Virgin Atlantic to appeal against BMI sale to BA
Virgin Atlantic is to appeal against the European Commission's decision to allow the owner of British Airways to buy the airline BMI.
IAG, which also owns Spain's Iberia, has been given the go-ahead to buy its smaller rival from Lufthansa for £172.5m.
But Virgin said that the Commission "seemingly ignored all of the strong cases" made against the deal.
The deal is expected to take effect on 20 April, IAG has said.
The sale of BMI to IAG was announced in December and regulatory approval was granted by the Commission on 30 March.
BA will gain 56 more slots at Heathrow airport, although it has been forced to give up 12 slots as part of the deal.
'Lightning speed'
But Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, criticised the Commission for reaching its conclusion in 35 working days.
"This deal was agreed with lightning speed and we think the number of slots offered is derisory - representing less than a quarter of BMI's former network," he said.
"We will challenge every aspect of this process which if allowed to stand, will undoubtedly damage the British airline industry for years to come.
"The European Commission has seemingly ignored all of the strong cases made by politicians, business groups and airlines, to enable one big company to become even more bloated."
Virgin will bid for all the 12 slots that BA has been forced to give up, the airline added.
Job losses
IAG has said that the takeover could result in the loss of up to 1,200 jobs.
BMI employs more than 3,600 staff, but reported a £153m loss in the year to 2010.
Based in Castle Donington, in Leicestershire, it operates flights to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
It has 8.5% of the landing slots at Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport.
Fighting Ends in Afghan Capital
Afghan officials say all fighting with insurgents across the capital has now ended.
That announcement Monday came hours after residents of Kabul awoke to a second day of intense gunfire and loud explosions.
Afghan officials said at dawn that security personnel were exchanging fire with militants holed up in a building in Kabul's central diplomatic area, where insurgents began their coordinated attacks Sunday.
The attacks targeted the parliament, NATO headquarters and an area that includes the U.S., German and British embassies. Suicide blasts in the capital were followed by intense gunfire and rocket attacks. Dark smoke rose into the sky as Afghan troops rushed into the streets with weapons drawn. Residents took cover indoors and emergency alarms blared throughout the city.
The militants also struck three eastern provinces Sunday as part of what they called their “spring offensive.”
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assaults.
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry reported that 19 attackers were killed and that 14 police officers and 9 civilians were wounded. Western embassies said none of their staff members was hurt. Government officials said at least three suspects have been detained.
NATO commander General John Allen praised Afghan security forces for their quick and well-coordinated response to the attacks. He said international forces are standing by to support their Afghan partners “when and if they need it.”
NATO spokesman Carsten Jacobson said insurgents were “indiscriminantly” firing at targets, not to “achieve a military success, but to achieve publicity.”
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the attacks “cowardly” during a call to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker to assess the situation on the ground.
Violence has continued in the country as coalition forces have begun withdrawing from Afghanistan and transferring security responsibility to their Afghan counterparts.
During an interview with CNN Sunday, U.S. Ambassador Crocker said Afghan security forces responded “very professionally” to the coordinated strikes. The envoy noted Afghan troops successfully captured and killed suspects while suffering relatively few casualties of their own.
The United States and Afghanistan are also pushing toward completion of a long-term strategic agreement defining the U.S. presence in Afghanistan once all foreign combat troops leave the country by 2014.
Coordinated Taliban Strikes Rock Afghanistan
Taliban militants in Afghanistan have carried out coordinated attacks in the capital, Kabul, and three eastern provinces as part of what they call their “spring offensive.”
The attacks targeted the parliament, NATO headquarters in Kabul and an area that includes the U.S., German and British embassies.
Suicide blasts in the capital were followed by intense gunfire and rocket attacks.
Dark smoke rose into the sky as Afghan troops rushed into the streets with weapons drawn. Residents took cover indoors and emergency alarms blared throughout the city.
NATO commander General John Allen praised Afghan security forces for their quick and well-coordinated response to the attacks. He said international forces are standing by to support their Afghan partners “when and if they need it.”
Similar violence erupted in Jalalabad City in Nangahar province, Gardez in Paktia province and in Logar province.
After the initial attacks, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the assaults and warned that operations by suicide bombers were still underway.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the attacks “cowardly” during a call to U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker to assess the situation on the ground.
NATO spokesman Carsten Jacobson said insurgents were “indiscriminantly” firing at targets, not to “achieve a military success, but to achieve publicity.”
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry reported that 19 attackers were killed and that 14 police officers and 9 civilians were wounded. Western embassies said none of their staff members was hurt.
Government officials said at least three suspects have been detained.
Violence has continued in the country as coalition forces have begun withdrawing from Afghanistan and transferring security responsibility to their Afghan counterparts.
During an interview with CNN on Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to Kabul Ryan Crocker said Afghan security forces responded “very professionally” to the coordinated strikes. The envoy noted Afghan troops successfully captured and killed suspects while suffering relatively few casualties of their own.
The United States and Afghanistan are also pushing toward completion of a long-term strategic agreement defining the U.S. presence in Afghanistan once all foreign combat troops leave the country by 2014.
Obama: US Offered No ‘Freebies’ to Iran
U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday insisted his administration did not “give away anything” to Iran during the latest round of nuclear talks in Turkey.
Speaking to reporters in Cartagena, Colombia, where he attended the Summit of the Americas, Mr. Obama also defended Washington's decision to continue to push for a diplomatic resolution of the dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
He said that while he refused to let the negotiations turn into a “stalling process,” he was willing to give diplomacy one last chance.
President Obama was responding to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said earlier Sunday that the U.S. and world powers gave Tehran a “freebie” by agreeing to hold another round of talks next month in Baghdad.
Saturday's talks in Istanbul between diplomats from Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany were the first since a previous round of talks collapsed 15 months ago amid mutual recriminations.
U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes called the discussions a “positive first step” and the plans to hold another meeting in May an “additional positive sign.”
When asked what message Israel should take from the meeting in Turkey, Rhodes said the U.S. and Israel have communicated “a sense of urgency,” that time is not unlimited. He said Washington and Tel Aviv have also stressed the need for concrete confidence-building steps by Iran.
The talks in Istanbul came at a time of increased international pressure on Tehran. New U.S. and European Union economic sanctions against Iran are due to go into effect July 1, while Israel has warned it may take military action.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie announce engagement
Hollywood A-listers Angelina Jolie, 36, and Brad Pitt, 48, are engaged to be married, a spokeswoman has confirmed.
But no wedding date has yet been set, she added, describing the engagement as "a promise for the future".
The couple, who are among Hollywood's most widely recognised celebrities, have been together since 2005.
They have six children together, including three adopted children. They are "very happy" about the news, the spokeswoman said.
Jolie, the daughter of actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, has starred in blockbuster films such as Mr & Mrs Smith, where she met Pitt. She won an Oscar for her performance in the 1999 film Girl, Interrupted.
She was previously married to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.
Meanwhile, Pitt has starred in a string of hit films including blockbusters Ocean's Eleven, Seven and, more recently, the critically acclaimed Moneyball and Tree of Life.
Earlier, Pitt had high-profile relationships with actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Anniston, to whom he was married.
As a couple Pitt and Jolie have championed humanitarian causes.
In 2001 she became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She has also established a number of charitable organisations, among them the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
India anger at Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan detention
India has reacted angrily to the detention of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan by US authorities for 90 minutes at White Plains airport near New York.
This "policy of detention and apology by the US cannot continue", External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said.
The actor arrived on a private plane and was on the way to Yale University for a function when he was stopped.
US customs and border protection authorities later expressed "profound" apologies for the incident.
The spokesman for the US embassy in Delhi, Peter Vrooman, also apologised "if Mr Shah Rukh Khan experienced an inconvenience or delay".
It is not clear why Khan was detained at the airport, which serves New York City.
In 2009 the actor was detained for two hours at Newark airport and was released after India's embassy in the US intervened.
The actor said then that he was stopped because he had a Muslim name. US customs officials denied that Khan had been detained, saying he was questioned.
'Uncalled for'
"Apologies from America have become mechanical," Mr Krishna said on Friday.
He also asked India's ambassador in the US, Nirupama Rao, to lodge a protest with Washington.
Member of Parliament Rajeev Shukla said the detention was "totally uncalled for".
The Bollywood film industry has also come out in support of the actor.
"All that the US immigration authorities need to know about Shah Rukh Khan, they can find it at the touch of a button," musician Javed Akhtar said.
Earlier, the Press Trust of India news agency reported that Khan was stopped and questioned for more than two hours before being cleared by immigration officials on Thursday.
He was freed after Yale University officials contacted homeland security and customs officials, the BBC's Salim Rizvi in New York said.
"Khan was very, very upset over the episode," the CNN-IBN channel said, quoting unnamed sources.
Later, he told the students of Yale University that he had been stopped and questioned at the airport.
But, he made light of the incident and joked about it.
"Whenever I start feeling arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to America. The immigration guys kick the star out of stardom," he said to laughter from the audience.
"They [immigration officials] always ask me how tall I am and I always lie and say 5ft 10 inches. Next time I am going to get more adventurous. [If they ask me] what colour are you, I am going to say white," he said.
Khan has appeared in more than 70 films and is considered one of India's most recognisable and popular celebrities.
Other incidents
There have been several incidents in the past of prominent Indian officials being stopped or frisked at US airports.
In December 2010, the US expressed regret after India's then-ambassador Meera Shankar was pulled out of an airport security line and frisked by a security agent.
Some reports said she was singled out as she was wearing a sari.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was concerned about the incident and vowed to prevent a recurrence.
And in 2009, America's Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam for frisking him before he boarded a flight to the US.
Members of India's parliament were outraged after it emerged that Mr Kalam had been frisked and made to remove his shoes at Delhi airport in April.
Protocol exempts former presidents and other dignitaries from such searches.
Erykah Badu Wants to Blow Your Mind with Two Albums
She wears a lot of hats these days, including mommy, midwife, spokeswoman, and singer and she’s not slowing down a bit.
Erykah Badu is ready to get back in the studio for some more of that good music. She said she’s working on a solo project and a collaborative album with her group, the Cannabinoids.
“I give myself room to breathe and grow and to procrastinate but to finish those projects is my next successful moment that I am seeking,” said Erykah who is known for keeping her own pace and rhythm. “I am working really hard his year. I don’t have much time to write but I can do it.”
By the way, the Cannabinoids is an eclectic group of musicians who’ve come together for the sake of Hip Hop and creative sounds.
The group’s name references the receptors in marijuana that produce chemical changes and feelings of hunger, paranoia and addiction. But Erykah is hoping listeners get addicted to the group’s digital hip-hop influenced sound, which has helped reinvigorate her creativity, says Sister 2 Sister magazine.
“We are about impromptu performing and we are in the studio trying to recreate something we did on the spot and that’s fun. Our theme is welcome to the human brain and science of addiction. We want you to become addicted to that,” she said.
Naomi Campbell Being Blamed for Russian Boyfriend’s Divorce
Naomi Campbell tries to live a low profile life, but sometimes, things get out of hand.
She’s being dragged into her man’s divorce case from estranged wife, Ekaterina, who is citing her as the reason for their divorce. But the model is confused since the two (her boyfriend and his wife) were separated for over 10 years before they even began dating.
Her Russian billionaire beau, Vladimir Doronin, is still dealing with the mess that comes along with divorce.
Doronin and Ekaterina were married for 24 years and have a 15-year-old daughter together. He actually had a seven year relationship with another woman before meeting Naomi.
Bolt, Blake sizzle at UTech Classics
Usain Bolt opened his season at Saturday’s University of Technology (UTech) Track and Field Classics inside the National Stadium, but it was his training partner, Yohan Blake, who brought the most heat on a wet evening in Kingston.
Bolt, brought the crowd which was concentrated in the grandstand to its feet when he anchored Racers’ Track Club to a meet record 37.82 in the ‘Clubs and Institutions’ men’s 4x100m relay, as former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, who anchored the MVP team in 38.27 to second place, seemed barely bothered with trying to catch a less-than-comfortable looking Bolt.
“My legs felt good, it was nice to finish the race healthy. I would have liked to have gotten the baton a bit closer to Bolt though,” Powell lamented after the race; but there will be other opportunities in the future for the 80-time sub-10 sprinter.
Bolt, the world record holder over 100m and 200m, has been main topic in recent weeks with speculations of his health dominating public discussion following his somewhat delayed entry into competition this season.
“My coach decides when I run, he decided that this would be the meet where I started so I am here,” said Bolt. “I feel good, I am running pretty well, I am working on my starts and a few different things and everything is coming together, we have about 100 days to go before the Olympics so I am just taking my time and working on what I need to.”
Blake, who ran the second leg for the Racers team in the relay returned a couple hours later to underline his status as a main contender at this summer’s Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association/Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships and of course, the Olympic Games in London.
His start, as usual wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t long before he had the rest of the field looking at his head back clocking 9.90 in a +1.6 m/s wind to set a new meet record.
“I could have pushed some more towards the end but my coach told me to take it easy tonight,” said Blake, breathing hard but nonetheless managing a satisfied smile; his work was done for the night.
Jacques Harvey (UTech), 10.10, and Sheldon Mitchell, (SWEPT) 10.18 took the other top spots.
Olympic finalist Rosemarie Whyte, also from Racers, was impressive, winning the women’s 400m in a world-leading 51.13 ahead of MVP pair of Anneisha McLaughlin, 52.49, and Stephanie McPherson, 52.98.
MVP’s Sherone Simpson, who had the previous best time in the world, failed to finish the event after apparently running out of steam at the 350m mark.
UWI’s Hansle Parchment set a new record in the men’s 110m hurdles, winning in 13.71 while MVP’s Nesta Carter continued his fine-tuning with a 20.48 win in the men’s 200m ahead of Racers’ Daniel Bailey 20.60, and GC Foster’s Rasheed Dwyer, 20.71.
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Livorno midfielder Morosini dies after cardiac arrest during match
Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini died Saturday after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing on the field during a Serie B match at Pescara. He was 25.
Edoardo De Blasio, a cardiologist at Pescara's Santo Spirito hospital, confirmed the death.
"Unfortunately he was already dead when he arrived at hospital," De Blasio said. "He didn't regain consciousness."
Morosini, who was on loan from Udinese, fell to the ground in the 31st minute of the match and tried unsuccessfully to get up several times before receiving medical attention on the field. A defibrillator was used on the player, who also had his heart massaged, before an ambulance arrived on the field. He was taken to the hospital where doctors tried to revive him for more than an hour.
A consultant in the hemodynamics department at the hospital, who was watching the game and rushed to help before the ambulance arrived, said Morosini never regained consciousness.
"Morosini never had a single heartbeat again," Leonardo Paloscia said. "From when I arrived he never gave a sign of revival, not in his respiration nor his heartbeat. When I arrived everything (his heart, respiration) was stopped.
"No one can say what the cause was, I think nothing will come out until after the autopsy."
The autopsy likely will be held on Monday. All Italian matches this weekend were called off after the death was announced.
"We are living through a drama," Pescara's general manager, Danilo Iannascoli, told Sky Italia.
It was the latest high-profile case of a soccer player collapsing from heart failure on the field, coming less than a month after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered cardiac arrest during a game in England.
Muamba survived, but remains in intensive care with steady progress.
An inquiry into Morosini's death will be opened and focus on the car belonging to traffic police that blocked the ambulance's way into the stadium. A window had to be broken so the car could be moved, while players and officials were frantically gesturing for the ambulance to get there.
"At the beginning we didn't really understand the seriousness of the situation," Pescara goalkeeper Luca Anania said. "I immediately ran to Livorno's half, where Morosini had fallen.
"There was great confusion and I seemed to understand that there was also a bit of delay in help arriving, because they said the ambulance couldn't get on the pitch because the entrance was blocked by another car. Some of my teammates helped carry the stretcher by hand to the ambulance."
The match was abandoned with Livorno leading 2-0, and several players left the field in tears. Livorno players and officials rushed to hospital, where they were told their teammate had passed away.
"Only tears. There are no words to express what I tried to when I found out about Piermario Morosini's death," FIFA President Sepp Blatter tweeted in Italian. "The tragedy which hit everyone who wished him well, is a source of great pain for football fans."
Morosini was orphaned in his teens. His mother died when he was 15 and his father died two years later. His brother died shortly afterward, leaving the young Morosini with just an older sister.
"They are things which mark you and change your life," Morosini said in 2005 following the death of his parents. "But at the same time they instill in your body so much anger and help you to always give everything to realize what was also my parents' dream."
Morosini came through the youth system at Atalanta before moving on to Udinese.
"He was golden, always trying to help his family," Atalanta youth team director Mino Favini said. "He was a fantastic lad who always rushed to help everyone. He lived for his family, yet he was such an unlucky man."
Morosini made six appearances for Udinese before he was loaned to Bologna in 2006 and then Vicenza for two seasons. Morosini made 18 appearances for the Italy Under-21 side and was a member of the 2009 European Under-21 Championship squad, which reached the semifinals.