Archive for May 2013

Ringo Starr unveils unseen Beatles photos in e-book

(Reuters) - Former Beatle Ringo Starr is lifting the lid on a collection of previously unseen photographs of the Fab Four in their heyday from his personal collection, in a new photography book due out next month. "Photograph," which will be released as an e-book on Apple's iBookstore on June...

Engineering students use dance to solve problems

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) Engineering students at Northwestern University are getting a leg up on the competition. They're learning to swing dance in a for-credit class called Whole Body Thinking. Joe Holtgreive (HOHLT'-greev), an assistant dean at the McCormick School of Engineering, started the class...

Justin Bieber investigated for reckless driving

LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives are investigating Justin Bieber for reckless driving after witnesses including former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson complained about the pop-star's alleged freeway speeds in their gated community in north Los Angeles County. At about 8 p.m....

First Look: New Xbox elegant, but much unknown

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) Will gamers want One? After four years of development, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One entertainment console and touted it as an all-in-one solution for playing games, watching TV and doing everything in between. Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be central to your living room,...

Ireland readies diplomatic corps to rebuff tax haven claims

By Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland is preparing to officially reject accusations by U.S. Senators this week that it acts as a tax haven for large multinationals and launch a diplomatic offensive to repair the damage done to its reputation abroad. Ireland has been...

Abandoned Chinese baby rescued from toilet pipe

BEIJING (Reuters) - Firefighters in eastern China have rescued an abandoned newborn baby boy lodged in a sewage pipe directly beneath a toilet commode, state television reported, in a case which has sparked anger on social media sites. There are frequent reports in Chinese media of babies being...

Ohio man, 87, skydives to aid sick great-grandson

WAYNESVILLE, Ohio (AP) An 87-year-old World War II veteran has parachuted from a plane in an Ohio to support his ailing great-grandson. Clarence Turner of Fairfield made the jump Saturday with an instructor. He says he wanted to generate attention for the plight of 10-month-old Julian Couch,...

Steve Carell helps 'The Office' close its doors in moving finale

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The doors of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch closed for the last time on Thursday as NBC's "The Office" wrapped up after a nine-season run with a nostalgic finale featuring a long-awaited wedding and the return of the show's biggest star, Steve Carell....

South Africa: Soweto resident shows off her snakes

JOHANNESBURG (AP) Tourists have long flocked to the home-turned-museum of former President Nelson Mandela on Vilakazi Street, a lively strip of restaurants, curio sellers and street performers in the South African township of Soweto. Now the area has a growing attraction: big snakes, and lots...

'Fast' races past 'Hangover' at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES (AP) It's a blowout at the box office. "Fast & Furious 6" is revving past "The Hangover Part III" in the No. 1 position at the Memorial Day weekend box office. Universal Pictures' sixth installment of its muscle car franchise featuring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker debuted with...

Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding dress up for auction

LONDON (Reuters) - The wedding dress worn by film star Elizabeth Taylor for her first marriage to hotel heir Conrad Hilton in 1950 will go up for sale next month, auction house Christie's said on Friday. The simple, but elegant garment created by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose for the...

A controversial victory lap for Lewis at Cannes

CANNES, France (AP) Jerry Lewis, so beloved in France, isn't quite overcome with emotion now that he's back at the Cannes Film Festival. The festival, he says, is "for snobs," and when he meets a reporter from his native land, he exhales, "It's so nice to hear an American." To him, Cannes isn't...

Austrian overcomes fear of heights to aim for slackline record

FRANKFURT, May 25 - An Austrian man tip-toed along a line strung 185 meters (607 feet) off the ground in Frankfurt on Saturday, attempting to set a new world record for "highlining" despite his fear of heights. Reinhard Kleindl, 32, used only his arms to balance as he walked twice along a 30-metre-long...

Actress Amanda Bynes denies bong-throwing charges

By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - American actress Amanda Bynes appeared in court on Friday and denied charges of possessing marijuana and tossing a bong out of the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment. The former Nickelodeon child star, who appeared in court dressed in gray...

Unhappy with how your fave series is faring? Amazon gives you a say

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon is once again shaking up traditional publishing models. This time, it's giving fans a chance to add their own personal touches to their favorite fiction - and get paid in the process. This week, Amazon.com Inc announced "Kindle Worlds," which offers aspiring writers...

Prosecutor in Berlusconi sex trial receives mail with bullets

MILAN (Reuters) - The prosecutor in former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex trial has received a series of anonymous letters of threats, including one with two bullets, Milan's chief prosecutor said on Thursday. The letters against Ilda Boccassini have become more frequent since she requested...

Japanese octogenarian becomes oldest to reach Everest summit

By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber who has had four heart surgeries reached the top of Mount Everest on Thursday becoming the oldest person to conquer the world's highest mountain. Yuichiro Miura, who took the standard southeast ridge route pioneered...

Brown hounded for calling Manila 'gates of hell'

MANILA, Philippines (AP) Dan Brown's description of Manila as "the gates of hell" in the American novelist's latest book has not gone down well with officials in the Philippine capital. The book "Inferno," which is being sold in the Philippines, describes a visitor to the city who is taken aback...

Apple enjoyed Irish tax holiday from the start

By Poornima Gupta and Padraic Halpin SAN FRANCISCO/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Apple has operated almost tax-free in Ireland since 1980, welcomed by a government keen to bring jobs to what was then one of Europe's poorest countries, former company executives and Irish officials have said. Chief Executive...

The new consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony

NEW YORK (AP) Microsoft is the last of the three big video game console makers to unveil its latest gaming system. The unveiling comes nearly eight years after the Xbox 360 went on sale. It follows last fall's debut of Nintendo's Wii U and a preview in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4 from...

Singer and Piaf songwriter Georges Moustaki dies at 79

PARIS (Reuters) - French singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki, beloved in France for his songs celebrating liberty and collaborations with Edith Piaf, died on Thursday after a long illness. He was 79. The Greek-born singer grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and arrived in Paris in 1951, where he...

Talk of lies, pride as Trump case goes to jury

CHICAGO (AP) The lawyer for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told jurors in Chicago on Wednesday that he was personally repulsed because he felt the "Apprentice" star conned his client and lied about it on the witness stand. Plaintiff attorney...

A Minute With: Zachary Quinto on 'Star Trek,' Spock and coming out

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Zachary Quinto has transitioned swiftly from a television villain into an unlikely action film star in J.J Abrams' rebooted "Star Trek" franchise, playing the series' most recognizable half-Vulcan, Spock. The 35-year-old actor, who gained fame as...

Singer George Michael gets medical treatment after car crash

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael has received medical treatment after a car crash on Thursday, his publicist said. The 49-year-old former Wham! frontman was being treated for "minor cuts and bruises" after the accident, Michael's spokeswoman said. "George Michael was a passenger...

A stretched Samsung chases rival Apple's suppliers

By Miyoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Overtaking Apple Inc as the world's leading maker of smartphones has stretched Samsung Electronics Co's in-house supply lines, and the South Korean firm is now courting some of its rival's main parts suppliers. After costly courtroom battles over technology patents,...

Apple CEO makes no apology for company's tax strategy

By Patrick Temple-West and Kevin Drawbaugh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook made no apology on Tuesday for the iPad maker saving billions of dollars in U.S. taxes through Irish subsidiaries and told lawmakers that his company backs corporate tax reform, even though it...

Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift big winners at Billboard Awards

(Reuters) - Pop stars Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift won the big prizes on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards, which also honored legendary performers Madonna and Prince. Bieber, who was named top male artist, also performed at the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He also took...

Toback, Baldwin eye Cannes movie-making underbelly

CANNES, France (AP) A phrase you will hear often at Cannes is: "Let me run the numbers." The commercial underbelly of the Cannes Film Festival is a nonstop frenzy of deal-making in luxury hotels along the Croisette promenade and aboard yachts moored offshore. Films are pitched with various ingredients...