected and there is an Irish helpline (+353 1 418 0200).
The building has apartments in the upper floors and shops on the ground floor.
Civil rights advocate Rachel Dolezal says she identifies herself as black, despite claims that she is actually white.
On June 15, the race activist resigned from the anti-racism organization NAACP, after her parents said she was pretending to be black.
Speaking to NBC, Rachel Dolezal said that from the age of five she “was drawing self-portraits with the brown crayon instead of the peach crayon”.
Rachel Dolezal added that she “takes exception” to suggestions she had deceived people.
“This is not some freak-show, Birth of a Nation blackface performance,” she told NBC’s Matt Lauer.
“This is on a real connected level how I’ve had to go there with the experience.”
Rachel Dolezal’s estranged parents say her origins are mostly white, with a small amount of Native American ancestry. They say that she has no black origins.
They have produced childhood pictures of her daughter with pale skin, freckles and fair hair.
According to new reports, in 2002, Rachel Dolezal sued the historically black Howard University for discriminating against her for being white.
She subsequently claimed to be the victim of hate crimes for being black.
Rachel Dolezal, then known as Rachel Moore, received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Howard University 13 years ago.
Court documents, obtained by the Smoking Gun website, show that Rachel Dolezal sued Howard University for “discrimination based on race, pregnancy, family responsibilities and gender”.
As part of her claim, Rachel Dolezal alleged that some of her artwork had been removed from an exhibition in order to favor black students.
She said the art was removed from the 2001 exhibition because Howard University was “motivated by a discriminatory purpose to favor African-American students over”.
The case was dismissed in 2004 with no evidence found that Rachel Dolezal had been discriminated against. That decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2005.
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Rachel Dolezal was ordered to pay costs of $2,728.50 to Howard University.
It is estimated that 93% of Howard University students are black, while only 1% are white.
On June 15, Rachel Dolezal announced her resignation as president of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Spokane Chapter in Washington in the wake of the race row.
An online petition calling for her to step down received hundreds of signatures. Rachel Dolezal had already lost her job as a lecturer in African-American studies at a local university.
According to the Spokesman-Review, Rachel Dolezal said she was a mix of white, black and American Indian on her application to serve on Spokane’s citizen police ombudsman commission in January.
Spokane’s ethics committee said it was investigating the allegations, in addition to a separate investigation related to Rachel Dolezal on a different matter.
Former Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi has been sentenced to life in prison for espionage.
Ex-President Mohamed Morsi was accused of spying on behalf of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Lebanese militants Hezbollah and Iran.
The court is yet to decide on whether to uphold death sentences given to Mohamed Morsi and 100 others over a mass prison break in 2011.
Mohamed Morsi’s supporters have described the charges against him as “farcical”.
The former leader was deposed in July 2013 following mass street protests against his rule and is already serving a 20-year jail term for ordering the arrest and torture of demonstrators.
The judge said on June 16 that the Muslim Brotherhood “collaborated with Palestinian Hamas to infiltrate Egypt’s eastern borders and attack prisons”, state TV reported.
Mohamed Morsi was given life, while 16 other Muslim Brotherhood members – including leader Khairat al-Shater – were sentenced to death on charges of delivering secret documents abroad between 2005 and 2013.
In Egypt, a life sentence is 25 years in jail.
A final ruling on Mohamed Morsi’s death sentence for the 2011 prison break is expected after a court recess. It has been awaiting the opinion of Egypt’s highest religious figure, the Grand Mufti.
France’s President Francois Hollande has warned that there is “little time” to prevent Greece from leaving the eurozone.
On a visit to Algiers, Francois Hollande said the ball was firmly in Greece’s court.
“It’s not France’s position to impose on Greece further cuts to smaller pensions, but rather to ask that they propose alternatives,” the French president said on June 15.
“We have to get to work… everything must be done in order that Greece remains in the eurozone.”
Talks with Greek and EU officials in Brussels on June 14 failed to reach an agreement that would release bailout funds to Greece.
Eurozone finance ministers will meet on June 18, but Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said he did not plan to present new proposals at the meeting.
Yanis Varoufakis told German newspaper Bild: “The Eurogroup [of eurozone finance ministers] is not the right place to present proposals which haven’t been discussed and negotiated on a lower level before.”
The prospects of a Greek default in just over two weeks’ time has worried investors.
On June 15, the FTSE 100 in London fell 1.1% to 6,710 points, while the DAX in Frankfurt lost 1.9% and the CAC 40 in Paris shed 1.75%.
In the US, the Dow Jones closed down 0.6%, or 107 points, at 17,791.
Athens’ benchmark ATG index, which fell 5.9% on Friday, fell a further 4.7% on June 15.
Greek bank stocks were hit hardest, with National Bank of Greece closed down 5.7% and Bank of Piraeus was 12.2% lower.
Europe wants Greece to make spending cuts worth €2 billion to secure a deal that will unlock bailout funds.
Greece must repay more than €1.5 billion of loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the end of June and promise further economic reforms to receive about €7 billion of bailout funds.
The funds have been delayed by three months amid growing fears the government will soon run out of money.
Sticking points between Greece and the IMF and EU remain reforms to VAT and pensions.
European Commission spokeswoman Annika Breidthardt rejected an assertion that creditors were seeking pension or wages cuts. They only wanted Athens to phase out early retirement and remove “incorrect incentives for early retirement”.
Greece had already agreed to specific targets for its primary surplus, she said, with 1% of GDP this year, followed by 2% in 2016 and 3.5% by 2018.
An opinion poll for Greece’s Mega TV found that more than two thirds of respondents believe the Greek government will have to back down, with just 19.4% thinking the lenders will agree to further concessions.
On June 15, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras warned Athens would stand its ground until its creditors become “realistic”.
Alexis Tsipras called on the IMF and EU to “meditate” on the idea that: “We are not only the heirs of a long history of struggle. We are also carrying on our shoulders the dignity of a people, and the hope of the peoples of Europe.”
Gap has decided to close 175 stores across North America over the next few years as it attempts to turn around the business.
A “limited number” of European shops would also close, the retailer said in a statement.
In addition, the San Francisco-based will also cut about 250 jobs from its head office.
Gap has been struggling with falling sales as it competes with the likes of Europe’s H&M and Zara.
Like-for-like sales for the Gap brand fell by 15% in April, compared with a 3% rise in the same month last year.
Gap CEO Art Peck said: “Returning Gap brand to growth has been the top priority since my appointment four months ago.
“Customers are rapidly changing how they shop today, and these moves will help get Gap back to where we know it deserves to be in the eyes of consumers.”
Gap store closures will mean a loss of sales worth about $300 million, the retailer said, with one-off costs expected to be between $140 million to $160 million.
The retailer did not say how many employees would be laid off as a result.
More than $50 million worth of Nestle’s hugely popular Maggi noodles will be destroyed, following a ban imposed by India’s food safety regulator.
India’s food safety regulator says tests have found the instant noodles “unsafe and hazardous” and has accused Nestle of failing to comply with food safety laws.
Nestle insists that the noodles are safe and is challenging the ban.
The company has 80% of India’s instant noodles market.
Nestle said in a statement that value of withdrawn noodles include stocks taken off the shelves and stocks stored in factories and with distributors.
The company said: “There will be additional costs to take into account, for example bringing stock from the market, transporting the stock to the destruction points, destruction cost etc. The final figure will have to be confirmed at a later date.”
Earlier this month, Nestle began withdrawing the Maggi brand from stores, after regulators said they found higher-than-allowed levels of lead in some packets.
The company is challenging the ban in the high court in the city of Mumbai and “raised issues of interpretation” of India’s food safety laws.
Nestle CEO Paul Bulcke has asked to see the results of the laboratory tests and promised to return Maggi to store shelves soon.
Several states have also been testing the noodles for the chemical monosodium glutamate, widely known as MSG.
Top al-Qaeda commander Nasser al-Wuhayshi has been killed in a US drone strike in Yemen, the AQAP group confirmed.
Nasser al-Wuhayshi’s death was announced by the AQAP (al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) in an online video, in which it said two other fighters had also died.
Nasser al-Wuhayshi was seen as al-Qaeda’s second-in-command and was a former private secretary to Osama bin Laden.
His successor was named in the video as military chief Qasim al-Raymi.
The Yemeni news group al-Masdar Online has previously reported that Nasser al-Wuhayshi was killed in an attack in Hadramawt province on June 12.
“We in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula mourn to our Muslim nation… that Abu Baseer Nasser bin Abdul Karim al-Wuhayshi, God rest his soul, passed away in an American strike which targeted him along with two of his mujahideen brothers, may God rest their souls,” Khaled Batarfi, a senior member of the group, was quoted as saying on the video.
The Pentagon said it would not comment.
But it previously said that if the death were confirmed it would be the biggest strike on al-Qaeda since Bin Laden’s death in Pakistani in 2011.
The US State Department offered a $10 million reward for anyone who could help bring Nasser al-Wuhayshi to justice.
It said he was “responsible for approving targets, recruiting new members, allocating resources to training and attack planning, and tasking others to carry out attacks”.
Nasser al-Wuhayshi became head of AQAP when the Yemeni and Saudi branches of al-Qaeda merged in 2009.
One of Game of Thrones’ biggest characters, Jon Snow, was killed off in the Season 5 finale.
Season 5 final episode saw Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, murdered by men of the Night’s Watch.
The final scene saw Jon Snow’s young protégé Olly deliver the final blow, with a lifeless Lord Commander left lying in the snow.
Variety described it as “one of the most shocking TV moments of the year”.
Fans expressed hope that Kit Harington would return in the next series, but speaking to Entertainment Weekly the actor said: “I’m dead. I’m not coming back next season.
“I kind of knew it was coming. I didn’t read [George RR Martin’s novel] A Dance with Dragons. But I read the other books and I had heard this is what happens.
“So I had an inkling it should be this season. I didn’t realize it would be the final shot of the season and that made it extra special.
“I loved how they brought Olly in to be the person who kills me.”
Kit Harington said the show’s creators, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, had informed him of his impending doom before production on the Season 5 began last year.
“We did the Tony Soprano walk [to tell an actor they’re going to die]. And they said, <<Look, you’re gone, it’s done>>.”
Fans took to Twitter to express their shock at the episode.
A number of other characters also met their demise in the finale, including Stannis Baratheon – who was executed at the hands of Brienne of Tarth, just hours after his wife, Queen Selyse, hanged herself.
Game of Thrones Season 5 finale also featured a scene where Cersei Lannister – played by Lena Headey – was stripped after having her head shaved and marched through the streets in a public walk of shame after admitting she had slept with her cousin.
Colt Defense has filed for bankruptcy protection, as it grapples with a heavy debt load.
The Connecticut-based gunmaker says it plans to continue its normal business operations during its restructuring.
The company is struggling with more than $350 million in debt, as well as waning sales.
Colt’s fortunes were hurt by the loss of a contract in 2013 to supply the US army with its M4 assault rifle.
Keith Maib, the company’s chief restructuring officer, said: “Colt remains open for business and our team will continue to be sharply focused on delivering for our customers and being a good commercial partner to our vendors and suppliers.”
Colt has been plagued by financial problems in recent months.
In November 2014, Colt took out a $70 million loan from Morgan Stanley to help make an interest payment.
But in May 2015 it missed a $10 million interest payment.
Last year sales of Colt’s sports rifles and handguns fell 30%.
The company has a long US history, known for making American firearms for more than 150 years.
Colt previously filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992, emerging again two years later.
Jeb Bush has launched his bid to become the Republican nominee for president.
In a video released hours ahead of his official launch in Miami, the former Florida governor has pledged to fix America.
Jeb Bush, 62, declared: “I’m ready to lead.”
The brother of ex-President George W. Bush and son of ex-President George H.W. Bush also promised to protect America’s most vulnerable and remove the barriers to social mobility.
However, doubts persist among conservatives in his party.
Early polling suggests that Jeb Bush has yet to dominate a wide field of Republican candidates.
In his latest video, entitled The Greatest Century, Jeb Bush strikes a very optimistic note, saying: “I see a great country on the verge of its greatest century, and I’m ready to lead.”
Although his campaign becomes official on June 15, it’s been no secret for many months and his team is well on the way to raising a $100 million war chest.
During a tour of Europe last week, Jeb Bush warned he would not waver from his core beliefs, even if some are unpopular in his party.
He said: “I’m not going to change who I am.
“I respect people who may not agree with me, but I’m not going to change my views because today someone has a view that’s different.”
In a separate video, called Making A Difference, Jeb Bush champions the rights of women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
He says: “My core beliefs start with the premise that the most vulnerable in our society should be in the front of the line and not the back.
“What we need is new leadership that takes conservative principles and applies them so that people can rise up.”
Jeb Bush becomes the 11th Republican to declare, with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio among his biggest rivals.
Hordes of mayflies caused crashes and the overnight closure of a bridge in Pennsylvania.
The mayfly swarm reduced visibility, and turned the road surface of the bridge over the Susquehanna River, in Lancaster County, into a treacherous, slippery mess.
Piles of mayflies up to 2ft deep were seen the morning after.
Immature mayflies live in water, before hatching as adults to mate in swarms.
The bridge was closed late on Saturday, June 13, reopening early on Sunday, June 14, police said.
Wrightsville Fire Chief Chad Livelsberger told LancasterOnline: “It was like a blizzard in June, but instead of snow, it was mayflies.
“They were getting in our mouth. We had to close our eyes. We had to swat them away. Even when we got back, it felt like bugs were crawling in you.”
Two teenagers have been injured in separate shark attacks in Oak Island, North Carolina.
A 14-year-old girl was mauled while swimming on June 14, while a 16-year-old boy was attacked on the same stretch of beach less than two hours later.
Mayor Betty Wallace told Reuters that the children had both teenagers lost their limbs as a result of their injuries.
A helicopter was launched to search for the shark.
Betty Wallace said the girl was attacked shortly after 16:00 local time. A man swimming nearby heard her screams and came to her aid.
She was flown to hospital in Wilmington by helicopter but lost part of her arm and may lose a leg, Betty Wallace added.
The boy was attacked about two miles away on the same stretch of beach and also lost an arm.
Special patrols were launched along the shoreline, warning swimmers to get out of the water as crews searched for the shark.
Town officials will decide on June 15 whether to close the beach to the public.
“I don’t want everybody to think this is one of those areas where you really have to worry about shark bites. But for the foreseeable future, people have to be extra vigilant,” Betty Wallace said.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir returns home after fleeing South Africa, pre-empting a court ruling over an international warrant for his arrest.
Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
The Pretoria High Court was due to decide whether Omar al-Bashir should be handed over to the ICC which charged him with the crimes.
Omar al-Bashir was in Johannesburg for an African Union (AU) summit.
A news conference will be held in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, upon his arrival.
Photo AFP
On June 14, a judge barred Omar al-Bashir from leaving until the arrest application had been considered.
Omar al-Bashir is accused of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the Darfur conflict.
The UN says that about 300,000 people in Sudan have died and more than two million have fled their homes since fighting began in 2003.
Government forces and allied Arab militias are accused of targeting black African civilians in the fight against the rebels.
At the hearing at the Pretoria High Court, the lawyer representing the South African government says Omar al-Bashir’s name was not on the list of passengers who took off earlier.
On June 15, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the ICC’s warrant for the arrest of Omar al-Bashir must be implemented by countries who have signed up to the court’s statutes.
As a member of the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest anyone charged by the court. Before the summit, the ICC issued a press statement urging the South African government “to spare no effort in ensuring the execution of the arrest warrant”.
According to South Korea officials, a North Korean soldier has walked across one of the world’s most heavily militarized borders to defect to the South.
The solder, in his late teens, approached a South Korean guard post in north-eastern Hwacheon in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June, South Korea’s defense ministry said.
There was no exchange of fire and the soldier is now being held in custody.
It is extremely rare for defectors to walk across the DMZ. The last time it happened was in 2012.
Most defectors cross over into China, then make their way through South East Asia and then into South Korea.
The DMZ is fortified with landmines and barbed wire and guarded by tens of thousands of troops on both side.
Hundreds of North Koreans flee poverty and a repressive regime at home each year.
In August 2014, two North Koreans swam across the Yellow Sea border to a South Korean island.
Of the nearly 28,000 North Koreans who have resettled in South Korea, most of them left the country through the border with China, and not through the DMZ.
This is because the 155 mile-long DMZ is heavily guarded, littered with anti-personnel landmines.
The last time a North Korean soldier defected through the wire fence was in October 2012, when a solider managed to cross undetected.
Recently, there has been increased activity by North Korean soldiers in the DMZ and some believe the North has been trying to make defections more difficult.
Algerian terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar has been killed in a US air strike in Libya, officials say.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, 43, and other fighters were killed in the raid by aircraft in the eastern city of Ajdabiya, a statement from Libya’s government said.
The US has confirmed Mokhtar Belmokhtar was targeted but did not say he had died.
The Pentagon described the strike as successful and that officials were still assessing its results.
It would “provide more details as appropriate” said spokesman Colonel Steve Warren.
There have been incorrect reports of Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s death in the past.
Born in Algeria, Mokhtar Belmokhtar was a former senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), but left to form his own militia.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar gained notoriety with the attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria in 2013, when about 800 people were taken hostage and 40 killed, most of them foreigners, including three Americans.
The US has filed terror charges against him and officials said they believed he remained a threat to Western interests.
Col. Steve Warren said: “Belmokhtar has a long history of leading terrorist activities as a member of AQIM, is the operational leader of the al-Qaeda-associated al-Murabitoun organization in north-west Africa, and maintains his personal allegiance to al-Qaeda.”
The Libyan government said the strike came after consultation with the US. Their statement said it resulted in the death of the “terrorist Belmokhtar”.
Libya has been in chaos since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Its internationally recognized parliament is operating in exile in the eastern port of Tobruk.
A rival parliament, the Islamist-dominated General National Congress, is nearly 600 miles to the west in Tripoli.
Rival militia has been battling to fill the power vacuum, with Islamic State militants battling other Islamists in the east.
Jurassic World, aka Jurassic Park IV: The Extinction has become the first film to take more than $500 million at the box office on its opening weekend.
The fourth installment in the Jurassic Park series was the most popular screening in all 66 countries where it was released.
Jurassic World made $204.6million in the US, according to Exhibitor Relations.
The movie took $100 million only in China as part of the record global total of $511.8 million.
The Universal Pictures release had the second-highest grossing opening weekend in the US.
The record is held by Marvel’s The Avengers, which took $207.4 million in 2012.
Jurassic World was co-produced by Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two films in the series, and directed by Colin Trevorrow.
It stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Jeff Bock, a box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations, told Variety.com: “People should call dinosaurs the original superheroes. They are just as big as Iron Man or Superman or Batman right now.”
Jurassic Park was a major worldwide success in 1993, taking more than $1 billion globally.
It was followed by The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997 and Jurassic Park III in 2001.
Jurassic Park III got poor reviews and made far less than its predecessors.
Analysts say the success of Jurassic World will vindicate the decision to reboot the franchise for a new generation of dinosaur fans.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes charges, left Khartoum on June 13 to travel to South Africa for an African (AU) summit, state news agency SUNA said.
The ICC has called on South Africa to arrest Omar al-Bashir.
Omar al-Bashir is wanted for war crimes over the conflict in Darfur.
An ICC statement said South Africa should “spare no effort” in detaining him.
But instead he was welcomed by South African officials on his arrival in Johannesburg, SABC tweeted.
Since the Sudanese president was indicted by the ICC in 2009 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict, his overseas travel has been severely restricted.
Omar al-Bashir was accompanied by the foreign minister and other top Sudanese officials, SUNA reported.
There are tensions between the ICC and the AU, with some on the continent accusing the court of unfairly targeting Africans.
The AU has previously urged the ICC to stop proceedings against sitting leaders.
The warrants against Omar al-Bashir, who denies the allegations, have severely restricted his overseas travel.
He has, however, visited friendly states in Africa and the Middle East.
The ICC has no police force and relies on member states to carry out arrests.
As a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Omar al-Bashir if he sets foot in the country, but correspondents say this is unlikely to happen.
The AU has previously refused to co-operate with the ICC, accusing it of bias against African leaders.
Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of states to the ICC, expressed “deep concern about the negative consequences for the court” if South Africa refused to comply with its obligations to carry out the arrest.
Human rights organizations and South Africa’s main opposition party have also called for Omar al-Bashir’s arrest.
Darfur has been in conflict since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government. The UN says more than 300,000 people have died, mostly from disease.
The ICC has ended an investigation into war crimes in the region, but the warrants against Omar al-Bashir remain outstanding. The court accuses him of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
Former Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova and another activist were arrested in Moscow on June 12 after staging a brief street performance to support women prisoners.
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Katya Nenasheva were posing dressed as prisoners while attempting to sew a Russian flag before being dragged away.
Both were released after three hours.
Nadya Tolokonnikova spent 21 months in jail after a Pussy Riot protest against Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral.
The human rights campaigner staged her new protest on Russia’s national day.
Photo Facebook
While under arrest on June 12, Nadya Tolokonnikova posted messages on Facebook saying she wanted to draw attention to the struggles of female prisoners, both while incarcerated and once released.
Russian media reports said Nadya Tolokonnikova and Katya Nenasheva had been detained for holding an “unsanctioned rally” in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square – the site of mass anti-government protests that began in 2011.
Since being released last year, Nadya Tolokonnikova has focused on campaigning around the world against President Vladimir Putin.
She was jailed along with fellow Pussy Riot members, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, in August 2012 after being convicted of hooliganism.
They were among five members of the activist group to stage a “punk prayer” in Moscow’s biggest cathedral.
The act was seen as blasphemous by many Russians, and was condemned by the Orthodox Church.
Yekaterina Samutsevich was freed on probation in October 2012, but Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina remained in jail until their release in December 2013.
In February 2014, members of Pussy Riot signed an open letter insisting that Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova should no longer be described as part of the punk rock collective.
Pussy Riot said the pair had forgotten about the “aspirations and ideals of our group” and were wrong to appear at an Amnesty International concert in New York.
A Pennsylvania woman says she was fired from her job at Hickory Bar & Grille in Hermitage after taking off work to receive a mammogram.
Jamie Crytzer told KDKA-TV her manager said “you’re going to do whatever you want, and this is job abandonment”.
Hickory Bar & Grille said it did nothing wrong.
Jamie Crytzer told the Pittsburgh CBS affiliate she recently discovered a lump on her breast and immediately set up an appointment for a mammogram, which apparently was not an issue for her employers.
However, an earlier appointment opened up, and when she asked her manager if she could leave work for an hour, he wasn’t as receptive.
When Jamie Crytzer returned to the restaurant the following day, she was told she had been fired.
In a statement released to KDKA, Hickory Bar & Grille said “all personnel actions taken were in complete accordance with proper personnel management”.
A German walker was attacked and killed by an elephant which had escaped from a circus, police say.
The 65-year-old man was taking his regular morning walk in woods near the town of Buchen, south-west Germany, when he encountered the female African elephant, called Baby.
The 34-year-old elephant was later captured and returned to the circus.
Photo Getty Images
German police are now investigating how the elephant got out of its enclosure and why it acted so aggressively.
“There’s evidence of third-party involvement,” Heidelberg police spokeswoman Yvonne Schmierer told the AP news agency.
“Either someone forgot to shut the enclosure, or the elephant was released intentionally.”
The elephant had previously injured at least two people – including a man who was thrown in the air and a 12-year-old boy who suffered a broken jaw when he was hit by its trunk, local news agency Stimme reported.
PETA Germany was urging the authorities to remove the elephant from the circus, the agency reported.
Air India has denied a lizard was found in an in-flight meal on a Delhi-London flight on June 11.
The airline’s denial follows the publication of a picture on social media which purportedly shows the lizard’s head underneath a bun on a meal tray.
It is not clear from the photo if the creature is dead or alive.
India’s state-owned airline has dismissed the report as a “false and baseless hoax” launched to tarnish its image.
The alleged incident took place when the flight attendants were serving lunch, The Times of India reported.
The publication quoted a source as saying: “Soon after it was placed on to the tray, the passenger was heard screaming.”
The source said that the lunch was wrapped in cling film and the lizard scurried from underneath a burger.
“The passenger was very upset and said that he would lodge a complaint with the airline on landing,” the source was quoted as saying.
However, Air India insisted to strongly deny the allegation.
“No such complaint by any passenger of the flight has been received on board the flight or at the Air India office in London,” the airline said in a tweet.
Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju also dismissed the claim, pointing out that no-one had come forward to say that they took the picture since it was posted on social media.
The row comes at a time when India’s national carrier is battling huge debts which reports say has resulted in delayed payments to its caterers.
Full House star John Stamos was arrested for DUI in Beverly Hills.
Police pulled over John Stamos on Friday evening, June 12 after receiving several calls about a possible drunk driver.
The actor, who was driving alone, was then transported to the nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for observation “due to a possible medical condition”.
John Stamos, 51 was finally arrested for DUI and was released to the care of the hospital.
On Saturday, June 13, the actor took to Twitter to thank his supporters and express his appreciation for the police and medical workers who treated him at a hospital after the incident.
John Stamos teewted: “Thanks to everyone for their love & support.
“I’m home & well. Very appreciative of the BHPD & Cedars for their care.”
He is scheduled to answer to the DUI charge at a hearing in Los Angeles on September 11.
John Stamos’ arrest comes a month and a half after he announced a Full House reunion series titled Fuller House, which will debut on Netflix in 2016.
The actor will revive his role as Uncle Jesse on Fuller House and also serves as a producer.
