A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has sentenced a 26-year-old California man to 16 years in prison for killing 21 cats, some of which he lured from people’s homes. Robert Roy Farmer pleaded guilty last year to 21 felony counts of animal cruelty and one count each of misdemeanor battery and being under the … Read more
A cafe in Dhaka named after Donald Trump has been luring Bangladeshis undeterred by his controversial politics and more interested in snapping selfies with a life-size cutout of the US president. The cafe was opened in January by a self-professed Trump fan who rejects the notion that the US president is ‘anti Islam’, saying diners … Read more
Marvel brought thousands of fans to their feet on Saturday as it assembled a stellar panel of superheroes to preview “Avengers: Infinity War” at Disney’s D23 convention. The movie, which comes out next year, unites the characters from all 16 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and most of the actors who play them … Read more
The abrupt departure of American officials from an Australian Pacific island refugee camp has fanned fears among asylum-seekers that plans to resettle them in the US may not go ahead, an activist group said Sunday. Canberra sends asylum-seekers who try to enter Australia by boat to camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, … Read more
Congo voters go to the polls Sunday in legislative elections in the oil-rich African country, the first since violence-marred presidential polls last year which returned Denis Sassou Nguesso to power. While no fresh violence is expected opposition parties have cried foul, as over 2 million voters are expected to cast their ballots in the first … Read more
Microsoft has ended support for its Windows 8 smartphones, as the US tech giant focuses on other segments, amid ongoing speculation about its strategy for mobile. Users of Windows-powered phones – which have failed badly against rivals from Apple and Google Android – were invited to upgrade to its latest Windows 10 version after Microsoft … Read more
Disney staged the largest gathering of its princesses in history on Friday as it delighted thousands of fans with a star-studded preview of its forthcoming animation slate. The spectacular moment came as John Lasseter, Pixar and Walt Disney animation studios chief, was introducing his filmmakers at the biennial D23 Expo to reveal new details, footage … Read more
“Star Wars” icon Mark Hamill paid emotional tribute to his “space sis” Carrie Fisher Friday, as both were bestowed with Disney’s “Legend” status at the entertainment giant’s D23 fan convention. Fisher — who died at the age of 60 in December — and her co-star have been friends since they played twins Princess Leia and … Read more
An Australian man whose thumb was severed in a cattle herding accident has had a big toe surgically removed and transplanted onto his hand to replace the lost digit. Zac Mitchell was working on a remote cattle station in Western Australia state in April when his hand was kicked by a bull and thrust against … Read more
Deep within Lucasfilm’s San Francisco headquarters, a group of elders act as a real-life Jedi Council — keepers of sacred knowledge who police everything that happens in the “Star Wars” universe. Their job is to make sure every movie, animated television show, novel, guidebook, comic and video game is part of one, big, internally-consistent story. … Read more
Donald Trump’s eldest son Don Jr may be in the media spotlight over his notorious Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. But the latest revelation in the burgeoning scandal has added to the pressure on another family member who was at the meeting and is already in the crosshairs … Read more
The Chicago Sun-Times, the city’s oldest continuously published daily and winner of eight Pulitzer prizes, has been sold to an investor group, reportedly for $1. The newspaper, which traces its history to 1844, reported Thursday it was purchased by an investment group led by former Chicago alderman Edwin Eisendrath and a coalition of labor unions. … Read more
Microsoft has ended support for its Windows 8 smartphones, as the US tech giant focuses on other segments, amid ongoing speculation about its strategy for mobile. Users of Windows-powered phones — which have failed badly against rivals from Apple and Google Android — were invited to upgrade to its latest Windows 10 version after Microsoft … Read more
CBS News and the BBC on Wednesday announced a new editorial and newsgathering partnership that aims to boost their global strength against rivals such as CNN. The US and British television news giants will share video, editorial content, and other resources in New York, London, Washington and around the world, according to a joint statement. … Read more
Wayne Rooney was the centre of attention in Tanzania on Thursday with England’s record goalscorer set to make his first appearance back in an Everton shirt against Kenya’s Gor Mahia. Rooney rejoined his boyhood club from Manchester United last week on a free transfer after 13 years at Old Trafford. Everton are touring East Africa … Read more
An Iranian cancer researcher with alleged links to a hardline militia in the Islamic republic says he was denied entry to the United States and deported with his family. Mohsen Dehnavi had flown to the US with his wife and three small children to conduct postdoctoral research at Boston Children’s Hospital, affiliated with Harvard University. … Read more
Worldwide shipments of personal computers continued to slump in the recently ended quarter but showed signs of stabilizing, according to figures released Wednesday by market trackers. Preliminary estimates released by Gartner indicated that 61.1 million PCs were shipped in the second quarter of this year in a 4.3 percent decline from the same period a … Read more
An animated television special featuring Michael Jackson will premiere this year for Halloween in the latest posthumous project by the estate of the late King of Pop. The estate said “Michael Jackson’s Halloween” will air on CBS in the United States around the October 31 holiday dedicated to the ghoulish and supernatural. The estate said … Read more
Last month, a baby was born in the Somali capital Mogadishu with a terrible eye defect that requires treatment abroad. The infant was cleared for treatment in Turkey but before the paperwork was complete a container ship, believed to be the Panama-flagged MSC Alice, docked outside Mogadishu port, accidentally dragging its anchor through the main … Read more
Television industry experts are predicting a wide open race for this year’s Emmys when the nominations are announced Thursday, with awards juggernaut “Game of Thrones” out of the running. HBO’s fantasy epic about noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne raked in a record-breaking 12 awards last year, but is ineligible this time … Read more