UK television to air Diana’s recordings on failed marriage

Author:  Associated Press Sun, 2017-07-30 03:00 ID:  1501413490431877300 LONDON: A British television channel is broadcasting a new documentary on Princess Diana using video tapes in which she candidly discussed her marital problems and her strained relationship with the royal family. The recordings of Diana speaking to her voice coach in the early 1990s included her description of how Queen Elizabeth II reacted when she...

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India blesses its snakes as charmers face the venom of modern life

Author:  AFP Fri, 2017-07-28 12:29 ID:  1501406626681457800 INDIA: Officially the snake charmers’ profession is banned in India, but its devotees were at the center of prayers and milk blessings offered to cobras and other deadly serpents in an annual tribute Friday. The country’s 800,000 charmers and their young apprentices come to the fore each year for the centuries-old Nag Panchami festival, celebrated in honor of a serpent...

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Known for drama chops, Nicole Kidman is eager to do comedy

Author:  AP Sun, 2017-07-30 03:00 ID:  1501403777891293500 BEVERLY HILLS: A roundup of news from the Television Critics Association summer meeting, at which TV networks and streaming services are presenting details on upcoming programs. FUNNY LADY Pratfalls, gags, or dry wit, Nicole Kidman says she’d love to give them a shot. The Oscar-winner says she never gets offered comedic roles and she’d like to change that. “They...

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Turkmenistan bans cars for a day to promote bikes, health

Author:  AP Sat, 2017-07-29 03:00 ID:  1501342813986430200 ASHGABAT: The Central Asian country of Turkmenistan has banned most locals in its major cities from using their cars for a day in a bid to promote cycling and healthy lifestyles. Residents of the capital, Ashgabat, and regional cities were told not to use their vehicles between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday without express permission as the government staged mass cycle...

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China mall offers “man pod” havens for husbands wary of shopping

Author:  Reuters Sat, 2017-07-29 09:25 ID:  1501342168166374400 SHANGHAI: At a Shanghai mall, rows of “man pods” equipped with video games are proving a big hit, providing a refuge for hundreds of weary husbands and boyfriends as their other halves shop until they drop. The first pods were launched at the Global Harbor shopping mall in Shanghai in June, and since then over 1,000 men have used the facilities, according to...

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Clooney to sue Voici over images of twins

Author:  AFP Sat, 2017-07-29 11:38 ID:  1501319365894934800 USA: Hollywood A-lister George Clooney is fuming mad at Voici for publishing images of his twins and will sue the French entertainment magazine. “Over the last week, photographers from Voici magazine scaled our fence, climbed our tree and illegally took pictures of our infants inside our home,” Clooney said in a statement. “Make no mistake, the photographers, the...

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Jessica Williams says it a ‘great time’ to be actor of color

Author:  AP Sat, 2017-07-29 03:00 ID:  1501315425714770200 NEW YORK: Jessica Williams says it’s a great time to be an actress of color, and applauds Netflix for leading the way in promoting diversity. Williams, who cut her teeth as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” takes on her first starring role in the streaming network’s original film, “The Incredible Jessica James .” The actress feels Netflix helped shape stories about...

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Apple axes iPod nano and shuffle

Author:  Agence France Presse Sat, 2017-07-29 00:20 ID:  1501209969876540600 SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Touch became the last iPod standing on Thursday as Apple removed nano and shuffle stand-alone digital music players from its lineup. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices some 12 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was...

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Police give naloxone to dog that got into owner’s oxycodone

Author:  Associated Press Fri, 2017-07-28 22:00 ID:  1501264082679909100 LYMAN, Maine: Police in Maine say a dog that got into its owner’s oxycodone perked right up after police administered the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone. York County Sheriff William King says the dog’s owner flagged down a passing officer in Lyman on Thursday. The owner said she was unable to get help from a veterinarian and asked Sgt. David Chauvette...

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Indian baby survives being buried alive by teen mother

Author:  AFP Fri, 2017-07-28 12:56 ID:  1501236519317632700 INDIA: A week old baby boy in India survived several hours in a grave after being buried alive by his teenaged rape victim mother, police said Friday. Cries heard by villagers produced the miracle rescue of the infant now recovering in hospital in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The 16-year-old mother buried the boy in a graveyard in an attempt “to get rid of...

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Jolie admits to ‘hardest time’ after Pitt split

Author:  AFP Fri, 2017-07-28 03:00 ID:  1501190118323110100 NEW YORK: Angelina Jolie has opened up about her split from Brad Pitt, confessing to having “the hardest time” and claiming to have spent months as a homemaker, doing dishes and cleaning up dog poop. Jolie, 42, filed for divorce last September, citing irreconcilable differences. She accused her Oscar-winning ex of hitting their teenage son on a flight from France...

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France’s Macrons meet Rihanna at the Elysee Palace

Author:  AP Fri, 2017-07-28 03:00 ID:  1501190118293109500 PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron met singer Rihanna at the Elysee Palace Wednesday after the pop star appealed to him on Twitter for France to contribute to her education fund for developing countries. Rihanna first was welcomed by first lady Brigitte Macron on the steps of the presidential palace in Paris before she went inside to speak with the couple now...

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A Minute With: Jada Pinkett Smith talks ‘black girl magic’

Author:  Reuters Fri, 2017-07-28 03:00 ID:  1501190118273109200 LONDON: Jada Pinkett Smith stars with Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish in the hit movie “Girl’s Trip,” a comedy that features four black women in the lead roles — an unusual proposition in Hollywood. Reuters spoke to Pinkett Smith this week about her success at the US box office and her film’s catchphrase “black girl magic.” Here are excerpts of...

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‘Arrested Development’ actor Jason Bateman receives Hollywood star

Author:  Reuters Fri, 2017-07-28 03:00 ID:  1501190118303109800 LOS ANGELES: Actor, director and producer Jason Bateman, best known for starring in the critically acclaimed US television series “Arrested Development,” called himself “fortunate” as he unveiled his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday. “I just simply feel very, very grateful to have had a chance to hold my job in a business that’s not known for its...

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Authorities: Drug proceeds paid for $3,000 baby stroller

Author:  AP Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501146750749216600 NEW YORK: A drug gang went on a conspicuous spending spree that included buying a $3,000 Versace baby stroller and luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Authorities announced drug trafficking charges against six New York gang suspects with ties to a Mexican cartel. They said the takedown also resulted in the seizure...

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Paws, jaws and claws: checkups await animals rescued from Aleppo zoo

Author:  Reuters Thu, 2017-07-27 08:41 ID:  1501146750239215400 Blood tests, eye checkups and ultrasound exams are on the cards for nine animals, five big cats among them, that have been trucked into Turkey in a rescue from their damaged zoo in Aleppo in strife-torn Syria. Three lions, two tigers, two bears and two hyenas survived more than six years of intense clashes at the abandoned Aalim Al-Sahar (Magic World) zoo to...

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Scientists build DNA from scratch to alter life’s blueprint

Author:  AP Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501058507751019000 NEW YORK: At Jef Boeke’s lab, you can whiff an odor that seems out of place, as if they were baking bread here. But he and his colleagues are cooking up something else altogether: yeast that works with chunks of man-made DNA. Scientists have long been able to make specific changes in the DNA code. Now, they’re taking the more radical step of starting over, and building...

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Trump says Apple promised three new US plants: report

Author:  AFP Wed, 2017-07-26 01:26 ID:  1501058579291026400 USA: The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday reported that US President Donald Trump said Apple has promised to expand manufacturing at home with three new US plants. The Journal quoted Trump as saying that Apple chief executive Tim Cook committed to building “three big plants,” in the United States. No details were provided, and Apple did not respond to an AFP request...

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Cate Blanchett on being Marvel’s first female villain

Author:  ARAB NEWS Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501011659276782400 JEDDAH: Cate Blanchett is the first female villain in the Marvel universe in “Thor: Ragnarok,” according to an interview with an ET reporter on the red carpet following the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic-Con. “I only realized that when I got on set and you think, ‘Wow! It’s taken this long to catch up!’” she said of her role as Hela. Blanchett said: “But you...

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Next James Bond film set for November 2019, no word on 007 star

Author:  Reuters Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501011659246782100 LOS ANGELES: James Bond is returning to movie theaters in November 2019, producers said on Monday, but they did not say who will play Britain’s most famous fictional spy. Eon Productions and MGM studios said in a statement that the 25th Bond film will be released in US theaters on Nov. 8, 2019, with a slightly earlier release in Britain. They gave no title, casting...

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Justin Bieber cancels rest of ‘Purpose’ tour without explanation

Author:  Reuters Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501011659306783000 LOS ANGELES: Pop singer Justin Bieber on Monday canceled the remainder of his “Purpose” world tour citing “unforeseen circumstances” but gave no specific reasons. The cancellation will affect 14 dates in North America and Asia through Oct. 10. Ticket holders will get refunds. “Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them,” his tour publicist said in a statement.”...

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The Who’s Roger Daltrey visits teenage cancer patients

Author:  AP Wed, 2017-07-26 03:00 ID:  1501011659286782700 CLEVELAND: Roger Daltrey’s voice may not soar as it once did. But even after 50 years of touring he hasn’t lost his teenage spirit. The Hall of Fame rocker, who has been an advocate for teen cancer patients for nearly three decades, visited with children, young adults and their families at Rainbow Babies Hospital on Monday. The Who’s front man toured the Angie Fowler...

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UAE police fine hundreds for jaywalking offenses

Author:  Arab News Tue, 2017-07-25 20:39 ID:  1500993916425124900 DUBAI: Police in the UAE continue in their ongoing effort to make the country’s roads safer. According to local daily The National, hundreds of pedestrians were fined in the emirate of Ajman for jaywalking. Police issued 400 dirham ($110) fines – double the usual amount – to 1,652 people for crossing roads in places other than designated areas. The crackdown...

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Tokyo to begin seeking names for star giant panda cub

Author:  AP Tue, 2017-07-25 03:00 ID:  1500972540713300100 TOKYO: Tokyo is preparing to start collecting ideas later this week for naming a new giant panda cub born at its Ueno zoo. The zoo, Japan’s oldest, has not shown the cub directly to the public. But it released a video of the cub born on June 12 showing the squeaky baby snuggling with its mother ShinShin. The roly-poly female cub already has the characteristic black...

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Robots, race cars and weather: Girl Scouts offer new badges

Author:  AP Tue, 2017-07-25 03:00 ID:  1500970759413151100 NEW YORK: Girl Scouts from tiny Daisies to teen Ambassadors may earn 23 new badges focused on science, technology, engineering and math. It’s the largest addition of new badges in a decade for Girl Scouts of the USA. The effort takes a progressive approach to STEM and also nudges girls to become citizen scientists using the great outdoors as their laboratory. Among...

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Arab singer Carole Samaha sings viral hit ‘despacito’

Author:  ARAB NEWS Tue, 2017-07-25 03:00 ID:  1500922220369181800 DAMMAM: Lebanese singer Carole Samaha is the latest Arab artist to jump on the “Despacito” bandwagon. In a video she shared on her Instagram account, Samaha is seen singing a part of the viral Spanish number in a garden. She had earlier expressed admiration for the song, saying that it had “saved the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico from bankruptcy.” “Despacito”...

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The ‘Sharknado’ phenomenon: Making America bait again

Author:  AFP Tue, 2017-07-25 03:00 ID:  1500922220349181500 SAN DIEGO: With its airborne sharks, over-the-top gore and endless cheesy cameos from fading stars it ought to have flopped — but the viral “Sharknado” franchise shows no signs of losing its bite. A fifth film in five years, “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming,” is due for release on Aug. 6, building on social media buzz that has turned the series into one of the most...

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