Gary Coleman Hospitalized in Utah

TMZ has learned Gary Coleman is currently hospitalized in Utah -- and we're told he's in critical condition. 

Sources tell us Coleman was admitted yesterday -- after he was transported from his home in Utah around 12:50 PM.

Coleman's brother-in-law tells TMZ Coleman suffered a head injury after a fall.

Coleman suffered what was said to be a seizure while doing a TV interview back in February. Coleman was also hospitalized in January after he suffered what a friend described as a seizure.

Naomi Campbell reveals death fears and admits she now wants 'a calm life'

Naomi Campbell has revealed that she didn’t think she would ‘survive’ in the modelling world in a revealing interview that showed her insecurities

The British catwalk star told Germany’s InTouch magazine that she also thought the lifestyle would make her ‘go crazy’. 

Opening up to the magazine, she said: ‘To be honest, there were times I thought I wouldn't survive. The time between 1998 and 2005 was especially bad. During that time I avoided looking in the mirror, because I didn't like the person who was looking back at me’.

‘So I had to find out what I wanted and what I didn't want. The thing is, as a model you're used to being on the go, so just the thought of sitting down and thinking about something drives you crazy'.

Samsung goes beyond Japan rivalry

BY TAKESHI KAMIYA THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Lee Kun-hee sounded like a gracious loser, a competitor still struggling to find a way to the top ranks in the field.

"Samsung still has much to learn from Japanese companies, wouldn't you agree?" Lee, chairman of the Samsung conglomerate, said to Sumitomo Chemical Co. Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura in Seoul in April.

The fact is, Samsung Electronics' profits now exceed the combined profits of the entire Japanese consumer electronics industry.

Rising water levels along the River Oder leave most residents unfazed

Despite rising water levels, people living alongside the Oder river in the German state of Brandenburg believe they can rely on newly built dams and dykes and say there's no reason to panic

"Sometimes things look worse than they are".  That's the opinion of water facility worker Michael Hietze in Frankfurt an der Oder. The cellar rooms of his company's building are on the brink of being flooded. The lower-lying areas in the vicinity are already under water. But it's not yet the water from the nearby Oder river knocking on the door. It's the ground water that has been forced upwards.

"This time around it's different. We're prepared, and I don't expect the high water levels to last for more than a week," Hietze told Deutsche Welle.

He also witnessed the record high floods in 1997 when everything happened overnight and caught residents by surprise. And he remembers the dams and dykes giving way during the ensuing three weeks during which the floodwater didn't recede at all.

Apple iPad ready to hit UK streets

Small but committed queues form for UK launch of tablet – but online demand may mean supplies are scarce

Charles Arthur, technology editor

Jake Lee knew he would have a long, cold night ahead – but wasn't troubled: the 17-year-old from Theydon Bois, Essex had his father's thick coat – plus the assurance of being the first to buy an Apple iPad at the company's Regent Street store in London when it opens its doors at 8am tomorrow.

"I didn't order online because I wanted to get the experience of buying it, of being in the queue," said Lee, who has been saving from his part-time job after school "for months" to be able to afford the £429 low-end version.

Yet judging by the length – or brevity – of the queue outside the store, which by mid-afternoon comprised just five people, Apple's latest offering – a 9-inch touchscreen tablet computer operated like its hit iPhone – is not drawing the crowds in the same way as previous product launches, which attracted scores of patient buyers.

Int'l Court nations to ponder crimes of aggression

By MIKE CORDER (AP)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The 111 member nations of the International Criminal Court hope to finally agree on how to prosecute illegal attacks by one state on another when they meet next week in Uganda, the conference's leader said Thursday.

President of the Assembly of States Parties, Lichtenstein diplomat Christian Wenaweser, told reporters during an online question-and-answer session that he is "cautiously optimistic and believe that we have a good basis for a solution that finds very wide political support".

But top jurists and a prominent human rights organization warn that prosecuting the as-yet-undefined crime of aggression could open the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal to accusations of politicization.

Richard Goldstone, former prosecutor at the U.N. war crimes courts for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times that "now is not the time" for the court to tackle the thorny legal question.

"The issues that would arise from dealing with allegations of aggression would give ammunition to critics who claim it is a politicized institution," he wrote.

Indonesia, Malaysia to sign MoU on maids in about 5 weeks

By DHARMENDER SINGH

PUTRAJAYA: The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Recruitment and Placement of Maids from Indonesia is expected to be signed in about five weeks.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said many of the issues that would be included in the MoU, which will see the freeze on maids from Indonesia lifted, had already been discussed with his Indonesian counterpart and ironed out so the signing was not expected to be too far away.

Among the issues discussed, he said, were the provisions for a day-off each week for domestic help from Indonesia, maids being allowed to hold their passports, reasonable agency fees and allowing wages to be decided between the employers and workers.

Armed men hit Stockholm auctioneers

The Bukowski auction house in central Stockholm was raided on Thursday lunchtime with the thieves reported to have made off with 12 million kronor ($1.5 million) in looted jewellery. 

Stockholm police confirmed that no one had been hurt in the attack which occurred while Bukowski's was holding viewings for its upcoming spring auction. 

"Three armed men go into the auction house with firearms. They come out after a short while and run into a parked car and flee in it. When we come into contact with the staff, we are informed that no one has been physically harmed," saidBjorn Engstrom at the Stockholm police.

Phoenix police officer killing results in 1st-degree murder charge

by Michael Kiefer and Jolie McCullough

The Arizona Republic

The man suspected of killing Phoenix Police Officer Travis Murphy on Wednesday has been charged with first-degree murder, unlawful flight from law enforcement, burglary and misconduct involving weapons.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said he will convene his capital-review committee within the next few weeks to determine if his office will seek the death penalty against Danny Ledezma Martinez, a convicted felon with a long criminal history that includes sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, aggravated assault and DUI. Martinez, 30, was released from prison in April 2009, but Romley said he did not believe he was still on parole.

"There are those who live a life of crime and go to prison and for some reason don't change their ways," Romley said.

Uefa introduces tough penalties for spendthrift clubs

Profligate clubs face being banned from the Champions League and Europa League after European football's governing body Uefa approved new plans.

The example of Portsmouth, who became the first Premier League team to go into administration, has highlighted the financial excesses in England.

Uefa president Michel Platini has now passed rules which would force clubs to operate within their means.

Clubs will only be able to spend what they themselves generate.

Big cash injections from wealthy benefactors like the owners of Chelsea and Manchester City would also be restricted under Uefa's Financial Fair Play plan.

The system is being phased in and bans would not be able to be imposed theoretically until the 2014-15 season at the earliest.

Clubs are required to restructure themselves over the next three seasons so they are financially solvent.

Garda injured in Limerick arrest

KATHRYN HAYES

Four people, including three men and a woman, remain in custody today, after gardaí foiled a suspected retaliation attack for a gangland-style shooting in Limerick earlier this week.

A member of the Garda Emergency Response Unit was hospitalised during the course of the incident. The garda received medical treatment at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick yesterday where his injuries were described as not life threatening.

Members of the specialist armed intervention unit backed up by the Regional Support Unit were involved in a high-speed chase during which a car was rammed off the road at Drombanna, Ballyneety, Co Limerick, shortly after 1pm.

A 9mm handgun and a quantity of ammunition were found in the car in which three men and one woman were travelling.

All four who are in their mid-20s were arrested. Two of the men are members of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal gang. A Garda spokesman said yesterday’s operation was part of an ongoing investigation into organised crime in Limerick.

European Dream of Desert Energy Takes Shape

By Cordula Meyer

Can the Sahara Desert really meet Europe's voracious appetite for energy? The Desertec solar power project aims to do just that, but a host of obstacles remain. Overly optimistic expectations are now being scaled down as the project starts to take shape.

When the sun rises and it's still hazy over Andalusia, the future is particularly visible. That's when beams of light as thick as tree trunks and as sharp as lasers slice through the haze. They come together just below the tops of two towers, the taller of which rises 162 meters (531 feet) into the sky, taller than Cologne Cathedral. These light beams are not being emitted by some UFO, but are in fact the core of the most advanced solar power plant in the world.

The towers are surrounded by close to 2,000 mirrors that face the sun. Each mirror has a surface area of about 120 square meters (1,290 square feet) and, like flowers, they follow the light, to the sound of a rattling motor that orients them toward receivers up in the towers. The bundled solar energy, which reaches a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius (482 degrees Fahrenheit), strikes steel pipes through which water is conducted. The water vaporizes and drives a turbine. The facility, known as PS20, is the world's largest solar power tower and generates enough electricity for 10,000 households.

There is not a cloud in the sky on this spring morning, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) west of Seville. "It's easy today," Enrique Sales Rodriguez says with satisfaction, as the turbine roars and the tower runs at full capacity. Rodriguez, an engineer, monitors the technology from a control room at the base of the tower. He reacts quickly whenever large clouds appear in the sky, making adjustments to the system to extract as much energy as possible from the rays of the sun. Everything is designed to increase the harvest of light. Trucks equipped with large blue cleaning brushes are constantly roaming through the rows of mirrors. "We clean 24 hours a day," says Rodriguez.

Obama honors contributions of American Jews

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says Jewish people's belief that a better future is always possible should be a lesson for all Americans.

Obama honored the contributions American Jews have made in the arts, music, sports and other fields at the first-ever White House reception Thursday marking Jewish Heritage Month. Obama also took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the safety and security of Israel.

Among those in attendance were former baseball great Sandy Koufax. Obama joked that while Koufax said he couldn't pitch on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, the president himself simply couldn't pitch — a reference to his rocky appearances on the mound when he's been asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at baseball games.

BHP confirms joint Indonesian venture

Miner BHP Billiton says it has confirmed the formation of the joint venture for its Indonesian Coal Project (ICP) with a subsidiary of PT Adaro Energy TBK (Adaro) following the completion of Government approvals.

Adaro has a 25 per cent interest in the ICP joint venture, with BHP Billiton holding the remaining 75 per cent, the company said overnight.

BHP Billiton President, Metallurgical Coal, Hubie van Dalsen, said Adaro was "a strong Indonesian partner who shares our values and our commitment to the protection of the region's outstanding biodiversity".

Wall Street flies on China comment, Microsoft upgrade

(Reuters) - Stocks rallied on Thursday as investor worry was eased after China refuted a report that it was reviewing its euro-zone bond holdings due to the region's debt crisis.

Thursday's gains marked the largest advance for the S&P 500 on a percentage basis since May 10, although volume was below average.

China's denial was enough of a catalyst to entice buyers into the volatile equity market, which fell sharply from April highs as investors worried that Europe's debt woes would spiral into a larger financial crisis.

"As you look through it, Europe is not getting worse," said Tim Holland, co-portfolio manager of the Aston/TAMRO Diversified Equity Fund in Alexandria, Virginia. "Trees don't grow to the sky, but did the market deserve to be off 15 percent in three weeks?"

The People's Bank of China said a Financial Times report that Beijing was concerned about its euro-zone exposure was groundless. The report had short-circuited a rally in the previous session.

Jamaican army accused of murdering civilians in Tivoli Gardens

Residents of flashpoint neighbourhood speak out against fact that official death toll is 73, but only four weapons seized

Chris McGreal in Tivoli Gardens, Kingston

Residents of the blighted Kingston neighbourhood at the heart of this week's intense fighting between the man who is allegedly Jamaica's top drug lord and the army have accused the military of summarily executing unarmed men and indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population.

People living in Tivoli Gardens district say that the armed gangs defending the alleged drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke from arrest retreated on the second day of the confrontation, and that after that they saw soldiers seize unarmed young men and shoot them after capture.

There is widespread evidence of fighting in Tivoli Gardens, including burnt out cars and buildings heavily pockmarked by bullets.

Clusters of women shouted "murderers" at soldiers as troops escorted a group of journalists into a part of Tivoli Gardens that the military says is now relatively secure. Other parts are still sealed off, although it appears increasingly unlikely that Coke, who is wanted for extradition to the US on drug trafficking and arms running charges, will be found, in what was for many years his stronghold.

On Bustamante Highway one of the few men still in the area, David Richards, said he saw soldiers shoot two unarmed men who ran into his house.

Study uncovers 205 cases of Jesuit abuse

At least 205 children suffered sexual or physical abuse at Jesuit-runGerman institutions in recent decades, often with those in charge aware, according to a study released Thursday.

About 46 Jesuit priests, lay teachers and other educators are suspected of being responsible for the abuse, lawyer Ursula Raue told a press conference in Munich after looking into the cases at the Jesuit order's request.

Twelve priests, of which six are now dead, and two laymen were singled out by more than one victim or witness for acts of sexual abuse, violence or both, Raue said. The other 32 "suspects" were each accused by only one person.

The lawyer added that she learned about some 50 other cases of mistreatment at non-Jesuit Catholic institutions during her investigation.

Nearly all of the cases occurred too long ago to be pursued before the courts, Raue said, adding that the statute of limitations, which currently runs from 10 to 20 years depending on the crime, should be reconsidered.

70 years on, survivor relives Dunkirk evacuation

By Europe correspondent Philip Williams

Seventy years ago the call went out for help. Every available boat, be it a steamer, tug, cruiser or yacht, was called to help rescue more than 300,000 British and French troops who were surrounded by German forces on the beaches at the French port of Dunkirk.

For a week, under fire from land and air, the flotilla criss-crossed the English Channel, picking up the desperate soldiers in small groups.

By the end of Operation Dynamo, 340,000 troops were rescued. An army, and many argue a nation, had been saved by extraordinary and repeated acts of bravery.

When the order went out to rescue as many of the British troops as possible, prime minister Winston Churchill thought they would be lucky to bring home 30,000.

But the number rescued was 11 times that figure, and those soldiers became the nucleus of an army that would eventually help defeat the Nazis.

Website urges Syrians, Israelis to work for peace online

Israel and Syria have officially been at war since 1948. Now for the first time, a website – with contributions from writers in both countries – is examining what each side perceives as the obstacles to peace

By Sébastian SEIBT

Syrian and Israeli writers and academics have come together in an unprecedented attempt to examine the seemingly intractable issues that place both countries in a state of constant war.

The OneMideast.org website, online since May 17, provides something that neither side has ever had before: a public forum where the frustrations felt by ordinary citizens in both countries are laid bare.

Israelis and Syrians have never had a real opportunity to freely and publicly discuss the obstacles to achieving a lasting peace.

Damascus forbids face-to-face discussions between its people and Israelis.

“Before we can get to finding a solution to the conflict, people need first to understand why negotiations have so far always failed,” site founder Camille Otrakji, a Syrian-Canadian blogger, tells FRANCE 24.

French workers strike over pension plans

By the CNN Wire Staff

Paris, France (CNN) -- France braced for more fallout Thursday from the government's efforts to solve the country's debt problems, with thousands of people striking and protesting around the country.

Public sector workers, some transport workers, teachers and postal workers walked off the job Thursday.

The CGT union could not say how many people would be on strike, but it said it expected the numbers to be similar to the last strike on March 23, when 800,000 people joined the strike.

Brazil cuts beer duties to avoid shortages

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil has slashed beer duties to avoid shortages during the World Cup, after local brewers warned they would be unable to meet surging demand despite sharply increasing production.

The government said on Wednesday it will cut import levies on canned beer to 2 percent from 16 percent for the June tournament, which Brazil will host in 2014.

"The industry itself declared in a letter to the Foreign Trade Chamber that it won't be able to satisfy the increase in demand," said Anamelia Seyffarth, an official at the chamber, announcing the cut.

Brazil is the world's fourth largest beer consumer.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife gave the players a send-off at his palace in the capital Brasilia on Wednesday, hugging the stars and wishing them luck before they jetted off to World Cup host South Africa.