Daily Archives: August 28, 2013

The picture Vladimir Putin wants to ban: Police seize painting of Russian president in women’s underwear from St Petersburg gallery claiming it is ‘illegal’

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Russian President Vladimir Putin brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev1Police have seized a painting of Russia’s president Vladamir Putin wearing women’s underwear from a gallery, saying the satirical display had broken the law.

The painting entitled ‘Travesty’ by Konstantin Altunin, shows President Putin wearing a tight-fitting slip and brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is wearing knickers and a bra.

Police swooped on the Muzei Vlasti (Museum of Authorities) in St. Petersburg on the night of August 26 confiscating several art installations, including ‘Travesty’ which are to be checked for extremist propaganda.

A picture of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill I, with his torso covered in tattoos, and two others poking fun at lawmakers who have backed legislation banning so-called gay propaganda, were also confiscated, gallery staff said.
The police service said it had taken paintings from the gallery – based in two rooms of a flat – late on Monday after receiving reports they were illegal.

It gave no further detail but Russia does have a law against insulting authorities – an offence that carries a maximum one-year prison term.

Gallery owner Alexander Donskoy said the officers had also shut down his establishment and gave him no explanation for the removal of paintings from the exhibition, titled ‘Leaders’.

 

Melbourne makes it three years in a row as world’s most liveable city

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melbourne-bayMelbourne made it three years in a row as the world’s most livable city, according to the 2013 Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Livability Survey.

The top cities and indeed much of the rankings remained similar to last year, with Australian and New Zealand cities landing five of the top 10 spots. Canadian cities made up another three of the top 10 positions.

Vienna came a close second while Canadian cities Vancouver and Toronto stayed at third and fourth; Calgary tied with Adelaide for fifth place.

The top spots are mostly “mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density,” said the EIU.

At the bottom of the list, due to ongoing civil conflict in Syria is Damascus — dropping 10 rankings.

A total of 140 cities were surveyed under five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Scores in each category and sub-category are compiled and weighted to give a total out of 100. 100 is considered ideal and 1 intolerable.

The report noted a few major changes. Madrid dropped five spots to 44th due to “unrest and protests,” but remains in the top tier of livability. The Slovakian capital of Bratislava moved into the top tier (a score of 80 or above), now at 63rd place in the ranking.

Tehran, Douala (Cameroon), Tripoli, Karachi, Algiers, Harare, Lagos, Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Damascus (are at the bottom of the list with conflict responsible for many of the lowest scores, the report stated.

Top 10 most livable cities (unchanged in 2013 from 2012):

1. Melbourne, Australia, 97.5

2. Vienna, Austria, 97.4

3. Vancouver, Canada, 97.3

4. Toronto, Canada, 97.2

=5. Calgary, Canada, 96.6

=5. Adelaide, Australia, 96.6

7. Sydney, Australia, 96.1

8. Helsinki, Finland, 96.0

9. Perth, Australia, 95.9

10. Auckland, New Zealand, 95.7

 

Madonna Ranked by Forbes as World’s Highest-Earning Celebrity

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madonnaAnchored on the immense success of her top-grossing tour, iconic diva Madonna tops Forbes’ highest-earning celebrities list, with $125 million in estimate earnings for the period from June 2012 to June 2013. The 55-year-old Material Girl bested other A-listers in the roster like filmmaker Steven Spielberg and TV personality Simon Cowell. Despite the lackluster sales performance of her album “MDNA”, the $305 million that its supporting world tour brought in was enough to boost Madonna’s earnings ahead of the pack. Adding to her total are profits from merchandise and other business ventures like her fragrance and clothing line. Spielberg took the runner-up spot, earning $25 million less than the pop diva, mainly from the box-office success of his latest film, the award-winning “Lincoln”, plus the royalties he earns from his extensive library of films. Just $5 million short of his $100 million total are Cowell, “Fifty Shades of Grey” author E.L. James, and radio show host & “America’s Got Talent” judge Howard Stern who are tied for the third place. Lady GaGa, who’s known for emulating the Queen of Pop, placed tenth on the list with $80 million, because of her “Born This Way Ball” tour getting cut short by her hip injury and subsequent surgery.

Libya to Try Gadhafi’s Son Next Month

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Libya to Try Gadhafi’s Son Next Month

gadhafi-sonLibya’s prosecutor general says late dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s son and his spy chief have been charged with murder in relation to Libya’s 2011 civil war.

Abdel-Qader Radwan said Tuesday that the trial will start on Sept. 19 in the capital on alleged crimes committed during Gadhafi’s 42-year rule and during the eight-month civil war that deposed him. The defendants are former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi and Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the only son of the former dictator who is in custody.

A militia is holding Seif al-Islam in the Libyan town of Zintan. International Criminal Court judges had ruled that Libya cannot give Seif al-Islam a fair trial and asked authorities to hand him over to The Hague.

 

Mudslides kill 13 after Fernand hits Mexico

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storm-fernandMudslides killed at least 13 people after Fernand slammed into the east of coast of Mexico, state media reported Monday.

Fernand was a tropical storm when it made landfall late Sunday, bringing heavy rains. The storm quickly fizzled into a tropical depression and had dissipated by Monday afternoon, forecasters said.

But even as it weakened, authorities in the state of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico said the storm brought heavy rains that caused deadly mudslide in several locations.

All of the deaths were caused by mudslides that buried homes, Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte said, according to Mexico’s state-run Notimex news agency.

The storm was expected to dump between 4 and 8 inches of rain over the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, northern Puebla, southern Tamaulipas and eastern San Luis Potosi, with more than 15 inches of rain in some places.

Forecasters warned that more life-threatening mudslides were possible.