Duck Dynasty family received a new business award from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on Thursday afternoon.
Bobby Jindal is honoring the Robertsons’ work with their business Duck Commander, which makes popular duck calls and other hunting merchandise in West Monroe, Louisiana.
Duck Dynasty family received a new business award from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
The Robertson family will be the first recipient of the Governor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, which has never been given out before.
“The reason for this award is the tremendous impact that Duck Commander’s expansion has had on our community and on all Louisianians,” said Bobby Jindal, according to a statement.
Governor Bobby Jindal said the award would be given out periodically to “homegrown Louisiana businesses” that are expanding.
Earlier this week, Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier model Quentin Elias died of a massive heart attack at the age of 39.
According to some rumors, Quentin Elias’ cause of death was an overdose while others claim that it was a case of suicide as the model was extremely depressed due to a bad break up with his boyfriend that financed his wonderful life.
Although, he was in great shape rumor has it that Quentin Elias was not getting enough modeling gigs to take care of himself. A source claims a note and photo of the man that recently ended the relationship with the model have been found at his home.
Quentin Elias died of a massive heart attack at the age of 39
In order to maintain his physique, Quentin Elias exercised regularly, repeatedly declaring he avoided drugs, and denying rumors that he used steroids.
Quentin Elias indulged in having a great number of tattoos and appeared in a great number of photoshots and video footage.
A statement posted on Quentin Elias’ Facebook page confirmed the news of his death saying: “Quentin Elias passed away at his home in New York on February 25th, 2014. The family would like to thank everyone for supporting Quentin’s career as he truly loved to perform for his loving fans.”
Cyprus’ parliament rejected a key part of the country’s bailout plan.
As part of the 10 billion-euro ($13.7 billion) deal with the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF), lawmakers have until March 5 to pass a bill allowing state firms to be privatized.
On Thursday, the lawmakers threw it out, jeopardizing the next tranche of cash.
The government says it will re-submit the bill with some amendments.
Cyprus’ parliament rejected a key part of the country’s bailout plan
The deal was agreed in March last year in an attempt to stave off the collapse of Cyprus’s banking sector and the wider economy.
It included moves to restructure the banks, along with other measures such as tax rises and privatizations.
Late on Thursday, the privatization bill was narrowly defeated after parliament split 25-25 on the vote, with five abstentions. This meant the legislation failed to pass.
The vote took place as hundreds of people opposed to privatization staged a protest outside the parliament building.
A government spokesman, Christos Stylanides, said the bill would be amended to reflect concerns over workers’ rights after privatization.
The new version of the bill would be submitted to the House of Representatives on Friday.
Ukraine’s ousted President Viktor Yanukovych has made his first public appearance since being removed from office last week.
Viktor Yanukovych said at a news conference in Russia he would fight for his country.
He said he was “not overthrown”, but was compelled to leave Ukraine after threats to his life.
Those who drove him from power were “young neo-fascist thugs”, he said.
Viktor Yanukovych said current tensions in Crimea were “understandable” but stated his desire for Ukraine to remain united.
The focus of unrest in Ukraine has shifted to the Russian-majority Crimea region since Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by Western-leaning opponents last Saturday.
It followed a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters who had taken over central Kiev since Viktor Yanukovych rejected an EU trade deal in favor of one with Russia last November.
Viktor Yanukovych has made his first public appearance since being removed from office at a news conference in Russia
On Friday, Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out an “armed invasion” in Crimea by sending naval forces to occupy Sevastopol airport. Moscow has denied the claims.
“I intend to continue to struggle for the future of Ukraine, against terror and fear,” Viktor Yanukovych told the news conference in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
“I can’t find words to characterize this new authority. These are people who advocate violence – the Ukrainian parliament is illegitimate.
“What’s going on now is lawlessness, lack of authority, and terror. Decisions in parliament were taken under duress.”
He apologized to the Ukrainian people for not having “enough strength to keep stability” and for allowing “lawlessness in this country”.
Viktor Yanukovych insisted he did not “flee anywhere”, explaining that his car was shot at as he left Kiev for the north-east city of Kharkiv and he was forced to move around Ukraine amid fears for the safety of himself and his family.
He said he arrived in Russia “thanks to a patriotically minded young officer” and was given refuge in Rostov, near the Ukrainian border, by an old friend.
Speaking in Russian, Viktor Yanukovych said he would return to Ukraine “as soon as there are guarantees for my security and that of my family”.
Viktor Yanukovych ruled out taking part in elections planned for May 25, describing them as “illegal”.
He made clear his view that the only way out of the crisis is to implement an EU-backed compromise agreement he signed with opposition leaders last week before he was deposed.
Viktor Yanukovych said the current turmoil in Crimea was “an absolutely natural reaction to the bandit coup that occurred in Kiev” and added that he was surprised by the restraint shown by Russian President Vladimir Putin so far.
He also stressed that “military action in this situation is unacceptable” and said he wanted Crimea to remain part of Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine’s general prosecutor said he would ask Russia to extradite Viktor Yanukovych on suspicion of mass murder following the deaths of more than 80 people in last week’s violent clashes between protesters and the police.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, who are couple for nearly two years, are now engaged, Us Weekly reported.
“She is crazy about him!” a source close to the couple told the publication.
Mila Kunis, 30, dropped a subtle hint while shopping with her mom at The Grove in Los Angeles on Thursday as she wore a noticeable ring on her engagement finger.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are now engaged
If they get married, it will be the first marriage for Mila Kunis and the second for 36-year-old Ashton Kutcher, who finalized his once-contentious divorce from Demi Moore last November.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, 51, split in fall 2010 following his infamous San Diego fling with Sara Leal.
Mila Kunis ended her 8-year relationship with Macauley Culkin around the same time.
Kim Kardashian’s decision to attend a Viennese ball on Thursday night as the paid guest of Austrian billionaire Richard Lugner, was not a good one.
Kim Kardashian, 33, received an estimated $500,000 for her troubles at the Viennese ball, RadarOnline reported.
According to TMZ, Kim Kardashian “stormed out” of the gala after a staffer approached her wearing blackface and pretended to be her fiancé Kanye West.
Kim Kardashian told her camp that Richard Lugner, 81, was “aggressive, at times grabbing her and imploring her to lose her security”. He apparently wanted to be alone with her.
The reality star also faced down a guest who didn’t like being turned away for a dance.
Richard Lugner apparently wanted to be alone with Kim Kardashian at Vienna Ball
Richard Lugner had trouble with Kim Kardashian from the start. Seems he didn’t appreciate that Kim Kardashian, who arrived in Vienna with daughter North West and mom Kris Jenner, filmed scenes for Keeping Up With the Kardashians at a local schnitzel joint.
“Kim is annoying me, because she’s not sticking to the program,” Richard Lugner is quoted as telling reporters.
“She’s filming, and so she doesn’t want to have me around. The guest should be with me and not anywhere else that is not agreed upon.”
Richard Lugner, who claims he gussied up before the big event with “15 shots of Botox”, has long invited celebrities to accompany him to the annual ball, starting in 1991 with Gina Lollobrigida. Lindsay Lohan was tapped in 2010, but she failed to show after missing her flight.
More recent dates have included Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Carmen Electra, Dita Von Teese.
MtGox Bitcoin exchange has reportedly filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan.
The application was made in Japan by lawyers acting on behalf of the exchange and comes only days after MtGox went offline.
On Tuesday, the exchange’s boss said he was working hard to find a “solution to our recent issues”.
Before going offline, technical troubles meant it prevented customers transferring digital cash to other exchanges on February 7.
MtGox Bitcoin exchange has filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan
Details of the bankruptcy are scant but the application for protection has been accepted by a district court in Tokyo, reported AFP. At the court hearing, the company said it had outstanding debts of about 6.5 billion yen.
MtGox’s lawyers are believed to have decided to apply to the court for protection after US regulators filed a subpoena against the company.
Reports suggested the site shut down after it discovered that an estimated 744,000 Bitcoins – about $350 million – had been stolen due to a loophole in its security.
MtGox’s troubles have put pressure on the price Bitcoin owners can get for their holdings. Currently one Bitcoin is worth about $561, a price far lower than the high of $1,000 per coin it hit in November 2013.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has banned its banks from handling Bitcoin saying the virtual cash is not legal tender. Vietnam’s state bank said trading in Bitcoins carried “potential risks” for users.
At the same time, Japan’s deputy finance minister said any regulation of Bitcoin would have to involve international cooperation to avoid opening up loopholes that traders could exploit.
Subrata Roy – the chairman of Sahara, one of India’s biggest businesses – has been arrested after he surrendered to the police.
The Supreme Court had ordered the arrest of Subrata Roy on Wednesday after he failed to appear before judges in a case of fraud.
Two Sahara firms are accused of raising 240 billion rupees ($3.9 billion) through bonds that were found to be illegal.
Market regulators say Subrata Roy failed to refund the money to millions of investors despite a court order.
He is expected to remain in custody until March 4 as the Supreme Court refused to take up his bail petition on Friday, saying it was “not urgent”.
“Mr. Roy willfully submitted himself before [the northern city of] Lucknow police. He is co-operating with all authorities,” his son, Seemanto Roy, told a press conference in Delhi.
Senior police official Habibul Hasan in Lucknow said the businessman would be produced before the magistrate soon.
The Supreme Court had ordered the arrest of Subrata Roy on Wednesday after he failed to appear before judges in a case of fraud
Earlier on Friday, Subrata Roy issued a statement saying he was not “absconding” from arrest after police in Lucknow said they had raided his house on Thursday, but failed to find him.
Subrata Roy said he was indeed in Lucknow but had stepped out to consult doctors about his ailing mother.
On Wednesday, angry judges ordered the businessman’s arrest after his lawyer said the Sahara chief had been unable to appear in court since his 92-year-old mother was very unwell.
Subrata Roy and his rags-to-riches life story is a household name in India.
Sahara group, worth 682 billion rupees ($11 billion), has businesses ranging from finance, housing, manufacturing, aviation and the media. It also has interests overseas – it owns New York’s landmark Plaza Hotel and London’s iconic Grosvenor House.
Subrata Roy’s group also sponsors the Indian hockey team and owns a stake in Formula One racing team, Force India.
With more than 1.1 million workers, Sahara is India’s biggest private sector employer.
David O. Russell has decided to pull out of TV drama The Club he was set to make, a month after it was commissioned.
The American Hustle director had co-written ABC’s The Club, a drama set in a private country club.
David O. Russell has decided to pull out of TV drama The Club he was set to make
No official reason has been given for his departure, although it is thought David O. Russell wants to focus on film-making, according to Deadline Hollywood.
The series is still set to go ahead.
The director had co-written and developed The Club with Erin Brockovich scribe Susannah Grant, who will remain on the project and also executive produce.
David O. Russell suggested at an industry event over the weekend he was not ready to move from cinema to the small screen.
First Lady Michelle Obama will guest star in Parks and Recreation Season 6 finale, her White House office confirmed.
Michelle Obama’s appearance, in an episode titled Moving Up, will centre on her campaign against child obesity.
“Time to get real about Pawnee’s obesity… @FLOTUS is coming to town for our #ParksandRec season finale Thursday, April 24!,” the show tweeted.
FLOTUS is an acronym for First Lady Of The United States and Pawnee, Indiana is the fictional town where the show takes place – home to public servant Leslie Knope.
Michelle Obama will guest star in Parks and Recreation Season 6 finale
Amy Poehler – who plays Leslie Knope in the show – joined Michelle Obama’s campaign earlier this month when she appeared at a Let’s Move event in Miami.
Michelle Obama is not the first US politician to appear on the show – Vice President Joe Biden made a cameo on the show in 2012.
Three further senators, including presidential runner John McCain, have also guest starred in the show, which is currently in its sixth season.
Parks and Recreation executive producer Michael Schur told the Hollywood Reporter last month that he was still hoping to persuade Hillary Clinton to make an appearance on the show.
Dolly Parton will perform at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, the event organizer, Emily Eavis, has confirmed to BBC 6 Music.
Dolly Parton later told her three million followers the news via Twitter.
“I’m incredibly excited to FINALLY announce that the #BlueSmokeWorldTour is coming to @GlastoFest on June 29th! 😉 Stay tuned for more info…” the country singer wrote.
Dolly Parton will perform in Sunday afternoon’s renowned “legend slot” on the Pyramid Stage, which last year featured fellow country star Kenny Rogers.
Festival-goers enjoyed a mass singalong of Islands in the Stream – his hit duet recorded with Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton will perform at this year’s Glastonbury Festival
Emily Eavis appeared to rule out rumored headline acts Prince, Stone Roses and Fleetwood Mac.
However, she did admit timings were still a work in progress.
Arcade Fire have already confirmed they are 2014’s Friday night headliners for the event.
The Canadian seven-piece revealed the news in December, tweeting a photo bearing the words “June 27 – Glastonbury”.
Lily Allen is among the other acts who have already let slip they will be performing, but Emily Eavis said the remaining headline acts would stay a closely guarded secret for now, and would “be with you in the spring.”
According to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Russian military forces are blockading Sevastopol airport in the Ukrainian region of Crimea.
Arsen Avakov called their presence an “armed invasion”.
Armed men also took over the other main Crimean airport, Simferopol, on Friday morning.
Relations between Russia and the Ukraine have been strained since the ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanokovych, who is now in Russia.
These tensions have been particularly evident in Crimea, Ukraine’s only Russian-majority region.
On Thursday, pro-Russian armed men stormed the Simferopol parliament, ousted the existing cabinet and appointed a new prime minister.
Meanwhile, in a further challenge to Kiev, Viktor Yanukovich is preparing to give a press conference on Friday, after resurfacing in Russia on Thursday, asserting that he is still Ukraine’s lawful president.
Armed men took over Simferopol airport in Crimea on Friday morning
Armed men, said by Arsen Avakov to be Russian soldiers, arrived in the Sevastopol military airport near Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Base on Friday morning.
The men were patrolling outside, backed up by armored vehicles, but Ukrainian military and border guards remained inside, Arsen Avakov said.
“I consider what has happened to be an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms,” Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page.
Armed men also arrived at Simferopol airport overnight, some carrying Russian flags.
A man called Vladimir told Reuters he was a volunteer helping the group there, though he said he did not know where they came from.
“I’m with the People’s Militia of Crimea. We’re simple people, volunteers,” he said.
“We’re here at the airport to maintain order. We’ll meet the planes with a nice smile – the airport is working as normal.”
On Thursday, a separate group of unidentified armed men entered Crimea’s parliament building by force, and hoisted a Russian flag on the roof.
The Crimean parliament later announced it would hold a referendum on expanding the region’s autonomy on May 25.
Recent developments in the Crimea region – which traditionally leans towards Moscow – heightened tensions with Russia, which scrambled fighter jets to monitor its borders on Thursday.
Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, last night urged his government to maintain relations with Kiev and even join Western efforts to bail out its troubled economy – but he is also rewarding the rebellious Crimean government with humanitarian aid from Russia.
Venezuela’s police and National Guard have used tear gas to break up a student demonstration in the capital, Caracas.
Hundreds of protesters were demanding the release of fellow students detained during two weeks of unrest, and called a fresh march for Sunday.
In another part of Caracas, a large pro-government march was held.
Earlier this week, President Nicolas Maduro declared an early start to the week-long Carnival public holiday in an attempt to end the unrest.
On Monday, Venezuela’s Attorney General Luisa Ortega said 13 people had died in the violence, although President Nicolas Maduro put the figure of protest-related deaths at more than 50 on Wednesday.
Despite the start of the long holidays on Thursday, students again gathered in Caracas.
“There’s no Carnival for anybody here. Here we are still on the streets, committed to the fight,” student leader Juan Requesens told EFE news agency.
Their peaceful demonstration ended in clashes with security forces when some masked protesters tried to block a road.
Police and the National Guard used tear gas to break up the protest, while demonstrators hurled stones at them.
Venezuela’s police and National Guard have used tear gas to break up a student demonstration in Caracas
Juan Requesens said there would be a “big march” on Sunday.
At the presidential palace in Caracas, hundreds of Nicolas Maduro’s supporters took part in a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Caracazo, the violent protests against economic measures imposed in 1989 by the government.
There were no reports of other large protests in other parts of Venezuela on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua, who is in Uruguay as part of a regional tour, said he believed the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) would be a better forum to discuss the current political crisis in Venezuela.
Panama had suggested the Organizations of American States (OAS) should discuss the issue, but Venezuela requested the motion to be cancelled.
“UNASUR has been much more efficient on these issues than the OAS. How many coups has the OAS stopped in its existence? On the contrary, it has legitimized many,” Elias Jaua told reporters.
On Wednesday, Nicolas Maduro held a “national peace conference” without the participation of the opposition.
The Roman Catholic church and a major business federation took part in the meeting.
The current unrest started more than two weeks ago with student protests in the western states of Tachira and Merida demanding increased security. They also complained about record inflation and shortages of staple items.
Quentin Elias has been found dead at his New York home at the age of 39.
The former lead singer of French band Alliage and model for several fashion designers such as Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier has reportedly died of a massive heart attack.
A statement posted to Quentin Elias’ official Facebook page this afternoon confirmed the news of his death: “Quentin Elias passed away at his home in New York on February 25th, 2014. The family would like to thank everyone for supporting Quentin’s career as he truly loved to perform for his loving fans.”
Quentin Elias has been found dead at his New York home
According to Quentin Elias’ management company, EventsLive Productions, the singer was confirmed dead in his home on February 25.
Quentin Elias is perhaps best known as the former lead singer of ’90s French boy band Alliage, and for his solo music career that began after he relocated to New York City in 2002. According to Obnoxious TV, he worked in NYC as a television actor, a stage actor, and a fashion model for Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier.
It was questions about the use of steroids that he emphatically denied.
Originally from France, of Algerian origin, Quentin Elias was the lead singer for Alliage from 1996 to 1999. After his departure from the group, he relocated to New York City.
Former revolutionary fighter Huber Matos – the only exiled dissident among the original leaders of the 1959 Cuban revolution – has died in Miami at the age of 95.
Huber Matos was arrested in 1960 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for sedition.
Human rights groups campaigned for his case until his release and expulsion from Cuba in 1979.
Huber Matos eventually settled in Florida after a period in Costa Rica, where his remains are to be taken after a funeral in Miami.
He fought the troops of General Fulgencio Batista in 1959 alongside Fidel Castro but later fell out with the communist leader.
Huber Matos was the only exiled dissident among the original leaders of the 1959 Cuban revolution
A statement released by relatives said Huber Matos had died on February 27 at Miami’s Kendall Regional Hospital of a massive heart attack he had suffered two days earlier.
The former revolutionary fighter’s funeral will be in Miami on Sunday before his remains are taken to Costa Rica, as he had wished.
Born in Yara in 1918, Huber Matos graduated as a teacher in Santiago, before pursuing a PhD in the capital, Havana.
The first time Costa Rica welcomed him was in 1957, when he had to leave Cuba because of his opposition of the rule of Gen. Fulgencio Batista.
Huber Matos is thought to have been instrumental in the Cuban insurrection by Fidel Castro’s Sierra Maestra rebels by smuggling the weapons they used from Costa Rica
When Huber Matos stepped down as a rebel military commander, Fidel Castro ordered his arrest.
Sentenced to 20 years in prison for sedition, he was released in 1979 and immediately left for San Jose, Costa Rica.
Huber Matos eventually settled in Miami, where he became involved in Cuban politics as he considered the government led by Fidel and Raul Castro a “dictatorship”.
In this week’s episode of Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson struggled to turn on his television to watch a Jason Bourne movie.
Miss Kay and Phil Robertson finally gave up and called son Willie help them figure out how to work their TV set.
“Pioneer men and technology go together about as well as mayonnaise and apple sauce,” said Miss Kay Robertson as she called up Willie who was somewhat reluctant to help.
“Let’s make something clear,” said Willie Robertson.
Miss Kay Robertson asked Willie for a lesson in texting
“I love my parents and I’m happy to help them with the occasional simple task, but it’s never just one simple task and it never takes just one minute.”
As soon as Willie Robertson finished helping his father learn how to turn on his Jason Bourne films, Miss Kay asked him for a lesson in texting.
“The grandkids want me to talk to them on the phone with text and I don’t know how to do it,” Miss Kay Robertson said.
“I want to learn how to make that little heart and a smiley face.”
“Oh good grief,” said Willie Robertson who immediately regretted teaching his mom about emojis.
In this week’s episode of Duck Dynasty, Si Robertson’s coworkers at the Duck Commander warehouse learned some new and disgusting habits from the Vietnam War veteran.
Uncle Si’s nephew, Jase Robertson, commented on throwing away the hardened drop of mustard that sits over the dispenser. Like most people, he finds that part to be gross.
Not Uncle Si though who says his life motto is “waste not, want to”.
“It tastes good and it’s chewy,” Si Robertson explained while disgusting all of his coworkers who were avoiding doing work.
But Willie Robertson found a way to motivate his crew: ice cream.
“As CEO, I’ve learned that motivating people is hard,” he said.
Si Robertson’s coworkers at the Duck Commander warehouse learned some new and disgusting habits from the Vietnam War veteran
So in order to get the Duck Commander crew working again, Willie Robertson bought a soft serve ice cream place.
Unfortunately for Willie, his tactics didn’t work because they were “manipulative” according to Jase.
Instead, Jase Robertson updated a four wheeler that he bought without permissions on his corporate card.
While Willie disciplined his brother on abusing his position at Duck Commander, he couldn’t deny Jase’s idea worked.
“When I was growing up, my parents taught me the value of hard work and when you’re running a business it’s easy to get caught up in trying to make sure everyone is working hard all the time,” said Willie Robertson.
“What I’ve learned is that life can’t be all about work,” he continued.
“Sometimes the best way to get people to work hard, is to let them have a little fun first.”
“Because even though hard work is important, everybody deserves a little fun. even if your definition of fun is sending your grown son little smiley faces and hearts even stinking minute,” Willie Robertson concluded.
In this week’s episode of Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson revealed he doesn’t like skinny women because he prefers a full-figured woman like Miss Kay.
“I don’t like skinny women or skinny TVs,” Phil Robertson said as he struggled to turn on his television to watch a Jason Bourne movie.
“You like a full-figured TV, like you like a full-figured woman,” his wife Miss Kay agreed.
Phil Robertson revealed he prefers full-figured women like Miss Kay
Phil Robertson, 67, agreed that he liked “chubby women like [Miss Kay]”.
Miss Kay and Phil Robertson finally gave up and called son Willie help them figure out how to work their TV set.
“Pioneer men and technology go together about as well as mayonnaise and apple sauce,” said Miss Kay Robertson as she called up Willie who was somewhat reluctant to help.
Captain Francesco Schettino has returned to the wreck of Costa Concordia cruise ship for the first time as part of his manslaughter trial.
Costa Concordia hit a reef near the island of Giglio in January 2012 and capsized, with the loss of 32 lives.
Francesco Schettino was taken to the wreck on board a small boat, two days after travelling back to Giglio.
He denies the charges of manslaughter and abandoning ship, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years.
The captain arrived on the island off the Tuscan coast on Tuesday and is said to have wept when he saw the wreck from a ferry taking him to Giglio.
Francesco Schettino attended a health-and-safety briefing at a hotel on Thursday morning to prepare him for the short boat trip out to the wreck, on which he was accompanied by a group of court-appointed experts.
He was taken out to the wreck on a small boat and was then seen standing on the ship itself.
Francesco Schettino was being allowed on to the ship “as a defendant, not a consultant”, said Judge Giovanni Puliatti.
The 290m-long vessel was righted in September 2013 in one of the largest, most complex salvage operations ever, but remains stranded after its ill-fated journey.
Francesco Schettino has been accused of leaving the luxury liner before the 4,229 people on board the ship were taken off.
Captain Francesco Schettino has returned to the wreck of Costa Concordia cruise ship for the first time as part of his manslaughter trial
“They want to show that I am weak, just like two years ago. It’s not true. I want to show I’m a gentleman, not a coward,” Italian media quoted him as saying.
He lambasted the media “frenzy” surrounding his return to vessel, describing those who accused him of abandoning the ship of not understanding “a bloody thing”.
“There is a frenzy that is making me nervous,” Francesco Schettino told journalists and cameramen who surrounded him.
“You have to respect civility.”
Correspondents say that he grew increasingly angry on the dockside after the visit, frequently gesticulating as he nervously paced around.
Francesco Schettino has already accepted some degree of responsibility, asking for forgiveness in a television interview last year as he talked of those who died.
But he denies abandoning the ship after it hit a reef near the island.
The captain maintains he managed to steer the stricken vessel closer to shore so it did not sink in deep water where hundreds might have drowned.
Francesco Schettino’s lawyer Domenico Pepe said the captain’s former employer, Costa Crociere, had shifted the blame towards him.
“It is very, very difficult because Schettino does not have the economic resources of Costa,” he said. The firm is believed to be the biggest cruise operator in Europe,
“Schettino is confronting the whole world on his own.”
An Italian court convicted five others of manslaughter in July 2013.
They had all successfully entered plea bargains, whereas Francesco Schettino’s request for a plea bargain was denied by the prosecution.
The complex operation to salvage the Costa Concordia took 18 hours and followed months of stabilization and preparation work by a team of 500 engineers and divers.
Ports in the UK, Italy,France, Turkey and China are now bidding for the lucrative contract to dismantle it.
Katy Perry’s video for her new track Dark Horse has been edited following claims from some Muslims it was blasphemous.
More than 65,000 people signed a petition which stated the video – featuring a pendant with the Arabic word for God on it being reduced to sand – was offensive.
The music video has not been cut, but the pendant has now been digitally “scrubbed” out of the scene.
Petition instigator Shazad Iqbal, said he was “thrilled” with the outcome.
“The name of Allah has been removed from the Dark Horse video – we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s support so I thank each and every one of you deeply, our voices have been heard,” he wrote on Change.org.
Katy Perry’s Dark Horse video has been edited following claims from some Muslims it was blasphemous
“I feel that the impact we have made and the total number of signatures obtained does convey just how worthy a cause this is, it is a significant step towards the right direction.”
It is unclear whether YouTube made the change or if it was instructed to by Katy Perry’s record company.
Katy Perry’s video features the pop star as an Egyptian queen who transforms suitors into sand by disintegrating them.
Shazad Iqbal, from Bradford, began the petition after he spotted one of the suitors wearing the pendant.
Explaining his reasons for starting the petition, Shazad Iqbal wrote: “Blasphemy is clearly conveyed in the video, since Katy Perry – who appears to be representing an opposition of God – engulfs the believer and the word God in flames.”
“Using the name of God in an irrelevant and distasteful manner would be considered inappropriate by any religion,” he added.
Katy Perry’s Dark Horse video has attracted more than 37 million views since it premiered on YouTube on February 20.
In a recent interview with People magazine, Paula Deen continues to apologize and says that she can empathize with what Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson went through.
Excerpts of the interview published by E! Online revealed Paula Deen continues to insist she “would never ever hurt anyone intentionally”, and admitted that she was so fixated on what people said online about her that she “could not get off the computer except to go to the bathroom and eat”.
Paula Deen continues to apologize and says that she can empathize with what Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson went through
Paula Deen’s public profile tanked last year after the controversy over her past use of the n-word went public, but others who went through similar scandals, like Phil Robertson, didn’t suffer as she did. Paula Deen says because of what she went through, she can empathize with others that go through the same thing.
North Korea has fired four short-range missiles towards the sea off the country’s east coast on Thursday, according to a South Korean Defense Ministry official.
The communist country launched the missiles at 5:42 p.m. local time from a mountain site just north of the border with South Korea, the official added.
North Korea has fired short-range missiles into the sea as part of military exercises in the past, Reuters reported.
Four short-range missiles have been fired towards the sea off North Korea’s east coast on Thursday, according to a South Korean Defense Ministry official.
North Korea has fired four short-range missiles towards the sea off the country’s east coast
The communist country launched the missiles at 5:42 p.m. local time from a mountain site just north of the border with South Korea, the official added.
North Korea has fired short-range missiles into the sea as part of military exercises in the past, Reuters reported.
The move is widely seen as a response to South Korea’s military exercises with the US.
Experts say that the test-firing of the four missiles – with an estimated range of about 125 miles – is unlikely to trigger a significant rise in military tensions.
They are mainly about North Korea expressing its displeasure over the US-South Korea military drills – which Pyongyang has condemned as provocative – and a recent UN rights report which described human rights abuses in the North Korea as possible crimes against humanity.
Former Dating Game host Jim Lange has died at his home in Mill Valley, California, at the age of 81.
Jim Lange died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.
He had a successful career in radio, but he is best known for his television role on ABC’s The Dating Game, which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.
Jim Lange also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants.
Dating Game host Jim Lange has died at his home in Mill Valley
Later, after The Dating Game brought him national recognition, Jim Lange also hosted the game shows Hollywood Connection, $100,000 Name That Tune and The New Newlywed Game.
He also worked as a disc jockey for decades in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, and upon his retirement from broadcasting in 2005, he was the morning DJ for KABL-FM, which specializes in playing classics from the Big Band era to the 1970s.
Jim Lange is survived by his wife, a sister, five children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren.
South Korean missionary Kim Jong-uk, who is detained in North Korea, has appeared before media to read from a statement publicly apologizing for “anti-state crimes”.
Kim Jong-uk, 50, said he was arrested after entering via China with religious materials in October.
Religious activity is restricted in North Korea, with missionaries arrested on multiple occasions in the past.
Foreign nationals arrested in North Korea sometimes make public confessions which they later say were under duress.
Merrill Newman, an 85-year-old US national, was briefly held last year. He was freed after confessing to committing crimes during the Korean War – a statement he said was given under duress.
Kim Jong-uk has appeared before North Korean media to read an apology
In his first public appearance since his arrest, Kim Jong-uk said he wanted to let his family know he was in good health.
He said he acted “under directions” from South Korea’s National Intelligence Services (NIS), setting up an underground church in Dandong, China, to collect information on life in North Korea to send back.
“I was thinking of turning North Korea into a religious country, and destroying its present government and political system,” Kim Jong-uk also told the news conference.
One report said Kim Jong-uk had been working in Dandong for seven years helping North Korean refugees.
Kim Jong-uk said he was unsure of his punishment and asked that he be released.
The North Korean state media in November said it had arrested an unnamed South Korean “spy”, a charge which South Korea’s intelligence agency denied.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry urged North Korea to release and repatriate Kim Jong-uk.
As I Lay Dying’ Tim Lambesis has pleaded guilty to attempting to hire an undercover agent to murder his estranged wife.
The metal band singer, who initially denied the charge, could face nine years in prison for the attempted contract killing.
Tim Lambesis, 32, who formed As I Lay Dying in San Diego in 2000, has sold more than a million albums.
He remains free on $2 million bail until he is sentenced on May 2 in Vista Superior Court, California.
Tim Lambesis has pleaded guilty to attempting to hire an undercover agent to murder his estranged wife
Tim Lambesis had asked a personal trainer at his gym to help him get rid of his wife Meggan, claiming she had restricted his visits with their three adopted children after they separated in September 2012.
The singer was arrested in May 2013 after prosecutors said he met a sheriff’s deputy posing as a hitman, called Red, and handed over $1,000 along with his wife’s address and front door security code.
The undercover agent, San Diego County Sheriff’s Officer Howard Bradley, testified last year that Tim Lambesis met him at an Oceanside bookshop in May and said he wanted his wife “gone”.
Howard Bradley said he asked Tim Lambesis directly if he wanted his wife killed, and the singer replied: “Yes, I do.”
