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South Korea and US annual military drills begin amid family reunions in North Korea

Roy Siemens
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South Korea and US annual military drills begin amid family reunions in North Korea

South Korea and US joint military drills have begun, amid rare family reunions between North and South Korean relatives separated for decades.

The annual military exercises will last until April 18.

They will involve Key Resolve, a computer-based simulation, and Foal Eagle, which involves air, ground and naval drills.

Pyongyang is opposed to the drills and had previously threatened to cancel the reunions if the exercises went ahead.

The military drills will involve more than 12,500 US troops.

The US and South Korea describe the annual drills as defensive in nature, but Pyongyang has described them as “exercises of war”.

Last year, the exercises led to a prolonged surge in tensions, with North Korea threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes and attacks on South Korean and US targets.

The rhetoric this year has so far been relatively mild, but the drills are scheduled to last until April, and many here see them as the toughest test yet of whether ties between the two Koreas are warming.

South Korea and US annual military exercises will last until April 18
South Korea and US annual military exercises will last until April 18

Speaking on Monday, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said: “As of now, there are no unusual movements from North Korea. We will only take action against North Korea if it makes provocations or denunciations.”

Also on Monday, around 360 South Koreans met their North Korean relatives for the first time since the 1950-1953 Korean War, at a family reunion event in North Korea’s Mount Kumgang resort.

They were the second set of relatives chosen to attend the reunions, which come amid an apparent thaw in inter-Korean ties.

Many people were separated from their relatives by the division of the Korean peninsula after the Korean War.

Pyongyang has been accused of using the family reunions, which are highly emotional events, as a bargaining chip.

North Korea has in the past canceled the reunions after the South took actions it opposed – most recently in September.

Meanwhile, South Korea also offered to assist the North with tackling an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

North Korean state media said that thousands of pigs had been affected by the disease.

South Korea, which has also been hit by outbreaks before, has offered to send aid, including medical goods and vaccines, officials said.

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Piers Morgan Live show to be canceled amid disastrous ratings

Lisa.Felice
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Piers Morgan Live show to be canceled amid disastrous ratings

Piers Morgan’s CNN prime-time talk show – Piers Morgan Live – is to be canceled.

Piers Morgan, 48, told The New York Times it had been “a painful period” for the show, which has suffered lacklustre ratings.

CNN’s audience had tired of hearing a Briton weigh in on American cultural issues, he said.

Piers Morgan said he was in discussions with CNN about a new role at the channel following the end of the show, probably in March.

The former Daily Mirror editor replaced veteran host Larry King three years ago and interviewed statesman and celebrities, including ex-President Bill Clinton, and financier Warren Buffett. Oprah Winfrey was Piers Morgan Live’s first guest.

Piers Morgan's CNN prime-time talk show is to be canceled
Piers Morgan’s CNN prime-time talk show is to be canceled

But it was his outspoken remarks about gun ownership that have garnered most attention in recent months.

“Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it,” Piers Morgan told the New York Times.

Piers Morgan said that he would like to do fewer appearances that have more impact.

Interviews with major celebrities and powerful figures would be “better suited to what I do well”, he said.

Earlier this month it emerged that Piers Morgan had been questioned by police under caution over alleged phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers.

Piers Morgan has always denied any involvement in hacking.

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Rob Ford runs into hydrant as he celebrates Canada men’s hockey win at Sochi Winter Games

Nancy Clayson
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Rob Ford runs into hydrant as he celebrates Canada men’s hockey win at Sochi Winter Games

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was out in the street celebrating Canada men’s hockey win over Sweden at Sochi Winter Games when he ran into a fire hydrant and appeared to injure his groin.

Rob Ford hurt his groin running into a hydrant
Rob Ford hurt his groin running into a hydrant

Duck Dynasty stars attend Dare to be a Duck event in Charleston

Sonia Pantiss
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Duck Dynasty stars attend Dare to be a Duck event in Charleston

Six stars of Duck Dynasty show were out on the town in Charleston, West Virginia, Saturday night for the Dare to be a Duck event to help raise money for a youth-led ministry program.

Si Robertson, Miss Kay Robertson, Korie Robertson, Alan Robertson, Sadie Robertson, John Luke Robertson and special guest Chrys Howard, the mother of Korie and grandmother of Sadie and John Luke, and her husband Alan featured the event.

The night was sponsored by Youth Commission ministries.

Six stars of Duck Dynasty show were in Charleston for the Dare to be a Duck event to help raise money for a youth-led ministry program
Six stars of Duck Dynasty show were in Charleston for the Dare to be a Duck event to help raise money for a youth-led ministry program

“We have students who love the Lord and are trying to make a difference in their homes, trying to make a difference in the community, and also on their school campus,” said YCI’s President and CEO Dennis Williams.

The club encourages kids to take a stand for their beliefs, just like the famous and quirky family they watch every week. Dennis Williams hopes to get more kids involved and let them know that they’re not alone.

The crowd welcomed Duck Dynasty stars with open arms, and couldn’t wait to meet in person the popular personalities of the hit show.

Alice Herz-Sommer: Oldest-known Holocaust survivor dies in London at 110

Nancy Clayson
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Alice Herz-Sommer: Oldest-known Holocaust survivor dies in London at 110

Oldest-known Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer died Sunday morning in London at the age of 110, her family has announced.

Alice Herz-Sommer died in a hospital after being admitted Friday, daughter-in-law Genevieve Sommer said.

Her devotion to the piano and to her son sustained her through two years in a Nazi prison camp, and a film about her has been nominated for best short documentary at next week’s Academy Awards.

An accomplished pianist, Alice Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin – Theresienstadt in German – where inmates were allowed to stage concerts in which she frequently starred.

An estimated 140,000 Jews were sent to Terezin and 33,430 died there. About 88,000 were moved on to Auschwitz and other death camps, where most of them were killed.

Alice Herz-Sommer and her son, Stephan, were among fewer than 20,000 who were freed when the notorious camp was liberated by the Soviet army in May 1945.

Alice Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin
Alice Herz-Sommer, her husband and her son were sent from Prague in 1943 to a concentration camp in the Czech city of Terezin

Though she never learned where her mother died after being rounded up, and her husband died of typhus at Dachau, in her old age she expressed little bitterness.

Alice Herz-Sommer was born on November 26, 1903, in Prague, and started learning the piano from her sister at age 5.

As a girl, she met the author Franz Kafka, a friend of her brother-in-law, and delighted in the stories that he told.

Alice married Leopold Sommer in 1931. Their son was born in 1937, two years before the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Jews were allowed to shop for only half an hour in the afternoon, by which time the shops were empty. Most Jewish families were forced to leave their family apartments and were crammed into one apartment with other families, but her family was allowed to keep its home.

In 1942, her 73-year-old mother was transported to Terezin, then a few months later to Treblinka, an extermination camp.

In 1949, Alice Herz-Sommer left Czechoslovakia to join her twin sister Mizzi in Jerusalem. She taught at the Jerusalem Conservatory until 1986, when she moved to London.

Alice Herz-Sommer’s son, who changed his first name to Raphael after the war, made a career as a concert cellist. He died in 2001.

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Nicki Minaj sued by hair stylist Terrence Davidson over wigs

Lisa.Felice
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Nicki Minaj sued by hair stylist Terrence Davidson over wigs

Nicki Minaj’s former hair stylist Terrence Davidson is suing the star for $30 million, accusing her of selling wigs based on his designs without permission.

Terrence Davidson began working for the rapper in 2010, creating multiple wigs for high-profile events and her Super Bass music video.

The hair stylist claims he had previously discussed a joint business venture with Nicki Minaj to launch a line of wigs.

Terrence Davidson says the star is now copying his wig designs and selling them online.

According to legal papers filed in Atlanta, Terrence Davidson says he also turned down a contract for a reality TV show on the advice of one of Nicki Minaj’s representatives, with the promise of creating his own reality show with the star about being a celebrity wig stylist.

Nicki Minaj’s former hair stylist Terrence Davidson is suing the star for $30 million, accusing her of selling wigs based on his designs without permission
Nicki Minaj’s former hair stylist Terrence Davidson is suing the star for $30 million, accusing her of selling wigs based on his designs without permission

But after months passed in 2012, Terrence Davidson claims Nicki Minaj and her team “took active steps to isolate [him] and preclude him from the notoriety he deserved for his wig designs”.

Terrence Davidson – whose celebrity clients also include singers Patti LaBelle and Jennifer Hudson – stopped working as Nicki Minaj’s stylist in early 2013, citing creative differences.

Christopher Chestnut, a lawyer for the hair stylist, said his client’s wigs “significantly contributed” to Nicki Minaj’s notoriety and helped her rise to fame.

The lawyer said Nicki Minaj “took a number of his popular wig designs, without his consent, and used them to start her own wig line”, resulting in at least $30 million in losses.

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Robert Mugabe celebrates 90th birthday at Harare stadium

Nancy Clayson
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Robert Mugabe celebrates 90th birthday at Harare stadium

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has celebrated his 90th birthday with a huge party at a Harare stadium.

Thousands of Zimbabweans have attended the official 90th birthday celebration for the veteran leader.

Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, released 90 balloons into the air at Marondera stadium, east of Harare.

He turned 90 on Friday but was in Singapore for eye surgery at the time.

Many schoolchildren were among the crowd, waving flags and chanting Robert Mugabe’s clan name.

Huge cakes were on display in the centre of the stadium in Marondera, while the crowd wore red scarves, as is traditional on Robert Mugabe's birthday
Huge cakes were on display in the centre of the stadium in Marondera, while the crowd wore red scarves, as is traditional on Robert Mugabe’s birthday

Huge cakes were on display in the centre of the stadium in Marondera, about 50 miles from Harare, while the crowd wore red scarves, as is traditional on the president’s birthday.

In an hour-long speech Robert Mugabe said Zimbabweans did not hate former colonial masters the British, but loved their own country more.

The cost of Robert Mugabe’s celebration – estimated at about $1 million – has prompted criticism in a country suffering from severe economic problems.

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Sochi closing ceremony: Russia tops medal table as Winter Olympics 2014 come to an end

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi closing ceremony: Russia tops medal table as Winter Olympics 2014 come to an end

Russia finished on top of the medal table as the 22nd Winter Olympics came to a close in Sochi on Sunday after 17 days of competition.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach officially closed the Games during an extravagant 130-minute ceremony.

South Korea was given the Olympic flag as Pyeongchang hosts the 2018 Games.

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated a rush of medals in Sochi with a triumphant closing ceremony on the shores of the Black Sea.

After spending $50 billion to build a mountain ski resort and a cluster of shimmering sports venues from scratch, failure was not an option for the omnipresent Russian president.

At the opening ceremony a fortnight ago, all the talk was of security fears, culls of stray dogs, last-minute glitches and a giant hydraulic snowflake that failed to open.

The 22nd Winter Olympics came to a close in Sochi on Sunday after 17 days of competition
The 22nd Winter Olympics came to a close in Sochi on Sunday after 17 days of competition

But by the closing ceremony – which featured ballet from the Bolshoi, music by Rachmaninov and tributes to Tolstoy and Kandinsky plus the usual protocol – the atmosphere was one of pure celebration swathed in the colors of the Russian flag.

IOC President Thomas Bach declared the most expensive Games in history “a real special experience”.

He also personally thanked Vladimir Putin for his contribution to the “extraordinary success of these Winter Games”.

The opening ceremony had been a pleasingly offbeat romp through Russian art and culture. With its marching bands and 1,000-strong children’s choir singing the national anthem, this was more of a traditional show of strength.

For the Russians who wildly cheered a clean sweep of the podium in the 30 mile cross country skiing and a second gold in the bobsleigh for Alexander Zubkov on the final day of competition, a surge of sporting success helped it go with a swing.

The Russian ice hockey team had limped out of the competition to Finland at the quarter-final stage, leaving Canada to triumph over Sweden in Sunday’s final.

Oleksandr Turchynov named Ukraine’s interim president

Diane A. Wade
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Oleksandr Turchynov named Ukraine’s interim president

Ukraine parliament’s speaker Oleksandr Turchynov has been named as interim president.

Oleksandr Turchynov takes charge following the dismissal of President Viktor Yanukovych on Saturday. He told lawmakers they had until Tuesday to form a new unity government.

Former PM Yulia Tymoshenko, who was freed from jail on Saturday, has ruled out becoming prime minister again.

Her release was one of the conditions of the EU-Ukraine trade pact that Viktor Yanukovych rejected last year.

The move triggered the protests that led to the current crisis.

The health ministry says 88 people, mostly protesters, are now known to have been killed in clashes since February 18.

Thousands of opposition supporters remain in Kiev’s Independence Square, heeding opposition calls not to disperse.

Ukraine parliament’s speaker Oleksandr Turchynov has been named as interim president
Ukraine parliament’s speaker Oleksandr Turchynov has been named as interim president

In response to reports that her name was being mentioned as a possible candidate, Yulia Tymoshenko issued a statement reading: “No-one has agreed or discussed this with me.

“Thank you for your respect but I would like you not to consider my nomination for the post of the head of government.”

Oleksandr Turchynov, a close associate of Yulia Tymoshenko, described forming a unity government as a “priority task”.

“We don’t have much time,” one of the opposition leaders, former world champion boxer Vitaly Klitschko, said as parliament began its debate.

“I want to make Ukraine a modern European country,” he said.

“If I can do that through the president’s position, I will do my best.”

In an address on Saturday, aired before lawmakers voted to remove him, Viktor Yanukovych refused to officially stand down. He is last thought to have been in Kharkiv after travelling there late on Friday night.

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Mohamed Morsi accused of leaking state secrets to Iran

Roy Siemens
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Mohamed Morsi accused of leaking state secrets to Iran

Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi has been accused by prosecutors of leaking state secrets to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The claim came during the second hearing of his trial on espionage charges.

Prosecutors allege that he and 35 others were involved in a plot to destabilize Egypt. The trial was later adjourned to February 27.

The deposed Islamist leader is facing four separate trials.

Mohamed Morsi’s supporters say he and other senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders are the victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

The espionage trail opened on February 16 and on Sunday prosecutors detailed the charges against Mohamed Morsi and his co-defendants.

They were specifically accused of “delivering to a foreign country… national defense secrets and providing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards with security reports in order to destabilize the security and stability of the country”, AFP news agency reported.

The statement read in court did not identify the “foreign country”.

Egyptian prosecutors have accused ousted President Mohammed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Egyptian prosecutors have accused ousted President Mohammed Morsi of leaking state secrets to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Mohamed Morsi is also accused of collaborating with the Palestinian movement Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty.

During Sunday’s hearing, Mohamed Morsi was held separately in a soundproof glass cage to prevent him shouting and disrupting proceedings.

Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military last July following mass street protests against his government.

There has since been a severe crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood group, as well as on other activists seen as hostile to the military-backed government.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist organization and authorities have punished any public show of support for it.

Other senior Brotherhood figures, including supreme guide Mohammed Badie and his deputy and former presidential candidate Khairat al-Shater, are also facing a raft of charges.

Proceedings in two other trials have already begun.

The first opened in November, with Mohamed Morsi facing charges of inciting the killing of protesters near the presidential palace when he was in office in 2012.

In January, another trial opened concerning Mohamed Morsi’s escape from prison in a jailbreak in 2011, during which police officers were killed.

The fourth trial, which has yet to open, will be on charges of insulting the judiciary.

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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Closing ceremony details

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Closing ceremony details

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony will be held on February 23 at 20:00 local time, at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.

The closing ceremony will feature the parade of athletes, the extinguishing of the Olympic flame and the official hand over to South Korea.

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony will be held at the Fisht Olympic Stadium
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics closing ceremony will be held at the Fisht Olympic Stadium

The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in Pyeongchang, between February 9 and February 25.

On February 23, Russia celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day.

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Charlotte Dawson commits suicide as she struggles financially

Lisa.Felice
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Charlotte Dawson commits suicide as she struggles financially

Australian TV personality Charlotte Dawson was found dead at her Woolloomooloo home  in an apparent suicide following a long and very public battle with depression.

Charlotte Dawson’s friends have spoken of a sense of inevitability around her death, revealing that in recent weeks her mental state seemed specially fragile.

It is believed Charlotte Dawson, 47, was struggling financially, having borrowed up to $80,000 from friends as she tried to keep up the rent on her $1200-a-week apartment.

Charlotte Dawson had also been axed from her role on the popular Foxtel TV show Australia’s Next Top Model, and last November parted ways with management company Chic Management after they said her battles with mental illness were “damaging her brand”.

Charlotte Dawson was found dead at her Woolloomooloo home in an apparent suicide
Charlotte Dawson was found dead at her Woolloomooloo home in an apparent suicide

Only a week ago, Charlotte Dawson’s ex-husband Scott Miller had appeared on Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes to talk about his drug addiction and the role it had played in the breakdown of their marriage. Charlotte Dawson, who described Scott Miller as the “love of her life”, said at the time she wasn’t sure if she would be strong enough to watch the interview.

Charlotte Dawson’s body was discovered the morning after Scott Miller’s 39th birthday.

She is understood to have been found by a security guard in her rented waterside apartment in the early hours of yesterday morning. Her body was later formally identified yesterday by Madeline Huett, a friend and former Top Model contestant.

Charlotte Dawson was hospitalized in 2012 after hundreds of social media trolls viciously targeted her on Twitter.

A police media spokesman told news.com.au: “About 11a.m., police from the Kings Cross local area command were called to Cowper Wharf Road after the body of a woman had been located in a unit. No suspicious circumstances at this stage and a report is being prepared for the coroner.”

It is believed her body was discovered after a real estate agent raised the alarm after she couldn’t reach Charlotte Dawson by mobile phone in relation to the auction of her home.

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Thailand: Gunmen attack opposition rally killing 5-year-old girl in Trat

Diane A. Wade
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Thailand: Gunmen attack opposition rally killing 5-year-old girl in Trat

A five-year-old girl has been killed and dozens of other people wounded after gunmen have opened fire on an anti-government rally in eastern Thailand.

Attackers threw explosives and shot at demonstrators at a rally called by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).

The incident took place at a night market in the Khao Saming district of Trat province late on Saturday.

Tensions across Thailand have escalated since a wave of anti-government protests began in November.

The demonstrators want PM Yingluck Shinawatra to resign to make way for an appointed interim government, but she has refused.

On Tuesday several people were killed in clashes that erupted in Bangkok, when police began clearing protest sites.

Attackers threw grenades and sprayed the crowd with bullets at a night market in the Khao Saming district of Trat province
Attackers threw grenades and sprayed the crowd with bullets at a night market in the Khao Saming district of Trat province

The latest attack occurred about 180 miles south-east of Bangkok.

Officials said the five-year-old girl had been standing at a noodle stall when the attackers, in two pick-up trucks, opened fire at the PDRC rally. She died from a gunshot wound to the head.

At least 30 other people are believed to have been injured. Another child is said to be in a critical condition.

PDRC spokesman Suwicharn Suwannakha said the attack happened during a speech by a party leader, Thai newspaper The Nation reported.

Suwicharn Suwannakha said he first heard the explosions and gunfire and then saw chairs in front of the stage scattered.

No group has so far said it carried out the attack.

There has been growing frustration recently from the red shirts over the government’s inability to disperse the protesters, who have been occupying parts of central Bangkok for weeks.

Red-shirt leaders have organized a mass gathering in north-eastern Thailand this weekend to decide how they should fight back against the campaign to unseat the government.

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Yulia Tymoshenko urges opposition supporters to continue protests

Diane A. Wade
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Yulia Tymoshenko urges opposition supporters to continue protests

Yulia Tymoshenko has urged opposition supporters in Kiev’s Independence Square to continue their protests.

Ukraine’s former PM Yulia Tymoshenko, who has a back injury, addressed crowds from a wheelchair after being freed from detention.

“Until you finish this job… nobody has the right to leave,” she said.

Her speech came at the end of a dramatic day that saw President Viktor Yanukovych removed by the parliament and fleeing Kiev, but refusing to stand down.

Yulia Tymoshenko broke down in tears as she told cheering supporters late on Saturday: “You are heroes.

Yulia Tymoshenko has urged opposition supporters in Kiev's Independence Square to continue their protests
Yulia Tymoshenko has urged opposition supporters in Kiev’s Independence Square to continue their protests

“Because nobody could… do what you have done.”  

“We’ve eliminated this cancer, this tumor,” she said.

However, while Yulia Tymoshenko was hailed by many in the audience, she does not enjoy universal support among the opposition.

Before she went into prison in 2011, Yulia Tymoshenko’s popularity ratings were dropping and many Ukrainians blame her in part for the chaos of the post-Orange Revolution years, or see her as a member of Ukraine’s corrupt elite.

Dozens of people walked away in disgust when she appeared on the stage in Independence Square.

A vote by parliament on Friday paved the way for Yulia Tymoshenko’s release.

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Pharrell Williams’ Grammys hat attracts $10,500 within 24 hours in auction

Lisa.Felice
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Pharrell Williams’ Grammys hat attracts $10,500 within 24 hours in auction

Pharrell Williams is auctioning the much talked about hat he wore at this year’s Grammy Awards.

The item, listed as “Pharrell Williams’ mountain hat”, attracted a bid of $10,500 within 24 hours of being put online.

The profits of the sale will go towards the producer’s charity From One Hand To Another.

The charity raises funds for seven to 20 year olds living in at risk communities throughout America.

Pharrell Williams is auctioning the hat he wore at this year's Grammy Awards
Pharrell Williams is auctioning the hat he wore at this year’s Grammy Awards

Pharrell Williams tweeted: “We started my hat auction at $200 (the price I paid for it) and it’s already up to over 10K?”

So far, there have been 11 separate bidders and 64 bids on the hat, with the auction coming to a close on March 2.

The description of the item says that it was designed by Vivienne Westwood and that “the hat comes with a letter of authenticity.”

Pharrell Williams performed at the Grammys with Stevie Wonder, Nile Rogers and Daft Punk and also played at the BRIT Awards.

The singer’s number one single Happy, taken from Despicable Me 2 has been nominated for best song at this year’s Oscar awards.

Pharrell Williams also recently announced that he will release a new solo album next month.

The new album, which will be called G I R L, will be Pharrell Williams’ second record in eight years and is set to be released on March 3.

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Venezuela: Violent clashes at Caracas march

Diane A. Wade
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Venezuela: Violent clashes at Caracas march

Police and opposition demonstrators have clashed in Venezuela at the end of a march that gathered tens of thousands of people in Caracas.

Several people were injured, as police fired tear gas and activists hurled stones in the Altamira district.

Supporters of left-wing President Nicolas Maduro marched in central Caracas and other cities.

Ten people have now died in nearly two weeks of protests, which Nicolas Maduro has called a coup attempt.

Nicolas Maduro says the violence is part of a strategy devised by right-wing groups, with the support of the US, to destabilize his government.

“We have a strong democracy. What we don’t have in Venezuela is a democratic opposition,” Nicolas Maduro told thousands of his supporters in Caracas.

Police and opposition demonstrators have clashed in Venezuela at the end of a march that gathered tens of thousands of people in Caracas
Police and opposition demonstrators have clashed in Venezuela at the end of a march that gathered tens of thousands of people in Caracas

Nicolas Maduro was elected last April, following the death of Hugo Chavez, who was in office for 14 years.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles, who was defeated in last year’s presidential election, led a march in the capital.

He spoke against the arrest, on Tuesday, of fellow opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, accused by the government of inciting violence.

Henrique Capriles called on his supporters to carry on protesting, but to avoid any form of violence.

“There are millions of reasons to protest, there are so many problems, so many people suffering. But his movement we have built must be different,” he said.

The opposition’s main grievances are rampant crime, high inflation and the shortage of many staples. It blames the economic problems on the left-wing policies of the past 15 years.

Opposition demonstrators also took part in marches in western Tachira and Merida states.

The current wave of protests began on 12 February. Three people were shot dead at the end of those marches in Caracas by unknown gunmen.

Daily protests have been held in Caracas for the past 11 days.

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Maria von Trapp dead: Last surviving member of Trapp Family Singers dies at 99

Sonia Pantiss
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Maria von Trapp dead: Last surviving member of Trapp Family Singers dies at 99

Maria von Trapp, the last surviving member of the Trapp Family Singers, the group whose story inspired The Sound of Music, has died at the age of 99, her family announced.

Maria von Trapp died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, her brother, Johannes von Trapp, told the Associated Press.

Johannes von Trapp said she was a “lovely woman who was one of the few truly good people”.

Maria Von Trapp and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938 and ended up performing around the US.

Their story eventually inspired the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, and subsequent 1965 hit film.

It tells the tale of a young woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the seven children of a naval officer widower, Georg von Trapp.

Maria Von Trapp and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938 and ended up performing around the US
Maria Von Trapp and her family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938 and ended up performing around the US

Maria von Trapp was the second-oldest daughter of Capt von Trapp – with his first wife – and was portrayed as Louisa in the musical.

Her family moved to the US state of Vermont in 1942 after visiting during a singing tour, and later opened a lodge in the town of Stowe, which they still operate.

Writing in a blog post on the lodge’s website, Maria von Trapp described how it was her ill health as a child that led her father to employ a governess to teach her and her siblings.

“She came to us as my teacher and after three years became our second mother,” she said.

Marianne Dorfer, a family friend who runs the von Trapp Villa Hotel in Salzburg told the Austrian Times that Maria von Trapp had suffered from a weak heart since childhood.

She said it was because of Maria’s ill heath that her father decided to hire a governess.

“That of course then led to one of the most remarkable musical partnerships of the last century,” she added.

The Sound of Music was based loosely on a 1949 book by the governess, who became Capt von Trapp’s second wife and died in 1987.

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Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman: World’s most wanted drug baron arrested in Mexico

Nancy Clayson
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Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman: World’s most wanted drug baron arrested in Mexico

Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman – Mexico’s top drug lord and one of the world’s most wanted drug baron – has been arrested in Mexico.

El Chapo (Shorty) Guzman was the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which smuggles huge amounts of illegal drugs into the US.

He had been on the run since escaping a high-security prison in a laundry basket in 2001.

Mexican police arrested him in Sinaloa state, in a joint operation with US anti-drugs forces.

Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto used his Twitter account to praise the forces involved in the arrest in the north-western resort of Mazatlan, in Sinaloa state.

Joaquin Guzman was taken to Mexico City and paraded before the media, before boarding a helicopter surrounded by heavily armed troops.

He was taken straight to prison, Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said.

The US state department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.

US Attorney General Eric Holder described Shorty Guzman’s arrest as “a landmark achievement” for Mexico and “a victory for the citizens of both Mexico and the United States”.

Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which smuggles huge amounts of illegal drugs into the US
Joaquin El Chapo Guzman was the leader of the Sinaloa cartel, which smuggles huge amounts of illegal drugs into the US (photo Reuters)

Shorty Guzman has been indicted in the US on federal trafficking charges.

The Sinaloa cartel controls much of the flow of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine to the US.

Joaquin Guzman’s arrest is a big boost for the administration of Enrique Pena Nieto.

Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office just over two years ago, said he intended to change the “war on drugs” policy of his predecessor, Felipe Calderon, which critics say led to a rise in violence throughout Mexico.

But Mexican police and troops have killed or arrested key figures in the drugs cartels since Enrique Pena Nieto came to power.

The US has also arrested several associates and relatives of Shorty Guzman.

In May 2012, the US Treasury Department put two of his sons – Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Ovidio Guzman Lopez – on its blacklist of drugs kingpins.

Their assets were frozen and US nationals and companies were prevented from doing business with them.

Shorty Guzman’s father-in-law, Ines Coronel, was arrested nearly a year ago. He was accused of smuggling drugs into the US.

Joaquin Guzman was born in the town of Badiraguato, probably 56 years ago, and became an important figure in the drug cartels in the 1980s.

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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day 16, February 23

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day 16, February 23

Sochi Winter Games: Day 16, February 23

Medals to be won today: Bobsleigh (four-man), cross country skiing (men’s mass start), ice hockey (men’s gold).

Highlights include:

07:00 Cross country skiing – men’s mass start.

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014
Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

09:30 Bobsleigh – four-man third and fourth heats.

12:00 Ice hockey – men’s final.

16:00 Closing ceremony. The last action of the Sochi Olympic Games features speeches, the lowering of the Olympic flag and a ceremonial handing-over to Pyeongchang, South Korea, which will host the next Winter Games in 2018. However, Sochi’s Games are by no means over – the Winter Paralympics begin on March 7 and run until March 16.

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How many children does Bruce Jenner have?

Lisa.Felice
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How many children does Bruce Jenner have?

Former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner has six children from three marriages.

During his first marriage, to Chrystie Crownover, Bruce Jenner had two children, Burton William “Burt” and  Cassandra Lynn “Casey’.

Bruce Jenner was married to Chrystie Crownover from December 15, 1972 to January 2, 1981 during the height of his athletic career.

Burt Jenner was born on September 6, 1978) and Casey Jenner on June 10, 1980. Burt was named after Bruce Jenner’s younger brother who died in car accident.

During his second marriage, to Linda Thompson (1981 to 1985), Bruce Jenner had two sons, Brandon (born June 4, 1981) and Sam “Brody” (born August 21, 1983).

Bruce Jenner has six children from three marriages
Bruce Jenner has six children from three marriages

Brandon and Brody Jenner appeared in their own reality show The Princes of Malibu. Brody Jenner was also on the reality show The Hills.

Bruce Jenner married Kris Kardashian (née Houghton) on April 21, 1991 after five months of dating. He has two girls with Kris: Kendall Nicole Jenner (born November 3, 1995) and Kylie Kristen Jenner (August 10, 1997.)

He also became a stepfather for Kris’ children from her previous marriage to the late lawyer Robert Kardashian: Kourtney Mary Kardashian (born April 18, 1979,) Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980,) Khloé Alexandra Kardashian (born June 27, 1984,) and Robert Arthur Kardashian Jr. (born March 17, 1987.)

Bruce and Kris Jenner announced their separation in October 2013, though they had actually separated a year earlier.

Yulia Tymoshenko arrives in Kiev’s Independence Square

Diane A. Wade
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Yulia Tymoshenko arrives in Kiev’s Independence Square

Yulia Tymoshenko has arrived in Kiev’s Independence Square to cheers of thousands, hours after being freed from jail.

The former Ukrainian prime minister is addressing the crowds there from her wheelchair.

Just hours earlier, Yulia Tymoshenko was freed following a vote by parliament on Friday demanding her release.

Yulia Tymoshenko has arrived in Kiev’s Independence Square to cheers of thousands, hours after being freed from jail
Yulia Tymoshenko has arrived in Kiev’s Independence Square to cheers of thousands, hours after being freed from jail

Speaking after President Viktor Yanukovych had left the capital Kiev, Yulia Tymoshenko said a “dictatorship has fallen”.

Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in jail in 2011 after a controversial verdict on her actions as prime minister.

She left the hospital in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where she had been held under prison guard, and flew to Kiev.

Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists at Kiev airport that those behind violence “must be punished”, the Interfax agency reports.

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Jennifer Lopez to star in NBC’s drama Shades of Blue

Lisa.Felice
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Jennifer Lopez to star in NBC’s drama Shades of Blue

Jennifer Lopez is set to star in NBC’s drama Shades of Blue, which has received a 13-episode order from the network.

Jennifer Lopez is set to star in NBC’s drama Shades of Blue
Jennifer Lopez is set to star in NBC’s drama Shades of Blue

Jennifer Lopez will play Harlee McCord, a single mother and detective recruited to work undercover for the FBI’s anti-corruption task force. Part of a close-knit unit known for its conviction record, Harlee McCord has become compromised by her colleagues – all of whom also pitch in to help her raise her daughter – and finds herself faced with the moral dilemma of working against her cop brothers in order to redeem herself.

The series will be written by Adi Hasak, who executive produces with Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina. Shades of Blue production is planned to begin in 2015 and the series will air in the 2015-16 season.

Danica Patrick would agree to race Richard Petty

Clyde K. Valle
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Danica Patrick would agree to race Richard Petty

After NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Danica Patrick was asked whether she would, in fact, agree to race Richard Petty, something her car owner Tony Stewart suggested.

Richard Petty made critical comments about Danica Patrick’s driving during a recent autograph session in Canada.

He also told Fox News on Friday: “I’m 76 years old, OK?”

“It’s been 25 years since I’ve been in a race car. But I’ll take that challenge.”

Richard Petty is an outspoken critic of Danica Patrick
Richard Petty is an outspoken critic of Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick’s response was: “All right.”

“I think Tony said he was getting the cars ready, right? At the end of the day, I think the most important thing is my team owner, Tony Stewart, believes in me. That’s the most important thing.”

Danica Patrick then was asked if the race with Richard Petty could take place on a racing simulator.

“No,” she said, and with that her press conference ended.

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Viktor Yanukovych describes Kiev events as coup in TV address

Diane A. Wade
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Viktor Yanukovych describes Kiev events as coup in TV address

In an address televised before Ukraine’s parliament vote to impeach him, Viktor Yanukovych described events in Kiev as a “coup”.

Viktor Yanukovych insisted he was the “lawfully elected president” and compared the actions of the opposition to the rise to power of the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

In his address Viktor Yanukovych also called a raft of votes in Ukraine’s parliament on Friday “illegitimate”, claiming that lawmakers had been “beaten, pelted with stones and intimidated”.

However, he did admit that that some had left his Party of the Regions, calling them “traitors”.

President Viktor Yanukovych also said his ally, parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Rybak, was forced to resign because he had been physically beaten.

He added that both Volodymyr Rybak’s car and his own had been fired at.

In an address televised before Ukraine’s parliament vote to impeach him, Viktor Yanukovych described events in Kiev as a coup
In an address televised before Ukraine’s parliament vote to impeach him, Viktor Yanukovych described events in Kiev as a coup

Volodymyr Rybak resigned on Saturday morning citing ill health and was replaced by Oleksandr Turchynov, a Yulia Tymoshenko ally.

Another Yulia Tymoshenko ally, Arsen Avakov, was appointed interim interior minister, replacing Vitaly Zakharchenko, who was sacked on Friday after being blamed for the deaths of civilians in last week’s crackdown on protests.

Before Saturday’s vote to oust Viktor Yanukovych, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Ukrainian opposition of being led by “armed extremists and pogromists” whose actions were a threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty and constitutional order.

Also before the vote, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski – one of three EU ministers that mediated between the two sides this week – tweeted that there had been “no coup in Kiev”.

Radoslaw Sikorski, along with the German and French foreign ministers, presided over talks that led to a pact on Friday between Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders which now seems to have been overtaken by events.

The deal followed several days of violence in which dozens of people died in a police crackdown on months of protest. It called for the restoration of the 2004 constitution and the formation of a national unity government.

The agreement failed to end the protests overnight with huge crowds remaining in the Maidan calling for Viktor Yanukovych’s resignation.

Ukraine’s parliament votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych

Diane A. Wade
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Ukraine’s parliament votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych

Ukraine’s parliament has voted to oust President Viktor Yanukovych and hold early presidential elections on May 25.

The vote came after the opposition seized several official buildings in the capital Kiev and parliament appointed high-level officials.

Viktor Yanukovych described events as a “coup” and vowed not to stand down.

Also on Saturday afternoon, prominent opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko was released from detention, hours after parliament authorized the move.

Correspondents say Yulia Tymoshenko was driven away in a car after leaving a hospital in the eastern city of Kharkiv where she was being held under prison guard.

Yulia Tymoshenko is now reported to be heading to Kiev’s Independence Square – also called the Maidan – which has been the focal point of anti-government protests.

Lawmakers had voted to pave the way for Yulia Tymoshenko’s release on Friday. She was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011 after being convicted of abuse of power over her actions during her tenure as prime minister.

Ukraine’s parliament has voted to oust President Viktor Yanukovych and hold early presidential elections on May 25
Ukraine’s parliament has voted to oust President Viktor Yanukovych and hold early presidential elections on May 25

Yulia Tymoshenko’s supporters have always maintained this was simply Viktor Yanukovych taking out his most prominent opponent, and her release has always been a key demand of the protest movement.

The opposition is now in effective control of the capital Kiev, with Viktor Yanukovych arriving in Kharkiv, near the Russian border, late on Friday night.

The Interfax news agency reported parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov as saying Viktor Yanukovych had been stopped by border police in an attempt to flee to Russia and was now somewhere in the Donetsk region.

Earlier on Saturday, protesters walked unchallenged into the president’s office and residential compounds.

Ukraine’s army released a statement on Saturday afternoon saying it would not get “involved in the domestic political conflict”.

The vote to “remove Viktor Yanukovych from the post of president of Ukraine” was passed by 328 MPs.

Such ballots, passed by what is called constitutional majority, are binding and enter into force with immediate effect.

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