According to Israeli military sources, the Syrian army has taken control of an UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights that had been overrun by rebel forces.
Tanks and armored vehicles were used in the fighting at Quneitra, near Israeli-held territory.
Austria has said it will withdraw its peacekeepers from the Golan Heights because of the fighting.
It comes a day after Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah militants retook the key town of Qusair.
The involvement of Hezbollah and the upsurge of fighting near the ceasefire line with Israel in the Golan have both raised fears that the conflict could spread across Syria’s borders.
Rebels seized the crossing near the town of Quneitra earlier on Thursday, with explosions and heavy shelling rocking the area.
But an Israeli military source said Syrian government forces retook the symbolically significant position hours later, and that it was now relatively quiet in the area.
Two UN peacekeepers were wounded as fighting raged around the crossing and Quneitra.
Austria said it would withdraw its soldiers because the threat had “reached an unacceptable level”.
Austrian troops make up more than a third of the more than 900-strong UN force monitoring the demilitarized zone and Quneitra – the only open crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
Israel expressed regret at Austria’s decision, and said it hoped it would not lead to “further escalation” in the region.
The UN said the withdrawal of Austrian troops would affect the mission’s operational capacity and it would look for replacements.
Syrian army has taken control of an UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights that had been overrun by rebel forces
Croatia, Canada and Japan had already withdrawn their contingents in the Golan because of the conflict in Syria.
Syria’s deployment of tanks in the demilitarized zone violates ceasefire agreements in place since the Arab-Israeli war of 1973.
Israel captured part of the plateau in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that has never been internationally recognized.
Israeli officials have voiced fears the civil war in Syria could spill over their borders. They are worried the Golan Heights could be used to launch attacks against Israel – either by Islamist extremists fighting for the rebels, or by Hezbollah militants fighting on the government side.
Hezbollah’s growing role in the conflict was highlighted by its involvement in the battle for Qusair, which government forces recaptured on Wednesday after a bitter siege.
Hezbollah is a political and military organization in Lebanon made up mainly of Shia Muslims.
It emerged with backing from Iran in the early 1980s when it fought Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and has always been a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Its involvement in Syria has heightened sectarian tensions across the region, and the US has called for it to withdraw.
Late on Wednesday several rockets landed in the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek inside Lebanon – after rebel threats to strike at Hezbollah on its home turf.
Qusair lies only 6 miles from the Lebanese border and is close to important supply routes for both the government and rebels.
As the battle for Qusair raged, fighting was continuing in most other parts of Syria, especially around the capital Damascus, where regime forces are trying to push the rebels back from the suburbs.
More than 80,000 people have been killed in Syria and more than 1.5 million have fled the country since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011, according to UN estimates.
International efforts to resolve Syria’s conflict continue, but the US and Russia have failed to set a date for proposed peace talks.
Meanwhile France has said that growing proof of chemical weapons use in Syria “obliges the international community to act”.
However, President Francois Hollande cautioned: “We can only act within the framework of international law.”
Bruce and Kris Jenner have been the source of constant speculation due their unusual living arrangements.
But Khloe Kardashian insisted her mother Kris’ relationship with husband Bruce Jenner is doing just fine despite the fact they live in separate houses.
In fact Khloe Kardadshian told Tonight Show host Jay Leno the arrangement is just a more extreme version of the “manroom” her NBA star husband Lamar Odom has in their home.
When Jay Leno asked if their relationship is in trouble Khloe Kardashian replied: “Well they’re not having problems but they still like to live apart, which is definitely different.
“You know Bruce and my mom, they wanted some… I, like in my house, there is a manroom for Lamar. A room not a different house.
“So I think they took my idea and ran with it and they got another house, and Bruce stays there sometimes.”
But Khloe Kardashian admits she does not approve of their unconventional living arrangements, saying: “I’m not for that.
“It’s in the same state, a different city. I’m not for that, but you know, to each their own. I don’t compare relationships
“I just think a little too much time apart maybe isn’t the best thing.”
Khloe Kardashian insisted her mother Kris’ relationship with husband Bruce Jenner is doing just fine despite the fact they live in separate houses
In an episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on Sunday, Kris Jenner suggested she and Bruce take a break, encouraging him to spend time in a “man cave” where he’s out of sight and out of mind.
Worryingly, Bruce Jenner seemed excited by the idea of some timeout from Kris, naturally making their children worried.
However, clearly distance makes the heart grow fonder in their case as Kris seen later in the episode asking Bruce Jenner to move back in.
Khloe Kardashian added to Leno that the pair are insistent it is an arrangement that works for them.
She said: “They’re like, <<This is us, don’t judge us. We’ve been married 24 years. Blah blah blah>>.
“I’m like, <<I know people that have been married longer that still live together. Like you!>>.”
When asked why Bruce Jenner needs a whole house, Kim Kardashian said: “I have no idea and I don’t want to know.”
Khloe Kardashian, 28, was joined on the show by Kung Fu Panda 2 star Danny McBride and The Wanted.
Bobbi Kristina Brown has reportedly been evicted from her Atlanta home.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 20, and her on-off boyfriend and “brother” Nick Gordon were said to be the subject of at least ten different noise complaints, leading up to her moving out.
A friend of a neighbor also revealed on Reddit that Bobbi Kristina Brown left an angry note for her neighbors following the supposed eviction.
The friend revealed: “My friend and his family live in the apartment under Bobbi Kristina Brown.”
“After 6 months of complaints, she was finally kicked out. He found this on his door today.”
However, on Wednesday, Bobbi Kristina Brown took to her Twitter account to deny that she had been forced out of her home.
“Awoke2CrazyNeighborStory(:” she wrote, adding: “Ichoose2move(: THEY were the nightmare.”
However, neighbor Joshua Morse seems to disagree, and spoke to 11alive about the note, which included foul language.
Bobbi Kristina Brown reportedly wrote: “Thank You for making a hard year harder. You are a miserable couple and always will be.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown has reportedly been evicted from her Atlanta home
It went on: “You were honored to have us living above you and you couldn’t stand such a young beautiful couple far more successful than you ever will be.”
“I pray your misery doesn’t rub off on your innocent little baby.”
Joshua Morse said he and his wife have filed at least ten different complaints about the noise coming from Bobbi Kristina Brown’s apartment.
He also revealed that Bobbi Kristina Brown has now turned in her keys and left the complex.
Bobbi Kristina Brown leaves angry note for neighbors as it’s claimed she was evicted from Atlanta home
Whitney Houston’s daughter lived in the apartment with Nick Gordon, who she reportedly split with romantically in November last year, after he tweeted: “@REALbkBrown and I are not engaged or dating. Just close like we have always been.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown attempted to defend her romantic relationship with Nick Gordon to her extended family on Lifetime’s The Houstons: On Our Own last year.
“We’re engaged,” she said on the episode as she showed of a ring that was once her mother’s.
“Everyone gets it wrong, I was never officially… it’s not incest.”
Nick Gordon was informally adopted by Whitney Houston when he was 12 years old.
Paris Jackson attempted to take her own life on Wednesday afternoon, but it appears that her cry for help may have started some time ago.
In previously published pictures, the 15-year-old daughter of late singer Michael Jackson was seen six weeks ago with a crop of scars on her forearm – which appear to suggest she has been self-harming.
Paris Jackson has reportedly been on a psychiatric ward for 72 hours after she apparently cut her wrists on Wednesday.
Seen on a lunch date out with her biological mother, Debbie Rowe, at the Fire Island Grill in Palmdale, California, on April 28, rows of scars could clearly be seen on the troubled teenager’s forearm as she raised her arm in a rock sign.
Lines of marks – typically associated with self-harming – can be seen coursing down the teenager’s arm from her wrist and almost reaching her elbow.
In the light of Paris Jackson’s suicide bid, it would appear that the teenager had been in need of support for some weeks in the lead-up to the attempt.
The latest tragic turn her relatively short life is somewhat unsurprising given the personal struggles she has endured over the course of the last few years.
Not only did the teen lose her superstar father prematurely when he passed away in 2009, but she has also had to put up with a great deal of criticism surrounding her recent reconnection with her birth mother.
Paris Jackson began rebuilding her relationship with her mother, who signed custody of her children over to Michael Jackson after her divorce from the singer in 1999, following her father’s tragic passing in 2009.
However, her elder brother Prince, 16, is said to have been less than understanding about Paris Jackson’s desire to reconnect with their absent parent, causing a rift between the siblings.
A source told E! News: “It’s been a very difficult time. Paris has wanted Debbie in her life… She’s a young girl and having a female mother figure has been something she has desired for as long as she can remember, but it has caused problems in the family.
“It has caused some problems between Paris and Prince. It’s a very personal choice for both of them and they do not see eye to eye on it at all. But Paris has believed from the start that it is something that Prince will come around to, that he will change his mind as he gets older.”
The source added that Paris Jackson felt “alone and confused” after Prince refused to “understand her wanting to have a relationship with her mom”.
Paris Jackson’s grandmother Katherine, who is currently guardian of Paris and her two siblings Prince and Blanket, is also said to have been unsure about the relationship being rebuilt but “understands that this is what Paris needs and she would not want to stand in her way”.
In fact, the teenager’s relationship with the Jackson family is believed to have become so strained that it was recently claimed she will walk away from her relatives and “never return” as soon as she turns 16.
Mark Lester, who is godfather to all three of Michael Jackson’s children, recently told Grazia magazine: “I’m sure when Paris hits 16 she will take herself out of that Jackson clan, walk out of that door and never turn back. She will never go back. I’m glad she’s got Debbie Rowe in her life.
“It appears to be the case that each family member has a different agenda. You’ve got all the brothers and sisters taking an interest in their lives now. I think it’s inevitable when they reach 16, or when Katherine dies, that they will say to the rest of the family, <<Back off, it’s my life>>.
“It must be hard for Katherine, being an 83-year-old having teenage kids running around. It must be very difficult for her stepping in as a mother when she was always granny, which brings us back to Debbie Rowe. I think it’s a good thing she’s coming back on the scene, perfect timing.”
Paris Jackson was seen six weeks ago with a crop of scars on her forearm
A source close to the teenager said that Paris wanted to be free of her family guardians after suffering from depression “for some time” and felt “unsolved” following the death of her father in June four years ago.
It has been revealed that being surrounded by various members of her family and their entourage had made the teenager feel “alone” adding that she “misses her father every day”.
Paris Jackson even asked for “emancipation” from her family at one point, according to the US columnist Roger Friedman, who has strong sources close to the Jackson family.
The court action would have given Paris Jackson control over her own life before legally becoming an adult at 18.
Roger Friedman also alleged that Debbie Rowe, 54, Paris Jackson’s mother and ex-wife of Michael Jackson, could seek legal custody of her daughter removing her from the Jackson family compound in Calabasas.
A family insider is quoted as saying: “She’s a handful for the Jacksons. They don’t know what to do. Paris suffers from depression. She’s lonely, she thinks no one loves her or is listening to her. She doesn’t want to be controlled or told what to do.”
According to reports, Paris Jackson “didn’t want to die” when she reportedly attempted to take her own life on Wednesday.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department will have to class the call as a suicide bid due to Paris Jackson apparently cutting her wrists and taking a drugs overdose, sources toldTMZ.com that Paris’ contact with a suicide helpline is an indication that the incident was in fact a cry for help.
A law enforcement source told the website: “She wanted attention, she wanted to be saved. It makes no sense if you really want to die to call a hotline, where the person on the other end will get an ambulance over to your house.”
While another family source has claimed toFox that it was ‘not the first time’ Paris had attempted to take her own life.
Paris Jackson’s paternal grandmother Katherine, 83, currently shares guardianship of her and her brothers Prince Michael, 16, and Blanket, 10, with TJ Jackson, the son of Michael’s brother, Tito.
On Thursday, Prince Michael canceled an appearance on German television, following his sister’s troubles.
He was scheduled to make a guest appearance on the ZDF show Wetten, dass …? (Wanna Bet?).
“Under these circumstances, we perfectly understand that Prince Michael prefers to stay close to his family,” ZDF’s Silke Blömer told People.
“We wish Paris the strength and the power to recover soon.”
Meanwhile, the producer of what is set to be Paris Jackson’s acting debut has said she “will be ready” to start filming soon.
Author Dennis Christen is producing the film Lundon’s Bridge and the Three Keys based on his own novel.
He told UsWeekly: “Paris will do a delightful job in her role… She’s been concentrating on developing her acting skills and is becoming a very proficient actor.”
The website also reports that Paris Jackson was conscious and aware when the ambulance arrived, and put up no struggle when the emergency technicians placed her on a stretcher and took her to the hospital.
Following the reported suicide bid, Paris Jackson’s family released a statement saying the teenager is ‘safe and doing fine’ and is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital.
The statement, released by Katherine Jackson’s lawyer Perry Sander, did not refer to the nature of Paris’ emergency, but said Michael Jackson’s daughter is getting the “appropriate medical attention”.
It read: “Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you her father. Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention. Please respect her privacy and the family’s privacy.
“Thank you for the outpouring of concern and support for Paris. She is safe and doing fine. We truly appreciate you respecting our family’s privacy at this time.”
Paris Jackson’s mother Debbie Rowe, who was pictured speaking to police on Wednesday outside her Palmdale ranch in California, also released her own statement, which read: “We appreciate everyone’s thoughts for Paris at this time and their respect for the family’s privacy.”
She also reportedly told police that Paris Jackson has had “a lot going on lately”.
The FBI and Microsoft have broken up Citadel botnet, a huge network of hijacked home computers responsible for stealing more than $500 million from bank accounts.
The Citadel network had remotely installed a keylogging program on about five million machines to steal data.
About 1,000 of the 1,400 or so networks that made up the Citadel botnet are believed to have been shut down.
Co-ordinated action in 80 countries by police forces, tech firms and banking bodies helped to disrupt the network.
“The bad guys will feel the punch in the gut,” Richard Boscovich, a spokesman for Microsoft’s digital crimes unit said.
The cybercriminals behind Citadel cashed in by using login and password details for online bank accounts stolen from compromised computers.
This method was used to steal cash from a huge number of banks including American Express, Bank of America, PayPal, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada and Wells Fargo.
Citadel emerged after core computer code for a widely used cybercrime kit, called Zeus, was released online.
FBI and Microsoft have broken up Citadel botnet
Underground coders banded together to turn that code into a separate cybercrime toolkit that quickly proved popular with many malicious hackers.
In a blogpost detailing its action, Microsoft said Citadel had also grown because malicious code that could take over a PC had been bundled in with pirated versions of Windows.
The millions of PCs in the criminal network were spread around the globe, but were most heavily concentrated in North America, Western Europe, Hong Kong, India and Australia.
Despite the widespread action, which involved seizures of servers that co-ordinated the running of Citadel, the identity of the botnet’s main controller is unknown.
However, Microsoft has started a “John Doe” lawsuit against the anonymous controller, believing him to use the nickname Aquabox and be based in Eastern Europe.
In addition, the FBI is working with Europol and police forces in many other countries to track down and identify the 81 “lieutenants” that helped Aquabox keep Citadel running.
Microsoft has also started action to help people clean up an infected computer.
Typically, it said, machines compromised by Citadel were blocked from getting security updates to ensure those computers stayed part of the botnet.
With the network disrupted, machines should be free to get updates and purge the Citadel malware from their system.
The International Monetary Fund has admitted that it made mistakes in handling Greece’s first international bailout.
The IMF said it was too optimistic in its growth assumptions and said a debt restructuring should have been considered earlier.
Greece was granted a 110 billion euro ($145 billion) bailout by the IMF and EU in May 2010.
Another 130 billion euro rescue package was approved in February 2012.
Greece’s first bailout came amid fears the country would default on its debts and that it could spark debt contagion in the eurozone.
The IMF has now released a study looking at the handling of the programme.
It admitted that it bent its own rules on exceptional access for the programme to go ahead.
To justify exceptional access, one of the four criteria that must be met is that public debt is sustainable in the medium term.
But the IMF said: “Even with implementation of agreed policies, uncertainties were so significant that staff were unable to vouch that public debt was sustainable with high probability.”
But staff wanted to go ahead with exceptional access because of fears that any spillovers from Greece would threaten the rest of the eurozone and the global economy.
The IMF then amended the criterion to where debt was not sustainable with high probability, “a high risk of international spillover effects provided an alternative justification”.
The IMF has admitted that it made mistakes in handling Greece’s first international bailout
The IMF described the programme, which ran from May 2010 to March 2012, as a “holding operation” that gave the euro area “time to build a firewall to protect other vulnerable members and averted potentially severe effects on the global economy”.
It said it had notable successes such as achieving strong fiscal consolidation, Greece remaining in the eurozone and any spillovers that might have had a severe impact on the global economy were relatively well-contained.
But it also said there were notable failures, chiefly market confidence was not restored, the banking system lost 30% of its deposits and the Greek economy experienced a much deeper-than-expected recession.
Greece’s economic output (GDP) in 2012 was 17% lower than in 2009, compared with the IMF and EU’s initial projection of a 5.5% decline. The original growth projections were not marked down until the fifth review in December 2011.
The unemployment rate in 2012 was 25%, compared with the original programme projection of 15%.
The IMF added that in future Fund staff should be more skeptical about official data.
The Fund also criticized the delay in restructuring Greece’s massive debt load by forcing private holders of Greek bonds to take losses, which eventually took place in the first half of 2012.
“Not tackling the public debt problem decisively at the outset or early in the programme created uncertainty about the euro area’s capacity to resolve the crisis and likely aggravated the contraction in output,” the report said.
It said an upfront debt restructuring would have been better for Greece but this was “not acceptable to the euro partners”, some of whose banks held large amounts of Greek government debt.
The report also said there was no clear division of labor between the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank, the so-called “troika”.
It said that while there were “occasional marked differences of view” within the troika, these were generally not on display to the authorities so did not risk slowing negotiations, and noted that “co-ordination seems to have been quite good under the circumstances”.
Sophie Jastrow, Paris Jackson’s best friend, has spoken of her shock following Michael Jackson’s daughter’s apparent suicide bid – revealing she was left “shaking” after hearing the news.
Sophie Jastrow made her comments as it became clear that Paris Jackson, 15, had been under immense strain recently after being forced to defend her newly-forged relationship with her mother Debbie Rowe.
The schoolgirl tweeted: “so f***in sad right now…litdraally (sic) shaking right now…literally i cant even focus.”
Joline Nehoray, another of Paris Jackson’s friends and a fellow student at the private Buckley school in California, added: “So heartbroken. Stay strong.”
Paris Jackson posted pictures of her and Sophie Jastrow together at Debbie Rowe’s California home last month, adding: “Ok so I realized that Sophie became my best friend and i love her so much.”
Writing on her ask.fmsite, Paris added: “So i realized dat some ppl dont like my mom and im getting hateful comments about sayin obviously rude things about my mom and i won’t let that okay?
“I am bonding good with her and like i said we are really strong relationship and nobody’s gonna stop me from that (: x yes Prince still isn’t ready idk why but he will meet her too (: i hope so no hate! xx “
Sophie Jastrow, Paris Jackson’s best friend, has spoken of her shock following Michael Jackson’s daughter’s apparent suicide bid
Paris Jackson had revealed that she was back in touch with her biological mother, writing: “So on my birthday, I hung out with my mom because of course, haven’t seen her since… a long time ago. So glad I bonded with my mother. It’s like we have this really strong relationship and did I mention, I kind of look like her. It was so amazing to see my mother after all these years. Love her.”
But when one critic said her mother was only out to use her, Paris Jackson replied: “Well wtf are u messing in my life?
“Stfu im sick of ppl like u who are saying that! She wasn’t in my life around 15 years but now as i said we became close and i know that she wouldn’t use me cuz im her daughter kay?”
Paris Jackson was taken from her Calabasas family home on a stretcher at around 2am on Wednesday and conveyed to a nearby hospital, according to TMZ.
Scott Miller of the Los Angeles County Fire Department tells People Magazine that paramedics responded to a 911 call at 1.27 a.m. “regarding a possible overdose” while TMZ reports a source as saying Paris Jackson had cut herself multiple times on one of her wrists.
Insiders told Entertainment Tonight Paris Jackson was upset because she was not allowed to go to a Marilyn Manson concert in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The incident unfolded just hours after the teenager posted a series of alarming messages on Twitter.
Around midnight she recited the sorrowful Beatles’song Yesterday to her million plus followers, writing: “Yesterday, all my troubles seem so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay.”
An hour previously, Paris Jackson posted: “I wonder why tears are salty.”
The 911 call came in at 1.27 am local time, according to TMZ and the website reports Paris Jackson is now “doing ok”.
New reports claim Paris Jackson was “overwhelmed” with teenage turmoil before her attempted suicide just weeks before the fourth anniversary of her father’s death.
Paris Jackson, 15, cut her wrists and took a d**g overdose, according to reports.
The teenager had become “overwhelmed” with sadness over the loss of her superstar father, said a friend of the Jackson family.
Paris Jackson is also in the middle of doing her exams at school and is anxious over her looming appearance in court in Los Angeles where she is due to testify in a trial connected with Michael Jackson’s fatal overdose on June 25, 2009.
In addition, sources said the teenager was upset at not being allowed to go to a concert by goth rocker Marilyn Manson tonight.
She “threw a fit” after being told she couldn’t attend the concert on a school night and reportedly ran into her room screaming and slammed the door.
Paris Jackson is going through a difficult time and has had “a lot going on lately”, her mother Debbie Rowe, who was pictured speaking to police on Wednesday outside her Palmdale ranch in California.
The teen has posted a series of dark messages on Twitter over recent months.
New reports claim Paris Jackson was “overwhelmed” with teenage turmoil before her attempted suicide
In May Paris Jackson saluted Goth rocker Marylin Manson on her Twitter page, writing: “Hey evil world,” while in another from that month she refers to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994, as “Jesus”.
In another angst-ridden tweet in February Paris Jackson hinted at heartache over a failed relationship, exclaiming: “Here’s to teenage romances and never knowing why they hurt like hell.”
Perry Sanders, a lawyer for Katherine Jackson, the teen’s grandmother added: “Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are. It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you.”
But he continued: “Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention.”
The drama unfolded just hours after the teenager posted a series of alarming messages on Twitter.
At around midnight on Tuesday, Paris Jackson recited the sorrowful Beatles song Yesterday to her million plus followers, writing: “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay.”
An hour previously, she posted: “I wonder why tears are salty.”
The backdrop to her Twitter page shows Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, painted while the artist was in a mental asylum in Saint-Remy, France.
Scott Miller of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said an emergency call was made from the Jackson family compound in Calabasas, California, at 1.27 a.m. on Wednesday “regarding a possible overdose”.
Paris Jackson was taken out of the house on a stretcher at 2 a.m. and rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
According to TMZ, a source connected to the emergency response said there were multiple cuts on one of the victim’s wrists.
“She’s okay,” a source told the New York Daily News, scoffing at the idea that the teen would resort to suicide over missing a concert.
“She’s very outgoing and has been spending time lately with Debbie and the animals. This is more just a kid acting out.”
Katherine Jackson, 83, and other family members were at Paris’s hospital bedside yesterday. Her life was not thought to be in any danger.
Michael Jackson, who died in June 2009 from a lethal dose of surgical anaesthetic propofol, was married to Debbie Rowe from 1996 to 1999.
Bruce Jenner turned an interview with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night into a point scoring exercise.
Bruce Jenner, 63, was meant to be promoting the eight season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon but what started out as jokes about their feud – and did get a lot of laughs from the talk show host – turned into an awkward interview long discussion of Bruce’s grievances.
Despite claiming: “I am from the Kardashian group. We can take anything” as the sportsman made jokes his anger was obvious.
The beef between the reality star and Jimmy Fallon started last year during the Olympics.
Jimmy Fallon had been making jokes about Bruce Jenner’s plastic surgery – the star has gone under the knife a number of times including on Keeping Up With The Kardashians – and when the pair ran into each other after a London event, reportedly Bruce demanded the host ‘stop saying s-t’ about his appearance.
But Bruce Jenner has not buried the hatchet it seems.
Bruce Jenner turned an interview with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night into a point scoring exercise
He started the segment by complaining comedians just use bad pictures of him – before showing “bad” pictures of Jimmy Fallon.
“I’m not trying to hide anything here,” Bruce Jenner told the host, saying he could take a joke.
“I had it done on camera in our show.”
But the Olympian made sure Jimmy Fallon knew he had some muscle behind him.
“I can take it but Kanye [West] is really pissed,” Kim Kardashian’s step father said whispering into the host’s ear.
“My good friend, Kanye, and you don’t want to go there.”
Not content to just threaten the funny man with the wrath of Kanye West, Bruce Jenner also tried to insult Jimmy Fallon’s appearance.
“You can make all the jokes you want but I can guarantee you, Mr. Fallon, my ass in a pair of running shorts looks a hell of a lot better than your ass.”
“I would agree with you, and I am sincerely sorry,” Jimmy Fallon said after eight minutes of Bruce Jenner’s angry jokes.
At least six people have died and other 14 have been hurt after a building collapsed in the centre of the city of Philadelphia, officials say.
A four-storey building fell down, sending debris on to a building housing a bustling Salvation Army shop.
The collapse happened around 10:30 local time in the Center City neighborhood.
Emergency services frantically used their bare hands to rescue 14 people from the rubble of the Salvation Army shop after it came down on the corner of 22nd and Market at 10.45 a.m – the cause is yet unknown.
The building was being demolished, though the cause of the collapse was unknown, officials said.
Early reports said just one person had died, but rescuers continued working into the night.
Mayor Michael Nutter said the dead included five women and one man.
“If anyone else is in that building, they will find them,” he said.
Apartment building collapses on top of Philadelphia thrift store killing six people
Thirteen people were taken to hospital suffering minor injuries, Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said.
Late on Wednesday, a 61-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble to become the 14th known survivor.
The four-storey building had both commercial and residential spaces.
Several witnesses said they had been concerned about the way the demolition was being carried out prior to the collapse.
“We’ve been calling it for the past week – it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall,” window washer Dan Gillis told the Associated Press.
Earlier, witnesses said they had heard a loud rumbling sound immediately beforehand.
“I was standing there looking out my window, watching the men at work on the building, and the next thing I know I heard something go kaboom,” Veronica Haynes, who was in an apartment building nearby, said.
“Then you saw the whole side of the wall fall down… on to the other building.”
Bernie Ditomo told a local NBC he was driving on a nearby street when he felt something “like an earthquake”.
“I said, <<What the hell is going on?>>,” Bernie Ditomo said.
“My truck is totalled. I am a little dusty and dirty, but I’m alright. I am one of the lucky ones.”
High school student Jordan McLaughlan said he saw several people on the ground being given oxygen by rescuers after the collapse as the air filled with dust.
Authorities asked news helicopters to clear the air over the scene so rescuers could hear people trapped under the rubble.
“This is delicate, it is dangerous work,” Lloyd Ayers said.
North Korea has proposed official talks with South Korea on normalizing commercial projects, weeks after operations at the joint Kaesong industrial zone were suspended.
In a statement from state news agency KCNA, North Korea said the place and date could be “set by the South side”.
Kaesong Industrial Complex, just inside North Korea, is a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.
But it pulled out its workers in April amid high tensions on the peninsula following its February 12 nuclear test.
Since then operations at the zone, where more than 100 South Korean manufacturers employ some 53,000 North Korea workers, have been halted for the first time since the project began a decade ago.
North Korea said late last month it would invite South Korean businessmen back to discuss the resumption of operations but Seoul ruled that out, saying working-level government talks should be held.
There was no immediate response from South Korea.
Mount Kumgang resort is a joint tourism project that has been suspended since a South Korean tourist was shot dead there by a North Korean guard in 2008
The KCNA statement, attributed to the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, said that hotlines cut during the period of high tension would be reconnected if South Korea agreed to the talks.
“We propose holding talks between authorities of the North and the South for the normalization of the operation in the KIZ [Kaesong Industrial Zone] and the resumption of tour of Mt Kumgang,” it said.
The Mount Kumgang resort is a joint tourism project that has been suspended since a South Korean tourist was shot dead there by a North Korean guard in 2008. North Korea has since seized assets of the resort’s South Korean operator.
Restarting reunions of separated families could also be discussed, the North Korea statement said, adding: “The venue of the talks and the date for their opening can be set to the convenience of the South side.”
While South Korea may want to discuss Kaesong, its government has made it clear in the past that more wide-ranging dialogue should be linked to progress on denuclearization.
The offer comes after several months of threats and rhetoric from the communist North Korea.
Apparently angered by the US sanctions imposed after its third nuclear test and annual South Korea-US military drills, it warned of attacks on regional targets and cut key economic and communications links with Seoul.
In recent weeks, however, tensions appear to have lessened somewhat. Late last month, North Korea sent an envoy to Beijing – seen as having the greatest degree of influence on Pyongyang – for talks, for the first time since its nuclear test.
Just 48 hours before being rushed from her family’s home to a nearby hospital In Los Angeles after a possible suicide attempt, Paris Jackson posted a lengthy video of herself applying makeup.
Sources close to the Jacksons confirm that the 15-year-old was taken by stretcher from the home she shares with her grandmother and two brothers, after family members found her passed out in her room. The 911 call from inside the Jackson residence indicated that it may have been a drug overdose, while sources at the hospital say the young girl had multiple cuts on her wrists. The cuts didn’t appear to be fresh.
Even more disturbing is the suggestion that this wasn’t her first attempt at suicide.
“She’s given the family a scare before,’’ said a close family friend.
“All of Michael’s kids have had a rough time since their dad died, but Paris is the most sensitive of the three. She takes everything to heart, and the last year of family strife hasn’t given her much time to regroup or heal.’’
Both Paris Jackson and her older brother, Prince Michael, are expected to testify in their grandmother Katherine’s ongoing lawsuit against AEG, the concert-promotion giant responsible for Michael Jackson’s last tour. The suit is seeking millions of dollars and alleges the company was also responsible for Michael Jackson’s death from an overdose.
“That has her scared and rightfully so,’’ said the family friend.
“The CEO of AEG has already implied Katherine is a fraud trying to extort money. What will he say about the kids? They are constantly being judged or at least they feel they are.’’
Adding more fuel to Paris Jackson’s emotional angst is the looming four-year anniversary of her beloved father’s death on June 25.
Paris Jackson has been hospitalized with multiple cuts on her wrists
“It’s been nonstop drama for them in a way since Michael died,’’ said the friend.
“They were jolted from one reality to a very different one when he died. They have all this freedom now that I’m not sure they knew how to handle.’’
While their father lived, Paris Jackson and her two brothers were kept far away from Hollywood and the media spotlight.
Michael Jackson often employed masks to hide their true identities and had them homeschooled in an effort to minimize their contact with the outside world. The megastar was often criticized for his child-rearing tactics, but many inside the immediate Jackson family say Michael had very valid reasons for his actions.
“Michael wanted his kids protected and away from the spotlight,’’ said one Jackson family member.
“He didn’t want them ridiculed and judged. He’d had enough of that for a lifetime and didn’t want his children to face that same fate. Unfortunately, a lot of people around those kids have forgotten Michael’s wishes for his children.’’
After Michael Jackson’s death, all three children were immediately transferred into a brand-new world of private schools, interviews with Oprah Winfrey, and social media. Paris Jackson quickly became the queen of Twitter and Facebook, frequently posting personal insights into her thoughts and family happenings. She’s also become quite the style icon after cutting her long hair into a funky bob and regularly sporting her signature smoky eye makeup whenever photographed.
Last year, Paris Jackson famously alerted the world through her tweets that her grandmother and primary guardian Katherine had been taken away from the home they share with her and not heard from for days. Those tweets led to a widespread investigation of Katherine Jackson’s disappearance but also caused a major riff between her aunts and uncles.
Several of Paris Jackson’s aunts and uncles say they removed their elderly mother from her home last summer because they feared Katherine Jackson’s health was being compromised by the stress of Michael’s death and legal woes. The problem was they didn’t bother to inform Michael Jackson’s children of their plan and that resulted in several of those aunts and uncles being barred from their mother’s home per a court order.
“Paris wouldn’t be on Twitter or Facebook if Michael was alive,’’ said a family member.
“He’d talk to her to see what was wrong, but he wouldn’t allow her to tell the world anything. That only opens the door to more problems. But Katherine is in her 80s and really just wants the kids to be happy, so she lets them do what all other kids are doing. Problem is, they aren’t like other kids.’’
While she has more than a million followers on Twitter, Paris Jackson is often met with mean-spirited messages that attack her looks and famous father.
“Janet and others wanted her to get off Twitter for that reason alone,’’ said one family member.
“Why invite people to come into your life and insult you when you already have so much against you? But Paris wants to be like any other teenage girl.’’
Paris Jackson’s last tweet on Tuesday posted a lyric from Beatles’ Yesterday : “Yesterday all my troubles seem so far away now it looks though they are here to stay.’’
The image of a woman in a red cotton summer dress with a white bag slung over her shoulder and a masked policeman firing noxious tear gas spray that sends her curly hair billowing upwards has become the symbol of the Turkish.
Endlessly shared on social media and recreated as artwork on posters and stickers, the image of the woman in red has become the leitmotif for female protesters during days of violent anti-government riots in Istanbul.
It has thrust Turkish academic Ceyda Sungar into the limelight but she says her experience is typical of people in her country who fight for their rights.
Ceyda Sungar, an academic in city planning at Istanbul Technical University, told Turkish newspaper Radikal: “Every citizen defending their urban rights, every worker defending their human rights, and every student defending university rights has witnessed the police violence I experience.”
Ceyda Sungar, who is part of the Taksim Solidarity Platform protesting against the redevelopment of Gezi Park, has since declined further interviews as she is believed to be uncomfortable with her position as the focal point of the movement.
But it has become a galvanizing force for fellow protestors.
“That photo encapsulates the essence of this protest,” says maths student Esra at Besiktas, near the Bosphorus strait – one of the many centres of this week’s protests.
“The violence of the police against peaceful protesters, people just trying to protect themselves and what they value.”
In one artist’s rendering which has been plastered on walls in Istanbul and elsewhere the woman appears much bigger than the policeman.
“The more you spray the bigger we get,” reads the slogan next to it.
The U.S. and the European Union as well as human rights groups have expressed concern about the heavy-handed action of Turkish police against protesters.
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan branded the protesters on Monday extremists “living arm in arm with terrorism”, a description that seems to sit ill with the image of the woman in red.
Deputy PM Bulent Arinc has apologized for police violence and was due to meet organizers of the demonstration against plans to build a replica Ottoman-era barracks on Istanbul’s Gezi Park in Taksim Square.
But he refuses to talk to unnamed groups he accuses of exploiting anger over police action against the original protest to foment broader violence.
He is in control of the government after Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew off to a state visit to North Africa on Monday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not comment on domestic matters at a news conference in Algiers on Tuesday.
Bulent Arinc apologized for “excessive violence” by police against the initial Taksim demonstration, which contrasted sharply with Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s dismissal of the protesters as “looters” and comments linking some to “terrorism”.
President Abdullah Gul has also made markedly more restrained comments on the protests.
Pro-government newspapers signaled a softening of Ankara’s line today and the Sabeh newspaper’s front-page read “Olive Branch”.
Today thousands of people remained at a makeshift camp at Taksim, which has become a focal point of the demonstrations.
Small tents have appeared, food and face masks are on sale and a library is being created.
Ceyda Sungar, woman in red who becomes symbol of Turkish protests being doused with pepper spray, is an academic in city planning at Istanbul Technical University
British student Melisa Kenber, 19, said she was chased by police wielding tear gas canisters after she filmed the protests.
The Leeds University student from Ripon, North Yorkshire, was visiting family in Istanbul when she became caught up in the protests.
As she started to video the police they yelled: “No pictures, no pictures”, and ran after her until she reached her car, her eyes streaming from the gas.
Melisa Kenber said: “I go to Istanbul every year but this time I went, before it all kicked off, I had never hear people so frustrated and angry and complain about the government.
“It was like a bomb waiting to go off. The final straw was at Taksim Square.
“There were thousands of people there, listening to bands and talking, it was a really nice atmosphere.
“But just before dawn police arrived with canisters of gas and water bombs.”
Police have arrested 25 people for “spreading untrue information” on social media and provoking protests.
Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Agency said today the people were detained in the city of Izmir for allegedly “inciting the people to enmity and hate”. It said police were still looking for 13 others.
Tens of thousands of Turks have joined anti-government protests expressing discontent with Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 10-year rule.
Turkey’s main broadcast media have been criticized for shunning the coverage of police brutality at the protest onset on Friday. Many people turned to social media to keep up to date with the developments.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dismissed the protests as demonstrations organized by an extremist fringe, has referred to the social media as “the worst menace to society”.
Clashes spread overnight to the eastern province of Tunceli, where police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters who set up barricades and threw stones at them, witnesses said.
Police intervened in a similar way against demonstrators in the capital, Ankara, as well in Hatay province on the Syrian border where a 22-year-old man died after being hit in the head at a rally late on Monday.
The DISK union confederation, including unions in the metalworking, health and energy sectors, was due to stage a walkout on Wednesday, joining another labor confederation in a protest against the government.
Last night, some protestors dressed in more combative gear and sporting face masks as they threw stones, but the large number of very young women in Besiktas and on Taksim Square where the protests began on Friday evening is notable.
With swimming goggles and flimsy surgical masks against the teargas, light tasseled scarves hanging around their necks, Esra, Hasine and Secil stand apprehensively in the Besiktas district on Monday evening.
They are joined by ever growing numbers of youngsters as dusk falls and the mood grows more somber.
They belong, as perhaps does the woman in red, to the ranks of young, articulate women who believe they have something to lose in Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey.
They feel threatened by his promotion of the Islamic headscarf, symbol of female piety.
Many of the women point to new abortion laws as a sign that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has advised Turkish women to each have three children, wants to roll back women’s rights and push them into traditional, pious roles.
“I respect women who wear the headscarf, that is their right, but I also want my rights to be protected,” says Esra.
“I’m not a leftist or an anti-capitalist. I want to be a business woman and live in a free Turkey.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has won three successive elections and has a huge parliamentary majority, has been accused of taking an authoritarian turn after initial economic advances and early democratic reform.
Critics accuse him of pursuing an “Islamist” agenda by easing restrictions on the wearing of headscarves in state institutions, limiting alcohol sales and promoting broader religious projects.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan denies any ambition to undermine Turkey’s secular constitution.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the secular republic formed in 1923 on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, encouraged women to wear Western clothes rather than headscarves and promoted the image of the professional woman.
Ironically, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seen these days as, for better or worse, the most dominant Turkish leader since Ataturk.
After first sweeping to power in 2002, he remains unrivalled in popularity, drawing on strong support in the conservative Anatolian heartland.
The weekend demonstrations in dozens of cities suggest however his popularity may be dwindling, at least among middle classes who swung behind him in the early years of political and economic reform that cut back the power of the army and introduced some rights amendments.
“Erdogan says 50 percent of the people voted for him. I’m here to show I belong to the other 50 percent, the half of the population whose feelings he showed no respect for, the ones he is trying to crush,” says chemistry student Hasine.
“I want to have a future here in Turkey, a career, a freedom to live my life. But all these are under threat. I want Erdogan to understand,” she adds.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden Tuesday night said only Turks can solve the problem of anti-government protests sowing unrest in Turkey. But he says the U.S. is concerned and isn’t indifferent to the outcome.
Speaking at the American-Turkish Council’s annual conference, which was attended by one of Turkey’s deputy prime ministers, Joe Biden said the U.S. supports free assembly, a free press and non-violence by government and demonstrators.
He added that Turkey mustn’t choose between democracy and economic progress.
Joe Biden also said the U.S. and Turkey sometimes disagree on tactics but share common goals, like a two-state solution in Israel, a non-nuclear Iran and a nonsectarian Syria.
Protesters are coming better prepared now than when the unrest first began.
Some have hard-hats, some are dressed all in black, most wear running shoes. But many are dressed as femininely as the girl in the red dress snapped on Taksim Square.
“Of course I’m nervous and I know I could be in danger here,” said 23 year-old economics student Esra, who says her parents support her protest.
“But for me that is nothing compared to the danger of losing the Turkish Republic, its freedoms and spirit.”
Scientists have worked out the best way to dry your hands and it appears that paper towels not only dry hands quicker than electric driers, they are also more hygienic.
While the importance of washing hands is obvious, the benefits may be undone if they are not dried properly, experts said.
This is because wet hands are better at passing on germs than dry ones, biomedical scientist Cunrui Huang said.
His review of 12 studies found that, overall, paper towels were “superior”. One study found they leave hands 96% dry after just ten seconds. After 15 seconds, the hands are 99% dry.
By contrast, a drier takes at least 45 seconds. The amount of time is important because most people spend only a few seconds on drying their hands.
One study found men spend 17 seconds using hot-air driers and women 13.3 seconds – a fraction of the time needed.
Paper towels also scored higher because the rubbing motion may physically remove germs.
Paper towels are more hygienic than hand driers
By contrast, air driers may blow them on to the body – a concern in public toilets, where regular flushing of cisterns disperses germs in the air.
“This can increase the number of germs by an astonishing 255 per cent,” said Keith Redway, senior academic in Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Westminster University.
Bacteria are then blown on to the hands of users and into the atmosphere.
This leads to the potential for the spread of organisms such as Salmonella and E. coli, as people often dry their hands before cleaning them properly.
In the Mayo Clinic Proceedings journal, Dr. Cunrui Huang, of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, said: “There is a risk of persons standing at air driers acquiring the bacteria dispersed in the air current towards them.”
Cloth towel rolls were marked down because of the numbers of people using them.
Although antibacterial washes are essential in high-risk environments such as hospitals and beneficial on cruise ships and on planes, they are not necessary in daily life.
Previous studies have shown that hand dryers are often contaminated by bacteria in the outlet nozzle and the heat from the dryer is the perfect temperature to encourage their growth.
Keith Redway’s research has shown that disposable paper towels remove 58% of bugs and cotton roller-towels 45%.
“The message has to be to wash and then dry your hands thoroughly, using paper towels, not the hot-air dryers,” explained Keith Redway.
Honda engineers are racing to build the world’s fastest lawnmower after being put up to the task by Top Gear Magazine.
They are targeting a speed of 130 mph (210 km/h).
That would easily beat the current record of 96.5 mph claimed by the fuel additive firm, Gold Eagle.
A first look at the machine – showing flames coming out of its exhaust – has been posted online.
Honda said it had taken on the project to promote its “sporty credentials”.
“The main engineering challenge stems from the need to retain the look of the lawnmower on which it is based, and the ability to still cut grass while achieving the speed and the handling characteristics required for this type of vehicle,” said Peter Crolla, team manager at Team Dynamics – Honda’s UK motor racing team partner – which is overseeing the project.
“To our knowledge, this has never been done before, certainly using this mower and engineer combination, and as such there are no previous learnings to draw upon.”
Top Gear Magazine said it had set a deadline of June 17 for the team to complete work on the machine.
The Japanese carmaker has upgraded one of its mowers by replacing its engine with one normally used in motorcycles.
Honda engineers are racing to build the world’s fastest lawnmower after being put up to the task by Top Gear Magazine
A steering rack sourced from a Morris Minor car has been fitted to offer greater control, the mower’s seat has been lowered, the wheels and tyres have been substituted with those of a quad bike, and the metal part of the chassis that normally holds the blades has been replaced with a glass fibre equivalent to make it lighter.
The alterations have forced the engineers to rethink how the machine cuts grass.
The original model featured metal blades, but they had to be removed as the engineers found it too complicated to connect them to the new engine.
Instead the machine now houses two electric motors with lengths of brake cable attached to them. These will spin round at about 4,000 rotations per minute to cut lawns down to size.
The team believes that, when complete, the machine should be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in about four seconds
“There’s no scientific reason why we asked Honda to build this,” said Piers Ward, senior road tester at Top Gear Magazine.
“The grass needed mowing and everything on the market seemed a bit slow. Why take an hour to mow a football pitch when you can do it in five minutes?”
In fact, racing lawnmowers at high speeds is not a new phenomenon.
The British Lawn Mower Racing Association traces its origins back to a West Sussex competition involving 80 of the machines in 1973.
Over the years, famous names including Formula 1 winner Sir Stirling Moss, Le Mans champion Derek Bell and the actor Oliver Reed have taken part in its events.
However, the organization said Top Gear’s mower would not be able to compete in July’s World Championships because of strict limits on the amount of modifications entrants can make to their motors and mower bodies.
“After all the work that’s been done to the machine, it isn’t really a mower as such anymore,” said Mark Robinson a member of the BLMRA’s committee.
“Mower racing is not all about power – handling is an important aspect too – and in fact we think our machines would still be relatively competitive against Honda’s model on a tight track.
“But we’ll still be watching Top Gear’s progress with interest.”
Uncle Si Robertson from Duck Dynasty has two children with his wife Christine: daughter Trasa Robertson Cobern and son Scott Robertson.
Si Robertson his wife Christine and their daughter Trasa Cobern
Si Robertson’s daughter, Trasa Cobern, 37, is a social studies teacher in Hurst, Texas, where she is living with her husband of 15 years and their four boys.
Trasa Cobern has short blonde hair and what appear to be big hazel eyes. She is much prettier than any of the lovely ladies on the program.
Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter, has been hospitalized early Wednesday morning, TMZ has reported.
Paris Jackson, 15, Michael Jackson’s only daughter, may have been attempting suicide, the gossip site reports.
Paris Jackson was taken to a hospital early on Wednesday morning after a 911 called stated she had cut her wrists
Paris Jackson was taken to a hospital at 2 a.m., according to TMZ, after a 911 called stated she had cut her wrists.
She most recently tweeted on early Wednesday: “yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they’re here to stay.”
Paris Jackson also wrote: “I wonder why tears are salty?”
Her mother Debbie Rowe is understood to have confirmed the reports to Entertainment Tonight and said Paris Jackson is currently at a Los Angeles hospital.
A lawyer for Katherine Jackson, Paris’ grandmother, also appeared to confirm the suicide bid.
“She’s suffered with the loss of her father,” the lawyer told the New York Daily News.
“But we don’t know what she was exposed to that precipitated this.”
The 911 call came in at 1.27 a.m. local time, according to TMZ and the website reports Paris Jackson is now “doing ok”.
Paris Jackson’s mother Debbie Rowe told Entertainment Tonight how her daughter is going through a difficult time at present and “has a lot going on”.
The teen was listed as a potential witness in a massive lawsuit currently being brought by the Jackson family against AEG Live – the concert promoters behind her late father Michael Jackson’s doomed tour This Is It.
The Jackson family, who want $40 billion, say superstar Michael Jackson died from an overdose of prescription drugs after a punishing schedule of rehearsals prior to the tour.
The trial which began in Los Angeles in April is scheduled to last three months. Paris Jackson’s older brother Prince, 16, is also prepared to take the witness stand.
Michael Jackson died in June 2009 aged 50 after suffering a heart attack brought on from an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine.
Janez Jansa, the two-time prime minister of Slovenia, has been convicted of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison.
Janez Jansa was accused of soliciting bribes as part of a defense deal. He said the charges were politically motivated and that he would appeal.
The former prime minister was forced to quit the office in March amid protests over corruption and recession.
Slovenia, often seen as the most successful of the former Yugoslav states, faces severe economic problems.
There has been repeated speculation that it may become the latest eurozone member to have to ask for a bailout.
The District Court in Ljubljana ruled on Wednesday that Janez Jansa and two others had sought about 2 million euros in commission from a Finnish firm, Patria, in order to help it win a military supply contract in 2006.
Under the 278 million-euro deal, Patria was to supply Slovenia with 135 armored personnel carriers. The deal was scrapped after the corruption allegations surfaced.
Janez Jansa, the two-time prime minister of Slovenia, has been convicted of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison
The two other defendants were each sentenced to 22 months in prison. All three were also fined 37,000 euros each.
Prosecutions in connection with the case are also taking place in Finland.
Before the verdict was announced on Wednesday, Janez Jansa called the charges a farce and said that if he was found guilty, he would appeal against what he called a “political process”.
Janez Jansa was a prominent figure in Slovenia’s secession from Yugoslavia in 1991.
He was prime minister from November 2004 to November 2008, and again from February 2012 until March 2013, when his centre-right government lost a confidence motion in parliament after smaller parties left the coalition led by his Slovenian Democratic Party.
As well as facing allegations about corruption and tax irregularities, Janez Jansa’s government had been struggling to impose an austerity agenda amid one of the deepest recessions in the eurozone.
Michael Douglas reportedly snubbed Scott Thorson, the terminally ill former lover of piano legend Liberace – even though he’s starring in a movie based on a book written by the dying man.
Scott Thorson, who was diagnosed with advanced anal cancer in August 2012, was Liberace’s lover from 1976 to 1982.
His book, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace, is the basis of the new HBO film that stars Michael Douglas as the flamboyant performer.
But even though Michael Douglas is a fellow cancer sufferer, sources say he rebuffed Scott Thorson’s request to visit him on the set before being jailed in February 2103.
“All I wanted do was meet Michael and talk to him about my cancer,” Scott Thorson, 54, explained to The National Enquirer.
“But I was bluntly told it would be impossible. That really hurt.”
Scott Thorson’s six-year romance with Liberace began when he was just 18 and the entertainer was 57.
He revealed he was showered with lavish gifts, expensive vacations and promises by Liberace to adopt and care for him.
But the relationship ended in 1982, when Scott Thorson says he was dumped for a teenager.
Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Da¬mon as Scott Thorson in Steven Soderbergh’s Behind The Candelabra
Although Behind the Candelabra was published in 1988, a year after Liberace died of AIDS, Scott Thorson says he didn’t find out until 2008 that producer Jerry Weintraub wanted to make a movie out of the book.
At the time, Scott Thorson was serving time behind bars on a drug-related robbery and desperately needed money. He admits he got “a little up-front money and a small percentage” of the film sales.
While Scott Thorson did his time, Jerry Weintraub assembled his team: Michael Douglas as Liberace, Matt Damon as Scott Thorson and director Steven Soderbergh.
In August 2010, Michael Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer and the movie was put on hold.
Thankfully, Michael Douglas beat the cancer, and production began in the summer of 2012 in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. But Scott Thorson says he was left out in the cold.
“I thought it was very strange that I was never contacted,” he said.
“Then, about three months ago, I got one phone call from Jerry Weintraub when he found out that I had cancer. He said, <<I’m very sorry that you’re going through cancer>>. And that was it.”
Scott Thorson revealed he was immediately cut off when he asked if he could reach out to both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. He said the indication was that Michael Douglas – whose son Cameron is also in jail on d**g charges – didn’t want him on the set, even as a consultant.
“It was clear that I wasn’t welcome,” Scott Thorson said.
“My heart sank. These people were portraying me but I was a persona non grata. I’m angry.”
Scott Thorson has undergone radiation and chemotherapy treatments, but the tumor remains.
“Right now, I’m very scared,” Scott Thorson admitted.
“I’ve already run through the money I got for the movie and I’ve got nothing left.
“I don’t know if I’ll make it to the premiere in May…or if I’m even invited.”
Scott Thorson, Liberace’s former lover, might not get to watch Behind the Candelabra – the new HBO flick about the flamboyant pianist – because he is back to jail again.
Scott Thorson, 54, who wrote the book on which the new biopic is based, was arrested on February 22 at the Ponderosa Hotel in Reno, Nevada, and charged with four counts of first-degree burglary.
Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Druckman told The National Enquirer magazine that Scott Thorson – who now goes by the name Jess Marlow – found a wallet containing credit cards and used them at several Reno businesses.
“After he purchased some things, he checked into the hotel and the victim was notified that somebody was suspiciously using his credit cards,” said Rebecca Druckman.
The cardholder went to the Ponderosa and informed them of the fraud, and the police were called.
Scott Thorson, Liberace’s former lover, is back behind the bars again
Scott Thorson was arrested, booked and held on $125,000 bail. A subsequent court hearing was scheduled for March 28. If convicted on the first-degree burglary charges, he could face several years in prison.
In 1988, a year after Liberace’s death from AIDS, Scott Thorson wrote the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace, which documented his six-year romantic relationship with the flamboyant entertainer.
Scott Thorson said he learned that producer Jerry Weintraub was interested in the work in 2008, when he was previously behind bars for a drug-related robbery.
Behind The Candelabra movie stars Michael Douglasas Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson.
Scott Thorson, who is suffering from anal cancer, claims he was not appreciated by the filmmakers. He said he was snubbed by the cast and crew when he visited the set and received just a small amount of money for the use of the book.
“Now, Scott probably won’t be out of jail before the show airs,” said a friend.
”And if he goes to prison, he could die behind bars.”
Latvia will become the 18th EU country to use the euro after being approved for membership by the European Commission.
In a report, the Commission confirmed that Latvia had met the criteria for joining the single currency.
Officials hope the news will show the eurozone is set to grow despite a three-year sovereign debt crisis.
The Baltic state is keen to strengthen ties with Western Europe and reduce its dependency on Russia.
Latvia will start using the currency at the beginning of 2014 after meeting the criteria for membership, including low inflation and long-term interest rates, as well as low public debt.
The news came as no surprise after officials said the decision would be “positive” earlier in the week.
Unlike some established members of the zone, Latvia was well within the economic limits set by Brussels for joining.
Latvia will become the 18th EU country to use the euro after being approved for membership by the European Commission
“In much of Eastern Europe there’s widespread enthusiasm – certainly among policy makers – for joining the single currency,” he noted.
“However, polls suggest that many in the country are worried the switch could drive prices higher.”
Anti-euro parties won more than half of the vote in elections in the capital, Riga, last weekend.
Latvia underwent one of Europe’s toughest austerity programmes after the 2008-2009 financial crisis knocked a fifth off its GDP.
Its membership still has to be approved by EU leaders and the European Parliament, but that is seen as a formality.
EU finance ministers are expected to sign off the accession in July.
The European Central Bank (ECB) also gave its blessing to Latvia on Wednesday ahead of the Commission’s announcement, but warned high foreign deposits in its banks were a risk to financial stability.
“The reliance by a significant part of the banking sector on non-resident deposits as a source of funding, while not a recent phenomenon, is again on the rise and represents an important risk to financial stability,” the ECB said.
Turkish protesters have demanded the sacking of police chiefs in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities over their forces’ violent responses to demonstrations.
They also rejected an apology by Deputy PM Bulent Arinc, saying his remarks “were reminiscent of a civil war”.
A group calling itself the Taksim Solidarity Platform (TSP) said it had handed a list of demands to Bulent Arinc.
The crackdown on protests over the redevelopment of a park in Istanbul last week triggered nationwide unrest.
Overnight, police in Istanbul again fired tear gas, water cannon and smoke grenades at protesters.
The demands presented by the Taksim Solidarity Platform on Wednesday included a ban on the use of tear gas, the release of detained protesters, and the scrapping of the plans for the redevelopment of Gezi Park, which is part of Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
“The steps the government takes will shape the events,” the TSP said after their meeting with Bulent Arinc on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the deputy prime minister apologized to demonstrators who had been injured.
He said the original protests had been “just and legitimate” and that the “excessive use of force” by police had been wrong.
Turkish protesters have demanded the sacking of police chiefs in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities over their forces’ violent responses to demonstrations
Officials have confirmed that two people have been killed in the unrest.
One man died after being shot by an unidentified gunman in the southern city of Antakya. Another died after being hit by a car that ploughed into a crowd in Istanbul.
The Turkish Human Rights Association said more than 2,800 protesters had been injured across the country, many of them seriously, and that 791 had been detained, of whom “around 500” have since been released.
Bulent Arinc said that 244 police officers and 64 protesters had been injured, and more than 70 million Turkish lira ($37 million) of public damage had been caused.
Bulent Arinc’s conciliatory remarks contrasted with the tougher line taken by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has said the protests are undemocratic.
The state-run Anatolia news agency earlier reported that police had arrested 25 people for posting “misinformation” on Twitter.
An official from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ali Engin, told Anatolia they were being held for “calling on people to protest”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that Twitter was a “menace” being used to spread “lies”.
The original protests began in Gezi Park on May 28 but soon mushroomed, engulfing several cities and becoming more political.
Demonstrators accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
The prime minister is still the most popular politician in the country, but he is discovering that a ruling style that his opponents say is autocratic has its limits.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was seen as a runaway success by many in Europe and the Middle East; now it is looking tarnished, with deeper problems than its allies – and enemies – realized.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador at the UN, is to become President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, officials say.
Susan Rice will replace Tom Donilon, who is set to announce shortly he is resigning after almost three years in the post.
She was once seen as a contender for the job of secretary of state, but was forced to withdraw after opposition from Republicans in Congress.
Susan Rice, 48, was criticized for her remarks after Benghazi attack on diplomats in Libya.
Susan Rice is to become President Barack Obama’s national security adviser
She suggested the assault by armed men on the US embassy in the city of Benghazi in September 2012 sprang from a spontaneous protest over a US-made film depicting the Prophet Muhammad – an account which was later proven to be incorrect.
The attack left four Americans dead, including the US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.
Susan Rice is seen by analysts as a close political ally of Barack Obama.
Her new post as national security adviser does not require Senate confirmation. Tom Donilon is expected to remain in the role until July.
President Barack Obama is also expected to announce who will replace Susan Rice as Washington’s envoy to the UN at its headquarters in New York.
Randy Phillips, head of concert promoters AEG Live, has admitted in court in Los Angeles he believes a legal action filed by Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine is a “baseless extortion” attempt.
Katherine Jackson, 83, claims AEG Live failed to investigate the doctor who was later convicted of causing Michael Jackson’s death in 2009.
AEG Live is being sued for $40 billion.
Randy Phillips says AEG bear no responsibility for Michael Jackson’s death.
When asked on Tuesday by Katherine Jackson’s lawyer whether he thought the case was a “baseless extortion, a shakedown of AEG Live”, Randy Phillips answered: “Yes.”
It is likely Randy Phillips will be asked about numerous emails he sent and received about Michael Jackson’s health in the final weeks of the singer’s life, as well as any interactions he had with his physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
Katherine Jackson is accused of extortion by AEG Live’s Randy Phillips
AEG Live claims it was not responsible for the hire or supervision of the doctor and has called the legal action “preposterous”.
AEG also denies hiring Dr. Conrad Murray and agreeing to pay his fee as an advance to Michael Jackson.
Conrad Murray agreed to serve as Michael Jackson’s doctor for $150,000 a month while he performed shows at London’s 02 Arena in 2009 and early 2010.
The physician was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter after supplying Michael Jackson with a surgical anaesthetic.
Some 600 people have been evacuated in the German city of Dresden as Central Europe floodwater continues to threaten parts of southern Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
The level of the River Elbe in the historic German city is not expected to peak until Thursday morning.
Emergency workers have been shoring up a dyke under threat from high water in the Austrian city of Krems.
At least 12 people have died and two are missing as a result of the floods across the three countries.
Seven deaths were recorded in the Czech Republic and three in Germany, while two people were reported dead and two missing in Austria, according to a European Commission update early on Tuesday evening.
Parts of Germany have not seen such severe flooding in centuries. However, in the Czech Republic, the water level has stabilized in the capital Prague, where there had been fears of a repeat of disasters in 2002 and 1997.
Some 600 people have been evacuated in Dresden as floodwater continues to threaten parts of southern Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic
River levels rose after sudden heavy rain following a very wet spring, which had left the ground saturated and unable to absorb the extra water.
Six hundred people had to leave their homes in Dresden and electricity was turned off in some parts of the city, a city spokeswoman told the German news agency dpa.
In another eastern city, Halle, streets were under water on Wednesday morning. According to German news magazine Spiegel, it is the highest water level in the city in four centuries.
Meanwhile, the floods were receding in the south German city of Passau. People could be seen sweeping up muck from their streets.
In Krems, the Austrian authorities were making plans to evacuate villagers as a local dyke looked at risk of collapsing under the swollen Danube.
Thousands of people left their homes in the Czech Republic in recent days as floodwater threatened to overwhelm flood barriers.
In the low-lying industrial city of Usti nad Labem, the River Elbe was spilling over the 10 m-high (33 ft-high) metal flood barriers.
The peak there is expected some time on Wednesday.
The main rail link connecting Prague and Berlin in Germany has been underwater, with trains being diverted.
