Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin were once Hollywood’s most glamorous couple who became bitter enemies, but now the actor has paid the ultimate compliment to his ex-wife by dubbing her “one of the most beautiful women that ever lived”.
Now happily married to his stunning new wife Hilaria Thomas, Alec Baldwin, 55, seems to no longer bear any hard feelings towards Kim Basinger.
Alec Baldwin, who is expecting a new baby with 28-year-old yoga instructor Hilaria Thomas, was gushing when he spoke about Kim Basinger, 59, to Access Hollywood.
“Ireland’s mother is obviously one of the most beautiful women that ever lived – and even divorce doesn’t muddy my view of that,” the actor said.
“Kim is one of the most beautiful women that ever lived and even Ireland sees that.”
And despite their differences in the past, Alec Baldwin believes his 17-year-old daughter has the perfect role model in her famous mother as she tries to make a name for herself in the modelling world.
Alec Baldwin has paid an ultimate compliment to his ex-wife Kim Basinger by dubbing her one of the most beautiful women that ever lived
The 30 Rock star revealed he is not worried about any potential pitfalls that await stunning Ireland because he believes that she has what it takes to succeed.
He said: “The good news is my daughter is someone who somewhat understands .. it’s hard at that age to have that wisdom that beauty comes and goes.”
During the 1990s Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger were one of the hottest couples at Hollywood before their marriage imploded and they divorced in 2002.
The pair went on to have a bitter custody battle over daughter Ireland which lasted many years, although now an apparent truce has emerged.
These days Alec Baldwin seems to be settling for a more settled domestic life as he prepares to welcome his first child with his second wife Hilaria.
“I never imagined I would be sitting at a table with my wife having a baby and I have a daughter that’s almost 18 years-old. It’s bizarre,” Alec Baldwin admitted.
China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama have begun a two-day summit in Palm Springs, California.
The two leaders spoke of overcoming differences and forging a new relationship between their countries.
Barack Obama spoke of “areas of tension” and mentioned their rivalry in the Pacific, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, and cyber espionage.
The meeting is the first between the two since Xi Jinping became president in March.
The informal setting is seen as a chance for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to build a rapport amid a slew of high-stakes issues.
The two men – looking relaxed and informal – met and shook hands under a shaded walkway at the Sunnylands estate just outside Palm Springs.
“Our decision to meet so early [in Xi Jinping’s term] signifies the importance of the US-China relationship,” Barack Obama said.
He said the US welcomed the rise of a peaceful China and wanted “economic order where nations are playing by the same rules”.
He also called for both countries to work together to tackle cyber security.
“Inevitably there are areas of tension between our countries,” he added.
Xi Jinping said he and Barack Obama were meeting “to chart the future of China-US relations and draw a blueprint for this relationship”.
He added: “The vast Pacific Ocean has enough space for two large countries like the United States and China.”
China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama have begun a two-day summit in Palm Springs
US lawmakers and human rights groups have also urged Barack Obama to call for the release of 16 high-profile prisoners, including jailed Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.
Xi Jinping’s US stop is the fourth leg of a trip that has taken him to Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico.
Accompanied by his wife – folk singer Peng Liyuan – President Xi Jinping arrived at California’s Ontario International Airport on Thursday.
The summit, at the sprawling estate in Rancho Mirage, begins with a bilateral meeting followed by a working dinner. Additional talks will take place on Saturday morning.
The meeting comes months earlier than expected – Barack Obama and Xi Jinping had been expected to meet at an economic summit in Russia in September.
“I have the impression that both sides are willing to re-examine their premises, and to see whether they can achieve a relationship based on some perspective that goes beyond the moment – in other words that goes beyond solving immediate problems,” said former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Ahead of the summit, White House officials told reporters hacking would be raised, amid growing concern in the US over alleged intrusions from China in recent months.
Last month the Washington Post reported that Chinese hackers had accessed designs for more than two dozen US weapons systems, citing a confidential Pentagon report. The US also directly accused Beijing of targeting US government computers as part of a cyber espionage campaign in a report in early May.
China denies any role in state-sponsored hacking – earlier this week its internet chief said China had “mountains of data” pointing to US-based cyber attacks.
Trade issues are also expected to be a priority, as is North Korea – which conducted its third nuclear test in February. Beijing – Pyongyang’s nominal ally – is seen as the only nation capable of bringing meaningful pressure to bear on the communist state.
Other topics up for discussion may include territorial disputes in Asia and human rights in China.
Activists and relatives have urged the US president to raise the issue of the “China 16” – a group of individuals detained on political or religious grounds.
Analysts see the informal talks as a welcome departure from the more formal protocol adopted in US talks with former Chinese leaders.
Xi Jinping is said to have developed a warm relationship with Vice-President Joe Biden after the latter’s China visit in 2011. He also has ties to the US, having spent time in an Iowa town in 1985 as a part of a Chinese farming delegation.
During his US visit in February last year, the then vice-president called for deeper “strategic trust” with the US in a speech.
Observers will be waiting to see whether the summit with Barack Obama will be a first step in that direction.
At least five people were killed and several others injured after a gun rampage in the beachfront city of Santa Monica, California, police say.
The attack began at a house and ended on a college campus where police say they shot the gunman in the library.
Police initially put the death toll at six, but later revised it to five people dead, including the shooter.
The gunman was in his late 20s and had been carrying an assault-style rifle, say witnesses.
President Barack Obama was at a fundraiser not far from where the shooting unfolded just before noon on Friday.
The gunman, dressed in black and wearing an ammunition belt and bullet-proof jacket, began by firing shots at the house, witnesses said.
The property was then engulfed by fire although it is not clear how the blaze started.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the first two victims were the gunman’s father and brother.
Neighbor Jerry Rathner said she witnessed the shooting from her veranda, the Associated Press reported.
The gunman then walked to the street corner, pointed his gun at a driver and told her to pull over.
He signaled to another car with a female driver to slow down and fired into the car several times.
At least five people were killed and several others injured after a gun rampage in the beachfront city of Santa Monica
Authorities say the violence then moved to a street corner near Santa Monica College where the suspect fired at passing vehicles.
The gunman then entered the campus where he is said to have shot a woman as he made his way toward the college library, where students were studying for final exams.
“We saw a woman get shot in the head,” administrative assistant Trena Johnson told the Associated Press.
“I haven’t been able to stop shaking.”
Witness Lisa Peters said she was at the campus radio station when they received a call that shots had been fired.
“We were on lockdown and we all tried to remain calm. I was there for about two and a half hours, but it seemed much longer than that,” she said.
“Suddenly I heard police and swat teams yelling and saying to us that we had to evacuate.
“It was very dramatic. On leaving the campus, we walked right passed a body which we think was the gunman.”
Police Chief Jaqueline Seabrooks said the gunman entered the college library and fired at people but did not hit anyone.
“The officers came in and directly engaged the suspect and he was shot and killed on the scene,” she said.
Student Jimes Gillespie, 20, said he saw a car riddled with bullet holes, shattered glass and a baby seat in the back.
Authorities also took into custody a second man dressed in black with the words “life is a gamble” on the back of his shirt.
“We are not convinced 100% that the suspect who was killed operated in a solo or alone capacity,” Chief Jaqueline Seabrooks added.
Three women were taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where a doctor said one patient had died, one was undergoing surgery and the third was in a serious condition.
Three more patients were taken to the UCLA Medical Center Santa Monica to be treated for minor injuries.
The shooting unfolded a few miles from where President Barack Obama was speaking at a political fundraiser.
The Secret Service, which protects Barack Obama, said the incident did not affect his schedule.
A court in Peru has sentenced Florindo Flores, the last of the original leaders of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) rebels to life in prison.
Judges in the Peruvian capital, Lima, found Florindo Eleuterio Flores Hala, who’s known as Comrade Artemio, guilty of terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Florindo Flores was also ordered to pay a fine of $183 million.
The Shining Path rebels were severely weakened in the 1990s after failing to install a Communist state, but some remain active in southern Peru.
After hours of sentencing, Judge Clotilde Cavero said: “It was proven that he (Artemio) ordered the execution of a number of civilians, police and soldiers.
“It was proven that he belonged to the Central Committee of the Shining Path.
“It was proven that he was the top leader in the (Alto) Huallaga (Valley),” she said.
During the trial which lasted six months, Comrade Artemio, 51, had denied the terrorism charges but referred to himself as a “revolutionary”.
A court in Peru has sentenced Florindo Flores, the last of the original leaders of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) rebels to life in prison
He was captured and wounded last year after a clash with troops in Alto Huallaga, a former rebel stronghold and cocaine-producing region.
Florindo Flores admitted in December 2011 that the Shining Path had been defeated, and told reporters in his jungle hideout that the remaining rebels were ready to have talks with the government.
But President Ollanta Humala has been adamant that his government will not “negotiate with terrorists”.
“They are cold-blooded killers, who kidnap children, don’t respect basic rights, and try to use terror and extortion to change the democratic nature of the country,” Ollanta Humala said last September.
Inspired by Maoism, the Shining Path tried to lead a “People’s War” to overthrow what they called “bourgeois democracy”.
Almost 70,000 people died or disappeared in more than a decade of internal conflict.
But the rebels were severely weakened after the capture of their founder Abimael Guzman in 1992.
They now remain active in the Ene-Apurimac Valley, a remote jungle region near Cuzco in southern Peru that is dominated by the cocaine trade.
National Doughnut Day is celebrated on June 7 in the U.S. after the Salvation Army established this sweet holiday in 1938 to raise funds during the Great Depression and honor the “lassies”.
They called the female volunteers, who supported the soldiers on the front lines during World War I, serving them delicious meals, and of course, doughnuts. Approximately 250 “lassies” provided assistance to American soldiers in France in 1917.
In 2013, many national chains and smaller shops are offering free doughnuts to celebrate the day.
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme will be giving away a free doughnut of any variety to every customer at participating locations, while supplies last. No purchase necessary.
Dunkin’ Donuts
At Dunkin’ Donuts, customers will receive a free doughnut with any beverage purchase. The chain’s much-buzzed about Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich also makes its debut on the permanent menu at Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants today. The 360-calorie sandwich features bacon and a pepper fried egg on a glazed yeast ring donut.
National Doughnut Day is celebrated on June 7 in the U.S. after the Salvation Army established this sweet holiday in 1938 to raise funds during the Great Depression
Tim Hortons
The chain is offering a free doughnut with any purchase on Friday, but be sure to print this Facebook coupon and bring it with you to redeem the deal.
LaMar’s Donuts
LaMar’s is giving away one free doughnut per person with no purchase necessary. Plus, a portion of this week’s sales are being donated to The Salvation Army to the Oklahoma tornado relief effort. (Eat well and do good!)
Entenmann’s
For the third year in a row,Entenmann’s will donate $1 to the Salvation Army for every new “Like” on the company’s Facebook page through June 15, up to $30,000. You can also enter for a chance to win free Entenmann’s doughnuts for a year.
Be sure to check your local and regional doughnut shops for more special promotions and fried freebies. And don’t forget to be social. Pick up a box of doughnuts for co-workers and friends and post about it with the hashtag, #ndd13 and #donut.
In the late 1960s in Ruston, Louisiana, two Bulldog quarterbacks’ life paths diverged sharply.
One was Terry Bradshaw, who went on to attain the top pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, a lengthy career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, four Super Bowl victories, a spot in the Hall of Fame and a second career in front of the camera.
The other one was Phil Robertson, who was ahead of Terry Bradshaw on Louisiana Tech’s depth chart but gave up football with one year of eligibility remaining because the game and any future in it interfered with his heart’s dearest passion: duck-hunting season.
“At the time, no one quite understood what exactly was my problem because I didn’t put football as the ultimate goal, being this stud hoss football player, but what they didn’t see then, they get it now,” Phil Robertson said.
“Because as it turns out, what am I talking about now?”
Phil Robertson, now 67, was referring to the duck call business he started out of his home, which became the Duck Commander regime and led some 40 years later to the creation of Duck Dynasty, which airs on A&E.
Coming out of Vivian, Louisiana’s North Caddo High School, Phil Alexander Robertson said he fielded offers to join the football programs at LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor and Rice, but chose Louisiana Tech to remain close to home. After redshirting his freshman year, he was joined by some soon-to-be famous company on the depth chart.
“The quarterback playing ahead of me, Phil Robertson, loved hunting more than he loved football,” Terry Bradshaw wrote in his autobiography, It’s Only a Game.
“He’d come to practice directly from the woods, squirrel tails hanging out of his pockets, duck feathers on his clothes. Clearly he was a fine shot, so no one complained too much.”
Asked whether there was any truth to the squirrel tails anecdote, Robertson one-upped his own legend:”Squirrel guts! Squirrel guts hangin’ out my pocket!”
He spoke fondly of Terry Bradshaw and of his time with the Bulldogs, though he’s never been back since giving up football. “Bradshaw’s a great guy,” Phil Robertson said.
Phil Robertson was ahead of Terry Bradshaw on Louisiana Tech’s depth chart but gave up football because the game and any future in it interfered with his heart’s dearest passion duck-hunting season
“I was the one that named him the Blond Bomber, and while he was at Tech, I said <<Son, you’ve got the want to and the drive to play in the NFL, you got a great arm>>, and I said <<You got brains>>, and when I got to brains, Bradshaw said, <<Are you serious about the brains?>> I said, <<Well, you have enough sense to play in the NFL>>. As it turned out, I put it this way, he must’ve been smart enough to win four Super Bowls.”
After three letter-winning seasons and with one year of eligibility remaining, Phil Robertson had had enough. He says he spurned interest from the Washington Redskins and went after the ducks full time in the fall while completing his undergraduate degree. “Bradshaw will tell the story better than I do,” Phil Robertson said.
“To put it bluntly, he was very happy that I chose ducks because he moved up a slot. I was blessed with a good arm, or Bradshaw wouldn’t have been playing second string to me.
“But you gotta remember, my heart was then and to this day — let me put it this way: Throwing a touchdown pass to a guy running down the sideline, and he runs down with the ball for six, it was fun. However, in my case, it was much more fun to be standing down in some flooded timber with about 35 or 40 mallard ducks comin’ down on top of me in the woods. That did my heart more good than all the football in the world.”
Phil Robertson went to work as a schoolteacher for several years after graduating from Tech, obtaining his master’s degree in education via night classes, with a concentration in English.
“I kinda liked ol’ Shakespeare and them guys, you know,” Phil Robertson said.
“I went back and got my master’s just in case. I thought, if I ever needed it, I’d have the sheepskin to show people no matter how dumb I looked, actually I was about half intelligent. I got the degree to let ‘em know I wasn’t as dumb as I acted.”
And all the while, Phil Robertson continued to hone his hunting craft. Dissatisfied with commercial duck calls, he began producing and selling his own about 40 years ago. These led to a series of duck-hunting videos that began 25 years ago, which led in turn to stints on the Outdoor Channel. Then came the call from A&E.
“Let’s face it, the bar has been set pretty low for you to get on American television these days. I think they said, <<Why don’t we try a functional family>>, and somebody said well, that’s a novel idea. Round here, you know, there’s no outbursts, belligerence, cursing, gettin’ drunk, dope, no, we’re all Godly people, so maybe it’s a little switch for a change. We’re not actually rednecks, but we probably could be called goodoleboys,” Phil Robertson said.
The Duckmen are under no-shave, no-laundry policies during the 10-week season.
“We shower our bodies during the hunting season, but under no circumstances do we ever wash our clothes,” Phil Robertson said. “We hang ‘em up and let ‘em air dry. We begin to look like the landscape around us, you know what I’m sayin’? Oh, they’ll get it. Hey, life is good, life is good.”
Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty is an American hunting enthusiast, businessman and reality television star with a net worth of $5 million.
Phil Alexander Robertson, 67, is the patriarch of the Robertson family which owns and operates multi-million dollar hunting accessory company Duck Commander.
Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty is an American hunting enthusiast, businessman and reality television star with a net worth of $5 million
He attended Louisiana Tech where he was the starting quarterback and star of the football team.
Phil Robertson actually started ahead of future NFL hall of famer Terry Bradshaw. Upon graduation Phil Robertson had the option to play football professionally but declined because he didn’t want to miss duck hunting season.
In 1973 Phil Robertson invented the Duck Commander Duck Call which eventually became the gold standard duck whistle among professional hunters. He owns and operates the business alongside his four sons, and wife Kay who have all helped turn Duck Commander into the multi-million dollar business it is today.
The Robertson family and their business are so popular that they now have their very own reality show on A&E called Duck Dynasty.
During the 10 week duck hunting season, Phil Robertson has a tradition of not showering or shaving ever to bring him luck.
Michelle Obama snubbed China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan after she announced that she would not be attending the summit with the Chinese leading couple when they meet with President Barack Obama.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan are on a tour of the Americas, which is capped off with a meeting with President Barack Obama in California before they head back to China.
Peng Liyuan, however, will likely be making very few public appearances because Michelle Obama opted out of attending, saying that she needs to be in Washington as her daughters finish up the school year.
The move comes as a slight in the eyes of the Chinese, who are reportedly big fans of Michelle Obama and feel her presence would have given more significance to the visit.
Cheng Li, a Chinese policy expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institute, told The New York Times that Michelle Obama’s decision to stay at home will leave the Chinese “disappointed”.
“They certainly have very high expectations for this meeting…There will be more coverage in China than in the United States.”
Part of that comes as the US and China are at odds on a number of issues over accusations of cyber-hacking, disputes over intellectual property and mounting regional tensions over North Korea and the South China Sea.
As a result of the tense relationship, the meeting is being held in California at Sunnylands, a sprawling desert estate built by billionaire philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg is a place where political powerbrokers once discussed critical issues of the day and where royalty – real and Hollywood – soaked up sun and golfed on a private, nine-hole course.
Michelle Obama snubbed China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan after she announced that she would not be attending the summit with the Chinese leading couple when they meet with President Barack Obama
Even though it was meant as a cushioning factor, the location selection apparently backfired by preventing Michelle Obama from attending.
“First lady diplomacy is also very important and the US side has failed to cooperate,” Chinese political scientist Zhang Ming told The Telegraph.
“According to normal diplomatic etiquette this is very strange. It shouldn’t be like this.”
More than one expert has called for Michelle Obama to provide more of an explanation- and justification- for missing the meeting aside from just pointing to her duties as self-proclaimed “Mom-in-Chief”.
Aside from the slight from the Americans, Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan has received seemingly glowing reviews from the other world leaders that she met during her tour of Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Costa Rica.
“She’s a very beautiful person, very warm, and to chat with her in English was very wonderful,” said Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
Though this visit gained her a wider international audience, Peng Liyuan is used to greeting screaming throngs of crowds.
Prior to her 1987 marriage to the man who is now the Chinese president, Peng Liyuan made a name for herself as a folk singer.
Her music is very popular in the country and she spent years performing for the state’s military during her youth.
Peng Liyuan also regularly appears on a broadcast New Year’s program .
Set up by President Harry S. Truman in 1953, the National Security Agency (NSA) is the eyes and ears of America across the globe, intercepting 1.7 billion emails, phone calls a day.
The NSA is a secretive body that serves the military and intelligence communities by collecting all forms of foreign communications to prevent attacks on the US.
The agency was prohibited by law from intercepting domestic communications without a warrant until George W. Bush issued a caveat in the wake of 9/11 under the controversial “terrorist surveillance program”.
Nonetheless, over the years the NSA has been engulfed in a number of wiretapping scandals.
President Harry S. Truman set up the National Security Agency in 1953
They include President Richard Nixon’s illegal wiretapping, through the NSA, of five members of his national security staff, two newsmen, and a staffer at the Department of Defense in a bid to uncover who was leaking information about his plans for the Vietnam War.
In 2005 it was revealed George W. Bush had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans calling abroad without warrants in a bid to thwart terrorism. He strenuously denied the allegations until he finally conceded he had committed an impeachable offense.
In 2009, under President Barack Obama, the US Department of Justice acknowledged the NSA had gone beyond its remit in tapping the phonelines of American citizens, including a Congressman but claimed that the acts were unintentional and had since been rectified.
Last month, it was accused of building an $1.2 billion cyber base to keep tabs on American citizens.
The state-of-the-art data centre in the Utah desert – codenamed Bumblehive – is intended to bolster online security efforts.
But former employees say it could be used to monitor people’s private emails.
The NSA branded the allegations “unfounded”, adding that it remained “unwavering” in its respect for U.S. laws and American citizens’ civil liberties, and noted that it was subject to broad oversight by all three branches of government.
President Barack Obama delivered a passionate defense on Friday of National Security Agency (NSA) programs that secretly acquire information about Americans’ phone calls, saying criticism of them is all “hype”.
“My assessment and my team’s assessment was that [the programs] help us prevent terrorist attacks and that the modest encroachments on privacy that are involved in getting phone numbers or duration [of calls] without a name attached… It was worth us doing.”
Barack Obama made the remarks at a press conference in response to revelations about two separate programs used to spy on American citizens and foreign nationals. One program involves the collection of U.S. Verizon customers phone records. The other program – dubbed PRISM – allows the government to scour the Internet usage of foreign nationals overseas who use any of nine U.S.-based internet providers such as Microsoft and Google.
“I think it’s important to understand that you can’t have 100% security and then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience,” the president said.
“We’re going to have to make some choices as a society.”
Barack Obama said the PRISM program does not involve monitoring the email content of U.S. citizens or anyone living in the U.S., and he repeatedly stated that both programs – the phone spying and PRISM – have been approved by Congress.
“You can complain about <<big brother>> and how this is a potential program run amuck,” Barack Obama added.
“But when you actually look at the details, then I think we’ve stuck the right balance.”
Barack Obama said the programs have plenty of checks in place, including repeated authorizations by Congress and approval by the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Court, to assure no abuses by the government.
“Nobody is listening to your telephone calls,” he said.
“That’s not what this program’s about.”
Barack Obama delivered a passionate defense of NSA programs that secretly acquire information about Americans’ phone calls
If U.S. citizens decide they want to axe the programs, Barack Obama “welcomes” that debate, he said. But at the same time, he expressed concern over the fact that the classified programs were leaked to the media.
“I don’t welcome leaks, because there’s a reason why these programs are classified,” the president said.
The Washington Post reported Friday that for the past six years, U.S. intelligence agencies have been extracting audio, video, photos, e-mails, documents and other information to track people’s movements and contacts.
The Silicon Valley companies involved in the PRISM program are Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Skype, AOL and the lesser known Internet company PalTalk, which has hosted a lot of traffic during the Arab Spring and the on-going Syrian civil war.
The scandal deepened after it emerged that the Silicon Valley Internet giants have been passing the acquired information on to the UK.
The Guardian reported that GCHQ, the UK’s communications intelligence agency, has had access to data collected through PRISM program since at least June 2010, and last year generated 197 intelligence reports from it.
The newspaper also first reported the phone-spying program, through which the NSA has been collecting information on Verizon customers’ phone calls, including call duration and frequency.
The revelations – which are the largest anti-terror intelligence-gathering operation since 9/11 – have placed massive pressure on Barack Obama, who is already reeling from the recent IRS scandal.
In addition to the names already on the list, the cloud-storage service Dropbox was described as “coming soon” to PRISM.
Twitter, which is known for zealously protecting its users’ privacy, is conspicuous in its absence from the list of Internet companies involved in the data-mining program.
PRISM was launched in 2007 with the blessing of special federal judges under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Post said that several members of the U.S. Congress were made aware of the classified data-gathering program, but were sworn to secrecy.
All forms of wiretapping of U.S. citizens by the NSA requires a warrant from a three-judge court set up under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act passed in 1978.
But former President George W. Bush issued an executive order shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York that authorized the NSA to monitor certain phone calls without permission.
The warrantless wiretapping program remained a secret until 2005, when a whistleblower went to the press to reveal the extent of the surveillance.
And although the NSA has strenuously denied acting beyond its surveillance powers, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have warned that the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) – a bill currently passing through Congress – could dramatically increase the amount of personal data that government agencies have legal access to.
The particulars of today’s revelation were outlined in a top-secret PowerPoint presentation for senior intelligence analysts, which ended up being leaked to The Post and UK’s The Guardian.
According to The Washington Post, the tech companies are knowingly taking part in PRISM, but The Guardian reported than all nine pleaded ignorance of the program.
Tamar Braxton announced the birth of her son on her Twitter account on Thursday.
Tamar Braxton, 36, shared a picture of three blue teddy bears with “baby boy” embossed on the fuzzy paws amidst sunflowers and balloons.
The child’s name is yet to be revealed.
“Friends HE’S finally here!” Tamar Braxton excitedly wrote in the caption.
Her sisters responded with excitable tweets of their own after hearing the baby news.
Singer Toni Braxton was overflowing with love and kind words for her younger sibling, who’s a singer just like she is.
“Congratulations to my beautiful baby sister!!! I have a new nephew!!!!!! Hehe!!! I’m soooooooo excited!!!!!” Toni Braxton tweeted.
Tamar Braxton took to Twitter to announce that she and husband Vincent Herbert welcomed a healthy baby boy
Tamar Braxton’s sister followed up by writing: “The #bfv finale AND @TamarBraxtonHer is a Mommie all in one night!! #epic!!”
Even her mother Evelyn Braxton got in the act by tweeting: “Congratulations to my @TamarBraxtonHer I am so blessed to have another grandbaby Look at GOD!”
Tamar Braxton and her husband Vincent Herbert, a music executive, tied the knot in 2008.
They currently star on the WE television reality show Tamar & Vince, which is a spinoff of Braxton Family Values.
Tamar Braxton and Vincent Herbert have been spotted loving it up at red carpet events throughout Tamar’s pregnancy.
They are also obviously happy to see the second season of their own show premiere in September.
While the pair have yet to release the baby’s name, Tamar Braxton didn’t hold back when describing her pregnancy.
“I have a lot of energy. I’m always upbeat and everyone has to tell me to sit down somewhere, but I feel amazing,” she revealed during a March 13 appearance on Good Morning America.
“I think the one that sticks out the most is be the best mom you can be and always focus on your family first,” Tamar Braxton told Us Weekly.
Lady Gaga has shed 30 lbs and displayed her new bikini body while on holiday in Mexico earlier this week.
Lady Gaga, 27, displayed her toned figure in a floral two-piece while soaking up the sunshine with her friends.
Looking back to her confident best, Lady Gaga smiled widely as she was photographed.
Clearly conscious of the strong sun, Lady Gaga teamed the bikini with a wide-brimmed white hat and sunglasses to protect her pale complexion.
Later, Lady Gaga was seen wearing a pair of wide-legged cream trousers over the bikini as she made her way back to her hotel.
Her footwear choice could have been slightly more sensible, however, as the singer was seen wearing a pair of black heeled court shoes, which she them removed to walk along the sands.
The heels were even more inappropriate considering Lady Gaga’s recent operation on her hip back in February for a labral tear.
Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her Born This Way Ball tour and doctors told her to take six months off.
Lady Gaga has shed 30 lbs and displayed her new bikini body while on holiday in Mexico
She revealed on Twitter that she dealt with chronic pain for several months prior to seeking medical help, but chose to ignore its effects rather than disappoint her fans.
Lady Gaga’s impressive bikini body comes after some unflattering pictures of her on stage in Amsterdam last September led to the singer revealing she had gained 30 lbs.
Following the shots, Lady Gaga admitted in an interview that she had put on weight, telling Stylist magazine: “I don’t really care if people think I’m fat, because, quite honestly, I did gain about 30 pounds.”
Lady Gaga later blamed the weight gain on her restaurant owner father’s cooking.
The singer told radio host Elvis Duran: “I love eating pasta and pizza. I’m a New York Italian girl. That’s why I have been staying out of New York. My father opened a restaurant. It’s so amazing.
“It’s so freaking delicious, but I’m telling you I gain five pounds every time I go in there. So my dad wants me to eat at the restaurant, and I’m, like, I’ve got to go where I can drink green juice.”
Lady Gaga added: “I really don’t feel bad about it, not even for a second. I have to be on such a strict diet constantly. It’s hard because it’s a quite vigorous show, so I tend to bulk up, get muscular, and I really don’t like that. So I’m trying to find a new balance.”
Richard Ramirez – serial killer known as the “Night Stalker” in the 1980’s – has died in hospital in California.
Richard Ramirez, 53, was on death row in San Quentin prison after being convicted in 1989 of 13 murders. The cause of his death has not been made public.
The Night Stalker terrorized Southern California in 1984-5 with a rampage of s**ual assault and murder.
Richard Ramirez was on death row in San Quentin prison after being convicted in 1989 of 13 murders
Satanic symbols were left at some of the murder scenes by the killer, who broke into victims’ homes at night.
Richard Ramirez was captured by residents in East Los Angeles in 1985 as he attempted to hijack a car.
A horror film based on Richard Ramirez’s life – titled Night Stalker – was released in 2002.
California has not executed a prisoner on death row since 2006.
Former Olympic champion and politician Alina Kabaeva is set to become the future First Lady of Russia, according to recent reports.
Until now, Alina Kabaeva was Russia’s first sweetheart, because from 2008 reportedly she is in a relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Now President Vladimir Putin is officially divorced from his wife Lyudmila Putina and he can live his love with his beautiful lover alina Kabaeva.
So, who is Alina Kabaeva, who drove crazy one of the most powerful man in Europe?
Alina Kabaeva is set to become the future First Lady of Russia
Alina Kabaeva was born in 12 May 1983 in Tashkent, in former Soviet Union’s republic of Uzbekistan and from the beginning showed her love for sports. At the age of 3 she started to play rhythmic gymnastics and soon after showed her talent in it. At 15 she became European champion, as in her career she won 2 Olympic medals, 14 world and 25 European titles.
The daughter of former football star Marat Kabayev, Alina Maratovna Kabaeva retired from the sport in 2007, but showed the world that she won’t stay far from the spotlight. She played in movies, video clips and from the 2007 she is a member of Vladimir Putin’s party – United Russia – managing to enter the Parliament.
In the same year she met Vladimir Putin and they came close. So close that the European press has written quite a few articles about their romance. But this didn’t concern the Russian media, because it is forbidden to all the Russian journalists to refer to their relationship. However, rumours say Vladimir Putin has two children from Alina Kabaeva.
Except for the rhythmic gymnastics, Alina Kabaeva shows great talent in modelling. This has been proven by her photo shoots both in Vogue and Maxim magazines.
There are rumors that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who just announced his divorce from his wife of 30 years Lyudmila Putina, and former gymnast Alina Kabaeva have decided to get married.
But who is Vladimir Putin’s potential new bride?
Alina Maratovna Kabaeva was born on May 12, 1983 in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR of former Soviet Union. Her father is former professional football player Marat Kabayev.
Alina Kabaeva is known for her extreme natural flexibility. She stands at 1.66 m (5’4) and weighs 48 kg (106 lbs).
She is Russia’s most successful rhythmic gymnast to date, and is also one of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of rhythmic gymnastics.
Alina Kabaeva started rhythmic gymnastics in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 1987 at the age of 4. She made her international debut in 1996. In 1998, at age 15, Alina Kabaeva took out the European Championships in Portugal, her victory considered by many to be completely “out of the blue”.
Alina Kabaeva took home a gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She also took a bronze medal at Sydney in 2000.
Former gymnast Alina Kabaeva is Vladimir Putin’s potential new bride
In October 2004, Alina Kabaeva announced her retirement from the sport. However, in June 2005, the Russian head coach Irina Viner announced a possible comeback.
Alina Kabaeva resumed her sport career at an Italy-Russia friendly competition in Genoa, on 10 September 2005. On March 5, 2006, she won the Gazprom Moscow Grand Prix, taking the second and third places. She won the silver medal in all-around at the 2006 European Championships.
The gymnast finished 4th in qualifications at the 2007 World Championships and did not advance into the finals due to the two per country rule with Vera Sessina and Olga Kapranova placing ahead of Alina Kabaeva. She completed her career at the 2007 Season.
Since 2005 Alina Kabaeva has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
She also appeared briefly in the 2001 Japanese movie Red Shadow, performing her gymnastic routine. Since 2007, Alina Kabaeva has been a member of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, representing the United Russia party. Since February 2008 she has been Chairman of the National Media Group’s Public Council, the media group that controls Izvestia, Channel One and REN TV.
In January 2011, Alina Kabaeva appeared on the cover of Vogue Russia.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle has said in Istanbul that Turkey must investigate the excessive use of force by police against anti-government protesters.
Štefan Füle was speaking ahead of talks on Turkey’s ambition to join the EU.
In response, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said similar protests in Europe would be dealt with more harshly.
Turkey has seen a week of civil unrest sparked by a police crackdown on a local protest over an Istanbul park.
Štefan Füle and Recep Tayyip Erdogan were both speaking at a conference in Istanbul on Turkey’s relations with the EU.
The EU enlargement commissioner said the EU had no intention of giving up on Turkey’s accession, but Turkey had to maintain values of freedom and fundamental rights.
He urged a “swift and transparent” investigation and those responsible should be held to account.
“Peaceful demonstrations constitute a legitimate way for groups to express their views in a democratic society,” Štefan Füle said.
“Excessive use of force by police against these demonstrations has no place in such a democracy.”
In response, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU of double standards, saying police in Europe and the US used similar methods.
The Turkish government has acknowledged that police used excessive force against the original protest over the planned redevelopment of Gezi Park in Istanbul.
But they say the wider protest movement that ensued in cities across the country has been hijacked by extremists.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle asked Turkey to investigate the excessive use of force by police against anti-government protesters
Last night Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an immediate end to the demonstrations, saying they bordered on illegality.
In a defiant speech to supporters on his return from a four-day tour off North Africa, he accused the protesters of looting and said they had lost democratic credentials.
Turkey’s hopes of EU membership will not be helped by the worst civil unrest for decades.
Turkey formally applied to join in 1987 and started accession talks in 2005.
Human rights concerns have always been an important obstacle to Turkey’s membership bid, along with the division of Cyprus and other issues.
But both France and Germany have recently softened their stance on Turkish accession.
On Thursday night Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed back to Turkey by thousands of cheering supporters who waited at the airport to greet him.
He responded to calls for his resignation by referring to his election victory in 2011 when he took 50% of the vote.
“They say I am the prime minister of only 50%. It’s not true. We have served the whole of the 76 million from the east to the west,” he told the crowd.
It was the first major show of support for Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a week of protests in which his opponents have called for him to resign.
Four people, including a police officer, are reported to have died since the protests began, with thousands more hurt and hundreds arrested.
Interior Minister Muammer Guler has said that more than 500 police officers are among the injured.
The protesters accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has governed Turkey since 2002, winning successive election victories.
People in Hungary have been warned to prepare for their country’s worst floods ever as the Danube is set to reach record levels this weekend.
“We are facing the worst floods of all time,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Europe’s second longest river is set to hit unprecedented levels in the capital Budapest in the next few days.
A state of emergency has been declared, and thousands of volunteers worked overnight to reinforce the banks of the swelling river.
Water levels are set to reach reach 8.85 m (29 ft), some 25 cm (10 in) higher than the Danube’s previous record high in 2006.
Emergency workers have set up camps along the river as residents packed sandbags around their homes amid an atmosphere of concerned expectation.
Kristalina Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, tweeted: “Hungary well prepared for highest ever measured water levels on Danube. We are monitoring & ready to assist.”
Budapest Danube is set to reach record levels this weekend
Viktor Orban, who spent the night at a military barracks in the flooded western city of Gyor, said recent dry weather in Austria and Germany, as well as a hot forecast for Hungary over the weekend, gave reason to hope that Europe’s worst river floods for more than a decade could soon be over.
The Danube peaked on Thursday in the Slovak capital Bratislava, where the main flood defenses held firm.
In northern Germany, workers piled sandbags along the banks of the River Elbe as waters rose, after widespread flooding further south.
As flood waters receded to the south and east, defense work continued apace near Lueneburg in Lower Saxony.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from at-risk areas in Germany, where the flooding is worse than that recorded in 2002.
On Thursday the Elbe flooded parts of Dresden as it peaked nearly 7 m (22 feet) above its normal level, but the city’s historic centre remained unscathed.
Upstream along the Elbe in the Czech Republic, emergency workers used boats to shuttle supplies to stranded people as large areas remained under water.
Widespread flooding in central Europe has inundated swathes of Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, killing at least 15 people.
France’s President Francois Hollande has made an embarrassing slip of the tongue, confusing Japan and China, as he spoke in French at a news conference in Tokyo.
Referring to the Algerian hostage crisis in January, in which 10 Japanese people were killed, he said he had expressed “the condolences of the French people to the Chinese people”.
Francois Hollande has made an embarrassing slip of the tongue, confusing Japan and China, as he spoke in French at a news conference in Tokyo
Francois Hollande did not correct his mistake.
Relations between Japan and China are often frosty, colored by history and by more recent territorial disputes.
Polls in both countries suggest a mutual distrust and neither side’s nationals like to be confused with the other.
The interpreter did make a correction, in her simultaneous translation.
But at least one Japanese journalist picked up on the error.
Francois Hollande is on a three-day state visit to Japan, the first by a French president in 17 years.
Paris Jackson is currently at West Hills hospital in Los Angeles, recovering from a suicide attempt after reportedly taking an overdose and cutting herself with a cleaver.
But what’s the cause of Paris Jackson crisis?
Some reports said that as well as being in the middle of school exams, Paris Jackson was upset this week after being banned by her family from going to a concert by goth rocker Marilyn Manson, who appeals to troubled teenagers with songs such as Misery Machine and Leave A Scar.
One cause may be the battle royal that is raging over who is to take on the role of her mother. Paris Jackson – who at Michael Jackson’s express behest never had a mother figure – has been reaching out to the woman who gave her up as a baby, Debbie Rowe.
Paris Jackson has mused publicly about their emotional and even their physical similarities. Although the teenager is as thin as a whip and Debbie Rowe is overweight, they have the same tip-tilted nose and pixie-chin, and the same slightly slanting blue-green eyes.
She wrote with pride on her website this spring: “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.”
Paris Jackson pictured with her biological mother Debbie Rowe as she celebrated 15th birthday anniversary
The renewed contact, though, has left her at loggerheads with her grandmother Katherine Jackson, 83. It’s no secret among the Jacksons that Michael’s mother mistrusts Debbie Rowe.
Recent reports suggest that Paris Jackson has been “depressed” and prone to screaming tantrums in recent weeks.
A source in the Jackson household told Entertainment Tonight this week that Paris “calls all the shots” at home and is used to getting her way and doing things as she sees fit – part of the reason her aunt, the singer Janet Jackson, attempted to take her mobile phone during a highly-publicized altercation outside the Jackson family compound last year.
Paris Jackson is also said to be terrified by the prospect of testifying at the ongoing “wrongful death” lawsuit the Jacksons are bringing against concert promoters AEG Live. Michael Jackson was signed to perform a series of gigs which the family argues he was in no fit state to perform. Paris Jackson can expect to be asked about her father’s health and state of mind before he died, and the events of the day he died.
Meanwhile AEG Live claimed it has a further bombshell – it claims to have “irrefutable” proof that Michael Jackson is not the biological father of Prince or Paris, which they wish to bring to court.
Jackson family lawyers argue that the issue is irrelevant, and AEG Live is just seeking to embarrass the family.
A newly released preview from Keeping Up With The Kardashians shows Brody Jenner accusing Bruce Jenner for being an absentee father.
“I think Bruce is an incredible human being and I think that Bruce is a great father, he just wasn’t a great father to me,” Brody Jenner says in a promotional video for the episode.
Bruce Jenner and Brody’s mother Linda Thompson had a “messy divorce” and as a result the 29-year-old has a distant relationship with his father.
Brody Jenner said he was raised with stepfather David Foster and Bruce Jenner often skipped birthdays growing up.
“I resent him for that,” Brody Jenner said.
Former Olympics champion Bruce Jenner also is a father to adults Burt, Casey and Brandon and teenage girls Kendall and Kylie.
He’s also, of course, stepfather to Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob Kardashian and married to their momager Kris.
“The way I see Bruce with Kendall and Kylie and Brandon, I’m actually so happy for them,” Brody Jenner said in the video after spending a day on the beach with his father and siblings.
After seeing Bruce Jenner playfully put Kylie on his shoulder and engage in easy conversation with Brandon, Brody confronted his father.
A newly released preview from Keeping Up With The Kardashians shows Brody Jenner accusing Bruce Jenner for being an absentee father
“It’s interesting to watch how you are with the girls,” Brody Jenner told his father.
“Because it’s like, something I’m not really used to.
“You weren’t around since I was a kid and it’s like …,” Brody Jenner said before he was cut off by his father.
“Now’s not the time to talk about it,” Bruce Jenner said.
Brody Jenner created, produced and starred in The Princes of Malibu reality show alongside his brother Brandon.
He dated The Hills stars Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari and was heavily featured on the show.
Brody Jenner previously was romantically linked to Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan and formerly dated Canadian singer Avril Lavigne.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians will air on Sunday night on the E! network.
The video of the moment when activist Ellen Sturtz heckled First Lady Michelle Obama was caught on tape and has now been released to show the tense exchange.
After she was interrupted, Michelle Obama threatened to leave the Democratic National Committee fundraiser unless Ellen Sturtz was removed.
“It felt like she was within a few inches – in my face,” Ellen Sturtz told ABC News, in an account that several witnesses have corroborated.
The video, obtained by CNN, shows how Michelle Obama got down from her platform and went directly over to the heckler and told her to stop or else she was going to leave and allow her to finish.
The crowd cheered for Michelle Obama and told the heckler to stop talking.
The First Lady then walked aside, going over to talk to other supporters briefly- as if to shake off the incident- before returning to the lectern.
Moments before the confrontation, Ellen Sturtz had interrupted Michelle Obama to demand that her husband sign an executive order barring discrimination by federal contractors based on s**ual orientation.
“One of the things I don’t do well is this,” Michelle Obama replied to loud applause, according to a pool report.
“Listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.”
The crowd urged the first lady to stay, and she returned to the podium to continue speaking. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney later said that Michelle Obama handled the interruption “brilliantly”.
Ellen Sturtz described herself to ABC News as an “old, grey-haired lesbian” and said she felt compelled to interrupt Michelle Obama because she doesn’t feel she has the time to wait around for action on gay rights.
“I’m too old to wait for it,” she said.
“I don’t want to see us continue to be second-class citizens.”
Ellen Sturtz is an activist for the pro-LGBT rights group GetEQUAL and she was one of four protestors at the event.
The moment when activist Ellen Sturtz heckled First Lady Michelle Obama
But when the White House’s transcript arrived, The Daily Caller reported Tuesday night, it didn’t include any indication of an acrimonious exchange – and was missing Michelle Obama’s threat to leave the event.
The only indication in that transcript that anything was amiss is a note about an “(Inaudible audience interruption.)”
“I lived and worked in the closet, hiding who I was in order to earn a living,” Ellen Sturtz said in a statement late Tuesday night.
“I had planned to speak tonight with DNC officials but, as the First Lady was talking about our children’s future and ensuring that they have everything they need to live happy and productive lives, I simply couldn’t stay silent any longer.”
“I’m looking ahead at a generation of young people who could live full, honest, and open lives with the stroke of the President’s pen,” Ellen Sturtz insisted.
The home where the heckling happened belongs to power couple Karen Dixon and Nan Schaffer, formerly of Chicago, who have hosted fundraisers for the Obamas in the past, including one that raised $1.4 million for the president’s reelection campaign in February 2012.
Karen Dixon is an attorney who serves on the national board of Lambda Legal, an organization working for LGBT rights.
Her spouse, Nan Schaffer, is a veterinarian who works to preserve the rhino population through artificial insemination.
She is also a minority shareholder in Windy City Media Group and founded Outlines, a Chicago newspaper, in 1987.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney took an oddly coincidental question earlier in the day during his regularly scheduled briefing about the same discrimination issue that had Ellen Sturtz shouting at the top of her lungs.
Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila Putina have announced that they have separated and their marriage is over.
The 60-year-old Russian president and his 55-year-old wife broke the news of the end of the 29-year marriage in an obviously staged TV interview after a night at the ballet that made no mention of Vladimir Putin’s alleged mistress, former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 30.
Asked on Rossiya-24 television about longstanding rumors that the Putins no longer lived together, Vladimir Putin said: “That is true.”
Lyudmila Putina said it had been “our common decision. And our marriage is over due to the fact that we barely see each other”.
Asked whether they were divorced, Lyudmila Putina said it was a “civilized divorce”.
But neither clarified whether they were legally divorced and Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he did not know.
The obviously staged interview made no mention of Alina Kabayeva, a 30-year-old former gymnast who is rumored to have been Vladimir Putin’s mistress for years.
Alina Kabaeva, who is alleged to have given birth to Vladimir Putin’s lovechild, is now a politician after retiring from a glittering career in gymnastics in which she represented her country at the Olympics twice.
Rumors about Vladimir Putin’s alleged affair with Alina Kabaeva first surfaced five years ago when a Russian newspaper owned by the oligarch Alexander Lebedev reported that Putin wanted to marry his gymnast mistress.
Vladimir Putin angrily denied the story, and the newspaper was closed down shortly afterwards, which many attributed to Putin’s rage. Further stories later emerged claiming that Alina Kabaeva had had a baby by the president, but both sides denied them.
Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Putina had last been seen in public together at Putin’s inauguration to his third presidential term on May 7, 2012.
Married just a few weeks short of 30 years, the Putins announced the decision on state television after attending a ballet performance Thursday evening in the Kremlin.
Lyudmila Putina has rarely been seen in public during her husband’s long tenure at the top of Russian politics.
Alina Kabaeva, who is alleged to have given birth to Vladimir Putin’s lovechild, is now a politician after retiring from a glittering career in gymnastics in which she represented Russia at the Olympics twice
“I don’t like publicity and flying is difficult for me,” she said.
In the televised announcement of their divorce, Vladimir Putin appeared reserved and Lyudmila Putina smiled tentatively.
“We practically never saw each other. To each his own life,” Vladimir Putin said.
Lyudmila Putina said: “We will eternally be very close people. I’m thankful … that he supports me.”
There were no immediate indications of how the move would be perceived by the public. Divorce is common in Russia, and nearly 700,000 pairs dissolved their marriages in 2009, according to UNICEF.
Russian leaders, unlike their counterparts in the West, generally keep their personal lives well out of public view. Mikhail Gorbachev’s wife Raisa raised many Russians’ hackles by her visibility, flair for fashionable dress and forthright comments.
But Vladimir Putin also has made a point of supporting traditional social values and appearing at holiday masses of the Orthodox Church.
The church permits divorce under some circumstances; it is not clear if the Putins sought pastoral advice or permission before the split.
The couple, who married in 1983 and have two daughters, recently attracted attention after they were never seen in public together.
An official family portrait has been issued, and photographs of their daughters Maria, 27, and Yekaterina, 26, have never been printed by the Russian media.
In April speculation was mounting as to why the first lady of Russia was rarely seen by the president’s side.
Unfounded rumors suggested Vladimir Putin had an affair with spy-turned-lingerie model Anna Chapman, which has been strongly denied, was behind the former Aeroflot-hostess’ disappearance from public view.
In October 2010 the Putins tried to quell rumors they had divorced by posing for pictures as they jointly answered questions for the national census.
Vladimir Putin has been a constant fixture in leading the country.
He was re-elected to the role of President in May last year, and he previously held the post from 2000 to 2008.
In between his these offices, Vladimir Putin was Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.
The Russian office of first lady demands the attendance of many official ceremonies and functions of state – either by the side of the president or to represent him.
Russia heavily frowns upon the First Lady holding outside employment while occupying the office.
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for protests across the country to end immediately.
At Istanbul airport Recep Tayyip Erdogan told crowds of supporters who were welcoming him home from a four-day North Africa tour that the protests bordered on illegality.
As he spoke, thousands of anti-government protesters were also rallying in Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
The unrest began as a local protest over a park in Istanbul but spiraled into nationwide demonstrations.
An estimated 10,000 supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party descended on the airport to welcome him home in the early hours of Friday.
Standing alongside his wife and government ministers on an open-top bus, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the crowd: “These protests that are bordering on illegality must come to an end as of now.”
At times Recep Tayyip Erdogan was almost drowned out by the cheering and chanting of his supporters.
“We have never been for building tension and polarization, but we cannot applaud brutality,” he said.
Some of his supporters chanted: “Let us go, let’s crush Taksim.”
However, Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged them to “go home” peacefully.
“You have remained calm, mature and showed common sense,” he said.
“We’re all going to go home from here.”
Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for protests across the country to end immediately
Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to calls for his resignation by referring to his election victory in 2011 when he took 50% of the vote.
“They say I am the prime minister of only 50%. It’s not true. We have served the whole of the 76 million from the east to the west,” he told the crowd.
It was the first major show of support for Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a week of protests in which his opponents have called for him to resign.
The divisions in Turkey look set to deepen in the days ahead and could be very dangerous indeed.
The original sit-in at Gezi Park last Friday spiraled into mass protests after police cracked down on activists defending the green space near Taksim Square from developers.
Correspondents in Taksim Square say the atmosphere is good-natured, with protesters dancing and chanting political slogans.
Many are part of a secular, well-educated middle class which feels that Turkey lacks a proper, free political culture.
One protester in the square, named as Deniz, told reporters: “He [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] cannot take the park, there is no way. You know what? He will cause a war inside the country. We will keep resisting.”
Protesters accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
His Justice and Development Party (AKP) has governed Turkey since 2002.
Speaking in Tunis earlier, Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged that police had used “excessive force” against activists at the original sit-in. But he said that a small group was now manipulating what had started as an environmental protest.
“Among the protesters there are extremists, some of them implicated in terrorism,” he told reporters.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also defended the urban development plan for Gezi Park.
Turkey’s stock market dropped nearly 5% after his remarks.
Amid growing international concern at the unrest, the US has urged Turkish officials to refrain from “unhelpful rhetoric” and France has condemned the heavy-handed police response.
Four people, including a police officer, are reported to have died since the protests began, with thousands more hurt and hundreds arrested.
Interior Minister Muammer Guler has said that more than 500 police officers are among the injured.
The protests come as Turkey prepares to host an international conference focused on its relations with the EU on Friday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to make the opening speech at the event.
Negotiations with the EU have stalled in recent years amid concerns over Turkey’s freedom of speech, treatment of religious minorities, women’s and children’s rights, civilian control of the military and long-running tensions over Cyprus.
Lynne Rosen and John Littig, a couple who hosted a radio show called The Pursuit of Happiness, took their own lives by asphyxiation, US authorities say.
John Littig, 47, and Lynne Rosen, 45, were found in their New York home on Wednesday.
They both left notes. John Littig said they wanted to die together and Lynne Rosen apologized to her family, police said.
Radio station WBAI tweeted: “RIP Lynne Rosen + John Littig. Partners on the air and in life.”
The station aired Lynne Rosen’s monthly radio show The Pursuit of Happiness, on which John Littig would regularly appear.
The couple were partners in a self-help venture called Why Not Now, their website says.
Lynne Rosen and John Littig, who hosted radio show The Pursuit of Happiness, took their own lives by asphyxiation
It says Lynne Rosen was a life coach, speaker and consultant, while John Littig was described as a motivational speaker, workshop facilitator and life coach.
It is not clear why the couple, who were known for giving advice and life lessons, decided to kill themselves.
In one YouTube clip, they can be seen discussing a quote attributed to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing every day that scares you.”
“People get scared to make changes and step outside of that comfort zone, right, John?” Lynne Rosen says.
John Littig responds: “Stepping outside your comfort zone is very important. Or alternatively, you can start to get comfortable with change.”
North Korea has announced it will restore the key hotline with South Korea at Kaesong Industrial Complex, as the two countries discuss where to hold talks on the jointly-run industrial zone.
Pyongyang said it would reopen a Red Cross hotline which it cut in March.
It also invited officials to come to Kaesong for talks on Sunday on restarting operations at the factory zone, after the two sides agreed in principle to talks on Thursday.
Work at Kaesong has been halted since April, amid high regional tensions.
Ties between the two Koreas deteriorated earlier this year in the wake of the North’s 12 February nuclear test.
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are expected to be on the table when the US and Chinese presidents meet in California later on Friday for an informal summit.
The Kaesong factory complex is seen as a symbol of North-South co-operation. Around 53,000 North Korean workers are employed there by more than 120 South Korean factories.
The zone is a key source of revenue for the North and the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade.
North Korea has announced it will restore the key hotline with South Korea at Kaesong Industrial Complex
However, Pyongyang withdrew its workers in April, apparently angered by tightened UN sanctions in the wake of its nuclear test and annual South Korea-US military drills.
It had already cut a military hotline with South Korea, and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas, in addition to the Red Cross hotline.
On Thursday, however, it offered talks with the South on the resumption of operations and said it would reconnect the Red Cross hotline if Seoul – which had been seeking such talks – agreed.
Pyongyang’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said the Red Cross link would be restored from 14:00 local time, AFP news agency said.
The two sides are still working out details of the talks on the industrial zone. The South suggested ministerial-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday, but North Korea has asked for lower-level talks on Sunday in Kaesong, which is located just inside North Korea.
In a statement, Pyongyang said that working-level talks were needed first, “in the light of the prevailing situation in which the bilateral relations have been stalemated for years and mistrust has reached the extremity”.
Kaesong Industrial Complex:
Launched in 2003, largely financed by the South to increase co-operation
More than 120 factories employ North Koreans in manufacturing industries, with goods exported to the South
Complex as a whole produced $470 million worth of goods in 2012 – the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade
South Korean companies pay more than $80 million a year in wages to North Korean workers
