Spike Lee apologizes for retweeting wrong Zimmerman address
Director Spike Lee issued an apology Wednesday night to a Florida couple who had to leave their home after he retweeted a message that erroneously listed their address as belonging to George Zimmerman.
"I Deeply Apologize To The McClain Family For Retweeting Their Address," Lee tweeted. "It Was A Mistake. Please Leave The McClain's In Peace. Justice In Court"
Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who claimed he killed teenager Trayvon Martin in self-defense last month, lives more than 4 miles from David and Elaine McClain. He is reported to be in hiding.
The McClains moved into a hotel room after the retweets.
"We got out of the house. It is just too scary," Elaine McClain told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell on Wednesday before the Lee apology. "We've got to quit the hatred and the vengeance and start looking on the inside of people and quit looking on the outside of people. It is just sad the reactions that have been going on."
She told CNN Orlando affiliate WKMG that her youngest son has the last name of Zimmerman and the middle name George.
The couple told the station they received a letter addressed to George Zimmerman on Monday. On the back was a reference to Skittles.
Outcry mounts in Trayvon Martin case
Zimmerman fatally shot Martin, 17, on February 26 as the teen was walking back to his father's fiancee's house in Sanford. Martin was wearing a hoodie and carrying Skittles candy and a can of iced tea he had purchased from a nearby convenience store.
Elaine McClain said the couple called police after receiving the letter.
Lee, who has 250,000 Twitter followers, retweeted the address over the weekend, and it went viral. The man who initially sent the message, identified on his Twitter account as Marcus D. Higgins of Los Angeles, also apologized.
David McClain said they have accepted that, but want a retraction of the tweet with an apology attached.
Elaine McClain told HLN that an apology from Lee "could be a healing for this community."
Attorney and TV personality Lisa Bloom told CNN's Brooke Baldwin on Wednesday that the couple probably had legal recourse.
"This, in my opinion, is an invasion of their privacy and is defamatory to imply they had something to do with this incident, which they didn't."
A rapid remedy would include an apology from Lee and an offer to pay their security costs for a few days. "Make it right before this blows up to something bigger," Bloom said.
The McClains have hired Orlando attorney John Morgan, who said they might have a civil claim against Lee. "Fortunately, this couple is not about that right now."
"What they want to do is get a retraction, get an apology so everybody knows that that's not the house," Morgan told Velez-Mitchell.
(CNN)
Album sales: 'Hunger Games' soundtrack tops chart
When an album reaches the top of the Billboard 200 in its first week, there's only One Direction it can go.
After making history as the first artists to have their debut album bow at No.1, the British boy band One Direction ceded the top spot this week to the star-packed "Hunger Games" soundtrack.
Dubbed as a "companion" to the Jennifer Lawrence-led cinematic juggernaut (most of the songs don't actually appear in the film), the album sold a whopping 175,000 copies, becoming the first theatrical soundtrack to debut atop the chart since Michael Jackson's "This Is It" back in 2009.
Of course, the "Hunger Games" soundtrack was certainly bolstered by its enviable roster of artists, which includes Taylor Swift, the Arcade Fire, and Maroon 5 -- just to name a few. The movie itself grossed $155 million in its first weekend.
So how steeply did One Direction's "Up All Night" fall? The album clocked in at No. 4 with 55,000 units moved (a 69 percent drop from last week's 175,000) -- bested by, yep, Adele's "21" (No. 2, with 130,000) and the Shins' "Port of Morrow" (which debuted at No. 3, with 75,000).
Rounding out the top five is Odd Future's major-label debut "The OF Tape Vol. 2," selling a hearty 40,000 in its first week.
As for the rest of the list: Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball" fell to No. 6 with 37,000; Melanie Fiona's "The MF Life" posted a respectable 34,000 in its first week, placing it at No. 7; and "Now 41" (No. 8, with 31,000), Whitney Houston's "Greatest Hits" (No. 9, with 29,000), and Esperanza Spalding's "Radio Music Society" (No. 10, with 25,000 in its debut week) round out the rest of this week's top 10.
Lady Antebellum to host prom for tornado-ravaged school
Students at an Indiana high school heavily damaged by a tornado this month will have a private prom party thrown by the country music trio Lady Antebellum, followed by a public concert to raise money for their community.
The country music group announced last week that Henryville Junior-Senior High School was the winner of its "Own the Night" prom contest based on a video entry submitted by a rival Clark County, Indiana, school.
"Now, don't get me wrong, we would love to have you at our prom, but there's another school in the West Clark family that deserves it more than any other school in the country," Silver Creek High School senior Luke Gillenwater said in the winning video.
Lady Antebellum was already booked April 27, the night of the Henryville prom, so they set aside May 16 for a prom party in KFC YUM! Center in nearby Louisville, Kentucky, the group said Tuesday.
All the money raised from a public concert after the prom party will be donated to a local disaster relief fund, the group said.
"Helping rebuild this community is our biggest priority right now," Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott said. "We were so moved by the stories from Henryville High School but also from the students at their rival schools who raised their hands and said they wanted to help."
Damage done by the March 2 tornado closed the campus until the fall. Students are scheduled to resume classes April 2 in an industrial building 10 miles away.
"They missed so much with the school being destroyed that things like this help them feel whole again," West Clark Community Schools Superintendent Monty Schneider said. "They will be talking about the tornadoes for the rest of their lives, but this event will give them something positive to reflect on about that time."
CNN
Titanic: Kate Winslet and James Cameron at 3D premiere
Oscar-winner Kate Winslet and director James Cameron have been in London for the red carpet premiere of a new, 3D version of Titanic.
Winslet shot to worldwide fame after starring in the original 1997 film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
She told the BBC the global hit was "massively important" to her career, giving her "creative freedom".
However, she added, the thought of seeing her performance transformed into 3D was "terrifying".
Director James Cameron said the new version of Titanic would allow fans to "revisit" the box-office blockbuster.
"The big thrill of it isn't just the 3D," he said, "it's bringing it back to the big screen, where it has a lot more emotional impact."
The director added he had been "plucked off my expedition ship" for the premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, following his recent deep ocean descent off the Pacific island of Guam.
Anniversary year
Titanic, which took two years to film, saw Winslet play upper class socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater opposite DiCaprio's third class passenger Jack Dawson.
She said the film had "never left her".
"People have been saying to me all day, 'How does it feel to be revisiting it after all this time?'," she said. "But people ask me about Titanic all the time, so it isn't like I'm revisiting it at all. It's part of my DNA."
Until the release of Avatar in 2009 - also directed by Cameron - Titanic was the most successful movie ever, with global takings of $1.843bn (£1.14bn).
Avatar went on to make $2.77 billion (£1.76 billion).
Speaking of the 3D conversion, Cameron said: "More than ever, you feel you're right there going through all the jeopardy that Jack and Rose go through.
"The 3D kicks the whole experience up to another level."
He added he would consider 3D versions of his other movies, including the first two Terminator films, if they were considered economically viable.
Winslet won the best actress Oscar for The Reader in 2009, while Titanic picked up 11 Oscars at the 1998 Academy Awards.
The film is being re-released 100 years after the titular ship set sail.
Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, the passenger liner struck an iceberg on its way from Southampton to New York.
It sank less than three hours later, killing 1,517 people.
'New' Rembrandt portrait to be unveiled at Woburn Abbey
An oil painting of an old man that has been newly authenticated as a work by Rembrandt is to go on public display at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire this week.
The painting - known as The Old Rabbi - was last exhibited in 1950 and has hung ever since in a private room.
Last year Ernst van de Wetering, a leading expert on the 17th Century artist, was invited to study the work.
He said it was "an outstanding specimen of Rembrandt's art" that impressively depicted "dignity in old age".
"This is a discovery and a fine addition to the abbey's wonderful collection of Dutch art," said general manager Jonathan Irby.
"We are very excited about bringing this exquisite painting into the public eye, especially since visitors will be able to get within a few inches of it."
It is believed that the Woburn picture and a painting in the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin, thought to be a portrait of Rembrandt's wife Saskia, were intended as a pair.
Both were painted in 1643 on a mahogany panel taken from the same sugar case and share similarities of design and biblical style.
Pope Benedict Ends Cuba Visit
Pope Benedict concluded his first official visit to Cuba after meeting with former President Fidel Castro and holding a mass before a multitude gathered in Havana's Revolution Square. During his trip -- which included a stop in Mexico -- the pope called on Cuba's government to reconsider Marxism and urged the people to embrace the faith of their elders.
They walked the last kilometer, and more, to witness Pope Benedict's mass.
In his homily, the pontiff spoke of his joy at the recent increase in freedom given to the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba. But he also referred to the isolation of a country that has been under a U.S. embargo for the past 50 years.
“Cuba and the world need change, but this will occur only if each one is in a position to seek the truth and chooses the way of love, sowing reconciliation and fraternity,” he said.
Before arriving in Cuba, Benedict called on the government to recognize that Marxism, in his words, “no longer corresponds to reality.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, the official in charge of economic reforms, Vice President Marino Murillo, rejected the pope's critique.
"In Cuba there won't be political reform,” he said.
Marxist revolutionary heroes Ernesto “Che” Guevarra and Camilo Cienfuegos looked over their shoulders as they prayed to God.
It was hot, even for Cubans, and it was hard to see from so far away. But it was still meaningful for Clara Martinez.
“Having the pope in Cuba is very important for religious people. I think it's an unforgettable experience and may be the last time. It's not often that the pope visits," Martinez said.
Catholics remember Pope John Paul's visit in 1998. They are a small minority in Cuba, which has a variety of religious groups.
The Vatican is hoping to win over the many Cubans who mix Catholic and African traditions.
Katia Ogania may be prepared to convert.
“I'm an atheist. But I wouldn't mind, because if it's for the good of my people. I'm there,” Ogania said.
Many people came out of faith, many out of curiosity. But few expect that Benedict's visit will lead to any real political change.
US Judge Postpones Ruling on Strauss-Kahn Case
A U.S. judge has postponed a ruling on whether to dismiss a hotel maid's civil lawsuit against French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Bronx state Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon heard arguments Wednesday in Nafisatou Diallo's suit. He said he would not rule immediately in the case.
Diallo says Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in his Manhattan hotel suite last May. Strauss-Kahn has denied doing anything violent during the encounter.
Prosecutors dropped related criminal charges last summer, citing doubts about Diallo's credibility.
Strauss-Kahn's lawyers argued Wednesday the civil suit also should be dismissed, saying that he has diplomatic immunity from the suit because of his position as head of the International Monetary Fund at the time the alleged crime took place. Lawyer Amit Mehta argued that an IMF chief enjoys the same diplomatic immunity as a French ambassador.
“It's precisely the same because there is a convention. It's precisely the same because it is becoming a matter of customary international law through consistent state practice, through the fact that no states have reserve on this particular executive immunity. It's become a matter of custom because agencies like the IMF, your honor have become increasingly important in world economics.”
Mehta argued that executives of the international egencies such as the IMF and the United Nations need immunity from prosecution so that these agnecies can function properly.
Diallo's lawyers said the immunity claim relies on a U.N. agreement the U.S. did not sign. Lawyer Kenneth Thompson told reporters after the hearing Wednesday that in any case, Strauss-Kahn's immunity could only be applied to his job.
“The bottom line is the law is the law. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the head of an international organization. He was not a diplomat. He only had wat's called limited immunity, meaning whatever he did in connection with his position, he had immunity (for that). Even they (the prosecution) conceded that attaching Nafisatou Diallo was not part of his duties. So he does not have absolute immunity. And if he did, don't you think that his lawyers would have raised this in the criminal case?”
Wigdor noted that Strauss-Kahn was prosecuted for three months last year before his case was dropped.
The former IMF chief was charged Tuesday with pimping as part of organized crime in France. His French lawyers said Strauss-Kahn is being hounded for his libertine ways. The Socialist politician was once considered a top rival to President Nicolas Sarkozy in the upcoming French presidential election.
AU, UN Announce Reduction in Darfur Mission, Condemn Border Violence
The United Nations and the African Union are considering reducing the size of their joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur, citing improving conditions even as violence flares along the Sudan/South Sudan border.
Officials at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa said Wednesday that the size of the cutback has not been decided yet, but it is prompted by improved security conditions in the Darfur region and the return of refugees to their homes.
However the African Union has expressed “deep concern” about the security situation along the border between Sudan and South Sudan, where air strikes and ground attacks have taken place this week. It called on both sides to pull back 10 kilometers from the area where the border is disputed.
In a statement late Tuesday, A.U. chairman Jean Ping called for both sides to respect their recently signed agreements and said any disputes must be resolved through peaceful means. He noted the “unfortunate and worrying” development comes just before Sudan and South Sudan's presidents are scheduled to meet to discuss border and oil revenue disputes.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he is suspending the planned April 3 summit with South Sudan's President Salva Kiir because of the violence.
Tuesday, South Sudan accused Sudan of launching a second day of airstrikes on oil-rich territory along their disputed border. But Sudan denied the charge, and a spokesman for Sudan's ruling National Congress Party, Rabie Abdelati Obeid, said his country had merely responded to an incursion by South Sudan in its territory.
“They came close to the petroleum area, which [is] about four-kilometers inside the region, which is belonging to the north. And that is why our government chased them far away from the area.”
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday the United States is “greatly alarmed” by the renewed fighting, especially along the border area.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is “deeply concerned” about the clashes, and urged both sides to “peacefully address their differences.” He also urged Mr. Kiir and Mr. Bashir to continue with the proposed April talks.
The U.N. refugee agency expressed concern for the safety of 16,000 Sudanese refugees that recently fled the Nuba mountains to South Sudan's Yida settlement.
A spokeswoman says the area is not safe due to its proximity to the volatile border area.
Since South Sudan's independence in July, the two neighbors have not been able to agree on the demarcation of their 1,800 kilometer border or how much South Sudan should pay to export oil through Sudan.
The south took over most Sudanese oil production, but is refusing to pay what it considers excessive transit fees to use northern pipelines. The landlocked south needs the pipelines to send the oil to international markets.
The dispute prompted South Sudan to shut down all oil production, a move analysts say is likely to hurt both countries financially.
The sides are also in disagreement over the status of southerners living in the north, and regularly accuse each other of supporting the other's rebel groups.
LEAKED SIPT DOCUMENTS
Further to the alleged leaking of SIPT documents, Huw Shepheard, Attorney General, commented:
"The statements recently disclosed to the media are clearly part of the SIPT's ongoing criminal investigation, with a view to their being used as evidence in legal proceedings.
"As such, these papers are covered by legal professional privilege and, in addition, by the law of contempt of court. The disclosure of this material to persons not involved in the litigation for which they were prepared is a contempt of court punishable with imprisonment.
"If the disclosure or any publication was made with the intention of frightening or intimidating the witness whose statement is disclosed or published, the offence of attempting to pervert the course of justice may also have been committed. This is also punishable with imprisonment.
"I have asked the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police to investigate this leak, and, if sufficient admissible and credible evidence is obtained to identify the persons who have disseminated these documents, I will bring proceedings against them with a view to their being imprisoned."
24-Hour Crime Report
CASH, bank cards and other personal items were taken during a burglary at a property in Sting Ray Street, Cooper Jack, yesterday.
Anyone with information any is asked to call the police on 911 or Crimestoppers on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be left in English, French or Spanish at www.crimestoppers.tc or by becoming a friend of Crimestoppers TCI on Facebook.
Crime prevention tips are also available by visiting www.rtcipolice.tc
TWO men were arrested in connection with a burglary that happened in Bird Rock Street, yesterday.
POLICE detained a man on suspicion of danger driving following a incident that was reported last month.