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Istanbul violent protests over internet censorship

Diane A. Wade
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Istanbul violent protests over internet censorship

Hundreds of Turkish demonstrators marching in Istanbul in protest at new laws tightening government control of the internet clashed with riot police.

Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square, the city’s main square.

President Abdullah Gul is under pressure not to ratify the legislation.

The new legislation includes powers allowing authorities to block websites for privacy violations without a court decision.

The opposition says it is part of a government attempt to stifle a corruption scandal.

Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square
Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied accusations of censorship, saying the legislation would make the internet “more safe and free”.

The Turkish parliament approved the bill last week.

As well as allowing Turkey’s telecommunications authority to block websites without first seeking a court ruling, it will also force internet providers to store data on web users’ activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.

Internet access in Turkey is already restricted and thousands of websites blocked.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the internet, describing Twitter as a “scourge” and condemning social media as “the worst menace to society”.

Both Twitter and Facebook were widely used by anti-government protesters to spread information during demonstrations last year.

The corruption scandal broke in December with the arrest of businessmen close to the prime minister and three ministers’ sons.

Since then, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has sacked hundreds of police officers and executives from banking and telecoms regulators and state television.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the scandal is an attempt by a US-based cleric with influence in the police and judiciary to unseat him. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies this.

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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Kathryn R. Bown
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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients (20 cupcakes):

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 fluid ounce red food coloring

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 12 cup muffin pans or line with 20 paper baking cups.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda and vinegar. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; stir into the batter just until blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter and frost with desired frosting.

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day Two, February 9

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day Two, February 9

Sochi Winter Games 2014: Day Two, February 9

Eight medals won today: Alpine skiing (men’s downhill), biathlon (women’s sprint), cross country skiing (men’s skiathlon), figure skating (team event), luge (men’s singles), ski jump (men’s normal hill), snowboard (women’s slopestyle), speed skating (women’s 3,000m).

Day Two highlights include:

07:00 Alpine skiing – men’s downhill.

Sochi Winter Games 2014
Sochi Winter Games 2014

06:25 and 09:15 Snowboard – women’s slopestyle.

14:30 Luge – men’s singles.

15:00 Figure skating – team event.

Also: Ice hockey (women’s group games).

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Justin Bieber’s legal team seeks to prevent jail pictures release

Lisa.Felice
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Justin Bieber’s legal team seeks to prevent jail pictures release

Justin Bieber’s lawyers has filed legal documents in an attempt to prevent the release of images showing the singer in police custody.

The request comes after footage emerged of Justin Bieber being strip-searched by police in a jail in Miami Beach following his arrest last month.

The motion, filed late Friday by Justin Bieber’s lawyers: “While in custody at the Miami Beach police station, the defendant was captured on videotape in various states of undress which show intimate personal parts of the defendant’s body.”

Justin Bieber’s lawyers has filed legal documents in an attempt to prevent the release of images showing the singer in police custody
Justin Bieber’s lawyers has filed legal documents in an attempt to prevent the release of images showing the singer in police custody

The documents allege the release of the video showing Justin Bieber’s strip search is in violation of the law and it emerged before the pop star’s lawyers were made aware of the existence of the footage. Last week, it was revealed a police officer was facing an internal investigation over claims she attempted to take a picture of the singer while he was behind bars.

Justin Bieber denies charges of DUI, driving on a suspended license and resisting arrest without violence and is due to appear in Florida court on Friday.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman funeral held in New York City

Lisa.Felice
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Philip Seymour Hoffman funeral held in New York City

Philip Seymour Hoffman has been mourned by family and friends at his funeral in New York City.

Among those at the Church of St Ignatius Loyola were Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ethan Hawke, Spike Lee and other show business figures.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, was found dead at his home in Manhattan on Sunday with a syringe in his arm.

While police believe the actor died of a heroin overdose, a post-mortem examination was inconclusive.

Philip Seymour Hoffman has been mourned by family and friends at his funeral in New York City
Philip Seymour Hoffman has been mourned by family and friends at his funeral in New York City

The New York City medical examiner’s office has said more tests are needed to determine what exactly killed Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Authorities also found dozens of bags of what seemed to be heroin in the actor’s apartment.

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s partner of 15 years, Mimi O’Donnell, and their three children walked behind the coffin as it was brought into the church on Friday.

Playwright David Bar Katz, who found Philip Seymour Hoffman’s body, looked visibly upset as he arrived before the funeral.

The lights at theatre marquees on New York’s Broadway, the centre of American theatre, were dimmed on Wednesday in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s honor, and a candlelight vigil was held outside the Labyrinth Theater Company. His close family held a private wake on Thursday.

A larger memorial service is being planned for later in February.

Amid the investigation into Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death, three people have been arrested on drug charges, including one on a charge of heroin possession with intent to sell.

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Lindsey Vonn talks about skinny-fat celebrities at Met Gala 2013

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsey Vonn talks about skinny-fat celebrities at Met Gala 2013

Lindsey Vonn, who had to drop out from the 2014 Sochi Olympics due to a knee injury, opened up about attending the 2013 Met Gala last May with boyfriend Tiger Woods.

“It was hard to go to the Met Ball with people who eat lettuce and Diet Coke for dinner,” Lindsey Vonn, 29, said in the February issue of SELF magazine.

A-list celebrities who attended fashion’s biggest night last year included Beyonce, Katie Holmes, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Lawrence.

“It’s difficult to be at events with a room full of women who weigh half as much as you do. That’s always tough.”

Lindsey Vonn opened up about attending the 2013 Met Gala last May with boyfriend Tiger Woods
Lindsey Vonn opened up about attending the 2013 Met Gala last May with boyfriend Tiger Woods

“So many of them are skinny-fat,” Lindsey Vonn continued of the stars in attendance.

“They have more cellulite than most people. I feel like I need to give them a cheeseburger.”

As for her relationship with Tiger Woods, the skier said: “We’re good for each other.”

“I don’t know what he’s learned from me, to be honest. But we push each other and help each other when we’re down.”

Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods, 37, made their red carpet debut at the gala as Vonn stunned in an Elie Saab white dress with see-through slits in the front.

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Dylan Farrow responds to Woody Allen defense

Lisa.Felice
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Dylan Farrow responds to Woody Allen defense

Hollywood legend Woody Allen responded to his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow’s accusations of childhood molestation in a New York Times op-ed.

Woody Allen chose to respond in the same publication in which Dylan Farrow made the claim a week ago.

“Of course, I did not molest Dylan,” the film-maker wrote.

Dylan Farrow immediately responded with her own counterclaim, saying: “Nothing he says or writes can change the truth.”

Woody Allen responded to his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow’s accusations of childhood molestation
Woody Allen responded to his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow’s accusations of childhood molestation

Woody Allen, 78, claimed the entire scandal was orchestrated by Dylan’s adopted mother Mia Farrow.

The film director and Mia Farrow were in a lengthy relationship that ended bitterly in 1992.

Dylan Farrow wrote, through a spokesman: “His op-ed is the latest rehash of the same legalese, distortions, and outright lies he has leveled at me for the past 20 years. He insists my mother brought criminal charges – in fact, it was a pediatrician who reported the incident to the police based on my firsthand account. He suggests that no one complained of his misconduct prior to his assault on me – court documents show that he was in treatment for what his own therapist described as <<inappropriate>> behavior with me from as early as 1991.”

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UN aid convoy fired on in Homs

Roy Siemens
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UN aid convoy fired on in Homs

A UN aid convoy bringing supplies into the besieged district of the central Syrian city of Homs has come under fire, leaving at least one person hurt.

Renewed fighting in the city had already slowed bids to bring in relief supplies.

The Syrian Red Crescent said its vehicles were fired on, and that one of its drivers was wounded.

However, Syrian state media said four Red Crescent aid workers were wounded by rebel gunfire.

The UN is overseeing efforts to deliver food, water and medicine by truck to some 3,000 civilians in rebel-held areas.

The government and rebels accused each other of violating a ceasefire after mortar fire on Saturday morning delayed an earlier attempt to bring in aid.

A UN aid convoy bringing supplies into the besieged district of the central Syrian city of Homs has come under fire, leaving at least one person hurt
A UN aid convoy bringing supplies into the besieged district of the central Syrian city of Homs has come under fire, leaving at least one person hurt

On Friday, the first day of the agreed three-day ceasefire, more than 80 children, women and elderly people were evacuated.

Many of those evacuated on Friday looked frail and described extreme hardships inside the area, which has been under army siege for nearly a year-and-a-half.

They said bread had not been available for months, and many residents were gathering weeds and leaves to eat.

Relief officials had earlier warned that this second phase of the humanitarian operation, to allow aid into the embattled quarter, was particularly delicate, not least because the government side has always been reluctant to see supplies going in to rebel-held areas.

If the aid does reach the city, the next step would be another day of evacuations.

During Friday’s operation, vulnerable civilians such as children, old people and medical cases were brought out of the besieged area, sometimes carried by Red Crescent volunteers.

They told journalists that there were more people trapped in the city who had wanted to leave.

Homs has been a key battleground in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

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Rock derails Nice to Digne les Bains train killing two people in French Alps

Nancy Clayson
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Rock derails Nice to Digne les Bains train killing two people in French Alps

A tourist train has been derailed by a falling boulder killing two people in the southern French Alps, local officials and firefighters say.

At least nine people were injured.

The train was travelling from Nice to the town of Digne-les-Bains on a line which crosses gorges and viaducts at up to 3,200ft above sea level.

Images from the scene show the two-carriage train dangling from the tracks, the side of one carriage caved in by the rock.

The train was travelling from Nice to the town of Digne-les-Bains on a line which crosses gorges and viaducts at up to 3,200ft above sea level
The train was travelling from Nice to the town of Digne-les-Bains on a line which crosses gorges and viaducts at up to 3,200ft above sea level

Local prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger told AFP news agency that one of the dead was a Russian woman, while the other victim came from the Alps region.

One of the injured is said to be in a critical condition, while the others, including the driver, are reported to have sustained lighter injuries.

“A rock the size of a car came off the mountainside and slammed into the first car of the train,” Jean Ballester, mayor of nearby Annot, told BFM television.

There were a total of 34 people on board at the time of the accident, AFP news agency reports.

The agency adds that a total of 110 firefighters and 32 vehicles were deployed from around the region, as well as two helicopters.

They are said to have encountered difficulties in reaching the accident because of heavy snow and the isolated location.

The train travels on track that regularly receives snow and rockfalls, but regional transport official Jean-Yves Petit said that even in winter it is considered safe.

Marius: Giraffe faces death at Copenhagen Zoo

James J. Williams
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Marius: Giraffe faces death at Copenhagen Zoo

Danish animal rights campaigners are trying to save a healthy young giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo from being destroyed.

The zoo says it cannot keep the giraffe, named Marius, because of European rules to avoid in-breeding, and that attempts to find it a new home have failed.

Copenhagen Zoo says it needs to kill the giraffe before it becomes an adult and attempts to mate.

Campaigners say to do so would be barbaric.

Copenhagen Zoo says it needs to kill the giraffe before it becomes an adult and attempts to mate
Copenhagen Zoo says it needs to kill the giraffe before it becomes an adult and attempts to mate

Bengt Holst, scientific director at the zoo, said 18-month-old Marius’s genes were already well represented among giraffes at the zoo.

He could not understand the fuss Marius’s impending destruction had generated, pointing out that, for instance, 700-800 deer are killed every year at a deer park north of Copenhagen to control their numbers.

Marius is due to be killed by a bolt gun. The zoo will not use a lethal injection, because that would contaminate the meat.

The zoo plans to dissect the animal after it has been killed, before feeding it to the tigers and other carnivores.

McDonald’s opens first restaurant in Vietnam

Nancy Clayson
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McDonald’s opens first restaurant in Vietnam

McDonald’s has opened its first restaurant in communist-controlled Vietnam.

Hundreds of people queued for the opening of the restaurant in the southern city of Ho Chi Minh, AFP says.

Ho Chi Minh, known as Saigon during the Vietnam War, was where the US-backed government was based until it fell to communist forces 38 years ago.

The first McDonald’s restaurant in Vietnam is being run by the prime minister’s son-in-law.

Henry Nguyen flipped burgers at a McDonald’s restaurant while a teenager growing up in the United States, where his family fled at the end of the war.

The first McDonald’s restaurant in Vietnam is being run by the prime minister's son-in-law
The first McDonald’s restaurant in Vietnam is being run by the prime minister’s son-in-law

He said last July, after winning the franchise, it had been his dream to open a McDonald’s since returning to Vietnam more than a decade ago.

The move underlines Vietnam’s hunger for Western consumer brands and the attractions for foreign investors, say observers.

Despite the Vietnamese economy’s recent slowdown, foreign brands are popular among the youthful population whose parents had few of the food and lifestyle options now available in the country.

Starbucks, Subway, Burger King, and KFC all have a presence there.

Henry Nguyen is the founder of travel and food group Good Day Hospitality and managing general partner of investment firm IDG Ventures Vietnam. He is married to the daughter of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

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World Sauna Championships 2014: Vladimir Ladyzhensky dies after suffering severe burns

Nancy Clayson
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World Sauna Championships 2014: Vladimir Ladyzhensky dies after suffering severe burns

This year’s World Sauna Championships in Finland have ended in tragedy with the death of finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky.

Russian Vladimir Ladyzhensky and his Finnish rival, Timo Kaukonen, collapsed after suffering severe burns. Vladimir Ladyzhensky later died in hospital.

The event requires participants to withstand 110C (230F) for as long as possible. The men managed six minutes before judges noticed something amiss.

Chief organizer Ossi Arvela said all the rules of the event had been followed.

“All the rules were followed and there were enough first aid personnel. All the competitors needed to sign in to the competition with a doctor’s certificate,” Ossi Arvela told reporters in Heinola, where it was held.

This year’s World Sauna Championships in Finland have ended in tragedy with the death of finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky
This year’s World Sauna Championships in Finland have ended in tragedy with the death of finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky

Half a litre of water was added to the stove inside the sauna every 30 seconds, and the last person remaining was the winner. There was no prize other than “some small things”, he told the Associated Press.

“I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit,” he said.

“It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that.”

Timo Kaukonen, the defending world champion, had refused to leave the sauna during the final despite appearing sick, Ossi Arvela said. He is now said to be in a stable condition in hospital.

Ossi Arvela said police were already investigating Vladimir Ladyzhensky’s death, which he said had left the organizers grief-stricken.

The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. Organizers said the competition would never be held again.

Viktor Yanukovych meets Vladimir Putin on Sochi Winter Games sidelines

Diane A. Wade
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Viktor Yanukovych meets Vladimir Putin on Sochi Winter Games sidelines

President Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics, officials say.

Neither side would confirm what was discussed during the informal conversation during the opening ceremony in the Russian city of Sochi.

Russia has frozen delivery of a $15 billion bailout program pending the formation of a new government in Kiev.

Mass anti-government protests erupted in Ukraine in late November.

Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics
Vladimir Putin met his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yanukovych on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics

Under pressure from Moscow, Viktor Yanukovych had refused to sign a far-reaching association and trade agreement with the EU.

Amid continuing protests, Viktor Yanukovych has accepted the resignation of PM Mykola Azarov – widely seen as pro-Moscow – and a new prime minister has yet to be nominated.

The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych in Sochi on Friday evening was confirmed by senior Russian and Ukrainian officials.

There was no information about what was discussed, but correspondents speculate it was likely to include the suspended Russian financial package – which Ukraine desperately needs in the face of a sliding currency, dwindling foreign reserves and rising borrowing costs.

Viktor Yanukovych’s meeting with Vladimir Putin follows talks in Kiev last Wednesday between Yanukovych and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Tokyo snow storm disrupts transport

Nancy Clayson
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Tokyo snow storm disrupts transport

Japanese authorities warned Tokyo residents to stay indoors as a severe snow storm hit the capital.

Correspondents say it is the first such warning for the city in 13 years.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, roads closed and some train services suspended.

Japanese authorities warned Tokyo residents to stay indoors as a severe snow storm hit the capital
Japanese authorities warned Tokyo residents to stay indoors as a severe snow storm hit the capital

Local media has reported that at least 43 people have been injured because of snow-related accidents, with as much as 1.6 in of snow recorded on Saturday morning in Tokyo.

Weather forecasters have warned that with a rapidly developing low pressure front heading towards eastern Japan, more snow can be expected.

Last year parts of northern Japan had as much as 18ft of snow – a record-breaking amount that caused buildings to collapse under its immense weight.

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Sochi 2014 day-by-day guide: Day One, February 8

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi 2014 day-by-day guide: Day One, February 8

08:00 Ice hockey – women’s group stage. The US and defending champions Canada, expected to be the two women’s ice hockey finalists for the fourth time in five Games, begin their campaigns against Finland and Switzerland respectively. (08:00 US-Finland, 13:00 Canada-Switzerland)

08:45 Snowboard – men’s slopestyle final. Canada’s Mark McMorris and US legend Shaun White were expected to feature in the battle for men’s gold until White pulled out on February 5, citing “the potential risk of injury” on a course where Norway’s Torstein Horgmo had earlier broken his collarbone. That leaves Mark McMorris – himself competing with a broken rib – and fellow Canadian Seb Toutant among the leading contenders for gold.

Sochi Winter Games 2014
Sochi Winter Games 2014

11:30 Speed skating – men’s 5,000m.

14:30 Biathlon – men’s sprint.

Also: Figure skating (team event continues), luge (men’s singles, runs one and two), ski jump (men’s normal-hill qualifying).

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Princess Cristina of Spain to be questioned in court

Diane A. Wade
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Princess Cristina of Spain to be questioned in court

Princess Cristina of Spain is due to be questioned in court in connection with a corruption scandal involving the business dealings of her husband Inaki Urdangarin.

It will be the first time in history that a member of Spain’s royal family has appeared in court as the subject of a criminal investigation.

Inaki Urdangarin is alleged to have defrauded regional governments of millions of euros of public money.

Infanta Cristina and Inaki Urdangarin deny any wrongdoing, and have not been charged.

Spain’s royal household admits the case has damaged the reputation and credibility of Spain’s royals, and, partly because of this scandal, the popularity of King Juan Carlos has fallen in recent years.

Pro-republican campaigners have vowed to demonstrate near the court.

Princess Cristina of Spain is due to be questioned in court in connection with a corruption scandal involving the business dealings of her husband Inaki Urdangarin
Princess Cristina of Spain is due to be questioned in court in connection with a corruption scandal involving the business dealings of her husband Inaki Urdangarin

Princess Cristina, 48, will be accompanied by her lawyer as she answers dozens of questions from a judge in a closed-door hearing.

Proceedings are set to start at 10:00 local time at the main court building in Palma de Mallorca, capital of the Balearic Islands.

The judge has named her as a fraud and money-laundering suspect.

The allegations relate to a supposedly not-for-profit organization called Noos, of which Inaki Urdangarin was president.

The foundation staged a series of sporting events for the regional governments of the Balearic Islands and Valencia.

Inaki Urdangarin is accused of organizing the events at hugely inflated prices.

With a former business partner, he is alleged to have received a total of 5.6 million euros ($7.5 million) in public money.

Princess Cristina is suspected of spending some of that money on personal expenses.

There are also questions about what Princess Cristina knew about the alleged wrongdoing of her husband.

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Woody Allen denies molesting Dylan Farrow in open letter

Lisa.Felice
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Woody Allen denies molesting Dylan Farrow in open letter

Woody Allen is again denying he molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in an open letter published online by The New York Times.

Woody Allen, 78, said Dylan Farrow had been coached to make the claim by his estranged former partner, Mia Farrow.

He wrote in the newspaper that Dylan Farrow had been “used as a pawn for revenge” against him by her mother.

Dylan Farrow wrote last week in the New York Times that Woody Allen abused her in 1992 when she was seven years old in an attic at Mia Farrow’s Connecticut home.

Woody Allen alleges that Mia Farrow orchestrated the “smear” after discovering earlier in the same year that he was having an affair with her other adopted daughter from a previous partner, Soon-Yi Previn.

He began a relationship with Soon-Yi Previn when she was about 19. They wed in 1997 and remain married.

“Not that I doubt Dylan hasn’t come to believe she’s been molested,but if from the age of 7 a vulnerable child is taught by a strong mother to hate her father because he is a monster who abused her, is it so inconceivable that after many years of this indoctrination the image of me Mia wanted to establish had taken root?” Woody Allen wrote.

Woody Allen is again denying he molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in an open letter
Woody Allen is again denying he molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in an open letter

He adds: “Of course, I did not molest Dylan. I loved her and hope one day she will grasp how she has been cheated out of having a loving father and exploited by a mother more interested in her own festering anger than her daughter’s well-being.”

Dylan Farrow has previously said she decided to break her silence after two decades when Allen Allen’s latest film, Blue Jasmine, was nominated for an Oscar.

But Woody Allen said in his rebuttal that her allegation includes “creative flourishes that seem to have magically appeared during our 21-year estrangement”.

He wrote that he always kept away from the cramped attic because he suffers from claustrophobia.

“When I was in the blissful early stages of a happy new relationship with the woman I’d go on to marry, that I would pick this moment in time to embark on a career as a child molester should seem to the most skeptical mind highly unlikely,” he wrote.

Woody Allen points out that a panel of psychologists, appointed by prosecutors, concluded Dylan Farrow had not been molested.

He also wrote that he had passed a lie-detector test over the matter, while Mia Farrow, now 68, declined to take one.

Woody Allen said the article would be “my final word on this entire matter”, concluding: “Enough people have been hurt.”

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Kenneth Bae moved back to North Korea labor camp

Diane A. Wade
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Kenneth Bae moved back to North Korea labor camp

US citizen Kenneth Bae, who is being held for more than a year in North Korea, has been moved back to a labor camp, US officials say.

State department officials and Kenneth Bae’s sister were quoted as saying the 45-year-old had been returned from a hospital to the camp on January 20.

Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American, was arrested in November 2012 and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor in May.

North Korea says Kenneth Bae used his tourism business to form groups to overthrow the government.

He was taken to hospital last year after suffering dramatic weight loss. His family says he has several health complaints including diabetes and liver problems.

State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Washington had learned about Kenneth Bae’s transfer to the camp from representatives of the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which acts on behalf of the US in North Korea.

Kenneth Bae is being held for more than a year in North Korea
Kenneth Bae is being held for more than a year in North Korea

Jennifer Psaki said the Swedish diplomats “have met Mr. Bae 10 times since his detention, most recently on February 7 in a labor camp”.

She added: “We continue to urge DPRK (North Korean) authorities to grant Mr. Bae special amnesty and immediate release on humanitarian grounds.”

Jennifer Psaki did not specify when Kenneth Bae had been forced back to the camp.

However, a US state department official and Kenneth Bae’s sister confirmed the January 20 date.

“He’s back to eight-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week hard labor,” Terri Chung, Kenneth Bae’s sister, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

Pyongyang has so far made no official comment on the reports.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama used the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington to say: “We pray for Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who has been left in North Korea for 15 months.”

“His family wants him home, and the United States will continue to do everything in our power to secure his release because Kenneth Bae deserves to be free.”

If confirmed, Kenneth Bay was returned to the camp on the same day as spoke to foreign media in North Korea under heavy prison guard – his first “press conference” since the detention.

Kenneth Bae denied media reports that he had been badly treated and called for US “co-operation” to secure his release.

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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Kathryn R. Bown
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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

16 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Directions:

  1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
  2. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
  3. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.

Sochi Winter Games 2014: Hijacker in custody after trying to divert flight to Sochi

Nancy Clayson
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Sochi Winter Games 2014: Hijacker in custody after trying to divert flight to Sochi

An Ukrainian passenger, who is suspected of making a bomb threat and trying to hijack a plane, demanding to go to the Winter Olympics venue of Sochi, is now in custody in Turkey.

Turkey scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to accompany the Pegasus Airlines plane as it landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport after a flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkov.

Security officials are searching the plane, which had 110 passengers aboard.

Turkey scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to accompany the Pegasus Airlines plane as it landed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport after a flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkov
Turkey scrambled an F-16 fighter jet to accompany the Pegasus Airlines plane as it landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport after a flight from the Ukrainian city of Kharkov

A Ukrainian man sitting in seat 2F said he had a bomb on him and demanded that the flight be diverted to Sochi, Hasip Soluk Habertük, the Turkish Undersecretary of Transportation told reporters.

The crew told him: “Yes, we are directing the flight to Sochi,” according to the transportation official. But then the pilots turned off the in-flight monitors and flew to Istanbul.

Once plane entered Turkish airspace, the plane was escorted by two Turkish F-16s.

The plane is in a secure area at Istanbul’s airport. Passengers and crew are still inside plane.

Meanwhile, Sochi Winter Olympics kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony.

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Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony: Team Bermuda wears Bermuda shorts

Nancy Clayson
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Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony: Team Bermuda wears Bermuda shorts

Despite temperatures below 40 F, Team Bermuda made its appearance at Sochi Winter Games Opening Ceremony rocking the namesake leg garment of their nation.

Despite temperatures below 40 F, Team Bermuda made its appearance at Sochi Winter Games Opening Ceremony rocking the namesake leg garment of their nation
Despite temperatures below 40 F, Team Bermuda made its appearance at Sochi Winter Games Opening Ceremony rocking the namesake leg garment of their nation

Team Bermuda it’s just one person – Tucker Murphy, a 32-year-old cross-country skier who was born in Dallas.

Tucker Murphy finished 88th in the 15 km event in 2010 in Vancouver.

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Spectacular opening ceremony

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Spectacular opening ceremony

Sochi has opened the 22nd Winter Olympics with a spectacular ceremony.

More than 2,900 athletes from 87 nations paraded before 40,000 people in the Fisht Stadium before President Vladimir Putin declared the Games open.

The Olympic flame was lit by Russian former triple gold medalists Vladislav Tretiak and Irina Rodnina as fireworks illuminated the night sky.

At a cost of $50 billion, the Sochi Games is the most expensive Olympics in history.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach used his welcome speech at the ceremony to promote Olympic values of diversity and non-discrimination.

“The Olympics are about building bridges to bring people together,” Thomas Bach said.

“They are not about erecting walls to keep people apart. Embrace human diversity and unity.”

President Barack Obama and UK’s PM David Cameron stayed away from the ceremony, which was attended by 44 heads of state.

Vladimir Putin avoided making a political statement as he stuck to protocol by using a single sentence to declare the Games open.

Sochi has opened the 22nd Winter Olympics with a spectacular ceremony
Sochi has opened the 22nd Winter Olympics with a spectacular ceremony

Spectators inside the stadium and television viewers worldwide were treated to a glittering show lasting nearly three hours and featuring 22 tonnes of fireworks.

In a grand finale, tennis star Maria Sharapova, who grew up in Sochi, carried the Olympic flame into the stadium before it passed through the hands of pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, wrestler Aleksandr Karelin and gymnast Alina Kabaeva,

It was carried out of the arena by former figure skater Irina Rodnina and ice hockey player Vladislav Tretiak, who lit the cauldron in the middle of the Olympic park while Igor Stravinksy’s Firebird Suite filled the stadium.

In a break from Olympic tradition, the teams had earlier entered in the order of the Russian alphabet, with the host nation coming in last to deafening cheers.

Athletes from the competing nations appeared to emerge from their country’s map courtesy of a dazzling light show.

While some nations – including Nepal, Mexico and Pakistan – are sending only one competitor, the US team of 230 athletes is the largest in the history of the Winter Games.

The US have never appeared at an Olympics on Russian soil having boycotted the Moscow summer Games in 1980.

The ceremony featured a colorful journey through Russian history, celebrating the country’s rich heritage in art, music and ballet, with 3,000 performers and 2,000 volunteers taking part.

In a moving sequence the lights were lowered as performers, dressed in white to symbolize peace, danced to the strains of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Hosting an Olympics for the first time since 1980, Russian athletes are under pressure to improve on the embarrassment of 11th place at the last Winter Games in Vancouver.

Russia has devoted $940 million to elite winter sport since winning the bid to host these Games seven years ago.

The first medals of the Games will be decided on Saturday with five golds up for grabs in biathlon, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and speed skating.

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Olympic ring glitch at Sochi Winter Games opening ceremony

Clyde K. Valle
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Olympic ring glitch at Sochi Winter Games opening ceremony

Sochi Winter Games kicked off with a little girl named Lubov walking us through Russian history and culture in an eye-catching opening sequence.

When it was over, five giant illuminated snowflakes appeared suspended inside the Fisht Olympic Stadium, looking like something straight out of a child’s Spirograph.

Sochi Winter Games 2014 opening ceremony kicked off with Olympic ring glitch
Sochi Winter Games 2014 opening ceremony kicked off with Olympic ring glitch

The snowflakes morphed into the five Olympic rings. Except for that pesky last snowflake.

Vancouver had its own issues during the Opening Ceremonies back in 2010, when the elaborate cauldron failed to fully form, leaving Wayne Gretzky hanging.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman to be digitally recreated for Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Lisa.Felice
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Philip Seymour Hoffman to be digitally recreated for Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Philip Seymour Hoffman will be digitally recreated for at least one scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, according to the New York Post.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died last week at the age of 46, played gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee in the film.

He had only a week left of filming for the franchise’s final film when he died of an apparent overdose on Sunday.

Philip Seymour Hoffman will be digitally recreated for at least one scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Philip Seymour Hoffman will be digitally recreated for at least one scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Instead of rewriting the script, the film’s editors will use computer effects and camera tricks to digitally insert Philip Seymour into at least one major emotional scene, according to New York Post’s Page Six.

“You can do digital things, you can have conversations where you’re not focusing on him but the people he’s talking to,” a source tied to the films told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 will be released in November 2014.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is set for November 2015.

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Bosnia-Herzegovina protesters set fire to government buildings

Diane A. Wade
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Bosnia-Herzegovina protesters set fire to government buildings

Bosnia-Herzegovina protesters have set fire to government buildings as violent protests continue across the country for a third day.

Police have used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters in the capital Sarajevo and the northern town of Tuzla.

Black smoke could be seen gushing from the presidency building in Sarajevo.

The protesters are unhappy about the lack of economic and political progress in the Balkan country.

About 40% of Bosnians are unemployed. The unrest is the worst since the end of the Bosnian war.

Bosnia-Herzegovina protesters have set fire to government buildings as violent protests continue across the country for a third day
Bosnia-Herzegovina protesters have set fire to government buildings as violent protests continue across the country for a third day

At least 100 people have been injured in Friday’s protests in the capital.

Sarajevo-based newspaper Dnevni Avaaz says that police used water to disperse protesters who were throwing stones at the presidency building.

On Thursday, clashes between police and demonstrators in Tuzla injured more than 130 people, mostly police officers.

The unrest began in Tuzla earlier in the week, with protests over the closure and sale of factories which had employed most of the local population.

Demonstrators in other towns, including Mostar, Zenica and Bihac, supported the Tuzla workers and criticized the government for failing to tackle the rampant unemployment.

Hundreds of people also gathered in support in the Bosnian Serb capital, Banja Luka.

Local media are reporting that the premiers of two of Bosnia’s cantons – Sead Causevic of Tuzla canton and Munib Husejnagic of Zenica-Doboj canton – are to resign.

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