Russian Court Upholds Khodorkovsky Verdict
A Moscow court has upheld the second conviction of former Russian Yukos oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Planton Lebedev.
But the court Tuesday reduced their prison terms by one year, meaning they likely will stay behind bars until 2016.
Both are serving prison time on charges of tax evasion and fraud. The Kremlin leveled additional charges of money laundering and stealing oil.
Khodorkovsky's supporters outside the Moscow courthouse chanted “disgrace” and “shame” when the decision was announced. Khodorkovsky's mother burst into tears. His lawyers promise to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Khodorkovsky and his backers say all the charges against him are politically motivated because he supports politicians opposed to former president-turned-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Amnesty International has declared Khodorkovsky and Lebedev prisoners of conscience.
Khodorkovsky said before Tuesday's court ruling that President Dmitry Medvedev would have to decide what Russia needs more — a state governed by the rule of law or the opportunity for unlawful judicial reprisals.
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev built Yukos into Russia's largest oil company. The Kremlin seized Yukos when they were charged with tax evasion fraud in 2005. Russian officials broke up the company and sold off its pieces to pay off what they say was Khodorkovsky's tax bill.
Car Bomb Wounds 15 in Pakistan
Militants have detonated a car bomb near a police building in northwest Pakistan.
Police Wednesday said at least 15 people were wounded in the dawn attack in the city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. But a string of attacks in Pakistan has followed the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The Pakistani Taliban vowed revenge and already has claimed three attacks since the raid on May 2.
PNP welcomes meeting
In a follow up to the release sent to RTC news by the F.C.O Office, the Progressive National Party welcomes the invitation of the Government of the United Kingdom to Political Leaders from the Turks and Caicos Islands to attend a face to face meeting with Henry Bellingham, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the Overseas Territories, on matters relating to constitutional and electoral reform.
We have been consistent in our calls for such a meeting with the political directorate in the United Kingdom on these matters as well as in our opposition to the suspension of representative democracy in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We are on record as challenging the legitimacy of the Consultative Forum and the Advisory Council and are of the view that, as neither of these two bodies have the consent of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to represent their interest in this or any other matter, they ought not be permitted to attend any meetings between United Kingdom and Turks and Caicos Islands Politicians, and we object to the attendance of the Governor’s Consultative Forum and Advisory Council at such a meeting.
Our Party remains committed to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands and stands ready, willing and able to represent their interest as we seek a return to representative democracy in these Islands and we look forward to working with the People’s Democratic Movement in this effort.
'Pirates of the Caribbean' posts year's best opening
Now more than ever, the entire world knows the name of Captain Jack Sparrow. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" opened globally this weekend, and while it performed admirably in the U.S., its $256.3 million opening overseas -- the largest foreign debut ever -- is why Disney executives will be swigging celebratory bottles of rum tonight.
Domestically, the $250 million film plundered $90.1 million, passing "Fast Five's" $86.2 million debut to secure the year's largest opening. However, the 3-D adventure movie fell short of the last two "Pirates" entries; by comparison, 2006's "Dead Man's Chest" opened to $135.6 million, and 2007's "At World's End" took in $114.7 million. "On Stranger Tides," the fourth title in the "Pirates" series, also garnered the franchise's weakest reviews, but CinemaScore audiences handed the PG-13 film a favorable "B+" grade.
Creating its own box-office news was the R-rated comedy "Bridesmaids," which fell a mere 20 percent for $21.1 million. That's a smaller second-weekend drop than 2009's "The Hangover," and a far better hold than 2008's "Sex and the City," which plummeted 63 percent its second week.
"Thor," which lost many of its 3-D and IMAX screens to "Pirates," didn't fare as well. The PG-13 superhero movie declined 55 percent for $15.5 million, pushing its three-week tally to $145.4 million.
In fourth place, "Fast Five" skidded 48 percent for $10.6 million. With $186.2 million in the vault so far, the street-racing movie will attempt to become the year's first movie to reach $200 million domestically.
In fifth, the animated avian flick "Rio' slipped 44 percent for $4.7 million.
And right behind it was the horror action film "Priest," which earned $4.6 million -- a monstrous fall of 69 percent.
In limited release, "Midnight in Paris" -- the new Woody Allen romantic comedy starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams -- collected $579,000 from just six locations. Its estimated per-theater tally of $96,500 is the 15th best opening-weekend average on record, beating the likes of "There Will Be Blood," "The King's Speech," and "Black Swan".
Check back next week as two sequels, "The Hangover Part II at the l'raye Cinema.
Police Seek Man For Scamming $500K Using Drake; Nicki Minaj
Police in Toronto, Canada are searching for a man who scammed over $500,000 from a South African promoter, using Hip-Hop artists Drake and Nicki Minaj.
Andrew Wilson is accused of portraying himself as a high roller in order to scam people, to support his lavish lifestyle.
A private investigator in the United States honed in on Andrew Wilson as a suspect, while investigating phony concert in South Africa.
Police say Wilson was associated with Drake when the rapper was an up-and-coming artist in Toronto, but the two severed their business relationship years ago.
But that didn't stop Wilson from allegedly using old copies of a contract with Drake to convince the South African promoter that he was legitimate, according to The Toronto Sun.
The South African promoter who ended up sending $500,000 to an account in Singapore which was then transferred to a bank in Lebanon and has not been able to be account for since.
Wilson, 41, is accused of putting the money into an account owned by his 76-year-old Aunt, who is now facing charges as well.
Police arrested the elderly woman, who has refused to cooperate.
They are still seeking Andrew Wilson, who is wanted for two counts of fraud.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs changes his name...again
How many names can one man have?
Rapper/entrepreneur/actor/whatever else he wants to be Sean Combs started in the game as Puff Daddy before becoming known as Puffy, Puff, P. Diddy and finally, Diddy. Now, for one week, he wants to be known as "Swag."
For those who have been hiding under a hip-hop culture rock for the past few years, "swag" is short for "swagger" and according to the Urban Dictionary is defined as "How one presents him or her self to the world."
Swag announced the change via his official Twitter account and even set up a new Twitter account to reflect the temporary name change.
"I decided that I’m gonna change my name for a week in honor of my comeback," he said on a video he released. "I’ve gone as Puff, Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, King Combs – my real name is Sean Combs – and for a week, this week only, you can call me by my new name, Swag.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger delays Hollywood comeback
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has delayed all his future film projects, a statement from his office has confirmed.
The 63-year-old, who had planned to return to acting after launching a political career, is "focusing on personal matters", the statement said.
Schwarzenegger recently admitted he had fathered a child with a member of his household staff more than 10 years ago.
The former Terminator star and his wife Maria Shriver have separated.
The full statement said: "Governor Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines.
"This includes Cry Macho, the Terminator franchise and other projects under consideration.
"We will resume discussions when Governor Schwarzenegger decides."
Ms Shriver, who has moved out of the family home in Los Angeles, has been married to the former actor for 25 years.
They have four children between the ages of 14 and 21.
Schwarzenegger has maintained a high public profile and worked to revive his movie career since finishing a seven-year run as California governor in January.
Among the potential projects were plans for him to voice the central character in the animated TV series The Governator.
The show, which depicts Schwarzenegger as a devoted family man who lives a double life as a superhero, also halted production on Thursday.
'The Tree of Life' garners top prize at 2011 Cannes film festival
"The Tree of Life," an American film helmed by director Terrence Malick and starring Brad Pitt, took home to the top prize Sunday at the Cannes film festival.
Other big winners at the decades-old event, held annually on the French Riviera, included Kirsten Dunst as best actress at the competition for her role as one of two sisters battling depression ahead of the world's end in "Melancholia," and Jean Dujardin as best actor for his portrayal of silent movie star George Valentin in the French film "The Artist."
Nicolas Winding Refn, from Denmark, was named best director after overseeing "The Drive," about the life of a Hollywood stunt driver played by Ryan Gosling. The best screenplay award went to Joseph Cedar, an Israeli who penned the script for the father-son focused drama "Hearat Shulayim."
"Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da" -- in English, "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia," a movie shot in Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina -- and "Le Gamin au Velo" -- or "The Kid with the Bike," which has Belgian, French and Italian roots -- earned the "Grand Prix Ex-aequo." That is the second most prestigious overall honor at Cannes, second to Palm d'Or.
That prize went to "The Tree of Life," which tells the story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. Pitt plays the authoritative father raising three kids along with his wife, played by Jessica Chastain.
Although Pitt, a father of six, joked last week that his parenting style isn't quite the same as the character he plays in Malick's film, the story does raise a lot of the same questions about spirituality he had as a child.
"Many people find religion to be very inspiring," he told reporters. "Myself, I found it very stifling."
"Cross" -- a film inspired by Ukrainian director Maryna Vroda's experience running cross-country as a girl -- garnered the Palm D'Or in the short-film category.
"Badpakje 46," or "Swimsuit 46," which revolves around a 12-year-old swimmer, won the jury prize in the short-film category. For full-length features, the jury prize went to "Polisse," a movie about members of a French police unit.
Steve Harvey’s Hoodie Awards set for ‘Vegas with Jill Scott, Kem and More
Steve Harvey’s 2011 Ford Hoodie Awards is just around the corner and it’s going to be even bigger and better than the last.
Going on for its 8th straight year of a sold-out crowd, this year’s event will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Some of the presenters include Anthony Anderson, Kevin Hart, Kyle Massey, Elise Neal and George Wallace.
Live performances include Kem, Jill Scott and Kirk Franklin.
The Hoodie Awards celebrate the everyday man and woman who do their best to impact and uplift their brethren throughout the community. It’s all about the service.
Categories include of Best High School, Best High School Teacher, Best Church, Best Church Choir, Best Soul Food, Best Barbecue, Best Fried Chicken, Best Car Wash/Detail Shop, Best Beauty Salon, Best Nail Salon, Best Barber Shop and Best Community Leader.
The nomination period in the twelve categories runs May 23rd to June 8th, and voting on the nominees runs June 27th to July 13th, with nominations and voting for one category per day.
And don’t forget the four-day weekend of events, celebration and performances. It’ll all begin August 11 and end on the 14th. For more information, visit www.SteveHarvey.com.
Kirby & Hunter past away
Singer Kathy Kirby, best known for her cover version of Secret Love in 1963, has died aged 72.
She will also be remembered for representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with I Belong, coming second to Luxembourg.
During her career, Kirby had two top 10 hits and three other singles in the top 40.
In a statement, her family said the star passed away on Thursday night after suffering from a short illness.
"She will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends who have stood loyal over the years," the statement said.
Born in Essex, the star began her career working with bandleader Bert Ambrose who took her on the club circuit.
The blonde pin-up was often compared to Marilyn Monroe and, after securing her first record deal, went on to appear on several US TV programmes, such as The Ed Sullivan Show.
Kirby - whose niece Sarah is married to Sir Mark Thatcher - was one of the biggest stars of the early 1960s.
The singer, who lived in west London, made her last screen appearance in the early 80s, having largely withdrawn from the public eye.
And
One of Australia's favourite actors, Bill Hunter, has died of cancer, aged 71, in Melbourne.
He was known for his roles in classic Australian films like Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom.
He played an Australian officer in the World War I film Gallipoli.
His career spanned more than 50 years, and he has been called Australia's favourite "ocker", because he often played an archetypal Australian bloke.
International audiences might not necessarily know the name, but many would instantly recognise the gnarled face of Bill Hunter, one of Australia's most loved character actors.
He seemed to have a part in virtually every major Australian movie of the past 40 years - and was such a familiar presence that films without him seemed somehow incomplete.
He played the father of the bride in Muriel's Wedding, an Outback mechanic in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the dancing judge in Strictly Ballroom and even the voice of the dentist in the animated film, Finding Nemo.
Perhaps his most memorable role was as an Australian commanding officer in the World War I movie, Gallipoli, when he agonised over the decision to order young Australian soldiers out of their trenches and to their near-certain death.
Often he played gruff, down-to-earth Aussie blokes - towards the end of his career, he became almost typecast in that kind of role.
But it won him the love and affection of audiences here, and he's been called Australia's favourite ocker.
He appeared in more than 60 films in a career that spanned 50 years, and he first took up acting when illness forced him out of Australia's Olympic swimming team.
For some, it's hard to imagine the Australian film industry without him.