US bobsledder Johnny Quinn got stuck in a lift barely 48 hours after becoming trapped in his bathroom at the Olympic athletes’ village in Sochi.
Johnny Quinn tweeted a photo of himself trying to pry open the lift door, saying: “No one is going to believe this but we got stuck in an elevator.”
A US team spokesperson confirmed he eventually managed to get out.
Johnny Quinn made international headlines on the weekend when he was forced to smash through a jammed bathroom door.
The brakeman discovered he was unable to open the door after taking a shower on the opening day of the Winter Games.
Johnny Quinn made international headlines on the weekend when he was forced to smash through a jammed bathroom door
“With no phone to call for help, I used my bobsled push training to break out,” Johnny Quinn tweeted.
Johnny Quinn spent Monday morning talking to journalists to explain how he had managed to burst through the bathroom door.
A few hours later, he then became stuck with two teammates in a lift before dinner.
It is not yet clear how they were able to escape.
The Sochi Games have had various problems with the provision and build quality of accommodation for athletes and journalists attending the Olympics.
Reporters arriving in Sochi over recent weeks have documented unusual “twin” toilet installations, unfinished hotels and problems with water and electricity supply.
Nathan Fielder has been revealed as the owner of parody coffee shop “Dumb Starbucks” in Los Angeles.
Nathan Fielder appeared in person at the store to make the announcement, where he said there are plans to open a second outlet in Brooklyn, New York.
There had been widespread speculation that the store, which uses Starbuck’s trademarks, was a publicity stunt.
Starbucks said they were aware of the store but denied any affiliation.
“We are evaluating next steps and while we appreciate the humor, they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark,” a Starbucks spokesperson said in a statement.
“Dumb Starbucks” opened in a shopping centre on Friday and started giving away free drinks, generating long queues of people.
The decoration of the “Dumb Starbucks” is very similar to that of a real Starbucks.
Nathan Fielder has been revealed as the owner of parody coffee shop “Dumb Starbucks” in Los Angeles
The store front has the same green awning and round mermaid logo as Starbucks’ coffee shops – except the work “Dumb” is placed in large letters above the word Starbucks.
The wall menu inside the pop-up store offered coffee that ranged from “horrible” to “bitter”, as well as products called “dumb iced coffee” and “dumb white chocolate mocha.”
The drinks were served in a white paper cup with a sticker of the Starbucks logo with the word “dumb” added to it.
None of the patrons were charged for their drinks, although there was a tip jar.
The “Dumb Starbucks” coffee shop has also set up its own Facebook page and Twitter handle, which has accumulated more than 8,000 followers.
On the micro-blogging website, it tweeted that “the owner of Dumb Starbucks will be making an in person announcement at our store (1802 Hillhurst Ave) today at 4pm. All are welcome!”.
At the designated time, a YouTube video was posted on the “Dumb Starbucks” Twitter account, revealing Nathan Fielder as the owner.
Nathan Fielder is best known for his work on network Comedy Central and for encouraging fans to pull pranks.
While many have dismissed the store as a publicity stunt, experts say the people behind the “Dumb Starbucks” could potentially face legal action over copyright infringement.
However, in the “Dumb Starbucks” store, the owners posted a statement at the counter stating that the store is protected by “parody law”.
“By adding the word <<dumb>>, we are technically <<making fun>> of Starbucks, which allows us to use their trademarks under a law known as <<fair use>>,” the statement said.
“In the eyes of the law, our <<coffee shop>> is actually an art gallery and the <<coffee>> you’re buying is considered art. But that’s for our lawyers to worry about.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to lift the ban on India’s Olympic Association (IOA), allowing the country to return to the Olympic fold, officials say.
The IOC suspended India for electing officials accused of corruption in 2012, in breach of the Olympic charter.
But on Sunday the IOA conducted fresh elections which were seen as fair.
The IOC has lifted the ban on IOA, allowing India to return to the Olympic fold
Indian athletes have been competing at the Sochi Winter Games under the IOC flag but can now do so under their own.
“The decision means Indian athletes can compete for their national Olympic committee. They can walk behind their national flag at the closing ceremony,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
“The Indian flag will be raised in the [Sochi Winter Games] village, at a time to be announced,” Mark Adams added.
Explosive secret documents have revealed that Hillary Clinton claimed that President Bill Clinton didn’t have a relationship of “any real meaning” with Monica Lewinsky and the former White House intern was a “narcissistic loony toon”.
Hillary Clinton made the frank remarks to her best friend in 1998 as the American public reeled from Monica Lewinsky’s claims of nine meetings with the president in the Oval Office.
Days after the news of the affair broke, Hillary Clinton stood stone-faced beside the president as he vehemently denied any such liaisons took place at a press conference.
Hillary Clinton claimed that President Bill Clinton didn’t have a relationship of “any real meaning” with Monica Lewinsky
Hillary Clinton later wrote in her autobiography that in reality she felt “dumbfounded, heartbroken and outraged” at finding out her husband had lied to her and the public – an act that ultimately led to his impeachment in later that year.
The documents can now be revealed that Hillary Clinton told best friend Diane Blair that Bill Clinton was driven to infidelity in part by his political adversaries, the loneliness of the presidency, and her own failures as a wife.
The revelations come in a collection of letters and notes by adviser Diane Blair, a political science professor Hillary Clinton described as her “closest friend” before Blair’s death in 2000.
The letters have only come to light today after the Washington Free Beacon published them.
The archive includes correspondence, diaries, interviews, strategy memos, and contemporaneous accounts of conversations with the Clintons ranging from the mid-1970s to the turn of the millennium.
Preheat an oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Beat the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and egg whites together on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes, until smooth. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with white batter; set aside.
Stir 4 drops of red food coloring into the remaining bowl of batter to make the batter pink, stir in the raspberry oil. Pour 1/3 of pink batter into a resealable plastic bag and set aside.
Mix more food coloring into the remaining bowl of pink batter until it is an orange/red color and pour the batter into a resealable plastic bag. Cut a corner off the bag, stick the open tip into the center of each cup of white batter and squeeze in about two tablespoons of red batter.
Cut the corner off the bag with the pink batter, stick the open tip into the center of the red batter and squeeze about 1 tablespoon pink batter into each cup.
Bake the layered cupcakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
The EU has agreed to open negotiations with Cuba aimed at restoring full bilateral relations with the Communist-run island.
The talks, which could begin as soon as next month, will try to increase trade and investment, and include a dialogue on human rights, officials said.
Since 1996, the EU has restricted its ties with Cuba to encourage multi-party democracy and progress on human rights.
The bloc is Cuba’s second-biggest trading partner after Venezuela.
It represents a major source of investment, and hundreds of thousands of European tourists visit the island every year.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton stressed that human rights remained “at the core” of its dealings with Cuba.
“These negotiations will help consolidate our engagement with Cuba,” Catherine Ashton said.
Since 1996, the EU has restricted its ties with Cuba to encourage multi-party democracy and progress on human rights
“I hope Cuba will take up this offer.”
The announcement comes with Cuba engaged in an economic and social reform process launched by President Raul Castro.
The EU ambassador to Havana, Herman Portocarero, said the aim was to support and accompany “change on the island” while also promoting human rights.
A legal bilateral relationship would bring “more opportunities”, he added.
The move indicates the most important diplomatic shift since the EU lifted sanctions against Cuba in 2008.
It follows the visit by Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans to Cuba in January. During his trip, Frans Timmermans called on the EU to change its policy toward the island.
He said the best way to promote change was through dialogue, not isolation.
In 1996, the EU agreed on a set of rules governing its relations with Cuba, called the Common Position.
It states that the EU’s objective is “to encourage a process of transition to a pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people”.
Despite the policy, more than half of EU member states have bilateral agreements with Cuba.
Cuba has rejected the Common Position, arguing that it constitutes an interference in its internal affairs.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have been named joint top US philanthropists for 2013.
Facebook founder and his wife gained the accolade after a donation of 18 million Facebook shares to a Silicon Valley foundation.
The donation, worth more than $970 million, was the largest in the US in 2013.
The gift outstripped philanthropists such as Bill and Melinda Gates, the Chronicle of Philanthropy said.
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife made the $970 million donation to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a charity that manages and distributes charitable funds.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have been named joint top US philanthropists for 2013
The shares have helped to make the foundation one of the largest in the US, the Chronicle of Philanthropy said.
Over the past two years, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have donated about 36 million Facebook shares to the foundation.
Funds have broadly been distributed to education and health, with $5 million being distributed to a health clinic in East Palo Alto, for example.
Philanthropists who have previously headed the list, such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, have been making good on previous years’ pledges.
Bill and Melinda Gates gave their foundation slightly more than $181.3 million last year, and continue to honor a pledge of about $3.3 billion they made in 2004.
Honey Boo Boo’s mother June Shannon revealed her daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” was back in hospital this week with further complications stemming from the family’s car accident in January.
Mama June shared the news on Facebook early this morning explaining that the family was driving back home after dinner when Pumpkin, 14, got headaches, then felt nauseous and passed out several times.
She wrote: “Well we r back at the hospital with pumpkin with complication s from the car wreck that was 6 wks…we have a time with good days and a lot of bad days lately and tonight was very scary for me as a mom as we was driving down the highway after dinner pumpkin was in the back having a bad headache like she has had for the past 6 wk then the shooting pains starting got nausea but that’s been normally happening over the 6 wks then all the sudden she was like I’m about to pass out then a few mins later she
June Shannon revealed her daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” was back in hospital this week with further complications stemming from the family’s car accident
did was in and out as we rushed her to the hospital she has had a lot of test ran we r waiting on the results to see if we stay or go home this as a mom has been very scary with all this but I believe one day she will b better I just wish I had a special med they could give her to make her better as she is still very agitated and wanting to b better herself …I will tell I can’t tell y’all how many as a monk I wish this was happening to me cause its been a emotional rollcoaster for us all but we appreciate all the thoughts prayer and get wells y’all have posted y’all r awesome fans and we really appreciate and love all of y’all for loving our crazy family.”
Later in the day Mama June made another post letting fans know Pumpkin was out of the hospital, but not out of the woods: “Well just to let everyone know we r out of hospital pumpkin is still weak in a lot of pain but resting going to doc tomorrow to figure out a new plan with all this we want to thanks everyone for the thoughts prayers text post on here it means a lot to us.”
Popular game for mobile devices Flappy Bird was removed from online stores on Sunday by its Vietnamese creator, who said its fame “ruins my simple life”.
Dong Nguyen, who created the game in just two to three days, was making as much as $50,000 a day from the game’s advertising revenue.
In several Twitter posts, he said the game’s removal was not due to legal issues and that he may make a sequel.
Dong Nguyen, who describes himself as a “passionate indie game maker”, also said on the micro-blogging site that he will not sell Flappy Bird but that he will still make games.
Flappy Bird has been downloaded more than 50 million times, making it this year’s most popular mobile game so far.
Flappy Bird has been downloaded more than 50 million times, making it this year’s most popular mobile game so far
Launched in May 2013, the game was free to download and required players to tap the screen to keep the bird in flight.
Despite its simple graphics, Flappy Bird was a notoriously difficult game since many users could only keep the bird in the air for a few seconds before it hits an obstacle and falls.
The game went viral after being promoted almost entirely by social media users and was reviewed on a YouTube channel by more than 22 million subscribers.
Flappy Bird official version was only available for Apple and Android devices. It quickly became the number one free game in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store charts.
The 22nd Annual Movieguide Awards, held on February 7 at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, welcomed Duck Dynasty’s stars Willie and Korie Robertson into the fold.
The Movieguide Faith & Values Awards celebrates productions focusing on American patriotism, Christian beliefs and the traditional family.
“We’re excited to attend an awards show that honors and recognizes actors, directors, writers, producers and executives providing a positive message in film and programming,” Korie Robertson told FOX411.
“We are honored to present an award and to see Willie’s work recognized as a nominee.”
Gala founder Dr. Ted Baehr said the Movieguide Awards are equally as thrilled to have the Robertsons as guests and nominees.
Willie Robertson was honored with Grace Award – Television, Actor for Last Man Standing
“I think they were pretty beaten down by the media following Phil’s interview last year, and went through a period of extreme angst,” Ted Baehr said.
“But they’re so excited to be coming and they’re bringing the family.”
Duck Dynasty reality show was the winner of Faith & Freedom Award – Television for the episode Till Duck Do Us Part while Willie Robertson was honored with Grace Award – Television, Actor for Last Man Standing.
Willie and Korie Robertson together presented an award for the Best Family Movie.
The 22nd Annual Movieguide Faith &Values Awards airs March 1 and 2 on the Reelz Channel.
North Korea has decided to withdraw an invitation for US envoy Robert King to visit Pyongyang to discuss the release of American citizen Kenneth Bae who has been held in the Asian nation for more than a year, a State Department official said Sunday.
“We are deeply disappointed by the DPRK [North Korean] decision – for a second time – to rescind its invitation for Ambassador [Robert] King to travel to Pyongyang to discuss Kenneth Bae’s release,” State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.
North Korea has decided to withdraw an invitation for US envoy Robert King to visit Pyongyang to discuss the release of American citizen Kenneth Bae
“The DPRK announced publicly in May 2013 that it would not use the fate of Kenneth Bae as a political bargaining chip.”
Ambassador Robert King is the State Department’s special envoy for North Korean human rights issues.
Jennifer Psaki added that civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has volunteered to go to Pyongyang to try to free imprisoned Kenneth Bae.
A new study has found that women have a poorer quality of life after a stroke than men.
The US research, published in Neurology, assessed the mental and physical health of 1,370 patients three months and a year after a stroke.
Women had more depression and anxiety, pain and discomfort, and more restricted mobility.
The study also says more people survive a stroke now than 10 years ago because of improved treatment and prevention.
The researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina, looked at patients who had had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke.
Quality of life is calculated using a formula that assesses mobility, self-care, everyday activities, depression/anxiety and pain.
Women have a poorer quality of life after a stroke than men
At three months, women were more likely than men to report problems with mobility, pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, but the difference was greatest in those aged over 75.
After a year, women still had lower quality-of-life scores overall than men but the difference between them was smaller.
Prof. Cheryl Bushnell, who led the study, said: “We found that women had a worse quality of life than men up to 12 months following a stroke.”
She said mood, ability to move about, and having pain or discomfort may contribute to the poorer quality of life for women.
Prof. Cheryl Bushnell suggested that women may have less muscle mass than men before their strokes, making it harder to recover.
She added: “As more people survive strokes, physicians and other healthcare providers should pay attention to quality-of-life issues and work to develop better interventions, even gender-specific screening tools, to improve these patients’ lives.”
The Swiss vote to bring back strict immigration quotas for Europeans draws criticism from France, Germany and Brussels.
France and Germany have voiced concern about Switzerland’s vote to bring back strict quotas for immigration from EU countries.
Final results showed 50.3% voted in favor. The vote invalidates the Swiss-EU agreement on freedom of movement.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the vote would cause “a host of difficulties for Switzerland”.
France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: “It will hurt Switzerland to be inward-looking.”
The initiative to hold the referendum was spearheaded by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), amid increasing debate across Europe about migration and the impact of free movement of people.
The Swiss vote to bring back strict immigration quotas for Europeans draws criticism from France, Germany and Brussels
Fiercely independent Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but has adopted large sections of EU policy.
The European Commission said it regretted the outcome of the vote and would examine its implications.
Freedom of movement is a key pillar of the EU single market – a market which accounts for more than half of Swiss exports.
The vote has shown up traditional divisions, with French-speaking areas against the quotas, German-speaking regions divided, and the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino firmly in favor.
In addition, cities with higher than average numbers of foreigners – Basel, Geneva and Zurich – voted against the quota proposal, while rural areas mostly voted for it.
Switzerland’s economy is booming at the moment, and unemployment is low, but many Swiss worry about immigration.
Last year 80,000 new immigrants arrived in Switzerland, and foreigners now make up 23% of the population. It is the continent’s second highest foreign population after Luxembourg.
In a statement, the European Commission said the Swiss vote “goes against the principle of free movement of persons between the EU and Switzerland”.
“The EU will examine the implications of this initiative on EU-Swiss relations as a whole,” the European Commission added.
At least 11 people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo and areas around the Japanese capital.
Flights were still backed up at Tokyo’s Haneda international airport on Monday and the lobby was packed with anxious travelers, with some flights overbooked.
As much as 10.6 inches of snow fell on Tokyo by late Saturday, the most in 45 years, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. Back streets in outlying neighborhoods remained choked with snow and frozen slush on Monday morning, forcing commuters in heavy boots to pick their way carefully to work.
Financial markets opened normally on Monday despite the heavy snowfall.
At least 11 people died, more than a thousand were injured and tens of thousands lost power when the worst snowstorm in decades hit Tokyo
Traffic accidents and falls claimed 11 lives across the nation, including one 78-year-old man in Ichikawa, just east of Tokyo. More than 1,000 were injured, among them a 69-year-old man in critical condition after slipping and striking his head at his front doorstep while shoveling snow.
Some 5,000 people were stuck at Narita international airport at the weekend when the snow cut transport links to downtown Tokyo.
More than 20,000 households were without electricity early on Sunday after the snow and high winds took down power lines.
Several universities delayed the start of their entrance exams. The snowy streets also may have discouraged voters from going to the polls on Sunday to choose a new Tokyo governor, with turnout rates hovering around 46%, the third lowest in history.
Toyota has decided to stop its car and engine production in Australia by the end of 2017, effectively marking the end of the country’s carmaking industry.
Toyota said it might scale down the operations of its development and technical centre in Australia as well.
Last year, Ford and General Motors’ Holden unit also announced plans to stop producing cars in Australia.
About 2,500 jobs are set to be lost as a result of Toyota’s decision, which it attributed to high manufacturing costs.
“We believed that we should continue producing vehicles in Australia, and Toyota and its workforce here made every effort,” said Toyota president Akio Toyoda.
“However, various negative factors such as an extremely competitive market and a strong Australian dollar, together with forecasts of a reduction in the total scale of vehicle production in Australia, have forced us to make this painful decision.”
Toyota, which first began making cars in Australia in 1963, said it “intends to provide the best support it can, including employment assistance” to those affected by the decision.
Vivek Vaidya, an automotive analyst at consultancy Frost & Sullivan, said he was not surprised by Toyota’s decision.
Toyota has decided to stop its car and engine production in Australia by the end of 2017
“Toyota was the last producer in Australia after exit of Mitsubishi, Ford and Holden,” he said.
“Labor cost in Australia is too high to be price competitive in production.”
Vivek Vaidya also said rival car-producing countries such as Thailand and the US were more attractive in terms of manufacturing costs.
Toyota’s decision comes despite appeals from Australian PM Tony Abbott, who has been looking to keep the carmaker operating in the country.
Car manufacturers have been pulling out of Australia as the rising cost of doing business in the country has hit profits.
Last May, Ford said it would close its car lines in Australia in October 2016 with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.
General Motors’ Holden unit has also announced plans to stop production in 2017, affecting nearly 3,000 jobs.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors sold its last Australian-made car in 2010.
Australia’s carmaking industry has traditionally received billions of dollars in subsidies from the government.
However, a national commission recently recommended that the financial support should be ended and that car companies should cut costs instead.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) called Toyota’s decision “devastating” and warned the move could cause an economic recession.
Last year, Toyota – the world’s top global car maker by sales – found itself in a dispute with Australian car plant workers over proposed changes to their contracts, in an attempt to reduce costs.
South Korea – US have annual military drills will take place from February 24 to April 18, despite anger from North Korea.
Pyongyang warned against the planned drills last week, calling them “exercises of war”.
Meanwhile, the US said it was disappointed that North Korea rescinded an invitation to a US envoy to discuss the release of jailed US citizen Kenneth Bae.
Kenneth Bae has been held in North Korea for more than a year.
In a statement on Monday, the joint Combined Forces Command (CFC) said that Key Resolve, a computer-based simulation, and Foal Eagle, which involves air, ground and naval drills, were both scheduled to begin on February 24.
“Key Resolve is a vital exercise to strengthen readiness of the Republic of Korea and US Alliance,” CFC commander Gen Curtis Scaparrotti said.
“The scenarios are realistic, enabling us to train on our essential tasks and respond to any crisis which may arise.”
South Korea – US have annual military drills will take place from February 24 to April 18, despite anger from North Korea
Last year, the exercises led to a prolonged surge in tensions, with North Korea threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes and cutting a military hotline with the South.
North Korea’s top military body threatened last week to cancel planned family reunions with the South if the joint military exercises went ahead.
The reunions are for family members separated when the Korean peninsula was partitioned at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. However, the North has been accused of using them as a bargaining chip.
South Korean defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said on Monday: “North Korea is well aware that the South Korean-US drills are annual trainings defensive in nature.”
“So it is not appropriate to link [the drills] with family reunions.”
Separately, on Sunday, the US said it was “deeply disappointed” North Korea had decided to withdraw its invitation to US envoy Robert King for talks on Kenneth Bae.
The military exercises were “in no way linked to Mr. Bae’s case”, State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said.
“We again call on the DPRK [North Korea] to grant Bae special amnesty and immediate release as a humanitarian gesture,” she added.
North Korea also cancelled a request from Robert King to visit last August to discuss Kenneth Bae.
US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson has offered to travel to North Korea for talks instead, Jennifer Psaki said.
Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American, was arrested in North Korea in November 2012.
Pyongyang said he used his tourism business to form groups to overthrow the government, and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor in May.
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
In a large mixing bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and butter by hand. Press ingredients into a 9-inch springform pan.
In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips, making sure that they are very smooth.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Mix in melted chocolate, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 55 minutes. The cake will seem underbaked in the center, but will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours before serving.
Shia LaBeouf has walked out of a news conference for director Lars von Trier’s new film Nymphomaniac at the Berlin Film Festival.
Shia LaBeouf, 27, left after 10 minutes, quoting footballer Eric Cantona’s famous 1995 line: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”
The actor later appeared on the red carpet wearing a paper bag on his head.
Written on the paper bag were the words: “I am not famous anymore.”
Shia LaBeouf appeared on the Berlin Film Festival red carpet wearing a paper bag on his head
LaBeouf had walked out of the news conference after being asked about the film’s explicit s** scenes.
His parting line was taken from a cryptic quote Eric Cantona delivered after he had caused a furor by kicking a fan in the crowd while playing for Manchester United.
Shia LaBeouf is known for films including Transformers, Wall Street II, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The film’s stars Christian Slater and Uma Thurman later laughed about their co-star’s comments, joking that the script contained a lot of sardines.
Lars von Trier missed the news conference but did turn up for an earlier photocall wearing a T-shirt bearing the words “Persona non grata” alongside the gold leaf logo of the Cannes Film Festival.
That was a reference to the divisive director’s expulsion from Cannes three years ago after he suggested in a news conference that he sympathized with Adolf Hitler.
Lars von Trier no longer takes part in such news conferences but the incident did not deter him from arriving in Berlin to promote his film.
The two-and-a-half hour NymphomaniacVolume I “premiered to cheers” and “went down a storm at an afternoon press preview on Sunday, the AFP news agency reported.
More than six hundreds civilians have been evacuated from the rebel-held Old Quarter of Homs, Syria, state media report.
This was despite mortar fire and shooting which activists say killed several people and wounded others.
UN and Syrian Red Crescent teams also managed to deliver relief supplies to the quarter, which has been besieged by government forces for more than a year.
On Saturday aid workers were trapped under fire there for several hours.
The Wall Street Journal‘s Sam Dagher, in Homs, has tweeted that more than a dozen men who came out with the evacuees were detained by security forces and taken away to an unknown location.
Sunday is the final day of what was agreed as a three-day humanitarian truce.
More than six hundreds civilians have been evacuated from the rebel-held Old Quarter of Homs
The governor of Homs, Talal al-Barazi, has said the ceasefire may be extended by a further three days, to allow all those who might want to leave the chance to do so.
Elsewhere, opposition activists said at least 11 people were killed in the northern city of Aleppo when government helicopters dropped barrel bombs – crude weapons comprising cylinders packed with explosives and metal fragments – on rebel-held neighborhoods.
The operation to help trapped civilians in Homs was the one concrete agreement reached at recent peace talks in Geneva, which are due to resume on Monday.
A UN/Red Crescent aid convoy came under attack from mortars and gunfire as it was leaving Homs on Saturday.
Syrian authorities have blamed the attack on rebels, but they in turn say that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces were responsible for the incident.
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has insisted that the UN and aid agencies will not be deterred by the weekend’s violence.
The Red Crescent, in a joint operation with the UN, is trying to deliver food, water and medicine by truck to some 3,000 civilians in rebel-held areas.
Homs has been a key battleground in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Dozens of bushfires are sweeping the Australian states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, fanned by hot weather and strong winds.
Officials say an unknown number of homes have been destroyed and a firefighter has been injured in the state of Victoria.
Some residents have been ordered to leave and flames have spread to the outer suburbs of Australia’s second biggest city, Melbourne.
Conditions in Victoria are at their worst since 2009, authorities said.
Then, wildfires killed 173 people and destroyed about 2,000 homes in a disaster dubbed Black Saturday.
Dozens of bushfires are sweeping the Australian states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, fanned by hot weather and strong winds
Emergency crews are also fighting blazes in South Australia and New South Wales.
More than 70 fires are burning across Victoria and 15 emergency warnings are in effect, with up-to-date local information available on the Vic Emergency website.
Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of fire engines are battling the blazes.
Fire authorities are worried about the threat posed to the coal-fired 1,600-megawatt Hazlewood Power Station in Latrobe Valley, local media reported.
Homes have been lost in the Melbourne suburbs of Warrandyte and Mickleham, and in Gisborne some 30 miles north-west of the city.
Doctors at Grenoble hospital where Michael Schumacher is receiving treatment for his grievous head injury following a ski accident has reportedly denied rumors that the Formula 1 champion has died.
Michael Schumacher, who has been in a coma since December 29 last year after the accident in the French Alps, was rumored to have died in the Grenoble hospital where doctors have been trying to bring him out of the coma.
Michael Schumacher was rumored to have died in the Grenoble hospital where doctors have been trying to bring him out of the coma
According to the Daily Star, a spokesperson for the hospital has stated that Michael Schumacher is still alive and doctors are trying to bring him out of the induced coma.
However, experts said that any attempt to wake Michael Schumacher could end up in him being in a permanent vegetative state, adding that the sleeping drugs in his body alone may take weeks to exit his system.
