Heavy gunfire in northern Mali town of Gao
Malian troops and suspected Islamist militants are exchanging heavy gunfire on the streets of Gao in northern Mali.
A BBC correspondent in the town says the clashes began near the central police station but have since spread.
It comes a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a checkpoint at a northern entrance to the town - the second such attack in two days.
Gao was retaken just over two weeks ago by French and Malian forces, who supposedly drove out the Islamists.
Security had been tightened in the wake of the suicide attacks, with military patrols stepped up and checkpoints put in place.
The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao) said it had carried out Sunday's attack on Malian troops as well as both the suicide bombings, AFP news agency reports.
On Saturday, Mujao spokesman Abou Walid Sahraoui said: "We are dedicating ourselves to carrying out more attacks against France and its allies."
The BBC's Tomas Fessy, in Gao, says Sunday's gun battle appears to have started around the main police station in the town centre, but there is now heavy gunfire coming from different areas.
A Malian soldier holding one army position told him that some gunmen were driving around on motorbikes.
Our correspondent says people are barricaded inside their houses and the situation remains unclear.
However, worries that Islamist militants had infiltrated Gao seems to have become reality, as they are waging a guerrilla war in the town, he adds.
There was no immediate comment from the Malian and French militaries.
Five dead on Canary Islands cruise ship
Five crew members have died after a lifeboat they were in fell from a cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands.
The accident happened on the Majesty, operated by UK-based Thomson Cruises, during a routine safety drill.
Those killed include three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian. Three people were also hurt as the boat reportedly fell more than 20m into the sea.
The MS Thomson Majesty is believed to sail under a Maltese flag.An estimated 1,400 people were on board the cruise ship when the accident occurred around 12:00 GMT on Sunday.
None of the passengers was involved.
Two of those injured are said to be Greek, and a third Filipino.
The ship had been due to sail on Sunday to the Portuguese port of Funchal on the Atlantic island of Madeira, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Thomson Cruises said in a statement: "We are working closely with the ship owners and managers, Louis Cruises, to determine exactly what has happened and provide assistance to those affected," the statement added.The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the incident and was "urgently looking into it".
Jim McArthur, a British passenger on the ship, said he was settling down for lunch after a walk in La Palma when "there was a sudden thud and I joked to the wife that someone had run into us".
"Then people started going to the windows and when we looked down you could see the boat in the water upside down.
"It's a very sad day, there's five lives been lost. "
More Than 20 Die in Stampede at India's Ganges Festival
More than 20 people were killed in a stampede Sunday during a religious holiday in northern India.
Officials say the stampede broke out when pilgrims were heading home from a festival that attracted millions of people in the northern city of Allahabad.
The city's train station collapsed under the weight of pilgrims using the railway, causing crowds to panic.
Officials estimate that dozens of people were injured in the incident.
More than 30 million people gathered to plunge into the waters at the confluence of India's Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It is the most auspicious day of the Hindu festival, Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years. Devotees believe that entering the mighty rivers cleanses them of sin and frees them of the cycle of birth and rebirth.The festival is believed to date back 2,000 years. The one at Allahabad is believed to be the holiest and attracts the largest crowd.
Christopher Dorner hunt: $1m reward for ex-LAPD officer
Authorities in Los Angeles have offered a $1m (£630,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a fugitive ex-policeman suspected of three murders.
Christopher Dorner, 33, has been on the run for the past week, following the attacks in southern California.
Announcing the reward, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said his "reign of terror" must end.
In an online manifesto, he swore to take revenge on police officers he blamed for his firing in 2008.
"We will not tolerate anyone undermining the security, the tranquillity of our neighbourhoods," Mr Villaraigosa said at a news conference announcing the reward on Sunday.
"We will not tolerate this reign of terror that has robbed us of the peace of mind that residents of southern California deserve," he added.
Burnt-out truck
Mr Dorner, a former officer of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is suspected of killing three people, including the daughter of a retired captain who represented him in a disciplinary procedure.Police are now protecting 50 families, many belonging to former LAPD colleagues, against whom Mr Dorner has vowed revenge for ruining his career.
In his online manifesto, Mr Dorner suggested that some were motivated by racism.
Police are combing an area near Big Bear Lake, 80 miles (130 km) east of Los Angeles, after finding the suspect's burned-out truck near a ski area.
Mr Dorner is suspected of:
- Shooting dead Monica Quan, 28 - the daughter of a former LAPD captain - and her fiance Keith Lawrence, 27, on Sunday night in their car at their home in Irvine, California
- Shooting at two police officers, grazing one, on Thursday morning in Corona, east of Los Angeles
- Ambushing two policemen in their patrol car in the town of Riverside a few hours later, killing one and wounding the other
A former US Navy reservist, Mr Dorner lost his job for making false statements.
According to court documents, He was fired in 2008 after making a complaint against his field training officer, saying she had kicked a suspect, a schizophrenic man with severe dementia, during an arrest.
Rihanna shows support in court for Chris Brown
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Rihanna left no doubt about how she feels about Chris Brown and the probation he's serving for beating her up four years ago.
The pop star sat behind Brown in court Wednesday while a prosecutor asked a judge to order the singer to restart the community labor that is his punishment for the felony assault conviction.
It was Rihanna's second time in a courtroom with Brown. The first was the day in August 2009 when Brown was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to stay away from her. Then, she was a witness for the prosecution.
"She thinks it's utterly ridiculous what they're doing to him," Brown lawyer Mark Geragos said when a reporter asked why his assault victim was in court.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office has "tortured" Brown during his probation worse than any client he's ever had, Geragos said.
In a court filing this week, prosecutors accused Brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor ordered when he pleaded guilty to the felony assault charge.
The paperwork Brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is "at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting," District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. Brown wasn't in town on some of the dates reported, the motion said.
Geragos, however, angrily disputed the charges, calling them "absolutely false."
"And I don't mean just false, it is fraudulent," Geragos said after the hearing.
Brown's attorney said the prosecutor's filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin set a hearing for April 5 for Brown to return to court, but a full hearing on the allegations will be held later.
Brandlin ordered Brown to report to his probation officer within the next two days to be interviewed for a report that will be used at the hearing.
Despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing, the prosecutor is not asking for Brown's probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail. She is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a Los Angeles probation officer.
Brown got an unusual deal when he pleaded guilty that allowed him to complete his court-ordered community service in Virginia, under the personal supervision of Richmond Police Chief Bryan Norwood. Normally, community service must be supervised by a probation office.
The district attorney alleged that investigators he sent to Virginia discovered that Brown's mother supervised most of it, and they found evidence it was never done.
In response, Geragos said he's received 10 e-mails in the past day from Richmond police officers and firefighters "who observed Chris doing his community service."
"I've got pictures, I've got witnesses," Geragos said. "I've got what they don't have. We have evidence that he did it."
The motion also accused Brown of violating probation by punching singer Frank Ocean at a Hollywood recording studio last month, threatening to "bust" -- or shoot -- the singer. It also notes a Miami incident during which Brown allegedly stole a fan's cell phone and a chair-throwing incident after a "Good Morning America" interview.
Also, Brown's claim to have medical marijuana license, which used to defend against a drug test result, was invalid because the acupuncturist who wrote it was not licensed to prescribe drugs, the motion said.
This Friday marks the fourth anniversary of the night Brown punched Rihanna inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street, leaving her face bruised and bloody.
Rihanna and Brown broke up after he was arrested for assaulting her, but they've made no secret in recent months that they are a couple again.
Mr. Vegas custody trial put off as ex-girlfriend fails to show
The child custody trial involving Dancehall/Reggae megastar, Mr. Vegas has been postponed.
Originally scheduled to commence on Monday last, the trial was set to begin the process of determining whether Vegas, or his ex-girlfriend, Shellian McBayne would win full custody of their two-year-old daughter. However, the case has now been postponed until April 23 after McBayne reportedly failed to show up for the hearing, which took place at the Bronx Family Court in New York.
Vegas has been campaigning in recent months that he should receive full custody of their young daughter after she allegedly witnessed her mother,McBayne, being intimate with another man inside the prominent singjay'sFlorida home. Vegas has since sold that home and is auctioning off furniture from the residence as part of his Turning Dust Into Brickscharity.
Later this month, Vegas is expected to release his first book, Bare Tingz, a cheating novel based on this alleged incident.
Chronixx and Goldy Create A Ruckus With 'Mini'
Members of theRastafarian community have been openly criticizing a new combination song byGoldy and Chronixxcalled 'Mini' where the artistes extol the virtues of women in short skirts. Some believe that such sentiments should not be expressed by anyone representing the Rastafarian faith.
"Yes, mi hear the critics dem a talk, dem a say how bobo ah sing bout mini and a bagga tings but even most of them have to admit that it has a great melody. I create music, I don't know about politics, Chronixx say the song good, but certain rasta ah lick out about rasta ah sing bout short skirt, but ah straight business mi a deal wid. Music is music, politics is politics and mi no see nothing wrong wid the song," engineer-singer-producer Goldy said.
The song samples an original song recorded by singer Willie Francis, 'Oh What a Mini', and which soared to the #1 position in the 1970s. Willie Francis is the father of Fabian 'Goldy' Francis so he is a second generation musician.
'Wild Thing' singer Reg Presley dies
Singer Reg Presley of British band The Troggs has died, CNN has confirmed. He was 71.
Famous for the 1966 song "Wild Thing," Presley and The Troggs were also behind other hits like "With a Girl Like You," "I Can't Control Myself" and "Love Is All Around."
The BBC reports that Presley died at his home in the U.K. surrounded by his family. The singer had reportedly been diagnosed with lung cancer the year before.
"Reg was an amazing man," Presley's manager told CNN in a statement. "He worked all over the world with The Troggs ... Even Jimi Hendrix copied the man from Andover."
He went on to describe Presley as "a warrior of the '60s boom and not afraid to travel outside the London West End bubble to spread Troggmania."
As Rolling Stone notes, The Troggs were part of music's "British Invasion wave" that included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who.
"Wild Thing," which you can listen to below, is No. 261 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. With singles like that one, Rolling Stone says, "the band helped to define garage rock in the '60s and inspired the architects of what would evolve into punk rock in the '70s, including Iggy Pop, the Buzzcocks and the Ramones."
Mumford and Sons say Grammys are 'good for business'
British folk band Mumford and Sons say their six Grammy award nominations are "good for business".
They are in the running for the coveted album of the year prize this weekend, for their second record, Babel, which debuted at number one in the UK and US.
Guitarist Winston Marshall says the honours "mean we can keep on touring and doing all the stuff we love".
The quartet, who played with Bob Dylan at the 2011 Grammys, will have a solo slot at this year's show.
They have also announced a mini-festival, called "Stopover", over two nights in Sussex in July.
'Dry' event
The band's Grammy nominations include two for Babel, including best Americana album, and two for their single I Will Wait - which has sold more than a million copies in the US.
They are also up for four Brits, and hope to repeat the success of their debut album, Sigh More More, which won British album of the year in 2011.
The stream of accolades is, according to Marshall, "a bit mental".
Win or lose, "it's good for business," he tells the BBC from Boston, where the band have just kicked off a US tour.
"It does a lot for a band, it did a lot for us the first time we did it, its really helped our profile in America, so it's great honour.
"I don't want to be blase about the honour but it's not something that we aspired to and ever really want to enjoy too much or dwell on. It's amazing but we just want to make more music".
Oddly his biggest concern for Sunday is not the band's performance but that, unlike the booze-soaked Brit awards, the Grammys are completely dry.
"It's about four hours and you've got all these desperate musicians trying to go for a fag and they don't want you to leave your seats and it's kind of not fun," he explains.
"I don't want to sound spoilt 'cause it's awesome that we get to enjoy those surreal things but it's also kind of bizarre, 'cause you're walking around and Will Smith's there and Jennifer Lopez."
The six nominations mean Mumford and Sons have joined the rare group of British artists who have managed not only to break into the lucrative and notoriously insular American market, but to be actively embraced by the US.
Arguably, Adele, Coldplay, One Direction and Amy Winehouse are the only others who have managed such a feat in the last 10 years.
"We've been really warmly embraced," agrees Marshall. "We spent pretty much 18 months non-stop in America when we were recording Babel and, whenever we weren't in the studio at home, we'd fly over.
"We were so warmly embraced that, going home, we almost felt like were were on the back foot, that we had a lot of work to catch up on in the UK."And, you know, Americans are so extreme in their emotions, you feel it even more. It's an awesome experience to see this side of the country."
Stopovers
As a thank-you to fans on both sides of the Atlantic, Mumford and Sons have announced a wave of mini-festivals later this year.
The tour is visiting five towns - four of the in the US, and Lewes in Sussex - none of which are traditional tour destinations.
It's an echo of the band's two-night event in Huddersfield last June, which featured some of their favourites artists, including Willy Mason and theBBC's Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka.
Marshal says the inspiration came from relatively small events likeLoopallu in the tiny Scottish highland town of Ullapool and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, where - after the music stopped, "everyone went to the pub for a pint and music played all night long".
"The best ones were in the towns which really engaged with it. We bring the bands and they provide all the local food. Last year, in Huddersfield they had locals ales and it celebrated all the best things about the town.
"Lewes is amazing. It's a very cool town, we've been down a few times and seen the best bits."
However, Marshal admits the band weren't prepared for the amount of work that comes with hosting your own event in a public space.
"When we started it, we were all all like, 'yeah we can do it better than Reading and Glastonbury, we can do our own one,' and we were really cocky.
"Literally within two weeks of trying to organise it, we realised how hard it was and we had to eat humble pie and now we've got some great people working it to help us do it."
With bands on the bill for the Lewes gig including Vampire Weekend and The Vaccines, Marshall says the £75 price tag is reasonable.
"You do appreciate how everything costs something - things that I personally took for granted but we don't want to pass it on to people.
"I remember getting annoyed going to festivals and every year it was a tenner more expensive and it wasn't any better.
"The only problem is if we don't sell any tickets."
Source_BBC
Les Miserables tops UK box office as takings break £30m
Les Miserables has topped the UK and Ireland box office for the fourth week running, becoming the first film to pass the £30m mark this year.
Tom Hooper's musical took £2.78m - a drop of 31% from last week - for a cumulative total of £30.14m.
Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained remains in second spot after taking £1.69m for a total of £10.3m.
Denzel Washington's Flight debuted at number three with £1.4m, but Hyde Park On Hudson scraped into the top 15.
Roger Michell's portrayal of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's visit to New York ahead of the Second World War took just £136,783 in its opening week.
The film, which stars Bill Murray as US President Franklin D Roosevelt, averaged a paltry £882 across 155 screens.
Elsewhere, Steven Spielberg's epic Lincoln - nominated for 12 Oscars - fell one place to four after raking in £1.37m in its second week for a total of £4.2m.
Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvester Stallone, debuted at number nine with £429,317.
Les Miserables, already the second-highest-grossing musical in UK box office history, still has a long way to go to overhaul Mamma Mia!.
The movie, based on Abba songs, pulled in £32.1m at the same stage of its run and went on to total £69.2m.
In all, seven films last year broke the £30m barrier: Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Avengers Assemble, Twilight: Breaking Dawn: Part 2, Ted and Ice Age 4.