Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson revealed he does not have any plans to run for Congress from Louisiana.
While promoting Duck Dynasty Season 4 on Fox News’ The Five, Willie Robertson was asked to weigh in on reports that he might run to replace Republican Rep. Rodney Alexander, who is set to resign in September to join the cabinet of Gov. Bobby Jindal.
“I heard I was doing that,” Willie Robertson said regarding the Twitter buzz his own political leanings have sparked, but “that’s news to me.”
“I’m kinda busy right now,” he added.
“I gotta lot of stuff going on.”
Willie Robertson promoting Duck Dynasty Season 4 on Fox News’ The Five
Duck Dynasty remains one of the most popular shows on cable and in recent months, WillieRobertson has taken to the road, hitting up the Christian lecture circuit with the likes of megachurch pastor Rick Warren, conservative New England Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow and the ever-present former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Willie Robertson, who has referred to his Christian faith, values and support of Second Amendment rights on his show, is said to have been wooed by some top GOP leaders for a run for Congress.
Dismissing the suggestions that he should make an entrance into politics, Willie Robertson instead offered his endorsement when asked whom he “liked for 2016 on the Republican side.” He picked Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
“I’m curious to know about Jindal,” Willie Robertson said.
Katie Couric has apologized for hurting Kim Kardashian’s feelings after questioning her family’s massive fame in a recent interview with In Touch magazine.
Katie Couric, 56, released a statement following Kim Kardashian’s furious Instagram post accusing the TV presenter of being a “fake media friend”.
“I’ve met Kim before and I think she’s a really sweet person,” Katie Couric told E! News.
“I was responding to a reporter’s question, and explaining how I’m intrigued by the public’s fascination with her family. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. The gift is genuine, and I’m happy for Kim and Kanye.”
Katie Couric has apologized for hurting Kim Kardashian’s feelings after questioning her family’s massive fame
Kim Kardashian, 32, had posted a picture of baby clothes and a note sent by Katie Couric and asked her not to “talk s**t” if she’s going to pretend to be nice.
The reality star also included the hashtags: “I Hate Fake Media Friends” and “May I Humbly Suggest You Not Send Gifts Then Talk Sh*t”.
The offending comments were made by the former Today Show anchor in anIn Touch article published Wednesday.
“I don’t understand – why are they so famous? I think it’s mostly teenage girls that are interested,” Katie Couric told the magazine.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians Season 8 currently airs Sunday nights on E!.
Katie Couric – who’s worked for the three biggest networks in the US – hosts the ABC daytime talk show Katie on weekdays.
Kim Kardashian uploaded a picture of baby clothes and a note sent by Katie Couric onto her Instagram account and asked her not to “talk s**t” if she’s going to pretend to be nice.
Kim Kardashian, 32, is livid after Katie Couric slammed her in an interview on Thursday despite sending her a baby gift for North West.
Kim Kardashian uploaded a picture of baby clothes and a note sent by Katie Couric
The suddenly feisty Kim Kardashian wrote alongside the snap: “#IHateFakeMediaFriends “#MayIHumblySuggestYouNotSendGiftsThenTalkSh*t.”
The offending comments were made by Katie Couric in an In Touch interview that was published on Wednesday.
Katie Couric, 56, said she doesn’t understand why Kim Kardashian and the rest of the Kardashians are famous.
She said: “I think it’s mostly teenage girls that are interested.”
Katie Couric’s message even had a printing error, truncating “North West” to just “No”.
As preparations got underway for June Shannon and Sugar Bear’s long-awaited commitment ceremony – which took place on May 5 and will air later in the year – the family enjoyed a rather sweet moment.
Googling the word “wedding”, Honey Boo Boo proceeds to ask her mom and dad about their plans for a first dance.
“Have you and Sugar Bear ever danced, Mama?” 18-year-old Anna “Chickadee” Shannon queries.
“No! Sugar Bear ain’t have no rhythm,” June Shannon responds.
Not willing to take the dig, Sugar Bear banters back that Mama June doesn’t have any rhythm either, before leaping to his feet and coaxing her up for a whirl around the living room.
June Shannon and Sugar Bear practice their fancy footwork ahead of their commitment ceremony
“How I’m going to dance with June is I’m just gonna put my arms around her and go for a ride!” Mike Thompson, 41, cheekily begins.
“Dancing is all about hand placement,” June Shannon counters as she takes the lead, which is followed by jeers from her girls, who encourage Sugar Bear to “grab her tushy”.
While the fun moment that ended in a lighthearted wrestle had three of June Shannon’s daughters in raptures, one person wasn’t laughing.
Honey Boo Boo, 7, was mortified by the display and cautioned her parents to get their act together before their big day.
“Sugar Bear and Mama better take a dance class before the commitment ceremony. I don’t wanna be embarrassed,” Alana Thompson warns.
“After the children saw me and Sugar dance, they recommended that we get professional help,” June Shannon, 34, later admits, referring to her partner’s moves as The Rabbit Dance.
Lindsay Lohan is trying to make a comeback after 90 days in rehab by launching a new website on Friday.
Lindsaylohan.com features photos and videos of the star, as well as her own style blog.
Above the feed of content on the homepage is a black and white shot of the 27-year-old and a note from Lindsay Lohan herself.
Lindsay Lohan is trying to make a comeback after 90 days in rehab by launching a new website
“To my fans, Welcome to my new site,” the message reads.
“Your support has been everything. I’m so excited for what’s next. Xo All my love, Lindsay.”
Lindsay Lohan shared some recent photos she has taken for her Instagram page, both of herself and things she has spotted and liked.
She also posted videos including a clip from her interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter and at trailer for her latest movie.
She also appeared to be feeling nostalgic as she shared albums with stills from her biggest movies Mean Girls and The Parent Trap.
Lindsay Lohan spent 90 days at the Cliffside treatment centre in Malibu, California, and she spent her free time viewing movies she starred in with other patients.
The CIA has officially acknowledged the secret test site known as Area 51, in a newly unclassified internal history of the U-2 spy plane programme.
The document obtained by the George Washington University in Washington DC describes the 1955 acquisition of the Nevada site for testing of the secret spy plane.
It also explains the site’s lingering association with UFOs and aliens.
The remote patch of desert surrounding Groom Lake was chosen because it was adjacent to a nuclear testing facility.
The U-2 plane, developed to spy on the Soviet Union during the Cold War, is still flown by the US Air Force.
The document, a secret 1992 internal CIA history of the U-2 programme, was originally declassified in 1998 with heavy redactions.
Many of the blacked-out details were revealed this month after a public records request by the National Security Archive at the George Washington University.
The site was selected for the U-2 programme in 1955 after an aerial survey by CIA and Air Force staff.
The CIA has officially acknowledged the secret test site known as Area 51, in a newly unclassified internal history of the U-2 spy plane programme
According to the history, President Dwight Eisenhower personally signed off on the acquisition.
Officials from the CIA, Air Force and Lockheed, the contractor building the U-2, began moving into the facility in July 1955.
While a lengthy account of the development of the U-2 spy plane programme, the history also attempts to shed light on the public’s fascination with the Area 51 site and its lingering associations with extra-terrestrials and UFOs.
It notes that testing of the U-2 plane in the 1950s – at altitudes much higher than commercial aeroplanes then flew – provoked “a tremendous increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs)”.
“At this time, no one believed manned flight was possible above 60,000 feet, so no one expected to see an object so high in the sky,” note authors Gregory Pedlow and Donald Welzenbach.
The original request for the redacted portions of the history was made in 2005. It was released to the National Security Archive several weeks ago.
Jeff Richelson, a senior fellow at the National Security Archive, said the long period of secrecy was notable because of the extent people across the world were already aware of Area 51’s existence.
He speculates the CIA must have recently made a conscious, deliberate decision to reveal Area 51’s existence and origins.
“There is a general inclination towards secrecy,” he said, and the many US agencies and non-US governments involved in the U-2 programme would have had a say in the declassification process.
“As far as I can tell, this is the first time something must have gone to a high-enough level to discuss whether or not to formally acknowledge Area 51’s existence,” he said.
At least 26 people have died and more than 200 are missing after MV Thomas Aquinas ferry collided with a cargo ship and sank off the Philippines.
The MV Thomas Aquinas was in collision with the cargo vessel on Friday evening near the central city of Cebu, officials said.
The ship was carrying 752 passengers and 118 crew, according to latest coast guard figures.
The incident took place around 1.2 miles from the shore.
The ferry was sailing into the port at Cebu – the country’s second biggest city – when it collided with the cargo ship travelling the other way at about 21:00 local time.
“The impact was very strong,” Rachel Capuno, a spokesperson for the owners of the ferry, told local radio.
Survivors said hundreds of passengers jumped into the ocean as the ferry began taking on water and listing. The crew distributed life jackets.
Many of the passengers were asleep and others struggled to find their way in the dark, reports said.
One survivor, Jerwin Agudong, said he and other passengers jumped overboard in front of the cargo vessel.
At least 26 people have died and more than 200 are missing after MV Thomas Aquinas ferry collided with a cargo ship and sank off the Philippines
“It seems some people were not able to get out,” Jerwin Agudong told radio station DZBB.
“I pity the children. We saw dead bodies on the side, and some being rescued.”
The ferry sank within 30 minutes of the collision, the AFP news agency reports.
Rear Admiral Luis Tuason of the coast guard said navy divers recovered at least four more bodies from the wreck early on Saturday.
“There could be more bodies there but there were ropes inside that our divers could get entangled in,” he said.
The coast guard is to send more divers with deep-water equipment to help recover bodies, he added.
Another coast guard official told reporters that the cargo ship, Sulpicio Express 7, had 36 crew members on board, but it did not sink.
Passengers on the ferry had embarked at Nasipit in the southern province of Agusan del Sur.
The coastguard and some commercial vessels were able to pick up more than 600 survivors.
The 11,000 tonne ferry was 40 years old, and operated by a Chinese-owned company called 2Go.
The company became the largest ferry operator in the Philippines three years ago, following a merger of several smaller firms, our correspondent adds.
Joy Villages, an official at the coastguard’s public affairs office headquarters in Manila, told AFP it was too early to determine the cause of Friday’s collision.
She said the Thomas Aquinas was a “roll-on, roll-off” ferry that allows vehicles to be driven aboard and is commonly used in the Philippines.
Maritime accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical weather, badly maintained passenger boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
The world’s worst maritime disaster in peacetime occurred in the Philippines in December 1987. More than 4,000 people died when the Dona Paz ferry collided with a tanker.
Forty distressed pythons have been rescued by animal welfare officers from plastic storage bins in a Canadian motel room.
The snakes, ranging from one foot to 4.5 feet long, belonged to guests, a manager at the motel in Brantford, Ontario, said.
The couple, who had checked into a room for one night, were out when police seized the animals on Thursday evening.
Forty distressed pythons have been rescued by animal welfare officers from plastic storage bins in a Canadian motel room
Pythons are not legal for home ownership in Brantford, according to the city’s animal control by-laws.
Local police in Brantford, a city about 60 miles southwest of Toronto, said the reptiles were in distress but they were expected to recover, Reuters news agency reports.
The snakes have been taken to an animal shelter, run by the Brant County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The SPCA said the animals would be examined by a veterinarian, the Toronto Star newspaper reports. Welfare officers will continue to investigate the case.
Last week, two young boys in the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick died after a 13 foot, 100 lb African rock python apparently attacked them in their sleep.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that the two boys died of asphyxiation.
TUI, Europe’s largest tour operator, has cancelled all holidays bought by German customers to Egypt until mid-September.
The move comes in the wake of Egypt’s escalating violence, following advice from the German government.
TUI’s rival, Thomas Cook, also announced similar measures for its German customers.
The two companies said holidaymakers who are already in Egypt will be able to stay until the end of their trips.
Thomas Cook has cancelled all excursions from the Red Sea resorts to the tourist areas of Cairo, Luxor, Moses Mountain and Saint Catherine’s monastery.
“Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada are fully operational and holidaymakers are continuing to enjoy these popular resorts,” a spokesperson for Thomas Cook said.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry advised against all travel to Egypt “in view of the current situation and the unpredictability of developments”.
TUI has cancelled all holidays bought by German customers to Egypt until mid-September
Travellers are especially being warned to avoid Cairo and the main tourist centres in Egypt, such as Luxor, Assuan and the Nile Delta.
Those staying in the resorts on the Red Sea, which are about an eight-hour drive from Cairo, could remain, as the situation there is still calm, the German foreign ministry said.
TUI said that customers wishing to return home should contact their tour managers.
“TUI is monitoring the situation in Egypt very closely and has an emergency task force which is in constant contact with the authorities and the tour leaders on site,” the company added.
Meanwhile, the Russian government announced similar warnings, advising travel agents to stop selling package holidays there for the time being.
Russia has more than 50,000 of its citizens on holiday in Egypt at the moment and a similar number booked to go there in the next few months.
The governments of France, Spain and Italy have made similar warnings.
Speaking on the possibility of evacuating of his country’s nationals from Egypt, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said: “We will see how the situation evolves.”
Duck Dynasty men have no plans to change their look anytime soon, because as it turns out, those bushy beards are more than just down-home fashion statements.
“You have to remember something – you came out of your mother’s womb and reached a certain majority of years and that hair started coming forth from your face,” Phil Robertson told TODAY.
“Not so much with women, but men, hair grows out of their face. So we usually remind people that the only two people who do not have whiskers are women and children, and we are neither of those.”
The beard is just fine with Phil Robertson’s wife, Miss Kay. Even though she admitted she hasn’t “seen his face in 30 years,” she’s learned to love whiskers.
Duck Dynasty men have no plans to change their look anytime soon
In fact, Miss Kay’s so happy with Phil Robertson, she recently agreed to walk down the aisle with him one more time for their 49th wedding anniversary, and fans will get a chance to see the big event on the show’s season four premiere.
“This wedding costs way more than the original wedding with Miss Kay and I,” Phil Robertson said of the romantic redo.
“It was $25 bucks on the first go around. Fifty years later, to kind of replay that, it was … uh … hold on to your pocketbook.”
Almost 12 million viewers tuned in to Season 4’s premiere of the scripted reality TV hit — which, as it turns out, isn’t very scripted at all.
“Most of the time, we ad lib because think about it, someone in LA is fixing to put words into our mouths?” Phil Robertson said, scoffing at the idea.
Besides, at least one of them doesn’t pay much attention to the script anyway.
“I’m a director’s worst nightmare,” said fan favorite, Si Robertson.
“They give you the script – I don’t read no script, OK? And don’t let me get bored, ’cause then I’ll just go crazy.”
A postage stamp-sized plastic square sewn onto the tongue helps losing weight fast.
Two women have tried out the “miracle” patch – Marlene Beltran, 20, and Lysander Lanuza, 27, – who both admitted to being unable to control their food cravings, put the tongue patch to the test in an ABC News segment.
Despite the pain and discomfort that came with it, the women were pleased with the results, with Lysander Lanuza losing an incredible 23 lbs and Marlene dropping 18 lbs in just 30 days.
Launched in 2009 by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay, the patch is secured to the tongue with six stitches in a $2,000 procedure that takes just ten minutes.
The sutures make consuming solid food so painful that users are forced to resort to a restrictive 800 calorie liquid-only diet developed by Dr. Nikolas Chugay.
Lysander Lanuza, who weighed 200 lbs before the surgery and whose motivation is a trip to Hawaii in a month’s time, giggles after her surgery is finished, and mumbles: “I can’t feel my tongue.”
The numbness continues until the anesthetic wears off, at which point she finds it very painful to consume anything other than liquid.
Indeed, Lysander Lanuza learns the hard way that the patch is effective when she caves in at a movie theater and indulges in a single piece of popcorn.
“It hurt,” she says.
“I’m like, Christ it does work, I can’t eat!”
The tongue patch diet was launched in 2009 by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay
Marlene Beltran, who started out at 169 lbs, manages to resist her cravings for fast food, but she experiences grouchiness whenever her family sits down to dinner and she is forced to stay in a different room.
These are just some of the side effects of the controversial procedure, which is yet to be FDA-approved.
According to a study submitted by Dr. Nikolas Chugay’s son and partner Paul, their patients lose an average of 18 lbs in 30 days, and they keep the weight off for eight months.
But the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery has yet to publish the research, because it was found to have “insufficient data”.
Indeed, while Dr. Nikolas Chugay insists he has never met with any skepticism, weight loss expert Dr. Robert Huizenga told the news website he is unconvinced of the patch’s effectiveness, especially over time.
“This is so primitive an approach,” the physician, who has appeared on the Biggest Loser, says.
“You could hire somebody to hold a gun next to your head and threaten to shoot you every time you eat.
“The idea that you put this patch in and every time you take one morsel of solid food, you get this stabbing pain, who the heck know what the long-term consequences of that are.”
He also adds that many studies suggest that those who lose weight rapidly tend to gain it all back, and more.
Nevertheless, throughout the 30 days, both Marlene Beltran and Lysander Lanuza instantly and happily notice a difference as the pounds begin to drop.
“I’m getting a lot more attention from guys, which is nice,” Marlene Beltran says on day 22.
“It’s attention I’m not really used to.”
After 30 days are up, the women have their patches removed and they step on the scales to see the results.
Lysander Lanuza has dropped 23 lbs, just in time for her Hawaii vacation, and Marlene Beltran has lost an incredible 18 lbs, and is finally able to squeeze into her skinny jeans for the first time in four years.
“I’m excited now to see how things turn out,” Marlene Beltran says as she grins at her reflection in the mirror.
High Street megastore TK Maxx’s new autumn/winter campaign sets out to prove that being stylish is a state of mind, not an age bracket or a dress size.
Led by 85-year-old supermodel Daphne Selfe the eclectic line-up of UK models and street style stars chosen to showcase the new season offerings also includes Britain’s hottest new plus-size model, Felicity Hayward.
The campaign aims to celebrate individuality and personal style, rather than slavishly following the trends, and the high energy shoot gives the latest in-store bargains a cool new twist.
World’s oldest supermodel posed for TK Maxx campaign
Silver-haired Daphne Selfe has been the star of countless catwalk extravaganzas, campaigns and magazine spreads in a career spanning seven decades.
In the pictures Daphne Selfe is seen modeling a mannish trouser suit as well as coral cigarette trousers and a boucle belted coat.
Talking about her style Daphne Selfe said: “I have and wear a lot of vintage clothes and it is how I have always dressed.I still have my <<going away suit>> which I bought in Madrid in the ‘50’s. It’s thick white brocade cotton and can be put in the washing machine. It’s had several <<updates>> over the years but is still as good as ever and I would hate to part with it.”
Daphne Selfe’s top tip for TK Maxx shopping is: “Definitely to go when you are feeling fit and energetic, there’s a lot of choice!”
Kourtney Kardashian confirmed on Thursday that Scott Disick is the biological father of her three-year-old son Mason despite Michael Girgenti’s paternity claims.
And pictures have emerged of Scott Disick which appear to be just after he learned of the paternity results.
Scott Disick, 30, looks relieved as he keeps his head down while leaving a Los Angeles hospital, with Kourtney Kardashian, 34, and Mason following behind him.
Kourtney Kardashian was asked by model Michael Girgenti to allow Mason to undergo the test, after he claimed they slept together while she and Scott Disick were on a break from their relationship in March 2009.
But lab results from tests conducted on August 12 have proved his allegations are false.
As they left the hospital on Thursday, Kourtney Kardashian also appeared to be relieved, looking more relaxed than she has done in recent days as she walked along hand-in-hand with her little boy.
As she confirmed the paternity results on Thursday, Kourtney Kardashian told E! News: “After three-and-a-half years of lies being spread by an individual I met briefly at a photo shoot, I am setting the record straight that Scott is Mason’s father.
Kourtney Kardashian confirmed that Scott Disick is the biological father of her son Mason despite Michael Girgenti’s paternity claims
“While it saddens me to have to address these ridiculous lies – especially when the truth was never in doubt – this story must be put to rest.”
However, Michael Girgenti appeared to not have accepted the results of the text as conclusive and plans to press ahead with the paternity lawsuit he filed earlier this month.
“We don’t trust the results and believe it could have been fixed,” his spokesperson told Radar.
“Still going to court to fight for court ordered results.”
Michael Girgenti had claimed that he fathered Kourtney Kardashian’s son Mason amid a steamy love affair.
But before taking the case to court, he reportedly wrote an impassioned letter to Kourtney Kardashian urging her to submit to a DNA test.
According toRadarOnline the letter, dated April 23, stated that the 26-year-old male model wished to avoid dragging Kourtney Kardashian and her partner Scott Disick to court.
“My attentions [sic] are not to hurt the family you’ve created with Scott,” Michael Girgenti wrote.
“Please take this final request for a DNA test seriously,” he wrote before taking on a more stern tone: “Because if you don’t, I will be forced to take legal action and sue.”
He continued: “I assure you I don’t take being a father lightly. I will be a great father to Mason.”
Last week, Michael Girgenti filed paperwork at a Los Angeles County Superior Court in a bid to get joint custody of Mason.
The lawsuit documents the alleged relationship between Kourtney Kardashian and Michael Girgenti, which he claims heated up in August 2008, and continued with months of texting in which she told him her relationship with Scott Disick was “on the outs” and “she wanted to hang”.
According to gossip website TMZ.com, Michael Girgenti wanted the judge to order DNA tests for Kourtney Kardashian, Mason and Scott Disick.
Kim Kardashian made her first appearance in public as a mother after giving birth to baby North West eight weeks ago.
And while she kept her style dressed down and sober, Kim Kardashian sure let her accessories do the talking.
Not for Kim Kardashian the everyday nappy bag from Cath Kidston. For her first appearance en famille with baby North and Kanye West, Kim Kardashian toted a $30,000 Hermes bag, stuffed full, no doubt, with Swarovski pacifiers, Dior baby bottles and cashmere babygros.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s matching bracelets
But more striking than the Hermes nappy bag were the matching moccasin boots that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were sporting.
Eschewing heels for once, Kim Kardashian wore on her feet a pair of tan fringed Minnetonka boots in suede – and Kanye West wore his own black fringed pair.
It is no secret that the two have long been performing a sort of style merge.
Ever since the two began dating in the first half of 2012, Kim Kardashian’s wardrobe began to go through something of a metamorphosis – and Kanye West made no secret of the fact that he was behind it.
Horacio Cartes has been sworn in as the president of Paraguay in a ceremony in the capital, Asuncion.
In his inaugural speech, multi-millionaire businessman Horacio Cartes, of the centre-right Colorado Party, promised to wage war on poverty.
Paraguay is one of the poorest countries in South America.
Horacio Cartes, a relative newcomer to politics who had not voted before 2008, was elected with 45.8% of the ballots in April.
He defeated his closest rival, the Liberal Efrain Alegre, by nine percentage points.
“I’m not in politics to make a career of it or become wealthier,” Horacio Cartes, who is one of Paraguay’s richest men, said.
“I’m in politics to serve my people, improve the future of new generations and treasure our identity as a free, independent and sovereign people,” he added.
He also promised to “put the fatherland first” and to “create opportunities for all” to combat Paraguay’s rampant inequality.
Horacio Cartes, a relative newcomer to politics who had not voted before 2008, was elected with 45.8 percent of the ballots in April
Horacio Cartes had campaigned on a platform of poverty reduction and job creation.
Choosing his cabinet, he broke with the established tradition of naming senior party members to key posts, instead choosing technocrats and business people.
His Colorado Party was in power for 60 years and played a key part in supporting the military rule of General Alfredo Stroessner from 1954 to 1989.
In 2008, it was beaten by a left-wing coalition headed by Fernando Lugo.
Fernando Lugo was controversially impeached by Congress over his handling of a land eviction in which 17 people died.
The impeachment process took less than 48 hours and was deemed unfair by many of Paraguay’s neighbors and led to the country’s exclusion from the Mercosur trading bloc.
The presidents of the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela) said in July that they would lift the suspension after Horacio Cartes’ inauguration.
However, Paraguay said it would not return to the Mercosur fold as long as Venezuela held its rotating presidency.
Paraguay has objected to Venezuela’s inclusion in the trading bloc.
Asuncion says that a new member can only be included after a unanimous vote and argues that such a vote should not have been held while Paraguay was suspended.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was not invited to Horacio Cartes’ inauguration.
Foreign Minister Eladio Loizaga said he would rather deal with Paraguay’s neighbors individually at first.
“We have pending issues with Argentina, with Uruguay; we have to recompose all that,” he said.
“Mercosur will be later because our priority is the bilateral relations,” he added.
Venezuela holds Mercosur’s rotating presidency until July 2014.
Kim Kardashian finally stepped out for the first time since giving birth to daughter North West.
Kim Kardashian, who has not been seen in public since North was welcomed into the world eight weeks ago, looked radiant for the outing alongside Kanye West in Los Angeles.
And while she is said to have been battling insecurities over her post-baby body, Kim Kardashian, 32, appeared confident as she showed off the results of the rigorous exercise and diet regime she has been following to already lose 30 lbs.
Clearly more concerned about her daughter than worrying too much about make-up, Kim Kardashian went for a natural complexion and left her raven hair loose and tousled.
Kim Kardashian has not been seen in public since baby North West was welcomed into the world eight weeks ago
Completing her look, Kim Kardashian showed she has been splurging on baby accessories as she carried perhaps the most stylish baby bag in existence – a huge black Hermes Birkin bag.
Kim Kardashian finished off her look with a pair of fringed boots, which matched Kanye’s in everything but color.
But while Kim Kardashian might not have been too concerned about her appearance, Kanye West played the stylist as he helped his girlfriend perfect her look before she stepped out in front of the cameras.
Kanye West, 36, turned his eye to Kim Kardashian’s ensemble, eyeing her up and down to check she looked the part after he artfully tied a jumper around her waist.
The couple were joined by a nanny, who took charge of carrying the little girl in her baby seat.
As pictures of the little girl have yet to be seen, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West opted to cover the seat in a pale blanket in a bid to prevent anyone from sneaking a peek.
It has been claimed Kanye West, who has rejected offers of up to $3 million from magazines for images of his daughter, is trying to convince his good friend Anna Wintour to put Kim Kardashian and baby North on the cover of Vogue – even though the editor-in-chief doesn’t like the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.
Having the amazing 3D cinema effect in the comfort of your lounge seems out of the question for many. Companies like BT Vision are providing 3D streaming services, which make it easy for you to watch 3D television at home. The 3D TVs available at the moment are increasingly prominent in our homes. Viewing these films can make you feel like you’re ‘actually there’ when wearing the 3D glasses.
3D TVs are top spec LCD, LED or plasma televisions. They first hit the market in 2010 and are gaining in popularity on a daily basis. You will indeed need these 3D specs to witness 3D content but don’t be misled into thinking that they will convert all your programs into three dimensions; you’ll only see shows made for 3D viewing and these must be watched on a 3D TV. They cost a lot more than other televisions because the technology required is relatively new. These prices will no doubt decrease as time goes by as with many other electrical devices. Just think how much DVD players cost when they first came out and what they can be bought for these days.
Two types of 3D glasses are available known as passive or active glasses and each style uses different glass. Passive glasses are frequently seen at the cinema and use polarizing lenses whereas the active versions use crystallized shutters, powered by batteries. To watch 3D shows and programs you will need a 3D TV along with a 3D source like a 3D Blu-ray player or 3D TV channel. If you do not have either of these sources, your TV will function perfectly well but in 2D.
So how does the 3D TV and glasses cause us to see the picture in 3D? The television forms two separate pictures simultaneously causing a disordered image. The glasses then combine the two pictures to form a clear image for you to see in three dimensions.
Currently there aren’t many 3D channels available. In the UK Sky 3D shows a mixture of films, sports, documentaries and concerts. Virgin Media has a ‘3D Movies on Demand’ 3D platform that shows 3D films and TV shows. The USA has two 3D sports channels called n3D and ESPN 3D. You can also experience 3D viewing using a 3D Blu-ray player with your 3D TV. Many more channels are in the pipeline though and will appear very soon.
Even though they need glasses, 3D TVs are a superb choice. Enjoying a cinema-like experience in your lounge is an amazing experience. Even though they are expensive, as I said earlier the price will decrease as time passes. 3D televisions are the most talked about TVs at the moment and will continue to be for some time. With the price of cinema tickets on the increase there’s never been a better time to treat yourself to a 3D TV for fantastic visual viewing at home.
The funeral for Prince Johan Friso, who died on Monday following a ski accident, has been held in the Netherlands.
Dutch Prince Johan Friso remained in a coma for a year and a half after being hit by an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort in 2012.
The prince was buried in the small village of Lage Vuursche, near the castle where his mother, former Queen Beatrix, plans to retire.
Only residents and around 80 official guests attended, including Prince Johan Friso’s godfather, Norway’s King Harald V.
The royal family is planning a public memorial event later this year. Until then, a book of condolences has been opened online.
Prince Johan Friso was buried in the small village of Lage Vuursche, near the castle where his mother, former Queen Beatrix, plans to retire
Roads had been closed and events cancelled in Lage Vuursche as members of the royal family and their friends arrived at Stulpkerk church for the funeral.
Prince Johan Friso’s widow, Princess Mabel, attended with their two daughters, 8-year-old Luana and Zaria, 7, as did his mother Beatrix and brothers King Willem-Alexander and Prince Constantijn.
The 44-year-old prince was skiing off-piste in Lech in February 2012 when the avalanche struck, trapping him for more than 15 minutes and starving his brain of oxygen.
The prince was later flown to London for treatment. He was eventually discharged last month but remained in a “state of minimal consciousness”.
At the time, officials said Prince Johan Friso would spend the summer with his family, with medical treatment provided by a specialist team. He had since suffered complications and died on Monday morning in The Hague.
Prince Johan Friso was Queen Beatrix’s second of three sons, but was no longer in line to the throne after his 2004 marriage to Mabel Wisse Smit, because of her earlier involvement with a notorious Dutch drug criminal.
Shortly before becoming king on the abdication of Queen Beatrix, his elder brother Willem-Alexander spoke in April of the “terrible situation” the family had been living with.
The Ecuadorian conservation plan that would have paid the country not to drill for oil in previously untouched parts of Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest has been abandoned.
President Rafael Correa said rich nations had failed to back the initiative, leaving Ecuador with no choice but go ahead with drilling.
The park is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.
Hundreds of people gathered in Quito to protest against Rafael Correa’s decision.
Oil exploitation has been taking place in parts of the Yasuni National Park, which covers nearly 3,860 sq miles, since the 1970s.
Oil is Ecuador’s main export. Exploitation of the new area is expected to start in the coming weeks.
The UN-backed scheme to attract donations to forego drilling in the east of the park was launched by Rafael Correa in 2010.
The aim was to raise $3.6 billion, 50% of the value of the reserves in the park’s Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oil field, over 13 years.
But in a televised news conference on Thursday, Rafael Correa said the initiative had attracted only a fraction of the cash it had aimed to raise.
With only $13 million so far in actual donations, he said he had no other option but to abandon the fund as “the world has failed us”.
The Ecuadorian conservation plan that would have paid the country not to drill for oil in previously untouched parts of Yasuni National Park in the Amazon rainforest has been abandoned
“I have signed the executive decree for the liquidation of the Yasuni-ITT trust fund and through it, end the initiative,” the president said in a televised address.
He called the decision one of the most difficult he had had to take as president.
“It was not charity that we sought from the international community, but co-responsibility in the face of climate change,” Rafael Correa said.
The president added that the oil exploration would leave most of the park untouched, affecting less that 1% of its area.
Environmental activists demonstrated outside the presidential palace in the capital, Quito, about the announcement.
According to the Yasuni-ITT trust fund, 78% of Ecuadorians are against drilling in the park, which is also home to indigenous communities, including the Tagaeri and the Taromenane.
The fund, administered by the UN Development Programme, argues that stopping the drilling would prevent more than 400 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere.
A scientist working for the US-based Center for International Environmental Law said it was “deeply disappointing” the funding initiative had failed.
“The Yasuni-ITT Initiative was the lone exception to the relentless expansion of hydrocarbon projects deeper into the most remote tracts of the western Amazon,” Matt Finer told AP.
“Now there is really no viable alternative to stop the wave of drilling slated for the most biodiverse region of the world.”
Swiss National Bank has announced a loan it granted to bail out troubled bank UBS in 2008 has been repaid.
The development means UBS can now buy back the once-toxic assets taken out of the bank at the height of the financial crisis.
The assets, worth $38.7 billion at the time of the bailout, have since become profitable.
UBS, Switzerland’s biggest bank, has already said it plans to buy them back.
It described the buy-back as an “important step which will close this chapter in the firm’s history with a positive outcome”.
Swiss National Bank has announced a loan it granted to bail out troubled bank UBS in 2008 has been repaid
It would mark a significant milestone in the recovery of the bank, and Switzerland’s wider banking sector, following the banking crisis during which UBS came close to collapse.
In later 2008, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) was forced to set up a stabilization fund into which illiquid assets could be transferred.
The SNB said the price UBS will pay for the assets will be determined by a valuation from independent agents.
The fund’s equity amounted to $5.5 billion at the end of 2012.
Banks in Europe and the US are still recovering from the financial crisis, with bailout money still to be repaid and many governments still heavily invested in their banking sectors.
The European Central Bank said on Friday that banks would return a further 654 million euros in crisis loans issued in 2011 and 2012.
More than 1trillion euros was lent out by the bank, and more than a quarter has so far been repaid.
Co-founder of the fashion giant Inditex that owns Zara and Spain’s richest woman Rosalia Mera has died at the age of 69.
According to Spanish media, Rosalia Mera suffered a stroke while on holiday in Menorca and was flown back to Coruna in northern Spain where she died on Thursday evening.
Rosalia Mera left school at 11 and worked as a tailor before starting Inditex with her ex-husband Amancio Ortega.
Co-founder of the fashion giant Inditex that owns Zara and Spain’s richest woman Rosalia Mera has died at the age of 69
She helped build the company into one of the world’s biggest retailers.
Inditex owns the Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka brands.
In a statement the company said: “The group wishes to send its sincere condolences to her loved ones and friends at this extremely difficult time, after the loss of a person who contributed so much to the origins and development of the company.”
Rosalia Mera and Amancio Ortega divorced in 1986 after 20 years of marriage.
According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Rosalia Mera left the board of directors of Inditex in 2004 but still owned a near 7% stake in the company.
Duck Dynasty star Jase Robertson was the victim of a “facial profiling” when he was escorted out of NYC’s Trump International Hotel after a staff member assumed he was an undesirable sort.
Jase Robertson and the rest of Duck Dynasty cast were in New York promoting the Season 4 premiere of their hit A&E reality show, which drew 1.8 million viewers Wednesday night, a record-breaking ratings success.
Jase Robertson was escorted out of a swanky NYC hotel after a staff member assumed he was an undesirable sort
However, even with all the cash from their family business and the ratings coup, the Robertsons may not yet be household names – or faces, which was more than evident during Jase Robertson’s encounter with a confused hotel employee.
“I asked where the bathroom was and he said, <<Right this way, sir>>. He was very nice,” Robertson shared on Live With Kelly & Michael.
“He walked me outside, pointed down the road and said, <<Good luck>.”
Duck Dynasty’s matriarch Miss Kay finally got the ceremony she had always dreamed of when she tied the knot with Phil Robertson 50 years ago in a very au courant DIY affair on their expansive rural Louisiana property.
“I guess dreams really do come true,” said Miss Kay Robertson of her vow renewal.
“I feel like I’m living a fairy tale.”
Organizing the wedding was no small task, as the women of the Robertson family recruited their reluctant husbands to do everything from arrange flowers to hang lights.
“The definition of cruel and unusual punishment is hanging out on the river bank while fish are biting and I’m stuck setting up for a wedding that’s 50 years late,” groused Miss Kay and Phil’s son Jase Robertson.
Meanwhile, Phil Robertson’s brother, Vietnam veteran Uncle Si, was charged with the task of distracting Miss Kay and Phil until the ceremony.
“You’re the most integral part of this entire thing,” Willie Robertson’s wife, Korie, told Si, explaining that he had to take the couple off the property while the family prepared the wedding. “Do not come back until 5 o’clock!”
The next day, Si Robertson took Miss Kay and Phil on a rambling “trip down memory lane,” which included a visit to a dilapidated crack house and random firework stand.
“It would be nice if you went down memory lane to run up on something that you remembered,” lamented Phil Robertson.
Si Robertson finally redeemed himself by taking Miss Kay and Phil to a tree where they carved their initials in a tree five decades earlier.
“Seeing that tree just warmed my heart,” said Miss Kay Robertson.
“I can’t believe Si actually remembered that.”
Phil and Miss Kay Robertson make it official, 50 years later
Back at the Robertson compound, the family got busy decorating. The clan’s inscrutable neighbor, Mountain Man, crafted an arbor made of found branches and zip ties. Mason jars lit with candles were hung from branches, while bales of hay were turned into benches, covered with colorful swaths of fabric. The family’s fabled creek set the background, with the water sparkling and looking “like diamonds.”
For the ceremony, Si Robertson served as best man, much to the chagrin of son Willie.
“Those are two words that have never been used together–best man and Si,” Willie Robertson harrumphed.
Phil Robertson justified his decision by pointing out that he and Si had been “running together since he was naked.”
“Thank goodness he’s not naked now,” quipped Willie Robertson.
Miss Kay Robertson was wearing a partial white net veil and cream-colored suit, walked down the aisle, accompanied by her two beloved dogs. As a ukulele was softly strummed, Miss Kay’s daughter-in-law Missy Robertson sang a lilting tune.
Meanwhile, Si Robertson asked his brother Phil if he was nervous.
“No,” he replied.
“Game wardens are the only things that make me nervous.”
Surrounded by friends and family, the ceremony was lead by the Robertson’s eldest, clean-shaven son, Alan, who recently joined the family business after two decades as a preacher in the local church.
“We’ve hauled a lot of fish up this bank, we’ve played baseball under these trees, Si shot a few squirrels out of them as well,” said Alan Robertson, as his parents stood before him.
“We all got baptized in the creek back here behind me. And now, here we are, almost 50 years after you two guys got together, having the wedding that you never had, with four generations of Robertsons looking on.”
Miss Kay Robertson fought her emotions as she looked up to her husband.
“From the time I was 14 years old, I loved you,” said Miss Kay Robertson, steeling herself.
“We’ve been through some good times, and some hard times. I loved you when we were poor, and you were not so nice. Now you’re really nice and kind. And all I can say about that is – I’m not going anywhere. I will love you forever.”
Phil and Miss Kay Robertson’s youngest son was so overwhelmed with emotion, he began crying uncontrollably.
“Jep – keep it together,” one of his brothers hissed.
Meanwhile, the ceremony continued.
“Let’s see, Miss Kay – we’ve been running together since we were teenagers,” said Phil Robertson.
“The old blue Chevrolet, Si in the back. You have cooked me many a good meal. From your loins came four healthy, Godly men. You are my best friend and I love you dearly, and I’m going to be with you for the long haul, until they put me in the ground. Good?”
“Perfect,” beamed Miss Kay Robertson.
Reflecting on their almost five decades together, Miss Kay Robertson observed: “Our marriage is living proof that love and family can get you through anything.”
Duck Dynasty drew 11.8 million viewers Wednesday night on A&E, the largest audience ever for a nonfiction telecast on cable television.
That total, which included 6.3 million viewers in the advertiser-preferred demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds, built on the high ratings won in April, at the conclusion of Season 3, when the audience reached 9.6 million.
The series follows the travails of the Robertson family of West Monroe, Louisiana, and their company, Duck Commander, which makes duck calls for hunters. The show mixes commerce, family life, the great outdoors and beards suitable for members of the band ZZ Top – sported by the patriarch of the family, Phil Robertson, and three of his sons.
Duck Dynasty drew 11.8 million viewers Wednesday night, the largest audience ever for a nonfiction telecast on cable television
“The Robertsons represent a lot things we as Americans cherish,” said David McKillop, the general manager and executive vice president of the network: “self-made wealth, independence, three generations living together.”
Though a reality show, David McKillop said Duck Dynasty fits nicely with the themes of classic family television.
“When the show came in, the direction I gave: This is not a hunting show, make this like <<The Waltons>>.”
Duck Dynasty’s popularity extends beyond TV. At a recent Walmart meeting, the company announced that Duck Dynasty T-shirts were the best sellers in its men’s, women’s and boys’ sections.
Wednesday’s episode, the premiere of Duck Dynasty Season 4, followed the Robertson children as they planned a wedding ceremony for Phil Robertson and his wife, Miss Kay, who were married 48 years ago by a justice of the peace.
It also added a new character to the show: Beardless Robertson Male, Alan Robertson. He is Phil and Miss Kay’s eldest son, a minister who performed the wedding.
With its nearly 12 million viewers, Duck Dynasty eclipsed the veiwership totals of other intensely popular reality shows like Jon & Kate Plus 8, which in 2009 drew an audience of 10.6 million viewers to hear Jon and Kate Gosselin confirm that they were splitting up.
