President Francois Hollande has condemned an accusation by his former partner Valerie Trierweiler that he hates the poor as a “lie that hurts me”.
Francois Hollande said he did not want anyone to think he made fun of social hardship.
France’s former First Lady Valerie Trierweiler wrote in a book about the couple’s break-up that he saw the poor as “toothless ones”.
Valerie Trierweiler was the president’s partner for nine years until a magazine revealed his affair with actress Julie Gayet.
In her memoir, Thank You For This Moment, which was published last week and has already become a best-seller in France, Valerie Trierweiler paints the Socialist president as a callous man who dislikes the poor.
Despite his image as a “man of the left” who disliked the rich, Valerie Trierweiler said Francois Hollande secretly despised the poor and talked about “the toothless ones” in private.
Francois Hollande has condemned an accusation by his former partner Valerie Trierweiler that he hates the poor as a lie
The very public row with Valerie Trierweiler comes after several difficult weeks for Francois Hollande, who has seen his popularity fall to the lowest for a French president in more than 50 years.
Francois Hollande’s Socialist government, which is struggling with high unemployment levels and stagnant economic growth, faces a vote of confidence next week.
Finance Minister Michel Sapin cut France’s growth forecast this year to 0.4% and announced on Wednesday that the government would be unable to bring its finances in line with EU rules until 2017.
Last month, PM Manuel Valls replaced his cabinet after left-wing ministers objected publicly to the government’s austerity measures.
Francois Hollande said he had never been on the side of the powerful and “felt this attack on the poor, the dispossessed, as if it were a blow delivered against my entire life”.
“I [have] met people suffering the worst kinds of hardships,” Francois Hollande told the magazine.
“They had trouble caring for their teeth. That’s the sign of the worst kind of misery.”
A partial transcript of the interview went online on September 10 but the full version will be published in the magazine on September 11.
Francois Hollande spoke of his modest background and of his two grandfathers, one of whom was a tailor, the other a teacher.
The president acknowledged that things were uncomfortable for him at the moment but the French people wanted results from him and were not interested in his emotional state.
Minecraft’s developer, Mojang, is in talks to be taken over by Microsoft, according to reports.
It has been suggested that Mojang might sell for more than $2 billion.
In June, the Swedish studio said it had sold about 54 million copies of its hit world-building game. Since then it has also been released for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, further boosting sales.
Mojang’s founder, Markus “Notch” Persson has previously publicly criticized Microsoft.
Ahead of the release of the Windows 8 operating system, Notch Persson had claimed that the company was “trying to ruin the PC as an open platform” because it had wanted to certify third-party titles before their release.
Notch Persson had also been a vocal supporter of independent studios, saying in 2012 that: “The more studios that can remove themselves from the publisher system, the more games that will be made out of love rather than for profit.”
Minecraft’s developer, Mojang, is in talks to be taken over by Microsoft
According to Bloomberg, it was Markus Persson who “reached out” to Microsoft a few months ago.
It said that a source suggested that if the deal went through, Notch Persson would help with the transition, but was unlikely to stay on afterwards.
The New York Times reported that a person briefed on the talks had said that Markus Persson was expected to leave within six months, but added that Mojang was keen to hold on to its younger developers.
A spokesman for Microsoft said: “We don’t comment on rumor and speculation.”
Mojang also declined to comment.
Minecraft was first released in 2011, and has since become the third bestselling game of all time and something of a cultural phenomenon.
Mojang has worked on other titles, but they have either fallen short of Minecraft’s success – such as the role-playing game (RPG) Scrolls.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report negotiations between Mojang and Microsoft, saying that the deal could be finalized this week.
It noted that this would be the first multibillion acquisition by Microsoft’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, since he took charge of the company.
Khloe Kardashian and French Montana are on a break, eight months after the reality star started dating the rapper, Us Weekly reported.
A source told the publication: “The relationship got too heavy and Khloe needed to take a step back.”
Another insider says French Montana, 29, was too “needy” for Khloe Kardashian, 30.
Khloe Kardashian and French Montana are on a break after eight months of dating (photo E! Online)
Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner “did not approve and told Khloe all the time”, an insider said. Previous reports also claimed that sister Kim Kardashian and stepdad Bruce Jenner were “very skeptical” of French Montana and worried he was using Khloe for fame.
Khloe Kardashian herself didn’t seem too concerned about French Montana’s motives, though, even after he admitted he wanted to “capitalize” on the attention. French Montana later said his words had been taken out of context and gushed that he’d do anything for his lady love.
“She supports me with everything I do,” French Montana told Access Hollywood Live in August.
“When it comes to her career, I don’t think about it. If she needs me to do something, I do it.”
Ashley Tisdale married her musician beau, lead singer of Annie Automatic, Christopher French, in secret ceremony on September 9.
The 29-year-old High School Musical star shared this picture on Instagram saying: “Best Day of My Life! Introducing Mr. and Mrs. French.”
Ashley Tisdale also shared a wedding photo for her followers, followed by one with her bridesmaids including Vanessa Hudgens.
She wore a long, white wedding gown with capped sleeves and a cinched waist. Christopher French looked dapper in a black suit and tie.
Ashley Tisdale had her blonde locks down and slightly curled with a crown of flowers around her head. In her hand was a bouquet of pink and white roses.
According to RadarOnline, the two wed at a private residence in Santa Barbara.
Ashley Tisdale and Christopher French officially stepped out as a couple in December of 2012, and they got engaged in August of 2013
Ashley Tisdale married Christopher French in secret ceremony (photo Ashley Tisdale/Instagram)
Sara Gilbert has announced her pregnancy on her CBS show The Talk.
During the show Sara Gilbert declined to do a dare consisting of lying down on a bed of nails, with another bed of nails on top of her, while a cinder block is placed on top of her stomach while being smashed by a sledgehammer.
“I really do believe in facing your fears and doing things that make you uncomfortable, but I actually can’t do the dare because I’m pregnant,” a clearly emotional Sara Gilbert said, fighting back tears.
Sara Gilbert has announced her pregnancy on her CBS show The Talk (photo Getty Images)
Immediately following Sara Gilbert’s big news, her fellow hosts Aisha Tyler, Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen and Sheryl Underwood couldn’t contain their excitement, jumping out of the their chairs and hugging her.
The Talk later confirmed the big news via their Twitter.
Sara Gilbert married her longtime love, singer-songwriter Linda Perry in March 2014.
In addition to Sara Gilbert’s mother being in the audience, Linda Perry was actually at the taping while Gilbert announced the news.
Shakira, who first confirmed the news of her second pregnancy to Spanish Cosmopolitan in late August, said in the same interview that she and boyfriend Gerard Pique are expecting a boy.
According to September issue of the publication, Shakira “admits Milan will have a little brother soon”.
Shakira’s parents Nidia Ripoll and William Mebarak Chadid also shared the baby’s gender with Hola! magazine on September 9.
“We’re very happy,” the grandparents said.
“She’s having another baby boy a playmate for Milan.”
Shakira and boyfriend Gerard Pique are expecting a second boy
After her pregnancy reveal, Shakira, 37, took to Twitter to graciously thank fans for their well-wishes.
Shakira wrote on August 28: “The Pique-Mebarak family is still growing!
“Yes, we are expecting our second baby!! Thank you all for your well wishes!
“¡Sigue creciendo la familia Piqué Mebarak! ¡Gracias a todos por sus mensajes de cariño!”
Shakira and soccer stud Gerard Pique are already parents to 19-month-old Milan. Since baby Milan’s birth last January, the tot has already made a cameo in his mom’s soccer-theme music video for her World Cup single, La La La (Brazil 2014).
Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Iraq at the start of a Middle East tour to build support for action against Islamic State (ISIS).
John Kerry is due to meet new Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi less than 48 hours after a unity government was agreed.
An inclusive government was a condition for greater US and NATO support in the fight against ISIS militants who have taken over large parts of the country.
President Barack Obama is due to outline his plans to combat ISIS later.
John Kerry has started a Middle East tour to build support for action against ISIS
Barack Obama said on September 9 that he had authority to widen military action against ISIS without the approval of Congress, but said he would still ask lawmakers to endorse the arming of Syrian opposition forces.
ISIS militants have taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq in recent months and have declared a “caliphate”.
In the past month, ISIS militants have beheaded two US journalists in protest against American airstrikes on its forces in Iraq.
John Kerry’s tour is due to continue in Saudi Arabia and other regional capitals, where he is hoping to boost military, political and financial support for the fight against ISIS.
John Kerry is expected to ask Iraq’s Sunni neighbors to show solidarity with Baghdad.
The most detailed map ever produced of the earth beneath Stonehenge and its surrounds has been unveiled at this year’s British Science Festival.
Archaeologists combined different instruments to scan the area to a depth of 10ft, with unprecedented resolution.
Early results suggest that Stonehenge did not stand alone, but was accompanied by 17 neighboring shrines.
Future, detailed analysis of this vast collection of data will produce a brand new account of how Stonehenge’s landscape evolved over time.
Among the surprises yielded by the research are traces of up to 60 huge stones or pillars which formed part of the 1 mile-wide “super henge” previously identified at nearby Durrington Walls.
“For the past four years we have been looking at this amazing monument to try and see what was around it,” Prof. Vincent Gaffney, from the University of Birmingham, said at the British Science Festival.
Most of the land surrounding Stonehenge had not been surveyed in this manner before and Prof. Vincent Gaffney, the project’s lead researcher, said one key question always remained: “Was it really an excluded place, where only special people would come?”
The team’s new three-dimensional map, which covers an area of 1,250 football fields, shows that this was not the case.
Researchers used six different techniques to scan the whole site at different depths below the surface.
Amongst their instruments was a magnetometer, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a 3D laser scanner.
Nishad Karim, a researcher at the University of Leicester, has used similar instrumentation to reconstruct 16th century Tudor tombs.
The most detailed map ever produced of the earth beneath Stonehenge and its surrounds has been unveiled at this year’s British Science Festival (photo English Heritage)
Under one of the numerous mounds, they identified a 33m-long timber building about 6,000 years old, probably used for ritual burials and related practices, possibly including excarnation (stripping flesh from bones).
“[The building] has three rows of roof-bearing posts. It is around 300 square metres and slightly trapezoidal, which is interesting because in the same period on the continent, about 100 to 200 years earlier, we also find this type of trapezoidal building related to megaliths [giant stones],” said Prof. Wolfgang Neubauer, director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, which was also involved in the research.
Another 17 mounds revealed previously unseen ritual monuments about the same age as Stonehenge itself.
The dating was done based on their shape.
“We know what some of these things look like, so we can classify them,” Prof. Vincent Gaffney explained.
A first inspection of the Cursus and the Durrington Walls, located north and north-east of Stonehenge, also revealed new insights.
The work unveiled two additional pits inside the prehistoric Cursus, an enormous, elongated circular trench originally named because of it reminded its discoverers of a Roman racing track.
The Cursus is aligned in the East-West direction, and the pits were found one in each end, pointing to Dusk and Dawn.
This particular alignment is closely related to the position and orientation of Stonehenge, which was built as we know it some 300 to 500 years later.
The large separation in time indicates that both monuments were not conceived or planned as a whole.
“The structures guide the builders. Once you have some things in place, other things happen because those already exist,” explained Prof. Vincent Gaffney.
He and his team also found evidence of huge stones or timber posts lying three metres below the mounds that form the Durrington Walls.
All of these preliminary findings reflect the complexity of the landscape’s history and evolution, which will be slowly uncovered once the researchers start the in-depth analysis of the data.
That analysis will reveal more precisely how the site evolved through the ages.
“We are starting to see the growth of fields encroaching on it. That’s important because it tells us about changing relationships to Stonehenge,” Prof. Vincent Gaffney said.
“Eventually, we start to see the living returning, bringing agriculture. It becomes more the archaeology of the mundane, rather than the arcane.”
Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust Archaeologist for the Avebury and Stonehenge World Heritage Site, said: “Using 21st-century techniques, the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes team has transformed our knowledge of this ancient, precious and very special landscape.
“Their work has revealed a clutch of previously unsuspected sites and monuments showing how much of the story of this world-famous archaeological treasure house remains to be told.”
Miss Piggy paid tribute to Joan Rivers despite their longstanding feud originating with their co-starring roles in 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan.
In a statement released after Joan Rivers’ death, Miss Piggy said: “Moi is deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and fellow legend, Joan Rivers.”
“From our first appearance together as battling make-up counter girls in <<The Muppets Take Manhattan>> to our recent appearances together on QVC (Joan called it <<The Thrilla in Manolos>>), we were always two of a kind. I will miss her. Can we talk? You bet we can, Joan! Forever and ever!”
Miss Piggy paid tribute to Joan Rivers despite their longstanding feud originating with their co-starring roles in 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan
Earlier this year, QVC posted a video documenting the feud between Miss Piggy and Joan Rivers.
Joan Rivers died on September 4 at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she had been taken after losing consciousness during an outpatient surgery. She was 81.
Joan Rivers rose to prominence in a comedy world dominated by men, using Can we talk? as her catch phrase, which usually preceded a good-natured skewering.
A new research suggests that long-term use of pills for anxiety and sleep problems may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
A study of older Canadian adults found that past benzodiazepine use for three months or more was linked to an increased risk (up to 51%) of dementia.
The French-Canadian team says while the link is not definitive, it is another warning that treatments should not exceed three months.
“Benzodiazepine use is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” lead researcher, Sophie Billioti de Gage of the University of Bordeaux, France, and colleagues wrote in the BMJ.
“Unwarranted long-term use of these drugs should be considered as a public health concern.”
Long-term use of pills for anxiety and sleep problems may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease
The study involved about 2,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease in adults aged over 66 living in Quebec. All had been prescribed benzodiazepines.
They were compared with about 7,000 healthy people of the same age living in the same community.
While an increased risk was found in those on benzodiazepines, the nature of the link was unclear.
Benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia.
Despite published guidance on their appropriate use for short-term management, inappropriate prescribing of the drugs is still a concern.
Experts are calling for better monitoring of side-effects, particularly in older adults.
Charlie Hunnam has revealed that it was “a nervous breakdown” that really led to his departure from the upcoming adaptation of the best-selling E.L. James novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
Charlie Hunnam, who would have played Christian Grey opposite Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia Steele, told Moviefone that the Focus Features drama would have been one project too many, since he already committed to shooting Guillermo de Toro’s Crimson Peak during his hiatus from FX series Sons of Anarchy.
“I was going to finish <<Sons>> at like 11 p.m. Friday night, get on the plane Saturday morning to Vancouver for <<Fifty>>, missing the whole first week of rehearsal and start shooting Monday morning,” the actor explained.
Charlie Hunnam has revealed that it was a nervous breakdown that really led to his departure from the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation
“And I was going to shoot that film, wrap that on the Wednesday and the following Monday I was going to start shooting <<Crimson Peak>> in Toronto. I just had like … frankly, something of a nervous breakdown.”
The passionate response from fans and the attention the media was giving Fifty Shades also contributed to his decision to back out of the role just weeks after being cast.
“To fail on such a grand scale – because Fifty’s going to be massive, it’s going to be huge. I really didn’t want to fail on such a grand scale and I just couldn’t transition from Jax Teller to Christian Grey in 48 hours,” Charlie Hunnam said.
“I bit off more than I could chew and it was painful. I loved the character and I wanted to do it.”
Charlie Hunnam has returned to the small screen as biker Jax Teller on September 9 when the seventh and final season of Sons of Anarchy premiered on FX.
Honda has unveiled Acura RLX, a car that can safely drive itself on the freeway while the driver’s hands are off the wheel.
While the car is just a prototype, Honda says the technology could start appearing on Honda cars in 2020 and beyond.
Acura RLX sedan has cameras that monitor lane marking and multiple radar sensors on the front and sides. On top is a beacon that uses laser beams to continually scan the car’s surroundings, similar to self-driving prototypes already introduced by Google, Ford and Toyota. GPS also helps the car stay on a previously mapped course and follow the speed limit.
Honda Acura RLX is a car that can safely drive itself on the freeway while the driver’s hands are off the wheel
On a loop around Detroit, the car’s driver took his hands off the wheel as the car entered the freeway. It accelerated to the speed limit and applied the brakes if it got too close to a car in front. It signaled to change lanes and waited for an opening. The car merged easily onto two other freeways and edged to the left to avoid a construction zone. To exit, the car reduced its speed to 35 miles per hour on the ramp.
The driver’s hands remained off the wheel for the entire eight-mile loop. But Honda says the car will automatically return control to the driver if it senses it can’t handle a situation. One example: If a car cuts in front of the Honda too closely and fast braking is needed.
Honda has been working on this prototype car in Japan for about a year, but it’s the result of decades of safety research, said Hironobu Kiryu, the car’s chief engineer.
“Honda is aiming to eliminate accidents, not just for the driver but for pedestrians and drivers of other cars,” Hironobu Kiryu said.
Honda is showing the car in Detroit this week as part of the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress, an annual gathering of engineers and other researchers.
The Broadway League reversed itself on September 9 and chose to get theaters to dim their lights in honor of Joan Rivers.
The league had said on September 8 that Joan Rivers did not meet the criteria for the honor, triggering a controversy when several theater owners said they would turn off their marquee lights on September 9 anyway. An online petition was launched and several celebrities came out in favor of granting the honor.
The organization changed course Tuesday afternoon, saying the lights would dim at 6:45 PM for one minute.
“Joan Rivers loved Broadway and we loved her,” Charlotte St. Martin, the league’s executive director, said in a statement.
“Due to the outpouring of love and respect for Joan Rivers from our community and from her friends and fans worldwide, the marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight.”
The Broadway League reversed itself and chose to get theaters to dim their lights in honor of Joan Rivers (photo Getty Images)
Joan Rivers, who died on September 4 at 81, was known primarily as a TV actress and comedian, though she was seen as a champion of Broadway and off-Broadway shows and earned a Tony Award nomination.
Before the league’s reversal, 10 theaters out of 40 were set to break with the league and dim their lights. Theater producer Tom D’Angora had started an online petition asking the league to reverse its decision. It had attracted more than 5,000 signatures.
“I can’t believe we can be denied the last chance to show respect and thank her. I also think if you watch her interviews and documentaries, this would hurt her feelings,” Tom D’Angora said.
“Plus, how hard is it to hit a dimmer switch?”
A spokeswoman for the Rivers family said they were in mourning and didn’t want to comment.
The partial remains of Holly Bobo have been found in Tennessee more than three years after she disappeared, investigators said.
Holly Bobo was a Tennessee nursing student and cousin of country music singer Whitney Duncan and was 20 years old at the moment of her disappearance.
She was last seen alive in 2011. Hundreds of volunteers turned out to search for Holly Bobo, and her case yielded more than $450,000 in reward money offered.
Holly Bobo’s remains were found on September 7 in Decatur County, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Monday night.
Hunters had found a human skull, CNN reported.
The partial remains of Holly Bobo have been found in Tennessee more than three years after she disappeared
District Attorney Matt Stowe said he is “ready, willing and able to seek the death penalty in this case.”
“We are going to make sure that everyone who played a part in the heinous crime that has attacked the peace and dignity of the great state of Tennessee faces a consequence for that,” Matt Stowe said Monday night.
Two men have been charged in connection with Holly Bobo’s death: Jason Wayne Autry and Zachary Adams.
Jason Wayne Autry and Zachary Rye Adams have been charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping in the case. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Tennessee brothers Mark and Jeffrey Pearcy were charged with evidence tampering and as accessories after the fact.
Holly Bobo’s brother has told authorities he saw a man in camouflage leading Bobo away from their home in the town of Darden in April 2011. Volunteers from at least five counties searched for the student, but to no avail.
Ray Rice’s wife, Janay Palmer Rice, says she is “hurt beyond words” over how her husband has been treated after the NFL star was sacked for punching her.
Ray Rice has been released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video emerged of him hitting his then-fiancée.
The CCTV footage shows them in a lift at the Revel casino in Atlantic City.
They hit each other before Ray Rice knocks her “unconscious” with a punch.
The video, released by the Associated Press, was shown to them on Monday night by a law enforcement official. The pair can be heard swearing and shouting at each other and it looks like Janay Palmer spits at Ray Rice just before he hits her.
Janay Palmer falls to the floor, and he then drags her from the lift, where he is met by hotel staff.
One of them can be heard saying: “She’s drunk, right?”
And then: “No cops.”
Ray Rice does not seem to respond.
A video of Ray Rice pulling Janay Palmer from the lift first emerged months ago on TMZ. It didn’t show the full attack.
Janay Palmer and Ray Rice have since married.
In a post on Instagram, Janay Rice says it feels like a “horrible nightmare” and seemingly defends her husband.
She blames the media and public outcry for taking “something away from the man I love that he has worked his ass off for all his life”.
After suggesting the pair regret the incident she said it has left them feeling hurt, embarrassed, alone and without happiness.
“THIS IS OUR LIFE… Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what real love is!”
Ray Rice has been released by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a video emerged of him hitting his then-fiancée Janay Palmer (photo AP)
Things are continuing to get worse for Ray Rice – Nike have confirmed they have dropped him as one of their sponsored athletes and EA Sports are removing him from their 2015 version of the NFL game Madden.
Meanwhile, local businesses in Baltimore have begun offering discounted goods in return for Ray Rice jerseys.
Hersh’s pizzeria posted their offer on Facebook: “Come trade your Ray Rice Ravens Jersey in for a free pizza at Hersh’s. These jerseys will save us money on toilet paper this week.”
Their neighbors, the No Idea Tavern responded on Twitter with their own offer – a ten dollar bar tab for every jersey handed to them.
The latest from the Baltimore Ravens came in a one-sentence press release on September 8.
“The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of RB Ray Rice this afternoon,” it said.
Earlier in the day the team had claimed to have never seen the video.
“It’s something we saw for the first time today, all of us,” said Coach John Harbaugh.
“It changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different.”
He said he had spoken with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, team president Dick Cass and general manager Ozzie Newsome after they saw the video and they then decided to fire Ray Rice.
Back in July, after the shorter video emerged, Ray Rice was suspended for two games for domestic violence. He said his actions were “inexcusable”.
At the time Ozzie Newsome said: “We respect the efforts Ray has made to become the best partner and father he can be.
“That night was not typical of the Ray Rice we know and respect.
“We believe that he will not let that one night define who he is, and he is determined to make sure something like this never happens again.”
Ray Rice was also arrested over the incident and an Atlantic City police summons stated that he caused “bodily injury to Janay Palmer, specifically by striking her with his hand, rendering her unconscious”.
He was charged with felony aggravated assault, but in May he was accepted into a pretrial intervention program that allowed him to avoid jail.
Coach John Harbaugh said at the time: “The thing I appreciate about it is how Ray has handled it afterward by acknowledging it was wrong and he’ll do everything he can do to make it right.
“That’s what you ask for when someone does a wrong thing. So, I’m proud of him for that.”
The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has announced that, based on the new video evidence, Ray Rice has been suspended indefinitely.
“We requested from law enforcement any and all information about the incident, including the video from inside the elevator,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Monday morning.
“That video was not made available to us and no one in our office has seen it until today.”
This echoes what Roger Goodell said on August 1 during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend, when he claimed they were still “evaluating” the situation.
“I’m not going to go into what he told us or anything or if it matches or if it doesn’t,” Ravens receiver Torrey Smith said.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is what you see. It wasn’t a pleasant site at all.”
The White House has also released a statement saying: “The President is the father of two daughters.
“And like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society.
“Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that’s true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors.”
So far Ray Rice’s lawyer, Michael Diamondstein, has declined to comment
Ray Rice hasn’t spoken often to the media, but on July 31 he said it was “something I have to live with the rest of my life”.
President Barack Obama has met Congressional leaders to outline and press his case for an expanded military campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq and Syria.
Barack Obama is discussing his strategy with leaders from both parties at the White House.
The talks come ahead of the president’s speech to the nation on Wednesday night.
It is not clear whether Barack Obama will seek Congressional authorization for an increased military role.
Tuesday’s meeting with Congressional leaders comes a year after lawmakers blocked Barack Obama’s previous plans for missile strikes against Syria.
Since then, the ISIS jihadist group has taken control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
In June it declared the creation of a “caliphate” or Islamic state.
In the past month, ISIS militants have beheaded two American journalists in protest against US airstrikes on its forces in Iraq.
Barack Obama has ruled out the possibility of a US ground operation against ISIS but has signaled he may expand airstrikes to include Syria.
While leaders in Congress have made it clear they are not interested in pursuing a vote on military action, some lawmakers have said any airstrikes or military action should be authorised by them.
Barack Obama has ruled out the possibility of a US ground operation against ISIS but has signaled he may expand airstrikes to include Syria (photo NBC)
Republican Senator Rand Paul told the website Politico that if Barack Obama does not ask for authorization, “it would show a disregard for the Constitution, and for the history of our country”.
Other lawmakers are more cautious about committing themselves to potentially risky military action, especially with the approach of Congressional mid-term elections in November.
According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, a large majority of the American public views ISIS as a serious threat to the US and widely supports airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.
About 100 Americans are believed to have joined the militants and the US state department has tried to counter this by making a hard-hitting video that tries to dissuade potential recruits.
Barack Obama’s press secretary, Josh Earnest, told Politico on September 8 the president was hoping for a “buy-in” from Congress.
Meanwhile, France has announced it will host an international conference on Iraq on September 15 and President Francois Hollande will visit the country later this week.
On September 8, the US hailed the creation of a new government in Iraq as a major milestone and a crucial step toward defeating the militant group.
Secretary of State John Kerry said Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s cabinet had the “potential to unite all of Iraq’s diverse communities”.
Posts have been shared between the Shia Arab majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.
The US had made the approval of a unity government a condition for increased military assistance.
John Kerry is travelling to Saudi Arabia and Jordan this week as part of efforts to build a coalition to confront ISIS.
Apple has unveiled a smartwatch, the Apple Watch, and two new handsets that are larger than previous models – iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple Watch runs apps, acts as a health and fitness tracker and communicates with the iPhone.
While rival smartwatches already exist, experts said Apple had a history of entering sectors relatively late and then changing their direction.
The iPhone 6’s screen measures 4.7in (11.9cm) and the iPhone 6 Plus’s 5.5in (14.0cm) – a change that analysts said should help prevent users migrating to Android.
Apple also announced a new service called Apple Pay, which CEO Tim Cook said he hoped would “replace the wallet” in shops.
The Apple Watch comes in two sizes and is controlled by what Apple calls a “digital crown” – a dial on its side that allows content on its screen to be magnified or scrolled through, and can also be pressed inwards to act as a home button.
The display is a touchscreen that can detect the difference between a light tap and heavier pressure from the user’s fingers. In addition, the device runs Siri – Apple’s voice-controlled “personal assistant”.
It offers a variety of different watchfaces, can alert the user to notifications, act as a heart rate monitor and show maps.
Apple has unveiled two new handsets that are larger than previous models, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (photo Apple)
Apple said that apps could be processed on an iPhone, but displayed on the watch in order to extend battery life. It did not say how often the device needed to be recharged.
Although some of these features are available from competing products, one observer said the device had the potential to ignite the wearable tech sector.
Apple Watch – which comes in three different editions – relies on its user owning an iPhone 5 or more recent model.
It will cost $349 – which is more than recently announced Android Wear watches from Motorola, Sony and others – and will not be available until “early 2015”.
While Apple Watch was the most anticipated product, the company’s new handsets are likely to be its biggest earners.
Apple said that the A8 chip featured in the new phones would provide 25% faster compute performance than before.
The improved resolutions – dubbed “retina HD” – mean that the iPhone 6 offers 326 pixels per inch and the iPhone 6 Plus 401ppi. While better than before, the resolutions are still beaten in terms of raw numbers by Samsung’s flagships – the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 – and the HTC One.
New sensors include a barometer, which Apple said would help fitness apps distinguish whether the owner was running up a mountain or along a flatter surface.
The M8 co-processor can now estimate distances as well, which may should also help provide more accurate readings.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available for sale on September 19.
Cher has been forced to postpone Albany and Manchester dates of her Dressed To Kill Tour’s second legs after she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection.
Instead of taking the stage, Cher, 68, will be resting up at home.
The two shows have been postponed until early October, with the singer now set to perform in Albany on October 6 and Manchester on October 7.
Cher postponed Albany and Manchester dates after she was diagnosed with an acute viral infection (photo Getty Images)
Cher is expected to play in Allentown, Pennsylvania on September 15.
The Dressed to Kill Tour, which has featured rock icon Pat Benatar and pop legend Cyndi Lauper as opening acts, is Cher’s eighth solo tour overall.
The tour opened March 22 in Phoenix and has already grossed over $55 million.
According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 2,288 people, with half of them dying in the last three weeks.
The WHO said that 47% of the deaths and 49% of the total 4,269 cases had come in the 21 days leading up to September 6.
It also warned that thousands more cases could occur in Liberia, which has had the most fatalities.
The Ebola outbreak, which was first reported in Guinea in March this year, has also spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
In Nigeria, eight people have died out of 21 cases, while one case of Ebola has been confirmed in Senegal, the WHO said in its latest update.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed 2,288 people, with half of them dying in the last three weeks
On Monday, the agency called on organizations combating the outbreak in Liberia to scale up efforts to control the outbreak “three-to-four fold”.
Ebola spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.
However, the WHO says conventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia.
Meanwhile, the US says it will help the African Union mobilize 100 African health workers to the region and contribute an additional $10 million in funds to deal with the outbreak.
The announcement comes as a fourth US aid worker infected with the deadly virus was transported to a hospital in Atlanta for treatment.
Two other aid workers who were treated at the same hospital have since recovered from an Ebola infection.
Jazz composer and arranger Gerald Wilson, whose career spanned more than 75 years, has died at the age of 96.
Gerald Wilson’s son, jazz guitarist Anthony Wilson, said his father died on September 8 at his Los Angeles home from pneumonia.
The big band leader began his career in the late 1930s as a trumpeter for Jimmy Lunceford’s band before forming his own big band in 1944 featuring female trombonist Melba Listo.
He played and worked as a composer-arranger with the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter and Dizzy Gillespie, and he arranged music for Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Bobby Darin.
Gerald Wilson, who was born in Shelby, Mississippi, and later moved with his family to Detroit, started out on piano and bought his first trumpet at age 11. During his tenure as a trumpeter with Lunceford, he arranged the hit tunes Hi Spook and Yard Dog Mazurka.
Gerald Wilson began his career in the late 1930s as a trumpeter for Jimmy Lunceford’s band before forming his own big band in 1944 featuring female trombonist Melba Listo
After four years with Lunceford and a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Gerald Wilson settled in Los Angeles, where he worked in the bands of Benny Carter, Les Hite and Phil Moore before forming his own band. He worked with Billie Holiday on the singer’s tour of the South in 1949.
Gerald Wilson led his own bands in the ’50s and ’60s, but took frequent hiatuses as he became one of the most in demand arrangers and orchestrators in jazz and pop music. He wrote more than 60 charts for Charles, scored motion pictures such as Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder, and served as the conductor and music director of TV’sThe Red Foxx Show.
However, despite his commercial success, Gerald Wilson never gave up his dedication to jazz.
His marriage to a Mexican-American, Josefina Villasenor Wilson, led him to incorporate Latin music into his jazz compositions. His tune, Viva Tirado, dedicated to bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado, became a Top 40 pop hit for the rock group El Chicano in 1970. He also composed his first piece for symphony orchestra, Debut: 5/21/72, on a commission from Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Gerald Wilson became famous for his dance-like style of conducting, which he said helped listeners know what they were hearing.
Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital to continue his recovery at home, his manager Sabine Kehm has announced.
Sabine Kehm said in a statement that he had made “progress”, but there was “a long and difficult road ahead”.
Former F1 champion Michael Schumacher suffered a head injury in a skiing accident in France in December last year and was transferred to the Swiss hospital in June.
Michael Schumacher’s family said in June that he had come out of a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain.
He spent six months at a hospital in France after his accident, before being transferred to the hospital in Lausanne. His family home is in Gland, which is on the shores of Lake Geneva, some 25 miles from Lausanne.
“Henceforth, Michael’s rehabilitation will take place at his home. Considering the severe injuries he suffered, progress has been made in the past weeks and months,” Sabine Kehm said in a statement on September 9.
Michael Schumacher has left a Swiss hospital to continue his recovery at home
The statement did not give any indication of whether there had been a change in the state of Michael Schumacher’s health.
“We ask that the privacy of Michael’s family continue to be respected, and that speculations about his state of health are avoided,” it added.
Michael Schumacher’s family and manager also thanked the team at CHUV Lausanne hospital “for their thorough and competent work”.
He underwent two operations to remove blood clots from his brain before he was put into a medically induced coma to try to reduce swelling.
Investigators probing the accident at the French ski resort of Meribel said Michael Schumacher had been going at the speed of “a very good skier” at the time of his crash.
Michael Schumacher had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit a rock, they said.
Last month, a man arrested on suspicion of leaking Michael Schumacher’s medical files was found hanged in his cell.
The man, who has not been named, was a manager at Swiss air rescue firm Rega, which was involved in the transfer of Schumacher from Grenoble, France, to Lausanne.
Michael Schumacher’s medical records were allegedly stolen and offered for sale to several newspapers.
A man has been killed in an apparent shark attack on September 9 at the popular tourist destination of Byron Bay, the most easterly point on the Australian mainland, officials say.
The 50-year-old man sustained severe injuries on his right leg at Byron Bay in New South Wales.
A swimmer brought him in to the beach but he was pronounced dead.
Beaches in the area have been closed for 24 hours and people are being warned to stay out of the water.
“At 10:45 police and paramedics were called to Main Beach after reports of a shark attack,” New South Wales police said in a statement.
The man was in the water when he was bitten by what was believed to be a shark, they said.
“He was seen floating in shallow water, close to the shore line, and dragged onto the beach. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead a short time later,” the statement said.
Police said the wife of the man – who has not been identified – was watching from the shore, ABC reported.
A man has been killed in an apparent shark attack at the popular tourist destination of Byron Bay
Mark Hickey said he tried to help the man.
“I saw what looked like seaweed but it was blood in the water,” he said.
“I didn’t know it was a person but when I realized, I ran out and waded to the bank and grabbed him and did CPR but it was too late.”
Mark Hickey told local media he saw a “six or seven foot” shark in the water.
Rescue organization Surf Lifesaving Australia said the beach was not supervised at the time of the attack as it had occurred a week before seasonal duties.
“But at the council’s request, lifeguards will be on duty for at least the next 24 hours ensuring the water remains clear,” it said in a statement.
There have been several shark attacks off Australia’s beaches in recent years.
In April, a woman was killed as she swam off Tathra beach, also in New South Wales.
The Western Australia government, meanwhile, has ordered a cull of sharks, following at least six fatal attacks off the state’s beaches in three years.
Baited hooks have been installed off Perth’s popular beaches. Any shark more than three metres long – which could include Great White, Tiger and Bull sharks – will be shot.
The controversial move prompted thousands of people to take part in protests against the culls.
