Justin Bieber asks his fans not to “believe rumors” after he was linked to an attempted robbery.
Linking to a TMZ article, which claims the alleged victim was not robbed, Justin Bieber wrote: “The truth will set you free.”
Justin Bieber asks his fans not to believe rumors after he was linked to an attempted robbery
LAPD said Justin Bieber, 20, was not arrested or questioned.
It’s claimed the robbery took place in LA at around 22:30 EST on Monday.
During a series of tweets Justin Bieber said: “My mom raised me to be kind to others. I get judged, harassed, and I try to take the high road.
“Sometimes it isn’t easy. But we keep trying.”
He added: “I will continue to be the man my mother raised. I love people and I will try to be kind even when things are not fair. Don’t believe rumors.”
“Thanks for those who stick by me and those that help me grow every day. I love you.”
Justin Bieber then went on to tweet a link to an interview with American music prouder LA Reid, who talked about future projects involving the singer.
One Chinese worker is dead and at least 90 other people injured after protesters attacked a steel mill in Vietnam, amid anti-China tensions over the South China Sea dispute.
The incident took place at a Taiwanese-owned mill in Ha Tinh province.
It came a day after protesters burnt several foreign-owned factories at an industrial park.
The demonstrations have been sparked by China’s movement of a drilling rig into waters also claimed by Vietnam.
Nationalist sentiment in Vietnam is currently running very high over the South China Sea dispute (photo AFP/Getty Images)
Several anti-China protests have since taken place in Vietnam. Nationalist sentiment is currently running very high over the issue, correspondents say.
Protesters appear to have targeted businesses with Chinese characters in their signs, even if they are from other countries such as Taiwan.
The Chinese embassy in Vietnam on Thursday urged Chinese nationals to take precautions, in the second such statement in as many days.
“We once again remind all Chinese in Vietnam to take safety precautions, increase self-protection, and avoid leaving home unnecessarily,” said the statement posted on the embassy’s website.
It said that “Chinese businesses and workers have been the targets of violence” in at least seven cities or provinces across Vietnam. The embassy said it had asked Vietnamese authorities to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.
On Tuesday, at least 15 foreign-owned factories were set on fire at industrial parks in Binh Duong province, and hundreds more attacked. No casualties were reported.
Some Taiwanese have begun leaving the country.
The latest incident happened overnight at a huge steel plant owned by Formosa Plastics Group.
Taiwan’s envoy in Vietnam said one Chinese worker was killed and 90 other people injured.
A local police official also confirmed this account.
“One Chinese worker is dead. We are trying to identify the body,” he told AFP news agency.
In a statement quoted by Reuters news agency, the company said its Vietnamese and Taiwanese workers were not attacked.
Taiwan’s envoy told AFP news agency that rioters forced Chinese workers into a corner of the factory. “The rioters have gone but we are all still concerned they might come back,” he said.
Doctors at Ha Tinh General Hospital told agencies several Chinese patients were being treated for injuries.
On Wednesday, Vietnamese authorities said at least 200 people had been arrested over the violence at the industrial park in Binh Duong.
China’s tourism body has urged its nationals to “carefully consider” any travel to Vietnam.
China’s Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig was brought into waters west of the disputed Paracel Islands earlier this month, leading to collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese ships as Vietnam sought to block the move.
China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea, including several areas that its South East Asian neighbors say belong to them.
In recent years it has started to enforce these claims more assertively, leading to severely strained ties with the Philippines and Vietnam in particular.
The Philippines is currently taking China to a UN court to try to resolve the issue.
Three people died and more than 20 others have been injured in an attack on an anti-government protest camp in Bangkok, Thai officials say.
Witnesses reported explosions and gunfire early on Thursday at a protest camp at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.
Protesters have been pressing the Senate to replace the cabinet with an appointed administration.
Witnesses reported explosions and gunfire early on Thursday at a protest camp at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument
Later on Thursday, they forced a meeting between the government and the Election Commission to be abandoned.
The government is trying to organize a new general election in July, after protesters disrupted the previous election in parts of the country.
A crowd led by Suthep Thaugsuban, head of the anti-government movement, broke into the Air Force base where the meeting between acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan and the commission was being held.
“The meeting is over, the prime minister is leaving. We cannot continue today,” a member of the commission was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
The Election Commission on Thursday has called for polls to be postponed due to the political unrest, AFP news agency says, citing officials.
The attack on protesters comes days after former PM Yingluck Shinawatra was removed by a Thai court.
Reports said grenades were thrown in the latest attack in the early hours of Thursday, followed by gunfire. A doctor at an emergency centre in Bangkok said the wounded had been hit by shrapnel.
Police identified two of the victims as a protester who was asleep and a protest guard who was shot.
There have been a number of attacks on the protest movement since it began its street campaign against the government last year.
No group has said it carried out the attack but both pro- and anti-government groups are known to have armed hardliners.
Former President Bill Clinton has praised the strength and health of his wife, Hillary Clinton, dismissing Karl Rove’s public doubts about her well-being.
“As far as I can tell, she’s in better shape than I am,” Bill Clinton, a Democrat, said of his wife.
Hillary Clinton, 66, said to be weighing a 2016 presidential bid, fell ill in 2012.
Last week, Republican Karl Rove questioned Hillary Clinton’s capacity for the White House and reportedly said she had brain damage.
Republican Karl Rove questioned Hillary Clinton’s capacity for the White House and reportedly said she had brain damage
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that Karl Rove, the strategist behind George W. Bush’s election to the White House, had told an audience in Los Angeles last week: “Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she’s wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury? We need to know what’s up with that.”
In fact, Hillary Clinton was in hospital for three days after falling ill with a stomach bug in December 2012. After becoming severely dehydrated, Hillary Clinton fell at home and struck her head, suffering a concussion. While she was in hospital doctors diagnosed a blood clot.
Karl Rove has disputed the New York Post report.
“I didn’t say she had brain damage. I said she had a serious health episode,” he said on Fox News.
Democrats and some analysts have said Karl Rove is trying to inject concerns about Hillary Clinton’s health into the public debate as the start of the 2016 presidential race nears.
“There are ways to bring these issues up, and certainly anybody who’s running for president has to answer some health questions, and more so, for someone who’s going to be 69 at the time that she would take the oath of office,” liberal Daily Beast columnist Michael Tomasky said on MSNBC.
“However, this ain’t the way to bring it up – a poisonous, toxic way to introduce this.”
Bill Clinton said at the Peterson Foundation Fiscal Summit in Washington on Wednesday that Hillary Clinton’s concussion was serious and that it took her six months to recover.
“Look, she works out every week, she is strong, she’s doing great,” Bill Clinton said.
Sewol ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok has been charged with manslaughter in South Korea, reports say.
Lee Joon-seok, 68, is accused of leaving the ship as it was sinking while telling passengers to stay put, Yonhap reported.
He was among the first to be rescued by coast guards at the scene.
The Sewol ferry disaster on April 16 killed 281 passengers, most of whom were high school students. Another 23 are still missing.
Sewol ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok has been charged with manslaughter (photo Yonhap)
Besides Lee Joon-seok, three crew members – the chief engineer, the chief mate and the second mate – are also being charged with manslaughter. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
“The [four people charged] escaped before the passengers, leading to grave casualties,” prosecutor Ahn Sang-don told journalists.
Prosecutors have indicted another 11 crew members for negligence.
Only 172 passengers survived the sinking of the ferry, including 22 of the 29 crew members.
The authorities have also arrested several people who were not on the ferry at the time of sinking.
These include five officials of the ferry owner, Chonghaejin Marine Company, and an employee of a private safety device inspection company.
The latter is suspected of conducting poor inspections of the ferry’s safety equipment.
South Korea, meanwhile, is looking to reform its safety and emergency response system in the wake of the ferry’s sinking.
President Park Geun-hye said on Tuesday that the government would soon release details of this move, said Yonhap.
She has previously apologized for the way the government handled the incident, amid questions over the initial rescue effort.
Following the recent death of a civilian rescue diver, Seoul also plans to provide psychological help for rescue workers “suffering from physical and mental agony”, said local media.
It comes amid reports the ship, submerged for nearly a month, has begun to deteriorate, making it even more difficult for divers to search for bodies.
Officials said that divers had spotted walls “getting weaker and about to collapse”. Rescue workers are now plotting new routes through the hull.
Earlier reports said that some bodies had floated away from the ship, prompting workers to deploy nets around the site.
According to new reports, Cher and Bruce Jenner, who have been “friend since the ’70s”, recently started “texting and talking nonstop” and have “grown extremely close.”
Bruce Jenner reportedly found life after love thanks to Cher
This is supposedly “irking” Kris Jenner that her estranged husband is “finding life after love – thanks to Cher”, In Touch magazine reported.
According to the publication, Kris Jenner “hasn’t completely given up on her marriage to Bruce yet, so she sees Cher as a threat”.
However, Cher’s rep tells Gossip Cop that she “doesn’t even know Bruce Jenner”.
A mine explosion in western Turkey has killed 245 people, with 80 injured, according to Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, and the toll could rise with many more still trapped.
Anger has erupted against the Turkish government after the deadly coal mine disaster in the western town of Soma.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy, and protesters clashed with police in Istanbul and Ankara.
Rescuers are still hunting desperately for scores of miners who are missing but feared dead.
Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator. However, no survivors have been found in the last few hours and more than 100 are still unaccounted for.
Eighty of those rescued had been treated for injuries, none of which were described as serious.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy (photo Getty Images)
Local media reports said protesters in Soma kicked Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car and called for his resignation after he gave a news conference on the disaster.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was booed as he emerged from his car. Some arrests were made amid the scuffles and pictures showed the prime minister, surrounded by bodyguards, seeking refuge in a shop. Protesters also attacked the town’s ruling AK party offices.
Meanwhile, police in Ankara fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters who tried to march from a university to the energy ministry.
There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced criticism on social media for being insensitive, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government’s record.
He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.
“I just want everybody to know that the disaster will be investigated in every aspect and will continue to be investigated and we are not going to allow any negligence, or leave any stone unturned,” he said.
Earlier PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced three days of mourning for the victims.
Family members of missing miners gathered at the hospital. They told him they would not move from there until they got information about their loved ones.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people had been inside the mine when an electrical fault triggered the blast soon after midday on Tuesday. Many of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Fires were reportedly still burning in the mine 18 hours after the blast.
Dogan news agency reported that one of the dead miners, named as Kemal Yildiz, was only 15 years old.
The electrical fault triggered a power cut, making the mine cages unusable. Those trapped are reported to be 1.2 miles below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance.
Hours after the explosion, TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust and some on stretchers.
Only the dead were being recovered by mid-morning on Wednesday.
Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey’s electricity production depends on coal.
A Minnesota baby has survived an 11-story fall from an apartment balcony, local media report.
One-year-old Musa Dayib has two arm fractures and is breathing with the help of a ventilator but is expected to live, after slipping through a railing.
One-year-old Musa Dayib has survived an 11-story fall from an apartment balcony
His doctor said his youth as well as the soft patch of mulch he landed on helped contribute to his survival.
Family and friends in Minneapolis’s Somali community say the family is in shock.
“When people found out he survived, no one could believe it,” community activist Abdirizak Bihi told the Star-Tribune newspaper.
“I’m more concerned about his dad and his mother,” Abdirizak Bihi said.
“They’re devastated. They can’t even speak.”
Dr. Tina Slusher, who treated baby Musa, said an adult who fell from that distance would almost certainly be dead.
“Little [children] are more flexible and don’t break as easily as we do and he also fell in a very small patch of mulch,” she told local broadcaster KARE.
Dr. Tina Slusher added it was “definitely a miracle. It’s God’s gift to his family. Kids don’t fall this far and make it often”.
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales (Old Bailey) in London has heard today that former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton’s phone 155 times.
The phone-hacking trial was told Clive Goodman first hacked Kate Middleton’s voicemail in December 2005.
Clive Goodman also hacked Prince William 35 times and Prince Harry on nine occasions.
Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton’s phone 155 times (photo Getty Images)
This is the first time the jury has heard of a royal’s phone being hacked.
Clive Goodman, who denies conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, previously said he only hacked aides.
He is one of seven defendants, including ex-News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, on trial at the Old Bailey. They all deny the charges against them.
He returned to the Old Bailey to resume giving evidence after a long period away due to illness.
The court heard how Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2005 – more than five years before she married Prince William.
He also hacked her on August 7, 2006, the day before he was arrested over allegations of phone hacking.
Prince William’s voicemail was first intercepted in late January 2006, the court heard.
This was the first time that the jury has heard that a mobile belonging to Prince William was hacked.
Clive Goodman denied he had “forgotten” about targeting the young royals when he said in evidence earlier in the trial that he had only hacked aides working for the royals.
The jury was also told that Clive Goodman hacked Michael Fawcett, a trusted aide of Prince Charles, 35 times.
Clive Goodman had not been in court since the end of March after he was declared unfit to carry on. The trial continued in his absence.
The judge told the jury he had been “ill”, but the court was given a report from an independent medical expert declaring him “now fit” to continue.
He also told the jury that he had “no alternative” but to keep them waiting because medical assessments were continually being submitted.
Clive Goodman will be allowed more time than usual to give the remainder of his evidence because medical experts have advised he may get tired more quickly.
The jury previously heard that the former royal editor of the now-defunct tabloid had undergone a minor heart procedure during the trial.
Clive Goodman, of Addlestone, Surrey, was convicted of phone hacking in 2006.
Appearing on Wednesday in the witness box, with a small bandage over his left hand, he was asked what he knew about phone hacking before January 2005, when he said he had been told about it by a colleague.
Before then, the News of the World colleague had passed pieces of information to Clive Goodman for stories. But the defendant said he never knew where it came from.
Two works from Andy Warhol’s Death and Disaster series have sold for a combined $100 million at Christie’s in New York.
1964’s Race Riot – inspired by pictures of a notorious civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama – went for $62.9 million.
Andy Warhol’s Race Riot was inspired by pictures of a notorious civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama
The 1962 painting White Marilyn, completed shortly after Marilyn Monroe took her life, sold for $41 million.
Alongside works by Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, the paintings helped Christie’s set a new auction record.
In total, the sale of post-war and contemporary art raised $744 million, the highest ever total for a single auction.
The previous highest figure was set in November 2013, also at Christie’s, when the grand total was $691.5 million.
Ten auction records were set at Tuesday night’s sale, with works by American sculptor Alexander Calder and artist Joseph Cornell fetching new high prices.
After a fierce round of bidding, Newman’s Black Fire I, a 1961 canvas showing a thick column of black alongside smaller ribbons of white and black, made $84.2 million, almost double his previous highest price.
Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards surged to $80.8 million, from an opening bid of $50 million.
Alec Baldwin was arrested Tuesday after riding a bicycle the wrong way on a New York street, police said.
Alec Baldwin, 56, was issued two summonses and arrested after he allegedly rode his bike the wrong direction down Fifth Avenue.
The actor allegedly became angry and started yelling at police after they asked him for identification to give him a summons, police said.
Alec Baldwin was issued two summonses and arrested after he allegedly rode his bike the wrong direction down Fifth Avenue (photo CNN)
Alec Baldwin allegedly refused to provide his identification to the officers, which prompted them to arrest him and take him to a nearby precinct, according to the Associated Press.
Apparently upset that he was arrested, Alec Baldwin tweeted the arresting officer’s name and badge number, and then lambasted New York City.
“New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign,” Alec Baldwin tweeted. He also said photographers were “once again” outside his home, and that they’d scared his daughter.
Alec Baldwin is to appear in court July 24.
“Police stated that he got belligerent and started arguing with them and using profanity,” Deputy Chief Kim Y. Royster said.
Once in custody, Alec Baldwin was taken to a nearby precinct, where he reportedly asked the desk supervisor: “How old are these officers, that they don’t know who I am?” according to a law enforcement official.
Alec Baldwin was stopped for riding a bicycle the wrong way on Fifth Avenue and 16th Street, police said.
In a statement, a representative for Alec Baldwin said: “He is back home with his family.”
The 67th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 14 to 25 May 2014.
2014 Cannes Film Festival Lineup
OPENER
Grace of Monaco (Olivier Dahan, France-US-Belgium-Italy) Nicole Kidman stars as Grace Kelly in Dahan’s 1960s-set biopic, which is kicking off the festival out of competition.
COMPETITION
The Captive (Atom Egoyan, Canada) Ryan Reynolds, Scott Speedman and Rosario Dawson star in this abduction thriller. Atom Egoyan’s sixth competition entry; the Canadian helmer won the Grand Prix for 1997’s The Sweet Hereafter.
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas, France-Switzerland-Germany) IFC has Stateside rights to this English-language picture about an actress who withdraws to the Swiss town of the title, starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloe Grace Moretz. Olivier Assayas was previously in competition with Clean, Demonlover and Les Destinees sentimentales, but has yet to win a Cannes prize.
Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller, US) Once slated to open last year’s AFI Film Festival before being pushed to 2014, this third feature from the highly regarded director of Capote and Moneyball is an account of the murder of Olympic wrestling champion Dave Schultz.
Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland). Jean-Luc Godard will make his seventh appearance in competition. His latest offering will be presented in 3D.
The Homesman (Tommy Lee Jones, U.S.) Set around his period Western is Tommy Lee Jones’ first helming effort since his 2005 debut.
Jimmy’s Hall (Ken Loach, UK-Ireland-France) A drama about Irish communist leader James Gralton.It marks Ken Loach’s 12th time in competition. He won the Palme d’Or in 2006 for The Wind That Shakes the Barley and recently received a jury prize for 2012’s The Angels’ Share.
Leviathan (Andrei Zvyagintsev, Russia) A multi-character fusion of social drama and sci-fi set in a new country. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s fourth feature marks his first return to the Cannes competition since 2007’s The Banishment.
Le Meraviglie (Alice Rohrwacher, Italy-Switzerland-Germany) One of two female directors in competition this year. Italian writer-director Alice Rohrwacher delivers her second feature after her 2011 Directors’ Fortnight entry, Corpo Celeste. It’s the story of a 14-year-old girl in the Umbrian countryside whose secluded life is shattered by the arrival of a young German ex-con.
Maps to the Stars (David Cronenberg, Canada-US-France-Germany) This satire of the entertainment industry will be David Cronenberg’s fifth film to screen in competition at Cannes and his second consecutive collaboration with star Robert Pattinson. It could also be his first film to win the Palme d’Or.
Mommy (Xavier Dolan, France-Canada) One of the younger directors to crack the competition (at age 25), the Quebecois helmer scooped up multiple Critics’ Week prizes for his 2009 debut, I Killed My Mother, and entered Un Certain Regard with Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways.
The 67th annual Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 14 to 25 May 2014
Mr. Turner (Mike Leigh, U.K.) A four-time veteran of the Cannes competition who won the Palme d’Or for 1996’s Secrets & Lies, the British master will return to the festival with this portrait of the 19th-century painter J.M.W. Turner, starring Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. Sony Classics is distributing in the US.
Saint Laurent (Bertrand Bonello, France) The film stars Gaspard Ulliel, Louis Garrel and Lea Seydoux. The helmer was previously in competition with 2011’s House of Pleasures (then titled House of Tolerance) and 2003’s Tiresia.
The Search (Michel Hazanavicius, France) Berenice Bejo and Annette Bening topline this drama centered around the bond between an NGO worker and a young boy in war-torn Chechnya.
Still the Water (Naomi Kawase, Japan). Naomi Kawase won the Grand Prix for 2007’s The Mourning Forest and received the Camera d’Or for her 1997 debut, Suzaku. Her latest film is set on the Japanese island of Amami-Oshima and centers on a young couple trying to solve a mysterious death.
Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, France). The Mauritanian-born, Mali-raised director, who was previously at Cannes with 2006’s Bamako, tells the story of a young couple who were stoned to death in northern Mali for the crime of “not being married before God”.
Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium). Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione and Olivier Gourmet star in this story of a young woman trying to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so she can keep her job. Already acquired by Sundance Selects for the US, it will be the Belgian brothers’ sixth film to compete at Cannes; they have won the Palme d’Or twice, for 1999’s Rosetta and 2005’s L’Enfant.
Wild Tales (Damian Szifron, Argentina-Spain) Pedro Almodovar is one of the producers of this series of comic sketches from Argentinean writer-director Szifron, making his first appearance at Cannes.
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey-Germany-France) This three-hour-plus drama is set in the titular landscape of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s previous film (and 2011 Cannes Grand Prix winner), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. The rigorous Turkish auteur also won the festival’s directing prize for 2008’s Three Monkeys and the Grand Prix for 2002’s Distant.
OUT OF COMPETITION
Coming Home (Zhang Yimou, China). Zhang Yimou’s 12th collaboration with Gong Li (star of his Cannes competition entries Ju Dou, To Live and Shanghai Triad) is a romantic drama set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois, US). This Fox-distributed sequel to 2010’s smash hit How to Train Your Dragon follows in a long line of DreamWorks toons that have bowed on the Croisette, including Shrek, Shrek 2, Kung Fu Panda and last year’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.
UN CERTAIN REGARD
OPENER: Party Girl (Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, France) This directorial debut for all three co-helmers tells the story of a 60-year-old nightclub hostess who finally decides to settle down by marrying a member of her clientele.
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner, Austria-Luxembourg-Germany). This follow-up to Jesica Hausner’s acclaimed 2009 drama Lourdes is “a parable about the ambivalence of love” inspired by the suicide pact of the 19th-century poet Heinrich von Kleist and his friend Henriette Vogel.
Away From His Absence (Keren Yedaya). This is the third feature from Israeli helmer Keren Yedaya, who was previously at Cannes with 2009’s Jewish-Arab love story Jaffa and her 2004 Camera d’Or winner, Or (My Treasure).
Bird People (Pascale Ferran, France). Pascale Ferran’s first film since her acclaimed Lady Chatterley is a relationship drama with a supernatural element, starring Josh Charles and Anais Demoustier.
The Blue Room (Mathieu Amalric, France). The French actor-helmer, who won a directing prize for 2010’s On Tour, stars along with Lea Drucker in this adaptation of a 1964 Georges Simenon novel.
Charlie’s Country (Rolf de Heer, Australia). This third collaboration between Rolf de Heer and actor David Gulpilil extends the director’s commitment to exploring Australian Aboriginal culture. It world premiered at the recent Adelaide Film Festival.
Eleanor Rigby (Ned Benson, US). Previously a two-part, 191-minute drama titled The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, this Weinstein Co. release starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy chronicles the dissolution of a marriage.
Fantasia (Wang Chao) The Chinese writer-director was previously in Cannes with his 2006 Un Certain Regard prizewinner, Luxury Car.
Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund). Formerly titled Tourist, Ruben Ostlund’s fourth feature was shot at a ski resort in France. The Swedish helmer was previously at Cannes with 2011’s “Play” and 2008’s “Involuntary.” (Sales: Coproduction Office)
A Girl at My Door (July Jung, South Korea) Produced by Cannes competition favorite Lee Chang-dong, Jung’s debut feature centers around a young woman being abused by her stepfather. (Sales: CJ E&M Corp.)
Hermosa juventud (Jaime Rosales) The Barcelona-born director was previously in Un Certain Regard with 2007’s Solitary Fragments.
Incompresa (Asia Argento, Italy-France). AsiaArgento has been a fixture of the festival as a director (2004’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things) and an actress (Boarding Gate, The Last Mistress, Go Go Tales, Dracula 3D). Her latest helming effort, which features Charlotte Gainsbourg, takes its title from that of Luigi Comencini’s Incompreso (Misunderstood).
Lost River (Ryan Gosling, US) Until now known under the title How to Catch a Monster, Ryan Gosling’s writing-directing debut, which was acquired last year by Warner Bros. for US distribution, is a Detroit-shot fantasy-drama starring Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes.
Run (Philippe Lacote, France-Ivory Coast). Ivory Coast native Philippe Lacote shines a light on his country’s violent history with this drama about a runaway who has just killed the prime minister of his homeland.
Salt of the Earth (Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, France-Italy-Brazil). Wim Wenders’ latest documentary is a portrait of the photographer Sebastiao Salgado (father of co-helmer Juliano Ribeiro Salgado), focusing on his eight-year Genesis project.
Snow in Paradise (Andrew Hulme, UK). The film tells the story of a petty criminal in London’s East End who seeks redemption through Islam.
Titli (Kanu Behl, India). A rare independent feature financed by Bollywood powerhouse Yash Raj Films, Kanu Behl’s debut film follows a young man in Delhi trying to escape the oppression of his brothers.
Untitled (Lisandro Alonso, Denmark-U.S.-Argentina). Viggo Mortensen stars in this drama about a father and daughter journeying from Denmark to an unknown desert. It’s the Argentine auteur’s first feature since his 2008 Directors’ Fortnight entry, Liverpool.
Xenia (Panos Koutras, Greece-France-Belgium) Two brothers head to Thessaloniki to look for the father they’ve never met in this dark portrait of contemporary Greek society.
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
The Rover (David Michod, Australia). David Michod’s follow-up to Animal Kingdom stars Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy in a violent thriller set against the Australian outback. The Salvation (Kristian Levring, Denmark)
The Target (Yoon Hong-seung, South Korea): A remake of French director Fred Cavaye’s actioner Point Blank.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Bridges of Sarajevo (Aida Begic, Isild le Besco, Leonardo di Constanzo, Jean-Luc Godard, Kamen Kalev, Sergei Loznitsa, Vincenzo Marra, Ursula Meier, Vladimir Perisic, Cristi Puiu, Marc Recha, Angela Schanelec, Teresa Villaverde) This omnibus work will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WWI. Jean-Luc Godard and Sergei Loznitsa, both of whom contribute shorts here, have features elsewhere in the official selection.
Caricaturistes: Fantassins de la democratie (Stephanie Valloatto, France) A documentary about 12 newspaper cartoonists from around the world.
Maidan (Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine). A documentary on the protests in the Ukrainian capital’s central square.
Red Army (Gabe Polsky) A hybrid political-sports documentary that examines Russian hockey culture during the Cold War, directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Gabe Polsky.
Silvered Water (Mohammed Oussama and Wiam Bedirxan, Syria-France) A portrait of violence in modern-day Syria as filmed by multiple video activists in the besieged city of Homs, tied together by Oussama, who is currently exiled in Paris.
CELEBRATION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF LE MONDE
Les Gens du Monde (Yves Jeuland, France). YvesJeuland’s latest documentary pays tribute to the French newspaper’s seven-decade history.
Grace of Monaco – the Grace Kelly biopic which stars Nicole Kidman – has been chosen to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Early reviews of Grace of Monaco have slammed the film, with one describing it as “a timeless camp classic”.
Set in the 1960s, Olivier Dahan’s film focuses on the early years of Grace Kelly’s years as a princess when she was tempted to return to Hollywood by an offer from Alfred Hitchcock.
Grace of Monaco has been chosen to open this year’s Cannes Film Festival
Tim Roth plays her husband, Prince Rainier III, with Robert Lindsay, Spain’s Paz Vega and Derek Jacobi filling other roles.
The film has been criticized by the royal family of Monaco, with Princess Stephanie of Monaco saying the film about her parents as inaccurate.
According to reports, Olivier Dahan also clashed over the final cut with the Weinstein Co, which is distributing the film in North America.
There are 18 films in competition for the top prize, the Palme d’Or, which will be handed out along with other prizes on May 24.
British hopes for the prize are led by directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh.
Animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 will screen out of competition.
This year’s Un Certain Regard section of the competition will feature the directorial debut of Hollywood star Ryan Gosling.
Christina Hendricks and Matt Smith are among the cast of Ryan Gosling’s Lost River, a dark fantasy formerly known as How to Catch a Monster.
Cannes Film Festival will close with a 50th anniversary screening of a restored print of Sergio Leone’s 1964 spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars, hosted by director Quentin Tarantino.
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
