Chelsea Clinton shared the first picture of her newborn daughter Charlotte just one day after giving birth.
Chelsea Clinton, 34, tweeted on September 27: “At 7:03 PM on September 26th, we finally met Charlotte.”
“We’re in love.”
The former first daughter looked overjoyed at the hospital as she and her husband Marc Mezvinsky stared down at their daughter. Charlotte was wrapped in a blanket for her debut and wore a pink cap.
Chelsea Clinton tweeted that she was in “awe and gratitude” after meeting her baby girl for the first time.
Chelsea Clinton shared the first picture of her newborn daughter Charlotte (photo Twitter)
Grandparents Bill and Hillary Clinton felt the same way.
“Charlotte, your grandmother @HillaryClinton and I couldn’ be happier!” President Bill Clinton tweeted.
Bill and Hillary Clinton also released a statement on their excitement: “We are blessed, grateful, and so happy to be the grandparents of a beautiful girl.”
“We are thrilled to be with our daughter and her husband as they welcome their daughter into the world. Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte’s life is off to a good start.”
The US and Arab allies’ airstrikes have hit four makeshift oil refineries under Islamic State (ISIS) control in Syria, as well as a command centre.
Early indications were that the attacks by US, Saudi and UAE planes were successful, US Central Command said.
Explosions at a refinery at Tel Abyad, near the Turkish border, lit up the night sky, an eyewitness watching from across the frontier said.
Meanwhile further fighting was reported in the besieged border town of Kobane.
There was no repetition on Sunday of coalition airstrikes on ISIS positions in the area, where Syrian Kurd fighters have been holding out against the militants.
The ISIS advance in the area sent about 140,000 civilians fleeing towards Turkey.
US-led coalition aircraft have targeted four makeshift oil refineries under ISIS control in Syria
An initial wave of coalition air attacks on Thursday, the third day of the air campaign against ISIS in Syria, targeted 12 refineries.
According to the Pentagon, small-scale mobile refineries used by IS in Syria generate up to $2 million per day in revenue for the militants.
The US-led coalition of about 40 countries, including Arab states, has vowed to destroy IS, which controls large parts of north-eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
The group’s brutal tactics, including mass killings, beheadings and abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, triggered the international intervention.
Al-Nusra Front, a fellow Islamist militant group in Syria, has denounced the air strikes as “a war against Islam” and called on jihadists around the world to target Western and Arab countries involved.
“Although we continue to assess the outcome of these attacks, initial indications are that they were successful,” US Central Command said after Sunday’s strikes.
Blasts at the Tel Abyad refinery around 02:30 local time sent flames soaring 200ft into the sky, Turkish businessman Mehmet Ozer, who lives in the nearby Turkish town of Akcakale, told AP news agency.
They continued for two hours, rocking the building from which he was watching, Mehmet Ozer said.
Both the refinery and the local ISIS headquarters were bombed, Turkey’s Dogan news agency said.
Late actor Robin Williams has been celebrated at a private tribute ceremony attended by his family and friends.
The ceremony took place on September 27 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Hundreds of guests attended, including Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams’ wife and children.
Robin Williams, 63, killed himself at his home in California last month. He had been treated for depression.
The life of Robin Williams has been celebrated at a private tribute ceremony attended by family and friends (photo Reuters)
At the ceremony, there was music and video tributes.
Stevie Wonder performed, accompanied by the Glide Ensemble and Change Band from the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.
Other attendees included close friends, one-time co-stars and directors including Bette Midler, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, George Lucas, Danny De Vito, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Gus Van Sant, Jeff Bridges and Eddie Izzard.
Following the tribute, guests went to the nearby Westin St Francis Hotel for a reception.
After Robin Williams’ death, his publicist said he had been “battling severe depression”, and his wife said he had been in the early stages of degenerative neurological disorder Parkinson’s disease.
Robin Williams was famous for such films as Good Morning Vietnam and Dead Poets Society and won an Oscar for his role in Good Will Hunting.
Occupy Central protesters have issued demands for the Chinese government to scrap rules outlining the election of the next chief executive in 2017.
The protest group also wants the resumption of public consultation on democratic reforms.
Thousands of protesters are camped outside government headquarters in central Hong Kong.
Occupy Central leader Benny Tai announced the launch of the campaign to the cheers of supporters on September 27.
A statement said that Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung had “failed to deliver on political reform”.
“We demand CY Leung deliver a new report on political reform to the central government, which must adequately reflect the demands of Hong Kong people for democracy,” it said.
“If CY Leung does not respond, we will escalate our actions.”
The movement had originally planned to paralyze the central business district on September 24, but organizers brought forward the start of the protest and changed the location in an apparent bid to harness momentum from student protests outside the government complex.
Student activists had stormed into a courtyard of the complex late on September 26 and scuffled with police using pepper spray.
Occupy Central protesters have issued demands for the Chinese government to scrap rules outlining the election of the next chief executive in 2017
Police said they made scores of arrests including prominent student activist leader Joshua Wong.
However, some students expressed unease that their protest was apparently being taken over by Occupy Central.
The protests at government headquarters followed a week-long strike by thousands of students.
Unrest began when the Chinese government announced that candidates for the 2017 chief executive election would first have to be approved by a nominating committee.
Activists have argued that this does not amount to true democracy.
Many of those who spent the night on the streets wore plastic raincoats and goggles in case police deployed more pepper spray.
Riot police stood nearby.
“The courage of the students and members of the public in their spontaneous decision to stay has touched many Hong Kong people,” Occupy Central said in a statement.
“Yet the government has remained unmoved. As the wheel of time has reached this point, we have decided to arise and act.”
At least 34 people have been injured since the protests began, including four police officers and 11 government staff and guards, authorities said.
One police officer suffered a gash after being poked by one of the umbrellas protesters are using to deflect pepper spray.
Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag, the Sudanese woman who escaped a death sentence imposed for renouncing her Christian faith, says she wants to campaign for others who face religious persecution.
In a recent interview taken by the BBC TV in the US, where Mariam Ibrahim is seeking asylum, she said she hopes to return to Sudan one day.
She earlier received an award from a US Christian foundation.
Mariam Yahia Ibrahim Ishag wants to campaign for others who face religious persecution (photo EPA)
Mariam Ibrahim’s sentencing – by a Sudanese court that did not recognise her Christian faith – sparked outrage this year.
Born to a Muslim father, Mariam Ibrahim was raised a Christian by her mother and married a Christian man.
Under Sudan’s version of Islamic law, however, her father’s religion meant that she too was still technically a Muslim. A court found her guilty of apostasy, or renouncing one’s faith.
Sentenced to hang, Mariam Ibrahim gave birth to her daughter while shackled in prison. Under intense international pressure, her conviction was quashed and she was freed in June.
On September 27, Mariam Ibrahim received an award from a gathering of evangelical Christian conservatives in Washington, who see her treatment in Sudan as an assault on their values.
Japanese rescue teams have recovered thirty bodies from the peak of Mount Ontake, after Saturday’s sudden volcanic eruption.
The hikers were not breathing and their hearts had stopped, reports said. Final confirmation of death in Japan always comes via a medical examination.
About 250 people were trapped on the slopes, but most have got down safely.
The volcano, about 125 miles west of Tokyo, erupted suddenly on September 27, spewing ash and rocks.
Japanese rescue teams have recovered thirty bodies from the peak of Mount Ontake, after Saturday’s sudden volcanic eruption (photo Reuters)
Ordinarily it is a popular place to see autumn foliage.
As the search effort intensified earlier on September 28, officials said they were searching for 30 feared missing or buried by ash.
Military helicopters plucked seven people off the mountainside earlier on Sunday, the Associated Press reports, and workers on foot were also helping others make their way down.
Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active nations but there have been no fatalities from volcanic eruptions since 1991, when 43 people died at Mount Unzen in the south-west.
It’s not clear why there was no warning of Saturday’s eruption.
Japan monitors its volcanoes closely and any that show signs of activity are immediately closed to hikers – but this time that did not happen.
Cy Tokmakjian, the president of a Canadian transport company, has been sentenced by a Cuban court to 15 years in jail for bribery.
Cy Tokmakjian, 74, was detained in Cuba in 2011 as part an anti-corruption operation. He denies the charges.
The Tokmakjian Group said the court had seized its assets in Cuba, worth about $100 million.
The company said the ruling was worrying development for potential investors on the Communist-run island.
“Lack of due process doesn’t begin to describe the travesty of justice that is being suffered by foreign businessmen in Cuba,” the company said in a statement.
Cy Tokmakjian was detained in Cuba in 2011 as part an anti-corruption operation
Two other executives from the Tokmakjian Group – fellow Canadian citizens Claudio Vetere and Marco Puche – were sentenced to eight and 12 years in prison.
The Ontario-based company used to sell transportation, mining and construction equipment to Cuba.
There has been no comment on the case from the Cuban authorities.
Its offices in Havana were seized in 2011 when President Raul Castro launched a major drive against corruption in the Caribbean nation.
Canadian lawmaker Peter Kent visited Cy Tokmakjian in jail last year.
“The trial was, from almost any measure, extraordinarily unfair and rigged,” Peter Kent told the Financial Post newspaper.
The Tokmakjian Group was the sole representative of South Korean company Hyundai in Cuba, which has been making efforts to replace its ageing car and bus fleet.
The company has launched claims worth more than $200 million against Cuba through the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and Canada’s Ontario Superior Court.
Dr Dre has topped Forbes list as the highest paid hip-hop artist, ousting Sean “Diddy” Combs from the top spot.
Dr Dre’s $620 million earnings in the last 12 months are the highest of any musician ever evaluated by Forbes magazine.
His total eclipses the mere $60 million earned by Jay-Z, 44, and Diddy, 44, who tied in second place with earnings from drinks, clothing and television deals.
In fact, Dr Dre’s takings are more than the combined income of all the other 24 names on the list.
Dr Dre has topped Forbes list as the highest paid hip-hop artist
Much of the 49-year-old’s earnings this year came thanks to the $3 billion sale to Apple of the Beats high-end headphone company he founded with music executive Jimmy Iovine and other financial ventures, including cognac and vodka brands.
Drake came in fourth with $33 million which will keep him happy, having told Forbes “if I’m not on your list, I’d be gravely disappointed” in 2013.
Seattle duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s $32 million takes the last slot in the top five, edging out Kanye West’s $30 million.
Birdman’s $24 million, Lil Wayne’s $23 million and the $22 million wealth of Pharrell Williams place them above Eminem who earned an estimated $18 million to complete the top 10.
Nicki Minaj is the only female on the list having taken an estimated $14 million despite her departure from American Idol and lack of tour dates.
To form the list, Forbes considered income from touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures.
The fire in Aurora air traffic control facility that grounded all flights in and out of Chicago’s two major airports was set by an employee, officials say.
Brian Howard, 36, has been charged with one count of destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities in connection with the fire in the building’s basement.
The man was found with burns and self-inflicted wounds. Investigators say Brian Howard used petrol to light the blaze.
By Friday afternoon flights in and out of O’Hare and Midway airports were slowly resuming.
More than 850 flights were cancelled in Chicago alone and many already in the air were redirected.
In a statement, the FBI said Brian Howard was charged on September but remained in hospital recovering from his injuries. No court date has been scheduled.
“We believe he set the fire and he used some kind of accelerant,” Aurora Police Chief Greg Thomas said in a news conference on September 26.
The fire in Aurora air traffic control facility grounded all flights in and out of Chicago’s two major airports
The building was damaged by the fire and the water used to extinguish the blaze.
Officials said they did not yet have a possible motive for the act but said Brian Howard was a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and was authorized to be in the building. He had no ties to terrorism.
The fire broke out just before 06:00 local time on Friday morning in the Aurora, Illinois, air traffic control building, 40 miles west of Chicago.
Air traffic control officials said the radio frequencies with which they worked went dead and the control system was immediately shifted to a back-up system, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Workers used the back-up system until they were forced to evacuate.
“The [radio] frequency failed,” an unnamed controller told the newspaper.
“Depending on how bad the fire was, it could be a real mess getting things back to normal.”
One man was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene but no-one else was injured.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said management of the region’s airspace was transferred to another facility as the Aurora centre was evacuated.
By Friday afternoon, flights already on their way to Chicago were allowed to continue but landed at a slower pace.
Ukrainian journalist Vitalii Sediuk, who nearly shoved Kim Kardashian to the ground outside the Balmain fashion show in Paris earlier this week, has spoken up about the incident.
Vitalii Sediuk, 25, told The Hollywood Reporter: “I had a feeling that Kim would show up there because she is friends with the designer of Balmain.”
“I basically came there just for them. I knew they were going to be the biggest guest of the night.”
“If it was Kanye West, I would have done it like I did it with Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio,” the prankster added.
Vitalii Sediuk nearly shoved Kim Kardashian to the ground outside the Balmain fashion show in Paris (photo Instagram)
“But with Kim Kardashian, I was very cautious because I know she is a woman – so I kind of hugged her legs. I already had a bad experience with America Ferrara. It’s different with men.”
In May, Vitalii Sediuk tried to crawl under America Ferrera’s dress as she posed with her How to Train Your Dragon 2 cast at the Cannes Film festival.
Vitalii Sediuk admits the stunts don’t bring him any income, but he does like the attention.
“I like the show business world. But it’s obviously not my intention to offend someone. It looks like I’m a monster, but I’m a normal guy. Well, what I’m doing isn’t normal – but I don’t have bad intentions,” he told the publication.
“I’m already banned in America. I could be banned in the European Union next. I hope I will not be.”
Vitalii Sediuk also noted that no police were on hand at the time during his interaction with Kim Kardashian.
“Maybe they were looking for that. Because those pictures look like you are a God coming from the cross amid millions of fans and photographers,” he said.
George Clooney has married Amal Alamuddin in Venice, in one of the most eagerly anticipated showbiz event of the year.
A host of fellow stars descended on Venice’s canals for the union between George Clooney, 53, and Amal Alamuddin, 36.
The ceremony was celebrated in a hotel overlooking the famous Grand Canal.
George Clooney’s agent Stan Rosenfield broke the news to journalists.
George Clooney has married Amal Alamuddin in Venice
Stan Rosenfield announced the news in a single sentence in what, according to AP news agency, is expected to be the only communication on the marriage.
George Clooney and his friends had sipped champagne before gliding up the Grand Canal on Saturday evening to the luxury Aman Hotel, waving to hundreds of well-wishers.
Guests include Cindy Crawford, Bill Murray, Matt Damon and the U2 singer Bono.
George Clooney’s boat was momentarily blocked by a passing cruise liner and then by a water bus, giving time for dozens of boats carrying photographers to catch up, AP writes.
A police boat swerved in vain to try to keep the paparazzi away.
Human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin was last seen publicly on September 26 riding in a water taxi down the Grand Canal with George Clooney’s arm resting around her.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin were engaged in April 2014.
The Cuban government has said it will take disciplinary action against state-owned pharmaceutical company Labiofam that created perfumes named Ernesto Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez.
In a statement in the official Granma newspaper, the government described the project as “a serious error”.
“The symbols of the Revolution are and will always be sacred,” the statement read.
The colognes – Ernesto and Hugo – were unveiled on September 25 by state laboratory Labiofam in the capital, Havana.
Labiofam said Ernesto, the cologne named after the Argentine-born revolutionary who help Fidel Castro take over in Cuba in 1959, would be a woodsy and refreshing citric scent with notes of talcum powder.
Ernesto and Hugo perfumes were unveiled on September 25 by state laboratory Labiofam in Havana
Hugo, named after the late Venezuelan president, would offer a softer, fruitier fragrance with hints of mango and papaya.
“They will be very attractive colognes, but the names also mean a lot to us,” said Isabel Gonzalez, vice-president for research and development for Labiofam during the launch.
However, the project was mocked in the social networks and criticised by supporters of the Cuban Revolution, who considered it disrespectful.
Labiofam had been in the process of developing stylized bottles and labels for the products before putting them on sale in Cuba and overseas.
“We didn’t want to create propaganda, but rather pay homage to them and help their names endure,” said on September 25 Cuban biochemist Mario Valdes, who led the scent design team.
Labiofam said it had obtained the agreement of the families of Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez to use their names in the colognes. But that has now been denied by the Cuban government.
“The details of this irresponsible action were discussed in detail on Friday with the company’s director and the employees who presented the products, which were still being developed,” read the statement of the Executive Committee of the Ministers’ Council, headed by Cuban President Raul Castro.
“The appropriate measures will be taken to deal with this serious error.
“Such initiatives will never be accepted either by our people or by the Revolutionary Government.”
Liberian chief medical officer Bernice Dahn has put herself under quarantine for 21 days, after one of her assistants died from the deadly Ebola virus.
Deputy Health Minister Bernice Dahn said she had no symptoms but wanted to take every precaution.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 3,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa.
Liberia has been the worst hit by the disease, accounting for 1,830 deaths – 150 in the last two days alone.
Health workers have been particularly vulnerable to the virus, which is spread by the infected bodily fluids of patients.
Liberian chief medical officer Bernice Dahn has put herself under Ebola quarantine for 21 days
Health organizations recommend isolating people for at least 21 days, which is the maximum incubation period for the virus.
Bernice Dahn said she had not come into contact with any other infected people, apart from the office assistant who died this week, but wanted to take every precaution.
She has also instructed her staff to stay at home for the same time period.
The WHO highlighted the risk of infection for health workers trying to stem the outbreak in its latest report released on September 26.
The report said 375 workers are known to have been infected, and that 211 have so far died from the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
India’s top politician Jayaram Jayalalitha has been sentenced to jail for four years on corruption charges in a case that has lasted for 18 years.
Jayaram Jayalalitha, the chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was found guilty of amassing wealth of more than $10 million which was unaccounted for.
She has to pay a 1 billion rupee ($16 million) fine and resign as chief minister.
A former actress, Jayaram Jayalalitha’s life has been marked by a series of high and lows.
Known by her followers as Amma or Mother, Jayaram Jayalalitha inspires intense loyalty, even adoration, but she has been associated with a lavish lifestyle
The verdict was delivered by a special court in Bangalore amid tight security.
Along with three others, Jayaram Jayalalitha was sentenced to an immediate jail term, and was due to be sent to Parappana Agrahara prison in Bangalore.
Jayaram Jayalalitha complained of chest pains and giddiness after the verdict was delivered, the Times of India reported, and was sent to the prison hospital for assessment.
The corruption case focused on Jayaram Jayalalitha’s personal wealth and was brought by a rival political party,
Jayaram Jayalalitha has always argued that the case was politically motivated.
Known by her followers as Amma or Mother, Jayaram Jayalalitha inspires intense loyalty, even adoration, but she has been associated with a lavish lifestyle.
The Who has unveiled Be Lucky – its first song since 2006 – to mark its 50th anniversary.
Be Lucky includes lyrical references to Australian rockers AC/DC and French electro band Daft Punk and will be included in a double album featuring the group’s greatest hits.
The band will donate royalties from the new track to teenage cancer sufferers.
One of the most influential rock bands of the 20th Century, their hits include My Generation and I Can See for Miles.
Earlier this year, surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend announced they would play a tour, which starts in the UK in November, to mark their 50 years in the industry.
Roger Daltrey described the tour as “the beginning of the long goodbye”.
The new track Be Lucky features the lyrics “You wanna climb without a safety line/ AC/DC’s gonna be fine,” and a similar refrain, “You want to climb without a safety line/ Daft Punk will tell you that it’s gonna be fine.”
The Who is one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th Century (photo MTV)
Daft Punk’s single Get Lucky was one of the biggest hits of 2013.
Recorded at British Grove and Yellow Fish Studios, the Who track features long-time collaborators Zak Starkey on drums and Pino Palladino on bass.
In a statement on their website, The Who said: “In keeping with their ongoing support for Teenage Cancer charities, the band have donated their royalties from the song to Teen Cancer America.”
Roger Daltrey was instrumental in founding the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2000.
In 2011, Teen Cancer America was founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend in the US.
In April, Roger Daltrey was presented with the outstanding contribution prize at the Music Week awards for his work with the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The Who was formed by singer Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle in London in 1964 and were joined by drummer Keith Moon before recording their first single.
Keith Moon died of a drug overdose in 1978 and John Entwistle died of a drug-induced heart attack in 2002.
In a recent interview, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly said he thinks Robin Williams tried to say goodbye during their last phone call before committing suicide last month.
Billy Connolly told The Telegraph that he and the late actor frequently told one another that they loved each other during phone conversations, and last one was no exception.
“I never stopped it and he never stopped telling me. As a matter of fact, I thought afterwards he tried to say goodbye to me, because he got very luvvie towards the end. It’s fanciful but that’s what I told myself,” Billy Connolly said.
Billy Connolly said he thinks Robin Williams tried to say goodbye during their last phone call before committing suicide
“On the last phone call he said, <<I love you like a brother>> and I said, <<I know you do>> and he said, <<Are you sure you know?>> and I said, <<Yes>>. Robin worried about everything.”
Robin Williams was found dead in his California home on August 11. A coroner determined his death was “a suicide due to asphyxia.”
Although his representative stated Robin Williams had “been battling severe depression of late”, Billy Connolly remembered his friend as a “happy comedian”.
“He was not always depressed,” Billy Connolly clarified.
“He was a complicated man, but a beautiful person. He was a joy.”
Metallica and Taylor Swift are among the performers set for the US debut of the Rock in Rio music festival next year, organizers announced.
No Doubt and Linkin Park will also perform on the main stage during the four-day event in Las Vegas. The Deftones and John Legend will perform on a different stage, the festival announced on September 26.
Metallica and Taylor Swift are among the performers set for the US debut of the Rock in Rio music festival in 2015
Rock in Rio USA will take place in las Vegas on May 8-9 and 15-16.
A group including casino company MGM Resorts plan to build a 33-acre open-air music venue on the Las Vegas Strip for the festival. The layout is expected to include five stages.
Rock in Rio music festival was launched in 1985. The festival also will be held in Rio de Janeiro in September 2015, featuring Katy Perry and Legend.
Japan’s Mount Ontake volcano erupted on September 27, injuring at least eight hikers and leaving 250 others stranded near the peak.
Witnesses heard a “thunder-like” boom before the eruption at the 3,067m (10,120ft) peak, situated between Nagano and Gifu prefectures.
PM Shinzo Abe says the army will help rescue some 150 climbers sheltering in lodges near the summit.
Officials have warned residents within a 4km radius of the risk of debris.
Mount Ontake last erupted in 2007.
Mount Ontake volcano eruption injured at least eight hikers and left 250 others stranded near the peak
Some climbers have managed to descend.
Two of those injured have fractured bones caused by flying rocks, NHK said.
Three people are missing, believed buried under volcanic ash, it said. A fourth was rescued but remains unconscious, the broadcaster added, citing police.
Kiso Prefectural Hospital, near the mountain, said it had dispatched a medical emergency team.
“We expect a lot of injured people so we are now getting ready for their arrival,” said an official at the hospital.
Indian politician Jayaram Jayalalitha has been found guilty of corruption charges in a high-profile case which has lasted for 18 years.
The chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu and one of India’s most colorful and controversial politicians was found guilty of amassing wealth of more than $10 million which was unaccounted for.
Analysts say Jayaram Jayalalitha will now have to resign as chief minister.
A former actress, her life has been marked by a series of high and lows.
The verdict was delivered by a special court in Bangalore amid tight security.
Jayaram Jayalalitha has been found guilty of corruption charges in a high-profile case which has lasted for 18 years
The prosecution argued that Jayaram Jayalalitha and three others committed an offence against society, the Indian Express reported.
It said that supporters of AIADMK party were forcibly dispersed by police as they tried to make their way to the court.
The corruption case focused on Jayaram Jayalalitha’s personal wealth and was brought by a rival political party,
Jayaram Jayalalitha has always argued that it was politically motivated.
Known by her followers as Amma or Mother, Jayaram Jayalalitha inspires intense loyalty, even adoration.
However, she has been associated with a lavish lifestyle.
Jayaram Jayalalitha’s foster son’s wedding almost 20 years ago broke world records for its sheer scale – including 150,000 guests.
Artur Mas, the president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, has signed a decree calling for a referendum on independence.
Artur Mas wants Catalonia to hold a Scottish-style vote on November 9, but does not have the backing of the central government in Madrid.
Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said he will block any referendum.
Catalonia, which includes Barcelona, is one of Spain’s richest and most highly industrialized regions, and also one of the most independent-minded.
On September 19, Catalonian lawmakers voted by a margin of 106 to 28 in favor of authorizing the referendum, known locally as a “consultation”.
Mariano Rajoy and the Spanish government believe any vote would be illegal.
President Artur Mas has signed a decree calling referendum on Catalonia’s independence
The prime minister is expected to take action at a special cabinet meeting early next week, and is likely to take the dispute to the country’s Constitutional Court.
However, President Artur Mas says he can use local laws to hold a vote in a matter of weeks.
Artur Mas has previously insisted that the pro-independence movement would prevail, even if it faces stiff opposition.
Until recently, few Catalans had wanted full independence, but Spain’s painful economic crisis has seen a surge in support for separation, correspondents say.
There is resentment over the proportion of Catalan taxes used to support poorer regions.
The pro-independence movement in Catalonia believes that the region can go ahead with the independence vote after the decree is signed.
Earlier this month hundreds of thousands of Catalans formed a “V” for “vote” along two of Barcelona’s main roads calling for their right to vote.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, the death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 3,000.
The latest figures indicate that more than 6,500 people are believed to have been infected in the region.
Liberia is the worst affected country, having recorded around 1,830 deaths linked to the latest outbreak.
The Ebola outbreak is the world’s most deadly and President Barack Obama has called it a “threat to global security”.
Some studies have warned that the numbers of infected could rise to more than 20,000 by early November.
The WHO report said two new areas, in Guinea and Liberia, have recorded their first confirmed cases of Ebola in the last seven days.
It also highlights the risk of infection for health workers trying to stem the outbreak.
The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 3,000
It says 375 workers are known to have been infected, and that 211 have so far died from the virus.
The deaths and sickness have made it even more difficult for the already weak healthcare systems in the affected countries to cope with the outbreak.
There is a severe shortage of hospital beds, especially in Liberia.
The US is sending some 3,000 troops to help Liberia tackle the disease, and set up emergency medical facilities.
Sierra Leone last weekend enforced a three-day lockdown in an attempt to quell the outbreak in the country.
During the curfew more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered, the authorities say.
On September 24, Sierra Leone extended the quarantine area to three new districts, meaning more than a third of the country’s six million people cannot move freely.
Some 600 people have died in Sierra Leone and a similar number in Guinea, where the outbreak was first confirmed in March.
Nigeria and Senegal, two other West Africa countries that have also been affected by the Ebola outbreak, have not recorded any new cases or deaths in the last few weeks, the latest WHO report says.
George Clooney and his bride-to-be, Amal Alamuddin, arrived in Venice, Italy, on September 26 in preparation for their wedding aboard a water taxi named Amore.
Amal Alamuddin and George Clooney boated to the Belmond Hotel Cipriani to host an intimate gathering for friends attending their wedding.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin arrived in Venice in preparation for their wedding
The pre-wedding party was attended by stars like Cindy Crawford, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Krasinsksi.
More than 160 A-list guests are expected to attend George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin’s wedding in Venice.
Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky have welcomed a baby girl.
“Marc and I are full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky,” Chelsea Clinton tweeted.
Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 34, married Marc Mezvinsky in 2010, and announced her pregnancy in April 2014.
The baby arrives as Hillary Clinton considers a presidential bid in 2016.
Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky in 2010, and announced her pregnancy in April 2014 (photo Reuters)
Hillary Clinton is seen as the leading Democratic contender for nomination to succeed President Barack Obama, and has said that she will make a decision on whether to run from around the beginning of 2015.
Bill Clinton served as the 42nd US president, from January 1993 to January 2001.
Chelsea Clinton has often been tipped to follow her parents into politics.
The former first daughter, educated at Stanford, Columbia and Oxford Universities, runs the Clinton Foundation with her parents. Her husband Marc Mezvinsky is an investment banker.
Chelsea Clinton stepped down from a $600,000 a year position as NBC special correspondent in August to concentrate on her pregnancy, motherhood and philanthropic work.
