Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has checked into a rehabilitation center to treat his long-time struggle with alcoholism, his agent Darren Prince announced.
Darren Prince declined on Saturday to say which facility will treat Dennis Rodman and how long he will be there.
Dennis Rodman, 52, recently returned to the US from his latest trip to North Korea.
He later apologized for comments he made in North Korea about detained American missionary Kenneth Bae, saying he had been drinking and was under pressure as he organized an exhibition game there.
Dennis Rodman sang Happy Birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the start of the exhibition game.
Dennis Rodman has checked into a rehabilitation center to treat his long-time struggle with alcoholism
“What was potentially a historic and monumental event turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned,” Darren Prince said.
“Dennis Rodman came back from North Korea in pretty rough shape emotionally. The pressure that was put on him to be a combination <<super human>> political figure and <<fixer>> got the better of him.
“He is embarrassed, saddened and remorseful for the anger and hurt his words have caused.”
Dennis Rodman won five NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls and was one of the NBA’s fiercest rebounders and most colorful personalities.
The results of a two-day referendum showed that the proposed new Egyptian constitution has been backed by 98.1% of people, officials say.
Turnout was 38.6% of the 53 million eligible voters, the election committee said.
The draft constitution replaces one introduced by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi before he was ousted.
The referendum is being seen as a vote on the legitimacy of Mohamed Morsi’s removal and of the army, which toppled him in July last year.
The vote, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday but was boycotted by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement from which Mohamed Morsi comes and which wants to see him returned to office.
Several people died in violence involving Mohamed Morsi’s supporters on the first day of voting.
Egypt’s draft constitution replaces one introduced by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi before he was ousted
There were further clashes with the security forces on Friday in which four people died, the Health Ministry said.
Election Commission head Nabil Salib called the vote an “unrivalled success” with “unprecedented turnout”, AP news agency reported.
A constitutional referendum held in 2012 while Mohamed Morsi was in power but boycotted by secularists saw a turnout of 33%, with 64% of voters approving the document.
The new proposed constitution was drafted by a 50-member committee that included only two representatives of Islamist parties.
Critics say the document favors the army at the expense of the people, and fails to deliver on the 2011 revolution that led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak.
Under the draft:
The president may serve two four-year terms and can be impeached by parliament
Islam remains the state religion – but freedom of belief is absolute, giving some protection to minorities
The state guarantees “equality between men and women”
Parties may not be formed based on “religion, race, gender or geography”
Military to appoint defense minister for next eight years [youtube 4QHb1D3zQHI 650]
Valerie Trierweiler has left the Paris hospital where she was admitted a week ago after reports emerged of an affair between President Francois Hollande and actress Julie Gayet.
France’s first lady left the Pitie Salpetriere hospital for a presidential residence at La Lanterne in Versailles, the magazine Paris Match said.
Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital apparently in shock after learning of Closer magazine reports.
It said that the affair had begun during the 2012 presidential race.
Valerie Trierweiler left the Pitie Salpetriere hospital for a presidential residence at La Lanterne in Versailles
Valerie Trierweiler, 48, works for Paris Match, which said she was planning to rest at the residence.
Francois Hollande has not commented on the latest news.
However, a source at the presidential office told AFP that Valerie Trierweiler would rest at La Lanterne “for a few days”.
Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital on January 10.
Francois Hollande visited her for the first time on Thursday evening.
French media have claimed that Valerie Trierweiler suffered an anxiety attack last week, but her friends have played down her condition.
President Francois Hollande would clarify whether Valerie Trierweiler was still first lady before a trip to the US on February 9.
Sunanda Pushkar – the wife of Indian Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shahsi Tharoor who was found dead yesterday in a Delhi hotel – was an Indo-Canadian entrepreneur and businesswoman.
She was a sales manager in the Dubai-based TECOM Investments and co-owner of the India-based Rendezvous Sports World.
Sunanda Pushkar was born on January 1st, 1962, in a Kashmiri family of landlords and Indian Army officers native to Bomai. She was the only daughter of Lt. Col. Poshkar Nath Dass and Jaya Dass. Her father PN Dass retired from the army in 1983.
A born rebel, Sunanda Pushkar broke the age-old tradition of Kashmiri Pandits when she attained the first name of her father as her surname albeit with some modification. Poshkar became Pushkar and Sunanda Dass became Sunanda Pushkar.
Sunanda Pushkar was a sales manager in the Dubai-based TECOM Investments and co-owner of the India-based Rendezvous Sports World
Sunanda Pushkar graduated from the Government College for Women in Srinagar, where she studied between 1986 and 1988.
Before marrying Shashi Tharoor, Sunanda Pushkar had been married twice. Her first marriage to fellow Kashmir Pandit and hotel management graduate Sanjay Raina of Srinagar ended in a divorce in 1988. Sanjay Raina’s website describes him as “one of India’s leading stage performers and pop” and who spearheads an entertainment management company.
Later Sunanda Pushkar married a Kerala businessman, Sujith Menon, who was dealing with firefighting equipment. Sujith Menon later went to Dubai where he organized some events of south Indian film stars which however flopped. He returned and later died in an accident in Delhi. Their son Shiv was born in November 1992.
Sunanda Pushkar married Shashi Tharoor in 2010, after he was elected to the Indian Parliament. The couple had a Malayali wedding ceremony in Shashi Tharoor’s ancestral home at Elavanchery in Kerala. This was the third marriage for both of them.
Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in a Delhi hotel on Friday, was seriously ill, according to a former diplomat and close friend of her husband, Indian Minister Shashi Tharoor.
TP Sreenivasan, who hails from New Delhi and has been a diplomat for more than three decades, told reporters that Shashi Tharoor had informed him of his wife’s illness.
“She had undergone treatment in France recently and after check-ups it was found that she had some serious health issues and he was a worried man. I pacified him after hearing it,” said TP Sreenivasan.
Reports said Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor had visited a leading private hospital recently and certain tests were conducted on Pushkar.
Sunanda Pushkar had visited a leading private hospital recently and certain tests were conducted on her
It appears that Sunanda Pushkar was identified with suspected systemic lupus erythematosus (connective tissue disorder) and this is a disease which has no definite treatment.
Sunanda Pushkar had also undergone colonoscopy.
A doctor at the same hospital said he saw the couple quarrelling playfully.
Reports also said Sunanda Pushkar had an appointment at the hospital January 20.
Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor were married at Tharoor’s 200-year-old ancestral home in Palakkad in August 2010.
Si Robertson’s wife, Christine, was finally mentioned by name on Duck Dynasty Season 5 premiere.
Few details were known about Si Robertson’s wife, but, on the season premiere, there was a scene where Miss Kay asked Uncle Si where Christine was. He responded that she was out of town with friends.
Although Christine Robertson had chosen not to participate in the filming of the reality series about the Robertsons, fans have made every attempt to find out what they can about her and the rest of Uncle Si’s family.
Christine and Si Robertson are married for 43 years and they have two children
Christine and Si Robertson are married for 43 years and they have together a son, Scott, and a daughter, Trasa Cobern, who are not featured on Duck Dynasty.
It is not known whether this casual introduction of Christine Robertson to the audience is an indicator she may be featured in Duck Dynasty’s future episodes.
Last week, Honey Boo Boo’s family suffered numerous injuries following a car crash that ended with three being hospitalized with illnesses.
The car accident happened just days after their returning from a turbulent trip to Disneyland.
Following the investigation, the cops are saying that Sugar Bear (Mike Thompson) was at fault in the crash.
Sugar Bear was at fault in the Honey Boo Boo clan’s car crash
According to Milledgeville Police, authorities have determined that Sugar Bear was the cause of the collision, as he made an unsafe left turn in the intersection, cutting off the truck that ultimately plowed into them. At first, there was word that the other vehicle didn’t have their lights on, but now Mike Thompson has admitted that the other car was visible, making him the responsible party for making a safe turn.
However, no charges will be filed against Sugar Bear, and the matter will be handled between insurance companies. In addition, though Pumpkin was back in the hospital earlier this week with a concussion and post-traumatic stress from the accident, she’s now been released and the family is recovering well.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo returned for its third season Thursday night with two episodes featuring somewhat less flatulence and more conflict.
The reality show ended last season with June Shannon and Sugar Bear’s lavish commitment ceremony.
The first episode kicks off with a flashback to the ceremony “one month ago,” and flashes forward to present day with a trailerful of noise involving everyone being out of pads at the same time.
Honey Boo Boo’s father, Sugar Bear, won’t be moved to get some, saying that, as he lives with six females: “I know more about feminine hygiene products than any man should.”
That’s when it occurs to him that even though he loves his family more than anything, he needs to get away from them sometimes and he sets up his “manper” in the front yard – a rickety camper decked out with a deer skull, hula-girl figurine, Nerf basketball hoop and cuckoo clock. Mamma June’s not happy about it, but Sugar Bear is a happy hibernator.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo returned for its third season
Pumpkin tries out her wanna-be beauty school tricks on her family in the living room, transformed into Poot-Poot’s Salon. Chubbs screams when her mustache gets waxed, and Mama June looks like the Cesar Romero vintage of the Joker when her face and neck are covered in avocado mask, which Honey Boo Boo says makes her look “like Beetlejuice”. Sugar Bear luxuriates in the manper, cutting up a watermelon while explaining that it’s “a freakin’ estrogen fest in there”.
Then the family takes off for the Redneck Games, an annual fest involving lots of mud, lots of rolling around in said mud and Cornbread, the redneck of the year in 2012 (it was left unclear whether he kept his title). Baby Kaitlyn wins cutest redneck and Honey Boo Boo sulks because she doesn’t take home any prizes.
The second episode opens with Honey Boo Boo, home for the summer, shunted aside by her sisters, who have boyfriends, or, in Pumpkin’s case: “I don’t need a boyfriend. I have way more important things to do. He’d just slow me down anyway.”
After Honey Boo Boo said she doesn’t want to turn out like Pumpkin, but not before a prolonged staring contest with the camera, June Shannon enrolls her in cheerleading camp for the summer.
Anna and Jessica belch with their boyfriends, and Mama June knows it’s time for the talk.
“Boys try to get in girls’ Froot Loops,” she tells them, before the discussion devolves into talk of biscuits, motorboats.
And Sugar Bear gives the boys the talk, covering all the bases. It’s important because “you guys are getting close to my girls like two roaches on a bacon bit,” and “these girls can be nuttier than a port-a-potty at a peanut festival.” Sugar Bear ends it up by urging them to “treat ‘em with respect – don’t make ‘em cry,” which is advice we could all use once in a while, especially the good folks at TLC.
The episode ends with Alana Thompson at her cheerleading performance, where she says she wants to make her family proud.
Four UN employees and a senior IMF official were among 21 people killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack on Taverna du Liban restaurant in Kabul, officials say.
Wabel Abdallah, the head of the IMF’s Afghanistan office, and the UN civilian staff died in what UN chief Ban Ki-moon said was a “horrific attack”.
Canadians, Lebanese, Britons and Americans were among the 13 foreign victims; the other eight were Afghans.
The Taliban said they carried out the attack late on Friday.
Five women were among the dead at the city’s popular Taverna du Liban, and at least five were injured, police say.
The restaurant in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan area is popular with foreign nationals, diplomats and aid workers, and was busy with diners at the time of the attack.
A suicide attacker detonated his explosives outside the gate of the heavily fortified restaurant, Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said.
Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said two gunmen then entered the restaurant and started “indiscriminately killing” people inside.
Four UN employees and a senior IMF official were among 21 people killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack on Taverna du Liban restaurant in Kabul
IMF chief Christine Lagarde later confirmed that Wabel Abdallah, 60, a Lebanese national, was among those who died.
“This is tragic news, and we at the fund are all devastated,” Christine Lagarde said in a statement.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned “in the strongest terms the horrific attack”, his spokesman said.
“Such targeted attacks against civilians are completely unacceptable and are in flagrant breach of international humanitarian law. They must stop immediately,” Ban ki-moon was quoted as saying.
At least two US citizens died in the attack, the US embassy in Kabul said.
Kamal Hamade, the well-known Lebanese owner of the restaurant, and five women were among the dead. A number of people were injured.
“I was sitting with my friends in the kitchen when an explosion happened and smoke filled the kitchen,” Abdul Majid, a chef at the restaurant, told AFP news agency.
“A man came inside shouting and he started shooting. One of my colleagues was shot and fell down. I ran to the roof and threw myself to the neighboring property.”
The attackers were eventually shot dead by the security forces when they arrived at the scene.
California’s Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state-wide drought, urging residents to conserve water in what could be the state’s driest year on record.
The declaration also means farmers will receive aid and more firefighters will be employed.
Jerry Brown faced pressure to declare the drought as the state’s largest reservoirs are at record low levels.
The dry conditions have been blamed for a wildfire that destroyed five homes north-east of Los Angeles on Thursday.
California’s Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state-wide drought, urging residents to conserve water in what could be the state’s driest year on record
In a press conference on Friday, Jerry Brown called on residents to cut back “at least 20%” on their water usage but said the move was voluntary.
“We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens,” Jerry Brown said in a statement.
He added the declaration was a way to focus Californians on how serious the drought conditions were.
“We are in an unprecedented, very serious situation that people should pause and reflect on how dependent we are on the rain, nature and one other,” he said on CNN.
Previous extremely dry years led to catastrophic wildfire seasons in California in 2003 and 2007.
China protest singer Cui Jian, one of whose songs became an anthem of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, has pulled out of a major show on state TV.
Cui Jian had been due to play at China’s Spring Festival Gala, which draws a TV audience of hundreds of millions.
His manager You You said that Cui Jian withdrew after organizers tried to censor his performance.
In 1989, Cui Jian had performed to protesting students in Tiananmen Square, who took up his song Nothing to My Name.
Cui Jian had wanted to sing the song during the gala, but the organizers said he would have to choose another, You You told AP.
“It is not only our regret, but also the gala’s,” she said.
One of Cui Jian’s songs became an anthem of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
The Chinese New Year TV gala show is one of the most watched programs anywhere on the planet and is best known for its patriotic songs, comedy sketches, and dance routines.
With the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square just a few months away, Cui Jian had appeared to be a risky, political choice for such a primetime performance, correspondents say.
During the protests, he performed in the square to thousands of students. But on 4 June 1989, China’s Communist party ordered the military to end the demonstrations – hundreds, if not, thousands were killed.
Following the protests, Cui Jian was barred from playing large venues. But in recent years the musician – who has sold millions of records – has once again been playing in front of big crowds.
He is still a household name in China.
Cui Jian’s manager says that he has been asked to perform on national TV before. But she adds these events sometimes fall through because Cui Jian refuses to lip sync.
Shashi Tharoor’s wife, Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in a Delhi hotel room on Friday, died a “sudden and unnatural death”, an autopsy has found.
Shashi Tharoor, who was earlier admitted to hospital with chest pains, took his wife’s body away for cremation.
Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor caused a media stir on Twitter on Wednesday with a series of messages appearing to reveal he was having an affair with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar.
Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor caused a media stir on Twitter on Wednesday with a series of messages appearing to reveal he was having an affair
They later insisted they were happily married, blaming “unauthorized tweets”.
The full results of the post-mortem examination are due to be released in the next two days.
Shashi Tharoor’s aide, Abhinav Kumar, had earlier told reporters that Sunanda Pushkar had appeared to be asleep.
“There were no signs of any foul play or any struggle. She had no sign of poisoning or anything,” he said.
Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.
Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise he was bidding for.
Shashi Tharoor was appointed minister of state for human resource development in 2012.
At least 18 die and 50 are injured in a stampede at an Ismaili Shias leader’s funeral in Mumbai.
Local officials say the incident happened when thousands of mourners gathered at the home of Muslim spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin who died on Friday.
Reports suggest people were crushed after the gates of the house where the body of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin were kept were closed.
Thousands of mourners gathered at the home of Muslim spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin who died on Friday
The leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community died aged 102.
The deceased leader’s funeral is expected later on Saturday.
Hundreds of people across India have died in similar tragedies in recent years.
Former Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests in only two years over claims of child abuse, the Vatican has confirmed.
The statistics for 2011 and 2012 show a dramatic increase compared with previous years, according to a document obtained by the AP.
The file was part of Vatican data collected for a UN hearing on Thursday.
It was the first time the Holy See was publicly confronted over the abuse of children by clergy.
Church officials at the hearing in Geneva faced a barrage of hard questions covering why they were withholding data and what they were doing to prevent future abuse.
Victims’ advocates complained there was still too little transparency.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi initially said the AP report had been based on a mistaken reading of data.
But he later retracted his statement.
Former Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests in only two years over claims of child abuse
The latest statistics reveal the number of priests defrocked in 2011 and 2012 was more than double the 171 priests removed in 2008 and 2009, when the Vatican first provided figures.
The Vatican also sent another 400 cases to either be tried by a Church tribunal or to be dealt with administratively, AP reports.
Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected in 2005, took the helm as the scandal of child abuse by priests was breaking.
The flood of allegations, lawsuits and official reports into clerical abuse reached a peak in 2009 and 2010, which observers say may explain the spike shown in the document.
The Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding instrument which commits it to protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable in society.
It ratified the convention in 1990 but after an implementation report in 1994 it did not submit any progress reports until 2012, following revelations of child abuse in Europe and beyond.
Last month, the Vatican refused a request from the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child for data on abuse, on the grounds that it only released such information if requested to do so by another country as part of legal proceedings.
In a homily on Thursday, Pope Francis called abuse scandals “the shame of the Church”.
Pope Francis announced in December that a Vatican committee would be set up to fight abuse of children in the Church.
Shashi Tharoor – the Indian minister of state for human resource development whose wife Sunnada Pushkar was found dead on Friday – has been taken to hospital with chest pain.
Shashi Tharoor, 57, had been admitted in the morning and was now stable, a Delhi hospital spokesman said.
The ministere is being treated at the same hospital where his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s post-mortem examination is to be carried out in a few hours.
Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a Delhi hotel, following reports that Shashi Tharoor was having an affair.
Police have already questioned a number of hotel staff as they continue their investigation.
The couple became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages on Wednesday that appeared to reveal Shashi Tharoor was having an affair with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tahrar.
Shashi Tharoor is being treated at the same hospital where his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s post-mortem examination is to be carried out in a few hours
They later insisted they were happily married, blaming “unauthorized tweets”.
Shashi Tharoor married Sunanda Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.
On Wednesday, messages began to appear on Shashi Tharoor’s Twitter account suggesting he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.
Sunanda Pushkar admitted publishing the tweets, but later denied it.
She was found dead in the five-star hotel in Delhi, according to police sources.
Reports said that her husband had informed the police of her death. It was unclear how she died.
Mehr Tahrar, who denied having an affair with the minister, tweeted after she heard of Sunanda Pushkar’s death: “I’m absolutely shocked.
“This is too awful for words. So tragic I don’t know what to say. Rest in peace, Sunanda.”
Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.
Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise he was bidding for.
Shashi Tharoor was appointed minister of state for human resource development in 2012.
Closer magazine first published details of President Francois Hollande’s affair with actress Julie Gayet last Friday.
Francois Hollande’s partners:
1988: Francois Hollande meets journalist Valerie Trierweiler. He was a Socialist Party MP with a steady partner, Segolene Royal
Family years: Valerie Trierweiler raises three children with second husband, while Francois Hollande raises four with his unmarried partner, Segolene Royal
Francois Hollande’s partners, Segolene Royal, Valerie Trierweiler and Julie Gayet
November 2007: Valerie Trierweiler announces she is Francois Hollande’s new partner, six months after he leaves Segolen Royal, who has just been defeated as the Socialist presidential candidate
Early 2012: Francois Hollande allegedly begins affair with actress Julie Gayet, who has two children from her first marriage to Santiago Amigorena
May 2012: Valerie Trierweiler, still officially Francois Hollande’s unmarried partner, becomes first lady of France after his victory in the presidential election
June 2013: Valerie Trierweiler wins damages of 10,000 euros ($13,675) from authors of The Troublemaker, a book that made allegations about her private life before Francois Hollande’s election
January 2014: Valerie Trierweiler is admitted to hospital after Closer publishes a report on Francois Hollande’s alleged affair with Julie Gayet, accompanied by photos.[youtube IM2ZslAue_Q 650]
Gravity won a record seven prizes at the 19th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The awards are a likely indicator of Oscar success and have predicted many of the winners in recent years.
Gravity was named best sci-fi film, while Alfonso Cuaron won best director and Sandra Bullock took best actress in an action movie.
However, 12 Years a Slave collected the coveted best picture prize.
Determined by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the best picture winner has gone on to win the best picture Oscar in six of the past seven years.
The ceremony saw Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett win the top acting awards for their performances in Dallas Buyers Club and Blue Jasmine.
Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett also both won Golden Globes for their roles at the weekend.
Jared Leto dedicated his award to all the people around the world who are living with HIV
The actor thanked the late Ron Woodroof, whom he portrayed on screen, saying he had “a life that was damned well worth putting to the big screen”.
12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong’o was named best supporting actress, while Matthew McConaughey’s co-star Jared Leto picked up best supporting actor.
Jared Leto dedicated his award to “all the people around the world who are living with HIV [and] all the people who have lost their lives to this horrific disease”.
American Hustle – which received 10 Oscar nominations – collected four awards in total, including best comedy film, acting ensemble, hair and make-up and best actress in a comedy for Amy Adams.
Leonardo DiCaprio followed up his Golden Globe win another best actor in a comedy prize for The Wolf of Wall Street.
Mark Wahlberg picked up best actor in an action film for war film Lone Survivor, which also collected best action film.
French film Blue is the Warmest Colour, which was snubbed by the Oscars, won the best foreign language film award, with its star Adele Exarchopoulos named best young actress.
President Barack Obama has announced he has ordered curbs on the use of bulk data collected by all US intelligence agencies, saying civil liberties must be respected.
Barack Obama said such data had prevented terror attacks at home and abroad, but that in tackling threats the government risked over-reaching itself.
However, civil liberties groups have said the changes do not go far enough.
The announcement follows global anger after details of the work of the National Security Agency were leaked.
Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked the information, is wanted in the US for espionage and is now living in exile in Russia.
The leaked documents revealed that the US collects massive amounts of electronic data from communications of private individuals around the world, and that it has spied on foreign leaders.
The latest revelations claim that US agencies have collected and stored almost 200 million text messages every day across the globe.
In his much-anticipated speech at the Department of Justice, Barack Obama said he would not apologize for the effectiveness of US intelligence operations, and insisted that nothing he had seen indicated they had sought to break the law.
It was necessary for the US to continue collecting large amounts of data, he said, but acknowledged that doing so allowed for “the potential of abuse”.
President Barack Obama has ordered curbs on the use of bulk data collected by all US intelligence agencies
“The reforms I’m proposing today should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, even as our intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain the tools they need to keep us safe,” he said.
Details of the times, numbers and durations of phone calls – known as metadata – are currently collected and held by the NSA. However, Barack Obama said he was ending that system “as it currently exists”.
He has asked the attorney general and the intelligence community to draw up plans for such metadata to be held by a third party, with the NSA required to seek legal permission before it could access them.
A panel of independent privacy advocates would also sit on the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) which has responsibility for giving permission for mass surveillance programmes.
Barack Obama also offered assurances to non-Americans, saying people around the world “should know that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don’t threaten our national security”.
“This applies to foreign leaders as well,” he said, promising that from now on the US “will not monitor the communications of heads of state and government of our close friends and allies”.
That announcement follows revelations that the US had spied on friendly foreign leaders, including the personal mobile of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Barack Obama was also critical of nations he said “feign surprise” over the leaks but “privately acknowledge that America has special responsibilities as the world’s only superpower” and have used the information gathered for their own purposes.
The president said he would not “dwell on Mr. Snowden’s actions or his motivations”, but warned that the “sensational way” the NSA details had come to light had potentially jeopardized US operations “for years to come”.
Civil liberties groups see Edward Snowden as a hero for exposing what they see as official intrusions into private lives, but many Americans believe he has endangered American lives.
Indian minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife, Sunanda Pushkar, has been found dead, following reports that he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.
Sunanda Pushkar is reported to have been discovered at a hotel in Delhi.
Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages on Wednesday that appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.
They later insisted they were happily married, blaming “unauthorised tweets”.
Shashi Tharoor married Sunanda Pushkar, a former Dubai-based businesswoman, in 2010.
A public row between the couple erupted on Wednesday when messages began to appear on Shashi Tharoor’s Twitter account suggesting he was having an affair with journalist Mehr Tahrar.
Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages that appeared to reveal he was having an affair
Sunanda Pushkar admitted publishing the tweets, but later denied it.
She was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi, according to police sources.
Reports said that Shashi Tharoor had informed the police of her death. It was unclear how she died.
Mehr Tahrar, who denied having an affair with the minister, tweeted after she heard of Sunanda Pushkar’s death: “I’m absolutely shocked.
“This is too awful for words. So tragic I don’t know what to say. Rest in peace, Sunanda.”
Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat, was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.
Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise he was bidding for.
Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese soldier who refused to surrender after WWII ended and spent 29 years in the jungle, has died at the age 91 in Tokyo.
Hiroo Onoda remained in the jungle on Lubang Island near Luzon, in the Philippines, until 1974 because he did not believe that the war had ended.
He was finally persuaded to emerge after his ageing former commanding officer was flown in to see him.
Correspondents say he was greeted as a hero on his return to Japan.
As WWII neared its end, Hiroo Onoda, then a lieutenant, became cut off on Lubang as US troops came north.
The young soldier had orders not to surrender – a command he obeyed for nearly three decades.
“Every Japanese soldier was prepared for death, but as an intelligence officer I was ordered to conduct guerrilla warfare and not to die,” he told ABC in an interview in 2010.
“I became an officer and I received an order. If I could not carry it out, I would feel shame. I am very competitive,” he added.
Hiroo Onoda refused to surrender after WWII ended and spent 29 years in the jungle
While on Lubang Island, Hiroo Onoda surveyed military facilities and engaged in sporadic clashes with local residents.
Three other soldiers were with him at the end of the war. One emerged from the jungle in 1950 and the other two died, one in a 1972 clash with local troops.
Hiroo Onoda ignored several attempts to get him to surrender.
He later said that he dismissed search parties sent to him, and leaflets dropped by Japan, as ploys.
“The leaflets they dropped were filled with mistakes so I judged it was a plot by the Americans,” he told ABC.
Finally in March 1974 his former commanding officer travelled to the Philippines to rescind his original orders in person.
Hiroo Onoda saluted the Japanese flag and handed over his Samurai sword while still wearing a tattered army uniform.
The Philippine government granted him a pardon, although many in Lubang never forgave him for the 30 people he killed during his campaign on the island.
Following his surrender, Hiroo Onoda ran a ranch in Brazil, and opened a series of survival training schools in Japan.
Hiroo Onoda was one of the last Japanese soldiers to surrender at the end of World War II.
France’s President Francois Hollande has visited First Lady Valerie Trierweiler in hospital for the first time since reports of his alleged affair with actress Julie Gayet broke last week.
Valerie Trierweiler was admitted to hospital, apparently in shock after learning of the reports.
Closer magazine first published details of Francois Hollande’s link with Julie Gayet last Friday.
The gossip magazine has further alleged that the affair began during the 2012 presidential race.
Julie Gayet, 41, says she is suing Closer magazine for breach of privacy, seeking 50,000 euros ($68,000) in damages and 4,000 euros in legal costs.
Francois Hollande visited his partner in hospital for the first time on Thursday evening, the Elysee Palace confirmed on Friday, without giving further details.
Valerie Trierweiler, 48, was admitted to hospital last Friday – hours after the first revelations made by Closer magazine.
President Francois Hollande has visited First Lady Valerie Trierweiler in hospital for the first time since reports of his alleged affair
In an apparent defense of Francois Hollande’s character, Valerie Trierweiler reportedly spoke to a radio journalist earlier on Thursday to explain that he had been told to stay away from the hospital by doctors.
The journalist said she was told Francois Hollande had sent flowers and chocolates and had met the team that is looking after Valerie Trierweiler.
Valerie Trierweiler said she was “very tired to the point of not being able to stand up”, and had been suffering from low blood pressure and low morale but was determined to leave hospital with her head held high.
In response to the reports, a source at the Elysee Palace said Francois Hollande was “not unhappy” about the hospital forbidding him to visit.
French media have claimed that Valerie Trierweiler suffered an anxiety attack last week, but her friends have played down her condition.
Le Point magazine quoted a friend of Valerie Trierweiler as saying she had taken “one pill too many”, but had not tried to commit suicide.
At his annual news conference on Tuesday at the Elysee to discuss his political agenda, Francois Hollande was asked questions about the alleged affair.
Francois Hollande, 59, said he was experiencing a “difficult moment” in his private life but refused to answer questions over the report in Closer, saying “private matters should be dealt with privately”.
Nor would he clarify whether Valerie Trierweiler was still first lady before a February trip to the US.
