German furniture store chain Zurbrueggen has apologized for selling mugs with Adolf Hitler’s face on them.
The ceramic cups feature a faint image of a Nazi-era postage stamp with Adolf Hitler’s profile on it, postmarked with a swastika stamp.
The mug also features a rose and handwriting in English.
Zurbrueggen has apologized for selling mugs with Adolf Hitler’s face on them (photo AFP)
The Zurbrueggen furniture chain apologized for the “terrible” mistake, which it blamed on “a stupid chain of unfortunate circumstances”.
The cups’ Chinese designer had mistakenly chosen the image of the former dictator, it said, which the chain then ordered in error – 5,000 of them.
“No one noticed the problem during unpacking,” the company’s owner told the Neue Westfaelische Zeitung daily newspaper.
The small chain sold 175 of the mugs before anyone drew attention to the black and white profile of the world’s most infamous Nazi.
Those customers could make a profit on their purchase, though. The company promised to compensate them with a 20-euro ($28) gift voucher – a significant mark-up on the original 1.99 euro price.
The company may not be the only one keen to get hold of the notorious mugs.
The Neue Westfaelische Zeitung also reports that a contemporary history museum in Bonn, the House of History, has also expressed “great interest” in getting hold of some.
Ukraine’s interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has offered to devolve more powers to eastern regions, where pro-Russian separatists are defying the government.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is holding talks with regional leaders in Donetsk, where activists demanding self-rule are holding a big government building.
It is not clear if the prime minister’s offer will satisfy the separatists.
The threat of Russia cutting gas deliveries has now prompted Ukraine to seek gas from French and German firms.
The EU says it can pump gas back to Ukraine with reverse-flow pipeline technology. Usually the Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine.
In Kiev, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said it would seek the gas “on the conditions offered by European gas companies”, which he named as Germany’s RWE and “a French gas company”.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is holding talks with regional leaders in Donetsk, where activists demanding self-rule are holding a big government building (photo CNN)
On Thursday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said in a letter to 18 European countries that gas supplies to Ukraine could be cut if Kiev did not pay off its debts, and warned this could affect gas deliveries to Europe.
In 2009, a Russian gas dispute with Ukraine led to gas shortages in several EU countries.
Gazprom says Ukraine owes it $2.2 billion (1.4 billion euros) and recently doubled the price it must pay.
The US has accused Russia of using energy “as a tool of coercion” over Ukraine, and says it is working to help Ukraine find gas and financing.
In Donetsk, Arseniy Yatsenyuk urged regional leaders to tell locals that the Kiev government would ensure security and economic progress in the east, Interfax news agency reports.
“In the framework of the changed constitution, we will be able to satisfy specific requests of every single region,” he pledged.
But Kiev has rejected Russian pressure to turn Ukraine into a loose federation, fearing that more regions could break away and join Russia.
The separatist protest follows Russia’s annexation of Crimea last month – described as the biggest political confrontation in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
Near Donetsk on Friday seven miners died in a gas explosion, apparently unrelated to the current tensions.
The mainly Russian-speaking region is dominated by Soviet-era coal-mining and heavy industry.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk pledged that the Russian language would keep its official status in the region, in parallel with Ukrainian.
Language is a highly sensitive issue in eastern Ukraine, where ties with Russia are strong.
The billionaire industrialist Rinat Akhmetov – reckoned to be Ukraine’s richest man – is participating in the talks.
NATO says up to 40,000 Russian troops are massed near Ukraine’s eastern border.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for legal guarantees of Ukraine’s neutrality, reminding NATO that it should not try to draw Ukraine into the alliance.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is also expected to travel to another eastern city, Dnipropetrovsk, which has also seen protests.
Activists in Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking east have also been occupying a state security building in the city of Luhansk, with gunmen armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles among them.
Ukrainian officials are trying to negotiate a deal whereby the protesters would vacate the buildings in return for protection from prosecution.
The interim government accuses Russia of orchestrating the unrest, as a provocation similar to the anti-Kiev protests which gripped Crimea. Russia denies the claim.
Talks are due to take place in Geneva next week between Russia, Ukraine, US and the EU – the first four-way discussions since the crisis began.
A woman was taken into custody after throwing what she said was a shoe at Hillary Clinton during a Las Vegas speech.
The incident happened just moments after Hillary Clinton took the stage Thursday at an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries meeting at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino.
Hillary Clinton, 66, ducked, but did not appear to be struck by the flying object. She quickly joked about the incident.
A woman was taken into custody after throwing what she said was a shoe at Hillary Clinton during a Las Vegas speech (photo NYDailyNews)
The former first lady quipped: “Is that somebody throwing something at me? Is that part of Cirque du Soleil?”
She added: “My goodness, I didn’t know that solid waste management was so controversial. Thank goodness she didn’t play softball like I did.”
Ilene Rosen, a witness and the wife of a conventioneer, told the Associated Press the unidentified object-thrower walked down the aisle and got roughly six rows from the front of the seating area when she threw the object.
The woman then turned around, threw her hands in the air and walked toward the back of the room before ushers surrounded her, Ilene Rosen said.
Security officers escorted the woman out of the room. She said she threw a shoe but didn’t identify herself to reporters or explain why she did it.
Family members of Mickey Rooney have reached an agreement on where and how the actor should be buried, attorneys said Thursday.
Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney died on April 6 at 93.
Mickey Rooney will be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery alongside other screen legends like Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille and Jayne Mansfield, the parties in the dispute agreed Thursday, according to court documents.
The announcement came ahead of a court hearing slated for Friday morning. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Steele was to decide whether Mickey Rooney’s remains would be released from a mortuary to his estranged wife, Janice Rooney, who wanted to inter him in a pre-arranged family plot, or to his conservator, Michael Augustine, who had said the actor wished to be buried at Hollywood Forever.
The agreement Thursday sidesteps a potentially costly and arduous court battle.
Mickey Rooney will be buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery alongside other screen legends
“Despite her strong desire to be buried beside her husband, Jan feels she owes it to Mickey’s fans to work with Mike to allow Mickey to be buried alongside of (sic) other members of Hollywood royalty,” Michael Augustine and Janice Rooney said in a joint statement Thursday.
The dispute began after Mickey Rooney’s lawyers filed a will revealing that the actor left his estate of only $18,000 to a stepson, Mark Aber, and his wife, Charlene, who had served as his primary caretakers.
Mickey Rooney was living with Mark and Charlene Aber when he died.
The actor’s latest will disinherited Janice, Mickey Rooney’s wife of 35 years, and his nine children.
In 2011, Mickey Rooney sued Christopher and Christina Aber – Rooney’s wife’s biological son and wife – for elder abuse, claiming they stole money and deprived him of food and medications and would not let him leave his home. The couple settled the case in October after admitting taking $2.8 million from the actor’s accounts.
Michael Augustine and Janice Rooney will be collaborating on a small funeral for family, which Christopher and Christina Aber are not permitted to attend, the court document said.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have attended a state reception held in their honor as they continue their tour of New Zealand.
The Duke of Cambridge told guests at the event in Wellington that New Zealanders were warm-hearted, generous people.
He said they also had “an instinctive sense of justice and freedom”.
In other remarks, Prince William joked about the loud war dance used by the New Zealand rugby team, saying his 8-month-old son, Prince George, did the haka at night.
Earlier, Prince William and Kate Middleton paid their respects to New Zealand’s war dead.
Prince William and Kate Middleton paid their respects to New Zealand’s war dead at the Blenheim War Memorial (photo Getty Images)
They laid a wreath in a service at the town of Blenheim’s war memorial, and later met some of the approximately 5,000 people who had gathered for the occasion.
Prince William also unveiled a new portrait of the Queen at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, by the artist Nick Cuthell.
On Wednesday, Prince George attended his first official public engagement at a “crawl-about” with babies of similar age at Government House in Wellington, with childcare group Plunket.
Prince George will not be making any more appearances during his parents’ 19-day tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Prince William also received a tiny teddy bear from a well-wisher and was given a friendship bracelet from a little boy and immediately put it on his right wrist.
The royal couple was also given a helmet for Prince George when they visited Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre.
Peter Jackson – the film director behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy and an aviation enthusiast – showed Prince William and Kate Middleton around the museum.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has met opposition leaders in crisis talks aimed at quelling weeks of protests.
Nicolas Maduro opened the talks by shaking hands with his bitter rival, opposition leader Henrique Capriles.
The rare meeting, broadcast live on television, was brokered by foreign ministers from South American nations.
Venezuela protests erupted over soaring crime rates in February, but have snowballed into wider anti-government rallies. Some 40 people have been killed.
Nicolas Maduro, who says the protests are part of a “fascist” US-backed plot against him, told the meeting that there would be no deal with the opposition.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has met opposition leaders in crisis talks aimed at quelling weeks of protests
“There are no negotiations here. No pacts. All we’re looking for is a model of peaceful coexistence, of mutual tolerance,” he said.
The president has said any kind of formal deal with the opposition would make him a “traitor to chavismo”, the socialist platform of his predecessor Hugo Chavez.
Nicolas Maduro called on the opposition to renounce violence.
Henrique Capriles, who was narrowly defeated in last year’s presidential election, insisted that the opposition did not want a coup against the government.
The talks lasted six hours. There will be another round of talks on Tuesday.
Pope Francis sent a letter giving his support to the talks.
“I urge you not to get stuck in the conflict of the moment but open yourselves to one another to become true builders of peace,” Pope Francis said, in a letter read out at the meeting.
Venezuela is sharply divided between supporters and opponents of Nicolas Maduro, who narrowly beat Henrique Capriles to the presidency last year.
Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has filed a $6 million lawsuit against Duane Reade Inc, claiming the pharmacy chain used a picture of her leaving one of its shops in promotional material.
The case was filed in a court in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday.
Katherine Heigl is famous for her roles in films including Knocked Up and 27 Dresses and also won an Emmy for playing the character of Izzie Stevens in medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
Duane Reade Inc is yet to give a statement in response.
Katherine Heigl has sued Duane Reade for $6 million in damages
In documents submitted to the court, Katherine Heigl says she was recently photographed by paparazzi in New York City as she left a Duane Reade pharmacy.
She says the company is exploiting her image for commercial gain despite her objection.
Katherine Heigl’s complaint also says she plans to donate any damages she may receive to a charity that helps animals.
Last year Katherine Heigl was named one of Hollywood’s most overpaid stars, second only to Adam Sandler.
Forbes magazine estimated that for every $1 Katherine Heigl was paid for her 2013 films, she returned $3.50.
Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert will succeed Late Show host David Letterman upon his retirement in 2015, CBS has said.
Stephen Colbert, 49, is host of acclaimed late-night satire program The Colbert Report.
David Letterman, 66, said last week he was retiring after 21 years hosting the CBS show and 11 years on NBC’s Late Night.
On his show, Stephen Colbert plays a satirical version of himself to mock right-wing pundits. He has suggested he will retire the character for the new show.
Stephen Colbert will succeed Late Show host David Letterman upon his retirement in 2015 (photo CBS)
“Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television,” CBS president Leslie Moonves wrote in a statement following the announcement.
“David Letterman’s legacy and accomplishments are an incredible source of pride for all of us here, and today’s announcement speaks to our commitment of upholding what he established for CBS in late night.”
Stephen Colbert’s biting brand of satire has drawn critical acclaim as well as provoking ire, often from the Republicans and conservatives he skewers.
Recently he was attacked on social media for a joke some viewed as disparaging toward Asian Americans but which he meant as a satirical jab at the owner of the Washington Redskins American football team.
Of his hiring to the Late Show top spot, Stephen Colbert said, “simply being a guest on David Letterman’s show has been a highlight of my career.”
“I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave’s lead.”
Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is resigning amid problematic launch of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, US media report.
The ObamaCare – regarded by the president’s supporters as one of his main domestic achievements – has been marked by early technical problems and delays.
Kathleen Sebelius has been health secretary since Barack Obama took office in 2009.
The reports say Barack Obama will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the current budget director, to replace her.
The New York Times reported that Kathleen Sebelius had made the decision to resign herself.
Barack Obama had resisted calls for the health secretary to stand down after the websites where people could enroll for health insurance ran into problems last October.
Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is resigning amid problematic launch of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law
After the rocky start, the White House now points to the more than 7 million people who have signed-up for coverage on federal and state-run marketplaces sites created by the Affordable Care Act.
Barack Obama says the program was “here to stay”.
Republicans see it as inappropriate government intrusion into the healthcare industry. US residents face a tax penalty next year if they do not have some form of health coverage.
The 2010 law is intended to extend health insurance to the roughly 48 million Americans who do not receive it through their employers, the government, or a privately purchased plan.
It also aims to slow the growth in the cost of healthcare and requires private plans to meet a certain level of coverage.
Analysts say Republicans in Congress may use Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s nomination proceedings to focus on criticism of the law ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The ObamaCare remains controversial among the American public, as some people have seen their insurance costs rise or their old plans cancelled, and others object to having to purchase insurance at all.
Demi Moore and her ex-husband Bruce Willis attended their daughter Rumer Willis’ musical performance at hotspot DBA in West Hollywood, California, on April 5.
However, instead of mingling with each other, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis decided to sit in different areas while supporting their eldest child.
An eyewitness told Us Weekly: “They stayed after to congratulate her and chat for a bit.”
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis attended their daughter Rumer’s musical performance at hotspot DBA in West Hollywood
“Bruce and Demi did not interact with each other.”
Demi Moore, 50, was accompanied by one male and two female friends for the special outing, while Bruce Willis, 59, was joined by his very pregnant wife Emma Heming-Willis.
Rumer Willis, 25, plays multiple roles in For the Record: Tarantino, a musical mash-up that pays homage to several of director Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster hits. One of the roles includes Pulp Fiction character Mia, which Bruce Willis starred in back in 1994.
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis split in 2000 after 13 years of marriage, and are also parents to daughters Scout, 22, and Tallulah, 20.
Bruce Willis is expecting his second baby with Emma Heming, 35.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – known as Coachella or the Coachella Festival – is an annual two-weekend, three-day music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
The place where the festival is being held is located in the Inland Empire’s Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert.
Pixie Geldof has cancelled a planned DJ performance at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California this weekend following the death of her sister Peaches.
Pixie Geldof has cancelled her Coachella 2014 performance following the death of her sister Peaches
Pixie Geldof has yet to break her silence about the sad loss, but she has pulled out of a Coachella gig on Saturday to mourn Peaches’ sudden passing.
A festival spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Pixie Geldof was scheduled to DJ at The Old Navy Oasis event, but is no longer participating.”
Peaches Geldof, 25, was found dead at her home in Kent, England, on April 7 and initial autopsy results have proved inconclusive. A cause of death is not expected to be determined for several weeks until toxicology results are made available.
Controversial prime ministerial candidate of India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Narendra Modi has for the first time publicly admitted that he is married.
Narendra Modi, 63, made the declaration when he filed election nomination papers.
He married Jashodaben when he was 17 but the couple have lived apart.
Narendra Modi has always avoided questions on his personal life amid suggestions he wished to appear celibate for Hindu nationalist reasons.
Jashodaben is a retired school teacher and reports say she lives in a one-room house in a village in Gujarat.
Narendra Modi, who has been chief minister of the western state of Gujarat since 2001, is standing for parliament for the first time.
Narendra Modi has for the first time publicly admitted that he is married
In his nomination form for Vadodara constituency in Gujarat, Narendra Modi wrote the name “Jashodaben” in a mandatory column regarding his marital status.
In previous elections, including the 2012 Gujarat assembly elections, Narendra Modi left the column blank.
Critics have accused Narendra Modi of deserting his wife after he joined the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which prizes celibacy.
They say the fact that Narendra Modi has refused to acknowledge his wife for so long shows his poor attitude to women.
Reports say Narendra Modi’s decision to finally acknowledge her came after “strict legal advice to come clean” on his marriage.
In an interview to The Indian Express in February, Jashodaben said she lived on a monthly pension of 14,000 rupees ($232).
Jashodaben Chiman Modi said Narendra Modi had left her after three years, during which they spent some three months together, and that they had parted amicably.
“Narendra was married to Jashodaben Chiman Modi at a very young age by our parents, but it was only a formal ritual…” Narendra Modi’s older brother Som said in a statement issued by the party’s Gujarat wing on Thursday.
The BJP leader is seen as a dynamic and efficient leader who has made his state an economic powerhouse.
Narendra Modi also is accused of doing little to stop the 2002 religious riots when more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed – an allegation he has consistently denied.
Jerry Lewis will make a special appearance at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside, California, on Saturday, October 11.
Jerry Lewis, 88, is known for his long friendship and adventures with Dean Martin in films like Living it Up and The Stooge.
Jerry Lewis will make a special appearance at the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside on October 11
He is also known for his charity work for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
The evening will include stories of Jerry Lewis’ eight decade career in Hollywood with narrative and musical performances. There will also be a video montage of highlights in his career.
The night will conclude with an audience Q & A.
Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, March 28. Tickets range from $38.50 to $71 (plus fees).
In a letter to European leaders, President Vladimir Putin has warned Europe that Ukraine’s delays in paying for Russian gas have created a “critical situation”.
Pipelines transiting Ukraine deliver Russian gas to several EU countries and there are fears that the current tensions could trigger gas shortages.
Armed pro-Russian separatists are holed up in official buildings in Donetsk and Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a European human rights body has stripped Russia of voting rights.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) monitors human rights in 47 member states, including Russia and Ukraine.
Protesting against Russia’s annexation of Crimea last month, PACE suspended Russia’s voting rights as well as Russian participation in election observer missions.
The Russian delegation had boycotted the meeting. Its leader, Alexei Pushkov, described the proceedings as a “farce”.
Vladimir Putin has warned Europe that Ukraine’s delays in paying for Russian gas have created a critical situation
Russian state gas giant Gazprom says Ukraine’s debt for supplies of Russian gas has risen above $2 billion (1.4 billion euros).
Gazprom said on Wednesday it could demand advance payments from Kiev for gas but President Vladimir Putin said the company should hold off, pending talks with “our partners” – widely believed to mean the EU.
President Vladimir Putin warned that the “critical” situation could affect deliveries of gas to Europe, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying.
Vladimir Putin suggested “special” measures, he added, without elaborating. Nearly one-third of the EU’s natural gas comes from Russia.
Previous Russian gas disputes with Ukraine have led to severe gas shortages in several EU countries. The EU says it has extra gas supplies and reverse-flow technology to deal with any such disruption now.
In Kiev, the authorities said Ukraine would not prosecute pro-Russian activists occupying official buildings in Donetsk and Luhansk if they surrendered their weapons.
Ukraine has accused Russia of stirring up the unrest, a claim Moscow denies.
NATO says up to 40,000 Russian troops are massed near Ukraine’s border.
Ukraine fears that the Russian separatist actions are a provocation similar to the protests that gripped Crimea days before Russian troops annexed the peninsula last month.
The separatists in the east – a mainly Russian-speaking region with close ties to Russia – are demanding referendums on self-rule. In Donetsk they have declared a “people’s republic”.
Russia, the US, Ukraine and the EU are to hold talks in Geneva next Thursday to try to resolve the impasse, EU diplomats have said.
They will be the first four-way talks since the crisis began.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State John Kerry by telephone on Wednesday that the meeting should focus on fostering dialogue among Ukrainians and not on bilateral relations among the participants.
In another development, President Vladimir Putin sacked 14 generals, Russian media report.
It was not immediately clear if the move was a routine step. Russia has some 800 generals in its army alone.
Oscar Pistorius has denied “picking on” his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, as his cross-examination continues at his murder trial in Pretoria.
The Paralympic champion was commenting on a mobile phone message Reeva Steenkamp had sent him.
The prosecution has been trying to portray Oscar Pistorius as self-obsessed and negligent with firearms.
Oscar Pistorius denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp, saying he accidentally shot her dead through a door, fearing there was an intruder in his house.
Prosecutors say Oscar Pistorius intentionally killed his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day last year by firing a gun through a bathroom door at her after a row at his Pretoria home.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, who is a double amputee, faces life imprisonment if convicted of murdering the 29-year-old model, reality TV celebrity and law graduate.
In Thursday’s proceedings:
Oscar Pistorius said he had not meant to pull the trigger
Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused the athlete of being selfish, negligent and lying
Gerrie Nel said Oscar Pistorius’ apology in court was a “spectacle”
Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, said she was “unmoved” by his apology
Oscar Pistorius denied ever shouting at Reeva Steenkamp, or a previous girlfriend
Under intense cross-examination, Oscar Pistorius said he had not meant to pull the trigger, even to fire at an intruder.
“It was an accident… I didn’t have time to think,” he said, his voice trembling after he had been generally calm in contrast to previous days.
Oscar Pistorius has denied picking on Reeva Steenkamp, as his cross-examination continues at his murder trial in Pretoria (photo CNN)
Earlier, chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, known as the “bull terrier” in South Africa for his fierce questioning, suggested that Oscar Pistorius was only concerned about himself during the couple’s three-month relationship.
Gerrie Nel is trying to give an impression that the Paralympic athlete is self-centred, contemptuous of his girlfriend and lacking responsibility.
He suggested that Oscar Pistorius should have apologized to Reeva Steenkamp’s family in private, rather than making a “spectacle” by doing it in court as he opened his defense on Monday.
The athlete replied that he had not had the opportunity and had been unable to find the correct words.
When Gerrie Nel noted that in Monday’s apology, Oscar Pistorius did not say he was sorry for killing Reeva Steenkamp, the athlete replied: “I’m terribly sorry that I took the life of their daughter.”
In court, June Steenkamp shook her head as Oscar Pistorius was taken through several WhatsApp messages, which Reeva Steenkamp had sent.
In one, Reeva Steenkamp wrote: “You have picked on me incessantly since we got back from Cape Town.”
Asked to comment, Oscar Pistorius said: “I don’t feel like I picked on her incessantly – maybe we were having a rough time in our relationship.”
He also denied ever shouting or screaming at Reeva Steenkamp, or a previous girlfriend, Sam Taylor, as she had testified earlier in the trial.
Referring to an incident when a gun was fired in a restaurant, Oscar Pistorius said he had not been aware the gun was loaded but insisted he had not pulled the trigger.
Gerrie Nell said a gun firing itself would be a “miracle”. He also accused Oscar Pistorius of lying and not taking responsibility for his actions.
“You will blame anybody but yourself,” the prosecutor said, after Oscar Pistorius had questioned the decisions of his defense lawyers.
Oscar Pistorius did admit keeping ammunition in his bedside table, rather than in a safe.
He said he was usually armed “for my own safety”.
On Wednesday’s dramatic first day of questioning by Gerrie Nel, Oscar Pistorius became distraught as he was shown a photo of Reeva Steenkamp after her death.
An Australian P-3 Orion aircraft searching for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has detected a possible new signal in the southern Indian Ocean, Australian officials say.
The plane picked up the signal in the same area where an Australian vessel detected audio pings earlier this week, officials said.
The signal would require further analysis, but could have been from a “man-made source”, officials said.
Flight MH370 vanished on March 8, with 239 people on board.
The Australian plane picked up the signal in the same area where a vessel detected audio pings earlier this week
The search zone was tightened on Thursday after a US navy “towed pinger locator” picked up audio signals in the area, sparking hopes that the plane’s black box was in the area.
Australian vessel Ocean Shield picked up four acoustic signals in the area, twice over the weekend and twice on Tuesday.
Speaking after the latest possible signal was detected, retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who is leading search efforts, said: “The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a man-made source.”
Up to 14 planes and 13 ships are involved in Thursday’s search, scouring an area of 22 300 sq miles, around 1,400 miles north-west of Perth. It is the smallest designated area in the hunt to date.
Planes have dropped buoys equipped with hydrophone listening devices into the water to help pick up signals.
The batteries on the black box only last about a month, so teams need to work quickly to track the audio signals before they stop broadcasting.
Malaysia has come under criticism for its handling of the search, with families of the passengers on the plane accusing the authorities of a lack of transparency.
The investigation came under further scrutiny after it emerged that the final words from the plane were “good night Malaysian three seven zero”, and not “all right, good night”, as previously reported by the government.
Kathy Griffin has received death threats from Demi Lovato’s fans after she insulted the former Disney star on Twitter.
Kathy Griffin, 53, explained the fracas on The Howard Stern Show on April 8.
“I couldn’t sleep so I went on Twitter and said I’m going to tweet things using Siri, but I’m not going to correct any of the spelling,” the Bravo personality said.
When a fan asked: “Who’s the douchiest person you’ve met?”, Siri responded: “Debbie Lovato is a little douche.”
That’s when “the death threats started a flowing,” she said.
After a brief (now deleted) retort from the singer, Demi Lovato, 21, asked her fans to stop the hate.
Kathy Griffin has received death threats from Demi Lovato’s fans after she insulted the former Disney star on Twitter
“I love you guys so much but y’all gotta chill with sending hate towards other people,” Kathy Griffin said.
“Regardless of what they say or do. The cruel things some of you are saying can really, REALLY hurt people. It’s called cyber-bullying and somethings should NEVER be wished upon EVER. No matter WHAT.”
Kathy Griffin read Howard Stern some of the most intense tweets she received including: “@kathygriffin I will burn your house down [expletive],” “@kathygriffin I will come to your house and rape you [expletive] #lovaticswantkathygriffindead,” and “@kathygriffin don’t you ever talk [expletive] about Demi again or else us Lovatics will kill you in yourself.”
The comedian found some of the tweets comical, but said their extreme nature provoked the police to reach out to her.
“They actually contacted me,” Kathy Griffin said of the authorities.
“At that point it goes beyond Twitter hate.”
Though she said Demi Lovato isn’t off limits in her standup show, Kathy Griffin did explain: “The point is I have no problem with Demi Lovato or Debbie.”
In 2011, Peaches Geldof spoke about her health issues, revealing her diet of pizza and chips had shocked doctors and dismissing claims she was anorexic.
Peaches Geldof used to eat McDonald’s, pizza and chips every day until doctors warned that her junk food diet was putting her health at risk, it emerged today.
The 25-year-old admitted before her death she had cholesterol problems in 2011 and “the heart of a 90-year-old gangster” so decided to lose weight.
Peaches Geldof laughed off claims she was anorexic and insisted her weight loss was down to cutting junk food from her diet.
Peaches Geldof used to eat McDonald’s, pizza and chips every day until doctors warned that her junk food diet was putting her health at risk
The mother-of-two said she had been living on “pizza and chips” and was told to improve her lifestyle by shocked doctors, a previously-unpublished interview has revealed.
The comments came as speculation continued to grow over the cause of Peaches Geldof’s death after an autopsy proved to beinconclusive.
Peaches Geldof was found dead at her home in Wrotham, Kent, on Monday. Police described the circumstances as “sudden and unexplained”.
It has been reported that police found no suicide note and no signs of injury or evidence of drugs. Officers using sniffer dogs carried out a thorough search of the family’s home in the days after her death.
Toxicology tests are being carried out but the results could take weeks to come through, prolonging the wait for Peaches Geldof’s family.
Friends had said she looked thin before she died, leading to speculation her weight loss may have put pressure on her heart.
Peaches Geldof had said her juice diet helped her lose 11 lbs in a month.
“I had cholesterol and the doctors said stop eating s***. So I did. If you stop eating pizza and chips you then don’t look like you used to,” she said at a film premiere in 2011.
“Do I really look that thin? Let’s be honest. How did I do it? I just stopped eating McDonald’s and f****** s*** every day.
“I used to eat s*** every single day. I used to wake up with my boyfriend and eat crap. I had the heart of a 90-year-old gangster.”
Peaches Geldof’s body has been released to the family for funeral arrangements to be made.
The body has been released a day after the autopsy into Peaches Geldof’s death proved inconclusive.
That prompted further toxicology tests, the results of which are due in two to three weeks.
Peaches Geldof, the daughter of singer Bob Geldof and TV presenter Paula Yates died on Monday, April 7, at the age of 25. Police are treating the death as “non-suspicious” and “sudden”.
A spokesman for North West Kent coroner Roger Hatch said: “We can confirm that the body has been released to the family for funeral arrangements to be made.”
Peaches Geldof’s body has been released to the family for funeral arrangements (photo Getty Images)
Any inquest is not expected to be opened and adjourned by the coroner until after the results of the toxicology tests are known.
Peaches Geldof’s body was found on Monday afternoon after officers were called to the home she shared with her husband and two young sons “following a report of concern for the welfare of a woman”.
Bob Geldof, the former frontman of Boomtown Rats, said the family was “beyond pain” and described Peaches as “the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us”.
Peaches Geldof lost her own mother, Paula Yates, to a heroin overdose at the age of 11.
She married musician Max Drummey in Las Vegas in 2008, but the couple split amicably a year later before divorcing in 2011.
Peaches Geldof married Thomas Cohen, lead singer of London band Scum, in September 2012 at the church in Davington, Kent, where her parents married 26 years earlier.
It was also where her mother’s funeral was held.
Peaches Geldof and Thomas Cohen had two sons: Astala, aged 23 months, and Phaedra, aged 11 months.
A judge in Los Angeles will decide on Friday whether the remains of Mickey Rooney will be released to his estranged eighth wife Janice or his lawyer, Michael Augustine.
Mickey Rooney died on Sunday, April 6, at the age of 93.
According to court documents, Mickey Rooney’s most recent will, dated March 11, left his modest estate to stepson Mark Aber.
The actor had previously sued his other stepson, Christopher Aber, alleging elder abuse and fiscal mismanagement.
Mark Aber – also known as Mark Rooney – and Christopher Aber are the sons of Janice Rooney, who Mickey Rooney married in 1978.
Mickey Rooney disinherited his wife Janice and all his children in his last will
Mickey Rooney disinherited Janice and all his children in his last will, leaving his $18,000 estate to Mark Aber who had served, with his wife, as his caregiver.
Michael Augustine was granted a court order on Tuesday preventing Janice Rooney from removing the actor’s remains from a mortuary in Glendale, California.
Mickey Rooney, a Hollywood legend whose film and musical career spanned nine decades, was no longer living with his wife at the time of his death from natural causes.
The actor, loved by millions for his work in National Velvet and the Andy Hardy films, is survived by eight children as well as his two stepsons.
Mickey Rooney designated Michael Augustine to serve as the executor of his estate, stating he did not want any of his relatives handling his affairs.
In 2011, Mickey Rooney testified before a US Senate committee that he had been emotionally and financially abused by family members.
According to his lawyer, Mickey Rooney owned a burial plot northwest of Los Angeles but had recently said he wanted to be buried in Hollywood or a veterans’ cemetery.
Mexican immigrant Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas, who escaped from prison while serving a murder sentence in Mexico, has been executed in Texas for a separate 1997 killing.
Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas, 44, was in the US illegally when he killed a former university professor who had hired him to help with renovations on his home.
The execution by lethal injection went ahead after Texas’ parole and pardons board refused to delay his case.
Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas is the sixth Texas prisoner executed this year.
He was the second person this week to be executed in Texas by lethal injection with a new supply of pentobarbital.
Earlier this week, a US appeals court rejected a bid by lawyers for Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas and another death row inmate, Tommy Lynn Sells, to learn who is supplying Texas with the drug.
Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas escaped from prison while serving a murder sentence in Mexico and has been executed in Texas for a separate 1997 killing
They argue they need to know the source to ensure the executions will not be botched.
But Texas officials have refused to identify the source of the sedative, saying secrecy is needed to protect the provider from threats of violence.
Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas was pronounced dead at 18:28 local time at the Texas state death chamber in Huntsville.
In a final statement, Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas asked forgiveness from the victim’s family and said he was at peace, the Associated Press reports.
In 1997, Glen Lich, 49, hired Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas to work for him to help renovate his ranch near the city of Kerrville.
Unbeknownst to Glen Lich, Hernandez-Llanas had recently escaped from a Mexican prison where he was serving a 25-year sentence for a 1989 murder.
Several days later, Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas lured Glen Lich away from his house by telling him falsely there was a problem with a generator. He beat the man to death with a length of steel rebar, then entered the house and attacked Glen Lich’s wife.
Sentenced in 2000 for Glen Lich’s murder, Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas was among more than four dozen Mexican nationals awaiting execution in the US in 2004 when the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled they had not been properly informed of their consular rights when arrested.
Another one of those Mexican nationals, Edgar Tamayo, 46, was executed by Texas in January despite objections of both the Mexican and US governments.
Euclides del Moral, a Mexico foreign ministry official, said on Tuesday “the execution of a Mexican national is of great concern”.
But the issue did not play a large part in Ramiro Hernandez-Llanas’ appeals, which focused primarily on claims that his mental impairment made him ineligible for the death penalty.
The Chinese exports and imports fell sharply in March 2014, adding to recent indicators pointing to a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.
China’s exports fell by 6.6% in March when compared with the previous year.
Imports dropped by 11.3% in the same month, when compared with the same time last year.
This is the second straight month of falling exports for China. In February, exports dropped by 18.1%.
It is the first time since 2009 that exports have fallen for two months in a row.
The Chinese exports and imports fell sharply in March 2014
China’s export decline in February was mainly attributed to weaker demand due to the Lunar New Year holiday period, which led to closures of many businesses and factories.
Analysts had been expecting to see an increase in both import and exports for the month of March.
The March trade figures will add to recent concern about the state of the Chinese economy, which has shown signs of weakness amid poor data from the manufacturing and retail sectors.
The latest trade figures come days after the World Bank trimmed its growth forecast for China to 7.6% for this year from its earlier forecast of 7.7%.
The latest trade data leaves China with a trade surplus of $7.7 billion in March, a turnaround from a deficit of $23 billion in February.
China last week unveiled a mini-stimulus package to boost growth, which included more spending on rail infrastructure and tax breaks for small businesses.
The Chinese government is aiming for total trade to grow 7.5% this year. Last year trade grew by 7.6%, below the official target of 8%.
