Justin Bieber is being investigated by police in Los Angeles over attempted robbery claims.
The singer, who has not been arrested, was accused of robbery by an unnamed victim, police said.
Justin Bieber is accused of reaching into a woman’s bag and taking her phone after she had taken pictures of him at a mini golf course in LA
According to TMZ, Justin Bieber, 20, is accused of reaching into a woman’s bag and taking her phone after she had taken pictures of him at a mini golf course in Los Angeles.
“As of right now, no arrest has been made and detectives are currently interviewing the victim,” said police.
Justin Bieber has had a troubled start to 2014, after being arrested for driving under the influence in Miami. A trial is due to begin there in July.
Police in California also searched his home after he allegedly threw eggs at a neighbor’s house.
Three weeks ago, Justin Bieber was detained at Los Angeles International Airport and questioned by customs officers, after returning from Asia.
However, no formal action was taken and Justin Bieber was released after four hours.
Ben Affleck’s first photo as Batman has been revealed by director Zack Snyder.
Ben Affleck is pictured standing next to the Batmobile in the brooding black-and-white shot, taken on set of the forthcoming Superman vs. Batman film.
Although the actor was a controversial choice to play the caped crusader, the new photo has had a positive reception.
Many have suggested it shows the older Batman from Frank Miller’s four-part comic book The Dark Knight Returns.
Ben Affleck’s first photo as Batman has been revealed by director Zack Snyder (photo Twitter/Zack Snyder)
Ben Affleck was not a universally popular choice to take over from Christian Bale.
A petition on Change.org urging film studio Warner Bros to “remove Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Superman/Batman movie” has gathered more than 97,000 signatures since his casting was announced last summer.
Ben Affleck has laughed off the criticism, saying he is “a big boy” who can “handle” the backlash.
“When you get into the arena of those kinds of movies, these superhero movies, particularly ones that are working with characters that everyone’s known for so long, everybody’s got these strongly held opinions and preconceived ideas about what it should be,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
“At the same time, I don’t think projections about something that hasn’t happened yet are all that meaningful.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s like any other movie or project: You go out and make it great, people will say it’s great. If you go out and miss, you’ll hear about it.
“The stuff beforehand is kind of just the noise that happens.”
Ben Affleck will make his debut alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, on May 6, 2016.
The as-yet-untitled film is a sequel to Man of Steel and will also feature Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.
Details of the plot are a closely guarded secret, but screenwriter David Goyer told San Diego ComicCon: “We’re actually not sure whether the title is Superman vs. Batman or Batman vs. Superman but yes, it’s that rematch, that combination, the two guys onscreen and that’s happening.”
Oscar Pistorius has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation, the judge at his Pretoria murder trial has ruled.
Judge Thokozile Masipa ruled that psychiatric evidence before the court could not replace “a proper inquiry” into his mental health.
Correspondents say the trial, which began in March, will almost certainly now face a lengthy delay.
The prosecution argued on Tuesday that psychiatric tests were essential and that he should be referred.
Oscar Pistorius has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation
But the defense vigorously opposed the move.
Oscar Pistorius denies intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
He says he accidentally shot her through the toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking the 29-year-old model and law graduate for an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius could be evaluated for a minimum of 30 days at a psychiatric faculty as a result of the evaluation order.
In her ruling Judge Thokozile Masipa said that the South African criminal code stipulates that if an accused person is alleged not to be criminally responsible or is alleged to be mentally ill, he should be evaluated.
She said that such an evaluation would ensure that Oscar Pistorius would get a fair trial, adding it would be “preferable” for him to undergo the evaluation as an outpatient.
Prosecution lawyer Gerrie Nel made the referral application on Tuesday after forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster said earlier that the double amputee was suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Gerrie Nel said that the disorder diagnosis left him with no choice but to apply for an evaluation because the condition might have affected Oscar Pistorius’ behavior on the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp.
Legal experts say that the case may well hinge on the judge’s understanding of the athlete’s state of mind when he pulled the trigger.
They say the prosecution is keen to show that the defense keeps changing its reasons why Oscar Pistorius fired his gun – from putative self-defense, to accidental shooting, and now to something linked to his anxiety disorder.
Yahoo has bought self-destructing mobile messaging app Blink in order to poach the talent behind it.
Blink is a mobile application that allows users to share messages that self-destruct.
The app will reportedly be shut down in the coming weeks so that Blink’s seven-person team can work on Yahoo’s “smart communication” products.
This includes former Google employees Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan, who founded Meh Labs, the start-up that created Blink.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Yahoo has bought self-destructing mobile messaging app Blink in order to poach the talent behind it
Blink made the announcement on their website, saying they “look forward to the possibilities that will come from bringing the Blink vision to Yahoo”.
“We built Blink because we believe everyone should be free to show the same honesty and spontaneity in their online conversations as they can in person.”
Yahoo has reportedly bought 40 start-ups since chief executive Marissa Mayer took over two years ago in an attempt to revamp the internet company.
It has been looking to generate more mobile content and advertising revenues as an increasing number of people use tablets and smartphones.
Blink has been competing against established rivals in private messaging such as Snapchat, and newer entrants like Confide and Wickr.
Its users can exchange texts, photos and videos that can only be viewed within a certain period of time before it self-deletes. A timer starts after the recipient taps their screen to open the message.
Messaging applications have been a popular target for larger, established internet companies looking to expand their product offerings.
Snapchat, which specializes in disappearing photos, reportedly received a multi-billion dollar offer from Facebook last year.
Facebook went on to create a similar app called Poke, which was discontinued last week.
British GSK executive Mark Reilly has been accused by the Chinese police of ordering staff to bribe hospital officials to use its medical products.
Mark Reilly and two other colleagues are also suspected of bribing government officials in Beijing and Shanghai, they said.
Police have handed the case over to prosecutors, officials said.
GlaxoSmithKline said it took the allegations “very seriously” and would co-operate with the authorities over the matter.
Mark Reilly is alleged to have pressed his sales team to pay doctors, hospital officials and health institutions to use GSK products
Chinese authorities announced in July last year that they were investigating GSK, detaining four Chinese GSK executives.
The police ministry accused Mark Reilly, the company’s former head of China operations, of personally running a “massive bribery network”.
He is alleged to have pressed his sales team to pay doctors, hospital officials and health institutions to use GSK products, resulting in the “illegal revenue” of hundreds of millions of dollars.
At a news conference, the investigators took pains to explain how the cost of the alleged bribes was passed directly on to Chinese consumers.
They said the cost of the drugs sold by GSK in China was much higher than that of similar drugs sold by the company in other countries – sometimes up to seven times higher.
The investigators also said that while the company itself had been “very responsible and has given us their full support”, the firm’s operation in China “tried to pay bribes” in order to “obstruct” their efforts “in exposing their bribery behaviors”.
Mark Reilly had briefly left China when the investigation was launched last July, but returned to help with the inquiry. A police investigator was believed to still be in China.
The Chinese operation of GSK was accused by the Chinese authorities, when the probe first began, of using travel agencies and consultancies to transfer bribes over several years.
GSK has already apologized for employees apparently acting outside of its internal controls, but denies the sums of money are anything like as high as those alleged to have been paid.
The pharmaceutical giant is also facing a criminal investigation into similar allegations in Poland.
Brazil’s national football team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is to face a criminal investigation, reports from Portugal say, as he denies tax evasion.
Luiz Felipe Scolari coached Portugal’s national team from 2003 to 2008. The allegations are believed to be connected to his time there.
Luiz Felipe Scolai is currently the coach of the Brazil’s national football team
In a statement, Luiz Felipe Scolari said he had always declared his earnings in all the countries he worked in.
The allegations come less than a month before the start of the World Cup 2014.
The attorney general’s office in Portugal confirmed a criminal investigation had been opened but gave no further details, the Associated Press news agency said.
“I am absolutely convinced of the correctness of my declarations. If there is something wrong, it is not of my doing,” Luiz Felipe Scolari’s statement reads.
Anti-China protesters have set on fire several factories at an industrial park in southern Vietnam, amid tensions over the South China Sea.
The park’s management said three factories were set on fire on Tuesday, but other reports put the figure as high as 15.
No casualties have been reported but officials said many arrests were made.
Anti-China protesters have set on fire several factories at Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (photo Reuters)
The protests came after China moved a drilling rig into waters claimed by Vietnam earlier this month.
In a daily press briefing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Vietnam was a “provocateur” and that Beijing had expressed concern to Hanoi.
The management of the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) said that protestors gathered on Monday in Thuan An town, in the southern Binh Duong province.
On Tuesday they moved on to VSIP’s two industrial parks nearby and targeted factories owned or managed by the Chinese and Chinese expatriates.
Not all of the tenants of the three factories were Chinese companies. Some Taiwanese companies had been affected.
Other reports suggested the violence was more widespread, with more factories targeted.
A local official estimated that around 19,000 workers took part in the protest and that at least 15 factories were set on fire, according to local media.
One photo carried by Vietnamese media showed a factory had draped a South Korean flag at its entrance in a bid to stave off attacks.
Another eight were partially damaged, and had shattered windows and smashed front gates. These included buildings belonging to a Taiwan-founded shoe company.
The protest has spooked some foreign companies. Reuters reported that Hong Kong-listed sports shoe maker Yue Yuen, which supplies footwear to Adidas, Nike and other international brands, had suspended production in Vietnam.
Earlier this month, China moved its Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig to a spot 120 nautical miles off the coast of Vietnam.
The area is near the Paracel Islands, over which China and Vietnam have contesting claims.
The move sparked bitter protest from the Vietnamese government, which demanded an immediate pull-out.
Last week, several collisions were reported between ships from the two countries as Vietnam sought to block the installation of the rig.
Ships have also been exchanging water cannon fire and dozens of vessels are reported to be in the area.
Protests have been staged in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over the past week. Vietnamese activists marched to the Chinese embassy in Hanoi on Sunday and again on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the US warned China that its actions were “provocative”.
Beijing claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea that covers areas other South East Asian nations say are their territory.
The issue has been rumbling in recent years amid an increasingly assertive stance from China over its claims.
The Philippines on Wednesday accused China of reclaiming land on a disputed South China Sea reef in order to build a new facility – possibly an airstrip or a military base.
Manila lodged a protest last month after images taken from the air showed China had been moving materials into Johnson Reef in the Spratly Islands, officials said.
Ties between Beijing and Manila have deteriorated severely in recent months because of the territorial row.
Manila is taking Beijing to an international court over the issue. It also recently signed a security deal with the US allowing more troops onto its soil, in a move seen as reflecting the difficult ties with China.
NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has said he will pray for LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who is embroiled in an ongoing race row.
Magic Johnson rejected Donald Sterling’s remarks a day earlier that the HIV-positive ex-player had done nothing to help others.
“My whole life is devoted to urban America,” Magic Johnson, 54, told CNN.
Last month, Donald Sterling, 81, was banned from the NBA after making racist remarks in reference to a photo of Magic Johnson.
Magic Johnson’s remarks on CNN on Tuesday night came in response to a second round of comments that Donald Sterling made the previous day.
“What kind of a guy goes to every city, has s** with every girl, then he catches HIV?” Donald Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday.
Magic Johnson rejected Donald Sterling’s remarks a day earlier that the HIV-positive ex-player had done nothing to help others
“Is that someone we want to respect and tell our kids about? I think he should be ashamed of himself. I think he should go into the background. But what does he do for the black people? He doesn’t do anything.”
On Tuesday, in his own interview with Anderson Cooper, Magic Johnson responded: “I’m a God-fearing man and I’m going to pray for him and hope things work out for him.
“But he’s a man who’s upset and he’s reaching. He’s reaching. He’s trying to find something that he can grab on to help him save his team. And it’s not going to happen.”
The row began last month after a recording surfaced in which Donald Sterling was heard asking a woman – later identified as his girlfriend V. Stiviano – not to associate in public with black people, nor to bring them to games.
Those comments were reportedly prompted in part by a photo that circulated on social media in which Magic Johnson posed with the woman.
Subsequently, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling from the sport and fined him $2.5 million. The NBA has also initiated proceedings to force him to sell his ownership stake in the Clippers.
In his interview with Anderson Cooper that aired on Monday, Donald Sterling apologized for the remarks in the recording, saying he was “emotionally distraught” over the comments and that they were a “terrible mistake”.
But he also said he was “baited” into making the remarks, and said he had delayed in apologizing because Magic Johnson had told him to stay quiet.
“Wait, be patient, I’ll help you, we’ll work it out,” Donald Sterling said Magic Johnson told him.
Donald Sterling also implied that Magic Johnson told him to delay apologizing so he could buy the LA Clippers team.
Magic Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, was diagnosed with HIV in 1991, left the sport for four years, then returned for the 1995-96 season before retiring as a player.
He has yet to comment publicly on whether he plans to pursue an ownership position.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are competing in the NBA’s Western Conference semi-final playoffs. On Tuesday evening the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder was tied 2-2.
Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul has died at the age of 36.
Malik Bendjelloul’s body was found late on Tuesday in the Stockholm area, police say. They could not confirm the cause of death but said no crime was suspected.
The director was best known for Searching for Sugar Man which won the Oscar and BAFTA prizes for best documentary in 2013.
Malik Bendjelloul was best known for Searching for Sugar Man which won the Oscar and BAFTA prizes for best documentary in 2013
The low-budget film told the story of two South Africans searching for their music hero, 1970s American singer Sixto Rodriguez.
Bootleg copies of the singer’s album Cold Fact had been an unofficial soundtrack to youth protests against apartheid in the 70s and 80s, but it was believed he had died in a bizarre onstage accident.
Sixto Rodriguez was eventually found in Detroit, working on a building site, and persuaded to play a series of triumphant gigs in South Africa, where he was treated like a hero.
Searching for Sugar Man went on to make $3.6 million at the US box office.
Malik Bendjelloul was born in the town of Ystad in southern Sweden, about 35 miles east of Malmo.
Duck Dynasty stars will be among the highlighted acts at this year’s Alaska State Fair, officials announced Wednesday.
Phil Robertson and other members of the show will headline the concert venue August 30, fair marketing director Dean Phipps said.
The family patriarch was briefly suspended by A&E last year after GQ magazine quoted him declaring that gays are sinners and African Americans were happy under Jim Crow laws establishing segregation. Supporters of Phil Robertson’s right to voice his opinions flocked to his defense before the network reinstated him.
Duck Dynasty stars will be among the highlighted acts at this year’s Alaska State Fair
The fair is not making a statement in booking the family, Dean Phipps said.
“Us having them at the fair is not an endorsement of those opinions. But it’s a reflection of the popularity of the show with a lot of Alaskans who would want us to have them here,” he said.
Public opinion was running about 50-50 on the fair’s Facebook site after the act was announced, Dean Phipps said. Some people stopped in at fair headquarters to buy memberships that would allow them to purchase tickets to the show before they go on sale to the general public.
“We’re the Alaska State Fair, which means we represent all Alaskans, and if there’s anything that all Alaskans have it’s an opinion – and it’s all not the same,” Dean Phipps said.
“We’re charged with representing all Alaskans, and there’s a ton of them that are fans of <<Duck Dynasty>>. “
The fair does not book rap acts that promote violence or crime, he said. But when it comes to something more “subjective” like booking members of the Duck Dynasty cast, people can decide whether to attend the event, Dean Phipps said.
“We’re not requiring people to go to the show. It’s not something that’s right there at the gate when you walk in. You have to actually make a choice to go,” he said.
The Alaska State Fair, which runs from August 21-September 1 at the fairgrounds in Palmer, also announced that country singer Brett Eldredge will perform August 27.
Previously announced acts include Seether, Thompson Square, Tesla, Three Days Grace and Pentatonix. More acts will be announced later.
Duck Dynasty’s Willie, Korie and Si Robertson are the latest addition to this year’s Iowa State Fair’s Grandstand lineup on August 10.
Tickets for that show, A Conversation with the Robertsons, are $32, according to the Iowa fair’s website.
The trio will speak about their family, TV series, merchandising empire and more.
Willie, Korie and Si Robertson are the latest addition to this year’s Iowa State Fair’s Grandstand lineup on August 10
The lineup doesn’t include Duck Commander founder Phil Robertson, who was the center of controversy late last year following anti-gay comments in a GQ interview.
Tickets for all Grandstand concerts and events went on sale on April 12 through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800.745.3000. All concert seats are reserved, all track events are general admission. Convenience charges apply to all tickets. The Iowa State Fair Ticket Office will open July 7 for walk-up orders only (assuming tickets remain). Grandstand tickets do not include admission to the Fair. Fair admission must be purchased separately.
The Iowa State Fair Grandstand lineup so far:
August 7: Newsboys with Matthew West
August 8: The Happy Together Tour
August 10: The Stars of A&E’s Duck Dynasty
August 12: Florida Georgia Line
August 14: Jake Owen, Eli Young Band and The Cadillac Three
Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si Robertson has recorded Can’t take the Swamp Outta of the Man for his wife Christine with Kix Brooks on his new album.
Si Robertson has recorded new album for his wife Christine
Si Robertson: Me and My Smokin Hot Honey album is available on Itunes with http://itunes.apple.com/album/id87649… Jessica Andrews , Marsha Robertson , Macy Jae , Ally Moore , Kolby Koloff ,The Mauldin Brothers Revival , Zach Harris , Greg Droman , Ashley Howard Nelson , Jay Nelson , Brandon Ray.
Duck Dynasty’s Jase Robertson shares his life’s experiences in hunting, evangelism, marriage and parenting in his new book, Good Call: Reflections on Faith, Family, and Fowl.
Jase Robertson maintains the humorous approach he’s known for as he talks about how he managed to save his virginity until marriage, and the bag of pot a young man brought to a Bible study that he and his wife, Missy, hosted at their first home.
Jase Robertson shares his life’s experiences in hunting, evangelism, marriage and parenting in his new book
In the book,Jase Robertson is open about the anger he felt toward his father, Phil Robertson, who had abandoned him and his two brothers. He also talks about how the birth of his daughter, Mia, has enabled him and Missy to help other parents who have a child born with a cleft lip and soft palate.
Among the stories Jase shares in a chapter about “facial profiling” happened in an airport en route to speak to a Christian men’s group in Montana. Since the event was being held right after hunting season, his beard was in “full bloom”. After receiving suspicious looks and a pat-down from Homeland Security, he accidentally bumped into a woman who then screamed when she turned around and looked at him.
When he finally reached his gate and sat down, a young boy asked him for an autograph and he logically assumed the boy recognized him from Duck Dynasty. After receiving the autograph, the boy asked Jase Robertson if he could ask him a question.
“Sure, buddy,” Jase Robertson said.
“Ask me anything you want.”
The boy replied: “How much does Geico pay y’all?”
“Wait a minute,” Jase Robertson said.
“I’m not a caveman. I’m Jase the Duckman. You know, from <<Duck Dynasty>>. Quack, quack?”
“It didn’t take me long to realize the boy had no idea what I was talking about,” he added.
Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korie Robertson will host a Q&A session at the grandstand of the 159th Bloomsburg Fair on September 21, officials announced.
ZZ Top – whose song Sharp Dressed Man coincidentally is the Duck Dynasty theme song – will perform September 25.
Willie and Korie Robertson will host a Q&A session at the grandstand of the 159th Bloomsburg Fair on September 21
Willie and Korie Robertson will discuss their show, their daily lives and will also take questions from fans, said Carey Howell, superintendent of the grandstand. The talk format is something “more and more fairs are looking into, rather than just having bands,” he said.
Tickets will most likely go on sale in late July or early August, Carey Howell said. Pricing has yet to be determined. ZZ Top tickets will also go on sale around the same time.
The Robertsons have been doing shows at various fairs and are scheduled to make a similar appearance at the Iowa State Fair in August, with fellow Uncle Si Robertson. Tickets for that show, A Conversation with the Robertsons, are $32, according to the Iowa fair’s website.
More than 200 people are trapped underground after an explosion and a fire at a coal mine in Soma, western Turkey, that has killed several miners, officials said.
Those trapped are about 1.2 miles below the surface and 2.5 miles from the mine’s exit.
Search and rescue operations are taking place in Manisa province. It is estimated that 580 workers were underground at the time, but that many escaped.
Quoting health officials, local lawmaker Muzaffer Yurttas told broadcaster NTV that 20 bodies had been retrieved and that at least another 20 workers had been taken to hospital. He said later that four people had been killed.
More than 200 people are trapped underground after an explosion and a fire at a coal mine in Soma
“They died of choking and burns,” he said.
A senior local official, Mehmet Bahattin Atci, said thick smoke at the privately owned mine was hampering rescue efforts.
Energy Ministry Taner Yildiz is going to Soma to oversee the rescue operation, NTV said.
Although Taner Yıldız mentioned “casualties” in his first statement after the accident, he warned that the death tolls reported in the press could be “misleading”, Hurriyet newspaper reported.
“Various numbers can be reported. I don’t want to give any numbers. We first have to reach our workers underground,” he told journalists before leaving for Manisa.
He also said four separate rescue teams were currently working in the mine.
“The fire creates a problem but oxygen is being pumped into the mine shafts that weren’t affected,” he added.
Analysts say the safety record of Turkey’s coal mining industry lags behind that of most industrial nations.
Six Ukrainian troops have been killed in an ambush in the eastern Donetsk region, the defense ministry has said.
A unit was attacked near the town of Kramatorsk by about 30 insurgents with heavy weapons, it said. Eight more servicemen were wounded.
Donetsk region is one of two in eastern Ukraine that declared themselves separate from Ukraine after referendums deemed illegal by Kiev, the US and EU.
Six Ukrainian troops have been killed in an ambush in the eastern Donetsk region
In Luhansk, separatists said an attempt was made on the life of a rebel leader.
Self-declared governor Valery Bolotov was shot and had lost a lot of blood, but his life was not in danger, the press office of the “Luhansk People’s Republic” said.
Earlier the Kiev-appointed governor of Donetsk region said Ukraine was planning a national referendum on devolving power to regions.
Speaking at a news conference in Donetsk, Serhiy Taruta called on parliament to pass legislation which would authorize a vote to help regions get more power while remaining within Ukraine.
Serhiy Taruta also described Sunday’s separatist referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk as “an opinion poll”.
He said the self-declared “People’s Republic of Donetsk” did not exist legally or politically, and that the Donetsk region could not survive economically as an independent territory.
People in the east “should hear answers to the questions that they are concerned about”, he said.
Separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk say 89% and 96% respectively voted in favor of “self-rule” in the referendums.
Armed rebels remain in control of many official buildings across eastern Ukraine.
Norway’s Major General Kristin Lund was appointed to lead troops in Cyprus.
Kristin Lund, 55, is the first woman woman to command a UN peacekeeping force.
Norway’s Major General Kristin Lund was appointed to lead troops in Cyprus
She has a distinguished military career going back 34 years and including postings in Lebanon and Afghanistan, a UN statement said.
Kristin Lund will replace China’s Major General Chao Liu on August 13.
In Cyprus, Kristin Lund will command 996 soldiers and police officers as well as 149 civilian staff.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island which was backed by the government of Greece.
Since then, the northern third has been mainly inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots.
Kristin Lund’s first overseas mission was in 1986 as transport officer with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Welcome to New York movie starring Gerard Depardieu as a disgraced politician based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival.
The controversial movie has been much-anticipated but will not be shown as part of the official festival program.
Instead, Welcome to New York will be shown at midnight on Friday at a private beach screening.
Welcome to New York tells of how a French politician is accused of attempted rape in a New York hotel room.
Welcome to New York movie starring Gerard Depardieu as a disgraced politician based on Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival
DSK quit his role as boss of the International Monetary Fund in 2011 after being accused of a sex attack on a maid in a Manhattan hotel. Once seen as a French presidential hopeful, Socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn also had to give up his political ambitions.
Charges were eventually dropped and DSK subsequently reached a settlement with the maid. Two other cases against him were also dismissed.
The two-hour film, in which Gerard Depardieu plays a character called Deveraux, was funded mostly in the US and the director Abel Ferrara is also American.
As such, the French-language production counts as being American.
Welcome to New York will be released in cinemas in countries outside France, but in France it is being made available, at least initially, on pay-to-view websites.
“We realized it was the perfect film to experiment with this type of release,” producer Vincent Maraval told Variety magazine.
“We’ll get to target the widest possible audiences at a faster pace, with a smaller investment… and preserve some kind of curiosity around the movie before the press starts unveiling what’s in it.”
In the same interview, Vincent Maraval also criticized the French political, TV and movie establishment, saying: “No French TV station wanted to finance us.
“Everyone warned us not to make this film, both our friends and our enemies.”
Vincent Maraval told Variety there was an “incestuous relationship” between the “media and political elites” in France, which made it impossible to make films about “current affairs”.
Gerard Depardieu put some of his own money into the film and took a low fee of 100,000 euros.
The politician’s wife is played by English actress Jacqueline Bisset.
Welcome to New York tells the story of how a French economics professor becomes a politician backed by his wife’s millions, rises to fame and prosperity only to be brought down by accusations of rape.
Italian police has shut down a mozzarella factory and arrested 13 people in the Campania region after finding that prized local buffalo milk was being cut with cheaper imported cow milk.
Authorities also found that the cheese, produced near the southern town of Caserta, contained as much as 20 times permissible levels of bacteria, said Carabinieri Police Maj. Alfonso Pannone.
Italian police has shut down a mozzarella factory and arrested 13 people in the Campania region after finding that prized local buffalo milk was being cut with cheaper imported cow milk
Apparently, the cheese factory knew what it was doing was illegal because it had two public health service agents tipping them off to whenever a health and safety inspection would be carried out. In fact, the factory is said to be so unsafe to work at that one worker lost his fingers due to safety violations. Police arrested the crooked public health service officials in addition to 11 other people from the mozzarella factory.
Police on Monday also shut down seven stores selling the cheese in the Campania region which includes Naples.
Milky white buffalo mozzarella is prized by Italians and tourists. It carries a special label supposed to guarantee quality and protect its reputation.
The probe began after a worker lost some of his fingers because of safety flaws.
Sherri Shepherd has filed for divorce from Lamar Sally after he first filed for legal separation on May 2, TMZ reports.
Sherri Shepherd has filed for divorce from Lamar Sally after he first filed for legal separation on May 2 (photo Getty Images)
Lamar Sally filed after three years of marriage, and is seeking full legal and physical custody of the unborn baby they are expecting through a surrogate this July.
Now, Sherrie Shepherd, 47, herself has filed her own divorce docs in New Jersey, claiming irreconcilable differences. However, according to TMZ, Sherri Shepherd makes no mention of their expected child in her filings.
TMZ also reports when it comes to the estranged couple’s prenup, in which Lamar Sally would get $60,000, he wants the prenup “invalidated on grounds of fraud” whereas the talk show host wants it “enforced.”
Sherri Shepherd and Lamar Sally tied the knot back in August 2011 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. Sherri Shepherd was previously married to Jeff Tarpley, with whom she shares 9-year-old son Jeffrey.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel in the trial of Oscar Pistorius has formally requested that he undergo a mental observation.
Gerrie Nel made the application after forensic psychiatrist Merryll Vorster said the Olympic double amputee was “a danger to society”.
Judge Thokozile Masipa said she would announce her decision on Wednesday.
Oscar Pistorius denies intentionally killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day last year.
The Paralympic champion says he accidentally shot Reeva Steenkamp through the toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking the 29-year-old model and law graduate for an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius may spend up to 30 days in a state mental health institution for observation and assessment of his mental health
The court has adjourned until Wednesday.
The prosecution accused the defense on Tuesday of changing its plea – from putative self-defense to a psychiatric disorder.
Gerrie Nel said that a “psychiatric evaluation was essential” and it was in the interests of justice for the accused to be referred.
The defense is vigorously resisting the prosecution move, which it argues is “manifestly absurd”.
Dr. Merryll Vorster told the court earlier that she would not say that Oscar Pistorius had “a mental illness” and that he was “still able to function at high level as an athlete and still able to socialize”.
But she said that people with Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GADs) like Oscar Pistorius probably should not have firearms.
She said that GAD would not “render you unfit to stand trial”.
On Monday Dr. Merryll Vorster said that the athlete had had an anxiety disorder since childhood and was “anxious” about violent crime.
His actions on Valentine’s Day last year “should be seen in context of his anxiety”, she said.
If the prosecution request is granted, Oscar Pistorius may spend up to 30 days in a state mental health institution for observation and assessment of his mental health.
The athlete has described the prosecution move as “a joke”, insisting that Monday’s evidence from Dr. Merryll Vorster had “gone well”.
But the prosecution argues that her testimony is further proof that the athlete is changing his defense.
Court sources have indicated that it is unlikely that Judge Thokozile Masipa will grant the prosecution its request.
Dr. Merryll Vorster said on Monday that the reactions of Oscar Pistorius in the early hours of 14 February 2013 would have been different to that of a “normal, able-bodied person without generalized anxiety disorder”.
She said that Oscar Pistorius was more likely to respond to any threat with “fight” rather than “flight”.
The US is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria to try to find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The US is also sharing commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerian government, officials said.
It comes after militants released a video of about 130 girls, saying they could be swapped for jailed fighters.
Boko Haram seized them from a school in the northern Borno state on 14 April.
“We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government’s permission,” said a senior administration official, who declined to be named.
A team of about 30 US experts – members of the FBI and defense and state departments – is in Nigeria to help with the search.
The types of aircraft deployed have not been revealed, but the US has sophisticated planes that can listen into a wide range of mobile phone and telecommunications traffic.
The US is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria to try to find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram
Other officials, quoted by Reuters, said the US was also considering deploying unmanned “drone” aircraft to aid the search.
US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier on Monday that intelligence experts were closely examining the Boko Haram video for clues that might help locate the girls.
Pogu Bitrus, a leader in the town of Chibok, from where the girls were seized, said vegetation in the video resembled that in the nearby Sambisa forest reserve.
The video showed some 136 girls wearing bulky hijabs. Militants said they had “converted” to Islam.
The girls’ families have said that most of those seized are Christians.
Two girls on the video singled out for questioning said they were Christians but had converted to Islam.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the girls could be exchanged for “our brethren in your prison”.
“I swear to almighty Allah, you will not see them again until you release our brothers that you have captured,” he said.
In a video last week, Abubakar Shekau threatened to sell the girls into slavery.
A Nigerian government statement said “all options” for the girls’ release were on the table.
However, Interior Minister Abba Moro appeared to dismiss the offer, saying no exchange would take place. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
It appears some sort of negotiations will take place because of the large presence of international advisers in the country, including hostage negotiators.
Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, had previously said the girls should not have been at school and should get married instead.
The militants have been engaged in a violent campaign against the Nigerian government since 2009.
President Goodluck Jonathan – whose government has been heavily criticized for its response to the abduction – said on Sunday that help from abroad had made him optimistic of finding the girls.
He says he believes the girls are still in Nigeria.
The kidnapping has triggered a huge international campaign with world leaders and celebrities calling for the children to be released.
The UK, the US, France and China already have teams helping on the ground in Nigeria. An Israeli counter-terrorism team is also on its way.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials have confirmed a second case in the country of MERS, a virus that has killed at least 145 people, mostly in Saudi Arabia.
The CDC identified the patient as a healthcare worker who travelled from Saudi Arabia to Orlando, Florida.
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) causes fever and kidney failure but is not considered highly contagious.
The patient has been isolated in hospital, health officials said.
MERS belongs to the coronavirus family, which includes the common cold and SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which caused some 800 deaths globally in 2003.
MERS belongs to the coronavirus family, which includes the common cold and SARS
Health officials say MERS only appears to spread through close contact, but there is no known cure.
“This is unwelcome but not unexpected news,” CDC director Tom Friden told reporters on Monday of the Florida case.
The Florida patient is not connected to the first confirmed US case, reported two weeks ago in Indiana, although the patients’ circumstances are similar.
A healthcare worker who “works and resides” in Saudi Arabia, the Florida patient took a flight on May 1st from Jeddah to London’s Heathrow Airport, then continued on to Boston, Atlanta and finally Orlando.
Health officials said they were contacting passengers on those flights “out of an abundance of caution” and directing them to look out for symptoms which include high fever, cough and shortness of breath.
The first confirmed MERS patient, also a healthcare worker in Saudi Arabia, has been released from hospital and is “fully recovered”.
CDC officials said they had found no secondary infections from the Indiana case and genome testing suggested the virus was not changing, despite a growing number of cases reported in Saudi Arabia since March.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 538 MERS cases have been reported worldwide since 2012, with 145 deaths. The vast majority of cases have been found in Saudi Arabia, especially among healthcare workers.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia urged its citizens to wear masks and gloves when dealing with camels so as to avoid spreading MERS.
The Standard Hotel in New York, where it is claimed a fight broke out between Jay-Z and his sister-in-law Solange Knowles, has said it is “disappointed” a video has been leaked.
A statement from The Standard Hotel in New York confirmed it was investigating how footage from its elevator was released.
“We are shocked and disappointed that there was a breach of our security system and confidentiality we count on providing our guests,” it said.
Jay-Z, Beyonce and her sister Solange Knowle had attended the Met Gala Ball last week in New York
Beyonce’s management has declined to comment on the story so far.
The video was released by TMZ. It says that the footage is of Jay-Z, Beyonce and her sister Solange Knowles and claims there is a physical argument going on in an elevator.
It’s thought the incident happened after the three had attended the Met Gala Ball last week in New York.
The hotel added: “We are investigating with the utmost urgency the circumstances surrounding the situation and, as is our customary practice, will discipline the individuals involved to our fullest capacity.”
The Standard, High Line, is an 18-story boutique hotel located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
The chain also has hotels in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida.
Solange Knowles, 27, is Beyonce’s younger sister and is a singer-songwriter in her own right.
