H&M’s latest spring offering, a collection called The New Mix, features pieces that have an uncanny resemblance to industry-favorite looks from Balenciaga, Celine and Kenzo.
As the fast-fashion retailer sales continue to decline, with a brief reprieve in April as the once-thriving clothing retailer struggles to hold on to customers, it seems to have found an answer in high-end designs once again.
One white jersey bustier, retailing for $19.95, looks strangely similar to Balenciaga’s white crop top from the spring 2013 collection – which Kristen Stewart turned heads wearing at last year’s On The Road premiere.
The thermoformed crossover top, made of laser cut-outs, retails at Balenciaga for $1,535.
At Celine, Pheobe Philo sent out a spring 2013 collection, in store now, of stylish, but slovenly elegant pieces in a mostly black and white offering.
One particular dress, the textured Sable dress, was an instant hit with buyers and fashion editors, and H&M seems to have taken note.
The brand’s $24.95 jersey tank top with mesh at the front “for a deep V-neck effect”, is a mirror-image of the Celine dress, which retails for $3,250 in crepe, or $2,900 in silk satin.
H&M’s white jersey bustier looks strangely similar to Balenciaga’s white crop top from the spring 2013 collection
And taking Kenzo’s $255 sell-out Tiger motif to similar heights is a gray sweater from H&M featuring a comparable multi-colored, growling tiger – and customers don’t seem troubled that the company appears to be trading in knockoffs.
One commenter on live journal, Fashin, said she believes democratization of high-fashion is a good thing.
“Designer clothes cost tens of thousands of dollars, why pay when you can get the same thing for $40?” she wrote.
“People like you and I and the rest of the middle class world want to look stylish but don’t want to go broke doing it. I get that copying is wrong, though, but it’s almost justified given the outrageous prices designers put on their clothes.”
H&M has never made a secret of its relentless to chase trends and cater to an ever-widening, insistently competitive fast-fashion market.
While the retailer’s fashion-designer collaborations and celebrity collections get a lot of media attention, Beyonce’s H&M swimwear campaign being one recent example, its prices- 60% cheaper than Zara’s but more expensive that Forever 21, have left H&M struggling to position itself.
While customers often bypass 90% of the store’s offerings, stocked heavily with basics such as T-shirts and trousers, many call the remainder – such as look-a-like Balenciaga tops for less than $20, “an incredible buy”.
One woman, referring to the retailer’s frequent turnover of styles that mimic high-end designs, tweeted: “I like how it’s accessible.”
But another commenter, who cherishes the exclusivity of owning a designer piece before it is turned into a reproduced bargain for the mass-market, explained to fellow forum members: “You like the fact that you can get your hands on similar pieces from the runway at a good price.
“However, now that you can afford it, so can everyone else and that makes the pieces less special.”
While a Twitter user, under the name Anon Model, was slightly more blunt: “H&M is the king of knock off stores. Just saw a Celine bag knock off, Balenciaga top… Have they no shame?!”
According to a new study, the excessive consumption of soda – even diet soda – affects your teeth as badly as ingesting two of the most dangerous narcotics on earth.
The good news is it likely takes far more soda than the amount consumed by a normal human being to achieve the same dental devastation as c**ck or m**h.
The study – conducted by Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny, a professor of restorative dentistry at the Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia – references a woman in her 30s who drank two liters of soda a day for nearly five years. According to Prof. Mohamed Bassiouny, the woman had the same amount of dental damage as a 29-year-old m**h user and a 51-year-old c**ck addict.
The m**h user, however, also consumed two or three cans of regular soda a day because the drugs made his mouth dry, and the c**ck addict has been a regular c**ck user for 18 years, nearly four times as long as the soda drinker had been consuming excessive amounts of soda. Additionally, the soda drinker admitted that she has not seen a dentist in many years. “None of the teeth affected by erosion were salvageable,” Prof. Mohamed Bassiouny tells U.S. News and World Report, noting that all of the study participants had to have all of their teeth removed.
A new study claims that the excessive consumption of soda, even diet soda, affects your teeth as badly as ingesting two of the most dangerous narcotics on earth
The study also finds that sugar-free soda is just as damaging to teeth as regular soda if they are consumed in the same quantity because of their acidic content – a high acidity level also is what makes c**ck and m**h so bad for teeth.
But soda advocates say the study is flawed, and that comparing soda to illegal d**gs is unfair and “irresponsible”. “The woman referenced in this article did not receive dental health services for more than 20 years – two-thirds of her life,” the American Beverage Association said in a statement.
“To single out diet soda consumption as the unique factor in her tooth decay and erosion – and to compare it to that from illicit d**g use – is irresponsible.
‘The body of available science does not support that beverages are a unique factor in causing tooth decay or erosion,” the group said.
“However, we do know that brushing and flossing our teeth, along with making regular visits to the dentist, play a very important role in preventing them.”
Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year you can forget the beach or the backyard BBQ as the weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day.
Parts of the northeastern United States are expected to feel more like winter and forecasters have suggested snow could be possible in some parts of northern Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.
New England will be experiencing some wintry weather across the weekend, with snowfall at higher elevations on Sunday night.
Snow was reported in western parts of New York State, south of Buffalo and several viewers on the Facebook Pennsylvania Storm Chasers also reported seeing snowflakes.
Snow and frost anywhere in the Northeast sounds rare for late May, but it has happened before.
Flakes fell in Maine in June 2009 and up to 10 inches in New England on May 26th 1967.
Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year’s weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts and Texas on Friday as much of the country continued to be hit by miserable weather.
One Maine meteorologist, Keith Carson of WCSH Portland, sounded sheepish.
“Accumulation will be light but..ummm…it’s Memorial Day so we shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” he wrote.
The Tri-State area was also hit by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the night.
“Unfortunately I don’t have good news on the weather front” said Ross Dickman, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service.
“It’s not going to be a beach day on Saturday. We’re going to have rain showers extending into the weekend with a cold northeasterly wind. Temperatures may not get out of the mid-to-upper 50s.”
All is not lost for those looking to salvage the holiday weekend. Conditions should begin to clear on Sunday and Memorial Day is shaping up to be just about perfect.
Ross Dickman said temperatures should rebound into the upper 70s under sunny skies by the time Monday afternoon arrives.
The Vatican has denied claims that Pope Francis performed an exorcism, after TV 2000 images showed a man apparently reacting to the pontiff putting his hands on his head.
The encounter – during last Sunday Mass – was shown on a TV channel owned by the Italian bishops’ conference.
The station quoted exorcists as saying there was “no doubt” Pope Francis had either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil.
Its director later apologized for “having altered the truth”.
The Pope’s spokesman said he “did not intend to perform any exorcism”.
“Rather as he frequently does with the sick or suffering who come his way, he simply intended to pray for a suffering person,” said Federico Lombardi in a statement.
The footage shows a young man, who is in a wheelchair, opening his mouth and either screaming or breathing deeply as Pope Francis puts his hands on his head and prays for him during the Mass in St Peter’s Square.
TV 2000 images show a man apparently reacting to Pope Francis putting his hands on his head
The man then convulses and slumps in his chair.
On Tuesday, the director of the TV station which broadcast the pictures, TV 2000, apologized for the report, saying: “I don’t want to attribute to him a gesture that he didn’t intend to perform.”
“I apologize for having altered the truth of the facts and for the people who are involved, in particular I apologize to the Holy Father,” said Dino Boffo.
Religious figures in Rome had insisted the act had been an exorcism.
They included the Vatican’s former chief exorcist, Gabriele Amorth, who was quoted by Italian media as saying the act “was an exorcism alright” and that he had since performed his own exorcism on the young man, who he said was called Angelo.
Exorcism is the ancient practice of driving out demons or evil spirits from a person or place they are thought to possess. It is practiced by some Roman Catholics but treated with deep skepticism by others.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi, a Roman Catholic priest murdered by the mafia in 1993, has been beatified in a ceremony attended by 50,000 people in Sicily.
The beatification ceremony, in the Sicilian capital Palermo, marks the penultimate step on the path to being made a saint.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi was shot by a hit man in front of the church where he used to urge his congregation to disobey mafia bosses.
He will be the first victim of organized crime to be declared a martyr by the Catholic Church.
Six men are currently serving life sentences for the murder, which took place on Don Giuseppe Puglisi’s 56th birthday.
Forty bishops and a cardinal representing Pope Francis attended the ceremony, as well as government ministers from Rome.
Born in Palermo, Don Giuseppe Puglisi was the son of a shoemaker and seamstress, and was ordained at the age of 22.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi taught mathematics and religion in several schools, served as the chaplain in an institute for orphans, and went on to work in run-down areas of Palermo.
But he became a target as he grew increasingly outspoken in denouncing crime and alleging collusion between politicians and mafia figures.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi has been beatified in a ceremony attended by 50,000 people in Sicily
Don Giuseppe Puglisi has been declared a martyr of the church, murdered “in hatred of the faith”.
He was famous for a rhetorical question, which he used as a catch phrase in order to encourage Sicilians to stand up and fight organized crime: “And what if somebody did something?”
The Catholic Church has been accused in the past of an ambiguous relationship towards Cosa Nostra, the men who for decades have controlled organized crime on the Mediterranean island.
By beatifying Father Puglisi, the Church is making a strong stand against mafia crime – which has been protected by a code of silence.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis proclaimed the first saints of his pontificate in a ceremony at the Vatican – a list which includes over 800 victims of an atrocity carried out by Ottoman soldiers in 1480.
These meant that, within two months of taking office, Pope Francis had proclaimed more saints than any previous Pope, although his predecessor Pope Benedict had given the go ahead for their canonizations.
Travis Alexander, a 30-year-old salesman from Arizona, was killed by his on-off girlfriend Jodi Arias at his home in Mesa on June 4, 2008.
Travis Alexander’s injuries consisted of multiple s**b wounds, a s**t throat, and a gunshot to the head, according to the medical examiner that ruled his death a homicide.
Jodi Arias, Travis Alexander’s ex-girlfriend, was convicted of the murder and testified that she killed him in self-defense. She was found guilty of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013. Both the murder and trial have received widespread media attention.
The victim, Travis Victor Alexander, was born on July 28, 1977, in Riverside, California. After his father’s death, Travis Alexander and his siblings were taken in by their paternal grandmother, Norma Jean Preston Alexander Sarvey (who died in 2012, aged 80), who eventually introduced them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Travis Alexander was a salesman for the multi-level marketing company Prepaid Legal Services and he also worked as a motivational speaker.
His convicted murderer, Jodi Ann Arias, was born on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California.
Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander met in September 2006 at a Prepaid Legal Services conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On November 26, 2006, Jodi Arias was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith by Travis Alexander. They became a couple in February 2007.
After they broke up in June 2007, Jodi Arias moved to Mesa, Arizona, before moving to her grandparents’ house in Yreka, California, in April 2008.
On June 9, 2008, Travis Alexander’s body was discovered in a shower at his home in Mesa, Arizona. His throat had been c*t, and he had been shot in the head and stabbed multiple times. There have been conflicting reports over the number of s**b wounds, with some reports stating 29] and others stating 27.
Medical Examiner Kevin Horn testified that Travis Alexander’s jugular vein, common carotid artery, and windpipe had been sl***ed.
Hs hands also had defensive wounds. Kevin Horn further testified that Travis Alexander “may have” been dead at the time the gunshot was inflicted.
Travis Alexander’s death was ruled a homicide.
His body was discovered as he was scheduled to leave on June 10, 2008, for a work-related trip to Cancun, Mexico. It has been reported that in early 2008, Travis Alexander had told his company that Jodi Arias would be joining him, and that in April he asked to change his companion to a female friend.
Travis Alexander missed an important conference call on the evening of June 4. On June 9, having been unable to reach Travis Alexander, people from Prepaid Legal Services went to his home. His roommates initially said he was out of town. After finding a key to his master bedroom, they entered the room and found large pools of bl**d in the hallway to the master bathroom, where his body was discovered in the shower. In the 911 call they made to authorities, they mentioned an ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, whom Travis Alexander had said was stalking him, accessing his Facebook account, and slashing tires.
On May 28, 2008, a burglary occurred at the residence of Jodi Arias’ grandparents, with whom she was living in Yreka, California. A .25-caliber gun and other objects were taken. The grandparents’ gun was never recovered. The prosecutor argued that the burglary was staged by Jodi Arias and the stolen gun was used to shoot Travis Alexander.
Several days before the trip, Jodi Arias repeatedly contacted her ex-boyfriend, Darryl Brewer, asking to borrow two 5-gallon gas cans for a trip to Arizona. The cans were not returned to Darryl Brewer. Receipts presented at trial also showed that Arias had purchased a third 5-gallon gas can, sunblock, and facial cleanser from Walmart in Salinas, California, on June 3, 2008. That evening, at an ARCO gas station in Pasadena, California, Jodi Arias purchased 8.301 gallons of gasoline with her debit MasterCard, and four minutes later purchased 9.59 gallons of gas with cash. The MasterCard was used again on June 6, 2008, three times at a Tesoro gas station in Salt Lake City, at a Pilot Flying J travel center in Winnemucca, Nevada and a 7-Eleven in Sparks, Nevada.
ravis Alexander and Jodi Arias
After Travis Alexander’s death but before his body was discovered, Jodi Arias had continued to call him and had left him several voicemail messages. It was later alleged that she had accessed Travis Alexander’s voicemail messages after his death. She said that Travis Alexander had originally planned to visit her in May 2008 but that his plans had changed. On June 2, 2008, Jodi Arias rented a white Ford Focus in Redding, California, about 100 miles south of her residence. She told the Budget Rent a Car staff that she would only be driving the car locally, but when the car was returned on June 7, it had been driven about 2,800 miles. It was also missing all of its floor mats, and there were what looked like Kool-Aid stains on the front and rear seats. The car was cleaned before police were able to examine it.
A spent .25 caliber round was located near one of the sinks in the master bath. Travis Alexander’s damaged digital camera was located in the downstairs washing machine. The camera was new. Detective Esteban Flores, via phone interview with Jodi Arias, asked her if she knew a possible motive for why someone would want to damage Travis Alexander’s camera. Although images had been deleted, Mesa Police were able to recover the images. The recovered images included Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander, both in se***lly suggestive poses, at approximately 1:40 p.m. on June 4, 2008. The last photo of Travis Alexander alive, and in the shower, was taken at 5:29:20 p.m. on June 4. Moments later, images appear of an individual, believed to be Travis Alexander, “profusely bleeding” on the floor.
A bl**dy palm print was located in the bathroom hallway, which DNA revealed to be a mixture of Jodi Arias’ and Travis Alexander’s DNA. Jodi Arias continued to insist that she had last seen Travis Alexander in April 2008 despite being presented with DNA and photographic evidence by Detective Esteban Flores.
Ryan Burns and others who met Jodi Arias in Utah after the killing indicated she had bandages on her hands and she wore long sleeves on days when it was very hot.
Jodi Arias told different stories about how she received the cuts to her hands. Ryan Burns was told they were from an injury while working at “Margaritaville” restaurant. At the trial, it was revealed by Siskiyou County, California, authorities that no such restaurant exists, nor ever existed in the area. At the time of the killing, she worked at Casa Ramos in Yreka.
She was indicted by a grand jury on a first-degree murder charge on July 9, 2008, and arrested at her grandparents’ home on July 15, 2008.
Jodi Arias was extradited to Arizona on September 5, 2008, where she pled not guilty on September 11, 2008.
She gave three different accounts of her whereabouts. She originally told police that she had not been in the home at the time of Travis Alexander’s death. She later told police that two intruders had broken into Travis Alexander’s home and that they murdered him and attacked her. Finally, Jodi Arias stated that she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense and she was a victim of domestic violence.
The trial of Jodi Arias began on January 2, 2013, in Maricopa County Superior Court before Judge Sherry K. Stephens. Prosecutor Juan Martinez sought the death penalty.
Jodi Arias was represented by appointed counsel L. Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott. Her counsel argued that Travis Alexander’s death was a justifiable homicide committed in self-defense.
She took the stand on February 4, 2013. When asked about her quote given to Inside Edition that she would not be convicted, Jodi Arias testified: “At the time, I had plans to commit suicide. So I was extremely confident that no jury would convict me because I didn’t expect any of you to be here, I planned to be dead.”
On February 6, Jodi Arias testified that she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense and recounted an intimate encounter with him that started with kissing and ended in a**l s**, describing the act as painful and adding: “It was not something I expected to happen, and I can’t say I wanted it to, but I didn’t stop him.”
Jodi Arias testified for a total of 18 days, which criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos described as “unprecedented”.
As of March 29, 2013, $1.4 million had been spent on providing public defenders for Jodi Arias.
On April 3, a member of the jury was dismissed for “misconduct”.
The defense team asked for a mistrial, which the judge denied.
On April 12, “Juror 11” was excused for health reasons, leaving the jury with eleven men and six women. A third juror was subsequently dismissed after he was arrested on a DUI offense during the course of the trial.
A defense expert diagnosed Jodi Arias with post-traumatic stress disorder, while a prosecution expert diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder.
On May 3, 2013, closing arguments concluded and the jury began deliberations. On May 8, 2013, after 15 hours of deliberation, Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder. Out of twelve jurors, five jurors found her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, and seven jurors found her guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder.
With this conviction, Jodi Arias was eligible for the death penalty. The aggravation phase of the trial started on May 15, 2013.
In the aggravation phase, the jury determined in less than three hours that Jodi Arias was eligible for the death penalty.
The penalty phase of the trial began on May 16, 2013, where prosecutors called Travis Alexander’s family members to offer victim impact statements, in an effort to convince the jury that Jodi Arias’ crime merits a death sentence.
On May 21, 2013, Jodi Arias offered an allocution, during which she pleaded for a life sentence. She acknowledged that her plea for life was a reversal of remarks she made to a TV reporter shortly after her conviction, when she said she preferred the death penalty.
“Each time I said that, I meant it, but I lacked perspective,” the former waitress said.
“Until very recently, I could not imagine standing before you and asking you to give me life.”
Jodi Arias changed her mind to avoid bringing more pain to members of her family, who were in the courtroom. At one point, Jodi Arias held up a white T-shirt with the word “Survivor” written across it, telling the jurors that she would sell the clothing and donate all proceeds to victims of domestic abuse. She also said she would sell her hair to Locks of Love charity while in prison, and had already done so three times while in jail. Later Jodi Arias gave a series of interviews, explaining how she addressed the issue of life imprisonment.
On May 23, 2013, the sentencing phase of Jodi Arias’ trial resulted in a hung jury, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial for that phase.
A retrial to determine Jodi Arias’ punishment is scheduled to begin on July 18, 2013, with a new jury empanelled for that purpose.
Bill Zervakos, the jury foreman in the Jodi Arias murder trial, spoke out yesterday, saying that while he believed Jodi was mentally abused by Travis Alexander, it was no excuse to brutally murder him.
Just one day after the judge declared a mistrial when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on whether or not she should be executed, Bill Zervakos spoke of the difficulties they faced during the five-month-long trial.
“When I walked into that court room for the first time and looked at the defendant – it is hard to put it into perspective, looking at that young woman and thinking about the brutality of the crime. It doesn’t wash,” Bill Zervakos said.
“It is difficult to separate yourself from the emotions and personal side of it.”
Speaking to Good Morning America, Bill Zervakos admitted he did not think Jodi Arias did herself any favors when she took the stand for 18 days because she had so many contradictory stories.
The hardest part, Bill Zervakos said, was having to sit six feet away from Travis Alexander’s family while listening to all the horrific things that happened to him.
Bill Zervakos, the jury foreman in the Jodi Arias murder trial, says he believed she was mentally abused by Travis Alexander
“Until you are face to face with someone who is going through that, you cannot put it into words,” he said.
“If you cannot feel that then you have no emotion, no soul.
“But we couldn’t allow ourselves to be emotional and for that I am very proud of my jurors, they did a fantastic job of holding it together – though it was a different story when we got into the jury room.”
Speaking about Travis Alexander, Bill Zervakos said: “I am very sure in my own mind that Jodi was mentally and verbally abused by him. Is that an excuse? Of course not. Did it factor into the decision we made? It has to.”
The next step in the lengthy trial will now come on July 18, when an entirely new jury panel is determined and tasked with delivering the final verdict in the case.
The scene in the Phoenix, Arizona, courtroom on Thursday afternoon – when the jury came back to the judge with their inability to agree – was not one of relief.
Jodi Arias herself looked upset and began crying, though not necessarily tears of joy.
Travis Alexander’s siblings, who have been a constant presence throughout and have all uprooted their lives in California to focus on the trial, were all crying as well.
One female juror was at least sympathetic to them, and she was seen mouthing the word “sorry” toward the Alexanders.
Judge Sherry Stephens, who showed some tough love to the jury on Wednesday, was very complimentary to them.
“This was not your typical trial. You were asked to perform some very difficult duties,” she said.
The jury began deliberating Tuesday, and on Wednesday afternoon they told the Judge that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Judge Sherry Stephens ordered the jurors to go back and talk more until they came to a decision, but that was still not enough time as they came back later yesterday afternoon still at an impasse.
The new jury will not have any power to change her guilty conviction, and they will be solely tasked with determining how Jodi Arias, 32, will “pay” for the first degree murder.
The decision follows a trial that has staggered on for five months over the 2008 sl**ing of Travis Alexander, Jodi Arias’ on-again off-again boyfriend who she killed in his home in 2008. She sta**ed him nearly 30 times, s**t his throat, and shot him.
At least 16 children and their teacher have been killed when their school bus caught fire near Gujrat in eastern Pakistan, police say.
At least seven more children were taken to hospital after the incident on the outskirts of the city of Gujrat.
Police said a compressed gas cylinder had exploded on the bus after fire broke out.
The bus driver is reported to have survived.
At least 16 children and their teacher have been killed when their school bus caught fire near Gujrat in eastern Pakistan
The children, aged between four and 10, were just a few miles from their school in Gujrat, about 120 miles south-east of the capital Islamabad, when the incident happened.
Police officer Dar Ali Khattak told the AFP news agency the fire was apparently caused by a spark when the driver of the dual-fuel bus switched from gas to petrol.
Two children who survived by escaping from a window in the back of the bus told reporters they had smelt gas before the fire broke out.
One boy said the other children were shouting: “Brother, save us, save us. We are burning.”
“I took a huge stick and broke the glass. I tried to save them but I couldn’t,” he said.
Compressed natural gas is used in millions of vehicles in Pakistan as a cheaper alternative to diesel and petrol.
Numerous previous vehicle explosions have been blamed on substandard cylinders used to contain the fuel.
MI5 asked Michael Adebolajo if he wanted to work for them about six months before Woolwich attack, his childhood friend Abu Nusaybah has claimed.
During a BBC interview, Abu Nusaybah said his friend Michael Adebolajo – one of two men arrested after Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder in south-east London on Wednesday – had rejected the approach from the security service.
Abu Nusaybah, 31, was arrested at the BBC after giving the interview.
BBC’s Newsnight reporter Richard Watson said after the interview had concluded he left the studio to find officers from the Metropolitan Police counter terrorism unit waiting to arrest Abu Nusaybah.
The Met confirmed Abu Nusaybah had been arrested at 21:30 BST on Friday in relation to suspected terrorism offences and search warrants were being executed at two homes in east London.
The arrest was not directly related to the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, it said.
Soldier Lee Rigby was killed in front of dozens of people near Woolwich Barracks, where he was based, on Wednesday afternoon.
Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, who was also arrested at the scene, remain in hospital after being shot by police.
In his Newsnight interview, Abu Nusaybah said he thought “a change” had taken place in his friend after a trip to Kenya last year.
Abu Nusaybah was arrested after a TV interview where he claimed MI5 asked Michael Adebolajo to work for them about 6 months before Woolwich attack
Abu Nusaybah said Michale Adebolajo had told him he travelled there “to study”, but instead, was part of a group rounded up by “Kenyan troops” and interrogated in a prison cell.
During his detention he said he was “beaten quite badly”, Abu Nusaybah said, and in his opinion, his friend had also been subjected to sexual abuse, although he was too “ashamed” to say exactly what happened.
After this, he became withdrawn “and less talkative – he wasn’t his bubbly self”, Abu Nusaybah said, adding: “His mind was somewhere else.”
Abu Nusaybah also said Michael Adebolajo was “stopped” upon his return to the UK from Kenya and was later “followed up by MI5” who were “knocking on his door”.
He was “basically being harassed”, Abu Nusaybah said.
Abu Nusaybah added: “His wording was, <<They are bugging me – they won’t leave me alone.>>
“Initially they wanted to ask him if he knew certain individuals.
“But after him saying that he didn’t know these individuals, what he said was they asked him if he would be interested in working for them.
“He was explicit in that he refused to work for them but he did confirm he didn’t know the individuals.”
Reporter Richard Watson said that, in general terms, it was not out of the ordinary for the security service to approach people for information or even to act as covert sources.
Michael Adebolajo, 28, originally from Romford, east London, and fellow suspect Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, south-east London, had been known to MI5 for eight years, officials confirmed on Thursday.
Two women, aged 29 and 31, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, have been released without charge, but a man, 29, remains in custody.
Before the attack about four to eight cases a day were reported to its helpline, but the group said about 150 incidents had been reported in the last few days, including attacks on mosques.
On Friday, Drummer Lee Rigby’s wife Rebecca, the mother of his two-year-old son, said she had been aware of the dangers of her husband serving in countries where there was armed conflict, including Afghanistan, but added: “You don’t expect it to happen when he’s in the UK. You think they’re safe.”
Rebecca Rigby said: “I love Lee and always will. I am proud to be his wife. He was a devoted father to our son Jack and we will both miss him terribly.”
Drummer Lee Rigby’s stepfather, Ian Rigby, said: “We would like to say <<Goodnight Lee, rest in peace our fallen soldier. We love you loads and words cannot describe how loved and sadly missed you will be>>.”
Ian Rigby added that his stepson “adored and cared a lot for his family, he was very much a family man, looking out for his wife, young son Jack, younger sisters, whom in turn they looked up to him”.
In a new portrait of the Kardashian clan to promote season 8ht of their hit reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe’s husband, Lamar Odom, magically appears in the group shot.
In the happy snap Lamar Odom is seen snuggling up to his gorgeous wife Khloe Kardashian, 28.
However, in a promotional video for the popular programme which features outtakes of the shoot, Lamar Odom is noticeably absent.
As the camera flashes to the same set of stairs where one official portrait is taken, Khloe Kardashian sits with her family but Lamar Odom is not there.
Instead Khloe tenderly holds onto her brother Rob Kardashian’s arm instead.
In another shot, Khloe Kardashian is seen happily posing by the pool with her husband, looking particularly slender in a pretty floral skirt, a cream knit cardigan and sandals.
Also getting a touch up of the flattering kind is Rob Kardashian, who has recently been on a quest to shed 40 lbs off his frame.
Lamar Odom appears in the Kardashian portrait to promote the new season of their hit reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Rob Kardashian, 26, appears significantly slimmer in the snap to how he currently looks with a more bulkier frame.
In the promotional video for Keeping Up With The Kardashians Season 8, which features outtakes of the shoot, Lamar Odom is noticeably absent
While Lamar Odom appears in the picture with the aid of Photoshop at least Khloe Kardashian has her man by her side, even if it is only computer wizardry.
Her pregnant sister, Kim Kardashian, meanwhile is once again left posing without her better half Kanye West in the snaps.
Despite being surrounded by her family members, Kim Kardashian, 32, cuts a somewhat lonely figure in the new family portraits.
Usually the centre of attention, Kim Kardashian does sit in the middle of the family’s sitting portrait but she is without her partner and father of her unborn baby Kanye West.
But the reason for Kanye West’s absence stems from his reluctance to appear on camera alongside the famous clan.
While Kanye West appeared in several episodes of Kourtney And Kim Take Miami, he reportedly refused to take part in the family’s main hit reality show.
This isn’t the first time members of the family have magically appeared in portraits.
Last year Khloe Kardashian was Photoshopped into her family Christmas card.
The reality starlet was unable to attend the photoshoot for the annual Kardashian-Jenner holiday card, and so she and husband Lamar Odom had to be added in later with the help of some computer wizardry.
Appearing on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, Khloe Kardashian said: “We pretend that we’re always together. The powers of cameras and Photoshop.”
Khloe Kardashian’s younger half-sister Kendall Jenner, 17, had to be digitally added to the picture, too, as she was sick, as did Kourtney’s partner, Scott Disick.
Lamar Odom- who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team – also missed 2011’s dazzling 3D Christmas card shoot because he had a game.
Khloe Kardashian said: “That one we were all in but Lamar was Photoshopped because he had a game. It’s hard with his NBA schedule. Damn men with a career!”
MTV’s TheJersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi went head to head with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday at the reopening of the Seaside Heights’ boardwalk, which featured heavily in the reality series.
Snooki and Chris Christie had just filmed separate segments on the Today show when backstage the 25-year-old stopped the Governor to address why he has been critical about the show’s influence on the area in the past.
The incident was caught on tape by Asbury Park Press and it was clear things were frosty between the pair.
While not heard on the video, according to Snooki the politician had made his feelings clear.
“Getting told why we are bad for Jersey. Amazing,” Snooki tweeted.
In the video, Snooki can be heard asking the much larger man to step back from her as they talk.
“Why are you standing so close to me,” Snooki asks.
Leaning comically even closer to her, Chris Christie says: “You asked for my opinion.”
Trying to subdue the situation cast mate Deena Cortese, flanked by Jennifer “JWoww’”Farley, tells the politician she is from Jersey.
“I know you are, I was talking about her,” the governor curtly replies.
Still trying to calm things down Denna Cortese said: “And guess what? I thought you did a good job with the hurricane.”
With the situation not getting any better, Snooki explains: “I just wanted to meet you, and just, hope you start to like us.”
Chris Christie’s response isn’t audible, but as he shakes the girls’ hands as he walks away it is clear neither party is a big fan of the other.
“He doesn’t just like us,” Snooki then tells the cameraman.
Snooki went head to head with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday at the reopening of the Seaside Heights’ boardwalk
Earlier the New Jersey Governor had appeared on Today to celebrate the reopening of the boardwalk after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
Chris Christie told Today‘s Matt Lauer that “things are going well” and he is “feeling great” after undergoing lap-band surgery on February 16.
Looking noticeably less large than he used to, the Governor has already shed an estimated 40 lbs since the procedure.
Chris Christie told Matt Lauer that he realizes his weight will be a “life-long struggle … I don’t plan on taking any victory laps”.
Matt Lauer probed about the publicity over Chris Christie’s surgery and the Governor said he has been surprised by how much attention it has received.
“It’s much more than I imagined,” he said of the curiosity about his weight.
“I mis-evaluated that part of it but in the end, it’s really nice,” the questions are “borne out of concern for me and that’s great,” he added.
Initially the morning show had publicized that Chris Christie would serve as a guest co-host for the program but he had to surrender the morning show title due to FCC rules.
Since Chris Christie is running for a second term as New Jersey Governor, his opponent in the Republican primary, New Jersey lawyer Seth Grossman, could have asserted his right for equal on-air time, an FCC spokesman told PolitickerNJ.
The FCC rules require broadcasters to provide equal airtime for legally qualified candidates.
The cast joined Governor Chris Christie and a host of volunteers to carry out a 5.5 mile long ceremonial ribbon that broke the Guinness World record for longest ribbon cutting.
Instead of being a co-host, Chris Christie simply had an “extended interview” that focused on the state’s recovery after Superstorm Sandy.
Despite the focus on the reconstruction after the storm, Matt Lauer did inquire after the buzz over Chris Christie’s trimmer figure.
His decision to manage his weight was seen as a clear signal that the popular Republican had his eye on the national stage, likely a presidential bid, but Chris Christie downplayed any political motivation.
“That’s not why I’m doing this,” he said, insisting his family – wife Mary Pat, whom he married in 1986, and their four children – was the main inspiration.
“I hope there’s a Christie effect for Christie, and if there’s other stuff that happens for folks, that’s great. But that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m doing it for [wife] Mary Pat, for my kids, and for myself, to be better and to be healthier.”
Gov. Chris Christie was upbeat about the resilience of Jersey residents after the storm. He will welcome President Barack Obama to the Garden State next Tuesday to tour the progress.
He has been criticized by some GOPers who say he has developed a “special relationship” with the Democrat president and his chummy rapport after Hurricane Sandy gave a boost to Barack Obama during the presidential election.
But the outspoken New Jerseyan said in times of emergency, the nation needs to come together regardless of political parties.
“If the President of the United States wants to come and see the people of New Jersey, I’m the Governor and I’ll be here to welcome him here.”
Despite the incident with Gov. Chris Christie, The Jersey Shore cast spent the rest of the day with big smiles on their faces, as while they long ago said goodbye to MTV’s reality series, this was another chance to see the town that had put them on the map.
Clearly emotional for the reality stars, all were seen hugging and kissing as they joined the happy celebrations.
Almost all of the final season’s cast – Deena, Vinny Guadagnino, Sam Giancola, Paul “Pauly D” Del Vecchio, Snooki, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, and JWoww – helped set a ribbon cutting record.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino was not with his cast mates on Friday.
The hit show had previously been credited with helping tourism grow at the seaside city. AP reported that Pauly D said he and his cast mates wanted the Shore to be the happy place they remember.
“This is known as a happy place. Right after the storm, it was the exact opposite: dead, silent,” he said.
“To see this place being rebuilt makes me happy.”
Snooki called on tourists to come back and enjoy the area.
“You just come here to have a good time,” she said.
“It’s a great place. You come here with your friends. Everybody’s here, it’s getting rebuilt – it’s just amazing.”
Tourism is a near $40 billion industry in New Jersey and the storm not only damaged the physical area but dealt a significant blow to the local economy.
Superstorm Sandy caused $38 billion in damages in New Jersey alone and at Seaside Heights the storm swept a roller coaster into the ocean.
While the roller coaster was taken away this month, but Casino Pier, the seaside amusement park where it used to sit, plans to have 18 rides open this summer.
Investigators of Boston Marathon bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev case say that he travelled to the Russian republic of Dagestan in 2012 with the intent of joining a radical Islamist group, but he never followed through with his plan.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was shot dead during a police gun battle on April 19 after officials claim he and his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokahr, had set off two homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
In 202, officials say Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whom they described as a “typical lone wolf”, went to Dagestan after becoming radicalized in the US.
While staying abroad, however, Tamerlan Tsarnaev did not join the ranks of an international terror group, and it appears that the two brothers were acting of their own accord when they set off the deadly explosions, officials close to the matter told ABC News.
Investigators also found no manifesto written by Tamerlan Tamerlan while he was staying in Dagestan, which would have provided a clear motive for the attacks.
Similarly, no evidence was found so far to suggest that Tamerlan Tsarnaev reached out to Islamist leaders on his earlier trips to Chechnya to visit his father’s relatives.
During his recent visit to Dagestan, where his parents currently reside, Tamerlan Tsarnaev did make contact with Mahmud Mansur Nidal, who has been suspected of having militant ties, according to officials.
The two were frequently seen at a Salafist mosque in the capital of Makhachkala, which is popular among insurgents.
However, while Mahmud Mansur Nidal eventually ended up joining a radical Islamist organization in the southern Russian region, Tamerlan Tsarnaev did not follow him and later returned to the U.S.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev travelled to Dagestan in 2012 with the intent of joining a radical Islamist group, but he never followed through with his plan
Mahmud Mansur Nidal, a man who was both Palestinian and Kumyk, was killed in May 2012 after refusing to give himself up to security forces that had surrounded a house in Makhachkala, according to official police records.
An FBI probe has revealed that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had social networking ties with Muslim convert William Plotnikov, a Russian national from Canada, which brought Tsarnaev to the attention of Russian security services for the first time in late 2010.
William Plotnikov had been detained in Dagestan in December 2010 on suspicion of having ties to the militants and during his interrogation was forced to hand over a list of social networking friends from the U.S. and Canada who like him had once lived in Russia, Novaya Gazeta reported.
William Plotnikov was among seven suspected militants killed on July 14 during a standoff with police in the Dagestani village of Utamysh, according to the official police record.
After William Plotnikov’s death, Russian security agents lost track of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and went to see his father in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, who told them that his son had returned to the U.S., Novaya Gazeta said.
The Russians later determined that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had flown to Moscow on July 16 and to the U.S. the following day, the newspaper said.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev arrived in New York on July 17.
Investigators also looked into Tamerlan Tsaranev’s relationship with a distant cousin with ties to extremists group, who is suspected of playing a role in the 26-year-old former boxer’s radicalization.
Magomed Kartashov is founder and leader of a group called The Union of the Just which reportedly promotes the application of Islamic Sharia law and has protested against the U.S.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev is said to have met Magomed Kartashov for the first time in Dagestan. Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, told TIME Magazine that the two kinsmen “became very close”.
The Union of the Just publicly renounces violence, but several of its members have ties to militants.
A lawyer for Magomed Kartashov confirmed to ABC News that Russian security agents recently interviewed her client about his links to Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Magomed Kartashov admits that the two were close but insists that it was Tamerlan Tsarnaev who tried to “pull him into extremism”.
He is currently in jail on charges of resisting police after waving an Islamists flag during a wedding procession. His lawyer expects he will remain there for at least two more months.
Magomed Magomedov, another member of Union for the Just, told ABC News that he saw Tamerlan Tsarnaev on several occasions at the Makhachkala mosque, but the American transplant appeared out of place.
“He was sticking out, it was obvious he is not local. He liked to draw attention with his expensive and fancy clothes. His haircut was something no one has seen before,” he said.
According to some accounts, Tamerlan Tsarnaev would put on airs by claiming that he knew more about Islam than he actually did. In conversations with other congregants, he would often recite things he had picked up online in a bid to impress the locals, who grew annoyed with him.
But according to officials, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was not as strict a practitioner of Islam as he appeared to be.
According to one investigator, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, like his younger brother Dzhokhar, would often indulge in mar***ana while living in Massachusetts, spending hours high.
The FBI is to meet with nearly a dozen people who had known Tamerlan Tsarnaev, including relatives, childhood friends and acquaintances from the mosque, hoping to shed light on the events that led to the bombings.
While Kim Kardashian has gained over 60 pounds during her seven-month pregnancy, Khloe is flaunting her own 25-pound weight loss.
Five-foot-10 Khloe Kardashian, who turns 29 next month, looked confident and powerful in her black sharp-shouldered blazer, matching vest, and skinny blue jeans as she came to visit her big sister Kim at her Beverly Hills home on Friday.
She accessorized her strong look with a gold medallion choker, a big black studded purse, and matching studded Louboutins.
The eldest Kardashian sibling, Kourtney, also came by Kim’s house on Friday, but looked far more fuss-free than Khloe, whose face was caked in makeup.
The make-up free mother-of-two rocked a casual ’70s vibe with her chambray shirt, zig-zag bell bottoms, and brown platform sandals.
The Khloé & Lamar star had fans questioning whether she was the new “Kim” on Thursday when she rocked her new sexy size 6 figure at the Hypnotiq event in Beverly Hills
Khloe Kardashian displayed her shrinking waist in a red-striped Robert Rodriguez dress and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes by Kanye West.
The weight loss came from strenuous daily workouts and strict high-protein diet.
“She wants to look perfect,” a Kardashian insider recently told In Touch.
In the just-released family photo promoting the upcoming season of KUWTK, Khloe Kardashian is seated next to her husband Lamar Odom
“She’s always felt like the ugly sister. Now that she sees she can be hot and pretty, that’s not enough. She wants to be the hottest and prettiest no matter what.”
Meanwhile Khloe Kardashian came to the defense of Kim constantly on the attack from fat-shaming critics.
“I totally understand how she feels,” Khloe Kardashian told E! Online on Thursday.
“One day, she was at my house just complaining…not complaining but just saying how hurt she is and she says, <<I can’t control it, I’m pregnant, I’m growing a baby, what do they want me to do?>>
“And I just commend Kim for being so strong and she’s so beautiful and I think it’s wrong that anyone would criticize anyone for their weight, but then especially a pregnant person. And I just wanted her to know when she left my house how much I love her.”
In the just-released family photo promoting the upcoming season of KUWTK, Khloe Kardashian is seated next to her husband Lamar Odom and Kourtney is seated next to her partner Scott Disick – but Kanye West is notably missing.
The expecting 32-year-old cut a somewhat lonely figure in the family portrait shot by the clan’s very own snapper Nick Saglimbeni.
While Kanye West appeared in several episodes of Kourtney And Kim Take Miami, he reportedly refused to take part in the family’s main hit reality show.
Khloe Kardashian has been trying to have a baby with Lamar, who’s the 33-year-old forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, ever since their 2009 wedding.
But the only childless Kardashian seems content with her substantial weight loss at the moment.
“People assume I’m desperate for a baby. And yes, I would love to have a baby,” Khloe Kardashian told Redbook.
“But I’m 28, and I’ve been married three and a half years. I love my life, but it doesn’t feel incomplete right now.”
Khloe Kardaashian is stepmother to Lamar Odom’s children with his ex-girlfriend Liza Morales – 14-year-old daughter Destiny and 11-year-old son Lamar Jr.
The eighth season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians is set to premiere June 2 on E!
Amanda Bynes is facing public disgrace after appearing in court charged with public endangerment for allegedly throwing a pot b**g from her New York apartment’s window.
But even that may not be as humiliating for Amanda Bynes, 27, as being photographed in leg shackles following her arrest over the incident in New York on Thursday night.
The former actress was dragged along with her head bowed by a police officer as she was transported from the city’s Midtown North Police Precinct to the Manhattan Central Booking facility.
Amanda Bynes made sure her messy blonde wig covered her face as she was marched along by the strong arm of the law.
She looked far from the starlet her fans know and love in a pair of grey jogging trousers, pullover and slippers.
Amanda Bynes photographed in leg shackles following her arrest
But it was far from the end of her journey, as she appeared in court yesterday, where she was charged with reckless endangerment.
Amanda Bynes is accused of throwing a mar***ana b**g out of her Manhattan apartment building, and in evidence presented to court it is alleged she told officers it was “just a vase”.
She was arrested after building officials at her midtown apartment called police to complain she was rolling a j***t and smoking ca***bis in the lobby.
Amanda Bynes was also charged with attempted tampering with evidence and unlawful possession of mar***ana, all misdemeanors.
However, her attorney Andrew Friedman told the court: “My client completely denies illegally throwing anything out of her window.”
Amanda Bynes also took to Twitter to claim her innocence, saying: “I only smoke tobacco I don’t drink or do d**gs. I’ve never had a bong in my life!
“I need to get another nose job after seeing my mugshot!”
Amanda Bynes appeared in a criminal court on Friday disheveled in a long blond wig and sweats where she was charged with reckless endangerment after police said she threw a mar***ana b**g out of her Manhattan apartment building.
Amanda Bynes, 27, was arrested Thursday evening, after building officials at her midtown apartment called police to complain she was rolling a j**nt and smoking p*t in the lobby.
Two shocking mug shots have since emerged of Amanda Bynes.
The former child star initially posed for a booking photo in her platinum blonde wig but was later forced to remove it – and reveal her shaved head – for her official police picture.
Amanda Bynes scowled in both frames and appeared to have heavy bags under her eyes. She announced she shaved half her head in April, claiming a hair stylist “fried” with bleach. It’s unclear exactly when she cut off the rest of her long locks.
The officers went to Amanda Bynes’ apartment on the 36th floor where they said they saw heavy smoke and a b**g sitting on the kitchen counter. They said Amanda Bynes tossed the b**g out the window in front of them, prosecutors said.
An incident report quotes the officer as saying: “I observed [Amanda Bynes] grab said b**g, run to the westbound-facing window, and throw it out the window where numerous pedestrians were walking on the 8 Avenue and West 47 Street sidewalks below.”
Amanda Bynes then said to police: “It was just a vase,” according to Manhattan assistant district attorney Chikaelo Ibeabuchi.
She called authorities herself during the dramatic arrest, sources tell In Touch magazine.
Amanda Bynes shaved head mugshots was revealed as she appeared in court for reckless endangerment
“She called 911, saying cops were going to assault her,” an insider told the publication.
Amanda Bynes’ attorney for the arraignment Andrew Friedman told the court: “My client completely denies illegally throwing anything out of her window.”
Andrew Friedman claims Amanda Bynes was illegally followed into her apartment by police.
The judge released Amanda Bynes on her own recognizance and gave her a July 9 court date.
Thursday, Amanda Bynes was held overnight at a police precinct. She pulled up to court Friday morning in a squad car where she was greeted by a crush of media. She was also charged with attempted tampering with evidence and unlawful possession of mar***ana, all misdemeanors.
“I don’t want any photos. No press are allowed in here,” Amanda Bynes announced to the public courtroom.
Her lawyer said Amanda Bynes had no record in New York, but the judge noted she had several out-of-state cases. In California in December, Amanda Bynes resolved a misdemeanor hit-and-run case after entering into a civil settlement with other drivers.
Also in California, Amanda Bynes was charged last fall with driving on a suspended license after it was temporarily taken away from her after two hit-and-run cases where she was accused of leaving the scene without providing proper information. She has also pleaded not guilty to drunken driving in a separate case.
In releasing her, Chief New York County Judge Neil Ross gave Amanda Bynes a stern warning not to make trouble or miss any court dates.
“I do want to make sure you understand,” he said.
“If you get arrested again … I’m going to be setting very, very significant bail.”
“OK,” Amanda Bynes replied.
“You’re in a very, very challenging situation right now,” the judge said.
Assistant district attorney Chikaelo Ibeabuchi had asked for $1,000 bail. He said no b**g was recovered from the street below – a sign, her attorney said, that Amanda Bynes was telling the truth.
“There was nothing recovered from the sidewalk, clearly a search was made for the bag,” said Andrew Friedman of the New York County Defender Services. He said Amanda Bynes was followed illegally into her apartment and has made a complaint about police wrongfully entering.
As the judge dispensed with her case, Amanda Bynes said: “Thank you sir, have a nice day.”
Amanda Bynes then got into a waiting yellow cab ringed with photographers and TV cameras and left.
The former Nickelodeon star has been exhibiting erratic behavior of late with some eyebrow-raising public outings and online postings.
Blue is the Warmest Colour, an intimate love story between two young women, directed by Tunisian-born French director Abdellatif Kechiche, has received rave reviews in Cannes as the film festival draws to a close.
The film has shocked some critics with its s** scenes.
Variety magazine said it contained “the most explosively gr***ic lesbian s** scenes in recent memory”.
The film is the bookmakers’ favorite to win the Palme d’Or on Sunday.
But reviewers have speculated the film may require editing to secure cinema distribution.
The three-hour character study centres on the 15-year-old Adele, played by French actress Adele Exarchopoulos, and her lover Emma, played by Lea Seydoux.
The Hollywood Reporter said the “sprawling drama” would “raise eyebrows” as it crossed the barrier “between performance and the real deal”.
Abdellatif Kechiche, best known for his critically acclaimed 2007 film Couscous, said he would consider cutting some scenes to allow the widest possible audience to see the work.
“We wouldn’t want the film not to be screened because of one scene,” he said.
Blue is the Warmest Colour directed by Abdellatif Kechiche is tipped to win Cannes’ Palme d’Or prize
“But of course that wouldn’t apply if it were the whole thing.”
Meanwhile, director Alexander Payne, best known for his Oscar-winning films The Descendants and Sideways, received a standing ovation at the premiere of his latest production Nebraska.
Cannes judges Nicole Kidman and Ang Lee joined Alexander Payne on the red carpet alongside stars of the road movie, Bruce Dern and Will Forte.
Bruce Dern portrays an ageing resident of the US state of Montana who is convinced he has won $1 million in a sweepstake and is determined to travel to a prize headquarters in Nebraska to collect the winnings.
His son, played by Saturday Night Live comedian Will Forte, agrees to drive him, taking a side trip to the small Nebraska town where his father was born.
Critics have praised the film, which is also a late contender for the Palme d’Or.
In his four-star review, Robbie Collins in the Daily Telegraph described it as a “resounding return to form for Payne”.
The Guardian called Bruce Dern’s performance “terrific” in the “thoroughly sweet and charming movie”.
Elsewhere, the stars at Cannes were at an exclusive hotel on the French Riviera for the 20th American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) gala.
Hosted by actress Sharon Stone, the event attracted stars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jessica Chastain, Janet Jackson and Goldie Hawn and raised around $25 million for AIDS research.
The Great Gatsby actor Leonardo DiCaprio agreed to travel into space aboard the Virgin Galactic alongside a bidder who paid $1.5 million to join him on the journey.
The event, which also saw bids for Oscar tickets and a six-a-side football game against a team led by Zinedine Zidane, raised more than twice the amount collected last year.
After a string of negative press, it looks like Justin Bieber may be trying to curtail the less positive news by imposing a ban on people talking about his parties.
Having bought a $6.5 million mansion in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas last year, Justin Bieber, 19, has a perfect venue for some stunning parties.
However, it appears that those lucky enough to score an invite to party with Justin Bieber will have to agree to a strict guest code.
TMZ.com has managed to get hold of a waiver that guests must sign before entering Justin Bieber’s seven-bedroom home.
The document, entitled a Liability Waiver and Release, bans anyone from posting details, photos or recordings of inside his house on social-networking sites or other media.
Guests will be forbidden from talking about the “physical health, or the philosophical, spiritual or other views or characteristics” of Justin Bieber and his guests.
Anyone is breaks the ban, will face a lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages.
Justin Bieber makes house guests sign waiver to party with him and face $5 million lawsuit if they break it
The waiver includes a further $5 million each if the guest tweets, blogs or Instagrams.
The document also warns there may be activities which are “potentially hazardous and you should not participate unless you are medically able and properly trained”.
It includes risks such as “minor injuries to catastrophic injuries, including death”.
However, TMZ points out that many other celebrities also make visitors sign similar waivers before entering their homes.
Justin Bieber bought the Traditional French-style property last year, which used to belong to Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife Nicole Murphy.
The mansion includes a library, a private cinema with stadium seating, a wet bar and a wine cellar, and the grounds feature a pond.
The waiver comes two months after photos emerged of a party at Justin Bieber’s house while he was away in Europe.
Justin Bieber’s friend, rapper Lil’ Twist, was said to have invited around 40 people to party in the mansion while the teenage idol was thousands of miles away on tour.
“Ruby” Karima El-Mahroug, the dancer alleged to have had paid s** as a minor with Italy’s ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told a court that she had lied to investigators in 2010.
Karima El-Mahroug said she had “made up” details about er***c parties held at his villa while Silvio Berlusconi was still Italy’s prime minister.
She was testifying at the trial of three former Silvio Berlusconi aides accused of soliciting prostitutes for him.
Silvio Berlusconi is being tried separately on charges of paying for underage s** with Karima El-Mahroug.
Both the dancer and Silvio Berlusconi have denied the allegations.
Karima El-Mahroug is not charged with any crime in either case and is formally recognised in both as an injured party.
On Friday, Karima El-Mahroug appeared as a witness at the trial of TV presenter Emilio Fede, celebrity agent Lele Mora and Nicole Minetti, a local councilor and former showgirl.
They are accused of providing prostitutes for Silvio Berlusconi’s so-called “bunga-bunga” party evenings.
Karima El-Mahroug, known as “Ruby the Heart Stealer”, told the court she had lied about receiving 187,000 euros from Silvio Berlusconi for attending several of his parties.
She said she “made up” the sum to show off.
“Ruby” Karima El-Mahroug told a court that she had lied to Silvio Berlusconi case investigators in 2010
The dancer also went back on testimony that young women had bathed n**ed at Silvio Berlusconi’s residence, saying they had only stripped off to their lingerie and there had been “no contact” with the ex-PM.
“I am sorry I talked nonsense when I spoke to prosecutors,” said Karima El-Mahroug who is thought to have been aged 17 when she went to the parties.
“The majority of the things I said were not true.”
Prosecutors are expected to make their closing statements on May 31.
Meanwhile, a verdict in Silvio Berlusconi’s trial on charges of sleeping with an underage prostitute is due on June 24.
Earlier this week, a prosecutor who requested a six-year sentence and a lifelong ban from office, said she received threats including a letter with two bullets.
Silvio Berlusconi already faces a four-year prison sentence and five-year ban from public office for a fraud conviction.
He is expected to appeal against the verdict to Italy’s highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Earlier this month Italian prosecutors requested a new corruption trial against Silvio Berlusconi, saying he had allegedly bribed a left-wing senator to defect to his right-wing People of Freedom party (PDL) in 2006.
Silvio Berlusconi claims he is the victim of a campaign by left-wing magistrates.
Reinforcements of Sweden’s specially trained police are being deployed to Stockholm after five nights of unprecedented rioting in the capital’s suburbs.
Police officers are being sent from the cities of Gothenburg and Malmo, both of which saw rioting in recent years, a spokesman said.
“They are trained and educated for the police tasks going on in Stockholm,” Kjell Lindgren said.
Several schools and scores of cars have been burnt in Stockholm this week.
Reinforcements of Sweden’s specially trained police are being deployed to Stockholm after five nights of unprecedented rioting in the capital’s suburbs
The nightly riots began on Sunday in the north-western suburb of Husby, a deprived, largely immigrant area. It is believed they were sparked by the death of a man nearly a week before, who was shot by police after he allegedly threatened to kill them with a machete.
The unrest has since spread around the city, with groups of youths stoning police and firefighters summoned to tackle arson attacks.
The rioting has raised questions about the success of the country’s attempts to integrate foreign-born residents, who now make up some 15% of the population.
In Husby, more than 80% of the 12,000 or so inhabitants are from an immigrant background, and most are from Turkey, the Middle East and Somalia.
Community activists have accused the police of using racist language during the unrest and prosecutors are investigating complaints. Police have tried to calm the situation by speaking to community leaders, such as in mosques.
US researchers have found that people with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information.
Instead, they are good at detecting small moving objects.
The findings come in a study of 53 people given a simple, visual test in Current Biology.
The results could help scientists understand what makes a brain more efficient and more intelligent.
In the study, individuals watched short video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen. Some clips were small and filled only the centre of the screen, while others filled the whole screen.
The participants’ sole task was to identify in which direction the bars were drifting – to the right or to the left.
Participants also took a standardized intelligence test.
The results showed that people with higher IQ scores were faster at noticing the movement of the bars when observing the smallest image – but they were slower at detecting movement in the larger images.
People with higher IQs are slow to detect large background movements because their brains filter out non-essential information
Michael Melnick of the University of Rochester, who was part of the research team said the results were very clear.
“From previous research, we expected that all participants would be worse at detecting the movement of large images, but high IQ individuals were much, much worse.”
The authors explain that in most scenarios, background movement is less important than small moving objects in the foreground, for example driving a car, walking down a hall or moving your eyes across the room.
As a person’s IQ increases, so too does his or her ability to filter out distracting background motion and concentrate on the foreground.
In an initial study on 12 people, there was a 64% correlation between motion suppression and IQ scores. In this larger study on 53 people, a 71% correlation was found.
In contrast, previous research on the link between intelligence and reaction times, color discrimination and sensitivity to pitch found only a 20-40% correlation.
But the ability to ignore background movements is not the only indicator of intelligence.
“Because intelligence is such a broad construct, you can’t really track it back to one part of the brain,” says Duje Tadin, who also worked on the study.
“But since this task is so simple and so closely linked to IQ, it may give us clues about what makes a brain more efficient, and, consequently, more intelligent.
“We know from prior research which parts of the brain are involved in visual suppression of background motion.
“This new link to intelligence provides a good target for looking at what is different about the neural processing, what’s different about the neurochemistry, what’s different about the neurotransmitters of people with different IQs.”
Jase Robertson is a professional duck hunter and Duck Dynasty reality star who has a net worth of $4 million.
Born in Louisiana, Jase Robertson is one of the sons of Phil Robertson, a man who spent 25 years creating “duck calls” carved out of cedar. Phil’s son, Willie Robertson, armed with a degree in business, turned his father’s handcrafted hobby into a multi-million dollar business. The family currently appears on the reality show, Duck Dynasty, which follows them as they negotiate the business world and their personal lives.
Jase Robertson is in charge of manufacturing the duck calls, the most popular of which is the “Duck Commander”. He hand tunes all of the calls.
Jase and Missy Robertson
He is married to Missy Robertson. Missy was born and raised in West Monroe, Louisiana. She attended the Ouachita Christian School where her mother was a teacher. Today, Jase and Missy Robertson’s three children attend the same school. Missy has been married to Jase Robertson for 22 years. They are both very religious and point to their faith in God for giving them the strength to make it through all of life’s challenges. Now that Missy Robertson is a bonafide celebrity, she hopes to use the responsibility to help her church and all the various charities the Robertsons support.
Duck Dynasty is the second show that has chronicled the lives of the Robertsons. They were first featured on the Outdoor Channel program, Duck Commander.
The Turkish parliament has approved controversial legislation to ban the sale and advertising of alcohol.
The Islamist-rooted ruling AK party says the law will protect the population, particularly young people, from the harmful effects of alcohol.
Critics say it is a new move to impose an Islamic agenda on a secular, though predominantly Muslim, country.
The law bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 22:00 and 06:00 and bans producers from sponsoring events.
To take effect, the law must be signed by President Abdullah Gul, but the politician – a member of the ruling AKP – is expected to do so soon.
Diageo Plc, the world’s largest distiller of alcoholic beverages, has expressed concern about the legislation.
In 2011, Diageo bought Mey Icki, a producer of the traditional Turkish spirit raki, for $2.1 billion.
Diageo Plc said this week it had bought the company in the belief it was investing in a country “that encouraged foreign investment”.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who does not drink or smoke, said recently that ayran, a non-alcoholic yoghurt drink, was the “national drink” of the Turks
In other points of the new law:
Alcohol sales will be prohibited within 100 metres (yards) of mosques and schools
Images of alcoholic drinks will have to be blurred on television – something that is already done for cigarettes
There will be stricter penalties for drink-driving, with drunken drivers with a blood alcohol level above 0.1% facing up to two years’ imprisonment
All liquor bottles will have to display warning signs about the harm of alcohol
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who does not drink or smoke, said recently that ayran, a non-alcoholic yoghurt drink, was the “national drink” of the Turks.
AKP politician Lutfu Elva, head of the planning and budget commission, defended the law, saying similar restrictions were in place in Scandinavian countries.
But Musa Cam, an MP from the main opposition party, the CHP, said: “No one can be forced to drink or not to drink. This is a religious and ideological imposition.”
Quoted in an article in Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Musa Cam said: “This is not a struggle against the ills of alcohol but an attempt to redesign the society according to their [AK party] beliefs and lifestyle.”
Hasip Kaplan, a Kurdish MP, warned the law would hurt tourism, which “can’t recover easily once collapsed”, the state-run Anatolia news agency reports.
Si Robertson is one of the stars of A&E’s newest hit show Duck Dynasty and is the younger brother of family patriarch Phil Robertson who was the original inventor and founder of the Duck Commander company.
Si Robertson is an army veteran who served in Vietnam, retired from the army in 1993 and went to work full time for Duck Commander where he designs the reeds for all the duck calls.
On Duck Dynasty, Si Robertson can be seen with his nephew Willie Robertson and the entire Duck Commander family.
“I’m the master of distractions. Do a couple of hand gestures, and bam! I’ll take the underwear clean off your butt.”
“Calling your girlfriend your <<lady friend>> is a great way to let everyone know you both met on Craigslist.”
“I live by my own rules (reviewed, revised, and approved by my wife).. but still my own.”
“Some people say I’m a dreamer, others say, <<If you fall asleep at work again we’re going to have to let you go>>.”
“Ford F150, Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra. As a married man, these are the only pickup lines I am allowed to use.”
“First it’s pretty tires, then it’s pretty guns…next thing you know, you’re shavin’ your beard and wearin’ capri pants.”
“A beaver is about like the ninjas… the suckers only work at night and they’re hard to find.”
Si Robertson is one of the stars of A&E’s newest hit show Duck Dynasty and is the younger brother of family patriarch Phil Robertson
“That’s a fact JACK!!!!!!”
“Hey, I’m like Aretha Franklin, I don’t get no R -S -P -E -C -T around here!”
“I know every square inch of this place like I know the back of my ham.”
“One time, hey, in high school this girl told me, hey, its not you, its me.. Ofcourse its you, you dang HEFFER!”
“I’m so dope, I am illegal in 50 states! (stating how good he looks up dressed up).”
“I sting like a butterfly and punch like a flea.”
“These boys packed so much stuff, Hey, they could survive a zombie, nuclear, a-poca-liss”
“I may not use any of this stuff but hey look I can sell it on Greg’s List!”
”Plenty of fish in the sea…stingray…gamma ray…ray-ban…”
“Look here beavers you better hide your wife hide your husband and both of you hide your kids we’re coming.”
“I’m the master of distractions. A couple of hand gestures and BAM! I’ll pull the underwear clean of your butt.”
Gerard Depardieu plays Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a new film depicting the former International Monetary Fund chief as a s**-crazed playboy, haunting or**es and chasing young women – despite the objections of his wife.
A trailer, leaked online and posted by several websites, appears to be a film festival sales pitch controversial Welcome to NY movie starring Gerard Depardieu.
Gerard Depardieu plays a “Mr. Deveraux” – modeled after powerful French politician DSK, who was once a front-runner to become the president of France.
The trailer offers several scenes of Gerard Depardieu’s character engaging in or**es, having s** with prostitutes and seducing young women.
All the while his wife, played by Jaqueline Bisset, struggles to cope with her husband’s infidelities.
The trailer opens with director Abel Ferrara’s recreation of the alleged s** assault that brought down the mighty DSK and led to his arrest in May 2011.
A woman behind a closed door screams and struggles, shouting: “No! No!”
DSK was dramatically taken off a plane and handcuffed after a maid at the upscale Sofitel New York Hotel accused him forcing her to give him o**l s**.
The charges were later dropped due to inconsistencies in the maid’s story to police, but the incident led to other accusations about DSK s****l predilections that sank his political career.
The film remains controversial because the s** assault charges were never proven and prosecutors determined that they did not have enough evidence to prosecute him.
That didn’t stop Abel Ferrara from imaging his own scenario for the incident at the hotel. The final scene of the trailer shows Gerard Depardieu’s character wrapped in a bath towel, fresh out of the shower, when the maid approaches.
The maid looks intimidated as the man asks: “Do you know who I am?”
In an interview with Swiss Television RTS last year, Gerard Depardieu revealed he agreed to play the part because he found his fellow countryman “arrogant and smug”, adding: “He is very French. I will do it, because I don’t like him.”
Gerard Depardieu, 64, will be joined on screen by Nip/Truck actress Jacqueline Bisset, 68, who will play DSK’s ex-wife, the French TV reporter Anne Sinclair.
Gerard Depardieu plays DSK in new film Welcome to New-York depicting the former IMF chief
And last month, the actors got caught in controlled chaos as they re-enacted the media storm surrounding the s****l assault trial, that ultimately collapsed in August 2011.
The scene depicted the media frenzy surrounding the case that was sparked when an immigrant hotel maid accused the then-IMF chief of s****l assault after she entered his suite to clean it.
It was filmed outside the same 6,800-square-foot, $50,000-a-month Tribeca townhouse that DSK stayed in while under house arrest as the case unfolded.
But the trial collapsed in August 2011 when prosecutors deemed the evidence of his accuser, Nafissatou Diallo, to be unreliable. She later filed a civil lawsuit.
The film is being directed by American Abel Ferrara, whose credits include Bad Lieutenant, which starred Billy-Bob Thornton in 1992 and 1996 crime thriller The Funeral, fronted by Christopher Walken.
Announcing his latest venture last year, Abel Ferrara said it would be set in New York, Paris and Washington, adding: “[It will be set] in all spots of power in fact: it’s a film about rich and powerful people.”
Gerard Depardieu himself is no stranger to the courts.
Earlier this month, Gerard Depardieu missed a hearing in Paris over an alleged drunken scooter incident.
Gerard Depardieu, who also failed to attend court for the last hearing in January, was more than three times over the drink-drive limit when he came off his moped near the Champs-Elysees in Paris last November.
He had been due to attend a “correctional tribunal” in Paris to face a charge of drink-driving, but he did not turn up because he was filming his new role as Dominique Strauss-Kahn in New York.
A judge said the case would go ahead in Gerard Depardieu’s absence, and the Oscar-nominated star of Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac risked being sentenced to a maximum of two years behind bars and a 4,500 euro fine.
Two years ago, Gerard Depardieu was also arrested for smashing up a car parked outside a swingers’ club near his Paris home.
And he was involved in a separate scandal in France in 2011 when he urinated in the aisle of a plane in full view of disgusted passengers.
Gerard Depardieu also courted controversy in his native France this year after moving to Belgium and taking Russian citizenship to avoid a new 75% tax rate.
When Gerard Depardieu announced his plans to move abroad to avoid paying high tax rates, he was branded “shabby and unpatriotic” by PM Jean-Marc Ayrault.
But the defiant screen legend retaliated by declaring he would also hand back his French passport, and wrote an angry open letter to the French government, saying: “All those who have left France have not been insulted as I have been.”
He then told French president Francois Hollande in a personal phone call that he was “sickened at how France spits on success”.
Gerard Depardieu is one of the few French stars known throughout the world, and has made more than 100 films, many in English.
He also notorious in France for his battle with alcohol and his turbulent love life.
Over the past ten years Gerard Depardieu has devoted much of his time to producing wine at his Lys-de-Volan vineyard near Lyon.
Kendall Jenner has hit back after Frances Bean Cobain branded her a “f**king idiot”.
“An individual’s feelings are relative to their environment,” Kendall Jenner wrote on her micro-blogging page.
“You don’t know me, you don’t even know what I was referring to.”
Kim Kardashian’s little sister took two days to consider her reply before responding to the daughter of Courtney Love and late rocker Kurt Cobain’s Twitter outburst on Tuesday.
Kendall Jenner, 17, acknowledged her wealthy upbringing and affluent lifestyle.
She explained that she thinks about her good fortune on a regular basis and never forgets it.
“I am aware that I am very privileged and blessed, and I’m thankful for that everyday, I know there are greater problems in the world,” she posted.
Kendall Jenner added into the mix that her problems may not be life-threatening but they are still a big deal.
Kendall Jenner has hit back after Frances Bean Cobain branded her an idiot
She assured Frances Bean Cobain, and their combined millions of followers tuned in to the online feud, that she talks to God about the planet’s problems.
Kendall Jenner also emphasized that much of her time and money goes towards helping the less privileged, therefore Frances Bean Cobain didn’t need to get involved.
“I pray for those people every night and give back as much as I can,” she revealed.
“So who are u to judge me?”
On Tuesday it was Frances Bean Cobain, 20, speaking her mind as she reminded Kendall Jenner that there are youngsters in third world countries starving and thirsty.
She was responding to the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star’s tweet she wished “things could be easier”.
Frances Bean Cobain didn’t hold back with her harsh words, declaring: “I’d rather be a scumbag than a f***ing idiot. Praise high IQ’s, good taste & awareness about the state of the world.
“Oh ya, not to mention, CANCER, famine, poverty, draught, disease, natural disasters, Death. F***, Humans are so self involved,” she added.
Not content to stop at that, Frances Bean Cobain wrote: “Oh shh. There are kids on earth abandoned&homeless who forcibly drink contaminated water because clean water isn’t accessible.”
Within hours of Frances Bean Cobain’s comments on Tuesday, Kendall Jenner was bombarded with responses calling her ungrateful and “self-involved”.
