France sends envoy to Libyan rebel stronghold

LONDON: France has sent a special envoy to the rebel city of Benghazi to liaise with the interim administration, its foreign minister said on Tuesday.

UN Hariri tribunal to implicate Hezbollah: Nasrallah

BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that he expected members of his party to be charged by a UN court probing the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, warning he stood ready for such a scenario.

“I was personally informed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri before his visit to Washington (in May) that the tribunal will accuse some undisciplined members” of Hezbollah, Nasrallah said in a press conference via video link.

“That”s where things seem to be heading,” he said, adding that the impending decision by the UN-backed court set up following the 2005 assassination of Hariri”s father, Rafiq, had pushed Lebanon into a “very sensitive phase”.

Nasrallah said Saad Hariri had assured him he would publicly avow that it was undisciplined members of Hezbollah, and not the party itself, who were implicated in the murder.

His rare press conference came amid mounting tension over reports that the Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon was set to implicate the powerful Shiite party, which is backed by Syria and Iran.

“There is a dangerous project that is targeting the resistance,” Nasrallah added, using the standard Lebanese term for Hezbollah.

“We are not at all afraid, nor are we worried. We know how to defend ourselves.”

He said that, from the outset, he had doubted the impartiality of the tribunal, which he accused of having made the decision to indict Hezbollah before conducting its probe.

“All the data we have indicate that the charge sheet was written up before even the interrogation of our members,” he said. “The indictment is ready … it is only a matter of political timing.”

Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive bombing on the Beirut seafront on February 14, 2005.

Castro warns US against Iran sanctions

HAVANA: Fidel Castro, the former leader of Cuba in one interview said that a US attack on Iran would be crippling to the invading country.

“The worst for America is the resistance they will face there, which they didn’t face in Iraq,” Castro said during the interview.

Castro has attended a function at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry Friday where he made a speech, once more reiterating that a US-led invasion of Iran, or US efforts to impose international sanctions on Iran for its nuclear activities, will lead to a catastrophic nuclear war.

The former leader of the communist country also predicted that the US would, in time, attack North Korea.

Oil eases below $77 as supplies weigh

LONDON: Oil eased to below $77 a barrel on Wednesday, falling from a two-week high, after a weekly industry report showed a surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories and European equities turned lower.

U.S. crude stockpiles rose by 1.7 million barrels, the American Petroleum Institute reported on Tuesday. European stocks fell after gaining in the previous six sessions.

U.S. crude fell 35 cents to $76.80 a barrel at 1028 GMT. It reached a two-week intraday high of $77.37 on Tuesday. Brent crude was down 18 cents to $76.47.

“From a fundamental point of view, another leg down is more likely than a strong price increase,” said Eugen Weinberg, analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

Traders will be looking to the weekly supply report from the U.S. government”s Energy Information Administration due at 1430 GMT (10:30 a.m. EDT) to see if the inventory build reported by the API is confirmed.

Inventories have risen in other industrialized countries. The International Energy Agency on Tuesday said stocks in OECD nations rose in May to equal 61 days of demand, up from 60.3 days at the end of April.

Bank shares lost ground in Europe on Wednesday on concern about stringent rules for the sector, but U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open for Wall Street.

Oil and U.S. equities have become more closely correlated this month. Investors often see the strength of equities as an indication of wider economic health and future demand for oil and energy.

Oil in New York was just below its 200-day moving average at $77.39, a level analysts who study past price moves to predict direction said needed to be breached for prices to rally further.

“The line to conquer for the bulls today will be the resistance of the 200-day moving average,” said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix.

“We continue to believe that sustainability above $80 will be difficult until (there is) a true visible change in the fundamental data.”

Connor Cruise mother

Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise and Edwin Hodge are the newest Wolverines to join MGM/UA’s “Red Dawn” remake.

They join Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki in the revamp of the 1984 action movie about a group of teenagers who form an insurgency when their town is invaded — this time by Chinese and Russian soldiers.

Hutcherson will play Robert, originated by C. Thomas Howell, and become the group’s tech geek. Lucas is Erica, head cheerleader and the Peck character’s girlfriend whom he desperately hopes to spring from an internment camp. Lea Thompson played the character in the original.

Cruise is playing Daryl, the son of Spokane’s mayor and Robert’s best friend. And Hodge will play Danny, the coolest kid in school and star wide receiver who helps establish the resistance.

The young cast heads off in a few weeks for military training in an undisclosed location.

Dan Bradley is directing from a screenplay by Jeremy Passmore and Carl Ellsworth. Contrafilm’s Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing. Vince Newman and Kevin Halloran are exec producing.

The film is scheduled to begin filming next month in Detroit for a Sept. 24, 2010 release.

Hutcherson, repped by ICM and Ric Beddingfield, starred in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Bridge to Terabithia.”

Lucas, repped by UTA and Sharron Meissner in Australia, recently appeared in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Cruise, the 14-year-old son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, debuted in December as the young Will Smith character in “Seven Pounds.”

Hodge, repped by Global Artists Agency and Luber Roklin Entertainment, has a recurring role on Fox’s “Mental” and recently appeared in the feature “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.”

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Connor Cruise mother

Balochistan minister Sardar Rustam Jamali shot dead

KARACHI – Unidentified gunmen on Thursday killed Balochistan Excise and Taxation Minister Sardar Rustam Jamali at Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block-12 within the precincts of Shahrah-e-Faisal Police Station.
According to details, Rustam, elder son of Jamali tribe chieftain Sardar Yar Muhammad Jamali and cousin of former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, was targeted in front of the Rado Apartments.
“Jamali was in his black colour Prado (BD-5610) when unknown gunmen fired three bullets on him in front of Rado Apartments, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block-12,” DSP Shahrah-e-Faisal Shafi Rind said.
The provincial minister was initially rushed to Darul Sehat Hospital in a critical condition and later when he was being shifted to Agha Khan Hospital, he succumbed to injuries, he added.
Talking about the cause of killing, he expressed his inability to pass any judgment but said many motives including car snatching, target-killing or personal and tribal enmity could be among the reasons behind the brutal murder.
“They (assailants) were four in number, who apparently tried to snatch the provincial minister’s car, who was alone at that time and on his resistance, shot him thrice, which proved fatal and fled,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, some eye witnesses have claimed that three to four armed men in a silver colour Cultus (AQH-850) approached Jamali’s car and pumped three bullets, two in his chest and one in face, which resulted in his death.
Sources privy to the matter also say that the deceased Jamali had a meeting with the four persons who had arrived on the said car, while two of them disembarked and got inside Jamali’s Prado where they shot him dead.
They said the attackers used victim’s pistol, which they took way along with them, while a number of property files and other documents were also recovered from his vehicle.
According to deceased’s uncle Nauraiz Khan Jamali, the deceased was returning back to the Rado Apartments, as he had scheduled a meeting with Ramzan Palari, Aziz Tabani, Fazal Malik and Zakir over a dispute of plot in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

I’m Only Getting Engaged: Rakhi Sawant

A local court in Jaipur has asked the cops to register an FIR against six people, including you, for alleged breach of copyright for lifting the concept of Rakhi Ka Swayamwar from the portal of a Pink City-based struggling writer, Gaurav Tiwari…
These are all false allegations. The show, Rakhi Ka Swayamwar on Imagine, is immensely popular and that’s why people want to use its popularity to their own advantage. Tell me one thing: Was this Gaurav guy sleeping all this while? Rakhi Sawant is a brand name and it is my Swayamwar, my concept. If it was Shah Rukh Khan’s swayamwar or Kareena Kapoor’s swayamwar, then too the shows would have had nothing to do with Gaurav Tiwari’s concept.

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I’m Only Getting Engaged: Rakhi Sawant

Watch True Blood Season 2 Episode 7

Watch True Blood Season 2 Episode 7, True Blood season 2 episode 7 with tittle “Release Me” will airs on Sunday August 02nd, 2009 at 09:00 pm via HBO. in the last week Bill was surprised when a vampire from the distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. Au Bon Temps, Daphne Saturday presses to get comfortable in his own skin. Now in this episode 7 Betrayed by Daphne Sam is in an unenviable position of his eyes wild and Maryann henchmen. Imprisoned with Hugo in F.O.T.S. church, Sookie uses her telepathic powers to get the bill, which will be held at the hotel for a stubbornly obsessive Lorena. After having crossed a line with a terrible Newlin Jason tries to cut its ties with the company of the Sun, but it is the resistance of Steve Gabe and his executor.

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Watch True Blood Season 2 Episode 7

Kareena Kapoor Is The Best Girl: Saif

Personally, he is dating the most powerful and gorgeous girl in Bollywood; and professionally, well, he’s calling the shots too.

“I haven’t noticed whether other girls have stopped looking at me because I’m dating the best girl in town,’’ he says. “A lot depends on the vibe you give off. I hear unavailable men are more interesting to interesting women. That be as it may, I’m not particularly interested in a stranger of any sort right now.’’

Saif’s reason for setting up a production house is simple. He wants to make the films he believes in. “Everyone has their own home productions and no one is going to cast you in their films unless they can’t do it themselves,’’ he says.

He points out that the biggest filmmakers in the country — Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar , Sanjay Leela Bhansali — would ideally pitch for Shah Rukh Khan , Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan first. “If things don’t work out with these guys, then perhaps they’d come to me,’’ he says very matter-of-fact. “However, with setting up my own production house, I can make the films I wish to and give myself the parts I want to play. No other producer can give me the parental love that my own production can.’’

His maiden venture releases today and within a couple of months, he’s all set to get into Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod, a spy-action-high-on-adrenaline-thriller with lady love Kareena Kapoor playing his screen muse. “Film production is an exciting job,’’ he confesses. “Balancing that in itself, apart from real life in terms of family and getting things done on time, has been challenging.’’

Personally too, he confesses to being blissful: “Life is a growing and changing process. I came into the world of interviews when I was 20 at a room in a Mumbai studio. In 19 years, I have grown, and the last two years have been very eventful. Personally and professionally I find myself in the right place. The rest of my life lies ahead of me but I feel confident and equipped to deal with most situations.’’

And the mention of sunshine (Kareena) brings a smile to his face.
“Everything is beautiful right now,’’ he says. “Kareena and I are on a path, let us enjoy that. For me, priority right now is to set up this production house, and I want Madam to stay the biggest star in the world for as long as she enjoys it. Everything else will follow in due course.’’

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Kareena Kapoor Is The Best Girl: Saif

Sheree Whitfield Divorce Settlement

Sheree should be happy with what she’s getting…According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ms. Sheree Whitfield received the following in her bitter divorce settlement with ex-husband and former Atlanta Falcons player Bob Whitfield.

* Primary custody of their two children
* $2,142 a month in child support
* Two cash payments totaling $775,000
* $250,000 share of his NFL Player 401(k) plan
* Shares of three other NFL retirement plans
* 2006 Range Rover Sport

Long face is appealing the decision, claiming that she should be awarded alimony because of “her lack of education” and “inability to earn enough income to find affordable housing in the same school district where their children’s friends and classmates live.” Interesting.

On the show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Sheree Whitfield expressed a desire for a “seven figure” settlement from her ex-husband and former Atlanta Falcons player Bob Whitfield. She has since said very little about the case because of legal wranglings.

She received a settlement last year but wasn’t happy with it. So she has appealed it all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court. The case is scheduled to be heard Monday.

Her attorneys have painted her as a high school graduate with limited skills to earn income. If the settlement remains the same, she won’t be able to stay at her $2.6 million home. She receives $113,422 a year from the divorce, not enough for her to live the lifestyle she’s used to and clearly not at the level that the hit Bravo show conveys. Sheree also received a lump sum of $775,000, shares of Whitfield’s retirement pension, nearly half the marital property and child support.

Additional factoids thoughtfully provided by a Fulton County court public information officer:

Whitfield is “appealing a Fulton County Court’s refusal to grant her alimony and a new trial. Under a 2003 pilot project, the high court has agreed to review all challenges to final divorce decrees that are not deemed frivolous.”

“Bob and Sheree Whitfield separated after three years of marriage in 2003 and divorced after seven in 2007. … The trial court awarded her custody of the children and $2,142.87 a month in child support. It also awarded her a division of the marital property totaling more than $1.1 million and including a lump sum payment of $775,000. It gave her half of the marital portion of three NFL retirement plans. But the court did not award alimony.

“The court awarded him nearly all the real estate, including four homes, and the recording studio, Patchwerks, which he founded. Her lawyers moved for a new trial over the denial of alimony. The lower court denied the motion, and she now appeals to the Supreme Court.”

The possible upside to all this divorce drama? If cameras are allowed into the courtroom, the second season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” potentially could provide 15 or more seconds of watchable television. Oh, and if Sheree somehow manages a bigger payday, perhaps the alleged fashion “designer” will be able to afford classes in sewing and stitching —- services she unsuccessfully farmed out to others in Season 1.

Celebrity docket

Atlanta rapper-machine gun enthusiast T.I. has paid an $8,000 overdue lawyer bill for the mother of two of his sons, telling a judge the debt was an oversight.

Lawyers for LaShon Dixon asked a Fulton County judge to intervene after the 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, failed to pay in November. He had agreed to the payment as part of an ongoing child support case.

T.I. brought a check for the money owed, effectively settling the matter. During the Tuesday hearing, which lasted more than four hours, he told the judge the order to pay got lost when he changed assistants.

“It was just a clerical error, totally innocent,” he said. “I will accept full responsibility for that.”

T.I. is scheduled to be sentenced on federal weapons charges in March. He is expected to serve at least a year in federal prison.

More time for ticket-holders

There’s good news for Falcons season ticket-holders who, in this economic climate, are still on the fence about whether to re-up for the 2009 season this fall. The Falcons organization is giving you more time to decide. In a note to fans posted at www.atlantafalcons.com, season tickets-holders are being informed: “Due to sensitivity to the economy and the holiday season, the 2009 early renewal deadline has been extended to Jan. 30, 2009.”

Oh, and the Falcons and Ticketmaster are also offering a technological enhancement to season ticket-holders for the 2009 season as well.

If you find yourself unable to use your tickets, you can forward them via e-mail to friends or family for a fee of $1.95 per ticket (remember, this is Ticketmaster, a company that has never found a service fee it hasn’t felt compelled to pass along to consumers). You can forward tickets anywhere up until two hours before game time.

Consider it an alternative to standing in the Georgia Dome parking lot on Sunday afternoons.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Singer Shirley Bassey is 72. Guitarist Robby Krieger of the Doors is 63. Singer David Bowie is 62. Singer R. Kelly is 42. Guitarist Disashi Lumumbo-Kasongo of Gym Class Heroes is 26.

STORK REPORT

It’s a girl!

It’s baby No. 2 for Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. Affleck’s spokesman, Shawn Sachs, and Garner’s spokeswoman, Leslie Sloane-Zelnik, are confirming that Garner gave birth to their second daughter but would not provide additional details. Garner and Affleck, both 36, were married in June 2005. Garner gave birth to daughter Violet in December 2005. Mommy and daddy met on the set of “Daredevil,” and they began dating in 2004.

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Sheree Whitfield Divorce Settlement

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