NBA BASKETBALL: Roy Hibbert fined $75,000
The NBA has fined Jamaican center Roy Hibbert $75,000 for using vulgar and homophobic slur during his postgame interview Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Hibbert issued an apology through the team.
He also reached out to openly gay NBA veteran Jason Collins via Twitter.
Hibbert says his comments were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of his personal views.
Hibbert says he used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television.
NBA Commissioner David Stern says while Roy has issued an apology, which is no doubt sincere, a fine is necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA.
The NBA fined Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant $100,000 and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah $50,000 two seasons ago for homophobic comments.
New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire was fined $50,000 for a similar remark last year.
Fast & Furious 6 holds US box office
Fast & Furious 6 has fought off competition to stay atop the North American box office.
The action movie starring Vin Diesel earned $34.5m (£22.6m) ahead of Now You See Me with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine which debuted with $28.1m (£18m).
Will Smith's sci-fi After Earth was a close third, opening with $27m (£17.6m).
The Hangover Part III fell from second to fifth place with $15.9m (£10.4m) - a drop from $52m (£34.3m) last week.
The final film in the comedy series, starring Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, faired better internationally, taking $82.3m (£54m).
Original versus sequel
In a season of sequels, three original films were among the most popular with cinema-goers at the weekend.
"Ordinarily, summer and sequel go together," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst at box officer tracker Hollywood.com.
"This is a step in the direction of originality," he said.
Now You See Me, which follows illusionists who rob banks and share the spoils with their audience, exceeded expectations to land in second place.
"It certainly has been magic for us to watch the numbers this weekend," said Richie Fay, president of Lionsgate's US distribution.
Elsewhere in the chart Star Trek Into Darkness and the computer animated fantasy adventure Epic both earned $16.4m (£10.7m) to share fourth place.
Iron Man 3 added another $8m (£5.2m) to its tally to take the sixth spot followed by Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which earned $6.3m (£4.1m).
Also edging into the top 10 was the Indian film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. It made $1.6m (£1m) from 162 cinemas to land at number eight.
"It's very unusual, but Bollywood films sometimes do crack into the top 20 or top 15 (domestically)," Dergarabedian said.
"They're usually not in that many theatres, but they make a big splash," he added.
North American box office top 5
1. Fast & Furious 6 - $34.5m
2. Now You See Me - $28.05m
3. After Earth - $27m
4= Epic - $16.4m
4= Star Trek Into Darkness - $16.4m
5. The Hangover Part III - $15.9m
Source: Hollywood.com
Robin Thicke scores his first UK number one single
US singer Robin Thicke has scored his first UK number one with the fastest-selling single of the year so far.
Blurred Lines, featuring rapper TI and Pharrell Williams, sold 190,000 copies in its first week to claim top spot.
"It's an honour and a pleasure to be number one in the UK," said R&B star Thicke, calling it a "dream come true".
In the album chart, Leanne Mitchell - winner of last year's series of BBC One's the Voice - failed to break into the Top 100 with her debut disc.
The 29-year-old's self-titled record is ranked at number 134 in this week's countdown following reports of dismal sales.
Thicke's song overtook last week's number one, La La La by Naughty Boy, which had been the year's first-week bestseller.
Pharrell, who produced Blurred Lines, also sings on this week's number three single, Daft Punk's former chart-topper Get Lucky, which comes one place ahead of Passenger's Let Her Go.
Jessie J, who appears on the Voice as a mentor, completes this week's top five with Wild - the first single from her as-yet untitled second studio album.
The song, which features the rappers Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal, is the seventh track from the British singer to reach the Top 10.
Daft Punk remain top of the album chart with Random Access Memories, with Rod Stewart also holding steady at two.
At three, Laura Marling has the week's highest new entry with Once I Was An Eagle, the English folk musician's highest-charting album to date.
Girl trio Stooshe are also newcomers in this week's Top 10, claiming eighth place with their debut album, London with the Lights On.
CARICOM SG welcomes ruling on CCJ in St Lucia
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin LaRocque has welcomed the ruling by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal that St Lucia does not require to stage a referendum before it joins the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
LaRocque said that in confirming the procedure to be followed by St. Lucia to have the CCJ as its final court replacing the London-based Privy Council, the sub-regional court has set the course for the continuation of St. Lucia’s road to judicial independence as well as point the way for other countries with similar provisions in their constitutions.
LaRocque said this judgment was a seminal one in the progress towards more countries accepting the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ.
A number of eminent jurists and the St Lucia government had sought the advice of the court to determine whether there was an error in the Constitution that would allow for certain amendments to proceed with before joining the CCJ.
“To put it simply, the question to be settled was whether governments could proceed with becoming a part of the CCJ simply by obtaining a two thirds House support or that matter should be brought to a referendum where the people could decide for themselves,” Senior Council Anthony Astaphan told reporters.
This proposal originally came before Cabinet in 2010 under the former administration following a document prepared by the Attorney General’s Chambers.
But the Kenny Anthony administration conceded most of the findings after which ministers were asked to consider whether St Lucia should accede to the CCJ as the island’s final adjudicator in both civil and criminal matters.
The Cabinet was also required to consider the constitutional and administrative arrangements for doing so.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal said that the Constitution clearly “contemplates and provides the freedom to St. Lucia to establish a court in common with other states or countries”.
Further, the court ruled that St. Lucia was empowered to enter into such an agreement on its own and the relevant Bill would not be subject to a referendum.
The Secretary-General noted that last week, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt said that his country was proceeding to accept the appellate jurisdiction of the Court after having held national consultations on issue.
Prime Minister Skerritt said that Dominica would send a letter to the British government seeking permission to recognise the CCJ as its final court.
The Prime Minister said that the government’s resolve was to move in recognising the CCJ as the final court and “certainly this year we should see Dominica recognising the CCJ” Skerrit said.
LaRocque said “these are wonderful signs for our Community as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas”.
“The stature of our Court internationally is high and its considered judgements have gained it great respect,” he said, adding that the CCJ is recognised internationally.
“The systems for financing and appointment of judges were a milestone in the development of our Community, and a symbol of CARICOM Governments’ commitment to judicial independence and excellence.
“I have every confidence that the CCJ is well equipped to meet the needs of Saint Lucia and Dominica as they take these important milestone steps. The expansion of the Appellate Jurisdiction of the Court will only reinforce the sense of Community as it contributes to the development of true Caribbean jurisprudence,” he added.
The CCJ, established in 2001, serves also as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member regional integration grouping.
It has both an original and appellate jurisdiction but while most of the CARICOM member countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Belize and Guyana as signatories to the appellate jurisdiction.
Source-CMC
Angelina Jolie 'moved' by support over surgery
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie says she feels "moved" by the support she has received from fans since announcing she had had a double mastectomy.
Speaking at the London premiere of fiance Brad Pitt's film World War Z - her first red carpet event since the announcement - Jolie, 37, said she felt "wonderful" and "very grateful".
Pitt said the experience had "certainly brought our family tighter together".
The mother-of-six had surgery to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer.
'Wonderful father'
"I get moved to talk about it," she told reporters.
She said she had been "very happy just to see the discussion about women's health expanded and that means the world to me".
"After losing my mum to these issues, I'm very grateful for it and I've been very moved by the kind support from people."
She said Pitt had been "just extraordinary" and praised him as "a wonderful man and a wonderful father and I'm very, very lucky".
Pitt, meanwhile, said: "I mean the beautiful thing is that, for us, life will go on."
He said it had been a "very moving experience" and he tended to "get a little emotional about it".
Of his fiancee's decision to go public, he said: "It's something she felt she wanted to share and it's important for her that other people know that this is available."
BBC entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba said some fans had been waiting in Leicester Square since early in the morning for Jolie and Pitt.
The couple arrived together and were greeted with a huge amount of warmth and affection by members of the crowd, he said.
They posed for photographs together before signing autographs separately and left together shortly after the film started.
In May, Jolie explained her reasons for having the surgery in an article for the New York Times.
She said her doctors estimated she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. "I decided to be proactive and to minimise the risk as much I could," she wrote.
Jolie, who said the process began in February and was completed by the end of April, explained that her mother fought cancer for nearly a decade and died at the age of 56.
Last week, her aunt, Debbie Martin, died of breast cancer,
Jolie missed her funeral to be at Sunday's premiere.
Source-BBC
Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj Heat Up Hot 97 Summer Jam XX
Wayne came out for "Pop That", closing the five-hour music extravaganza along with fellow featured artist on the track Rick Ross, in support of French Montana. Wayne got the biggest welcome from the crowd, who roared in excitement as the rap superstar walked onstage.
Similar to Cash Money records label mate, Minaj also came to surprise the audience, popping up for a performance of "I Luv Dem Strippers" and "Beez in the Trap" with 2 Chainz. Minaj's appearance at this year's Summer Jam finally put to rest the feud she had with the New York radio station's host Peter Rosenberg over her track "Starships", as she practically accepted the radio show host's invitation to come to Summer Jam XX by showing up to the event.
The successful concert was a night of duets and collaborations, with Fabolous bringing out Lil Kim and Mariah Carey singing "#Beautiful" with Miguel. Hip-hop's finest artists also filled up the line-up, with Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky leading the list.
After they put on a scorching "High School" performance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards two weeks ago, hip-hop royalty Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj brought the heat again, this time to the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday, June 2 for the Hot 97 Summer Jam XX. Wayne and Minaj pumped energy into the annual concert, but they did so separately, having different partners for their performances.
Soure-ACE.SHOW
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to Welcome a Daughter
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are going to be parents of a baby girl. The expectant mother, who is due to give birth in July, said in season eight premiere episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians", "I'm so excited we're having a girl." The TV personality added, "Who doesn't want a girl? They're the best and I know that's really what Kanye has always wanted. He wanted a little girl."
Kim's sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian, and mom Kris Jenner, who tagged along during the doctor appointment, looked excited to know the sex of Kim's baby. Kris asked the doctor when they were in examination room, "Do you see a little peepee?" The doctor said, "I don't see any peepees." He announced that she would be a mother of a baby girl.
On Sunday, June 2, Kim celebrated her baby shower with 100 family and friends, including Kelly Osbourne, Maria Menounos, Kimberly Stewart, NeNe Leakes and Melanie Brown. According to PEOPLE, the father of the unborn baby also attended the event with Scott Disick and Lamar Odom.
"Kanye's whole family - all the women from his mom's side and dad's side - attended the shower. Kanye was so excited to have his family be there to join in the celebration with Kim's friends and family," a source said. Kim's aunt Karen Houghton added, "They're just really blessed. It's such a happy day."
Source-Ace.Show
Cuba's inclusion on U.S. terrorist list viewed as "shameful"
In what has become an annual ritual, the United States on Thursday kept Cuba on its list of "state sponsors of terrorism" and Havana reacted angrily, calling it a "shameful decision" based in politics, not reality.
Cuba said in a statement that the U.S. government was pandering to the Cuban exile community in Miami against its own interests and the wishes of the American people.
"It hopes to please an anti-Cuban group, growing smaller all the time, which tries to maintain a policy that now has no support and doesn't even represent the national interests of the United States," said the statement issued by Cuba's foreign ministry.
Iran, Sudan and Syria also are on the list, which is published annually by the U.S. State Department. Cuba has been on it since 1982. The terrorism designation comes with a number of sanctions, including a prohibition on U.S. economic assistance and financial restrictions that create problems for Cuba in international commerce, already made difficult by a U.S. trade embargo imposed against the island since 1962.
The State Department's explanation for Cuba's inclusion on the list discounted most of the reasons from previous years and said "there was no indication that the Cuban government provided weapons or paramilitary training to terrorist groups."
In the past, the report fingered Cuba for harboring rebels from the Marxist-led FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and members of Basque separatist groups.
This year, it noted that Cuba is sponsoring peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government and has moved to distance itself from the Basques.
Washington's primary accusation was that Cuba harbors and provides aid to fugitives from U.S. justice. Cuba does not deny that it has fugitives from the United States, but said none had been accused of terrorism.
Robert Muse, a Washington attorney who specializes in Cuba issues, said there is no legal basis for designating Cuba as a terrorist sponsor because of the presence of the fugitives.
He said they remain on the island because the Washington has refused to honor a longstanding extradition treaty with Cuba.
Earlier this month, the FBI placed one of the fugitives, Joanne Chesimard, on its most wanted terrorist list 40 years after she was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper. Chesimard, a former member of a black militant group, has been in Cuba since 1984.
Cuba rejected the notion that she or anyone else on the island was involved in terrorist activities.
Geoff Thale, program director at the Washington Office on Latin America think tank, said President Barack Obama can take Cuba off the terrorist list at any time and should do so because it is "clear that the State Department doesn't really believe that Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorism."
Removing Cuba from the list would improve relations with Cuba and all of Latin America, which sees U.S. policy toward Cuba "as a reflection of U.S. attitudes toward the region as a whole," Thale said.
UK considers talks with Ecuador minister
The UK government is considering a request from Ecuador to hold talks on the future of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the Foreign Office has said.
It confirmed Ecuador's foreign minister Ricardo Patino, who will visit Mr Assange this month, had offered to meet Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Mr Assange has lived in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for a year, having been granted political asylum there.
He faces extradition to Sweden over sex allegations, which he denies.
Once in Sweden, he fears onward extradition to the US where he could face charges over the release of top secret documents by Wikileaks.
The publication of a mass of leaked diplomatic cables by the website has embarrassed a number of countries.
'Regular contact'
An Ecuadorean government spokesman said Mr Patino would be visiting London on 16 June to meet Mr Assange at the embassy on the "eve of the first anniversary of Mr Assange in our diplomatic premises".
The spokesman said the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had informed UK authorities of the visit and had "offered to meet with Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss the case of Julian Assange".
A Foreign Office spokesman said it was considering the request.
"UK government officials have been in regular contact with representatives of the Ecuadorean government, both in London and Quito, about Mr Assange," he said.
"We hope the visit will contribute to our joint commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to this issue."
Mr Assange entered the embassy in the Knightsbridge area of London on 19 June 2012, after the UK's Supreme Court dismissed his bid to reopen his appeal against extradition.
It had given him a two-week grace period before extradition proceedings could start.
He has been warned he will be arrested when he leaves the embassy for breaking the terms of his bail conditions following the ruling, and officers from the Metropolitan Police continue to mount a round-the-clock guard on the building.
In February, the police said the bill for the 24-hour guard stood at almost £3m.
CAL issues ‘of great concern’
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, has said the relationship between Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) and the carrier it acquired in 2011, Air Jamaica, is a “great cause of concern for the Jamaican people”.
Simpson-Miller made the comment while speaking to reporters yesterday at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, St Ann’s, in response to questions on the issue.
Finance Minister Larry Howai said in the Senate last month that CAL’s estimated losses for 2012 were US$70 million, of which US$32 million was identified as losses on Air Jamaica’s routes.
He also said the fuel subsidy for CAL and Air Jamaica for 2012 was US$40 million.
“It is of grave, great, great concern for the Jamaican people, I can say that,” Simpson-Miller said. She said she did not have the opportunity while she was in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday to discuss the matter with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar because Trinidad and Tobago was hosting the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, who left for Costa Rica yesterday after a three-day State visit.
Guyana’s President, Donald Ramotar, told reporters the ongoing issues with CAL are a cause of concern since the airline is “very important” where transportation to and from Guyana is concerned. “So we’re obviously concerned and we’re looking at it very carefully, and we hope everything will turn out okay for them,” he said.