According to new reports, Paul McCartney used to dye his own hair with drugstore box coloring before ex-wife Heather Mills forced him to go to a high-end salon.
TheNew York Daily News revealed the exclusive hair salon in Manhattan has fallen out with Paul McCartney over its secret formula for his hair dye.
Paul McCartney, 71, started visiting Guy Thomas in New York in 2004 after his then-wife Heather Mills allegedly criticized his hairdo.
Paul McCartney used to dye his own hair with drugstore box coloring
Guy Thomas said Paul McCartney liked to save paying salon prices of at least $200 by dying his hair himself with a product from a chemist but Heather Mills was worried as “people were making fun of the color”.
The stylist started cutting Paul McCartney’s hair but claimed he was later asked for the formula for a special hair dye developed for the rock legend – who started going elsewhere.
Guy Thomas told the New York Daily News: “The color is a mess. People ask us, <<Is that your work?>>”
Curitiba will remain a venue for this year’s World Cup in Brazil but world governing body FIFA said progress must continue at the “highest pace”.
The Arena da Baixada in the south of the country was one of six venues to miss an initial December 31 deadline.
Organizers brought in hundreds of extra workers to meet building requirements and avoid being the first ground to be dropped from a World Cup.
The 40,000 stadium will stage four group matches at the tournament.
Last month FIFA warned that Curitiba could be excluded unless work speeded up, with secretary-general Jerome Valcke commenting that operations were seriously behind schedule.
The Arena da Baixada in Curitiba was one of six World Cup venues to miss an initial December 31 deadline
However, after financial guarantees for the improvement works were provided, the home of Brazilian top-flight club Atletico Paranaense was cleared to continue.
Jerome Valcke said: “It is essential that the works are maintained at the required levels and that a collective effort by all the stakeholders involved in Curitiba continues.
“It is a race against a very tight timeline and will require regular monitoring, but we are counting on the commitment made by Atletico Paranaense, the city and the state of Curitiba.”
At least 1,500 workers are now expected on site, and is it hoped the stadium will be completed by mid-May.
Ricardo Trade, chief executive of the local organizing committee, said: “There is still a lot to be done but we have always been confident that Curitiba will deliver.
“The necessary measures to finish the stadium in time for proper testing are implemented, but close monitoring is key because we have no time to lose.
“Soon it will be time to look forward and plan for the test events and finish operational details for the competition.”
Devo guitarist Bob Casale died from health complications which led to heart failure, according to his brother Gerald.
Bob Casale passed away on Monday at the age of 61.
Devo guitarist Bob Casale died from health complications which led to heart failure
A post on Devo’s Facebook page from Gerald Casale reads: “As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.”
Bob and Gerald Casale formed Devo in the early 1970s with brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Alan Myers.
Venezuela’s protest leader Leopoldo Lopez has handed himself over to the National Guard, witnesses say.
It comes as pro- and anti-government protesters take part in rival rallies in the capital, Caracas.
Leopoldo Lopez, who is wanted on charges of inciting violence, had said he would lead the anti-government march before handing himself in to the authorities.
Tensions have been running high in the deeply polarized country; at least three people have died in clashes.
The three – two anti-government protesters and one government supporter – died of bullet wounds sustained during demonstrations last Wednesday.
Participants in a protest in the eastern city of Carupano said another student was killed when he was run over by a car during a march on Monday night.
Leopoldo Lopez got into an armored vehicle after giving a speech to an opposition rally in Caracas to give himself in on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Ahead of the rallies, Caracas Mayor Jorge Rodriguez warned that he had not authorized Tuesday’s opposition march.
Venezuela’s protest leader Leopoldo Lopez has handed himself over to the National Guard
Police and members of the National Guard are out in force. Opposition activists have accused them of trying to prevent them from attending the anti-government rally.
The anti-government demonstration was called by Leopoldo Lopez, leader of the opposition Popular Will party and former mayor of Chacao district in eastern Caracas.
Earlier, Leopoldo Lopez urged his supporters to join the march but asked them to stop short of the Interior Ministry, which is located in a pro-government area of Caracas and where he was planning to hand in a petition.
“I will walk alone. I won’t put any Venezuelan lives at risk. Go Venezuela!” he wrote on Twitter.
In a video statement released on Sunday, Leopoldo Lopez said he had not committed any crime and insisted allegations that he had incited violence were untrue.
Leopoldo Lopez also promised to hand himself in at the end of Tuesday’s march.
“If there is a decision to legally throw me in jail, I’ll submit myself to this persecution,” he said.
Thousands of people have gathered in the east of Caracas in support of Leopoldo Lopez.
He had been expected to join the march and lead it towards the Interior Ministry.
The US state department earlier denied that it was helping to organize the anti-government protests.
“The allegation that the United States is helping to organize protesters in Venezuela is baseless and false,” spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.
The statement came a day after Venezuela announced it would expel three US diplomats for allegedly meeting students who had been leading marches.
Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were arrested on Monday near the Winter Olympics resort of Sochi, have been released.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were being held on suspicion of theft.
They were convicted of hooliganism over a protest song against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s largest cathedral.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova staged the protest along with other band members and were only released from jail in December.
The two band members and two other women emerged from the police station in Sochi wearing their trademark ski masks after their brief detention.
The group of women then ran down the street outside the police station singing: “Putin will teach you to live the motherland” – a new song which correspondents say sarcastically lampoons the president’s leadership.
Pussy Riot members and two other women emerged from the police station in Sochi wearing their trademark ski masks after their brief detention
“Now there is an occupation of this territory, because the city is under total police and security control,” Nadezhda Tolokonnikova told reporters.
“We have arrived here on Sunday [and] we are being detained all the time. Even when we were driving our car and walking in the street. So they are looking for any reasons to arrest us.”
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said they were detained for 10 hours by police on Monday after arriving “to make a political claim about the Sochi Olympics”.
“There is no space for political protest here,” she said.
“If you want to say something critical you will be detained.”
Maria Alyokhina said that the pair were going to release a new song and prepare a video “on the basis of what has happened to us during this day-and-a-half”.
Earlier this month, six members of Pussy Riot signed an open letter insisting that Maria Alyokhina and Nadezdha Tolokonnikova should no longer be described as members of the punk rock collective.
Duck Dynasty’s Jessica Robertson will be a special guest at the Southern Women’s Show in Savannah.
The show on February 21-23 and will feature more than 200 exhibitors from all areas of food, fashion, health and beauty.
Jessica Robertson will be a special guest at the Southern Women’s Show in Savannah
At 1 p.m. on February 22, Jessica Robertson will share stories about life in Louisiana and the importance of family and faith, which are core values of Duck Dynasty reality show.
Jessica Robertson is the wife of Jeptha “Jep” Robertson, the youngest Robertson son.
Pete Wentz has confirmed reports that his model girlfriend Meagan Camper is pregnant.
The Fall Out Boy bassist uploaded a photo of himself and Meagan Camper kissing on his Instagram page on Monday, and then posted a tweet revealing the happy news.
Pete Wentz wrote: “We’re super excited to announce we’re expecting a baby!”
The new baby will be Pete Wentz’s second child.
Pete Wentz has confirmed reports that his model girlfriend Meagan Camper is pregnant
Pete Wentz first became a father when he was married to Ashlee Simpson in 2008. Bronx Mowgli Wentz is now 5 years old.
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz split in 2011 and he went on to date model Meagan Camper later that year.
Pete Wentz and Meagan Camper’s baby news emerges one month after Ashlee Simpson announced plans to wed her boyfriend Evan Ross, the son of soul icon Diana Ross.
David Crosby has reportedly undergone heart surgery after his doctor discovered a blocked artery.
The cardiac catheterization procedure took place last week and rock legend David Crosby, 72, is expected to make a full recovery, but he has been forced to postpone a string of upcoming California shows to concentrate on his health.
David Crosby has reportedly undergone heart surgery after his doctor discovered a blocked artery
David Crosby says: “I am very glad that I listened to my doctors and my family. It seems I am once again a very lucky man. I’m sorry to have to move the dates, but I promise the music will be good when we do play them.”
Crosby, Stills & Nash’s upcoming tour, which is scheduled to begin early next month, is expected to continue as planned.
Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has signed a two-month contract with Spanish basketball club Baskonia, the club said on Tuesday.
Lamar Odom, 34, an NBA free agent who hasn’t played since finishing out last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, is filling a roster spot that opened up because of injury. Baskonia said the deal includes an option to extend the contract until the close of the season.
The two-time NBA champion with the Lakers who has also played for the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, was expected in the Basque capital of Vitoria this week, and could make his debut on Saturday against Valladolid.
Lamar Odom has signed a two-month contract with Spanish basketball club Baskonia
Baskonia was ninth in the 18-team Spanish league and last in its Euroleague group, with a match against fellow Spanish club Barcelona on Thursday.
Lamar Odom averaged a career-low 4.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 88 NBA games last season with the Clippers.
Lamar Odom was arrested for DUI last summer before getting divorced from wife Khloe Kardashian in December.
Images of McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked online ahead of a planned unveiling for the supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.
Created in response to customer demand for an edgier version of the McLaren MP4-12C offering greater levels of driver engagement, the 650S runs a more heavily tuned version of McLaren’s twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 direct-injection engine producing a claimed 25 hp more than the variant used by standard sibling for a total of 641 hp (as its name suggests 650 ps – metric hp).
Images of McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked online ahead of a planned unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show
The MP4-12C 650S’s official public unveiling will be in Switzerland in early March, although information passed on to prospective customers at a private presentation of the new two-seater held last week suggest it is also in line to receive a series of modifications to its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics.
Along with the various mechanical and aerodynamic changes, the MP4-12C 650S is also claimed to adopt a lightened carbon fiber body and other weight-saving measures, including carbon fiber seats from McLaren’s recently launched gas-electric hybrid powered flagship supercar, the P1.
The 650S is distinguished from its standard MP4-12C by a new front bumper resembling that of the P1 together with various other exterior styling changes.
Veteran actress Mary Grace Canfield, who played handywoman Ralph Monroe on Green Acres TV show, has died at the age of 89.
Mary Grace Canfield’s daughter, Phoebe Alexiades, says the actress died of lung cancer on Saturday at a hospice in the California coastal town of Santa Barbara.
She was best known for her role of Ralph Monroe in some 40 episodes of Green Acres which ran from 1965 to 1971.
Mary Grace Canfield played handywoman Ralph Monroe on Green Acres TV show
Ralph Monroe greeted folks in the town of Hootersville with a cheery “howdy doody,” wore painters’ overalls and was forever working on the Douglas family’s bedroom with her brother, Alf.
Mary Grace Canfield had appearances on a number of TV shows during a four-decade career, including General Hospital and The Hathaways.
Jimmy Fallon was welcomed on the set of The Tonight Show by a host of top stars, including Robert De Niro, Mike Tyson and Lady Gaga.
Jimmy Fallon took the reins of The Tonight Show at the NBC studio on Monday.
Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan, Joan Rivers, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joe Namath and Stephen Colbert also made surprise appearances on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show debut.
The slew of unannounced walk-ons followed Jimmy Fallon’s remark that someone owed him $100 after betting he would never host The Tonight Show, at which point Robert De Niro and others strode on stage one after another, each plunking bills onto his desk until finally Stephen Colbert showered him with a bucket of pennies.
Jimmy Fallon was welcomed on the set of The Tonight Show by a host of top stars, including Robert De Niro, Mike Tyson and Lady Gaga
“I’m Jimmy Fallon and I’ll be your host – for now,” Jimmy Fallon told the audience in the new multi-million dollar studio where such beloved Tonight veterans Johnny Carson and Jack Paar once presided.
Jimmy Fallon also paid tribute to the show’s previous hosts by name, including the long-serving Jay Leno.
The Tonight Show first aired on NBC in 1954 from New York with host Steve Allen.
Jack Paar hosted the show from 1957 until Johnny Carson took over in 1962, and reigned for 30 years, before departing in 1992. Johnny Carson moved the show to southern California in 1972.
First Lady Michelle Obama is among the guests scheduled for this week, along with Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake. Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig and Lady Gaga will appear on Tuesday.
Son of God producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey came under fire last year because Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, who stars as Satan in the film, bears a striking resemblance to President Barack Obama.
The producers said at the time that the casting controversy was unintentional and merely coincidental.
Son of God is a reshaped version of last year’s hit History Channel miniseries The Bible.
Son of God producers came under fire last year because Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni, who stars as Satan in the film, bears a striking resemblance to President Barack Obama
“Someone made a comment that the actor who played the devil vaguely resembled our president, and suddenly the media went nuts,” Roma Downey said in a statement Monday.
“The next day, when I was sure everyone would only be talking about Jesus, they were talking about Satan instead. For our movie, <<Son of God>>, I wanted all of the focus to be on Jesus. I want his name to be on the lips of everyone who sees this movie, so we cast Satan out. It gives me great pleasure to tell you that the devil is on the cutting room floor.”
20th Century Fox will release Son of God on February 28. The 10-hour miniseries has been pared down to two hours, which meant sacrificing Satan’s scenes to focus on Jesus.
Former Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova say they have been arrested in the Russian resort of Sochi where the Winter Olympics are being held.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were freed from jail in December, said they had been detained in the centre of the town on suspicion of a criminal offence.
Former Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova say they have been arrested in Sochi
They spent two years in prison for a protest song in a Moscow cathedral.
The town of Sochi is some distance from where the Games are taking place.
Thousands of Ukrainian protesters have clashed with police in central Kiev amid tensions over proposed changes to the constitution.
Protesters attacked the ruling-party headquarters and tried to march on parliament, reports said.
Tumultuous scenes have also been reported inside parliament where opposition lawmakers are pushing for a vote on replacing the constitution.
The move is aimed at curbing President Viktor Yanukovych’s powers.
The opposition has repeatedly warned that failure to act will further inflame mass anti-government protests.
Ukraine’s unrest began in November, when Viktor Yanukovych backed away from an association and free trade deal with the European Union, and instead agreed to a loan from Russia.
Moscow wants Ukraine to join the Russia-led customs union, where Belarus and Kazakhstan are also members.
Thousands of Ukrainian protesters have clashed with police in central Kiev amid tensions over proposed changes to the constitution
Both the EU and Russia have accused each other of interfering in Ukraine’s affairs.
Tens of thousands of protesters trying to march on the parliament building have been blocked by lines of police vehicles, according to reports from Kiev.
Some are ripping up cobblestones to throw at police, and others are throwing smoke bombs, while police are responding with stun and smoke grenades and rubber bullets.
Protesters also attacked the headquarters of President Viktor Yanukovych’s ruling party.
Several people have been injured, both protesters and police officers, local media reported.
Inside parliament, reported Interfax-Ukraine news agency, about 50 opposition lawmakers blocked the parliamentary rostrum in protest after parliamentary staff refused to register their resolution on reinstating the 2004 constitution.
The opposition has been pushing for weeks for a return to the 2004 constitution, which would mean President Yanukovych losing some of the powers he has gained since his election in 2010.
The changes would mean that parliament – not the president – would appoint the prime minister and most cabinet members, as well as regional governors.
The move could also lead to snap presidential elections – a key demand of the opposition.
Actor and theatre producer Christopher Malcolm, whose roles included the original Brad Majors in the Rocky Horror Show, has died at the age of 67.
Christopher Malcolm’s death was confirmed by his daughter Morgan Lloyd Malcolm on Twitter.
She wrote: “Today the world lost a beautiful, brilliant man.”
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm added her father “left peacefully and with dignity”.
Christopher Malcolm starred in films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Labyrinth and Highlander
“He will always be my hero,” she wrote.
Christopher Malcolm starred in films such as The Empire Strikes Back, Labyrinth and Highlander.
Having played Brad Majors in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show in 1974 and co-produced the 1990 West End revival, Christopher Malcolm then took charge of producing all productions of Richard O’Brien’s much-loved musical around the world.
At least three people died and dozens injured in violence that erupted as Thai police began clearing protest sites in Bangkok.
Police are trying to retake official sites that have been blocked by demonstrators since late last year.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s anti-corruption body said it would file charges against PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a controversial rice subsidy scheme.
Thailand has been embroiled in anti-government protests since November.
Demonstrators have occupied official sites over the past few months, calling on the government to step down. The government has announced that it wants to retake all the besieged buildings this week.
The prime minister’s office, Government House, has been a focal point for the demonstrators. Thousands gathered outside the building on Monday, cementing the gates shut in a bid to stop officials returning to work.
Early on Tuesday, police started negotiations with the protesters, who over the past few days have come in large numbers to defend protest areas.
Violence then erupted near Democracy Monument in central Bangkok. One police officer and two protesters were shot dead, the Erawan emergency medical services said.
There are also reports of police being injured by grenade attacks and shrapnel from bomb blasts, while police also opened fire on demonstrators.
Clashes erupted in central Bangkok on Tuesday with several protesters and police officers injured
The Erawan centre said that around 60 people were injured, although it did not report the breakdown between police and protesters.
Elsewhere, police reclaimed the besieged Ministry of Energy, with around 100 protesters arrested.
Until now, police had been reluctant to use force against the protesters. They have previously allowed demonstrators to enter government buildings in a bid to defuse tensions.
Also on Tuesday, Thailand’s official anti-corruption commission said it would file charges against Yingluck Shinawatra over the rice subsidy scheme.
It began investigating Yingluck Shinawatra in January for possible negligence of duty over the scheme, which saw the government buying farmers’ crops for the past two years at prices up to 50% higher than world prices.
The scheme was popular with farmers, but critics say it is too expensive and vulnerable to corruption.
Yingluck Shinawatra leads a government that won elections in 2011 with broad support from rural areas.
The anti-government protesters want her to step down, and her government to be replaced by an unelected “people’s council” to reform the political system.
They allege that money politics have corrupted Thailand’s democracy and that Yingluck Shinawatra is controlled by her brother, ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
Earlier on Tuesday, protest leader and former opposition politician Suthep Thaugsuban said in an address to police: “We are not fighting to get power for ourselves.”
“The reforms we will set in motion will benefit your children and grandchildren, too. The only enemy of the people is the Thaksin regime.”
In response to the protests, Yingluck Shinawatra called snap elections on February 2, which her government was widely expected to win.
However, the polls were boycotted by the opposition, and voting was disrupted by protesters at around 10% of polling stations, meaning by-elections are needed before a government can be formed.
Florida artist Maximo Caminero is facing criminal charges after deliberately dropping a million dollar vase by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in an apparent protest.
Maximo Caminero, 51, was charged with criminal mischief after breaking the $1 million vase on Sunday in Miami.
Police say Maximo Caminero told them he broke the art work in protest at the Perez Art Museum Miami’s failure to exhibit work by local artists.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said he did not support artists destroying other artists’ work.
Ai Weiwei – who was detained in 2011 by China during a crackdown on dissent, and whose relationship with the Chinese authorities remains deeply antagonistic – pointed out that his own work is never shown in China.
The Perez Art Museum is holding an exhibition of Ai Weiwei’s work until mid-March. It includes an artwork, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn, depicting Ai Weiwei smashing an ancient Chinese vase.
A security guard told police officers that Maximo Caminero picked up a colored vase that was part of a floor installation, and when told to put it down, smashed it on the floor, according to a police affidavit.
Maximo Caminero said he broke the vase inspired by Ai Weiwei’s own art
Maximo Caminero said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday to explain the act. The artist told the Miami New Times that he did indeed destroy the vase in protest.
“I did it for all the local artists in Miami that have never been shown in museums here,” he told the newspaper.
“They have spent so many millions now on international artists.”
Maximo Caminero said he acted spontaneously, inspired by Ai Weiwei’s own art.
The vase he picked up is one of more than a dozen painted in bright colors. They are described by Ai Weiwei as originally made during China’s Han dynasty.
Behind the installation are a series of three black-and-white photos showing Ai Weiwei holding a vase and then letting it drop to the ground, where it smashes into pieces.
“I saw it as a provocation by Weiwei to join him in an act of performance protest,” Maximo Caminero told the New Times.
However, Ai Weiwei said that his own destruction of vases was “a little different”.
“The work I work on [does] not belong to a museum or other people’s property. I never tried to destroy a museum piece – those vases belong to me. He can drop whatever he likes to drop, but not other people’s property,” the artist told BBC in Beijing.
The artist said he could not comment on the choices made by the museum’s curator, and such choices did not justify the destruction of somebody else’s work.
Ai Weiwei pointed out: “I still don’t have a chance to show my work in China or Beijing. I never even think of going to a museum in Beijing to protest – if I [did], I would be punished.”
One person has been killed and 77 injured in violence that followed the escape of asylum seekers from an Australian offshore immigration detention center in Papua New Guinea.
The man died of head injuries on the way to hospital, Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said.
Thirteen people suffered serious injuries, including two who are being transferred to Australia for treatment, one with a gunshot wound.
He said the injuries occurred outside the camp, after the men broke out.
Australia sends asylum seekers arriving by boat for detention and processing in offshore camps in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific territory of Nauru.
Conditions in these camps have been strongly criticized by UN agencies and rights groups.
One person has been killed and 77 injured in violence that followed the escape of asylum seekers from an Australian offshore immigration detention center in Papua New Guinea
The violence took place late on Monday night.
The violence comes after some of the detainees briefly escaped from the detention centre on Sunday.
In recent months Australia has taken a very tough stance in a bid to halt the flow of asylum seekers, who arrive by boat via Indonesia.
Manus Island is one of two offshore processing camps in which asylum seekers are detained.
Australia has also initiated a policy – aimed as a deterrent – whereby those people found to be genuine refugees will be settled in Papua New Guinea rather than Australia.
Sunday’s break-out is reported to have taken place after detainees were told that they would not be resettled in Australia.
A long-awaited UN report urges the international community to act on evidence that crimes against humanity are being committed in North Korea.
A panel of experts mandated by the UN’s Human Rights Council said North Koreans had suffered “unspeakable atrocities”, and that those responsible, including leader Kim Jong-un, must face justice.
The panel heard evidence of torture, political repression and other crimes.
Pyongyang refused to co-operate with the report and rejects its conclusions.
The UN commission said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had failed to respond to an advance copy of the report, and a letter which warned him he could be held personally responsible for abuses.
Testimony given to the panel from defectors included an account of a woman forced to drown her own baby, children imprisoned from birth and starved, and families tortured for watching a foreign soap opera.
Michael Kirby, chairman of the independent Commission of Inquiry, said the report “calls for attention from the international community”.
“At the end of the Second World War so many people said <<if only we had known… if only we had known the wrongs that were done in the countries of the hostile forces>>,” Michael Kirby said at a news conference at UN headquarters in Geneva.
“Well, now the international community does know… There will be no excusing of failure of action because we didn’t know,” he said.
“Too many times in this building there are reports and no action. Well this is a time for action.”
Michael Kirby, chairman of the independent Commission of Inquiry, said the UN report on North Korea calls for attention from the international community
The report is one of the most detailed and devastating ever published by the United Nations.
The “gravity, scale and nature” of the allegations “reveal a State that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world”, it says.
The UN report reveals that in North Korea:
there is “an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”
“entrenched patterns of discrimination”, rooted in the state-assigned class system, affect every part of life
discrimination against women is “pervasive in all aspects of society”
the state “has used food as a means of control over the population” and deliberately blocked aid for ideological reasons, causing the deaths of “hundreds of thousands” of people
“hundreds of thousands of political prisoners” have died in “unspeakable atrocities” in prison camps in the past 50 years
security forces “systematically employ violence and punishments that amount to gross human rights violations in order to create a climate of fear”
“In many instances, the violations of human rights found by the commission constitute crimes against humanity,” says the report.
“These are not mere excesses of the state; they are essential components of a political system that has moved far from the ideals on which it claims to be founded.”
The UN “must ensure that those most responsible for the crimes against humanity” are held accountable, through a referral to the International Criminal Court, or a UN tribunal.
The United Nations should also adopt targeted sanctions “against those who appear to be most responsible for crimes against humanity”, says the report, and increase its monitoring of rights abuses in North Korea.
North Korea declined to participate in the panel’s investigation, and said it “categorically and totally rejects” the findings.
Its response came in a two-page statement sent to Reuters from its diplomatic mission in Geneva.
“The DPRK [North Korea] once again makes it clear that the <<human rights violations>> mentioned in the so-called <<report>> do not exist in our country.”
Michael Kirby said there was “a very good way to answer the many charges and complaints – and that is to allow the door to be opened” to the international community so they could see the situation for themselves.
Although this information has been in the public domain for years, the UN panel’s inquiry is the highest-profile international attempt to investigate the claims.
South Korea welcomed the report, saying it hoped it would “raise the international community’s awareness”, while the US said it “clearly and unequivocally documents the brutal reality” of the Pyongyang regime.
However China, North Korea’s only ally, said it would “not help resolve the human rights situation”.
The UN panel will formally present its findings next month, when the Human Rights Council will decide which recommendations to support.
However, it remains unclear what action will result. Correspondents say China would be likely to block any attempt to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court.
An ad-hoc tribunal, like those set up for Rwanda, Sierra Leone or Cambodia, would appear unlikely without co-operation from elements within the country.
Jason London and Sofia Karstens have split after almost three years of marriage.
Sofia Karstens filed for divorce on the first week of February, according to TMZ, and the couple has released a joint statement to the website, confirming the split.
Jason London and Sofia Karstens have split after almost three years of marriage
The release reads: “[We] love and respect each other… but feel the breakup is necessary to focus on some growth independently.”
Jason London, 41, was previously married to Charlie Spradling. Their divorce was finalized months before he wed Sofia Karstens in 2011.
Paris Hilton turns 33 today but she celebrated her birthday by throwing a huge party in LA over the weekend.
Paris Hilton marked her milestone in a bash at the Greystone Manor nightspot in Los Angeles on Saturday night, even playing a DJ set during the bash.
Paris Hilton marked her milestone in a bash at the Greystone Manor nightspot in Los Angeles
The hotel heiress was presented with a pink and gold tiered cake topped with her picture and she documented her party in a series of posts on her Twitter page.
Paris Hilton shared photos of her friends enjoying the fun and pictures of her pink-themed “Barbie” outfit, writing: “So much fun celebrating my birthday … with my girls … Yes, my dress was a lil revealing. But it’s my birthday & it’s a dress straight off the runway … Birthday Barbie … Such an amazing birthday party! Incredible memories! I [love] LA.”
