Actress Is In Sham Marriage Because She Wanted A Baby

[Media Take Out] So we were just given a Blind Item from an MTOer in the know:[Popular black celeb] got married to her [sort of popular black celeb husband] for the child, according to what he's hearing from colleagues. The rumors are true that she's a lesbian, and [husband] found out he was her beard, so now he's trying to get out of the marriage.He doesn't want to continue with [popular actress] because he doesn't agree with who she really is, views homosexuality as a sin, blah blah Christianity. He threatened to out her to the public.Thats some real SCANDALOUS ish!!!View the original article h...

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Guess He Didn't Read Her Book

[Downfront 2] This lady wrote a nice book for women and their committed relationships with men. One problem: somebody forgot to tell her man! The camera never lies, and it caught him not following the advice in the book.View the original article h...

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A Slippery Slope Fake Vacation

[Blind Gossip] Just a few years ago, this multi-hyphenate actor was one of the hottest stars in the world.He worked a lot through 2012, but very little in 2013. Why the slow down? Because drugs kept tripping him up last year! He's a mild-mannered guy in real life, but he absolutely rages on coke and gets out of control and destructive (and self-destructive) very quickly. And he does a lot of coke. He has been to rehab before to take care of the problem.In fact, want to know where he is now?In rehab.Yes, again.In an ironic twist, he recently talked about his sobriety in a rather awkward interview (during a promotional tour for his latest film)....

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He Ran Like Usain Bolt To Avoid A Beat Down

[Hollywood Street King] This west coast rapper is known to boss up and roll with G'd up goons. But, back in the day, he once took off like track star Usain Bolt and "flew over a six-foot fence" to dodge a beat-down.Don't believe me... Ask Suge Knight. Know why? Our blind item subject had a beef with the Death Row Records founder, and took it to wax. Thats before the day sources tell us "he was chilling in the backyard at Jamie Foxx's house" when Suge showed up at the front door.He has some shows lined up in England, but the U.K. government has yet to clear his passport, and he's said to need that game. Don't believe me... Ask Tami Roman.He would...

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BG12345: Monday

Good Morning, Blinders!It's Monday morning, and we invite you to start your week with a hot cup of coffee with a hot guy (actor Alexander Skarsgard).This thread is open to discuss any of the following: Hello, Ellen Page. Goodbye, Sochi. Hello, Jason Collins. Good bye, Piers Morgan.View the original article h...

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Newly Single Actor Is Wild About Molly

[New York Post] Which newly single actor has been celebrating his freedom with wild nights out on Ecstasy?View the original article h...

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He Is Cheap And Hateful

[Hollywood Street King] He may be a millionaire, but what many people may not know is his infamous Hollywood reputation for being a cheapskate. According to our tipster, he treats his black employees "like garbage," leaving them to "beg and chase him for their paychecks."Insiders reveal he's got a hidden "hatred for women." Don't believe me... just ask his baby momma Norma, who this dude wants locked up over his issues with his visitations with his daughter. We are told thats why Will Smith is constantly over at Baby Boys house to console him.This after he recently put his daughter on the back burner so he could visit his half Arab, half Black...

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A Skyscraper In His Pants

[Pop Bitch] Which property-p * rn TV presenter has been giving his production crew the giggles because of his habit of always wearing too-tight trousers? He appears blissfully unaware that, under the bright TV lights, everyone can see the outline of his c * ck.View the original article h...

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The Pearl Reject

[New York Post] Which top model had her boobs fixed by a plastic surgeon after she was overlooked for a modeling job for high-end lingerie firm La Perla? View the original article h...

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Female Pop Star Shunned

[Daily Mirror] Which one-time A-list British pop star was shunned by the organisers (of the BRIT Awards)? She had her poor beleaguered PR ring every journalist in the country, begging for any spare press tickets.BG Note: The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry annual pop music awards, and the British equivalent of the American Grammy Awards. Yes, One Direction won at The Brits this year.View the original article h...

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Thai riot police, protesters, face each other at government HQ

Bangkok: Lines of Thai riot police confronted anti-government protesters blocking the government's headquarters in Bangkok on Tuesday after authorities said they would renew an operation to retake several sites occupied by demonstrators for weeks. The protesters have been rallying since November in a bid to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whom they view as a proxy for her elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier toppled in a military coup in 2006. Bluesky TV, the protest movement's own television channel that broadcasts the fiery speeches of its leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, showed live pictures of ranks of police with shields near Government House in central Bangkok. Demonstrators were massed a few hundred metres away, the two sides separated by sandbag barriers constructed...

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Hundreds protest in Tunisia against `terrorism`

Jendouba: More than a thousand protesters gathered on Monday in the Tunisian town of Jendouba to condemn the weekend killings of four people by suspected Islamist militants. As the four victims were buried, new Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa said the state would not be undermined by "terrorism." "Tunisia is free, terrorism out," and "Faithful to our martyrs" were among slogans chanted by the protesters outside the governor's office in the town in northwestern Tunisia. The country has been rocked by sporadic attacks blamed on jihadists since the 2011 revolution that toppled a decades-old dictatorship and touched off Arab Spring uprisings across the region. Protesters expressed their support for the security forces, stopping outside two police posts, chanting the national anthem and shouting: "We...

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Turkey PM urges students not to become `Internet slaves`

Ankara: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged youngsters not to become "slaves to the Internet" as he handed out free tablet computers to students. The premier also used the occasion to again defend his government's controversial push to tighten control of the Internet, a move that has drawn widespread criticism. "The Internet is a very important tool but it can become the biggest threat of our time at the hands of evil-minded people," Erdogan told a group of primary and secondary school pupils and teachers in Ankara. "Don't become slaves to the Internet, don't become the slaves of computers," he said at a ceremony marking a government initiative to hand out 100,000 tablets to students across the country. Turkey's parliament triggered a storm of protest at home and abroad...

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One dead, 77 hurt in riot at PNG immigration centre

Sydney: One person was killed and 77 injured during a second night of rioting at an Australian immigration detention centre on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, officials said on Monday. Thirty-five asylum-seekers broke out of the same facility on Sunday evening, with several injured, as tensions mount about their fate under the Australian government's hardline policies. "The news of a death is a great tragedy," Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said. "This is a tragedy but this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the centre and place themselves at great risk." Of the 77 injured, one is critical with a skull fracture, while another was shot in the buttock. Morrison said that despite the unrest, the immigration...

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Former French president Chirac in hospital with suspected gout

Paris: Jacques Chirac, who has been in poor health for several years, was hospitalised on Monday near Paris for a suspected flare of gout, sources close to the former French president said. An AFP reporter saw an ambulance and police motorbikes in front of the 81-year-old former president's home at 8:00 pm (1900 GMT). He was later checked into the American Hospital of Paris in the plush suburb of Neuilly, a government source told AFP on condition of anonymity. A member of Chirac's inner circle said there was no cause for alarm. "There is absolutely no vital emergency. We suspect an acute episode of gout." Chirac, who suffered a stroke in 2005, underwent successful kidney surgery in December. He was France's president from 1995 to 2007 and twice previously served as prime minister. He is considered...

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France condemns attack on tourists in Egypt

Paris: France Monday condemned the terrorist attack on a tourist bus in Egypt's Sinai peninsula, which killed four people, including three South Korean tourists Sunday. "We send our condolences to the victims' families and assure the Korean and Egyptian authorities of our solidarity," Xinhua quoted French foreign ministry's spokesperson Romain Nadal in a press briefing. "France stands at the side of Egyptian people in the face of the scourge of terrorism and supports the transition to democratic institutions open to all political forces who reject violence," the official said. A bus carrying mostly South Korean tourists exploded in the Sinai peninsula Sunday, killing three tourists from the Republic of Korea as well as the Egyptian driver. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based al Qaeda-inspired...

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Riot at Australia`s PNG immigration centre after being denied asylum; one killed

Zee Media Bureau Sydney: One person was killed and over 70 others injured in the riots that continued for the second day on Tuesday at Australian immigration detention centre in Papua New Guinea for the second day. The riots broke out after the asylum seekers were reportedly told that they will be sent back to Papua New Guinea. The attempted breakout took place after some detainees escaped the detention centre at Manus Island briefly on Sunday but were brought back shortly after by the island police. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison expressed his regret over the incident and termed the death as 'a tragedy', as per a BBC report. While one of the asylum seeker suffered skull injuries, at least 22 others were being treated at the hospital for injuries, the report said.An investigation...

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Chinese Army to revamp evaluation system

Beijing: People's Liberation Army (PLA) is mulling to revamp its official evaluation system amid a widening anti-corruption campaign in the country. Evaluations of army officials should focus on their political reliability, competence, clean conduct and trustworthiness, Xinhua quoted a document issued by the PLA General Political Department with the authorisation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission (CMC). It said that those in charge of official evaluations should first seek advice from the Communist Party of China (CPC) committees at all levels. They must also consult disciplinary organs to check whether the officials are honest and self-disciplined, the document said, adding that results of the evaluations would serve as an important reference for official...

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British Deputy PM warms to opposition

London: Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg seemed to be warming to the Labour opposition in an interview out on Monday, raising the prospect of his Liberal Democrats joining them in government next year. The centrist Lib Dems are the junior partner in Britain's governing coalition, formed with Prime Minister David Cameron's much larger centre-right Conservatives. But with a general election coming in May 2015, Clegg aired the idea of sharing power with the centre-left Labour Party.He also accused the Conservatives of becoming "much more ideological" since striking the coalition deal after the 2010 election. The Times newspaper called Clegg's comments a concerted attempt to regain "equidistance" between the two parties while remaining in government with one of them. Asked about Labour...

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Prince William wants ivory held by royal family destroyed

London: Prince William wants all the ivory held by Britain's royal family, including a 19th century ivory throne from India, to be destroyed as part of his campaign against rampant elephant poaching. The second in line to the throne and one of the country's most high-profile wildlife campaigners told a leading primatologist that he would like to get rid of the ivory held as part of the royal collection of Buckingham Palace as a symbolic gesture. Jane Goodall was quoted by 'The Independent' as saying she had spoken to Prince William and he had told her he would "like to see all the ivory owned by Buckingham Palace destroyed". Goodall is famous for her 45-year study of the social interactions of wild chimpanzees. The royal family's extensive collection includes fans, miniatures and furniture...

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Poland arrests suspected paedophile priest

Warsaw: Polish police on Monday arrested a Roman Catholic priest suspected of sex offences against children in the Dominican Republic, state prosecutors said. The 36-year-old priest, who served in the central city of Santiago on the Caribbean island and is identified only as Wojciech G for legal reasons, will be formally questioned and charged tomorrow, said Dariusz Nowak, a spokesman for prosecutors in Warsaw. "We received documents from the Dominican Republic that, among other things, will allow us to press charges," Nowak told reporters. Wojciech G flatly denied any wrongdoing in an October 2013 interview with Polish media, suggesting he was set up by local drug gangs. Polish prosecutors began independent investigations in September into both him and 65-year-old Polish archbishop Jozef...

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Scottish independence leader hits back at UK govt

London: A Scottish independence leader has warned that businesses across Britain will pay if Scotland is shut out of a currency union in the event it votes to declare independence. Scottish first minister Alex Salmond shot back on Monday after UK Treasury chief George Osborne last week ruled out a currency deal. Osborne said Scotland would walk away from the pound should it vote for independence on September 18. But Salmond says businesses in the rest of the UK will potentially pay "many hundreds of millions" in transaction costs. Salmond dubbed these charges a "George Tax" and predicted it would be impossible "to sell to English business," that they might be charged "for the privilege of exporting goods to Scotland." The Scottish National Party leader rejected Osborne's remarks as a campaign...

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13 bodies in Central African Republic mass grave

Bangui: Red Cross officials in Central African Republic say they've retrieved 13 bodies from a mass grave found in the capital last week. Antoine Mbao-Bogo, president of the local Red Cross, confirmed on Monday that the bodies had been removed from a military base that was used by Muslim rebels during their 10-month rule.Prosecutor Ghislain Gresenguet said an investigation was underway after African peacekeepers found the grave last Wednesday. The Muslim rebels, known as Seleka, were blamed for scores of human rights abuses during their time in power. A Christian militia that arose in opposition to the Seleka fighters also has been blamed for atrocities.The death toll from Central African Republic's crisis is unknown though more than 1,000 died in several days in December alone. First Published:...

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Chinese man pleads guilty to killing seven of family

Beijing: A man in China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region pleaded guilty to killing his wife and six of her family members last October, a local court said Monday. Prosecutors said Ma Yongdong killed his wife, his parents in-law, grandparents-in-law and two nieces in their home in Pengyang Oct 14 night last year, motivated by a grudge against his father-in-law over marriage and family issues. Ma pleaded guilty to the seven murders and said he regretted the crime he committed. More than 100 people attended Monday's hearing, including relatives of the suspect and the victims. The court has not announced a verdict. First Published: Monday, February 17, 2014, 16:03View the original article h...

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From troops to troupe for war- wounded Australian soldiers

Sydney: As Australia's decade-long mission in Afghanistan draws to a close and war-weary troops return home, one courageous group are reliving their experiences in a different kind of theatre. Lance Corporal Craig Hancock served three tours of Afghanistan -- two of them carrying the silent psychological wounds of a roadside bomb attack that left him self-medicating and unable to ask for help for fear of letting down his friends. But that's nothing compared to stepping out on stage in front of a full house at the Sydney Theatre Company.  "Put me over in Afghanistan, no dramas. (But) Sitting in there with 1,000 people looking at me..." he said laughing. Hancock is one of 12 soldiers appearing in "The Long Way Home", a production devised by and starring Australian troops who have served...

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China asks Japan to return 300 kg of plutonium to suppliers

Beijing: A "deeply concerned" China on Monday asked Japan to return to the US over 300 kg of weapons-grade plutonium, which could arm upto 50 nuclear bombs, the latest in a series of disputes between the two distrustful neighbours. "Japan's large stock of nuclear material, including weapons grade nuclear substances, involves nuclear security and non-proliferation risks," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a press briefing here. "Japan has avoided returning the material which caused international concern. China is deeply concerned and is expecting an explanation," Hua said.Her comments weeks after America demanded return of the atomic material it gave to Japan during the Cold War. It is against the regulations of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy...

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UN chief condemns terrorist attack in Egypt

United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the terrorist attack Sunday on a tour bus in the southern Sinai town of Taba in Egypt. Four people, including three South Korean nationals, were killed in the attack. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban condemned the deadly attack which reportedly killed four people Sunday including three tourists from South Korea, and wounded dozens of other people.He conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims and to the governments of Egypt and South Korea and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. First Published: Monday, February 17, 2014, 16:14View the original article h...

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Xinjiang`s Islamic militants posed realistic threat: China

Beijing: China on Monday said Islamic militants active in its restive Xinjiang province posed "realistic threat" and vowed to step up anti-terror cooperation with "relevant" countries. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an al Qaeda-backed group, is fighting for the separation of Muslim majority Uygur Xinjiang from China."ETIM posed realistic threat to some regions in China including Xinjiang. They have caused great casualties and property losses of civilians by committing terrorist activities inside China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told media briefing. She was responding to questions on latest assault in Xinjiang two days ago in which militants armed with gas cylinders and machetes attacked a police convoy, killing 15 people, including three suicide bombers.Hua...

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John Kerry seeks political solution in Syria

Jakarta: US Secretary of State John Kerry Monday appealed to international parties to work towards a political solution to the Syria conflict after the peace talks ended last weekend with no concrete progress. Kerry made these remarks at a press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta, the third stop of his regional trip, Xinhua reported. "The international community needs to use this recess in the Geneva talks to determine how to use this time most effectively in order to bring about a political solution," Kerry said, accusing Syria's Bashar al-Assad government of not engaging in the discussions along the promised and required standard. UN-Arab League joint mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized Saturday to the Syrian people after peace talks in Geneva to stop...

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Israel`s Netanyahu calls boycotters `anti-Semites`

Jerusalem: It is time Israel fought back against those who boycott the Jewish state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, dubbing them "anti-Semites." The comments come as concerns grow in Israel over a Palestinian-led movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions, knows by its acronym, BDS. The boycott has been growing recently, mainly in Europe, where some businesses and pension funds have cut investments or trade with Israeli firms they say are connected to West Bank settlements. Speaking to a group of visiting Jewish-American leaders, Netanyahu yesterday said it is time for Israel to "delegitimise the delegitimisers." "In the past anti-Semites boycotted Jewish businesses and today they call for the boycott of the Jewish state, and by the way, only the Jewish state," Netanyahu said....

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British Islamist in Kenya `possessed bomb-making instructions`

Mombasa: A British detective gave evidence on Monday in Kenya at the trial of suspected British militant Jermaine Grant, accused of ties to Somalia's al Qaeda-linked Shebab and plotting attacks. Grant was arrested in December 2011 in Mombasa with various chemicals, batteries and switches, which prosecutors say he planned to use to make explosives. He denies the charges. Today's hearing, the counter-terrorism officer, Detective Inspector Stephen Ball, told the court that Jihadist documents and other materials "clearly dedicated to the making of explosives and weaponry" were found on a flash storage drive allegedly in Grant's possession.The detective said other document detailed chemicals that could be used to make explosives, and various ways of making booby-traps to target government officials,...

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Syria Army seizes Alawite `massacre` village: Report

Damascus: The Syrian Army recaptured on Monday an Alawite village in central Hama province where rebels "massacred" civilians earlier this month, state news agency SANA said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 25 members of President Bashar Al-Assad's Alawite sect were killed by Islamist fighters in the village of Maan on February 9. UN chief Ban Ki-moon later expressed "great shock" at the killings and demanded that "perpetrators of this massacre" be brought to justice. SANA, quoting a military source, said "army units have established total control over Maan, after crushing the terrorists who had infiltrated (the village) and committed a massacre against its civilian residents, killing dozens of them, including women." State television also reported the army's...

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Israel PM says Iran only winner from nuclear talks

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran is the only beneficiary of nuclear talks with world powers and accused Tehran of "continuing its aggressive behaviour." His remarks came on the eve of fresh talks between Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, France, the United States, China and Russia plus Germany -- aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. Israel was highly critical of an interim deal reached in November under which Iran agreed to freeze or scale back its nuclear activities for a six-month period in exchange for limited sanctions relief. "So far the only one who benefited from these talks is Iran. In fact they didn't give anything but they got a lot," Netanyahu said during a meeting with visiting Peruvian...

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Trapped South African miners rescued, to be presented in court today

Zee Media Bureau Johannesburg: A day after trapped miners were rescued from an illegal mine in South Africa, they will be presented before court on Tuesday. The miners were trapped in the illegal gold mine after a boulder blocked their exit trapping them on Saturday.While most of them were rescued, the remaining workers refused to come out of the mine fearing prosecution. Even as they refused to come out of the mine, they were persuaded by the rescued miners to step out. The miners later agreed to come out of the mine after they were told that police was not present outside, as per a BBC report.However, they were arrested soon after coming out by the police which was hiding. First Published: Tuesday, February 18, 2014, 10:05View the original article h...

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UK jury fails to give verdict on Namdhari leader attack case

London: The jury in the trial of a British Sikh call-centre worker for an attack on Namdhari sect leader Satguru Uday Singh in the UK failed to reach a verdict on Monday. Harjit Singh Toor will know in the next two weeks if he would have to face a re-trial over the axe attack at a Gurdwara in Leicester last August. Justice Carr at Birmingham Crown Court was forced to discharge the 12 men and women on the jury after they were unable to reach a majority verdict following five hours of deliberation on Friday.The 27-year-old accused concealed a three-foot axe beneath a shawl and entered a packed Gurdwara in Leicester during morning prayers on August 11 last year. Toor denied attempted murder but admitted grievous bodily harm with intent as payback for being sexually abused by the guru in an Indian...

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Pope opens critical week for reform, family issues

Vatican City: Pope Francis is opening the most critical week of his year-old papacy: Two commissions of inquiry on Vatican finance will report their recommendations for reform and preparations get underway for a summit on family issues that will deal with the widespread rejection by Catholics of church teaching on contraception, divorce and gay unions. In between, Francis will preside over his first ceremony to formally welcome 19 new cardinals into the elite club of churchmen who will eventually elect his successor. In typical Francis style, the new cardinals hail from some of the poorest places on earth, including Haiti, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. The first half of Francis' busy week will be devoted to the third meeting of his "Group of Eight" advisers, the senior cardinals representing...

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Snowstorm leaves 19 dead, causes transport chaos in Japan

Tokyo: A severe snowstorm sweeping across Japan has killed 19 people and left more than 1,600 injured, media and officials said on Monday, as the extreme weather sparked widespread transport chaos. At least 19 people have died in snow-related incidents after the record-breaking storm, the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun reported, with the blast now battering the northern island of Hokkaido. More than 6,900 people were trapped in small communities cut off by snow-blocked roads and railway lines, the Yomiuri said, while gasoline deliveries to some petrol stations were delayed due to impassible roads. In Yamanashi prefecture west of Tokyo, stores were facing a serious fresh food shortage, the Yomiuri and public broadcaster NHK reported, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promising to send a government...

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N Korea should face ICC over crimes against humanity: UN probe

Geneva: North Korea's leaders should be brought before an international court for a litany of crimes against humanity that include exterminating, starving and enslaving its population, a UN team said on Monday. A hard-hitting report on the nuclear-armed totalitarian state also strongly criticised its denial of basic freedoms of thought, expression and religion, and its abduction of citizens of neighbouring South Korea and Japan."Systemic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, its institutions and officials," said the report by the Commission of Inquiry on North Korea set up in March 2013 by the UN Human Rights Council. "In many instances, the violations of human rights found by the commission constitute...

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Anti-government Thai demonstrators besiege premier`s office

Bangkok: Anti-government protesters on Monday besieged the Government House in the Thai capital to prevent caretaker Premier Yingluck Shinawatra from working there, even as the Election Commission and ministers failed to strike a deal on holding elections to 28 seats in parliament. People's Democratic Reform Committee (PRDC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban led a march of thousands of demonstrators, who set up the stage from where their leaders will take turns to speak out against the government.Suthep and other core leaders then helped block the Government House by pouring cement into the moulds of the barriers. "I fear, I may offend the military by laying siege to the Government House, but if I don't, I will seize it. We are sure that our protest will bring down Thaksin Regime," Suthep told a cheering...

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C Africa president asks France to stay till polls

Bangui: The leader of the strife-torn Central Africa Republic asked French troops Monday to stay until polls due in early 2015, as unabated sectarian violence wrecked Paris' hope of a quick exit. Catherine Samba Panza's appeal to the former colonial power came three days after France's decision to boost its contingent to 2,000 and on the eve of a review of the deadly sectarian conflict by the UN Security Council. "The interim president told us that they should stay until the elections, that is to stay until early 2015," French MP Elizabeth Guigou said in Bangui. When France launched operation Sangaris in December to prevent mass sectarian killing, President Francois Hollande envisioned a short deployment. On Saturday however, with a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Muslims in full swing,...

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Moqtada al-Sadr`s political exit may be `gift` to Iraqi rivals

Baghdad: Powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's announced exit from politics two months before elections may be a "gift" to rivals but could also be another temporary withdrawal, experts say. Sadr's political career began with his fierce opposition to the presence of foreign troops in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion, and has spanned more than a decade. His rise, aided by the reputations of two famed relatives -- including his father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr -- who were killed during Saddam Hussein's rule, eventually translated into political clout. At the time of his weekend announcement, Sadr's movement held six cabinet posts, the Deputy Speakership of Parliament and 40 seats in the legislature."I announce my non-intervention in all political affairs and...

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China dismisses Kerry`s criticism of internet freedom

Beijing: Days after US Secretary of State John Kerry asked Chinese leaders to support Internet freedom, Beijing Monday retorted by asking why he did not mention whistleblower Edward Snowden in a meeting with its bloggers. Dismissing Kerry's call to support internet freedom as "naive", Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "How can there be so-called bloggers in China without the leap forward development of China's internet?" She was answering a question at a media briefing on Kerry's comments at a meeting with Chinese bloggers here on February 15."Obviously, we think that the Chinese economy will be stronger with greater freedom of the Internet," Kerry had said. China is estimated to have about 300 million bloggers who communicate through Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent...

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Iran nuclear talks: Crucial meet between Tehran, world powers in Vienna today

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