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NBC announces sequel to “The Bible” miniseries

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 13:11:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- NBC says it will air a sequel to the hit cable miniseries "The Bible.

The network said Monday that it will join with producer Mark Burnett and his actress-wife, Roma Downey, on the sequel. Burnett and Downey produced "The Bible" for the History channel.

Downey starred in "Touched by an Angel" and also played Jesus Christ's mother, Mary, in the miniseries that aired earlier this year.

NBC says the sequel has the working title "A.D.: Beyond the Bible" and will open in the days following Christ's death.

Casting and an air date haven't been announced.

Burnett's producing credits include the NBC series "The Voice" and "Celebrity Apprentice."

Tribune Co. to acquire 19 TV stations in billion-dollar deal

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) -- Tribune Co. said Monday that it reached a deal to buy Local TV Holdings LLC's 19 TV stations for $2.73 billion in cash, significantly boosting its television business as it looks to sell its newspaper operations.

Tribune currently owns 23 TV stations and cable network WGN America, along with the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. It says the deal will make it the country's largest commercial TV station owner with 42 stations.

Tribune Co. said it expects the deal to boost its profits immediately and result in more than $100 million in annual cost savings within five years. Local TV's holdings include stations in Denver, Cleveland, St. Louis and other major cities.

Meanwhile, the Chicago company said the increased scale will help it maximize its national and local advertising sales, while also giving it a larger footprint to distribute its video and digital content.

"This is a transformational acquisition for Tribune - it makes us the No. 1 local TV affiliate group in America, expands the distribution platform for our high-quality video content, and extends the reach of our digital products to new audiences across the country," Tribune Co. President and CEO Peter Liguori said in a statement.

Report: Snowden asks for political asylum in Russia

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 18:00:00 +0000

The Interfax news agency says a Russian consular official has confirmed that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden asked for political asylum in Russia.

Interfax cited Kim Shevchenko, the duty officer at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s consular office in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, as saying that Snowden’s representative, Sarah Harrison, handed over his request Sunday.

Snowden has been caught in legal limbo in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport since his arrival from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he has hoped to get asylum, has been coy about offering him shelter.Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says Snowden will have to stop leaking U.S. secrets if he wants to get asylum in Russia, but adds that Snowden has no plan to quit doing so.

Vatican monsignor questioned in corruption plot

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 13:05:00 +0000

ROME (AP) — A Vatican monsignor arrested in a 20 million euro ($26 million) corruption plot has been questioned by Italian magistrates for the first time and has asked for house arrest.

Attorney Silverio Sica says Monsignor Nunzio Scarano is not well at Rome's Regina Coeli prison and wants to await a decision on his fate at home.

Scarano was interrogated for some three hours on Monday by Judge Barbara Callari, who must decide whether to confirm his arrest.

Scarano was arrested Friday with two other people in an elaborate plot to bring 20 million euro from a Swiss bank account into Italy without reporting it to customs officials.

Sica said Scarano "recognized it wasn't licit," but acted to help out his friends.

Prosecutors have identified the friends as Italy's d'Amico shipping family.

Russian police arrest gay rights activists under new “gay propaganda” law

Sat, 29 Jun 2013 16:13:00 +0000

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police have arrested several gay rights activists and Russian nationalists who confronted them at a rally declared illegal under a new law against "gay propaganda."

Officials in St. Petersburg deemed that Saturday's rally, which took place in a space designated for public demonstrations, violated the law.

The statute prohibits public displays of homosexuality.

About 200 nationalists also gathered at the rally, chanted slogans such as "Sodomy will not pass," and threw eggs and rocks at the gay-rights activists, who numbered about 40.

The state-run Itar-TASS news agency quoted an unnamed police official as saying police arrested dozens of people, including eight nationalists.

Russia's parliament passed a law banning "gay propaganda" earlier this month. St. Petersburg was one of several cities to pass similar laws at local level before that.

Paramount rebooting “Terminator” franchise

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:51:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The "Terminator" is coming back.

Paramount announced Thursday that it is rebooting the "Terminator" franchise and planning for a new trilogy of films, but it's keeping mum on whether Arnold Schwarzenegger would play a role.

Schwarzenegger starred as the title character in the original 1984 movie. It spawned a trilogy that earned more than $1 billion at the box office worldwide.

Paramount says it will release the new "Terminator" in July 2015.

Aero heads to Chicago

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 23:23:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Aereo, a startup that is trying to challenge cable and satellite TV packages with an $8-a-month offering over the Internet, says it will expand to Chicago in September.

The service started in New York last year and expanded to Boston and Atlanta this spring. Service in the Chicago area will begin Sept. 13 and will come with several Chicago-area broadcast stations plus Bloomberg TV. Eligibility is limited to 16 counties in Illinois and Indiana.

Aereo converts television signals into computer data and sends them over the Internet to subscribers' computers and mobile devices. Subscribers can watch channels live or record them with an Internet-based digital video recorder. Viewers can pause and rewind live television.

Broadcasters have sued Aereo for copyright infringement, but Aereo has won key court rulings.

Tsarnaev indicted on 30 charges

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 17:59:00 +0000

BOSTON (AP) — A federal grand jury has returned a 30-count indictment against the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) was indicted Thursday on charges including using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, resulting in death.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in twin explosions near the finish line of the marathon.

Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed following a shootout with police on April 19.

Authorities say the brothers used shrapnel-packed pressure cooker bombs in the bombing. They are also accused of killing an MIT police officer.

The U.S. attorney's office says 17 of the charges against 19-year-old Tsarnaev could bring life in prison or the death penalty.

Mandela in very critical condition

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:16:00 +0000

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A daughter of Nelson Mandela says he is in very critical condition but is still opening his eyes and reacting to touch at the South African hospital where he is being treated.

Makaziwe Mandela told South Africa's state broadcaster on Thursday that the former president and anti-apartheid leader is still giving the family hope, even though "anything is imminent."

She says her family will wait with 94-year-old Mandela until "the time to go."

Makaziwe Mandela's comments were posted on the SABC web site.

Carlos the Jackal loses appeal

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 22:16:00 +0000

PARIS (AP) — The man known as Carlos the Jackal lost an appeal on Wednesday of his conviction in four bombings in France three decades ago that killed 11 people and wounded some 140. A panel of judges in a special anti-terrorism court upheld his life sentence.

The flamboyant Venezuelan-born terrorist and self-proclaimed revolutionary, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also is serving a second life sentence for a triple murder in Paris in 1975.

The decision followed hours of deliberation, and Ramirez, true to form, made a several-hours-long final plea. The trial began May 13.

Ramirez, who cuts a dapper style, was once one of the Cold War era's most wanted men. He has been jailed in France since 1994 when French agents whisked him out of Sudan in a sack.

Lawyer Isabelle Coutant-Peyre said that neither she nor her client was surprised by the verdict. She married Ramirez several years ago in a Muslim ceremony in prison in what she calls a "symbolic" union.

"He is very realistic and he knows very well that the French state won't give him normal justice," she said by telephone. "He has been condemned for life one more time by French judges who are not independent (from the state)."

NFL star Aaron Hernandez charged with murder

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:45:00 +0000

ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — Police have charged Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez with murder and weapons counts in connection with the slaying of a semi-pro football player whose body was found in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's home.

The charges were revealed Wednesday in Attleboro District Court after Hernandez was arrested at his sprawling North Attleborough home. Less than two hours after his arrest, the Patriots cut Hernandez from the team.

The investigation started more than a week ago after semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd was found slain in an industrial park.

Lloyd's family says he and Hernandez were friends and that Lloyd's girlfriend and Hernandez's fiancee are sisters.

Authorities say Lloyd was shot multiple times in the back and chest. They say Hernandez was upset with Lloyd after the two had a dispute at a nightclub a few days before.

Trial set for women accused of assaulting autistic boy

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 13:19:00 +0000

Two former Culpeper County school employees are due in court on charges of assaulting a 5-year-old autistic boy on a school bus.

The trial of 56-year-old Betty Turner and 50-year-old Linda Rastall is set for Tuesday afternoon in Culpeper Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Turner was a bus aide and Rastall was a teacher's aide. They were charged in April with assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Authorities say the child was crying because a toy had been taken away from him as he rode the bus home from school on Feb. 20. Rastall and Turner are accused of physically and verbally assaulting the boy in an attempt to control him.

Berlusconi convicted in sex-for-hire trial

Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:53:00 +0000

MILAN — A Milan court on Monday convicted former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi of paying for sex with an underage prostitute during infamous ''bunga bunga" parties at his villa and then using his influence to try to cover it up.

Berlusconi, 76, was sentenced to seven years in prison and barred from public office for life - a sentence that could mean the end of his two-decade political career. However, there are two more levels of appeal before the sentence would become final, a process that can take months.

Berlusconi holds no official post in the current Italian government, but remains influential in the uneasy cross-party coalition that emerged after inconclusive February elections.

Both he and the Moroccan woman at the center of the scandal have denied ever having sex.

His lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, immediately announced an appeal and said the sentence was as expected as it was unjust.

"This is beyond reality," Ghedini told reporters outside the courthouse. The sentence was even stiffer than the six-year prison term and lifetime ban on public office that prosecutors had originally requested.

"I'm calm because I've been saying for three years that this trial should never have taken place here," Ghedini said.

Edward Snowden “in a safe place” in Hong Kong

Sat, 22 Jun 2013 19:15:00 +0000

HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong was silent Saturday on whether a former National Security Agency contractor should be extradited to the United States now that he has been charged with espionage, but some local legislators said the Chinese government should decide.

Edward Snowden, believed to be holed up in Hong Kong, has admitted providing information to the news media about two highly classified NSA surveillance programs.

It is not known if the U.S. government has made a formal extradition request - a process that could take years, and the Hong Kong government had no immediate reaction to the charges against Snowden. Police Commissioner Andy Tsang told reporters only that the case would be dealt with according to the law. A police statement said it was "inappropriate" for the police to comment on the case.

When China regained control of Hong Kong in 1997, the former British colony was granted a high degree of autonomy and granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China. However, under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs.

All-female jury selected for George Zimmerman trial

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 20:42:00 +0000

SANFORD, Fla. — A jury of six women, five of them white and the other a minority, was picked Thursday to decide the second-degree murder trial of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who says he fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in self-defense.

Prosecutors have said Zimmerman, 29, racially profiled the 17-year-old Martin as he walked back from a convenience store on a rainy night in February 2012 wearing a dark hooded shirt.

The race and ethnicity of the minority chosen for the jury was not immediately available. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

Two of the jurors recently moved to the area – one from Iowa and one from Chicago – and two are involved with rescuing animals as their hobbies.

One juror had a prior arrest, but she said it was disposed of and she thought she was treated fairly. Two jurors have guns in their homes. All of their names have been kept confidential and the panel will be sequestered for the trial.

Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

The central Florida community of Sanford is in Seminole County, which is 78.5 percent white and 16.5 percent black, roughly mirroring the jury's racial makeup.

Facebook to add video to Instagram

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:45:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Facebook is adding a video service to its popular photo-sharing app Instagram, following in the heels of Twitter's growing video-sharing app, Vine.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom says users will be able to record 15-second clips by tapping a video icon on the app. They can also apply filters to the videos to add contrast, make them black and white or different hues.

Vine, which launched in January, has 13 million users. Instagram has 100 million users, up from 20 million when Facebook bought the company more than a year ago.

If users like it, Facebook's move could propel mobile video sharing into the mainstream.

Bernanke: Fed could scale back bond buys

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:10:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chairman Ben Bernanke says the Federal Reserve could scale back its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases later this year if the economy continues to improve.

Bernanke says the reductions would occur in "measured steps" and that the program could end by the middle of next year. His comments were made during a news conference Wednesday after the Fed concluded its two-day policy meeting.

After the meeting, the Fed voted to continue the pace of its bond-buying program to keep long-term interest rates at record lows. But it offered a more optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy and job market.

Obama: NSA surveillance has saved lives

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:21:00 +0000

BERLIN (AP) — President Barack Obama says lives have been saved by sweeping surveillance programs run by the National Security Agency.

Obama says at least 50 threats have been averted because of phone records and Internet information the agency was able to access. He says those threats were not just in the U.S. but also in other countries like Germany.

Obama says both programs are subject to strict court oversight and are limited in scope. He says he believes the U.S. is striking the right balance between national security and civil liberties.

Obama spoke at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN'-geh-lah MEHR'-kuhl).

Merkel says the topic came up in her meeting with Obama. She says proportionality and balance are important when it comes to surveillance.

Obama mum on US arms to Syrian rebels

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:20:00 +0000

BERLIN (AP) — President Barack Obama is refusing to describe the type of military support the U.S. will give to Syrian rebels even as he praises a decision by world leaders at a just-completed summit to seek a negotiated peace.

Obama says even though leaders could not agree on whether Syrian President Bashar Assad must go, he has decided it is not possible for Assad to regain legitimacy.

Obama spoke at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AHN'-geh-lah MEHR'-kuhl).

Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the Group of Eight industrial economies meeting in Northern Ireland this week tried to narrow sharp differences between Russia, a key Assad backer, and Western leaders.

Netflix to run original Dreamworks TV series

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:03:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Netflix is going to start running original television series from Dreamworks Animation.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Netflix Inc. says the multi-year agreement is its biggest deal ever for original first-run content and includes more than 300 hours of new programming. It expands on an existing relationship between the companies.

For Dreamworks, the transaction announced Monday is part of a major initiative to expand its television production and distribution worldwide.

Netflix has been adding original programming to its roster of movies, and debuted the original series "House of Cards" on Feb. 1. It has also increased its focus on children's programming in a move seen as taking a different tack than traditional premium pay TV channels such as HBO, Starz and Showtime, whose original shows are tailored more to adults.

In December Netflix announced it will offer Disney movies, starting with films released in 2016. It declined to make a similar deal for the rights to Sony movies starting in 2016, which was kept by Starz.

The new Dreamworks shows will be inspired by characters from its hit franchises like "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" and upcoming feature films as well as the Classic Media library that Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc. bought last year. The television shows will be commercial free.