Daily Archives: July 28, 2014

‘Who?’ New York judge admits he has no idea who Rihanna is when her ‘stalker’ appears in court on harassment charges

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Rihanna -singerBeing a global superstar, it seems, is no guarantee people will know who you are.

Rihanna might have sold more than 30million albums worldwide, but when her alleged stalker appeared in an American court, the judge found himself rather confused as to her identity.

On being told that homeless Kevin McGlynn, 53, was ‘arrested for stalking Rihanna’, veteran New York judge Abraham Clott admitted he had no idea who she is.

McGlynn is accused of threatening the singer – real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty – in three notes dropped off at her rented $14.5million New York apartment on July 8 and 11.
In court, he accused Rihanna, 26, along with rappers Jay Z and Kanye West of stealing his ‘material’ and branded Judge Clott a ‘liar’ when told he could not defend himself.

Rihanna was said to be scared for her safety after reading the letters that reportedly allude to a personal relationship that does not exist between the pop star and the homeless man.

He already has a criminal record, including four arrests for trespassing.

He is due back in court on September 2 but if his psychiatric evaluation finds him unfit to stand trial the charges could be dropped and he would be admitted to a hospital for treatment.

 

Cutting corners: Sport officials build rectangular running circuit with 90-degree bends ahead of Chinese Communist Party visit because it was quicker than constructing an oval track

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bizarre running track-china1Bungling sport officials in China have built a rectangular running track because they were concerned they wouldn’t get an oval one finished in time for a Communist Party inspection.

The bizarre circuit was built as a part of a major refurbishment of a 10,000 square foot stadium in Tonghe County in the north-eastern Heilongjiang province.

With the big-budget project running behind schedule and an inspection by notoriously finicky Communist Party officials imminent, managers made the decision to quite literally cut corners and create a running track with awkward 90-degree bends as they are easier to measure and lay out.

Almost everything about the stadium is impressive – from the the perfectly laid grass in the centre of the sports field to the massively improved seating facilities for spectators.

But there is one glaringly obvious issue making the sleek Tonghe County stadium one of the strangest in the world.

Locals invited to test the new running track for an episode of regional television programme Newsnight had little positive to say about its unorthodox design.
After appearing on the Newsnight show, the designers of the Tonghe County running track were widely ridiculed on Chinese social media website Weibo.

Despite being the butt of many jokes, some experts have raised concerns about the design, saying it presents a risk of serious injury to athletes.

 

Costa Concordia reaches end of final voyage

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costa-concordiaThe crippled Costa Concordia cruise ship reached the end of its final voyage.

Refloated by salvage crews earlier this month, the rusting hulk docked at Voltri port in the Italian city of Genoa early Sunday.

The cruise ship, which ran aground in January 2012 off Giglio Island with more than 4,200 passengers aboard, was eased into a dry dock at the port for salvage.

It managed to make the four-day journey in a convoy of vessels from Giglio to Genoa without major incident, despite one night of storms.

The ship will be searched for the remains of Russel Rebello, a 33-year-old waiter who is the only victim still missing in the tragedy. A total of 32 people were killed in the disaster.

Searches for Rebello are also underway in Giglio at the site where the ship had rested for the past 30 months.

The lengthy process of dismantling the wrecked ship is expected to take two years.

More than 80% of the Concordia will be recycled or reused, including copper wiring, plumbing pipes, kitchens and some of the plastic room fittings that can be repaired.

The remaining 50,000 tons of steel will be melted down and sold at the market price to be used to make construction girders, cars and even other ships.

 

U.N. Security Council demands humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza

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un-security councilWith more than 1,000 people killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York early Monday to push for “an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.”

The halt in violence would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance, the 15-nation council said.

At its midnight meeting, the Security Council also proclaimed its support for “a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders as envisioned in Security Council resolution 1850 (2008).”

But the statement did not appease the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, who wanted the Security Council to pass a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

At least 1,062 Palestinians have been killed and 6,037 wounded since the Israeli operation against Hamas in Gaza started almost three weeks ago, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra said.

Hamas and Israel began firing at each other again Sunday after a temporary cease-fire Saturday failed.

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