Basketball hall-of-famer Dennis Rodman said he plans a second trip to North Korea to try to use his budding friendship with leader Kim Jong-Un to free a jailed American, in an interview aired Friday. More »Dennis Rodman says heading back to N.Korea
By Suchitra Mohanty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt is set to go to prison next week after India's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a petition seeking a review of his earlier jail sentence for firearms offences during the Mumbai blasts 20 years ago. Dutt, popular for his role as a do-good gangster in the "Munnabhai" films, was sentenced to six years jail in 2007 for acquiring illegal weapons from men convicted for the 1993 attacks that killed 257 people. He served 18 months but has been out on bail ever since, fighting the conviction. ... More »Bollywood's Sanjay Dutt set for jail after court rejects review
A pair of sandals formerly owned by India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi is to go under the hammer in Britain later this month. More »Gandhi's sandals up for auction in Britain
India's highest court Friday rejected a plea by Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt to review his conviction and five-year jail term for possessing arms supplied by plotters of the deadly 1993 Mumbai blasts. More »India court rejects Bollywood star's jail plea
New timelapse video from space has been released showing how much places like Dubai, Shanghai and the Brazilian rainforest have changed over the last 30 years. More »Timelapse Video Shows Changing Face Of Planet
LONDON (Reuters) - British Education Minister Michael Gove criticised the use of the popular "Mr Men" cartoon figures to teach 16-year olds about Adolf Hitler, saying such play-based learning infantilised students and led to a culture of low aspirations. In a speech delivered on Thursday, Gove lashed out against an online resource for history teachers that promotes using the "Mr Men" figures for revision on Nazi Germany. ... More »UK education minister lashes out over "Mr Men" history lessons
Taiwan on Friday awarded Oscar-winning director Ang Lee a top medal of honour to recognise his achievement in the film industry after he garnered two best director Oscars. More »Oscar-winning Ang Lee receives Taiwan medal
A loudmouth in elections earlier this year, Silvio Berlusconi has been understated since then, as he seeks a statesman-like image marked by his surprisingly muted reaction to a court ruling that upheld his conviction for tax fraud. More »Understated Berlusconi seeking statesman image
A gigantic whale-like balloon with pendulous udder-like appendages, designed to mark the centenary of Australia's capital Canberra, has divided opinion, with some branding it an ugly waste of money and others saying it is an inspiration. More »Gigantic balloon creature splits opinion in Australia
By Rosemarie Francisco BATAC, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines' Imelda Marcos has a dream - to restore her family to what she sees as its rightful place in Manila's Malacanang presidential palace. But standing in the way is President Benigno Aquino, the scion of another Philippine presidential dynasty, who is determined to bury the Marcos myth once and for all. The authoritarian and corruption-ridden rule of Imelda's husband Ferdinand Marcos was ended by a mass revolt almost three decades ago. ... More »Philippine leader seeks to cut short Marcos family revival
Audrey Tautou, this year's Cannes Film Festival mistress of ceremonies, won hearts around the world -- if not those of critics back home -- as the pixie-faced heroine of "The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain". More »Life after Amelie: Audrey Tautou in Cannes spotlight
Britain's Prince Harry broke hearts in Washington's corridors of power, showing more interest in landmines than in the excited fans who greeted him at the start of a week-long US visit. More »Ladies swoon as Prince Harry begins US tour
By Narae Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - When romantic actress Lee Si-young swapped her glamorous roles in South Korean dramas for boxing gloves in a bid to win an Olympic medal, her victories triggered a storm of protest that has marred her unexpected success in the ring. The 31-year-old, better known for her roles in TV shows such as "Wild Romance" and "Boys Before Flowers", had tears of joy in her eyes when she defeated 19-year-old Kim Da-som by 22 points to 20 in the 48 kg (106 lb) class at the South Korean national team tryouts in late April. ... More »"Too pretty" label mars South Korean boxing starlet's win
By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sophia tops the list of names for American baby girls for the second year in a row, while King and Messiah are becoming increasingly popular names for boys, the U.S. Social Security Administration said on Thursday. Jacob has become a standby for boys' names, topping that category for the 14th straight year. Liam and Elizabeth broke into the Top 10 at No. 6 and No. 10 respectively, the SSA said in a statement. But rising on the list are a couple of less traditional, but more attention-grabbing names. ... More »Sophia top baby name for U.S. girls; Messiah and King on the rise for boys
By Ross Kerber CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - South Korean rapper Psy said he "partied hard" when his dance number drew its first 10 million views on YouTube last summer. Little did he know "Gangnam Style" would become the most-viewed video in the online service's history, with a global following and nearly 1.6 billion views as of Thursday. ... More »Rapper Psy wows Harvard with global appeal, dance moves
By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Viewers are gearing up to crown the first female winner of "American Idol" in six years, but the biggest drama at the once-dominant Fox TV singing contest is taking place backstage over which of the celebrity judges will be voted off. Audiences for what was the most-watched TV show in the United States for eight years have slumped to new lows in the current 12th season, despite the addition of singers Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban to the judging panel. ... More »Backstage judge drama dominates as 'American Idol' nears climax
By Ronnie Cohen SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - British yacht-racing champion Andrew "Bart" Simpson, who won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, was killed on Thursday when his vessel capsized in San Francisco Bay during training for the America's Cup, his team said. Simpson, 36, a two-time Olympic medallist, had been sailing on the Artemis, Sweden's entry in the America's Cup, when the catamaran overturned, according to a statement posted on the Artemis racing website. "The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," CEO Paul Cayard said in the statement. ... More »British sailing champ dies in America's Cup training off California
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson said on Thursday he was leaving the Fox TV singing contest to focus on his other business ventures. Jackson, who has been a judge on the show since its start in 2002, made the announcement amid falling ratings and rampant rumours about the future makeup of the celebrity panel. "Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on American Idol I have decided it is time to leave after this season," Jackson told entertainment news outlet E! News. ... More »Randy Jackson leaving 'American Idol' after 12 years
By Vernell Hackett NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Lady Antebellum are growing up and getting sassy with their fourth studio album, "Golden," embracing a stripped-down sound to showcase their vocal strength as they prepare for an upcoming tour with a baby on board. The country band, formed by vocalists Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and guitarist Dave Haywood in Nashville, Tennessee, released its latest album this week, which saw band members drawing on their live tour experiences. ... More »Lady Antebellum 'dial back' for 'Golden' sound
A man who fled after his vehicle was stopped by police was caught by an alligator, authorities say. More »Alligator Grabs Florida Man Fleeing Police
A paratrooper has been sucked out of a plane when his parachute accidentally opened in mid-flight. More »Paratrooper Sucked Out Of Plane By Parachute
Italian knitwear innovator Ottavio "Tai" Missoni, whose distinctive colourful zigzag designs became a global fashion empire, died on Thursday in his home and company headquarters at the age of 92. More »Italian luxury knitwear legend Missoni dead at 92
US filmmakers are to make a biopic about Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi, to be released around the time of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. More »Lionel Messi biopic planned for 2014 World Cup
By Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - A Nazi-themed staging of a Wagner opera in Germany that caused some members of the audience to become sick with its scenes of murder and a gas chamber has been withdrawn, the opera company said on its website. After failing to get the director to agree to changes, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duesseldorf said that the production of "Tannhaeuser" would be given for the rest of its run in a concert version only. German director Burkhard C. ... More »Nazi-themed Wagner opera in Germany sickens audience, withdrawn
(Reuters) - David Moyes was appointed manager of Manchester United on Thursday and will take over from Alex Ferguson who is retiring at the end of this season. Here is a look at his life and career: EARLY DAYS: * Moyes was born in April 1963 in Glasgow, Scotland and signed signed as a professional with Scottish club Celtic in 1980, whom he joined as a junior. * Two years later he made a substitute appearance against Ajax in the European Cup, one of only 35 appearances over three years. ... More »Factbox - Next Manchester United manager David Moyes