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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleads not guilty as he makes first court appearance

Diane A. Wade
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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev pleads not guilty as he makes first court appearance

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made his first court appearance denying all 30 charges against him while he blew a kiss to his sisters.

But to the disgust of the victims of the April Marathon bombing who had come to the South Boston courtroom to stare down the “face of evil”, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, failed to even glance in their direction.

He was dressed in an orange jump suit, with his arm in a cast as he was led into the court in handcuffs by a police officer in black gloves.

Despite the near fatal injuries following a dramatic shoot-out with police that killed his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, he was able to stand up and enter a not guilty plea to the charges against him – 17 of which carry the death penalty. He is accused of killing three and injuring 264 others.

It had been unclear what Dzhokhar Tarnaev’s current condition was until those in the audience saw him.

Previously at the brink of death following a bloody shootout with police, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was able to stand in the courtroom and enter his pleas.

In spite of this, and what some called his “cocky” attitude as he entered, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had some apparent lingering physical problems in addition to the obvious issue with his cast hand.

The Boston Marathon alleged bomber continued to peer back at his family over the seven-minute hearing. He was led away in handcuffs and shackles as swiftly as he’d been led in.

But not before he repeated “Not guilty”, seven times over in an obvious Russian accent.

Four hours earlier, for an arraignment that took less than 10 minutes, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev arrived in a four-vehicle motorcade that included a van, a Humvee, and a state police car.

Prosecutors William Weinreb, Aloke Chak Ravarty, and Nadine Pellegrini said they intend to call between 80 and 100 witnesses to the stand over the course of a trial they said will likely last three to four months.
A huge police presence was in force and the courthouse jammed for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s appearance.

Space was reserved in the main courtroom for victims’ families, and emotions were high during the brief hearing as around 30 were in attendance alongside a dozen or so supporters.

One of the victims, MIT Police Chief John DiFava, who was also in the courtroom, said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev looked “smug”.

“I didn’t see a lot of remorse. I didn’t see a lot of regret,” he said.

“It just seemed to me that if I was in that position, I would have been a lot more nervous, certainly scared.”

John DiFava added: “I just wanted to see him. I wanted to see the person that so coldly and callously killed four people, one of whom being an officer of mine.”

Others who survived the two bombs exploding at the finishing line in April were in court.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made his first court appearance denying all 30 charges against him
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made his first court appearance denying all 30 charges against him

Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Marie Campbell, 29; and Lingzi Lu, 23 were killed by the bombs, which were improvised from pressure cookers. Authorities say the Tsarnaev brothers also killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology officer Sean Collier days later while they were on the run.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s two sisters, both dressed in Muslim attire, sobbed as the charges against their brother were read.

One carried a baby, the other wiped away tears with a tissue. His parents remained back in Russia.

A group of about a dozen Dzhokhar Tsarnaev supporters cheered as the motorcade arrived. The demonstrators yelled: “Justice for Jahar,” as Tsarnaev is known. One woman held a sign that said: “Free Jahar.”

Brittney Gillis, a student at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev attended, came to the courthouse because she wanted to see the suspect. She said he used to walk her friend home in the evenings because he was worried about her being alone.

“He would walk her from the campus library to her dorm at night,” she said.

Some former high school wrestling teammates in attendance weren’t sure what to make of the accusation against their old friend.

One of them, Hank Alvarez, said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was calm, peaceful and apolitical in high school.

“Just knowing him, it’s hard for me to face the fact that he did it,” said Hank Alvarez, 19, of Cambridge.

Another ex-teammate, Shun Tsou, 20, of Cambridge, called Dzhokhar Tsarnaev “a silent warrior type”.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces three murder charges from the bombing and a fourth from killing a police officer who was shot before the teen and his elder brother engaged in a gun battle before being captured.

It was the worst mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001 and could bring a sentence of the death penalty.

The biggest challenge for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s attorney, public defender Miriam Conrad, will be sparing him the death penalty, one observer said.

“I suspect that Miriam will start tomorrow by trying to change his image and make him look like the normal, average, clean-cut young kid,” Walter Prince, a former federal prosecutor in Boston who is now a partner with the law firm Prince Lobel told Reuters.

Security was tighter than usual on Wednesday outside Boston’s U.S. District Courthouse, which is also the site of the ongoing murder and racketeering trial of mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger, now in its fifth week.

Police set a line of metal barriers around the front of the fog-shrouded waterfront building, and uniformed officers with dogs were patrolling its perimeter. In addition to well over a dozen police cars and trucks, a Boston Police boat was moored close to the building’s side entrance – the normal entry point for suspects in custody.

The hearing is due to be brief, with Miriam Conrad perhaps entering a not guilty plea on his behalf, Walter Prince said.

Miriam Conrad did not respond to a request for comment.

According to court papers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev scrawled a note on an inside wall and beams of the boat in which he hid.

“The U.S. Government is killing our innocent civilians,” the note read, according to court papers.

“We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all.”

“Now I don’t like killing innocent people it is forbidden in Islam but due to said it is allowed,” he wrote, according to court papers.

“Stop killing our innocent people and we will stop.”

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was badly wounded during the gun battle and arrest. After initially being confined at a city hospital, he was moved to a prison west of Boston. Prosecutors have declined to comment on his current condition or if he is still being held at the Fort Devens, Massachusetts, facility.

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s ethnic homeland of Chechnya, a mainly Muslim area that saw centuries of war and repression, no longer threatens to secede from Russia. But it has become a breeding ground for a form of militant Islam whose adherents have spread violence to other parts of Russia.

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Huge python found in Australian charity shop

Nancy Clayson
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Huge python found in Australian charity shop

A 19 foot python has been seized after it fell from the ceiling of a charity shop in Australia.

The python, weighing 37 lbs, was recovered by a snake-handler after police investigated a suspected break-in at the shop in Ingham, Queensland.

The python, weighing 37 lbs, was recovered by a snake-handler after police investigated a suspected break-in at the shop in Ingham, Queensland
The python, weighing 37 lbs, was recovered by a snake-handler after police investigated a suspected break-in at the shop in Ingham, Queensland

“Its head was the size of a small dog,” said police spokesman Sgt. Don Auld.

The snake fell through a ceiling panel, smashing shop goods. Police said it may have got in through the roof, which was damaged by Cyclone Yasi in 2011.

When police were initially called to the property on Monday, they believed a person had fallen through the ceiling because the roof panel had been cut in half.

Crockery, clothes and other goods were scattered all over the floor.

Police were called back to the shop the following day when a large crowd formed outside.

Sgt. Don Auld said the snake must have been hiding when police went there the first time.

It has been released in nearby wetlands.

Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition

Diane A. Wade
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Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition

South African President Jacob Zuma has announced Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition.

The former president and global statesman, 94, has been in hospital battling a recurring lung infection since June 8.

President Jacob Zuma’s statement urged the public to continue “providing support and showering him with love”.

People who have seen him say he remains responsive.

“We are encouraged that Madiba is responding to treatment,” said Jacob Zuma, referring to Nelson Mandela by his clan name.

Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition
Nelson Mandela is responding to treatment but remains in a critical condition

The head of Nelson Mandela’s Thembu tribe, King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that he was “conscious” when he visited his hospital in Pretoria.

“He could not talk, but he recognized me and made a few gestures of acknowledgement, like moving his eyes,” he said.

Last week, Jacob Zuma denied reports that Nelson Mandela was in a vegetative state.

Nelson Mandela is revered across the world for his role in the fight against white minority rule in South Africa.

He was jailed for 27 years, before being freed in 1990 and elected president in 1994.

Since Nelson Mandela was hospitalized, his family’s battle for control of his legacy has escalated.

Last week, his grandson Mandla Mandela lost a court case brought by rival family members over the burial site of Nelson Mandela and three of his children.

Mandla Mandela had relocated the bodies to his village of Mvezo without the rest of the family’s consent. However, the court ruled that the bodies should be reinterred in the family graveyard in Qunu. He may now face criminal charges for alleged grave tampering.

After visiting Nelson Mandela, King Dalindyebo said he was doing all he can to give the former leader peace of mind over the affair.

Egypt issues arrest warrant for Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie

Roy Siemens
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Egypt issues arrest warrant for Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie

Egypt’s state prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for Mohamed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, and at least nine other senior figures.

Mohamed Badie is accused of inciting the violence in Cairo on Monday in which more than 50 people were killed.

Many Brotherhood members are already in detention and warrants are said to have been issued for hundreds more.

Meanwhile, a foreign ministry spokesman has said ousted President Mohamed Morsi is being held in a “safe place”.

Badr Abdul Atti told reporters he did not know where the 61 year old was, but that he was being treated in a “very dignified manner”.

“For his own safety and for the safety of the country, it is better to keep him in a safe place. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire,” he added.

Badr Abdul Atti is reported to have denied that Mohamed Morsi was being detained at the Presidential Guard barracks in Cairo, as many believe.

The Muslim Brotherhood, to which he belongs, says his ousting by the military a week ago amounted to a coup.

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie is accused of inciting the violence in Cairo in which more than 50 people were killed
Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie is accused of inciting the violence in Cairo in which more than 50 people were killed

Its supporters have since been staging protests outside the capital’s Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, not far from the barracks, demanding his release and reinstatement.

The movement’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), has said it will not accept an offer to join the cabinet being set up by interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, a 76-year-old economist and former finance minister who was appointed on Tuesday.

The arrest warrants could scupper any attempts to persuade the Brotherhood to participate in the transitional political process.

Spokesman Gehad el-Haddad said the charges against Mohamed Badie, known as the General Guide, and other senior leaders, were “nothing more than an attempt by the police state to dismantle the Rabaa protest”.

Prosecutors also said they had ordered 200 people – believed to be Brotherhood members – to be held in custody for at least 15 days pending further investigation into accusations of murder, incitement to violence, carrying unlicensed weapons and disrupting public order. Another 450 have been released on bail.

There were conflicting reports about what happened on Monday, with the interim authorities being accused of a cover-up.

The Brotherhood maintains that soldiers carried out a massacre of peaceful demonstrators, who had been taking part in dawn prayers outside the Presidential Guard barracks.

But the police and the military say they acted in self-defence, and had opened fire only after being attacked by armed assailants.

More than 50 Brotherhood supporters were killed, as well as a soldier and two policemen.

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Apple conspired with publishers to fix e-books price

Nancy Clayson
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Apple conspired with publishers to fix e-books price

A US judge has ruled today that Apple conspired with publishers to fix the price of electronic books.

Manhattan Judge Denise Cote said the iPad maker “conspired to restrain trade”.

But Apple’s spokesman, Tom Neumayr, said Apple would appeal against the ruling and fight “false allegations”.

Five publishers that were originally named as defendants alongside Apple have already reached settlements, including Penguin.

The judge ordered a new hearing to determine damages to be imposed on Apple.

The US Department of Justice said the conspiracy was designed to challenge online retailer Amazon’s dominance of the fast-growing e-books market.

Penguin settled its case for $75 million. Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster created a $69m fund for refunds to consumers, while Macmillan settled for $26m.

Judge Cote said: “The plaintiffs have shown that the publisher defendants conspired with each other to eliminate retail price competition in order to raise e-book prices, and that Apple played a central role in facilitating and executing that conspiracy.”

“Without Apple’s orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did in the spring of 2010,” she said.

US Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer called the ruling “a victory for millions of consumers who choose to read books electronically”.

A US judge has ruled today that Apple conspired with publishers to fix the price of electronic books
A US judge has ruled today that Apple conspired with publishers to fix the price of electronic books

He said the judge agreed with the Justice Department and 33 state attorneys general that executives at the highest levels of Apple orchestrated a conspiracy with five major publishers to raise prices.

“Through today’s court decision and previous settlements with five major publishers, consumers are again benefiting from retail price competition and paying less for their e-books,” Bill Baer said.

Consumer groups in the US cheered the news.

“If we let companies get away with this type of price fixing, consumers will be denied a substantial part of the benefits of the digital revolution,” said Dr. Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America, which had filed a supporting brief in the case.

But after the ruling, Tom Neumayr insisted that Apple had brought innovation and competition to the market, not restricted it.

“Apple did not conspire to fix e-book pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations,” he said.

“We’ve done nothing wrong.”

Previously, Apple’s attorney, Orin Snyder, had told the court that Judge Denise Cote would set a “dangerous precedent” if she concluded that Apple manipulated e-book prices.

However, Columbia University law professor Scott Hemphill said today’s ruling was narrow and would be unlikely to set any legal precedent.

“It may send some signals to tech companies about what they can and can’t do,” said Prof. Scott Hemphill.

“But the precedential value is limited because the ruling is by a district court.”

However, he added that the judge in this case took particular pains to anticipate a challenge from Apple – something that chief executive Tim Cook hinted at earlier this year, when he dismissed the idea of a settlement.

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Lac-Megantic train explosion: Canada launches criminal inquiry into derailment

Diane A. Wade
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Lac-Megantic train explosion: Canada launches criminal inquiry into derailment

Canadian authorities have launched a criminal inquiry into the derailment of an oil train that killed at least 15 people in the small Quebec town of Lac Megantic on Saturday.

Quebec police inspector Michel Forget said investigators had found evidence leading them toward a criminal probe.

The runaway train derailed in the town of Lac-Megantic, exploding and destroying dozens of buildings.

Investigators are focusing on whether the brakes were released as it was parked in a town several miles away.

Inspector Michel Forget said investigators had ruled out terrorism as a motive for the attack but that several other options, including criminal negligence, remained under consideration.

He warned it could take time before the investigation findings emerge.

“This is an enormous task ahead of us,” the police inspector said.

“We’re not at the stage of arrests.”

In addition to the dead, as many as 35 others remain unaccounted for. Authorities have asked the relatives of the missing to provide DNA samples by bringing in toothbrushes, hairbrushes, razors and other items.

But the authorities have also warned some of the bodies may have been burnt to ashes in the explosion and may never be recovered.

On Wednesday, the chief executive of the train’s US owner, Rail World, was due to visit Lac-Megantic, where he could face a hostile reception.

Canadian authorities have launched a criminal inquiry into the Lac Megantic train derailment
Canadian authorities have launched a criminal inquiry into the Lac Megantic train derailment

In media interviews Edward Burkhardt said he thought he would have to wear a bullet-proof vest when he arrived in the town.

The train, carrying 72 cars of crude oil, was parked shortly before midnight on Friday in the town of Nantes about seven miles away.

An engineer apparently left the train with four of its five locomotives shut down, but kept the final one running to ensure the brakes were engaged.

Soon, a Nantes fire crew was summoned to put out a blaze on the train.

The train’s brakes appear to have failed soon after. It began moving downhill on the track in an 18-minute journey, gathering speed until it derailed in Lac-Megantic and exploded.

“The extent to which [the fire] played into the sequences of events is a focal point of our investigation,” Transportation Safety Board investigator Donald Ross said.

Nantes Fire Chief Patrick Lambert said that his crews had shut down the final locomotive while tackling the initial blaze.

He said this was the standard operating procedure agreed with the train company, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA), which is owned by Rail World.

“The people from MMA told us, <<That’s great – the train is secure, there’s no more fire, there’s nothing anymore, there’s no more danger>>,” the fire chief said.

“We were given our leave, and we left.”

But MMA says the decision to shut off the locomotive to put out the fire could have disabled the brakes.

At least 30 buildings were destroyed by the fireball that resulted from Saturday morning’s explosion, including a store and the public library.

But the entire town centre is being treated as a crime scene, with several additional streets cordoned off by police tape.

Some 200 officers were still conducting search operations on Wednesday morning. But police said the effort was taking a toll on some crewmen and two people had to be taken off the search over worries for their physical condition.

“This is a very risky environment,” said Quebec Provincial Police Sgt Benoit Richard.

“We have to secure the safety of those working there. We have some hotspots on the scene. There is some gas.”

Maude Verrault, a waitress at the Musi-Cafe, a nightspot razed by the blast, was outside smoking when she spotted the runaway train.

“I’ve never seen a train moving so fast in my life, and I saw flames,” she told the Associated Press news agency.

“Then someone screamed, <<the train is going to derail!>>. And that’s when I ran.”

The train was carrying oil from the Bakken oil region in the US state of North Dakota, taking it to a refinery on the east coast of Canada.

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Natura Bissé Diamond Dust Skin Perfection: Beyonce’s beauty secret for a luminous glow

Lisa.Felice
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Natura Bissé Diamond Dust Skin Perfection: Beyonce’s beauty secret for a luminous glow

Beyonce has revealed the secret behind her on-stage sparkle is having the Natura Bissé Diamond Dust Skin Perfection treatment.

The $133 treatment uses so-called “magnetic therapy to give what they say is an ‘overall sense of well-being as well as perfect skin”.

Beyonce has revealed the secret behind her on-stage sparkle is having the Natura Bissé Diamond Dust Skin Perfection treatment
Beyonce has revealed the secret behind her on-stage sparkle is having the Natura Bissé Diamond Dust Skin Perfection treatment

Early magnetic therapy techniques inspired Natura Bissé to create the Diamond Magnetic treatment, which uses diamond dust, lavender, essential oils and properties of the ancient healing art of Magnetic Therapy, a pseudoscientific alternative medicine practice involving the use of static magnetic fields.

Therapists lather Beyonce with luminous mud and diamond dust, which they combine with the use of magnetic tools and massage.

This multi-sensorial experience is said to amplify energy, unload tension and fight the skin’s signs of ageing.

Speaking about Natura Bissé’s beauty range, which are used on the singer during the treatment, she said: “My friends always give me the products because I’m so behind, but I use a really good moisturizer called Diamond Crème by Natura Bissé.

“It’s really light. I’ve given it [to my friends] a lot, I always turn my friends onto it.”

Lift Away The Years: Hand-held device that uses snake venom and vibrations to fight wrinkles

Lisa.Felice
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Lift Away The Years: Hand-held device that uses snake venom and vibrations to fight wrinkles

Lift Away The Years is a hand-held vibrating device that claims to give an instant firming and lifting effect to the whole face including eyes, brows, jawline and cheeks, as well as plumping lines and wrinkles.

The battery-powered device, which is recommended to be used twice daily on the face and neck, combines vibration and skincare in a two-part system that claims to maximize wrinkle-fighting, moisturizing and firming performance.

Crystal Clear, the company who make the product, explain that facial muscles are subject to deterioration and sagging, just as the muscles in the body are, and require much the same toning and exercise.

The wand is designed to provide these delicate muscles with the equivalent of a personal trainer for your face.

Vibration causes the muscles to contract, stimulating blood flow and increasing oxygenation of the skin to restore the shape and contour of the face.

Lift Away The Years is a hand-held device that uses snake venom and vibrations to fight wrinkles
Lift Away The Years is a hand-held device that uses snake venom and vibrations to fight wrinkles

The device also releases an anti-ageing serum packed with scientifically proven peptides, including Syn-Ake.

Based on a polypeptide found in the venom of the Temple Viper snake, it is particularly effective in reducing expression lines and wrinkles by inhibiting muscle contractions.

Syn-Ake is said to be loved by Cheryl Cole, Tulisa and Kate Moss.

The product was developed by Sharon Hilditch, MBE, MD of Crystal Clear and was tested on 30 volunteers over eight weeks.

They found that home use reduced the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by 27% and noticed a 45% increase in skin firmness too.

Sharon Hilditch said: “Consumers want to see results based on evidence backed skincare formulations and far less hype in a jar.

“Lift Away the Years has been two years in development and is fully supported by scientific results.”

Egypt: Newly appointed PM Hazem al-Beblawi begins forming new cabinet

Roy Siemens
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Egypt: Newly appointed PM Hazem al-Beblawi begins forming new cabinet

Hazem al-Beblawi, Egypt’s newly appointed prime minister, is beginning work on forming a new cabinet, a week after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

Hazem al-Beblawi is expected to offer posts to Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, although it has refused to co-operate with what it says it a coup.

The main liberal coalition has said it will not back the plan to hold fresh elections unless amendments are made.

The US said it was “cautiously encouraged” by the move towards reform.

Hazem al-Beblawi is beginning work on forming a new cabinet, a week after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi
Hazem al-Beblawi is beginning work on forming a new cabinet, a week after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi

The timetable for new elections was announced by Interim President Adly Mansour on Monday evening, hours after at least 51 people – mostly Muslim Brotherhood members – were killed outside the military barracks in Cairo where Mohamed Morsi’s supporters believe he is in detention.

The decree laid out plans to set up a panel to amend the suspended Islamist-drafted constitution within 15 days.

The changes would then be put to a referendum – to be organized within four months – which would pave the way for parliamentary elections, possibly in early 2014.

Once the new parliament convenes, elections would be called to appoint a new president.

Late on Tuesday Ahmed el-Musalamani, spokesman for the interim president, said talks on a new cabinet would start on Wednesday.

He said posts would be offered to the Brotherhood’s political wing the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – which won Egypt’s first free elections in 2012 – and to the ultraconservative Salafist Nour party.

However the proposals were widely rejected by both Islamist and liberal parties.

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Mel Greig sues employer for failing to provide a safe workplace after Kate Middleton prank call

Sonia Pantiss
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Mel Greig sues employer for failing to provide a safe workplace after Kate Middleton prank call

Mel Greig, the Australian DJ behind Kate Middleton prank call linked to the death of UK nurse Jacintha Saldanha, has sued her employer, saying it failed to provide a safe workplace, local media say.

Mel Greig’s lawyer said a complaint against Southern Cross Austereo had been lodged with Fair Work Australia.

She and her co-host Michael Christian made a prank call to the London hospital where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness last year.

The nurse who answered the phone call was later found dead.

Mel Greig remains off air in the wake of the incident, but co-host Michael Christian returned to work two months later.

“I can confirm that a general protections application has been filed with Fair Work Australia on behalf of Mel Greig against Southern Cross Austereo alleging the radio station failed to maintain a safe workplace,” Mel Greig’s lawyer, Steven Lewis, told local media in Australia.

“The matter will proceed to confidential conciliation under the Fair Work Act.”

Mel Greig remains off air in the wake of Kate Middleton nurse prank call, but co-host Michael Christian returned to work two months later
Mel Greig remains off air in the wake of Kate Middleton nurse prank call, but co-host Michael Christian returned to work two months later

No further details of the complaint were available.

Fair Work Australia, the national workplace relations tribunal, said it would try a conciliation conference for the two parties, local media report.

If the issue cannot be resolved, Mel Grieg will have to seek legal recourse in a federal court.

Her employer has yet to issue a comment on the matter.

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha put the Australian DJs through to another nurse at the King Edward VII’s Hospital in Marylebone, who gave an update on the duchess’s condition – an incident that drew widespread media coverage in the UK.

Jacintha Saldanha believed the DJs were the Queen and Prince Charles.

The 46-year-old wife and mother-of-two was found hanged three days later. An inquest into her death has yet to be held.

In February, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to charge Michael Christian and Mel Greig with manslaughter over Jacintha Saldanha’s death.

Mel Greig is expected to appear at the inquest into Jacintha Saldanha’s death, expected later this year.

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Does Lady Gaga have plastic surgery?

Lisa.Felice
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Does Lady Gaga have plastic surgery?

Controversial Lady Gaga has sparked speculation she has undergone a nose job, after it appeared more streamlined at a recent event.

Recently Lady Gaga’s nose appeared to be slimmer and smaller.

A spokesperson for the singer refused to comment on the claims.

Lady Gaga has spoken out about her looks and in a past interview claimed she would never go under the knife.

Lady Gaga has sparked speculation she has undergone a nose job, after it appeared more streamlined at a recent event
Lady Gaga has sparked speculation she has undergone a nose job, after it appeared more streamlined at a recent event

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar in 2011 after sporting prosthetic horns and claiming they were her “bones”, Lady Gaga said: “I have never had plastic surgery, and there are many pop singers who have.”

“I think promoting insecurity in the form of plastic surgery is infinitely more harmful than an artistic expression related to body modification.”

She continued: “And how many models and actresses do you see on magazine covers who have brand-new faces and have had plastic surgery, while I myself have never had any plastic surgery?”

While Lady Gaga’s looks might be causing controversy, her absence from social networking sites has also raised eyebrows.

The singer, who has over 39million followers on Twitter, recently announced she was leaving the site – albeit for a temporary period.

Lady Gaga has changed her profile picture to the default egg and has written: “This interface has been shutdown temporarily. Please check back for updates.”

It’s thought Lady Gaga’s departure from Twitter is to coincide with the promotional drive for her new album ARTPOP.

North Korea and South Korea start in-depth talks on reopening Kaesong Industrial Complex

Clyde K. Valle
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North Korea and South Korea start in-depth talks on reopening Kaesong Industrial Complex

North Korea and South Korea have started in-depth talks on reopening joint-project Kaesong Industrial Complex.

The two Koreas agreed in principle to restart operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex after marathon negotiations over the weekend.

South Korea says it wants assurances that Pyongyang will not unilaterally close the factory zone again.

Work at the Kaesong zone has been suspended since mid-April, when North Korea withdrew its workers.

The move came amid high tensions after Pyongyang’s February 12 nuclear test.

The Kaesong complex, which is located just inside North Korea, is home to more than 120 South Korean factories which employ some 53,000 North Korean workers.

The joint project is both a symbol of inter-Korean co-operation and a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.

Sun Ho, who led the South Korean delegation, said his team would strive to accomplish “developmental normalization” of the complex “in accordance with common sense and international rules”.

Another official at the Unification Ministry said: “The weekend marked the first step, but the difficult part starts now.”

North Korea and South Korea have started in-depth talks on reopening joint-project Kaesong Industrial Complex
North Korea and South Korea have started in-depth talks on reopening joint-project Kaesong Industrial Complex

On Tuesday, a small team of South Koreans crossed into North Korea to check communication and power lines. It was the first time South Koreans had entered the zone in two months.

On Wednesday, around 100 delegates, including dozens of government officials and businessmen and engineers, entered North Korea to begin formal talks.

Pyongyang has agreed to allow the businessmen to inspect their factories and retrieve finished goods.

Both sides blame the other for the suspension of operations at Kaesong, and South Korea is now demanding safeguards as a condition for reopening the zone.

“The South wants the North to announce solid actions that will convince everyone that it has no intention of taking unilateral action to prevent movement or pull out its laborers in the future,” Sun Ho said.

“Pyongyang must take responsibility for its actions that caused considerable damage to South Korean companies with factories at the border town,” he added.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s chief delegate, Park Chol-su, said he hoped both sides would “promptly proceed” with restarting the zone.

“It is raining heavily, so I am very worried about those companies’ facilities and raw materials,” he said.

Pyongyang is reportedly expected to request that operations resume at once and that its workers receive higher pay.

Last week, some South Korean firms threatened to abandon the zone entirely and relocate their equipment.

A spokesman representing electronic and machinery makers in Kaesong had said: “Kaesong must be reopened or [the factories] have to move elsewhere.”

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Kanye West’s Black Skinhead video leaked online

Lisa.Felice
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Kanye West’s Black Skinhead video leaked online

Kanye West unleashed his anger as his unfinished video for new single Black Skinhead was leaked online.

Kanye West, 36, posted six increasingly angry tweets insisting websites remove the rough draft of the video.

“Allow me and Nick [Knight] to give the world what we’ve been losing sleep over,” the singer tweeted.

Kanye West explained that he and video director Nick Knight had been working on the video for five months and “for creatives it’s heartbreaking when something like this happens”.

His last tweet on the subject was directed at the source of the illicit video and was not quite as polite.

“And to who ever leaked the video.. F*** You!”

Kanye West was furious after his unfinished video for new single Black Skinhead was leaked online
Kanye West was furious after his unfinished video for new single Black Skinhead was leaked online

The three-and-a-half minute clip showed Kanye West with CGI effects and dancing around to the track with his shirt off in computer-animated black-and-white imagery.

The video was shot by British photographer Nick Knight who recently photographed the controversial rapper in an artsy spread for W magazine.

Nick Knight in 2001 directed his first video for Björk for her song Pagan Poetry and in 2011 directed the video for Lady Gaga’s single Born This Way.

Kanye West released his sixth studio album Yeezus last month and Black Skinhead was released as the album’s first single last week.

The album has received positive reviews and marked Kanye West’s sixth consecutive number one debut.

Brian May to find out why Freddie Mercury estate complained about Go Go Gorilla

Sonia Pantiss
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Brian May to find out why Freddie Mercury estate complained about Go Go Gorilla

Brian May has announced he plans to “find out” why the Freddie Mercury estate complained about Go Go Gorilla on a Norwich conservation art trail.

The sculpture, painted as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, was removed on Monday after a copyright complaint.

Jake Humphrey, television presenter and patron of Break, the charity that organized the Go Go Gorilla event, said the estate needed to “think again”.

Queen guitarist Brian May “thanked” twitter users for bringing the matter to his attention.

Wild in Art, the company that supplied the 5ft glass fibre gorilla canvases for the trail, was contacted by Queen’s manager Jim Beach on behalf of the Freddie Mercury estate.

The estate claimed the suit “worn” by the gorilla, painted by Norfolk artist Mik Richardson, breached copyright.

If the Mercury homage, which was outside The Forum, in Norwich, is not returned to the 53-stop trail it will be replaced by another design.

Jake Humphrey, who grew up in Norfolk, said the gorillas were “only there as a source of good”.

Brian May has announced he plans to "find out" why the Freddie Mercury estate complained about Go Go Gorilla on a Norwich conservation art trail
Brian May has announced he plans to “find out” why the Freddie Mercury estate complained about Go Go Gorilla on a Norwich conservation art trail

“I am a huge fan of Queen and Freddie Mercury,” he said.

“When I first heard we had a tribute gorilla I thought how fantastic the love of Freddie lives on in such a way that is still able to help good causes across Norfolk and provide such joy for so many people.

“I’d like the people who’ve made this decision to really think again.”

A spokeswoman for Brandbank, the gorilla’s sponsor, said: “We, like everyone else, have been taken aback by the passionate responses to the request by the Freddie Mercury estate that Radio Go Go [the gorilla] be removed due to a suggestion of possible breach of copyright.

“We have spoken to one of the executives of the estate and are endeavoring to see if we can resolve this so that there’s a positive outcome for all the charities involved.

“Our priority is that the event is a success for the charities involved, while respecting the wishes of copyright owners and fans of Freddie Mercury.”

The Go Go Gorilla trail, featuring 53 adult and 67 baby gorillas, runs until 7 September. Other conservation-based trails are taking place in Colchester, Southampton and Exeter.

Michelle Knight still refuses to meet with her mother

Nancy Clayson
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Michelle Knight still refuses to meet with her mother

Michelle Knight has reportedly rejected all attempts by her mother for an emotional reunion after 11 years in captivity in the Cleveland horror house.

More than two months after she was rescued from Ariel Castro’s house, Michelle Knight, 32, has not yet spoken to her mother, according to Mail Online.

Michelle Knight has not replied to a single card or letter sent by her mother Barbara Knight and has even refused to see her 10-year-old sister, a family friend told the website.

Such is the gulf between mother and daughter that Barbara Knight had no idea Michelle had made a video for her first public appearance and statement about her ordeal.

Michelle Knight’s mother, who lives in South Florida, only found out when a family friend told her about the short video in which Michelle talks about going to “hell and back”.

The family friend said Barbara Knight is “very hurt” that her daughter has refused to see her – or even speak with her on the phone.

“Barbara is hurt. She is very hurt. All she wants to do is see and speak to her daughter. She wants her youngest daughter Katie to meet Michelle,” said the friend.

“She has sent lots of letters and cards. Presumably they are being given to Michelle but she has not had a single word from her. She has tried repeatedly to make contact, but has heard nothing back. It is very sad.

“It is hurting her. She is her mother and never gave up hope that she was alive.”

Michelle Knight, who went missing in 2002, is believed to have suffered most at the hands of her alleged kidnapper, 52-year-old Ariel Castro.

She was 21 when she was taken off the street in August 2002 and little was made of her disappearance.

Michelle Knight has rejected all attempts by her mother for an emotional reunion after 11 years in captivity in Ariel Castro’s house
Michelle Knight has rejected all attempts by her mother for an emotional reunion after 11 years in captivity in Ariel Castro’s house

Her family told police that she had run away after her young son was taken from her by the Ohio Department of Family Services.

As the oldest of the three girls held captive at Castro’s home in Cleveland, Ohio, for over a decade, Michelle Knight was repeatedly raped, according to authorities.

Court documents have revealed she fell pregnant several times but miscarried after being beaten and starved.

Michelle Knight was also forced to deliver Ariel Castro’s daughter by Amanda Berry – who also went missing in 2003 aged 17 on her way home from a part time job at a Burger King restaurant.

While Amanda Berry, now 27, and Gina DeJesus, now 23, had emotional reunions with their family in the days after being freed, Michelle Knight said she did not want to see her mother.

Barbara Knight flew from her home in Naples, Florida, to Cleveland in the hope of being reunited with her daughter, even going to the hospital where she was being cared for.

However, Michelle Knight refused to see her mother and told authorities to send her away.

“Barbara was very hurt. She had taken her 10-year-old daughter Katie to Cleveland so that she could meet her sister. After a week she had to send Katie back to Naples so she could go back to school,” the family friend said.

“All Barbara wants is to see Michelle. Yes, there were things that went on in the past but she wants to move on and move forward.”

The family friend said Barbara Knight had also been hurt by accusations made by other family members that she was a bad mother.

She came in for public criticism after she revealed in May that she did not have a photo of her daughter Michelle.

“Barbara knows the truth and as a friend for over nine years I know she is not a bad mother.”

“When Michelle went missing she was upset about having her child taken into care. Barbara doesn’t talk about that and what went on, but I can tell you she is a great mother,” the friend said.

The friend also revealed that Barbara Knight had turned down several big money offers from TV networks to talk about her daughter.

“Barbara is not interested in money. All she wants is to be reunited with her daughter. When she is ready to talk it will be on her terms,” the friend said.

Michelle Knight spoke in a halting voice in the video released by a Cleveland-based public relations firm primarily so they could thanks family and supporters.

She said in the video that she is building a “brand new life”.

“I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face and my head held high,” Michelle Knight said, reading from a prepared statement.

“I will not let the situation define who I am. I will define the situation. I don’t want to be consumed by hatred.”

Kathy Joseph, Michelle Knight’s attorney, said in a statement that the three women wanted to “say thank you to people from Cleveland and across the world, now that two months have passed”.

Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus could come face to face with their alleged captor next month when he stands trial on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross s***al imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools, to which Ariel Castro has pleaded not guilty.

Royal baby: Queen Elizabeth will be first informed when Kate Middleton gives birth via encrypted call

Nancy Clayson
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Royal baby: Queen Elizabeth will be first informed when Kate Middleton gives birth via encrypted call

After Kate Middleton gives birth to the royal baby, Prince William’s first call will be to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on an encrypted phone.

At the same time, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton will inform PM David Cameron and a small number of other highly placed individuals, including the Archbishop of Canterbury.

After Kate Middleton gives birth to the royal baby, Prince William’s first call will be to the Queen on an encrypted phone
After Kate Middleton gives birth to the royal baby, Prince William’s first call will be to the Queen on an encrypted phone

Back at Buckingham Palace, officials will notify the head of each of the 54 Commonwealth countries and the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For the public, an official notice announcing the birth will be placed in a glass-fronted easel and attached to the gates of the Palace.

Within minutes, depending on the time of day, a 41-gun salute will ring out in Hyde Park. Visitors will then begin turning up at St Mary’s Hospital.

The Middletons are likely to take centre-stage along with Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry.

Friends and other relatives will be encouraged to wait to see the baby when it gets home.

A source said the Queen will wait for the “baby to be brought to her”.

And although he or she will one day wear the crown, the baby will start out life wearing just a humble name tag inscribed with the name “Baby Cambridge”.

Prince William borrows helicopter for when Kate Middleton goes into labor

Nancy Clayson
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0
Prince William borrows helicopter for when Kate Middleton goes into labor

With five days to go until Kate Middleton is due to give birth to their first child, Prince William has borrowed a helicopter once used to circumnavigate the globe in record time.

Prince William, 31, who is on duty this week as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, can cover the 288 miles between his base in North Wales and St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, West London, in just 90 minutes.

With five days to go until Kate Middleton is due to give birth to their first child, Prince William has borrowed a helicopter once used to circumnavigate the globe in record time
With five days to go until Kate Middleton is due to give birth to their first child, Prince William has borrowed a helicopter once used to circumnavigate the globe in record time

The distinctive orange McDonnell Douglas four-seater helicopter appears to be on permanent standby in the garden of his rented farmhouse on the island of Anglesey in case it is needed to whisk him off.

It was parked there Sunday night. When the time comes, however, it is not believed that Prince William would fly the helicopter himself.

Meanwhile Kate Middleton, 31, is dividing her time between their London apartment in the grounds of Kensington Palace and her parents’ home in Berkshire, so she can be closer to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, where she will give birth.

The helicopter is owned by Prince William’s friend, fellow pilot Simon Oliphant-Hope, who was Pierce Brosnan’s stunt double in the James Bond film Die Another Day.

Pope Francis shuns new Mercedes popemobile in favor of borrowed 20-year-old Fiat Campagnola

Clyde K. Valle
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Pope Francis shuns new Mercedes popemobile in favor of borrowed 20-year-old Fiat Campagnola

Pope Francis is visiting the tiny island of Lampedusa, where instead of tooling around in the popemobile, he’s making his rounds in a borrowed 20-year-old Fiat Campagnola.

The pontiff also has let it be known how he feels about priests and nuns who drive fancy cars: It pains him. That has to be a kick in the pants for Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, who just last week personally handed the pope the keys to a new Mercedes popemobile.

Pope Francis is visiting the tiny island of Lampedusa, where instead of tooling around in the popemobile, he's making his rounds in a borrowed 20-year-old Fiat Campagnola
Pope Francis is visiting the tiny island of Lampedusa, where instead of tooling around in the popemobile, he’s making his rounds in a borrowed 20-year-old Fiat Campagnola

Last Saturday, Pope Francis told a group of priests and nuns that cars “are necessary. But take a more humble one.” The pontiff said it “hurts” him when he sees a priest or nun in the “latest model car; you can’t do this.” He told his audience to drive a cheaper car and pass the savings on to feed starving children.

Mercedes has provided a number of popemobiles over the years, starting in 1930 with a Nurburg 460 pullman saloon for Pope Pius XI, according to the carmaker.

In a news release following his visit with Pope Francis, Dieter Zetsche said that “by providing the popemobile, we will continue to accompany” Pope Francis on “his travels in the future,” adding that the tradition was “a huge source of pride to us.”

Mercedes also provided for Pope Benedict XVI a popemobile in 2011 that had a built-in oxygen supply behind the bullet-proof plexiglas, a white leather seat with gold trim that was raised into place by a hydraulic lift and armor-plated side panels and undercarriage to withstand bomb blasts. According to the Telegraph, the cost was about $450,000.

But Pope Francis has deliberately shunned high-cost living in a Vatican guest house rather than the papal palace, for instance. Now, after his auto-buying advice for priests and nuns, he’s riding around in an old, borrowed Fiat for his first overseas mission as pontiff.

Kris Jenner reveals North West’s name was a joint decision between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Lisa.Felice
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Kris Jenner reveals North West’s name was a joint decision between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Kris Jenner revealed that when it came time for Kim Kardashian and partner Kanye West to name their baby daughter, the momager “stayed out of that” decision.

While appearing on the Huffington Post Live, Kris Jenner insisted that her granddaughter North West’s name was a “joint decision” between daughter Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

“They did it together,” Kris Jenner told host Marc Lamont Hill on Monday.

Kris Jenner insisted that her granddaughter North West's name was a joint decision between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Kris Jenner insisted that her granddaughter North West’s name was a joint decision between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

“I stayed out of that one. I did the same thing with Kourtney when she named Mason and Penelope.”

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcomed the blessed child three weeks early on June 15.

“Kim sort of explained it to me,” Kris Jenner said of the curious moniker.

“North is the highest power. And their baby North, their little girl, is the highest point and power between the two of them. So I thought that was really cool.

“When a baby’s born and you give it a name and you’re really sure about it…that’s just going to be that baby’s energy. So I’m excited.”

Kris Jenner has been slowly revealing details about little “Nori” while promoting her upcoming Fox talk show Kris, which premieres next Monday.

Mariah Carey tweets photo from hospital bed wearing arm brace after dislocating her shoulder

Lisa.Felice
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0
Mariah Carey tweets photo from hospital bed wearing arm brace after dislocating her shoulder

Mariah Carey tweeted a photo from her hospital bed on Tuesday after dislocating her shoulder over the weekend following an accident on the set of her new music video clip.

In the photo, Mariah Carey, 43, appears to be sighing with disappointment over the ordeal, but her spirits later appeared raised by her new fashionable accessory – a silky sling.

“…dislocated my shoulder on the remix video with Jeezy, sporting a very fashionable sling for the next couple of weeks,” Mariah Carey informed her fans.

Mariah Carey posing in her hospital bed after dislocating her shoulder following an accident on the set of her new music video clip
Mariah Carey posing in her hospital bed after dislocating her shoulder following an accident on the set of her new music video clip

While the singer wore a simple tank top in her set-up snap, despite being injured she still managed to find time to put on some giant chandelier earrings and apply a full face of make-up.

Her golden locks were also expertly coiffed into bouncy curls.

Surrounded by various different pieces of hospital equipment, Mariah Carey also appeared as though she had been treated with IV fluid, sporting a bandage in the crook of her arm.

Mariah Carey was hospitalized on Sunday night after she dislocated her shoulder on the set of her new music video.

The singer was rushed to New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery after she took a tumble while filming the video for the remix of her song #Beautiful.

“She was taken to hospital late last night, where doctors reset her shoulder,” Mariah Carey’s spokesperson told the New York Post at the time of the accident.

“She is fine and is recovering at home.”

Mariah Carey was shooting the video – directed by her husband Nick Cannon – at Avenue nightclub in Chelsea in downtown Manhattan.

Edward Snowden accepts political asylum offer from Venezuela

Diane A. Wade
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Edward Snowden accepts political asylum offer from Venezuela

According to a Russian politician, Edward Snowden has accepted an offer of political asylum from Venezuela.

Unofficial spokesman for the Kremlin Alexei Pushkov tweeted today that Edward Snowden, believed to be in Russia and wanted by the US authorities for leaking security secrets, is keen to take up the offer, AP reported.

The tweet was removed a few minutes after it was posted.

Soon after the tweet’s disappearance he sent another message saying his claim was based on a report from the state all-news television channel Vesti.

However, no such information could be found on Vesti’s website and no Russian news agency reported that Vesti had ever said it.

The TV channel could not immediately be reached for comment and the Kremlin declined comment on today’s developments.

Edward Snowden, 30, who revealed details of a US intelligence program to monitor internet activity, went to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on June 23 and was believed to be headed for Cuba.

But he did not board that flight is believed to have been stranded in the airport’s transit lounge ever since.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had already offered asylum to Edward Snowden while Bolivia and Nicaragua said they too would grant asylum to the American fugitive.

Ecuador said it will consider any asylum request.

Nicolas Maduro said it is perhaps the world’s “first collective humanitarian asylum” with various countries saying: “Come here!”

But the United States has cancelled Edward Snowden’s passport and it is unclear if he has travel documents he would need to leave Moscow.

Edward Snowden has accepted an offer of political asylum from Venezuela
Edward Snowden has accepted an offer of political asylum from Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro said Edward Snowden “will have to decide when he flies here, if he finally wants to travel here”.

On Friday he said: “As head of state, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden so that he can live (without) … persecution from the empire.”

Nicolas Maduro made the offer during a speech marking the anniversary of Venezuela’s independence. It was not immediately clear if there were any conditions to Venezuela’s offer.

“In the name of America’s dignity … I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to Edward Snowden,” Nicolas Maduro proclaimed during a military parade marking the country’s Independence Day.

“He is a young man who has told the truth, in the spirit of rebellion, about the United States spying on the whole world,” Nicolas Maduro said.

But the Obama administration said yesterday that U.S. diplomats are working behind the scenes to make it difficult for Edward Snowden to find safe harbor in any of the nations that have offered him asylum.

Edward Snowden has received a temporary travel document to fly to Caracas, Venezuela, and both Bolivia and Nicaragua have also offered him political asylum, but White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters during his regular briefing that the United States will do what it can to stop him.

“The United States has been in touch via diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries through which Mr. Snowden might transit or which might serve as final destinations for Mr. Snowden,” Jay Carney said.

U.S. diplomats, he added, have “made very clear that he has been charged with a felony, or with felonies, and, as such, he should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel other than travel that would result in him returning to the United States”.

It’s not clear whether the Obama administration is hoping a Latin American nation will double-cross Snowden and offer him up to Washington after he arrives from Russia.

But the U.S., Jay Carney said, is still working to persuade Moscow to short-circuit the process and turn the fugitive over before he can leave Moscow’s Sheremetyevo-2 airport.

Sources say Edward Snowden will not be allowed to board the only Aeroflot plane that offers direct connections to Caracas, a regular service to Cuban capital Havana.

The routing overflies both the EU and the US and there are fears the plane will be denied rights to Western airspace, and forced to land, leading to Edward Snowden’s arrest.

The direct distance from Moscow to Caracas is 6,175 miles but it appeared too far for Edward Snowden.

The escape route for Edward Snowden is fraught with problems.

With Russia getting publicly impatient with Edward Snowden’s presence in its transit zone, his escape route is a logistical nightmare.

“Instead of going west to Venezuela, his obvious option is east to Vladivostok and then across the Pacific to Caracas,” said one source.

It would mean Russia allowing him to formally enter its territory, which so far it has refused to do, unwilling to upset the US.

This would also involve a 14,200 mile detour and a routing that would bring him close to the US state of Hawaii posing a risk to any private plane willing to take him on a route where there are no scheduled services.

One option for the fugitive is to charter a private plane.

Former CIA analyst Allen Thomson said: “A private plane certainly looks like the best bet to me.”
“It has the advantage of simplicity and minimum involvement by the Russian government,” Mother Jones reported.

As Allen Thomson told Foreign Policy, Edward Snowden could avoid US-influenced airspace by flying north to the Barents Sea, through the Denmark Strait, head soutwhile avoiding Canada’s Newfoundland, until getting to the east of the Windward Islands, then squeezing through between islands.

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Robyn Lawley launches glamorous plus-size swimwear

Lisa.Felice
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0
Robyn Lawley launches glamorous plus-size swimwear

Plus-size model Robyn Lawley has defied ideals of “thinness equals beauty” to star on the world’s most covetable magazine covers and ad campaigns, and now she is taking on the plus-size swimwear market.

Sydney native Robyn Lawley, 24, has teamed up with Bond-Eye Australia to launch a collection of bikinis and one pieces available in U.S. sizes 8 to 18, designed specifically for fashionable women with curves.

“I swim almost daily, and I found most swimwear that came in my size to be boring and unflattering with no real fashion elements,” she told Refinery 29.

“I also couldn’t find any bikinis that supported my bust in the surf, or had a high enough rise in the stomach section to be flattering, so the idea was born from my own necessity and grew from there.”

Robyn Lawley, who was the first plus-size model to star in a Ralph Lauren campaign and in the pages of Vogue Australia, hopes that Robyn Lawley Swimwear, which ranges in price from $140 to $200, will be “the go-to brand for swimwear for all women”.

Robyn Lawley Swimwear
Robyn Lawley Swimwear

“For this first collection, I decided to start in a size range that 80% of women live between,” she explained.

“We will add sizing according to the feedback we receive and we are really hoping the demand is there.”

With plenty of swimwear experience under her belt (most recently her curves modeled H&M’s plus-size swim collection), Robyn Lawley said that the collection’s sizing is “true” for every swimsuit.

“Regular swimwear brands tend to be very small fit, and you often find yourself going up one or two sizes to be comfortable. This is not the case with my line,” she explained.

With a touch of retro, glamour and “urban edge”, the flattering collection is peppered with Robyn Lawley’s own personality.

“My dragon fruit one-piece was inspired by my love of food,” she said, referring to her well-documented infatuation with cooking.

When she is not gracing magazine covers, the six-foot-two-inch model writes a food blog, Robyn Lawley Eats – a side hobby that has been praised by the fashion industry as leading the way for a more positive body image.

Despite the fact that 50% of women wear a U.S. size 14 or larger, designers routinely cater to sizes 14 or smaller, and Robyn Lawlely hopes to be the catalyst to change that.

Robyn Lawley told Good Morning America last year: “I genuinely want companies to take notice and start being more realistic about who their customer really is. I hope to keep breaking down those barriers.”

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Amanda Bynes wears blue wig for court appearance

Lisa.Felice
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Amanda Bynes wears blue wig for court appearance

Amanda Bynes displayed another bizarre look for a court appearance, sporting a turquoise wig and an outfit more suited for a trip to the gym than to face a judge.

Amanda Bynes, 27, was pictured outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, where she is attending a hearing into allegations she tossed a mar***ana b**g from the window of her 36th floor apartment.

The troubled actress is charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with physical evidence.

Amanda Bynes displayed another bizarre look for a court appearance
Amanda Bynes displayed another bizarre look for a court appearance

Amanda Bynes previously attended a court hearing in May, shortly after her arrest, wearing a long blonde wig.

She was arrested after building officials at her Manhattan apartment called police to complain she was rolling a j**nt and smoking p*t in the lobby.

Amanda Bynes was virtually silent during Tuesday’s hearing, according to TMZ, and the judge continued the case to August 26.

At her arraignment hearing in May, Amanda Bynes’ attorney Andrew Friedman told the court: “My client completely denies illegally throwing anything out of her window.”

And he claimed she was illegally followed into her apartment by police.

Amanda Bynes also made a series of allegations on Twitter in the wake of her May arrest, claiming she was assaulted by the arresting officer.

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Metropolitan Kiril of Varna found dead on the Black Sea beach

Diane A. Wade
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Metropolitan Kiril of Varna found dead on the Black Sea beach

Bulgarian Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Pereslavl has been found on the Black Sea beach near Varna, the national radio reported today.

A medical examiner has already established Metropolitan Kiril’s identity.

An investigation is under way and the version of a violent death is not excluded.

Bulgaria’s Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that it was investigating the “cause and circumstances of death”, but had no reasons to believe foul play was involved.

The body was found at about 8 a.m. and was reported to the 112 emergency hotline; the deceased was later identified as Kiril, the prosecution statement said. An autopsy was ordered to establish the cause of death, prosecutors said.

News agency Focus reported, quoting the Varna district prosecutor’s office, that the cause of death was ruled to be drowning.

Bulgarian Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Pereslavl has been found on the Black Sea beach near Varna
Bulgarian Metropolitan Kiril of Varna and Pereslavl has been found on the Black Sea beach near Varna

Kiril was wearing a diving mask and a snorkel. According to Bulgarian National Television, which quoted local residents, he was a good swimmer and was often seen swimming on the beach were his body was found.

Bulgaria’s Holy Synod is expected to meet on July 10 to name an interim metropolitan of Varna, while Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Neofit cancelled a scheduled trip to Rousse, Bulgarian media reported.

Metropolitan Kiril was born on 8 June, 1954. He was named metropolitan in 1989. Since the death of Patriarch Maxim in 2012, Kirill has been the acting chairperson of the Patriarchal Throne.

The death of Kiril would have a significant implication for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, because it would create another vacancy on the Holy Synod.

Pro tem, Neofit has held on to the diocese of Rousse but a Metropolitan would have to be elected in his place. In June 2013, the Holy Synod accepted the resignation of Simeon, Metropolitan of Western and Central Europe, on the grounds of serious ill-health.

A third vacancy in the church’s governing body creates wider possibilities for changes in the balance of the power in the running of the church. Census results and surveys indicate that a majority of Bulgarians declare themselves to be adherents of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Francesco Schettino trial adjourned until next week

Nancy Clayson
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0
Francesco Schettino trial adjourned until next week

The trial of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which ran aground off Italy last year, has opened and been adjourned until next week.

Francesco Schettino, 52, faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.

Thirty-two people died when the ship hit rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January 2012 and then tipped onto its side.

Tuesday’s hearing was adjourned because of a nationwide lawyers’ strike.

Francesco Schettino has been accused of steering the luxury liner too fast and too close to the shore, and of leaving the ship before all of the 4,229 passengers and crew were taken off.

He was allegedly performing a risky night-time sail-past salute to people on the tiny island of Giglio.

Captain Francesco Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning he Costa Concordia cruise ship
Captain Francesco Schettino faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning he Costa Concordia cruise ship

The Costa Concordia ship was holed by rocks on the left-hand side causing it to list, as passengers dined on the first night of the cruise.

A chaotic and disorganized evacuation ensued. By the time the order to evacuate came, the Costa Concordia was listing so far to one side that many lifeboats could not be used.

The liner is still lying on its side, half-submerged, off Giglio. Two people are still listed as missing.

Captain Francesco Schettino denies the charges, and his defense is expected to argue that no single person was to blame for the accident.

He claims his maneuvering of the ship closer to shore saved lives.

The trial is being heard in Grosseto, a city 90 miles north-west of Rome which is nearest to the site of the wreck. It is taking place in the city’s theatre, rather than its small courthouse.

In addition to the hundreds of survivors seeking compensation, the local authorities in Giglio are hoping for at least 80 million euros ($105 million) to make up for alleged lost revenue and the eyesore that has been on its shoreline.

Up to 430 witnesses and 250 plaintiffs could be called during Francesco Schettino’s trial, AFP news agency reports.

Francesco Schettino’s lawyers say he faces a maximum 20 years in jail if found guilty.

The Costa Concordia still lies partially submerged off the coast of Giglio while salvage crews work to refloat it.

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