Sheryl Crow Singing a New Tune With Cookbook 'If It Makes You Healthy'

Sheryl Crow is a busy rock star and activist raising two boys as a single mother. When Crow battled breast cancer five years ago, she took that as a wake-up call to eat better. Around this time she met chef Chuck White, who taught Sheryl how to eat seasonal, vitamin-rich food that would boost her health and singing voice.

The two have now teamed up on a cookbook called 'If It Makes You Healthy,' which is brimming with delicious and nutritious recipes.
 

#How did you meet Chuck ??
I have worked with Chuck off and on for three years. He's extraordinarily talented. We have this mutual love for incorporating the healthy components of food and the knowledge of wellness and disease with prevention and I wanted him to share what it is that he does. He had been on tour with me and cooked in my home while I had been recording.
 

#When you're not touring or doing albums do you cook for yourself ??
For the most part when I'm home I cook for me and my kids. We sit down and eat meals. I cook the things I learned from Chuck. I'm always looking for healthy ways to feed my kids. My 10-month-old eats everything. Wyatt's a little pickier. The one thing he loves is pasta and there are lots of different ways to make pasta with quinoa or spaghetti squash so he's not just eating plain carbs. There's always creative ways to feed kids.
 

#Does the music business today depress you ??
For somebody like me who makes records to go out and play, I would play no matter what; it's unfortunate that the climate is what it is. I enjoy playing live.

#Before you got diagnosed with cancer, did you eat a lot of junk food ??
We would eat what was at the gig. Not to knock the catering companies, but you would eat catering that was sitting out all day or eating from room service and then when I was diagnosed five years ago and I became a student of nutrition and wellness and really wanted to be proactive in getting well. I think now what we know from the information we get about antibiotics in the meat and pesticides in produce that there's a direct correlation to disease and there are components of food that are very disease-defensive and it's food that we can incorporate. We wanted everything in the book to be delicious and not boring. 

#What do you say to people who can't afford to buy organic ??
It's really tricky. I'm able to afford organic meat but I think ultimately in the long run you pay for food and not pay as much in medical bills. For someone like me, had I not been insured I would have paid upward of $170,000 and that was just for radiation, that wasn't my entire treatment. It is an investment. Also there are great meat companies online that will deliver; you can buy into a side a beef. The internet has allowed us to be creative.

#You're a single mom. Are you constantly exhausted?
If it's 9:30 and I'm still awake I feel like I had a great day. I usually crash. I'm the most boring rock star right now, but that's okay, it's exciting in a different way.

I saw you were part of the White House salute to Motown.
It was the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done, without question. To be singing Motown in front of Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, and not to mention the President.

#Did you hang with Obama afterwards ??
There was a party afterwards but it's not the kind of thing where the President hangs out. I can't fathom what it's like to be in the kind of stressful climate he's in everyday with everything that's going on and then take a break and sit with an audience for two hours. I'm sure he wasn't for a moment not thinking about what was going on.

#What's something surprising about you ??
I like to sew. I have a sewing machine. I can actually read a pattern and make a skirt. I've made pillows, quilts and jackets.

Father arrested as 12-year-old gives birth

Model Pic.

Dutch police on Tuesday arrested the father of a 12-year-old girl who gave birth last month while on a school excursion, saying he is suspected of sexually abusing his daughter.

Prosecutors said they have "serious suspicions" the 52-year-old man abused his daughter, resulting in her pregnancy.

"We don't know what exactly happened. That is why we arrested this man - to hear his side of the story," prosecutor's office spokeswoman Kirsten Smit said.

The arrest added another shocking twist to a case that already had stunned the nation when news emerged last month that the girl gave birth during a school trip without having realised she was pregnant. The girl and her healthy baby daughter were taken into foster care shortly after the birth.

Smit said the arrest followed analysis of the DNA of the man and the baby girl by Dutch forensic scientists that showed there is a "considerable" chance he is the father. The man gave a DNA sample last week at the request of police.

Smit said it was difficult to be absolutely certain of whether the father of the 12-year-old also fathered her baby because of their close relationship.

"There are a lot of similarities between the father and his daughter and you also find those in the baby. That is why it is hard to see what is from him and what is from the mother," Smit said. "But there are things missing from the mother that have been passed on by the father. That is why we say the chance is considerable, we can't be 100 per cent sure."

Prosecutors acknowledged that the "exceptional situation has caused a great deal of unrest among fellow students, family, friends and the wider public".
Neither the father nor daughter were identified under Dutch privacy rules.

Angelina Jolie's New Tattoo Sparks Adoption Rumor

An additional line to an existing tattoo has sparked rumors that Angelina Jolie may be adopting another child.

Wonderwall is reporting that Jolie was on a goodwill trip to the Tunisia-Libya border recently where she was visiting with refugees, when a photograph showed a new set of map coordinates on her arm, just beneath the six tattoos of coordinates of the birthplaces of her six children.
The discovery of the new tattoo has rumors swirling that Jolie may be planning to adopt another child.

While the coordinates are difficult to make out in its entirety, the first part of the tattoo read '35 degrees north' which could possibly indicate Algeria.

But it is being reported that a source close to Jolie has said not to read too much into her skin art.

Jolie has adopted three children, Maddox, 9, from Cambodia, Pax, 7, from Vietnam and Zahara, 6, from Ethiopia.

'The Killers' Singer Brandon Flowers and Wife Welcome Baby Boy

The Killers' Brandan Flowers welcomed a new little killer (we mean that in the metaphoric and not literal sense) to the fold last month.

PEOPLE confirmed on Tuesday that the baby boy was actually born on March 9. The third child for Flowers and his wife Tana Mundkowsky, Henry Flowers joins his brothers Gunnar and Ammon in the happy family.

After years of nonstop touring and a typically over-the-top schedule with the Killers, Flowers decided to pursue a solo career last year while his bandmates sought some well-deserved time off.

Having released his solo album, 'Flamingo,' in the fall, Flowers is now ready for some downtime himself. "Downtime" being a loose term here, of course, as Flowers wants to use the time to focus on being a good father.

"I love music but I want to spend more time with my children," he told the Daily Mail back in September. "I'd like to be around when they start school."

Immigrant boat capsizes off Italy; 250 missing

ROME:– A boat carrying as many as 300 terrified migrants from Libya capsized in rough seas off the Italian coast early Wednesday, as rescuers, hampered by strong winds, struggled to get to them.

The Italian coast guard rescued 48 people and a fishing boat picked up another three, but as many as 250 more remained unaccounted for as night fell Wednesday.
Survivors told The International Organization for Migration that they swam in the darkness toward approaching coast guard vessels, but many others drowned because they couldn't swim, or were dragged down by screaming fellow passengers.

The coast guard is searching for survivors in what could be one of the worst tragedies since a wave of illegal migration from North Africa to Italy began in January, officials said.

However, Pietro Carosia of the coast guard warned that the operations, conducted by Italian helicopters, patrol boats and a Maltese plane, were still being frustrated by strong winds and rough waters.

The incident occurred at about 1 a.m. about 40 miles (64.37 kilometers) off the coast of Lampedusa, an island closer to North Africa than mainland Italy.

Carosia said the boat had sailed from Libya and likely been at sea for around two days. He said about 200 people were believed to be on board, although the IOM and survivors put the number of passengers at 300.

The IOM said the migrants and asylum seekers were from Bangladesh, Chad, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan. Among them there were 5 children and 40 women, of whom only two survived.

Antonio Guterres, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, said many of those on board had sought asylum in Libya, only to be forced to flee by the fighting.

"These people were refugees twice... I appeal to all those patrolling the Mediterranean Sea to do everything they can to help vessels in distress," he said.

Upon arriving in Lampedusa Wednesday morning, survivors were offered blankets, warm drinks and food. Officials who provided first aid said many were in a state of shock and suffering from hypothermia.

"One man told me he had lost his 1-year-old son," said Simona Moscarelli of IOM. "One of the two surviving women told me how she had lost her husband."

Another relief official who assisted them, Cono Galipo, said many didn't know where they were, or where they had come from. "I'm under the impression some still don't know whether they are dead or alive," she added.

ANSA and LaPresse news agencies said at least 20 bodies had been seen in the water, including those of women and children.

The coast guard said it was unclear what happened, and that the incident was being investigated.

The commander of a fishing boat that rescued three people described a terrifying scene.

"What we saw was incredible: Heads were coming in and out (of the water) and people were screaming," Francesco Rifiorito said. "We did all we could."

More than 20,000 people — mostly Tunisians — have arrived from North Africa on Italy's shores, fleeing the turmoil that has engulfed the region. Many leave from Zarzis, Djerba and Sfax, all in Tunisia, IOM said.

On Wednesday, the U.N. refugee agency's goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie was in Tunisia, where she met refugees from Libya. In a statement, she said she was "deeply saddened" by the shipwreck.

"It is all the more devastating knowing that children were on board," she said.

Italy has pressed Tunisia to step up patrols of its coasts and to take back migrants who make it to Italy. The two countries struck a deal Tuesday, with Tunis agreeing to the repatriation of new arrivals and Rome supplying equipment and other assistance to crack down on smuggling rings. Italy also agreed to issue short-term residency papers for 20,000 illegal immigrants already here.

But Tunisia's state news agency, citing the Interior Ministry, reported Wednesday that the government opposes any "collective repatriation" of Tunisian nationals from Lampedusa.

Tunisian officials took that stance during talks with Italy over the matter, notably during a rapid visit by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Tunisia on Monday.

"The Tunisian side insisted that it was impossible to accept a collective repatriation of Tunisians on the basis of figures put forward by Italy, notably given the current context in Tunisia," the ministry said.

Keanu Reeves Reveals Info on 'Bill and Ted 3'

Excellent! After much speculation, Keanu Reeves has confirmed that the long-awaited final installment of the 'Bill and Ted' trilogy is on its way.

The previous two films in the stoner-comedy franchise, released in 1989 and 1991, respectively, detailed two high school misfits' excellent and bogus journeys through time.

"I believe the writers are six weeks away from a draft," says Reeves, who adds that the original writers have returned to pen the final installment of the series.

And what will Bill and Ted be up to in this one? Having escaped history and death, the former teen heroes are back to hang out, play some air guitar and begin their quest to write a song that saves the world.

Gbagbo's home in Ivory Coast comes under attack

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Heavy arms fire rang out Wednesday near the home of the country's strongman who remained holed up in a subterranean bunker, as forces backing his rival assaulted the residence to try to force him out, diplomats and witnesses said.

 

Forces protecting Laurent Gbagbo appeared to rally Wednesday night, pushing back the armed group fighting to install democratically elected president Alassane Ouattara.

A spokesman for Ouattara's fighters, Yves Doumbia, said their forces breached the gates of the ruler's compound, only to be repelled by heavy arms fire.

"We retreated but we are preparing for a second assault," Doumbia said by telephone.

Gbagbo has suffered debilitating losses in the past two days. United Nations Mi-24 helicopters attacked and destroyed his arms depots on Monday. On Tuesday, his soldiers were seen abandoning their posts across the city, some rushing inside a church to tear off their uniforms and dump their weapons before discreetly exiting in civilian clothes.

Yet the 65-year-old Gbagbo — a former history professor — appears to have calculated his rival's weakness: Ouattara, an intellectual who has spent decades abroad, knows that he needs to take Gbagbo alive in order to maintain international support, and avoid further alienating the 46 percent of the electorate that voted for Gbagbo in last year's presidential election.

A spokeswoman for Ouattara said earlier on France-24 television that the forces would eventually succeed in forcing out the leader who has refused to cede power after losing a November election.

"At the current moment they have not yet captured Gbagbo but it will happen soon," Affoussy Bamba said by telephone from Abidjan.

"They opened the gates and noted that the residence is surrounded by heavy weaponry," she said. "Now the objective is to capture him."

Gbagbo had appeared to be on the point of surrender on Tuesday, sending an emissary to meet with foreign ambassadors in order to negotiate the terms of his resignation. But a senior diplomat who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press said the overture appeared to be a foil, and that Gbagbo was simply playing for time.


"The conditions set by President Ouattara are rather clear. He is demanding that Laurent Gbagbo accept his defeat and recognize the victory of the legitimately elected president," French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday. "That's where we are today, and alas, words have given way to weapons."

Earlier in the day, Radio France International broadcast an interview with Gbagbo in which he said he had won last November's election and that there was no question of him leaving.

"We are not at the negotiating phase. And my departure from where? My departure to where?" he said.

Gbagbo refused to accept defeat to Ouattara in last year's election and took his country to the precipice of civil war in his bid to preserve power. His security forces are accused of using cannons, mortars and machine guns to mow down opponents in the four months since Ouattara was declared the winner of the contested vote.

In Europe, Gbagbo's spokesman attempted to spin the attack on the residence by Ouattara's forces as a foreign intervention. He claimed it was the French that was storming the home of the former leader, a claim the French military vigorously denied.

In Paris, more than 100 Gbagbo supporters protested peacefully outside the National Assembly against France's military action in Ivory Coast. One of the protesters hoisted a picture of President Nicolas Sarkozy and the words "Sarko out of Ivory Coast." Others chanted "Sarkozy murderer!"

United Nations attack helicopters helped by French troops bombarded the ruler's arsenal late Monday, acting on a Security Council resolution authorizing them to take out his heavy weapons because they had been used against the population. The international forces have not been involved in the ground attack Wednesday on the residence, said diplomats and French military spokesman Thierry Burkhard.

Tsunami-hit towns forgot warnings from ancestors

MIYAKO, Japan – Modern sea walls failed to protect coastal towns from Japan's destructive tsunami last month. But in the hamlet of Aneyoshi, a single centuries-old tablet saved the day.
"High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants," the stone slab reads. "Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point."

It was advice the dozen or so households of Aneyoshi heeded, and their homes emerged unscathed from a disaster that flattened low-lying communities elsewhere and killed thousands along Japan's northeastern shore.

Hundreds of such markers dot the coastline, some more than 600 years old. Collectively they form a crude warning system for Japan, whose long coasts along major fault lines have made it a repeated target of earthquakes and tsunamis over the centuries.

The markers don't all indicate where it's safe to build. Some simply stand — or stood, until they were washed away by the tsunami — as daily reminders of the risk. "If an earthquake comes, beware of tsunamis," reads one. In the bustle of modern life, many forgot.

More than 12,000 people have been confirmed dead and officials fear the number killed could rise to 25,000 from the March 11 disaster. More than 100,000 are still sheltering in schools and other buildings, almost a month later. A few lucky individuals may move into the first completed units of temporary housing this weekend.

Workers at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex finally halted a leak of radioactive water into the Pacific on Wednesday, but it may take months to bring the overheating reactors under control.

A natural disaster as large as last month's 9.0 earthquake and tsunami happens perhaps once in a person's lifetime, at most. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the nuclear plant operator, clearly wasn't prepared. Many communities built right to the water's edge, some taking comfort, perhaps, in sea walls built after a deadly but smaller tsunami in 1960.

Many did escape, fleeing immediately after the quake. In some places, it was a matter of minutes. Others who tarried, perished.

"People had this crucial knowledge, but they were busy with their lives and jobs, and many forgot," said Yotaru Hatamura, a scholar who has studied the tablets.

One stone marker warned of the danger in the coastal city of Kesennuma: "Always be prepared for unexpected tsunamis. Choose life over your possessions and valuables."

Tetsuko Takahashi, 70, safe in her hillside house, watched from her front window as others ignored that advice. She saw a ship swept a half-mile (nearly a kilometer) inland, crushing buildings in its path.

"After the earthquake, people went back to their homes to get their valuables and stow their 'tatami' floor mats. They all got caught," she said.

Her family has lived in Kesennuma for generations, but she said those that experienced the most powerful tsunamis died years ago. She can only recall the far weaker one in 1960, generated by an earthquake off Chile.

Earlier generations also left warnings in place names, calling one town "Octopus Grounds" for the sea life washed up by tsunamis and naming temples after the powerful waves, said Fumihiko Imamura, a professor in disaster planning at Tohoku University in Sendai, a tsunami-hit city.

"It takes about three generations for people to forget. Those that experience the disaster themselves pass it to their children and their grandchildren, but then the memory fades," he said.

The tightly knit community of Aneyoshi, where people built homes above the marker, was an exception.

Centuries-old tablet that warns of danger of tsunami stands in the hamle

"Everybody here knows about the markers. We studied them in school," said Yuto Kimura, 12, who guided a recent visitor to one near his home. "When the tsunami came, my mom got me from school and then the whole village climbed to higher ground."

Aneyoshi, part of the city of Miyako, has been battered repeatedly by tsunamis, including a huge one in 1896. Isamu Aneishi, 69, said his ancestors moved their family-run inn to higher ground more than 100 years ago.

But his three grandchildren were at an elementary school that sat just 500 feet (150 meters) from the water in Chikei, a larger town down the winding, cliffside road. The school and surrounding buildings are in ruins. The bodies of his grandchildren have not been found.

Farther south, the tsunami washed away a seven-foot (two-meter) tall stone tablet that stood next to a playground in the middle of the city of Natori. Its message was carved in giant Japanese characters: "If an earthquake comes, beware of tsunamis."

That didn't stop some people from leaving work early after the earthquake, some picking up their children at school en route, to check the condition of their homes near the coast.

Many didn't make it out alive. More than 820 bodies have been found in Natori, some stuck in the upper branches of trees after the water receded. Another 1,000 people are still missing.

Hiroshi Kosai grew up in Natori but moved away after high school. His parents, who remained in the family home, died in the disaster.

"I always told my parents it was dangerous here," said the 43-year-old Kosai, as he pointed out the broken foundation where the tablet once stood. "In five years, you'll see houses begin to sprout up here again."

Kelly Ripa Unveils Wax Figure at Madame Tussauds

Double the Kelly Ripa, double the fun ???

The bubbly 'LIVE! With Regis and Kelly' co-host unveiled her wax figure Tuesday at Madame Tussauds in New York City.

With matching red dresses, jewelry and straight blond hair, Ripa's wax figure had all the details to match her real-life counterpart. But without Ripa's adorable sense of humor, the wax figure didn't come close to capturing the true essence of the vivacious 40-year-old.
Ripa had a laugh posing alongside her doppelganger and made sure to pay a visit to 'LIVE!' co-host Regis Philbin's figure as well.

The search continues to fill Philbin's spot on the show since the host announced his retirement earlier this year. Lisa Rinna and Ryan Seacrest have expressed interest in the job, but no official decision has been made.

Think Ripa's wax figure can handle the job ???

Natalie Portman's Doctor Dad Shopping Pregnancy Thriller 'Misconception'

Natalie Portman's father, Dr. Avner Hershlag, has parlayed his fertility expertise into a self-published novel titled 'Misconception.'
Though the book launched in early 2010 through iUniverse, Hershlag is now shopping the medical thriller to major publishing houses, according to the New York Observer.
"The author's pedigree may be more appealing to publishers than the novel's plot or subject matter," the Observer writes. "Dr. Hershlag is the father of actress Natalie Hershlag, better known as Portman."

Amazon's book description hypes 'Misconception' as such: "When Dr. Anya Krim, the first lady's fertility specialist, delivers a grossly deformed baby of undetermined sex, she tries to figure out how the child was conceived. But, before she is able to determine the baby's origin, she diagnoses a pregnancy in Megan, a senator's daughter, who has been in a coma for two years."

Hershlag told the Observer he'd always hoped to publish through a conventional outfit but ran low on time due to his "day job" as a Long Island doc. Hershlag dubs 'Misconception' a "reproductive thriller."

Portman's papa didn't shy about speaking of his daughter's own pregnancy, either. "When I hold a baby that I knew as an embryo a year ago-I can't even describe the feeling. It never goes away. And when I think that a few months down the road I'm going to hold the baby that's going to be my grandchild..."

No deal yet as possible government shutdown looms

WASHINGTON:– The Senate's second ranking Democrat said Wednesday that negotiators on the budget are making progress but that conservative GOP policy prescriptions remain obstacles as they scramble to avert a government shutdown this weekend.

"I feel better today than I did yesterday," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "There's been a direct negotiation — things put on the table that had not been discussed before and I think we're moving towards closure."

Durbin's remarks represented a break in the daily shutdown blame game that's been consuming Washington recently.
At the same time, President Barack Obama placed a brief call to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on the negotiations. Boehner's office said the speaker told Obama he was hopeful a deal could be reached. Obama left Washington in the early afternoon for events in Philadelphia and New York.

White House spokesman Jay Carney, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said the president was prepared to call a meeting of congressional leaders at the White House "at whatever hour of the day is necessary if he believes that progress is not being made."

"As of right now," Carney added, "there are reports of progress on the Hill."

Elsewhere on Wednesday, the combatants charged each other would be to blame if compromise talks on the budget fail to produce an agreement.

"Democrats' bottom line hasn't changed. Republicans' bottom line hasn't stayed still," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, one day after meeting privately with House Speaker John Boehner to try and get talks back on track.

The Nevada Democrat said that Boehner "has a choice to make, and not much time to make it: He can do either what the tea party wants, or what the country needs."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell offered a different analysis.

Democrats "still haven't come up with an alternative to the various Republican proposals we've seen to keep the government up and running in the current fiscal year," the Kentucky Republican said. "They've just sat on the sidelines taking potshots at everything Republicans have proposed while rooting for a shutdown."

Durbin warned that GOP policy "riders" that Democrats mostly oppose "are still on the table."

The government faces a partial shutdown Friday at midnight if Congress doesn't take action to avoid one. Negotiations on legislation to keep federal agencies running is hung up over negotiations over a Republican demand for steep spending cuts.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said on a network morning news show that "some progress was made" in talks late Tuesday and said "we've met the other side more than half way" at $33 billion in proposed cuts from the current-year budget.

But the New York Democrat also said that if talks collapse and a government shutdown happens, it will be the tea party's fault. He said tea party-backed Republicans in the House "have demanded that cuts be in a very small portion of the budget," such as cancer research, student aid and public broadcasting. He said tea party Republicans "have an ideology to just get rid of all government," regardless of whether programs are working.

Tuesday's White House meeting involving Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., failed to produce the hoped-for breakthrough, however, with a stopgap government funding bill set to expire Friday at midnight.

Obama ratcheted up the pressure afterward, sounding exasperated with Republicans for not warming to a White House proposal that matched, more or less, an earlier GOP framework proposed in February. In it, Democrats propose cuts netting $73 billion in savings below Obama's original requests — or $33 billion below current spending levels.

Boehner said yet again that there is no agreement on a level of spending cuts. And there's been little progress on the 50-plus GOP policy "riders" dotting the House version of the measure.

"There's no reason why we should not get an agreement," Obama said. "We have now matched the number that the speaker originally sought. The only question is whether politics or ideology are going to get in the way of preventing a government shutdown."

Talks also took place Tuesday between Boehner and Reid at the Capitol, with both sides reporting a productive discussion.

All sides say they don't want a partial shutdown of government agencies that would close national parks, shutter passport offices and turn off the IRS taxpayer information hot line just a week before the April 18 filing deadline. But numerous other essential federal workers would stay on the job, including the military, FBI agents and Coast Guard workers. Social Security payments would still go out and the mail would be delivered.

There was at least a hint of flexibility Tuesday, accompanied by sharply partisan attacks and an outburst of shutdown brinksmanship.

According to Democratic and Republican officials, Boehner suggested at the White House meeting that fellow Republicans might be able to accept a deal with $40 billion in cuts. That's more than negotiators had been eyeing but less than the House seeks.

The speaker's office declined to comment, and Boehner issued a statement saying, "We can still avoid a shutdown, but Democrats are going to need to get serious about cutting spending — and soon."

Obama took his most forceful steps yet in trying to prod the stalled talks. He called the White House meeting, rejected a Republican proposal for an interim bill pairing additional spending cuts with a one-week plan to keep the government open, and then announced that Boehner and Reid would meet later in the day.

If they can't sort out their differences, Obama said, "I want them back here tomorrow."

At issue is legislation needed to keep the day-to-day operations of federal agencies going through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year. A Democratic-led Congress failed to complete the must-pass spending bills last year. Republicans stormed into power in the House in January and passed a measure with $61 billion in cuts that even some GOP appropriators saw as unworkable. It was rejected in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Republicans also have added dozens of policy provisions concerning hot-button topics like abortion, global warming and the environment, and Obama's health care law. Those appear as troublesome as finding agreement on what and how much to cut from agency budgets.

"What we can't be doing is using last year's budget process to have arguments about abortion, to have arguments about the Environmental Protection Agency, to try to use this budget negotiation as a vehicle for every ideological or political difference between the two parties," Obama said.

Democrats said Boehner eventually would have to part company with tea party-backed lawmakers who propelled Republicans to power, and they accused him of reneging on an agreement to cut $33 billion, increasing the chances of a shutdown.

In return, Republicans accused Democrats of resorting to budget gimmicks to make it look like they favored deep cuts, when in fact they were finding ways to ease the potential pain.

Twin partial closures in the mid-1990s boomeranged on Republicans when Newt Gingrich was speaker, helping President Bill Clinton win re-election in 1996.

This time, it's Obama who is exuding confidence as Boehner seems hemmed in by his hard-charging class of 87 freshmen, many of whom won office with backing from tea party purists.

On Monday, Boehner informed rank-and-file Republicans he would seek passage of a new stopgap bill, a weeklong measure that includes $12 billion in cuts and funds the Defense Department through the end of the year.

Obama rejected it. He said he would sign an interim bill only if one were needed to get the paperwork together on a broader agreement and pass it through both houses.

Meanwhile, 16 moderate Senate Democrats sent Boehner a letter urging against a shutdown that could harm the economy and instill hard feelings that would harm the chances of bipartisan cooperation on long-term fiscal challenges.

Miley Cyrus is Back with Liam Hemsworth

There had been a lot of speculation on who Miley Cyrus was dating ever since she mentioned in an interview that she was no longer single.

And on the top of the list of possible boyfriends was her ex Liam Hemsworth, who Cyrus first met on the set of the movie 'The Last Song'. The couple were together for over a year until they called it quits in August last year.

Now, a source close to Cyrus has told HollywoodLife.com that the 'Hannah Montana ' actress is indeed back with Hemsworth and her parents calling off their divorce played a huge part in the couple getting together.

The source is quoted saying, "Miley is so thrilled at her parents reconciling, and it made her stop and think, and realize that Liam is someone special in her life. Their feelings for each other never stopped, and now that their schedules are better suited for each other, they have been able to work it out."

The person also added, "Plus her parents trust Liam."

When asked if the Cyrus and Hemsworth were really back together or if they were just close friends, the person replied, "They started talking more at the same time Miley's parents were mending things. They started getting back together around Valentine's Day and are now back on as boyfriend and girlfriend."

Things seem to be going well for Cyrus who recently got back on the social networking site Twitter after she closed her account in 2009 claiming it interfered too much with her private life.

But with all the good news comes the bad, an inflatable Miley Cyrus sex doll named "Finally Mylie" from Pipedream Products has reportedly become such a hot ticket item that stores can't meet the demand.

Madonna's Malawi Charity Not Under Investigation

Despite recent reports that Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi, is under investigation by the authorities, her rep. state exclusively that this isn't the case.

The non-profit, co-founded in 2006 by the Material Girl and partner Michael Berg, aims to promote sustainability and provide valuable resources to the 2 million orphans in the African country.

Madonna

While sources have reported that construction on a school being built by the organization has been halted while Raising Malawi is being investigated for mismanagement of funds, nothing could be further from the truth.

"In recent days a number of wild and totally false rumors about Madonna's philanthropy -- spread by bloggers and tabloids -- have begun appearing on the Internet. As we have said previously, Raising Malawi is currently undergoing a series of positive changes in an effort to serve more children," Madonna's rep. said.

"Neither Madonna nor Raising Malawi is being investigated by the FBI or the IRS. It is unfortunate that people have chosen to say things about Raising Malawi and Madonna that are not true. Madonna remains committed and focused on what matters: helping the children of Malawi."

In October, the singer-actress flew out to Malawi, where her children David and Mercy where born, to visit the Raising Malawi School for Girls.

The singer said of her passion for the project, "Research proves that young girls throughout the developing world are often left without opportunities to receive a comprehensive education and the benefits that education can provide. Our goal is to teach them to challenge themselves, serve their local communities and develop their country."

Model Drops Loaded Gun On Russian Catwalk

A former spy agent has taken to the catwalk with a loaded gun.

Former spy agent Anna Chapman made her catwalk debut yesterday at Russia Fashion Week, causing a stir when she dropped a loaded gun onto the runway.

Wearing a fur-lined jacket and black leather trousers by Russian designers Ilya Shiyan and Yana Rudkovskaya, Chapman strutted alongside a male model, holding a gun to his head before dropping it at the end of the runway.

Although the stunt was part of the show, it alarmed KGB veterans in the audience, with one telling the local media that Chapman's glorification of the weapon was unacceptable.



"For a special agent, a gun is part of your profession. It is sacred and such a careless attitude to it is simply unacceptable."

Chapman was unmasked by the US FBI last year in reportedly "one of the biggest investigative scandals since the Cold War".
Since being exiled to her native Russia, she has stripped off for Maxim magazine and is rumoured to be starting her own TV show.

In the meantime however, it's likely she'll serve as a Russian MP, representing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party.

Gwen Stefani on Her Husband: It's Unbelievable We Stayed Together

Gwen Stefani rocks the May cover of Elle Magazine, and in the accompanying interview, she discusses songwriting, performing while pregnant and her disbelief that she and husband Gavin Rossdale are still together.

Gwen Stefani-Elle Magazine Cover

 "The first time we ever kissed was right around Valentine's Day--we were in New Orleans on tour. So, yeah, I always think about that because it's unbelievable that we've been able to stay together. I feel so proud of us--it's one of my biggest achievements," she said.

 

 

 

Stefani, 41, also talked about how Prince really affected her songwriting process. "Prince, who is one of my idols, gave me some advice when I worked with him: "Have you ever just tried writing a hit? Like, don't just try writing a song, try and write a hit song." I remember him saying that and me thinking, Yeah, you're right. Why would you write anything else?"

Meredith Vieira Expected to Leave 'The Today Show'

Looks like Matt Lauer might lost another co-host. Meredith Vieira will most likely step down as co-anchor of 'Today' when her contract expires in September, according to a new report from TV Guide.

Vieira is apparently "beloved" by the 'Today' cast and crew, but a combination of long, tiring hours and personal struggles (her husband is battling multiple sclerosis and cancer) are likely the reason why she'd leave. Vieira would only sign a one-year deal when her contract expired last year, and has been open about her husband's health problems.

However, NBC doesn't want to see her go. "NBC is doing everything they can to convince her to stay," an insider told TV Guide.

The former 'View' panelist joined Matt Lauer on 'Today' after Katie Couric left to anchor the CBS Evening News. Just yesterday, word came that Couric would step down from her post to host a daytime talk show when her contract is up in June.

NBC responded to TV Guide via statement, saying "The 'Today' show anchors are currently under contract and firmly in place."

When Vieira does leave 'Today' -- whether that's in September or a year after that -- Ann Curry, the show's current news anchor, will likely replace her.

Murder on the EU Express

With the monetary union coming apart, the finger-pointing has begun. Who really killed Europe?

You remember Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit Murder on the Orient Express? The problem for the great Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot was that there were far too many suspects. The strange death of the European Union may prove to be a rather similar case.

So used are we to hearing the process of European integration likened to an unstoppable train that we discount the idea it could ever stop in its tracks. Yet the reality is that Europe has been quietly disintegrating for some time.

Euro symbol illuminated on an Estonian building in Jan 2011

Outwardly, it’s true, Europe’s leaders still appear to be inching toward their long-cherished goal of “ever closer union.” Last month they agreed to set up a new European Stability Mechanism to deal with future financial crises. It’s still a long way from being the United States of Europe, but most Americans assume that’s the ultimate destination: a truly federal system like their own. Think again. Not only has the economic crisis blown holes in the finances of nearly all EU states, it has also revealed a deep reluctance on the part of those least affected to bail out the hardest hit.

Americans bemoaning their own economy’s sluggish recovery should look on the bright side: it’s worse in Europe. The International Monetary Fund projects growth of 3 percent for the United States this year but just half that for the euro zone. Even more striking is the extent of economic divergence within the euro area. While the German economy is currently growing at an annualized rate of around 6 percent, Greek growth in the fourth quarter of last year was minus 6 percent. So much for the convergence monetary union was meant to bring.

The underlying problem is the euro’s failure to create a truly integrated market for labor. In the decade after the euro’s creation in 1999, German unit labor costs rose by less than 40 percent; the equivalent figure for Spain was 80 percent. Workers in the periphery took monetary union to mean they should be paid as well as workers in the German core. But their productivity didn’t rise to German levels. At the same time, people in countries like Ireland took the post-1999 reduction in interest rates—one of the most obvious benefits to the periphery of euro membership—as a signal to go on a borrowing binge. The result: Ireland and Spain behaved a lot like Florida and Nevada. House prices bubbled, then burst.

In the wake of the American crisis, some banks failed—most spectacularly Lehman Brothers—but most were bailed out, and the federal deficit soared. Dollars were transferred by the U.S. Treasury from Texan taxpayers to welfare recipients in New Mexico. In Europe the story was different. There was no big bank failure; all “too big to fail” institutions were rescued. National deficits soared. But when some countries ran into fiscal trouble—when financial markets started to demand sharply higher interest rates—things got ugly, because there is no mechanism to transfer euros between countries other than in tiny amounts.

The crisis has driven not just one but two divisive wedges into the European economy. First there is the fundamental political rift between the 17 EU members who joined the monetary union and the 10 who didn’t. Then, within the euro zone, there is the widening economic rift between the German-dominated core and the ailing periphery—the countries cursed with the unflattering acronym PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and Spain).

In this whodunit, the prime suspect is not the real culprit. At first sight, the fingerprints on the murder weapon belong to feckless finance ministers of the PIGS. It’s true that those countries had been heading for fiscal trouble even before the onset of the financial crisis. The Bank for International Settlements was forecasting that by 2040 they would all have public debts equal to at least 300 percent of gross domestic product.

In the cases of Greece and Ireland, the financial markets decided some months ago that they were likely to default; hence the surge in their borrowing costs as investors sought compensation for this risk in the form of higher rates; hence the need for bailouts from the other EU members.

But why exactly is Ireland’s deficit so huge? Step forward suspect No. 2: Europe’s banks. For it was by bailing out the country’s bloated banking sector—the total assets of which now exceed Irish GDP by a factor of 10—that the last Irish government created the present fiscal crisis. In much the same way, worries about Spain have much more to do with the still-uncertain losses of the country’s cajas (savings banks) than with the government’s own fiscal health.

Nor is it only the banks of Euroland’s periphery who are suspects. Equally culpable are the banks of the core. German banks, for example, have close to €500 billion of exposure to the PIGS. The dirty little secret of euro-zone finance is that if one of the periphery countries were to default, German banks—in particular the state-owned Landesbanken—would be among the biggest losers. And that, of course, is why it makes sense for the core to bail out the periphery: in truth, they are all in this banking crisis together.

It is the political difficulty of selling this proposition to German voters that is set to derail the EU train. A euro-barometer poll last year revealed that only 34 percent of Germans thought the euro had mitigated the effects of the financial crisis. Germans are overwhelmingly for fiscal austerity—88 percent favor a policy of deficit reduction, much higher than for the EU as a whole. That is why the German government keeps insisting that the recipients of bailout money impose painful austerity measures on themselves.

The mood of the German voter can be summed up as follows: No More Herr Nice Guy. So the tax-dodging Greeks, the feckless Irish, and the bone-idle Portuguese expect the thrifty German worker to write them yet another check? For five decades after World War II, a penitent Germany paid up. The Federal Republic was the single biggest net contributor to the process of European integration. But the era of war guilt is now over—witness the humiliating electoral defeat inflicted on Germany’s governing parties in Baden-Württemberg at the end of last month. No matter how tough Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to the hard-pressed Greeks, to her own people she seems way too soft.

For years the train of European integration ran on German subsidies. No longer. So as the process of disintegration accelerates this year—as the economies of the periphery languish and their governments topple—don’t blame the victim. It’s the German voter who dun it..

Ouattara Forces Surround Ivory Coast Strongman in Bunker

BIDJAN, Ivory Coast:- Surrounded by troops backing Ivory Coast's democratically elected leader, strongman Laurent Gbagbo huddled in a bunker at his home with his family Tuesday and tried to negotiate terms of surrender, officials said.

Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara have seized the presidential residence where Gbagbo tried to wrest last-ditch concessions, said a senior diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. He also said Gbagbo's closest adviser and longtime friend had abandoned him, leaving the bunker for the French ambassador's home.

Ouattara, who Ivory Coast's electoral commission and the United Nations said won the November elections, has urged forces loyal to him to take Gbagbo alive.

United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters on Gbagbo's arms stockpiles and bases on Monday after four months of political deadlock in the former French colony in West Africa. Columns of foot soldiers allied with Ouattara also finally pierced the city limits of Abidjan.

"One might think that we are getting to the end of the crisis," Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission to Ivory Coast said by phone. "We spoke to his close aides, some had already defected, some are ready to stop fighting. He is alone now, he is in his bunker with a handful of supporters and family members. So is he going to last or not? I don't know."

Toure said that the U.N. had received phone calls Tuesday from the three main Gbagbo-allied generals, saying they were planning to order their troops to stop fighting.

"They asked us to accept arms and ammunition from the troops and to provide them protection," he said.

French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told a Paris news conference Tuesday that he hoped the situation would be resolved within hours.

 The offensive that began Monday included air attacks on the presidential residence and three strategic military garrisons, marking an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust Gbagbo, as pro-0uattara fighters pushed their way to the heart of the city to reach Gbagbo's home.

Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war as the political crisis drew out, with both men claiming the presidency. Ouattara has tried to rule from a lagoonside hotel.

"Gbagbo is exploring different options for turning himself in," Ouattara spokesman Patrick Achi said Tuesday. "He has been in touch with different leaders involved in this crisis."

A Paris-based lawyer who has represented Gbagbo's government denied that Gbagbo's foreign minister , Alcide Djedje,had abandoned his close friend but said he had gone to the French Embassy to protest Monday's attacks by French and U.N. forces.

"He has absolutely not resigned and is currently being scandalously held against his will," attorney Lucie Bourthoumieux said in a statement.

Even before the offensive, postelection violence had left hundreds dead -- most of them Ouattara supporters -- and forced up to 1 million people to flee their homes.

Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960, and some 20,000 French citizens still lived there when a brief civil war broke out in 2002. French troops were then tasked by the U.N. with monitoring a cease-fire and protecting foreign nationals in Ivory Coast, which was once an economic star and is still one of the only countries in the region with four-lane highways, skyscrapers, escalators and wine bars.

Following four months of attempts to negotiate Gbagbo's departure, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed an especially strong resolution giving the 12,000-strong peacekeeping operation the right "to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence ... including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population."

All hail Kate Middleton, the woman who can rebrand the British monarchy

Prince William And Kate Middleton

For the first time in 350 years, a future king of England is marrying a woman with no title or pedigree. Thank God for that. If ever a royal man needed a shot of bourgeois marital contentment, it’s Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor, who was raised in the parental storm of Charles and Diana. It shows how Kate Middleton’s wise, patient eight-year slog as an official girlfriend was powered along by the aspirations of two generations of formidable women, her mother and her grandmother. The 29-year-old Middleton is sporty, smart, shinily well groomed. She’s so unaffectedly well mannered that she’s now seen as perfect casting for a royal way of life that has to radically change once the queen and Prince Philip—and Charles and Camilla—have left the national stage.

Final Battle Rages in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast:- The United Nations and French forces opened fire with attack helicopters Monday on the arsenal of this country's entrenched ruler, as columns of foot soldiers finally pierced the city limit and surrounded the strongman's home.

The fighters aiming to topple strongman Laurent Gbagbo had succeeded in taking nearly the entire countryside in just three days last week, but they faltered once they reached the country's largest city, where the presidential palace and residence are located.

With the help of the international forces, the armed group fighting to install the country's democratically elected leader Alassane Ouattara pushed their way to the heart of the city to reach Gbagbo's home. They have surrounded it, and as of early Tuesday they were waiting for him to step down, said a close adviser to Ouattara who could not be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

Monday's offensive which included air attacks on the ruler's home, as well as three strategic military garrisons marked an unprecedented escalation in the international community's efforts to oust Gbagbo, who lost the presidential election in November yet has refused to cede power to Ouattara even as the world's largest cocoa producer teetered on the brink of all-out civil war.
The postelection violence has left hundreds dead - most of them Ouattara supporters - and has forced up to 1 million people to flee. Ouattara has used his considerable international clout to financially and diplomatically suffocate Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces before launching a dramatic military assault last week.

On Monday, the U.N. fired on the Akouedo military base at around 5 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) to prevent Gbagbo's forces from using heavy weapons against civilians, said the spokesman for the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations Nick Birnback.

Explosions resonated from the city's downtown core a few blocks from the presidential palace and near the base of the republican guard, and those living nearby barricaded their windows with mattresses. Flames could be seen licking the sky above the home of the staunchly pro-Gbagbo republican guard.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement that he had authorized the 1,600-strong French Licorne force based here to help in the operation following an appeal from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who said that the use of force was necessary to prevent further attacks on civilians.

"In the past few days, forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo have intensified and escalated their use of heavy weapons such as mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns against the civilian population in Abidjan," Ban said in a statement.

Ivory Coast gained independence from France in 1960, and some 20,000 French citizens still lived there when a brief civil war broke out in 2002. French troops were then tasked by the U.N. with monitoring a cease-fire and protecting foreign nationals in Ivory Coast, which was once an economic star and is still one of the only countries in the region with four-lane highways, skyscrapers, escalators and wine bars.

Following four months of attempts to negotiate Gbagbo's departure, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed an especially strong resolution giving the 12,000-strong peacekeeping operation the right "to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence ... including to prevent the use of heavy weapons against the civilian population."

Gbagbo has stubbornly refused every olive branch extended to him since last November, when he lost the presidential election to International Monetary Fund economist, Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo insisted he had won, even though his country's own election commission declared him defeated and the United Nations certified his opponent's victory.

The 65-year-old former history professor dug in, using state television to disseminate historic footage of France's past abuses in Africa, presenting Ouattara as a foreign puppet, and attempts to install him as an international conspiracy led by France and the U.N. Among the offers he turned down was President Barack Obama's proposal of a history professorship at a Boston university in return for stepping down peacefully.

A statement from the White House late Monday said that President Obama, in a phone conversation with Gabon's president, reiterated his belief that Gbagbo needs to "respect the will of the Ivorian people and end his claim to the presidency."

Just after the U.N. announced their attack, a resident in the Cocody neighborhood where Gbagbo lives in Abidjan said he saw multiple helicopters circling and could hear firing. Others said they heard what sounded like fighter jets.

A senior diplomat who could not be named because of the sensitivity of the matter said that he had a map with blue stickers marking the six strategic points that needed to be taken out, and that five of the six had been hit by early Tuesday.

The five include Gbagbo's residence where heavy weaponry was destroyed, the republican guard, state TV, the Akban paramilitary base, and the arms depot at Akouedo which the diplomat said were bombarded by United Nations Mi-24 helicopters. A video posted on YouTube showed the depot being bombed. Tracers could be seen exploding from the burning core as Gbagbo's soldiers attempted to shoot down the helicopters.

"It's all over for Gbagbo - except the shooting," said the ambassador.

At Gbagbo's residence, the troops had created a perimeter around the building, waiting to see if he would come out or respond. Ouattara's adviser said that he had been told Gbagbo had created a bunker inside his residence, locked from within. The pro-Ouattara soldiers proceeded with caution, because Ouattara had asked that his rival not be hurt.

Many people in Abidjan have not left their homes since last Wednesday, when Ouattara's fighters arrived on the perimeter of the city, and heavy clashes ensued.

A European businesswoman who was caught inside her high-rise office when the military offensive began last week survived for six days on cubes of sugar, coffee, and the bottle of whiskey she used to seal deals with clients. Weak from not eating, she finally walked out of the office building on Sunday, and braved the fighting to reach a nearby four-star hotel, where the other guests loaned her clothes and toiletries.

Barricaded inside her home, new mother Joceline Djaha, 24, said by telephone that she had stopped eating two days ago, when her stock ran out. For several days, her only food was boiled spaghetti - no sauce.

In the two days since she's been out of food, her breast milk dried up. Her 1-year-old, she says, has become listless.

"Please let this stop," said Djaha."I can hold out without food. But I'm not sure my child can."