Syrian state television has reported that Israeli rockets have hit Jamraya army research centre near Damascus.
Witnesses heard huge explosions near the Jamraya facility, and residents said nearby military positions were also hit.
The Jamraya site was the target of an Israeli strike in January.
Earlier, unnamed Israeli officials said that on Friday Israeli aircraft had attacked a shipment of missiles inside Syria.
Israeli rockets have hit Jamraya army research centre near Damascus
The missiles were believed to be destined for Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon.
The latest attacks come amid reports of massacres in a campaign of sectarian cleansing near the coastal region of central Syria.
Heavy explosions shook Damascus overnight. Amateur footage posted online claimed to show the blasts at the Jamraya research centre, on Mount Qassioun overlooking Damascus.
Residents said military bases in the area had also been hit.
Syrian state media said the attack showed that there was an organic link between Israel and the rebels.
“The new Israeli attack is an attempt to raise the morale of the terrorist groups, which have been reeling from strikes by our noble army,” state TV said, referring to recent offensives by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted eyewitnesses in the area as saying they saw jets in the sky at the time of the explosions.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials on the latest explosions.
Israeli officials have confirmed their forces have carried out two air strikes on Syrian targets this year.
The first attack, in January, apparently targeted the Jamraya facility.
The second, two days ago, targeted a consignment of missiles bound for Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
In a separate development, hundreds of Syrian families have fled the coastal area of central Syria amid reports of massacres.
Activists said that more than 100 people, including women and children, were killed in the Sunni village of al-Bayda and the nearby coastal town of Baniyas.
More than 70,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has stopped co-operating with authorities as it emerged female DNA found on one of the detonated bombs does not belong to her.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was later killed in a gunfight with authorities, called his wife in the hours after the FBI released surveillance images of him and his younger brother, Dzhokhar.
But only Katherine Russell, 24, knows what was said in the conversation, as she has stopped cooperating with authorities over recent days, the New York Times reported.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has stopped co-operating with authorities as it emerged female DNA found on one of the detonated bombs does not belong to her
Authorities are skeptical of Katherine Russell’s insistence that she played no role in the Boston attack or in helping the Tsarnaev brothers escape the authorities following the release of the photographs, the Times reported.
A source told CNN that the bombs were built in the apartment that Tamerlan Tsarnaev shared with Katherine Russell and their 3-year-old daughter, Zahara. Residue samples were found on the kitchen table, the kitchen sink, and the bathtub, the source said.
Katherine Russell’s silence comes as sources told the newspaper that the fingerprints and female DNA found on at least one of the bombs did not belong to her. Authorities had taken a sample from her this week.
Spokesman Jason Pack confirmed that agents investigating the Boston bombings visited the North Kingstown home of Katherine Russell’s parents, where Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow has been staying since the Boston Marathon attacks.
Following Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbaev arrest in the Boston Marathon bombings for obstructing justice, the Homeland Security Department ordered border agents “effective immediately” to verify that every international student who arrives in the U.S. has a valid student visa.
Azamat Tazhayakov, one of the three college students who were arrested on Wednesday, was able to get into the U.S. illegally on expired student visas, prompting the government’s first formal security change directly related to the April 15 attack.
The student visa for Azamat Tazhayakov had been terminated when he arrived in New York on January 20 but the border agent in the airport did not have access to the information about it in the Homeland Security Department’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, called SEVIS.
Kazakh Azamat Tazhayakov, 19, was a friend and classmate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
He left the U.S. in December and returned January 20, but earlier that month his student-visa status was terminated because he was academically dismissed from the university.
Azamat Tazhayakov and a second Kazakh student were arrested this week on federal charges of obstruction of justice. They were accused of helping to get rid of a backpack containing fireworks linked to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. A third student, American citizen Robel Phillipos, was also arrested and accused of lying to authorities.
Azamat Tazhayakov was able to get into the U.S. illegally on expired student visa, prompting the government’s first formal security change directly related to the Boston attack
Dias Kadyrbaev, 19, called his dad and described their arrest as something out of a Hollywood blockbuster.
“He told me on the phone: <<Dad, we have been arrested just like in an American movie. They came over in armored vehicles with a platoon of officers, with guns and laser lights. They undressed us. It started snowing. But we were standing like that until the search of our apartment ended. I am home now, we have been released, everything is all right, don’t worry Dad>>,” the father Murat Kadyrbaev told a Russian television station.
A spokesman for the Homeland Security Department, Peter Boogaard, said earlier this week that the government was working to fix the problem, which allowed Azamat Tazhayakov to be admitted into the country when he returned to the U.S.
Under existing procedures, border agents could verify a student’s status in SEVIS only when the person was referred to a second officer for additional inspection or questioning.
Azamat Tazhayakov was not sent to a second officer when he arrived. Under the new procedures, all border agents were expected to be able to access SEVIS by next week.
The U.S. government for years has recognized as a problem the inability of border agents at primary inspection stations to directly review student-visa information.
The Homeland Security Department was working before the Boston bombings to resolve the problem, but the new memo outlined interim procedures until the situation was corrected.
Under the new procedures, border agents will verify a student’s visa status before the person arrives in the U.S. using information provided in flight manifests.
If that information is unavailable, border agents will check the visa status manually with the agency’s national targeting data center.
The Obama administration announced an internal review earlier this week of how U.S. intelligence agencies shared sensitive information before the bombings and whether the government could have prevented the attack.
Republicans in Congress have promised oversight hearings, which begin Thursday next week.
Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday for details from the student visa applications of Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, including information about how Tazhayakov re-entered the United States.
Lawmakers and others have long been concerned about terrorists exploiting the student visa system to travel to the U.S.
A 20-year-old college student from Saudi Arabia was arrested in Texas in 2011 on federal charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
Authorities accused him of plotting to blow up dams, nuclear plants or the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush. He was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
The FBI is now focusing on Katherine Russell Tsarnaev after federal officials investigating the Boston bombings have discovered radical Islamist materials on a computer belonging to the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, has repeatedly claimed through her attorney that she knew nothing about the deadly April 15 bombings allegedly set off by her late husband, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and his younger brother, Dzhokhar.
The FBI is now focusing on Katherine Russell Tsarnaev after agents have discovered radical Islamist materials on her computer
However, the discovery of al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine on Katherine Russell’s computer, along with the presence of explosive residue throughout their home, have raised new questions about her possible involvement in the act of terror.
According to a government document obtained by NBC News, an analysis of the bombs used at the Boston Marathon and pipe bombs that the Tsarnaevs had allegedly thrown at police may have been built following instructions that appeared in an Inspire article titled: Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.
Officials have yet to determine whether the Islamist files found in Katherine Russell’s possession belonged to the 24-year-old mother, her late 26-year-old husband or a third party, a source told The Washington Post.
Tamerlan Tsranaev was shot dead in a gun battle with police four days after the marathon bombings when he and his brother allegedly carjacked a vehicle in a Boston suburb.
His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, had fled, setting off a massive manhunt that ended when he was discovered gravely wounded hiding in a boat.
Katherine Russell’s attorney, Amato DeLuca, had previously said his client was kept in the dark about the deadly plot, and she was shocked to learn that her husband and brother-in-law were allegedly responsible for the attacks.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that investigators inspecting Katherine Russell and Tamerlan Tsranaev’s home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found traces of explosive residue in the kitchen sink, the bathtub and on a table.
Following his arrest, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told police that he and his older brother built the pressure cooker bombs in the basement of the Cambridge residence.
However, it was established earlier this week that female DNA found one a piece of an explosive device used in the attacks did not match Katherine Russell’s, but rather belonged to a department store clerk where the Tsarnaev brothers had purchased the pressure cookers.
In another development in the case, federal and state law enforcement officials accompanied by bomb-sniffing dogs scoured a wooded area near Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev attended college, in search of new evidence possibly related to the attacks.
According to witness accounts, the brothers may have tested explosives in the woods two weeks before the bombings.
It was revealed earlier this week that Tamerlan Tsarnaev called his wife in the hours after the FBI released surveillance images of him and his younger brother.
But only Katherine Russell knows what was said in the conversation, as she has stopped cooperating with authorities over recent days, the New York Timesreported.
Authorities are skeptical of her insistence that she played no role in the attack or in helping the Tsarnaev brothers escape the authorities following the release of the photographs, the Times reported.
A source told CNN that the bombs were built in the apartment that Tamerlan Tsarnaev shared with Katherine Russell and their 3-year-old daughter, Zahara. Residue samples were found on the kitchen table, the kitchen sink, and the bathtub, the source said.
Katherine Russell’s silence comes as sources told the newspaper that the fingerprints and female DNA found on at least one of the bombs did not belong to her. Authorities had taken a sample from her this week.
Spokesman Jason Pack confirmed that agents investigating the Boston bombings visited the North Kingstown home of Katherine Russell’s parents, where Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow has been staying since the attacks.
An official had revealed that female DNA was found on at least one of the bombs, although investigators haven’t determined whose it is or whether it means a woman helped the two suspects.
Her lawyer says Katherine Russell denies any involvement in the bombings, but authorities are still working to establish what exactly she knew – if anything – before or after the April 15 attacks.
On Wednesday, attorney Amato DeLuca insisted Katherine Russell “will continue to meet with law enforcement, as she has done for many hours over the past week, and provide as much assistance to the investigation as she can”.
Katherine Russell met Tamerlan Tamerlan while she was a student at Suffolk University, according to her lawyer. She converted to Islam and they married in 2010 before having a daughter.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died on April 19 following a shoot out with police in Watertown. Investigators say his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, hit him with a car as he fled the scene.
Solar Impulse plane, which is powered only by the Sun, has completed the first leg of a journey that aims to cross the US after landing in Arizona.
Solar Impulse took off at dawn from San Francisco, California, on Friday and landed in Phoenix, Arizona, some 18 hours later.
The craft will stop over in Dallas, St Louis, Washington DC and New York in the coming weeks.
Solar Impulse plane has the same wingspan as an Airbus A340 but it weighs just 1.6 tonnes.
It has already made a day-and-night flight lasting more than 26 hours, and the team aims to eventually circumnavigate the globe in 2015.
Solar Impulse plane, which is powered only by the Sun, has completed the first leg of a journey that aims to cross the US after landing in Arizona
The plane took off from Moffett Field on the edge of San Francisco Bay at 06:12 local time on Friday, and landed at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport at 00:30 local time on Saturday.
This meant Solar Impulse spent several hours flying in darkness, relying solely on the energy stored in an array of lithium-ion batteries to drive its propellers.
In daylight hours, these are charged by nearly 12,000 solar cells that cover the craft’s wings and stabilizer.
The HB-SIA craft was piloted by Bertrand Piccard, a co-founder of the effort, who is perhaps best known for being the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a hot-air balloon, in 1999.
The trans-America bid is the first attempt of its kind with a zero-fuel aircraft.
Together with co-founder and entrepreneur Andre Borschberg, the pair of Swiss pilots have racked up a number of world records and milestones in recent years.
The first night flight of a solar-powered craft in 2010 was followed by a first international flight in 2011, and first inter-continental flight in 2012.
The two will share the job of flying the plane between each of the stops of the tour.
“We’ve been preparing for this flight since last summer, so we are all very excited,” Andre Borschberg said.
The current aircraft HB-SIA is effectively the prototype for the craft that will eventually be used for transoceanic flights and the round-the-world trip. The HB-SIB should be completed by the end of 2013.
“You should see this like being in 1915 when the pioneers were trying to do these first cross-country flights – still unable to cross the ocean, but an important step for the development of aviation,” Andre Borschberg said.
The launch on Friday served as the start of the pair’s Clean Generation Initiative, an effort to encourage policy-makers and businesses to develop and adopt sustainable energy technologies.
“We want to show that with clean technologies, a passionate team and a far-reaching pioneering vision, one can achieve the impossible,” Dr. Bertrand Piccard said at the announcement of the mission in March.
Vanilla Chamu is a Japanese model who has undergone a startling physical transformation that has so far involved more than 30 cosmetic procedures at a cost of 10 million yen ($102,000) just to look like a French doll.
Vanilla Chamu has said she intends to keep having surgeries until she has achieved her lifelong goal.
Photos of Vanilla Chamu prior to her first procedures reveal a rather mousy Japanese teenager whose facial features are virtually unrecognizable from the bizarre and undoubtedly more “western-looking” appearance that she now possesses.
Vanilla Chamu has undergone a startling physical transformation that has so far involved more than 30 cosmetic procedures at a cost of $102,000 just to look like a French doll
Certain plastic surgery treatments, including double-eyelid surgery and nose jobs, are increasingly popular amongst Asian woman wishing to look more western.
Vanilla Chamu has unquestionably had those treatments, but her long list of procedures also includes liposuction, eyelash implants, dimple creation, and breast implants, reportsBuzzFeed.
Still her current look isn’t enough for Vanilla Chamu in her quest to become a “perfect living French doll”.
The model has recently had even larger breast implants fitted and her next procedure promises to be her most extreme yet as she plans to undergo height lengthening surgery.
Vanilla Chamu underwent her first plastic surgery when she was 19 years old and keeps her current age a well-guarded secret.
She has become something of a cause célèbre in her native land, making countless television appearances and launching a pop career.
Her unusual appearance undoubtedly makes her guaranteed to stand out in any crowd, but she does possess a very unusual view of what a French doll should look like.
A French doll can also be known as a porcelain doll, bisque doll or china doll and means a doll partially or wholly out of bisque porcelain.
Traditionally French dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish and were at the peak of their popularity between 1860 and 1900. Such dolls are now highly collectible and worth thousands of US dollars.
With her inflated pout and fake breasts, Vanilla Chamu certainly doesn’t resemble a classic children’s toy, but she is undoubtedly her own creation.
Salwa Amin, a cast member of the MTV reality show Buckwild, is facing a drug charge after being held by police in West Virginia three months ago.
Salwa Amin, 24, was arraigned in February in Nicholas County Magistrate Court on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
Salwa Amin, 24, was arraigned in February in Nicholas County Magistrate Court on felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver
She is being held at the Central Regional Jail on $200,000 bond.
A multi-agency task force arrested Salwa Amin and two others at a home in Summersville after receiving a tip from an informant.
Officers say they found oxycodone pills and heroin.
Jail Administrative Sgt. Rick Drake says Salwa Amin doesn’t want to talk to the media.
MTV spokeswoman Candice Ashton says the network doesn’t have any comment.
Buckwild reality show features wild young West Virginians.
The show has drawn criticism for what some see as a negative portrayal of the state’s youth.
Dannielynn Birkhead was the spitting image of her mother Anna Nicole Smith as she and her father Larry Birkhead attended the 139th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs held in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
Anna Nicole Smith famously stole the show when she attended the Kentucky Derby in May 2004.
Since that moment and her tragic death in 2007, Larry Birkhead has often taken their daughter Dannielynn to the annual horse racing event.
Six-year-old Dannielynn Birkhead wore traditional Southern Belle attire, reminiscent of the costumes worn in the Mary Poppins movie.
Dannielynn Birkhead was the spitting image of her late mother Anna Nicole Smith at the 139th Kentucky Derby held in Louisville
She looked adorable in a white period-style dress with red trim, paired with matching parasol and shoes.
Meanwhile, her father Larry Birkhead channeled Dick Van Dyke in a multi-colored striped jacket and a matching straw brimmed hat.
Aside from his light blue bow tie, the rest of his outfit was all white, including his shoes.
Father and daughter held hands as they posed for pictures together on the red carpet, with Dannielynn gazing adoringly at her dad.
They have attended the event together in the past, and last year Dannielynn wore a pretty floral dress and flowers in her hair.
Dannielynn Birkhead is well on her way to getting as confident as her late mother Anna Nicole Smith in front of the camera. She recently appeared in an advertising campaign for Guess Kids.
“Dannielynn has always looked up to her mom’s image and I think that this is kind of Dannielynn’s way of paying tribute to her mom in her own special way,” Larry Birkhead told Good Morning America last November.
“To see her mom’s picture next to hers as a Guess girl and say, <<Hey, I was a Guess Kids girl, my mommy was a Guess girl>>, that might be her only connection with her mom.”
Anna Nicole Smith, the buxom reality TV star and former Playboy model who struggled with prescription drug problems, was found dead in a Florida hotel room in February 2007, aged 39.
The official cause of death was an accidental overdose of nine prescription drugs, including Valium and Atavan.
Anna Nicole Smith’s death followed the devastating loss of her 20-year-old son Daniel Smith just six months earlier, three days after his mother gave birth to Dannielynn.
Daniel Smith died after an accidental overdose of the drug methadone with the antidepressants Lexapro and Zoloft.
Guitarist and ethnomusicologist Bob Brozman was found dead aged 59 at his home in Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz County, CA, on April 23.
Bob Brozman’s death was ruled a suicide, according to the coroner’s office of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department and no more details were released up to now.
The American virtuoso guitarist was a musical pioneer who explored a vast range of cultures in more than 30 albums, the fruit of trailblazing research and recordings in Hawaii, India, Africa, Japan, Australia, Greece, Papua New Guinea and Reunion Island.
Bob Brozman was born in New York on March 8, 1954. He was involved in music since early childhood. A guitarist since age 6, Bob Brozman discovered National resophonic guitars at age 13. In their unique sound, the young Bob found his musical calling. He studied music and ethnomusicology at Washington University with a focus on the earliest roots of Delta blues. He became a respected authority on historical Hawaiian music, publishing articles and put together a large collection of 78rpm records. He produced five re-issue albums from this collection on the Rounder and Folklyric labels, documenting the best of Hawaiian music from 1915 to 1935.
In 1988, Bob Brozman rediscovered the legendary 1929 Hawaiian recording artists, the Tau Moe Family. Together they recorded a landmark album, Remembering The Songs Of Our Youth, a historic re-creation of the family’s genuine Hawaiian music from 60 years prior. The album was released in 1989 to rave international reviews, including the Library of Congress Select List Award. With National endowment of the Arts funding, Bob Brozman began production of a feature-length documentary film about the Moe family and their amazing 54-year-long world tour.
Guitarist and ethnomusicologist Bob Brozman was found dead aged 59 at his home in Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz County, CA, on April 23
Over the years, Bob Brozman’s passion for National Guitars led him to build a large collection of these attractive art-deco era instruments. After receiving a letter from the then-88-year-old inventor John Dopyera, Bob Brozman visited and became good friends with John and his family. This led to further research, and in 1993 Bob Brozman’s massive work The History And Artistry Of National Resonator Instruments was published internationally. He has also written for several music magazines concerning historical and instructional subjects.
In 2001 Bob Brozman released Nankuru Naisa (Riverboat Records ) with Okinawan vocalist and sanshin maestro Takashi Hirayasu as well as an array of guest musicians Los Lobos’s David Hidalgo.
Mahima, a collaboration with Indian slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya came out in 2003. On Mahima, the two guitarists explored the blues, Hawaiian and Indian music. The album also featured vocalist Sutapa Bhattacharya and tabla master Subhashis Bhattacharya.
Bob Brozman’s 2005 release Songs of the Volcano (CD/DVD) documented his two journeys to Papua New Guinea in 2003 and 2004, when he recorded with 60 musicians from five string bands.
In 2007 the musician released Lumière, an album featuring the Bob Brozman Orchestra – a unique concept where Bob Brozman intricately played each instrumental part, building layer upon layer to formulate the tremendous sound of an extensive orchestra. He revisited the influences drawn from previous collaborations with artists such as Debashish Bhattacharya, René Lacaille, Djeli Moussa Diawara and Takashi Hirayasu to reflect on the profound effect travel had on his life.
Bob Brozman teamed up with John McSherry and Dónal O’Connor on Six Days In Down (2010). In this project, Bob Brozman fused his characteristic guitar sound with Irish music, featuring the uilleann pipes played by virtuoso John McSherry and the fiddle, played by maestro Dónal O’Connor. The album also featured vocalist Stephanie Makem.
His deep knowledge of musical history and arranging enabled him to create large band arrangements and direct music for film, radio, television, and stage. His rhythmic style featured elements of blues, jazz, Gypsy swing, calypso, and even the most modern beats. His chords and harmonies were a blend of timbres from Hawaiian, Indian, African, Japanese/Okinawan, Caribbean, and American roots.
Bob Brozman did not own a CD player, and at one point he said he only ever listened to old music because he believed a “mental pollution” attached itself to the mass-media culture which sullied anything produced after the 1930s. He particularly hated rock (“the most boring beat ever devised by man”), believing its rigidity stifled imagination, although his antipathy towards modern music was softened slightly by the onset of hip hop, whose rhythms he adapted to great effect on some of his later recordings.
“The guitar is the ultimate colonial instrument,” he said.
“It was carried everywhere, from India back to the Pacific across the Americas and back to Europe. My philosophy is that all the music I play is connected by colonialism. It’s an accident of European harmonies fortuitously placed in the hands of people who have better rhythm than the Europeans.”
Through the years Bob Brozman gathered a large collection of National steel guitars, gave lectures, ran workshops, directed film music scores, and wrote The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments. Despite suffering regular pain as a result of a car accident in 1980, he never stopped touring.
His most recent record was last year’s Fire in the Mind, a blues album with a diversity of new and old stringed instruments, including instruments not normally used for blues.
Bob Brozman is survived by his wife and partner of 15 years, Haley Sage Robertson Brozman, daughter Zoe Brozman, 20, and brothers in New York City along with a large international community of friends and fans. It is their desire to carry out Bob Brozman’s vision in the creation of a foundation to help third-world musicians obtain the musical basics that western musicians take for granted.
Hilaria Baldwin showed off her baby bump in an orange dress as she joined husband Alec Baldwin to walk their dogs on Friday in New York City.
The 28-year-old yoga instructor looked ready for spring in the frock, which featured a chic bow that cinched in the dress just above her baby bump.
Hilaria Baldwin showed off her baby bump as she joined husband Alec Baldwin to walk their dogs in New York City
Hilaria Baldwin – who is due to give birth around mid-August – added a sophisticated touch with cream peep-toe heels and warded off the springtime chill with an over-sized black cardigan.
She wore her hair loose over her shoulders and added a slick of apricot lipstick to complement her bright orange outfit.
Alec Baldwin, 55, also dressed smartly for the walk, donning a baby blue shirt and olive green trousers.
Spanish-born Hilaria Baldwin recently told US Weekly that she plans to talk in her native tongue with her infant daughter.
“It’s a little tricky because my husband doesn’t speak Spanish, so that’ll be a little tricky in the house,” she said.
“But maybe we will have our own conversation and he’ll have to learn. We can talk behind his back. I cannot wait!”
While hundreds of families fled to avoid the wildfires that struck California, Britney Spears was driving towards the disaster on Friday.
Britney Spears’ Calabasas home was close to the flames and risks being destroyed by the terrifying fires.
Her family comes first and the star was presumably desperately trying to get to her two sons Jayden and Sean so that they could be reunited amid the danger.
Britney Spears, 31, was seen racing down the freeway into a cloud of smoke while in her white convertible Jaguar.
Britney Spears was seen racing towards California wildfire to get to her family as flames threaten to engulf their home
The singer was then spotted getting stuck in some traffic due to road closures as a result of the wildfire.
As the flames spread towards Malibu, lots homes are in danger, including many properties owned by celebrities.
About 4,000 homes and 300 commercial properties in Malibu and the surrounding area are at risk along with the Point Mugu naval base.
More than 10,000 acres from Newbury Park toward Malibu and the Ventura County coast have been blackened by the fire.
By 2 a.m. local time the brush-fueled wildfire was within “seven or eight miles” of Malibu, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said.
As well as burning a 10 mile path to the coast, numerous flare-ups were reported throughout Friday as shifting winds blew embers into new areas of tinder-dry brush.
Pregnant Kim Kardashian drew attention to herself as she arrived at LAX thanks to her low-cut top.
The white tank was already putting plenty of Kim Kardashian’s skin on show thanks to its low scoop-neck, but the star ended up revealing more than she bargained for.
Pregnant Kim Kardashian drew attention to herself as she arrived at LAX thanks to her low-cut top
As photographers snapped away, the reality star’s top turned sheer under the flashbulbs, revealing the white bra she was wearing underneath.
Kim Kardashian, who apparently now has size 32F breasts, has been choosing a lot of slimming black outfits during the later stages of her pregnancy.
But she decided to take a risk with lots of white for this occasion and sported a matching blazer over the loose-fitting tank top.
Kim Kardashian, 32, has not ditched the heels just yet added to her maternity chic look with a pair of black court shoes, sweeping her brunette locks into a bun.
She dressed down the outfit just slightly with a pair of ripped boyfriend jeans and covered her face with square-framed sunglasses.
Chris Brown celebrated his 24th birthday – which is actually on May 5th – at the Emerson nightclub in LA on Friday night, with former flame Karrueche Tran but without Rihanna.
The move is sparking rumors that there might be trouble in paradise for Rihanna and Chris Brown once again.
Rihanna, 25, is currently in New York for her Diamonds World Tour, and sources have revealed that work commitments are preventing the couple from finding much time to spend together.
A source told HollywoodLife: “It’s up and down sometimes, the s**t is even sideways. Every time some s**t pops off between them, they blast that s**t all over social media, and they shouldn’t.
“But when they’re far apart, that’s how they act out towards each other when one of them doesn’t get their own way. It’s crazy as f**k, but it’s how they get down.”
Chris Brown celebrated his 24th birthday at the Emerson nightclub in LA with ex Karrueche Tran but without Rihanna
Possibly trying to take his mind off his far-away girlfriend, Chris Brown hit LA to celebrate his upcoming birthday with some famous friends.
The singer was joined by Christina Milian, David Hasslehoff, Chloe Green and ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran as he partied the night away.
Chris Brown kept it casual for the celebration, wearing khaki-colored chinos and a white T-shirt. He wore an open chequered shirt and completed his look with a pair of black hi-top trainers.
Karrueche Tran – who was dumped by Chris Brown when he got back with Rihanna last year – showed off her slimline figure as she helped her ex celebrate.
Topshop heiress Chloe Green also attended in a white see-through top and leather trousers.
Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party has staged a rally in the center of the capital in protest at the Budapest’s hosting of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Sunday.
Several hundred supporters took part, despite attempts by the government to prevent it going ahead.
Jobbik said the rally was a protest against what it said was a Jewish attempt to buy up Hungary.
The party, which says it aims to protect Hungarian values and interests, is the third largest in parliament.
It regularly issues anti-Semitic statements.
The event in Budapest on Saturday was billed as a tribute to what organizers called the victims of Bolshevism and Zionism.
Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party has staged a rally in the center of the capital in protest at the Budapest’s hosting of the World Jewish Congress
“The Israeli conquerors, these investors, should look for another country in the world for themselves because Hungary is not for sale,” party chairman Gabor Vona told the rally, according to Reuters news agency.
Marton Gyongyosi said Hungary had “become subjugated to Zionism, it has become a target of colonization while we, the indigenous people, can play only the role of extras”.
Last year, Marton Gyongyosi had sparked outrage by saying all government officials of Jewish origin should be officially listed, as they might be a “national security risk”.
Some of those taking part in the rally were wearing the black uniform of Jobbik’s banned paramilitary wing, the Hungary Guard, which has been accused of vigilante action against Roma (Gypsy) communities.
PM Viktor Orban had ordered police to ban the march, but a Budapest court overruled the ban, saying it had been based on “unfounded presumptions”.
Viktor Orban instead instructed the interior ministry to use all lawful means to prevent the event, which goes against the constitution”.
Security was tight around the rally, with police blocking several streets, but there were no reports of unrest.
The WJC usually hosts its assembly in Jerusalem, but has chosen Hungary this year to highlight what it says is growing anti-Semitism in Europe.
The focus of its summit this year will be on the “alarming rise of neo-Nazi political parties and anti-Semitic incidents in several European countries, including Hungary”, it says on its website.
Spokesman Michael Thaidigsmann said the Jobbik rally was a “worrying sign that these people express their anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli ideology in such a public way”.
Keira Knightley exchanged vows with James Righton in a low-key ceremony in the south of France on Saturday with just 11 of her closest friends and family.
Mr. and Mrs. Righton, as they have now become, tied the knot at the town hall in Mazan, a small town around 12 miles from Marseilles.
Keira Knightley, 28, who is worth £30 million ($45 million), chose a silver Renault Clio to pick her up from the wedding and take her to the reception around three miles away, which seemed befitting for her casual country-style wedding.
The actress looked low-key but elegant in a strapless white dress with a tuille skirt and pale pink pumps.
Keira Knightley wore a cropped Chanel jacket on top and her hair was left loose, with a daisy-chain style garland around her head.
The short ceremony took place just before 12 midday and guests gathered at the doors as the couple skipped out hand in hand.
Keira Knightley clutched a bouquet and allowed James Righton, 29, to lead her to the car.
Keira Knightley exchanged vows with James Righton in a low-key ceremony in the south of France on Saturday with just 11 of her closest friends and family
The guests were also dressed casually. Mother of the bride, Sharman MacDonald, who is hosting a reception this afternoon, wore a blue and white silk dress while James Righton’s father, Nicholas, and brother, Bill, dressed down in chinos.
“It was a very moving ceremony,” said an onlooker.
“Keira looked extremely moved by the whole thing – there were certainly tears of happiness.
“It was sunny day without a cloud in the sky. There were cheers of <<Well done, Keira>> when she came out, but there were so few people present so they didn’t make much noise.
“It was amusing to see them being driven away in a battered old Renault Clio – it certainly looked as though it had seen better days.”
Some of the guests returned to the nearby Chateau de Mazan, where they are staying, to toast the happy couple with champagne.
Others headed straight to Sharman Macdonald’s $5 million house, about three miles outside of the medieval Provence town.
The eight-bedroom property, which is shielded by conifers, sits among 20 acres of vineyards and olive trees.
Neighbors include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who own a 17th century manor house nearby.
Later tonight James Righton’s band, the Klaxons, will entertain guests at an after-party in a marquee in the garden.
It is thought that around 50 will attend, including Keira Knightley’s former co-star, Hollywood actress Sienna Miller.
Keira Knightley and James Righton have employed a catering team to serve the wedding dinner and 120 bottles of wine have been bought from local vineyard Chateau Minuty.
It is understood that they will throw a second party to celebrate their wedding when they return to Britain.
Justin Bieber was playing a sold out show at the ITU Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, when he paused his act two times to allow fans to step away for the Muslim call to prayer, according to E! Online.
Referred to as Azan, or Adhan as it is called in Turkey, the religious ritual is performed five times a day as followers pause their actions to reaffirm their spiritual ideology.
The prayer is an important one for Turkish citizens, who even mention the practice in their national anthem.
Fans immediately took to Twitter where they were both shocked and delighted by his choice to honor the religious practice.
“Justin Bieber stopped his concert twice in Turkey before the azaan so people can go pray. Alhumdulilah, I’ve got respect for this guy now,” user @taznin_ wrote Friday, adding “all is well” in Arabic.
Justin Bieber stopped his performance in Istanbul two times to allow fans to step away for the Muslim call to prayer
“I have MAD respect for Justin Bieber for stopping his performance in Turkey during prayer, twice. #RESPECT,” @hudabeauty said.
“Arab artists DON’T stop their shows…Go Justin,” user @maysoonzayid wrote.
While Justin Bieber, 19, made no mention of it on his highly followed Twitter account, he did share some snaps of his time spent in the Arab nation.
“Turkey is crazy right now. We ready,” the teen idol wrote to his nearly 40 million followers.
Justin Bieber also shared a selfie as he drove through the country – which was instantly liked by over 800,000 fans.
“Turkey what’s good,” the Canadian singer captioned.
He also retweeted images from his entourage as the group arrived in Turkey – one image showing a sea of fans staring ahead at the stage as they waited for the show to begin.
“50k people in Turkey about watch lil homie perform. Wow God is good. Witnessing History,” user maejorali captioned the photo.
After Istanbul, Justin Bieber headed off to Dubai as he wraps up the international leg of the Believe Tour.
“Turkey was right. 4 more shows to go. Dubai is next,” he wrote Thursday.
The choice to honor his Turkish fans was seen as positive step for Justin Bieber, whose tour has been plagued with missteps.
A show in Oman was reportedly cancelled because the nation deemed his act “too sexy”, and only hours later as he and his entourage were stopped by security at the Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul for failing to show the proper travel documents.
Justin Bieber also drew ire for travelling with a Capuchin monkey named Mally, who was confiscated by customs officials in Munich, Germany.
Larry Hagman’s belongings will be auctioned off by Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia on May 5 in Los Angeles.
The Dallas star passed away aged 81 on November 23, 2012, from complications of throat cancer.
According to Reuters, the centerpiece of the items owned by Larry Hagman is a silver-and-gold belt buckle engraved with the initials of his character J.R. Ewing.
The garish trinket – adorned with four rubies – expects to fetch between $3,000 and $5,000.
Larry Hagman’s custom-made leather director’s chair from Dallas is expected to sell for $2,500 and $3,500.
There are numerous cowboy and western-themed items, including several trademark hats which will probably get between $600 and $800.
The centerpiece of the items owned by Larry Hagman is a silver-and-gold belt buckle engraved with the initials of his character J.R. Ewing
There are rocking chairs, walking sticks, costumes, cigarette cases, and a portrait of Larry Hagman by Oenone Acheson.
Speaking of artwork, Bonhams will also auction off Larry Hagman’s enviable celebrity art collection.
He owned an abstract landscape painting by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins, an oil painting by Frank Sinatra, and the two Michael Jackson scribbles should get $2,000-$3,000 each.
The Bill Belew costume design for Elvis Presley’s ’68 Special should fetch between $3,000 and $5,000.
Among Larry Hagman’s other musical items were an Eric Clapton guitar and amp ($10,000- $15,000) and the orchestral score for I Wanna Be Loved By You from Some Like It Hot ($800 – $1,200).
This auction comes after Larry Hagman’s 43-acre Ojai ranch affectionately nicknamed “Heaven” was sold for $5 million in March.
Larry Hagman was in the middle of filming episode five of 15 in Season 2 of the Dallas reboot when he died.
The 1978 CBS series, originally envisaged as a five-part drama, became a hit and counted millions of fans across the U.S. and in the 95 foreign countries where it was aired.
The original Dallas ran from 1979-1991, dominated ratings, inspired a prime-time soap craze, and gave rise to “Who Shot J.R.?” mania.
Larry Hagman was at the centre of it – and in 1980, 83 million people tuned in to find out just who had shot the ruthless oil baron.
Michaela Biancofiore, an Italian junior equal opportunities minister, has resigned the day after being sworn in to new coalition, having said gay people invited discrimination by “ghettoizing” themselves.
Michaela Biancofiore was defending herself against accusations of homophobia made by human rights groups.
But she invoked more wrath with Saturday’s comments to Italian media.
The sacking is an upset for Italian PM Enrico Letta’s one week old left-right coalition, analysts say.
On Friday, Enrico Letta, the Democratic Party deputy leader (PD), warned ministers in the fledgling government to work together and maintain “sobriety” when talking to the media.
Michaela Biancofiore is a member of Italy’s ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right People of Freedom party
Michaela Biancofiore, a member of ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right People of Freedom party (PDL), has been redeployed to the civil service ministry.
She says she supports “civil unions” to protect gay couples but opposes gay marriage.
But Saturday’s Italian newspapers quoted her as saying: “For once, I would like to see gay associations, instead of <<ghettoizing>> themselves… say something to condemn the recent spate of killings of women [in Italy]… All they do is defend their own interests.”
Enrico Letta’s new coalition is proving as fragile as forecast, because old political enemies of left and right are finding it difficult to work together as a team.
Silvio Berlusconi, who is not a member of the new government, but who remains an influential political player, is trying to dictate terms and conditions under which the new coalition must operate.
Political observers say at any minute Silvio Berlusconi could force new elections by withdrawing the support of his party from the hybrid coalition.
Friday’s swearing-in of the new government at Rome’s presidential Quirinale Palace signaled the end of two months of political deadlock.
Since February’s inconclusive poll there has been political stalemate in Italy, which is still plagued by economic woes after becoming one of the first eurozone victims of the global financial crisis of 2008.
Two people died and other 14 were injured after a train carrying toxic, flammable chemicals derailed and caused a major fire near the Belgian city of Ghent.
The train was travelling from the Netherlands to Ghent’s seaport when it derailed as it changed tracks between the towns of Schellebelle and Wetteren at about 02.00 a.m.
Six of the train’s 13 cars derailed and three caught fire, setting off a series of explosions.
Two people died and other 14 were injured after a train carrying toxic, flammable chemicals derailed and caused a major fire near the Belgian city of Ghent
It is unclear how the two people died.
More than 300 people were evacuated from the area.
Local official Jan Briers said: “Everything is well organized, I think, and right now, there is no reason to increase the safety zone.”
The fire was brought under control later on Saturday morning but residents were advised to keep their doors and windows closed.
The commander of the Ghent fire brigade, Christian van de Voorde, said the best way to limit the spread of toxic chemicals had been to let the fire burn out.
Chris Kelly’s mother told authorities in Atlanta her son became sick after taking cocaine and heroin on the night before he died, according to a police report.
Chris Kelly of the 90’s rap duo Kris Kross was found dead on Wednesday after a suspected drug overdose.
His mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, 54, and his uncle, Lamar Williams, 52, told authorities the singer had a history of drug abuse and experienced similar episodes in the past, according to a police report.
Paramedics found Chris Kelly, 34, unresponsive on a living room couch at his Atlanta home and tried to resuscitate him.
Chris Kelly, who was known as “Mac Daddy”, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Authorities completed a physical examination of the singer’s body and a toxicology screening was being done to determine cause of death, said Betty Honey of the Fulton County medical examiner’s office.
Kris Kross was introduced to the music world in 1992 by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri after he discovered the pair at Greenbriar Mall in south-west Atlanta.
Chris Kelly performed alongside Chris Smith, who was known as “Daddy Mac”.
Southern California wildfires have nearly tripled in size inside 24 hours, engulfing an area of 43 sq miles.
Firefighters have been using engines, aircraft, bulldozers and other equipment to battle the flames 50 miles north-west of Los Angeles.
Dubbed the Springs Fire, it has damaged just 15 properties but thousands of others are at risk.
Firefighters are counting on cooler weather and rain to help control it.
Captain Mike Lindbery of the Ventura County Fire Department said early on Saturday that crews intended to take advantage of the change in the weather.
Southern California wildfires have nearly tripled in size inside 24 hours, engulfing an area of 43 sq miles
“That will give us a chance because it’s going to really bring that fire activity down quite a bit,” he said.
“I think we will make some significant progress.”
After breaking out on Thursday, the fire quickly swept through the Camarillo Springs area.
It forced the closure of a section of the Pacific Coast Highway and threatened a naval facility.
Some 1,000 firefighters were deployed to fight it.
Local people were grateful so many homes had escaped the blaze.
Properties in the Springs area were well prepared for the fire after years of planning. Homes were built with sprinkler systems and fireproof exteriors from the roofs to the foundations.
Residents are required to clear brush and other combustible materials to within 100ft of the dwellings and local roads were built wide enough to accommodate emergency vehicles.
It is more usual for such wildfires to flare up in September or October, after the summer has dried out hillside vegetation, but the region saw a severe drought during the past year.
Fire crews have tackled more than 680 wildfires in California so far this year, some 200 more than average for the period.
Other fires have been burning this week in Riverside County, in the hills above Glendale and in Tehama County, northern California.
L’Oreal has launched hair loss and baldness treatment Kérastase Densifique, which has been hailed as a “major breakthrough” as it stimulates the scalp to wake up dormant follicles.
Scientists have found that many of those suffering from hair loss or balding have skin tissue in the scalp that has an oxygen deficiency – a condition called hypoxia.
They have developed a molecule called stemoxydine that targets this condition by attempting to increase oxygen levels in the scalp.
The increase aims to help follicles to produce thicker hair and stimulate hair growth in areas where the follicles have shut down.
The Kérastase Densifique cream, which costs $450 for a three-month treatment, is applied to the hair daily.
Kérastase Densifique, which has been hailed as a major breakthrough, stimulates the scalp to wake up dormant follicles
It is put into damp or dry hair using an applicator and then massaged into the scalp.
L’Oreal, which developed the hair treatment in its hair laboratory in Paris, claims that it is clinically proven to be effective for both men and women.
In a study, 101 people who used the product once a day for three months found a 4% increase in the number of hairs they had, which represent an average of 1,700 new hairs.
Patricia Pineau, head of scientific affairs at L’Oréal, said: “We’ve known for 100 years that hair grows and falls out. We haven’t known what makes hair regenerate until now.
“It is all about hair stem cell environment. In 2000, we have published the existence of two stem cell reservoirs in the hair and, more recently, we have both identified the optimal environment and designed a molecule able to favor it.
“Kérastase Densifique is a result of this discovery that happens not very often. We have been able to develop a cosmetic product that respects the natural way hair regenerates.
“A clinical trial has proven its efficacy on hair density – number and diameter. Kérastase Densifique will really help people who are experiencing thinning hair and less volume.”
Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, has sued literary agent Samuel Pinkus, who she says tricked her into assigning him the copyright on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book.
Harper Lee, 87, says Samuel Pinkus took advantage of her failing hearing and eyesight to transfer the rights and has failed to respond to license requests.
To Kill A Mockingbird was published in 1960 and is considered a classic. It has sold more than 30 million copies.
Harper Lee is rarely seen in public and declines almost all interview requests.
Harper Lee has sued literary agent Samuel Pinkus, who she says tricked her into assigning him the copyright on To Kill A Mockingbird
The novel is the only published book by the author, who lives in Monroeville, Alabama.
In the lawsuit, Harper Lee alleges that when her long-time literary agent, Eugene Winick, became ill in 2002, his son-in-law, Samuel Pinkus, switched several of Winick’s clients to his own company.
Samuel Pinkus is alleged to have transferred the rights to secure himself “irrevocable” interest in the income derived from Harper Lee’s book.
He also sought to avoid paying legal obligations he owed to his father-in-law’s company for royalties, according to the lawsuit.
It is further alleged that Samuel Pinkus failed to respond to offers on e-book rights and a request for assistance related to the book’s 50th anniversary.
The lawsuit bids the court to assign any rights in the book owned by Samuel Pinkus to Harper Lee and asks that she be returned any commission he took from 2007 onwards.
Samuel Pinkus did not immediately respond to an email from Reuters news agency seeking comment.
Set in Depression-era, small-town Alabama, To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story of a lawyer who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died from gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to his head and torso, a funeral home in Worcester revealed today.
Worcester funeral home owner Peter Stefan who was holding the body Tamerlan Tsarnaev read the details from his death certificate on Friday.
The certificate cites 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s “gunshot wounds of torso and extremities” and lists the time of his death as 1:35 a.m. on April 19, four days after Boston Marathon deadly bombings, Peter Stefan said.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with authorities who had launched a massive manhunt for him and his younger brother, Dzhokhar.
Police have said he ran out of ammunition before his younger brother dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev died from gunshot wounds and blunt trauma to his head and torso
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s family on Friday was making arrangements for his funeral as investigators searched the woods near a college attended by 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was captured less than a day after his brother’s death.
The funeral parlor in Worcester is familiar with Muslim services and said it will handle arrangements for Tamerlan Tsarnaev, whose body was released by the state medical examiner on Thursday night.
The body was taken initially to a North Attleborough funeral home, where it was greeted by about 20 protesters.
On Friday a woman answering a phone at the funeral parlor said it has since been removed and taken elsewhere, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“He was briefly here and he is no longer here. That is all the information we can provide,” said the woman who only identified herself by her first name of Nina.
Peter Stefan, owner of Graham Putnam and Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Worcester, an hour’s drive west of Boston, said everybody deserves a dignified burial service no matter the circumstances of his or her death and he is prepared for protests.
“My problem here is trying to find a gravesite. A lot of people don’t want to do it. They don’t want to be involved with this,” said Peter Stefan, who said dozens of protesters gathered outside his funeral home, upset with his decision to handle the funeral.
“I keep bringing up the point of Lee Harvey Oswald, Timothy McVeigh or Ted Bundy. Somebody had to do those, too.”
Portugal plans to cut 30,000 civil service jobs and to raise the retirement age by one year to 66 as it tries to meet the terms of a bailout.
PM Pedro Passos Coelho said civil servants would also be required to work 40 hours a week instead of 35.
The proposals, which would be applied mostly from next year, would save 4.8 billion euros over three years, the prime minister said.
Austerity measures have proved deeply unpopular and have triggered large protests.
“With these measures, our European partners cannot doubt our commitment” to the bailout, Pedro Passos Coelho said in an address to the nation late on Friday.
Portugal’s PM Pedro Passos Coelho announced new austerity measures from next year that would save 4.8 billion euros over three years
“To hesitate now would harm the credibility that we have already won back,” he added.
Portugal received a 78 billion euro bailout from the EU, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the IMF in 2011.
Unemployment stands at nearly 18% – a record high – and the economy is expected to shrink for a third consecutive year in 2013.
Last month, the Portuguese Constitutional Court struck down more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of proposed cuts, which included the suspension of holiday bonuses for public sector workers and pensioners.
That forced the centre-right government to look elsewhere for savings – though it has ruled out raising taxes.
“We will not raise taxes to correct the budgetary problem resulting from the Constitutional Court’s decision,” Pedro Passos Coelho said.
“The way must be through the structural reduction of public spending.”
Portugal’s main Socialist opposition party has accused Pedro Passos Coelho of inflicting excessive austerity on Portugal in pursuit of an ideologically driven programme.
