Cleveland survivors Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus will be in Washington DC the first anniversary of their escape, along with Michelle Knight, from Ariel Castro’s house after a decade in captivity.
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus will be at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will honor them at its annual Hope Awards Dinner.
Amanda Berry was 16 and Gina DeJesus was 14 when they were abducted
The center said in a news release Thursday that it is honoring Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus for “their courage and resilience and for giving hope to families still searching for their missing children”.
Amanda Berry was 16 and Gina DeJesus was 14 when they were abducted. Michelle Knight, who was held the longest, was 21 when she was reported missing. The center focuses on the exploitation of children and that is why only Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus are being recognized Tuesday, though the center has acknowledged Michelle Knight’s captivity in its news release.
The anniversary of their freedom has received wide attention. Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus have not yet talked publicly about their ordeal. They have been collaborating on a book with Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Mary Jordan of The Washington Post, who is from Cleveland.
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus’ book is expected to be published next year.
Michelle Knight, who discussed her abduction at length on psychologist Phil McGraw’s talk show last year, is expected to release her own book in the coming week.
During a recent interview, Michelle Knight revealed how her captor Ariel Castro would keep her and the other two women locked in an upstairs room when guests would come to visit – blocking them in with piles of furniture.
Using a model reconstruction of the Cleveland horror house, Michelle Knight, who has changed her name to Lily Rose Lee, explained how Ariel Castro “would take speakers, a couch, chairs and block anyone from getting up the stairs at all”.
Michelle Knight, who spent more than a decade locked up, revealed that she has moved into her own apartment and started cooking classes as she dreams of becoming a chef.
The 33-year-old told Today Show: “Sometimes in life you have a dark past that makes you who you are but doesn’t define who you are.”
Michelle Knight is now known as Lily Rose Lee, a name she picked after her favorite flower. She explained her decision, saying: “I felt like every brand new start needs new beginnings.”
Michelle Knight revealed how her captor Ariel Castro would keep her and the other two women locked in an upstairs room when guests would come to visit (photo Today Show)
She escaped on May 6, 2013, along with Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Berry’s 6-year-old daughter from the Cleveland home.
Michelle Knight explained how at times during those long years in the house she contemplated suicide but that her friendship with fellow captor Gina DeJesus kept her strong.
She earlier revealed that she has cut ties with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.
Michelle Knight explained Today Show that the three survivors have put distance between each other as they all come to terms with the ordeal they suffered.
She said: “I love them and they love me. Hopefully we’ll all get back together again.”
Michelle Knight has written a memoir Finding Me which comes out on May 6, the one-year anniversary of the women’s escape.
In her book, she tells of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ariel Castro, who killed himself in prison in September just weeks into his life sentence.
Michelle Knight had made a brave and defiant appearance at Ariel Castro’s sentencing in August in which she told him: “I spent 11 years in hell, your hell is just beginning.”
She also reveals in her book the close bond she developed with the other women, who were all snatched off the streets of Cleveland by Ariel Castro between 2002 and 2004.
Michelle Knight, who is 4’11, said that her hellish ordeal has taught her to enjoy every moment of her life.
Michelle Knight was the only one of Ariel Castro’s three victims to appear in person at his trial. Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry’s victim impact statements were read by members of their family.
Country singer Willie Nelson’s tour bus is now for sale.
Rolling Stone magazine has confirmed the vehicle’s authenticity, with a spokesperson for the singer confirming that the bus belonged to Willie Nelson’s longtime drummer Paul English.
Tom O’Leary purchased the bus on eBay in 2010 “on a whim”.
“I’m not especially a Willie Nelson fan,” Tom O’Leary told Rolling Stone.
“I mainly just thought it looked cool. It needed quite a bit of work when I got it and I did it all myself: fuel systems, electrical, floors, plumbing.”
The bus belonged to Willie Nelson’s longtime drummer Paul English
Tom O’Leary says he only uses it twice a year, “mainly for NASCAR races and hunting trips” and that “it’s just time for someone else to enjoy it for what it is”.
“Due to the extremely high demand and the amount of offers being thrown at us for this bus, we have decided to take offers all the way to 12:00 AM central 5/3/2014 for this bus,” reads the ad.
As of press time, the current offer is $65,000.
The bus features a drawing of a bald eagle with outstretched wings on the back with the text, “Looking back at myself”. On a sign on the front of the bus, where the intended destination would be, is a simple, “We love Willie”. The ornate vehicle also features stained glass windows, red velvet curtains, a framed portrait of Jimmie Rodgers and Native American artwork. As the ad notes, the 1983 bus gets seven miles per gallon and has “four air conditioning units on the roof with heat as well.”
The bus had three owners before Tom O’Leary bought it.
Johnny Temples, one of Willie Nelson’s bus drivers in the Eighties, told the Dallas Morning News that the bus was named The Scout and was one of four buses on the tour, “along with Willie Nelson’s iconic Honeysuckle Rose, the crew members’ Warrior and the band’s Red-Headed Stranger”.
The bus was later renamed Me & Paul after Willie Nelson’s 1985 album of the same name.
“Willie rode that bus when he played dominoes,” Johnny Temples told the Morning News.
“But that was not his personal bus.”
In 2011, Willie Nelson’s 1986 Eagle 1 tour bus sold for more than $43,000.
Donald Sterling’s alleged mistress, V. Stiviano, says his racist comments on an audio recording leaked to the public were not the first by the Los Angeles Clippers owner in conversations with her.
”There’s been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one. This was one of very many,” V. Stiviano told Barbara Walters on ABC’s 20/20 in an interview that aired Friday night.
”Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There’s a number of other hours that the world doesn’t know.”
Donald Sterling told his personal assistant V. Stiviano in the recording that she should not post online photos of herself with black people, including basketball great Magic Johnson, or bring black people to Clippers’ games.
V. Stiviano said that since the ban, Donald Sterling has felt confused, alone and not supported by those around him
The recording, which an attorney for V. Stiviano said was leaked by a third party, led to public outcry across the country and the NBA. Some sponsors dropped the Clippers and other re-evaluated their relationship with the NBA.
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million and urged league owners to force him to sell the team. A three-quarters vote by the NBA owners is required to force him to sell.
Though V. Stiviano told Barbara Walters that Donald Sterling should ”absolutely” apologize, she said she still loves him like a father figure and does not believe he is a racist.
”I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am,” she said.
”I think he was brought up to believe these things, segregation, whites and blacks. But through his actions he’s shown that he’s not a racist. He’s shown to be a very generous and kind man.”
V. Stiviano, 31, said that since the ban, Donald Sterling has felt confused, alone and not supported by those around him.
”I think he’s highly more traumatized and hurt by the things that he said himself,” she said.
”I think he can’t even believe or understand sometimes the thing he says, and I think he’s hurt by it. He’s hurting right now.”
Donald Sterling, 80, has been accused of racial missteps before.
The billionaire had paid a $2.76 million settlement to resolve a federal lawsuit accusing him of systematically excluding blacks and Hispanics from his rental properties.
Donald Sterling also won a wrongful termination lawsuit by general manager Elgin Baylor, who accused him of various slurs and slights.
The Nigerian government has decided to shut schools and government offices across the capital Abuja, while a World Economic Forum conference takes place next week.
A big security operation is being promised to protect more than 1,000 delegates at the three-day meeting, after two deadly bomb attacks in Abuja.
An explosion late on Thursday killed 19 people, two weeks after a nearby bombing left 75 dead.
Islamist militant group Boko Haram is being blamed for the violence.
The same group is believed to be behind the kidnapping of more than 200 teenage girls from their school in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria more than a fortnight ago.
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014 will take place in Abuja from May 7 to May 9
The group, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the local Hausa language, has staged a wave of attacks in northern Nigeria in recent years, with an estimated 1,500 killed in the violence and subsequent security crackdown this year alone.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s government says 5,000 police and soldiers will be deployed for the World Economic Forum on Africa, which begins on Wednesday.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the presidents of Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya will be among international as well as African figures at the forum.
While the official reason for closing all schools and government offices in Abuja is to ensure traffic flows smoothly, tightening security is also a likely reason.
Fewer vehicles on the roads should enable stricter searches and cut the number of potential targets for further bomb attacks, he adds.
“The government has taken the strongest measures to ensure a safe forum. We ask participants not to let terror win,” Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a statement.
In a separate development, the US embassy has warned its citizens of a planned “unspecified attack” on one of two Sheraton hotels in Lagos.
The finance minister said the security measures were aimed at calming nerves but told Nigerian media the focus on returning the abducted girls to their families was “much more important”.
Boko Haram has not made any response to the accusation that its fighters abducted the girls from the school in Chibok town in the middle of the night on April 14.
Since the kidnapping, parents have criticized the government’s search and rescue efforts.
The police chief in Borno state has put the number of missing girls at 223 and has appealed to parents to come forward with photographs of their daughters to confirm who has been seized. According to the police commissioner, 53 of the girls are believed to have escaped.
It is thought that the militants initially took the girls to the Sambisa forest; there have been subsequent reports they have been taken over the borders into Chad and Cameroon and possibly forced to “marry” the insurgents.
The remaining seven international military observers taken captive in eastern Ukraine a week ago have been released.
Five Ukrainian officers captured with the observers, who are linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), were also freed.
Pro-Russian separatists in the town of Sloviansk say they released the OSCE observers “without conditions”.
Kiev has resumed military action against the separatists, with fighting reported in some areas.
Russia, accused by the West of being behind the unrest, says it “no longer has any influence” over the separatists.
Pro-Russian separatists in Sloviansk say they released the OSCE observers without conditions (photo Reuters)
Moscow also accused Kiev and the West of responsibility for Friday’s violence in the south-western city of Odessa, which left at least 36 people dead.
Both the OSCE and Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, a leader of the insurgency in the east, confirmed the releases.
“As I promised them, we celebrated my birthday yesterday and they left. As I said, they were my guests,” Vyacheslav Ponomaryov said.
Russia had sent an envoy to negotiate the releases. Vladimir Lukin said he hoped the “voluntary act” by the separatists would be reciprocated by Kiev, adding: “I would very much like military actions to end.”
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, said: “From now on Russia essentially has lost its influence over these people because it will be impossible to convince them to lay down arms when there’s a direct threat to their lives.”
One of the observers, German Colonel Axel Schneider, said the team had been treated “as good as possible” in what was a “miserable situation”.
Western leaders had condemned the abductions.
On Friday, President Barack Obama again called for the observers to be released, saying their abduction was “inexcusable” and “disgraceful”.
The observers – four Germans, a Dane, a Pole and a Czech – are not part of the main OSCE monitoring mission, which was agreed after long negotiations by Russia, Ukraine and the US.
Ukraine’s government meanwhile confirmed a second day of military operations in the east.
President Barack Obama has announced he will ask Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate problems surrounding the application of the death penalty in the US.
His announcement comes just days after a botched execution in Oklahoma drew widespread attention.
Barack Obama called inmate Clayton Lockett’s prolonged death earlier this week from an improperly delivered lethal injection “deeply troubling”.
The president said he has conflicting feelings regarding the death penalty.
“This situation in Oklahoma I think just highlights some of the significant problems,” Barack Obama told reporters.
The problems surrounding Clayton Lockett’s execution come amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method (photo Fox News)
Americans should “ask ourselves some difficult and profound questions around these issues”, he added.
Barack Obama, trained as a lawyer, said the death penalty is warranted in some cases – including child and mass murder – but its application in the US is problematic.
At issue are evidence of racial bias and potential exoneration of some inmates, he said.
Barack Obama said he will task Eric Holder with providing “an analysis of what steps have been taken, not just in this particular instance, but more broadly in this area”.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has ordered an “independent review” of the state’s execution protocols, saying the state’s department of public safety would lead the inquiry.
Prison officials in Oklahoma inserted lethal drugs into Clayton Lockett’s groin after failing to find a vein elsewhere.
They took 51 minutes to find a suitable vein and did not realize the one they chose in his groin had collapsed.
The inmate succumbed to a heart attack 10 minutes after his execution was stopped, as he writhed and mumbled.
Clayton Lockett had been sentenced to death for shooting 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman and watching as two accomplices buried her alive in 1999.
Stephanie Neiman and a friend had interrupted the men as they robbed a home.
The problems surrounding Clayton Lockett’s execution come amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method and whether its use violates guarantees in the US constitution “against cruel and unusual punishment”.
The US has encountered increasing problems in obtaining the drugs for lethal injections, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical companies.
Thailand’s opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has called for elections scheduled for July to be pushed back by up to six months.
In a 10-point package of proposals, Abhisit Vejjajiva said PM Yingluck Shinawatra and her government should resign, allowing an interim cabinet to oversee a referendum on reforms.
Yingluck Shinawatra has not responded to the proposals yet.
Thailand has been in political deadlock since anti-government protests began in Bangkok in November 2013.
Yingluck Shinawatra’s government announced the July 20 polls after a previous snap election in February was declared unconstitutional.
Thailand’s opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has called for elections scheduled for July to be pushed back by up to six months
The ruling Pheu Thai party had been expected to win the February vote. However, the opposition boycotted the polls and protesters disrupted voting.
At the height of the anti-government demonstrations, protesters shut down key road junctions and blockaded government ministries. Their number has since declined.
On Saturday, Abhisit Vejjajiva said his opposition Democrat party would not contest July’s polls.
The main proposals in his 10-point plan are:
July’s planned elections are delayed. A reform council drafts a plan of reforms, which are sent for a national referendum
The current government resigns and a non-partisan interim government is appointed.
Following the national referendum, new elections are held
The new elected government must carry out the reform plans. A fresh election will then be held within a year
However, Jarupong Ruangsuwan, leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party, told Reuters news agency: “The government cannot accept Abhisit’s plan because it is outside the framework of the constitution.”
The plan would “only increase divisions in Thai society,” he said, adding: “Asking the government to resign is tantamount to ripping up the constitution.”
Abhisit Vejjajiva acknowledged that he and his Democrat party were partly responsible for the political mess Thailand was in, and said he was offering a way out.
Yingluck Shinawatra faces a court verdict next week which could result in her being barred from politics for five years, a result her supporters say they would view as tantamount to a coup.
Pheu Thai party and Yingluck Shinawatra remain very popular in rural areas.
A federal court in California has ordered Samsung to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing two of its patents.
The jury delivered its verdict in a federal court in San Jose on Friday in the latest lawsuit involving Samsung and Apple.
Apple had sought $2 billion at the trial, accusing Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features.
Samsung has been ordered to pay $119.6 million to Apple for infringing two of its patents
The court also ruled that Apple infringed Samsung’s patents and awarded $158,000 in damages.
Apple had sought $2.2 billion after accusing Samsung of infringing five of its patents covering functions such as the “slide to unlock” from its devices.
Samsung denied any wrongdoing and sought $6 million after arguing Apple had infringed two of its smartphone patents related to camera use and video transmission.
This verdict marks the latest legal battle over intellectual property between the world’s top two smartphone makers.
Apple and Samsung have been fighting patent battles for years and across many countries.
Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930 million after finding it had used Apple technology.
That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung.
According to the latest figures from the Labor Department, the US economy created 288,000 jobs in April, the strongest monthly job creation since January 2012.
The largest jobs gain came in professional and business services, which added 75,000 jobs during the month.
The unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, according to the Labor Department.
However, economists caution that figure was flattered by a sharp decline in the size of the labor force.
The US economy created 288,000 jobs in April, the strongest monthly job creation since January 2012
Nevertheless it is the lowest unemployment rate since September 2008.
There was also some disappointment over weak wage growth. Average hourly earnings in the private sector did not increase in April and over the past year wages are up a modest 1.9%.
The latest unemployment figures are another piece of evidence showing that the US economy is recovering from a harsh winter.
The weather was blamed for a sharp slowdown in US growth in the first quarter to an annual rate of 0.1%.
But economists say Friday’s strong job report underlines that the GDP figures released on Wednesday were an anomaly.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve continued to cut back its effort to boost the economy.
The Fed said it would trim its monthly bond purchases by an additional $10 billion to $45 billion.
The central bank has been buying bonds to keep long-term interest rates low and stimulate economic activity.
Michelle Knight’s son was likely 2-year-old when she disappeared in Cleveland 12 years ago.
Michelle Knight remembers the day her role as a mother possibly took an irreversible turn on Dr. Phil.
“My mother’s boyfriend came home one day high and drunk and just decided to take out his frustrations on my son. How did he do it?
Michelle Knight will release her memoir on May 6
“He twisted my son’s leg, and I heard it crack,” she said.
Michelle Knight’s son entered into foster care.
“And then they tried to say I didn’t protect him, but I did. I did all I could do,” she recalled.
Betsie Norris from Adoption Network Cleveland told US Today that, by law the county, is required to come up with a plan to reunite a mother and child, which takes about a year.
“They’ll work a reunification plan with the birth family hoping they can rectify whatever the circumstances were that brought the child into care, so that the child can go safely home,” she said.
Michelle Knight was likely going through that phase when Ariel Castro abducted her from a Family Dollar in Cleveland.
At that time, no one knew why Michelle Knight disappeared. It could have looked like she abandoned her son. In cases when the mother isn’t reachable for long periods of time, the county moves for permanent custody.
“The court weighs all the different factors, evidence, and, if they feel it’s warranted, then they move forward to terminate parental rights, which then means the child is available for adoption,” said Betsie Norris.
By law, Michelle Knight can be told whether her son is still in foster care or has been adopted. If he’s been adopted, all that information is sealed and after a year, a probate judge says it is extremely difficult to reverse.
A Los Angeles judge has ordered Chris Brown to remain in jail for at least another week.
Chris Brown will now spend his 25th birthday in jail as lawyers deal with two cases on both sides of the country.
The singer has been in prison since March 14 after violating a court order relating to his assault of his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
Chris Brown had been sent to a rehabilitation centre and broke the terms of the court order when staff threw him out.
Chris Brown will remain in jail for at least another week
Lawyers for the star had been trying to agree a deal over the probation issues on Thursday and will try again when Chris Brown is back in court on May 9.
Chris Brown was led into the courtroom in Los Angeles in handcuffs on Thursday, having been transported from Washington DC for the short hearing with Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin.
The singer could face a number of punishments, including more jail time, if a judge decides he did violate the terms of his probation by getting arrested after a man was punched in October outside a hotel in Washington DC.
Judge James R. Brandlin had ordered Chris Brown into rehab in December for anger management treatment, after revoking his probation.
Chris Brown’s lawyer Mark Geragos said if a deal could not be reached by Tuesday, he would ask for the release of the singer.
“I’m hopeful that we get it resolved, and we get it resolved quickly,” Mark Geragos said.
“He turns 25 next week. So I’d like to give him an early birthday present if I can.”
Chris Brown’s assault trial has been delayed for the next few months, while his bodyguard appeals an assault conviction for the same incident.
The singer did not speak during the hearing on Thursday but did smile at his mother.
Chris Brown’s upcoming album, X, has been delayed several times and a new release date has not been set.
According to Ukraine’s interior ministry, at least 31 people have been killed in a fire in Odessa Trade Unions building amid violence in the Black Sea city.
The deaths came as pro-Russian protesters clashed with Ukrainian government supporters in the city.
Officials said some people were overwhelmed by smoke and others died after they jumped from the building.
Earlier President Oleksandr Turchynov said many separatists had been killed in a government offensive in Sloviansk.
At least 31 people have been killed in Odessa Trade Unions building fire amid violence in the Black Sea city
Activists have seized scores of government buildings and detained observers in eastern Ukraine.
The fire broke out in Odessa’s Trade Unions House, the regional office of Ukraine’s interior ministry said. It did not give details of how the blaze started.
The exact sequence of events is still unclear, but reports suggest the separatists had barricaded themselves inside the building and both sides were throwing petrol bombs.
The interior ministry gave a toll of at least 31 dead, revising down an earlier tally of 38 killed.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Danylo Lubkivsky said he regretted the loss of life but insisted Russia was behind the violence.
“The situation remains under control. But the security situation is threatened by Russian special agents,” he said.
“That’s why we are requesting and demanding Russian authorities to stop their efforts that can undermine regional security and stability.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow was “outraged” by events in Odessa and denounced Kiev’s “irresponsibility”, AFP news agency reports.
Earlier, four people were killed in clashes between the pro-Russian and pro-Kiev protesters in the city – the first such eruption of violence in the south after weeks of mounting unrest in Ukraine’s east.
The death toll in Odessa is the highest since violence broke out between pro-EU protesters and police in the capital in February.
Meanwhile the latest reports from rebel-controlled Sloviansk in the east say intense gunfire has broken out in the centre of the city.
During the day government forces took over pro-Russian checkpoints outside the city.
Separatists shot down two Ukrainian army helicopters, killing a pilot and another serviceman.
According to the UN mission in Afghanistan, at least 350 people have been killed and more than 2,000 are missing after a landslide hit the north-east province of Badakhshan.
Hundreds of homes were buried under mud and rocks when a section of a mountain collapsed following torrential rain.
Rescuers have reached the area and are searching for survivors.
Much of north and east Afghanistan has been hit by heavy rain in recent days, and some 150 people have died in flooding.
At least 350 people have been killed and more than 2,000 are missing after a landslide hit the north-east province of Badakhshan (photo Reuters)
“The number of deceased has increased to 350 and significant displacement is expected,” the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.
“The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is helping… local authorities to rescue those still trapped.”
Local officials say that more than 2,000 people are missing.
About 1,000 houses were affected – 300 of them buried immediately after the side of a mountain gave way.
As it was Friday morning, a day of rest in Afghanistan, people were at home and whole families were lost under tonnes of mud.
Badakhshan is in the most remote and mountainous part of the country, bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.
Searching for survivors is a huge task, our correspondent adds.
The governor of Badakhshan province, Shah Waliullah Adeeb, told AP news agency that rescue crews did not have enough equipment and appealed for shovels.
“It’s physically impossible right now,” Shah Waliullah Adeeb said.
“We don’t have enough shovels; we need more machinery.”
Shah Waliullah Adeeb said that residents of nearby villages had been evacuated amid concerns about further landslides.
Another, smaller landslide was reported in Badakhshan on Thursday.
Michelle Knight, the woman held captive in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house of horrors for over a decade, wants to be known as “Lily”, her favorite flower.
Michelle Knight’s memoir, Finding Me, is set to be published on May 6, the anniversary of her rescue.
It’s “my favorite flower,” she told People magazine, and it symbolizes renewal.
Michelle Knight, who was 21 when she was kidnapped in 2002, was the first of Ariel Castro’s victims and the one who suffered the most at the hands of the sadist.
“Everything in the house was unexplainable,” said Michelle Knight, who is now 33.
Michelle Knight’s memoir, Finding Me, is set to be published on May 6, the anniversary of her rescue (photo Dr Phil)
“It happened. I don’t know the reasons why.”
Michelle Knight said she has seen little of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, the other two victims, since they were rescued on May 6.
She insists there is no bad blood and that after years of being yoked together by a madman they need to heal on their own.
“I love them and they love me,” she said.
“Hopefully we’ll all get back together again.”
Michelle Knight is living in her own apartment in Cleveland, taking cooking classes and relishing her freedom.
“I don’t take things for granted anymore,” she told People magazine.
“Not even the little things like looking out a window. I went through years of torture, and now I’m back. I’m free to fly.”
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus are also working on books.
Excerpts of Michelle Knight’s tome will be featured in next week’s issue of People magazine.
They are likely to include Michelle Knight’s horrific accounts of being chained to a pole in the basement, repeated rapes and how Ariel Castro impregnated her five times and beat her so she would miscarry each time.
Pharrell Williams’ emotional speech at the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Awards came two weeks after a clip of him crying on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show became a viral hit.
Pharrell Williams crying on Oprah Winfrey’s show (photo OWN)
During the interview, Oprah Winfrey showed Pharrell Williams a montage of fans from Africa, the Philippines, Iceland and many more, all singing Happy, the singer’s Oscar-nominated, gospel-tinged, feel-good anthem.
Brushing away tears, Pharrell Williams said the response to the song had been “overwhelming”.
Oprah Winfrey was among the stars praising Pharrell Williams’ contributions to music at Thursday’s ceremony, alongside Lady Gaga, Usher and Shakira.
A criminal inquiry has been launched by British police after it emerged that heroin was likely to have played a part in the death of Peaches Geldof.
Kent police said there was an “ongoing investigation into the supply of drugs” in connection with her death.
Peaches Geldof, 25, was found dead on April 7 by her husband, Thomas Cohen, in a spare bedroom in their home.
Toxicology tests showed Peaches Geldof had heroin in her system, an inquest heard on Thursday.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham, told the hearing: “Recent use of heroin and the levels identified were likely to have played a role in her death.”
A police spokesman said: “Kent Police can confirm an ongoing investigation into the supply of drugs in connection with the death of Peaches Geldof.
“There have been no arrests at this stage.”
Peaches Geldof’s mother, TV presenter and writer Paula Yates, died from a heroin overdose at her London home, aged 41, in 2000.
Peaches Geldof had spoken openly about her struggle to deal with her mother’s death and of experimenting with drugs in her teenage years (photo Twitter)
At the inquest, Paul Fotheringham described how Peaches Geldof’s husband had tried to make contact with his wife before he found her body.
Thomas Cohen, a musician, had been away for the weekend with the elder of their two sons, Astala, leaving Peaches Geldof at home with their 11-month old son, Phaedra.
This was their normal weekend arrangement, Paul Fotheringham explained, allowing Peaches Geldof to concentrate on her work as a columnist.
“It is believed that Peaches spent Saturday afternoon, into the evening, and Sunday morning at her home address alone,” Paul Fotheringham told the inquest.
“Throughout this period she maintained telephone contact with family and friends, including contact with Thomas’s mother to arrange a family activity, but this was cancelled.
“All of the friends and family who had contact with Peaches during this period described how she seemed her normal self and was making plans for the future, including a family outing for her sons for the following weekend,” he continued.
“There was no cause for concern.”
However, on Monday morning, 7 April, Peaches Geldof’s husband tried to contact her without success. He then travelled to the family home in Wrotham, Kent with his mother, Sue, and son Astala arriving at around 13:30 BST.
“Thomas entered the property and located Peaches in the spare bedroom,” Paul Fotheringham said.
Peaches Geldof was slumped across the bed “with one leg hanging down to the floor and the other leg tucked underneath her,” he added. It was apparent she was dead.
Police and paramedics were called and Peaches Geldof was pronounced dead at the scene.
An initial post-mortem did not establish a cause of death and further toxicology tests were ordered. Those tests confirmed the recent use of heroin, it was disclosed on Thursday.
None of the Geldof family attended the hearing, which opened and adjourned within 10 minutes. Coroner Roger Hatch adjourned the inquest for a full hearing to take place on July 23, 2014.
Peaches Geldof had spoken openly about her struggle to deal with her mother’s death – and of experimenting with drugs in her teenage years – but had cited motherhood as a central part of her “healing” process.
Following Astala’s birth in 2012, “everything started to heal”, Peaches Geldof told Elle magazine.
“Even if it’s an archaic idea, I want Astala to have a mummy and daddy together forever,” Peaches Geldof said at the time.
Pharrell Williams was teary-eyed as he accepted the Innovator award at the inaugural iHeartRadio awards in Los Angeles.
Pharrell Williams, whose single Happy has become an international sensation, was lost for words for over a minute as Gwen Stefani presented him with the trophy.
“I never dreamt in a million, million, million years… that I would be standing here,” he eventually said.
Rihanna also took home four prizes, including artist and song of the year.
Pharrell Williams was teary-eyed as he accepted the Innovator award at the inaugural iHeartRadio awards in Los Angeles (photo Facebook)
Rihanna, who got stuck in traffic en route to the show, also won an award for having the most loyal fans.
She dedicated the award to her followers, and thanked them for embracing her, flaws and all.
“It’s not easy, what we do. It’s very difficult at times,” she said.
“I never felt comfortable being anything other than myself.”
Performers at the show included Ed Sheeran, Arcade Fire, Bastille, 30 Seconds to Mars and Shakira.
Usher also took to the stage, leading a dance routine set to a never-before-heard Michael Jackson track, Love Never Felt So Good.
Owned by media company Clear Channel, iHeartRadio is one of the dominant internet radio brands in the US.
Thursday’s awards show was broadcast by over 150 iHeart radio stations across the US, and 60 million votes were cast by listeners in the run-up to the ceremony.
Pharrell Williams, 41, performed a 10-minute medley of his songs at the show, including Happy, Come Get It Bae and his bestselling-collaboration with Daft Punk, Get Lucky.
The artist, who began his career producing songs for the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Kelis, said he had never expected to become an artist in his own right.
“All I did was write the songs and you guys did all the heavy lifting, all the hard work,” he told the audience at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Pharrell Williams’ emotional speech came shortly after a clip of him crying on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show became a viral hit.
During the interview, Oprah Winfrey showed Pharrell Williams a montage of fans from Africa, the Philippines, Iceland and many more, all singing Happy, his Oscar-nominated, gospel-tinged, feel-good anthem.
Windows XP users can still get a Microsoft security update after it has fixed a flaw in the Internet Explorer browser.
Microsoft issued the update on Thursday to fix a bug that let hackers gain access and user rights to computers.
The tech giant ended support for Windows XP earlier this month, ceasing to issue bug fixes or security updates for it.
Microsoft said it decided to make an exception as the flaw was discovered just days after the support ended.
Microsoft has said users of its Windows XP operating system will also get the security update it has issued to fix a flaw in the Internet Explorer browser
“Even though Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft and is past the time we normally provide security updates, we’ve decided to provide an update for all versions of Windows XP,” Adrienne Hall, general manager of Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, said in a blog post.
“We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP.”
The flaw was reported earlier this week and there had been uncertainty over whether XP users would get the update when it was released.
The flaw affected Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 to 11 and Microsoft said it was aware of “limited, targeted attacks” to exploit it.
According to NetMarket Share, the IE versions account for more than 50% of the global web browser market.
Microsoft said that hackers could exploit the flaw by hosting a “specially crafted website” designed to exploit the vulnerability.
If users visited the website, hackers could use it to gain access to their computer and get the same rights as the machine’s user.
However, hackers would have needed to convince users to view and interact with the website, and would have had “no way to force users” to view the content otherwise.
On Thursday, Microsoft said its security update fixed the flaw.
“This update is fully tested and ready for release for all affected versions of the browser,” the firm said.
“The majority of customers have automatic updates enabled and will not need to take any action because protections will be downloaded and installed automatically.”
A full search of the suspected crash area of Malaysia airliner MH370 could take up to a year, officials said.
Speaking in Malaysia, Australia’s ACM Angus Houston said he was confident an “effective search” would find the plane.
Officials from Australia, China and Malaysia will meet in Canberra next week to discuss the ongoing search.
On Thursday a report revealed a four-hour gap between MH370’s disappearance and the start of a search operation.
The preliminary report, from Malaysia’s transport ministry, also revealed that air traffic controllers did not realize the plane was missing until 17 minutes after it disappeared off radar.
The plane, carrying 239 people, disappeared over the South China Sea as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
A full search of the suspected crash area of Malaysia airliner MH370 could take up to a year (photo Reuters)
Officials believe it ended its journey in seas west of the Australian city of Perth, thousands of kilometers off course, but do not yet know why. An intensive multinational search has so far turned up no sign of the plane.
Earlier this week, Australia announced that the operation was entering a new phase, after an initial search of the area where acoustic signals thought to be from “black box” flight recorders were heard found nothing.
Next week’s meeting in Australia will help determine what happens next.
“That’s a very important meeting because it will formalize the way ahead to ensure that this search continues with urgency and doesn’t stop at any stage,” said Angus Houston.
The aerial search for floating wreckage has been called off. The search of the sea floor will be expanded in the area where officials believe – based on satellite data – that the plane crashed.
“The search will take probably in the order of eight months, maybe eight to 12 months if we have bad weather or other issues,” Angus Huston said.
“But we’re totally committed to find MH370 and I’m confident that with an effective search we will eventually find the aircraft.”
Late on Thursday, Malaysian officials released their preliminary report on the missing airliner.
According to the draft, Vietnamese air traffic controllers contacted their counterparts in Kuala Lumpur at 01:38 to say MH370 was missing, 17 minutes after it disappeared off radar.
The official search-and-rescue operation was launched four hours later, at 05:30.
The report also recommended the introduction of real-time tracking of commercial air transport, saying there had now been two recent occasions when large planes had gone missing with their last position unclear – MH370 and Air France Flight 447 in 2009.
“This uncertainty resulted in significant difficulty in locating the aircraft in a timely manner,” the report noted.
There is no requirement from the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), the UN body that oversees global aviation, for real-time tracking.
Malaysia Airlines, meanwhile, has asked relatives of passengers to leave the hotel accommodation it has been providing and go home.
The airline said it was “deeply sympathetic to the continuing unimaginable anguish, distress and hardship suffered by those with loved ones on board the flight”.
It warned that the continuing search would be a “prolonged process” and said relatives should wait for updates “within the comfort of their own homes”.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has rejected the new takeover offer from Pfizer.
Pfizer had earlier raised the price it was offering for AstraZeneca to $80 a share, valuing the firm at $100 billion.
However, the UK company said the new terms offered were, “inadequate, substantially undervalue AstraZeneca and are not a basis on which to engage with Pfizer”.
If the deal were to go through it would be the biggest takeover of AstraZeneca by a foreign firm.
AstraZeneca employs more than 51,000 staff worldwide, with 6,700 in the UK. Pfizer – whose drugs include Viagra – has a global workforce of more than 70,000, with 2,500 in the UK.
AstraZeneca has rejected the new takeover offer from Pfizer
Announcing Pfizer’s new offer, Pfizer chairman and chief executive Ian Read said the company believed “that there is a highly compelling strategic, business and financial rationale for combining our businesses, with significant benefits for shareholders and stakeholders of both companies”.
“We believe our proposal is responsive to the views of AstraZeneca shareholders and provides a sound basis upon which to arrive at recommendable terms for the combination of our two companies.”
Pfizer also sent a letter to UK’s PM David Cameron to try to address concerns over the bid.
On Wednesday, four scientific bodies raised concerns about possible UK lab closures following a Pfizer deal, and a committee of lawmakers is considering an inquiry into the issue.
Pfizer told PM David Cameron it would go ahead with AstraZeneca’s planned research and development (R&D) base in Cambridge, and retain its Macclesfield manufacturing facilities.
The US company also pledged that if the deal went ahead, 20% of the combined company’s R&D workforce would be based in the UK.
Pfizer said its commitments would be valid for five years, unless circumstances changed significantly.
The latest offer from Pfizer is a mixture of cash and shares equivalent to $80 per AstraZeneca share. If the deal goes through, Pfizer also wants to establish its corporate and tax residence in the UK, as well as its European headquarters.
AstraZeneca’s board said the offer was too low, and that it believed a major driver for Pfizer’s takeover was the move to establish a tax residence in the UK by changing its company structure.
“The large proportion of the consideration payable in Pfizer shares and the tax-driven inversion structure remain unchanged. Accordingly, the board has rejected the proposal,” AstraZeneca said.
Leif Johansson, chairman of AstraZeneca, added that the company’s product “pipeline” of new drugs was “rapidly progressing”.
“Pfizer’s proposal would dramatically dilute AstraZeneca shareholders’ exposure to our unique pipeline and would create risks around its delivery,” Leif Johansson said.
Two suicide attacks in the Syrian province of Hama killed at least 18 people, including 11 children, state media has reported.
It said the “terrorist explosions” took place in Jibrin – north-east of Hama city – and al-Humeiri.
The villages are under the control of the government.
The attack comes days after scores of people were killed and injured in explosions in government-controlled parts of the central city of Homs.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the bombings, correspondents say, but al-Qaeda affiliated rebels of Al-Nusra Front have carried out several car bombings in recent weeks.
Human rights groups say that both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to depose him are killing civilians.
Human rights groups say that both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels fighting to depose him are killing civilians (photo Reuters)
Hama saw some of the largest demonstrations against Bashar al-Assad in the first months of the Syrian uprising after March 2011.
In late summer 2011, security forces stormed the city and have maintained control ever since.
Hama’s main city occupies a significant place in the history of modern Syria.
In 1982, then-President Hafez al-Assad, father of Bashar, sent in troops to quell an uprising by the Sunni opposition Muslim Brotherhood. Tens of thousands were killed and the city flattened.
The violence in Hama province comes as the government subjects rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo to fierce aerial bombardment as its forces try to end a long-standing stalemate in the city.
On Thursday at least 33 people were killed in an air strike on a market in the northern Halak district of the city.
The strike outraged The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which described it as the “latest wave of indiscriminate attacks perpetrated against schools and other civilian targets” across Syria.
Sloviansk separatists have shot down two of Ukraine’s army helicopters during an “anti-terror” operation in the eastern city, Kiev says.
Ukraine’s military said a pilot and serviceman were killed and nine rebel checkpoints seized.
Russia says Kiev’s actions “killed the last hope” for a deal agreed last month in Geneva aimed at defusing the crisis.
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov also described Ukraine’s operation as “punitive”.
Dmitry Peskov said that contact had been lost with Russian envoy Vladimir Lukin sent to the south-eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s foreign ministry earlier warned that any assaults by Ukraine’s troops in the region would have “catastrophic consequences”, triggering fears of an invasion by Moscow.
Separately, reports are coming that several foreign journalists have been detained in Sloviansk.
Sloviansk separatists have shot down two of Ukraine’s army helicopters during an anti-terror operation (photo Reuters)
Sloviansk is a stronghold for pro-Russian separatists who are exerting increasing control in the region.
In a statement on Friday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the “active phase” of the operation began at 04:30 local time.
He said interior troops and the National Guard were involved in the operation in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk region.
“The terrorists opened fire with heavy weapons against Ukrainian special units.
“A real battle with professional mercenaries is going on,” Arsen Avakov said, adding that the separatists were using the tactics of hiding behind civilians in residential buildings.
Russia’s state-run Rossiya 24 TV channel said the city was being “stormed”.
It quoted Sloviansk’s rebel leader Igor Strelkov as saying that the city was completely sealed off.
The fighting appears to be concentrating on the periphery of the city.
However, there were no reports of Ukrainian government troops entering the city itself.
Local residents were later quoted as saying that the situation in the city calmed down but remained tense.
Earlier, Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov reinstated military conscription.
Eastern Ukraine has a large Russian-speaking population and was a stronghold for President Viktor Yanukovych before he was overthrown by pro-Western protesters in February.
The crisis has plunged East-West relations to their lowest point since the Cold War ended in the early 1990s.
On Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Russia in a phone call to President Vladimir Putin to help free foreign military monitors seized by rebels in Slovianks last week.
For his part, Vladimir Putin reiterated his call for Kiev to withdraw troops from the south-east to open the way for a national dialogue.
Angela Merkel is due to meet President Barack Obama in Washington on Friday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.
