President Barack Obama has declared on Wednesday that his favorite food is broccoli after nearly 25 years since President George H. W. Bush divided the nation saying that he hated the nutritious green veggie.
One Republican commenter went so far as to say the comment shows that President Barack Obama is elitist.
Comedy Central‘s political blog mocked the answer and said the president must be lying.
“Obama tells kid journalist his favorite food is broccoli. And his favorite activity is lying to children,” tweeted “Indecision”.
Barack Obama made the comment as he addressed student reporters at the White House Kids’ State Dinner on Tuesday.
The White House event was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s push to get kids to eat healthier.
Twitter and the Beltway gossip crowd almost immediately began to froth at the mouth.
President Barack Obama has declared that his favorite food is broccoli after nearly 25 years since President George H. W. Bush said that he hated the nutritious green veggie
“What kind of POTUS says his fav food is Broccoli?” CNN commentator Ari Fleischer, who worked as George W. Bush’s press secretary, tweeted.
“Same one who in 2008 complained about the price of arugula at Whole Foods.”
Numerous serious journalists chimed in on the scandal, which was quickly deemed “broccoli-gate”.
“Everyone CALM DOWN! We have charts about broccoli,” Ezra Klein of the Washington Post tweeted.
BuzzFeed‘s Andrew Kaczynski soon after tweeted a Photoshopped picture of Obama as a head of broccoli.
The mostly-humorous debate threatened to turn serious when Breitbart.com wrote that Andrew Kaczynski was an “Obama-sycophant”.
The site claimed the story was actually an Obama spin machine attempt to make liberal news outlets look like they were criticizing the president.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush famously denounced the veggie and banned it from being served at White House dinners.
“I do not like broccoli, and I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!” he said.
Furious broccoli farmers sent truckloads of their produce to Washington to protest the denigration of their beloved crop.
Barack Obama could be on the winning side of history with this answer – whether it is to be believed or not.
It is prized as a healthy food – one cup of steamed broccoli contains just 51 calories, one gram of fat and 5 grams of fiber, as well as high levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, iron and protein.
The vegetable’s popularity has soared since President H.W. Bush maligned it in 1990. Consumption of broccoli has more than tripled in the last 30 years to nearly 5 and a half pounds per person per year in America.
Kenny Ortega, the director of Michael Jackson’s planned comeback shows, has broken down in tears while giving evidence at the megastar’s wrongful death trial.
Kenny Ortega said Michael Jackson’s appearance was “very, very troubling” at a rehearsal, days before his death in June 2009.
“I saw a Michael that frightened me,” Kenny Ortega told the jury.
The director was giving evidence for a third day in the case against live event promoter AEG Live.
AEG Live is being sued by Michael Jackson’s mother for $40 billion over his death.
Katherine Jackson claims the company failed to properly investigate Michael’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, and missed warning signs about his failing health as he prepared for his This Is It tour.
Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving Michael Jackson a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol in 2009.
The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Kenny Ortega gave evidence at Michael Jackson’s wrongful death trial
Kenny Ortega told the jury on Wednesday that, based on Michael Jackson’s condition, he didn’t believe the This Is It concerts could go forward.
The director said Michael Jackson appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance during at least four rehearsals.
Kenny Ortega said he was under the impression Michael Jackson’s strange behavior followed visits to his doctor.
Michael Jackson’s state was “fairly obvious” to others involved in the production, he added.
The singer also missed several scheduled rehearsals, said Kenny Ortega, adding that during a session six days before his death, he was cold, shivering and seemed lost.
Kenny Ortega, 63, told the court that Michael Jackson improved somewhat as the night went on but wasn’t coherent when he arrived that day. The singer didn’t rehearse that night.
Reading an email he sent to the CEO of concert promoter AEG Live hours after the rehearsal, Kenny Ortega shed tears as he described Michael Jackson as a “lost boy”.
Kenny Ortega said he sent the email to alert AEG officials about Michael Jackson’s condition and trusted them to get the singer appropriate care.
He said he repeatedly called Conrad Murray that night, “the doctor who I thought would be the most natural person” to help.
“Then I reached out to AEG, Michael’s partners, to make sure they were aware of how I felt and what I saw,” he added.
Kenny Ortega outlined a tense meeting with Conrad Murray the following day, during which Murray assured him and AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips that Michael Jackson was capable of rehearsing.
AEG has denied it hired Conrad Murray and said there was no way it could have known the doctor was giving Michael Jackson propofol as a sleep aid.
Kenny Ortega – who directed the High School musical trilogy – is the highest-ranking tour worker to give evidence at the trial and had the most direct contact with AEG executives and Michael Jackson.
The trial, currently in its 11th week, is expected to last until the end of July.
Chinese authorities have announced that some senior executives of the local division of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are facing a criminal investigation.
They are being investigated for bribery and tax-related violations, said the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
They are suspected of offering bribes to officials and doctors in an attempt to boost sales in the country.
GSK said in response to the allegations that it had found no evidence of bribery or corruption in China.
“We are willing to co-operate with the authorities in this inquiry,” the company said in a statement, adding that it had only just received official word of the “specific nature” of the investigation.
“We take all allegations of bribery and corruption seriously,” the statement said.
GSK senior executives are being investigated in China for bribery and tax-related violations
“We continuously monitor our businesses to ensure they meet our strict compliance procedures – we have done this in China and found no evidence of bribery or corruption of doctors or government officials. However, if evidence of such activity is provided, we will act swiftly on it.”
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security said in a statement that police had questioned some of the suspects.
It accused the firm of bribing government officials and doctors, as well as overstating tax receipts.
“The case involves many people, the duration of time is long, the amount of money involved is huge and the criminal activities are malicious,” the ministry said.
Senior executives at GSK are already being investigated by Changsha public security officials for “economic crimes”, the city’s police force said last month. However, it is not clear if the Changsha investigation is related to any of the latest allegations.
Khloe Kardashian is reported to have kicked out her husband Lamar Odom, after the “revelation” of a year-long affair with Jennifer Richardson.
However, sources close to Khloe Kardashian have revealed to MailOnline that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“They’re more in love than ever,” a source explains.
They added: “Khloe did not kick Lamar out of the house, they are 100% fine.”
According to Star magazine, Khloe Kardashian had kicked Lamar Odom out of the house after discovering he had been cheating on her since at least January 2012.
Khloe Kardashian did not kick Lamar Odom out following Jennifer Richardson cheating rumors
The report named 29-year-old brunette Jennifer Richardson, who Lamar supposedly met at the Stadium Club strip club in Washington D.C. after he played a game for the Dallas Mavericks.
InTouch magazine also claimed that Khloe Kardashian had walked out on their marriage following the claims, but insiders close to the star say that this is not the case.
Early last year, Khloe Kardashian was forced to defend her marriage to Lamar Odom after she pulled the plug on their reality show.
“We just wanted to prioritize a little,” Khloe Kardashian told People magazine at the time.
Their show Khloé & Lamar was put on a break last year until his basketball career was back on track.
“We just wanted a little pause. Part of being married is knowing when your husband needs your support.”
Khloe Kardashian added: “I’m a modern girl, but you should put your husband first. I like to think divorce is not an option.”
Responding to another report that her marriage was on the rocks earlier this year, Khloe Kardashian said: “Anyone who pays attention to these things can easily see the incredible bond that everyone in my family shares.
“I’m happily married to a wonderful man and fall in love with him more and more each day, and we’ll have a baby when god wants us to and when the time is right. These blatant lies are distasteful and shameless.”
Khloe Kardashian proved that she was standing by Lamar Odom on Thursday in the wake of his public row with a photographer in the street.
Launching a foul-mouthed Twitter rant, Khloe Kardashian, 29, defended her husband just hours after he was filmed trashing a paparazzi’s car in a dramatic rampage.
Soon after the footage of the NBA star emerged, Khloe Kardashian was straight on her Twitter account to justify Lamar Odom’s actions, writing: “Wow can’t believe a paparazzi snuck into our gated area and violated our private property!!!!”
Clearly of the opinion that Lamar Odom had done nothing wrong despite the fact that he was caught throwing the photographer’s belongings into the street, Khloe Kardashian added: “This is the same pap that did a hit and run but my brother and I caught him and he has the nerve to taunt us!!! Be ashamed of your self.”
Lamar Odom having an angry exchange with the photographer
Khloe Kardashian’s anger then clearly escalated as she wrote a number of expletive-ridden posts to defend her man.
“F*** the papz!!!!! You f***ing losers!!!!! But shout out to my hubby for posing with the fans! I love my Lam!” the reality star wrote.
Lamar Odom, who stars with Khloe Kardashian in Keeping Up With The Kardashians as well as spin-off show Khloe And Lamar, lost his rag on Wednesday as he was filmed lashing out at a photographer before stopping for a picture with a passing fan.
The towering 6ft10 basketball player lost his temper as he walked up to a photographer’s car and threw all of his equipment out onto the road.
The incident came amid reports of marital trouble between Lamar Odom and wife Khloe Kardashian, after Jennifer Richardson, 29, coming forward to claim she had a year-long affair with him.
Lamar Odom lost his temper as he walked up to a photographer’s car and threw all of his equipment out onto the street.
It came amid reports of marital trouble between the towering 6ft10 basketball player and his wife Khloe Kardashian, after a woman coming forward to claim she had a year-long affair with him.
Photographs show Lamar Odom, 33, rifling through the back of a car belonging to one of the photographers and furiously throwing his camera and equipment into the middle of the street.
Lamar Odom then walked over to another photographer’s car holding what looked like a tripod while the cameraman stood by, allegedly smashing the car.
He then proceeded to pick up the equipment from the middle of the street and put it in his own car, while carrying the metal rod.
Witnesses claimed Lamar Odom snapped after demanding to speak “man to man” with the paparazzi.
When they continued to take his photo, it is claimed, Lamar Odom turned on them.
Lamar Odom lost his temper as he walked up to a photographer’s car and threw all of his equipment out onto the street
A group of people in a celebrity tour bus happened to be driving past, and the delighted tourists stopped to watch and film the commotion.
Oddly a fan jumped out of her car after the incident to have her picture taken with the star – and taking a break from his rage he politely obliges.
Lamar Odom’s angry behavior is especially bizarre considering the fact he and his wife and her family are known for actively courting the press.
A publicist for the family did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the photos.
However, sources close to Khloe Kardashian claim that the split rumors couldn’t be further from the truth.
“They’re more in love than ever,” a source explains.
They added: “Khloe did not kick Omar out of the house, they are 100% fine.”
According to Star magazine, Khloe Kardashian had kicked Lamar Odom out of the house after discovering he had been cheating on her since at least January last year.
The report named 29-year-old brunette Jennifer Richardson, who Lamar Odom supposedly met at the Stadium Club strip club in Washington D.C. after he played a game for the Dallas Mavericks.
Pope Francis has been named “Man of the Year” by the latest Italian edition of Vanity Fair.
The Argentinean pontiff, elected in March 2013, had earned the accolade for his words and deeds during his first 100 days in office.
The front cover of Vanity Fair magazine shows Pope Francis, 76, wearing plain white robes and a white skull cap, waving at a crowd.
“His first one hundred days have already placed him in the category of world leaders who make history,” the magazine said.
“But the revolution continues.”
Pope Francis has been named “Man of the Year” by the latest Italian edition of Vanity Fair
Five celebrities, including Sir Elton John and the Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, were quoted by the magazine in praise of Francis, the first Jesuit Pope.
“Francis is a miracle of humility in an era of vanity,” Elton John told the magazine.
Elton John said he hoped that Pope Francis’s message would reach marginalized groups in society which “have a desperate need of his love”, including homosexuals.
“The Pope seems to want to take the Church back to the old values of Christ and, at the same time, bring it into the 21st century,” he said.
Elton John, who has been in a civil partnership since 2005, said he hoped Pope Francis could “reach out to children, women, men who live with HIV and AIDS – often alone, and hidden away in silence”. His praise for the Pope is perhaps surprising given the Vatican’s uncompromising stance on issues such as gay marriage, women priests and married male clergy.
While Pope Francis has adopted a much more relaxed, informal style than Pope Benedict XVI, he is regarded as being as much of a doctrinal conservative as his predecessor.
Britney Spears’ sons Sean Preston, seven, and Jayden James, six, make their very first cameo appearances in the video clip for the singer’s new song Ooh La La, which is set to be released on VEVO on Thursday.
Britney Spears, 31, shared a sneak peek snap of the video with her fans on Wednesday on Twitter.
In the image, the singer is seen sitting in a cinema eating popcorn with her sons.
“Omg. How CUTE are my boys?! Video premieres Thursday on @VEVO at noon ET! #OohLaLaThursday” Britney Spears she wrote in an accompanying caption.
The princess of pop shows off her toned legs in a pair of tiny shorts paired with a light pink shirt in the image.
Britney Spears’ sons Sean Preston and Jayden James make their very first cameo appearances in the video clip for her new song Ooh La La
Meanwhile, her boys, who could actually pass as twins, both wear checked shirts in different colors, with Jayden in a blue version and Sean in a red and black variety.
Later in the day she also posted some moving images of the clip, with one frame showing the singer wearing a red dress and holding onto her boys’ hands.
Last month, Britney Spears debuted her new single Ooh La La, which was written for the Smurfs 2 movie soundtrack.
“I have always loved the Smurfs as a kid and now my boys are the biggest Smurfs fans ever,” she said in a statement.
“I wanted to surprise them with a song in the movie. I know they’ll think it’s Smurftastic!”
Sean Preston and Jayden James are Britney Spears’ sons from her marriage to Kevin Federline.
Britney Spears says her boys were the consummate professionals on the day that they shot the video.
“My oldest son, Preston, was right on cue every time they would tell him to do something in the video,” Britney proudly told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS radio show.
“They play themselves. But when we did the actual shoot of the video, I didn’t see them.
“I was in hair and make-up, so later on I got to see what they actually did on camera – and it was adorable!”
According to research firm Gartner, global PC sales have fallen for the fifth quarter in a row, making it the “longest duration of decline” in history.
Worldwide personal computer shipments totaled 76 million units in the second quarter, a 10.9% drop from a year earlier,
PC sales have been hurt in recent years by the growing popularity of tablets.
Gartner said the introduction of low-cost tablets had further hurt PC sales, especially in emerging economies.
“In emerging markets, inexpensive tablets have become the first computing device for many people, who at best are deferring the purchase of a PC,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, said in a statement.
Global PC sales have fallen for the fifth quarter in a row, making it the longest duration of decline in history
Separate data released by research firm IDC also showed an 11.4% decline in global PC shipments during the period, from a year earlier.
IDC, which uses a slightly different method to calculate the data, said that shipments totaled 75.6 million units in the second quarter.
However, it said that the numbers were better than it had expected and were likely to improve in the coming months.
“With second quarter growth so close to forecast, we are still looking for some improvement in growth during the second half of the year,” said Jay Chou, a senior analyst at IDC Worldwide PC Tracker.
But he warned that the sector was facing risks and much work needed to be done to turn around things.
“Slower growth in Europe and China reflect the risks, while the improved US outlook reflects potential improvement. Still, the weakness in emerging markets is a threat to a core long-term growth area,” Jay Chou said.
“In addition, while efforts by the PC ecosystem to bring down price points and embrace touch computing should make PCs more attractive, a lot still needs to be done in launching attractive products and addressing competition from devices like tablets.”
Latest tabloid reports claim that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are done with their marriage as the basketball player had a year-long relationship with brunette Jennifer Richardson.
The latest issue of Star magazine writes that Lamar Odom had an affair with 29-year-old Jennifer Richardson, who claims possesses proof.
Jennifer Richardson supposedly has saved plane tickets, basketball game ticket stubs and invoices from her year-plus relationship with Lamar Odom, with a friend saying the star flew Jennifer “first class” every time she came out to Los Angeles.
Lamar Odom, 33, also put Jennifer Richardson up in five-star hotels, the publication adds, coming to the obvious conclusion that this was no mere booty call for the one-time first round draft pick.
“Between games, she would just go home and repack for her next trip with Lamar,” a friend says.
“She didn’t do this for fame. She did this because they had a connection. They shared all their secrets with each other. Lamar fell for her, and she fell for him.”
Latest tabloid reports claim that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom are done with their marriage as the basketball player had a year-long relationship with Jennifer Richardson
The tabloid is also reporting that Lamar Odom has been “intimately involved” with Jennifer Richardson for months, and that he “left” Khloe Kardashian sometime around June 8.
Star magazine alleges that Lamar Odom first met Jennifer Richardson in January 2012, and then began a more regular affair last December.
There are vague details about Lamar Odom and Jennifer Richardson’s supposed fling, especially the December 2012-February 2013, period when Richardson allegedly “spent several weeks on the road” with Odom as he traveled as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The story is almost entirely based on a so-called “friend” of Jennifer Richardson, who gives lots of colorful quotes about their relation, none of which is corroborated by Richardson herself.
Meanwhile, even though the affair supposedly ended around Valentine’s Day, Star says it is set to torpedo the Odom-Kardashian marriage, and that he left her on June 8 amid “increasingly frustrations with Khloe and her family”.
“Khloe is freaking out, begging him to come back,” says a so-called “source” for the tabloid.
“She even had Kris [Jenner] try to intervene and get Lamar back.”
Another Star “insider” says it’s too late: “Khloe and Lamar are headed straight for a divorce.”
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
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.
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
“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.
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
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’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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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 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
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.”
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
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.
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
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.
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
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 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
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.”
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
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 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
“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 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
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.
