(POP NEWS) Ambassador Killed; William; NBC; Homophobe; Paquin; KStew; Quinto; Urie Dish!

• BREAKING: US Ambassador to Libya Killed in Attack!

• GEN-R: William Wants 2 Kids With Kate!

• SNUB: NBC Picks Kardashians Over Moment of Silence!

• EXCUSED: Would-Be Juror: Don't Pick Me, I'm A Racist Homophobe!

• BI-KIDZ: Paquin, Moyer Have Twins!

• NEXT GIG: KStew's Next 'Beard Gig' is James Franco?

• FACTS: Surrogacy Expert Weighs in on 'The New Normal'!

• GLEE-FUL: Zachary Quinto On His Celebrity Boyfriend!

• DISH: Michael Urie on hunky TV boyfriend Brandon Routh!

(POP NEWS) Kat's Savior; Andy Buried; Cher's grief; TODAY goes solo; Mermaids; OUT; Amazing!

• SAVED: Meet the Man Behind Katie Holmes' Split!

• REST: Andy Griffith Already Buried!

• LOYALTY: Cher gets grief from Twitter followers after sharing her enthusiasm for megachurch pastor Joel Osteen!

• HOSTED: Here's Why Ann Curry Really Got the Boot!

• MURDERED: Arafat May Have Been Poisoned!

• PROFANE: Two Zimbabweans Arrested Over 'Lurid' Gay Pictures!

• Chuck E. Cheese Getting 'Hip' Makeover!

• FANTASY: Sorry, Mermaids Aren't Real!

• PROUD: Singer Frank Ocean Comes Out: 'I Feel Like A Free Man'!

• TESTED: Home Test Kit for HIV Gets FDA Approval!

• POWER TRIP: Why Do Hotels Turn Us Into Monsters?

• FREEDOM: France to Let Gays Marry, Adopt!

• AMAZING: 'Bladerunner' Pistorius to Race in Olympics!

MEATBALL: UK Denies Assange's Extradition Appeal!

Julian Assange is likely headed to Sweden after a British court today rejected his claim that extraditing him to face sex assault charges there would be "unfair and unlawful." Charges of rape and sexual coercion, stemming from alleged incidents last August, await the WikiLeaks founder in Sweden. "There can be no doubt that if what Mr. Assange had done had been done in England and Wales, he would have been charged," read the ruling, rejecting Assange's claim that his actions would not have been considered criminal in the UK.

Supporters crowded outside the London courthouse, notes the Telegraph, carrying signs that echoed Assange's own claim that the charges were politically motivated. Assange's remaining hope of avoiding extradition is an appeal to the country's highest court, notes the AP, an avenue a legal expert says Assange can take only if today's ruling involves an issue of "real legal significance." Barring that, Assange will likely be extradited within 10 days.

GONE: Libyan Leader Moammar Gaddafi Killed!

Libyan Leader Moammar Gaddafi has been killed, according to live reports...

Reuters reported earlier: Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was captured and wounded near his hometown of Sirte at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked, National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid said on Thursday.

The senior NTC military official told Reuters by telephone that the head of Gaddafi's armed forces Abu Bakr Younus Jabr had been killed during the capture of the Libyan ex-leader.

The State Department is saying they cannot yet confirm reports of Gaddafi's capture or death.

ESCAPE from OZ: Iran Releases US Hikers!

After being jailed for more than two years, American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal walked out of Evin prison free men this morning, confirms Iranian state television. Their lawyer had said earlier that they would be released within hours, after a vacationing judge returned and the second signature needed to free them on $1 million bail was secured. In a statement quoted on a semi-official Iranian news agency, the country’s judiciary confirmed the bail request had been “accepted,” reports the Washington Post.

PROGRESS: UN Backs Gay Rights for First Time!

AP) – The United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender people for the first time today, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the US and other backers and decried by some African and Muslim countries. The declaration was cautiously worded, expressing "grave concern" about abuses because of sexual orientation and commissioning a global report on discrimination against gays. But activists called it an important shift on an issue that has divided the global body for decades, and they credited the Obama administration's push for gay rights at home and abroad. 

Following tense negotiations, members of the UN Human Rights Council narrowly voted in favor of the declaration put forward by South Africa, 23-19. Backers included the US, European Union, Brazil, and other Latin American countries. Those against included Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Pakistan. China, Burkina Faso, and Zambia abstained. Nigeria claimed the proposal went against the wishes of most Africans, and a diplomat from the northwest African state of Mauritania called the resolution "an attempt to replace the natural rights of a human being with an unnatural right."

ISSUES: Bin Laden’s death could inspire new attack?

The Homeland Security Department says the death of Osama bin Laden could inspire retaliatory attacks against the U.S. and Western targets.

The department’s “situational awareness alert,” obtained by The Associated Press, says the attacks could come from members of al-Qaida’s core branch in the tribal areas of Pakistan, al-Qaida franchises in other countries and radicalized individuals in the U.S. with al-Qaida sympathies. The document was marked “for official use only” and is not finished intelligence.

An alert, issued Sunday, says the U.S. intelligence community doesn’t currently have insight into al-Qaida’s choice of U.S. targets.

One interesting observation if we were offended by people in the middle east celebrating the attack on 9/11, Could we celebrating the death of Bin laden be offensive to others?

BREAKING NEWS: Osama bin Laden Is Dead!

Osama bin Laden is dead, the New York Times reports. Few details yet, but the newspaper (and just about every other media outlet now) quotes a US official saying the al-Qaeda leader has been killed in a "targeted assault" by US forces. CNN says that it happened in Pakistan, and that other members of his family were killed as well. President Obama has confirmed to the nation tonight. A source tells AP that it's no guessing game: The US has bin Laden's body.

The news of the 54-year-old bin Laden's death comes nearly 10 years after the 9/11 attacks. The development presumably leaves Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's No. 2, in charge—assuming he wasn't with bin Laden.

Germany expels anti-gay imam after rally for Islam!

Authorities in Germany have ordered the expulsion of a visiting imam who argues that practicing homosexuals should be sentenced to death, officials said Thursday, according to Monsters and Critics.com.


The move comes a day after Abu Ameena Bilal Philips delivered an open-air speech to around 2,000 Muslims in Frankfurt.

The convert to Islam, who is in his 60s, did not repeat his views on homosexuality during Wednesday's rally. Bystanders said the speeches at the rally for Islam were not inflammatory. About 500 opponents demonstrated against him as he spoke.

German officials said they had prepared an order, before he was due to speak, instructing Philips to leave the country by Saturday night and never return.

Philips is entitled to appeal the order, but only from abroad, police said, and must mail in proof that he has left. An arrest warrant is ready in case he does not leave before the expulsion deadline.

Le Parc Suite Hotel Offers Guests a "Suite" Incentive to Donate to Japan Relief

Le Parc Suite Hotel in West Hollywood is proud to support relief for the crisis situation in Japan by offering an incredible five-night stay to one lucky guest who donates at least $10 to the American Red Cross.

As Japan is devastated by an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear crisis, Le Parc, an all-suite boutique hotel in West Hollywood, invites guests to donate to the relief efforts of the American Red Cross.

Any guest who donates at least $10 for Japan will then be entered to win a five-night "Helping Hands, Happy Hearts" vacation package, partially sponsored by The Grove, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Ridewell Worldwide Transportation.

Shanghai Disney Under Way!

After a long wait, Mickey’s new home in China is officially under construction. The iconic mouse joined Disney CEO Robert Iger and top Shanghai officials—as well as Goofy, Princess Jasmine, and other friends—for a groundbreaking ceremony today at the future site of Shanghai Disneyland, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $3.7 billion undertaking marks “a defining moment in our company's history,” Iger told crowds. It will be “both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.”

It’s a joint project with state-owned Chinese firms known collectively as the Shanghai Shendi Group. Little has been revealed about its layout, but it won’t have the usual Main Street entrance; instead, there will be 11 acres of green space and the biggest Storybook Castle yet. The “role model” park, scheduled to open in 2014, “will improve Shanghai's international profile as a world famous tourist destination,” said Shanghai’s mayor. For Disney, meanwhile, it means access to a burgeoning consumer market: Some 330 million people live within three hours of the future park.

Westerwelle Resigns Party Leadership!

Guido Westerwelle, the gay foreign minister of Germany, resigned his post as leader of the Free Democrats party following a string of election defeats that have threatened the center-right coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

According to Der Spiegel, Westerwelle announced Sunday that he would step down as the leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats. On Tuesday the party selected Vietnamese-born health minister Philipp Rösler to replace him, with an official vote set for next month during the party conference.

Westerwelle also said he would step down as vice chancellor. He will retain his foreign minister post though doubts exist about his future in the role at a critical time for German diplomacy.

Same-Sex Civil Partnerships Begin in Ireland!

Same-sex civil partnerships began in Ireland Monday. Barry Dignam and Hugh Walsh were the first to tie the knot in Dublin, the Irish Times reports:

...17 years after they started going out, they will become the public face of civil partnership in Ireland as one of the first couples to be joined under legislation which came into effect on January 1st.

“We feel a certain amount of responsibility . . . that this is a big step which Ireland is taking and that we’re going to be a part of that,” Mr Dignam said yesterday on the eve of the couple’s civil partnership ceremony, which is to take place in a Dublin registry office this afternoon.

Theirs is not the first civil partnership to take place here – six civil partnerships have already been registered in the State arising from court-granted exemptions to the usual three-month notice which couples must give to the General Registrar Office.

China raids popular gay bar!

A popular gay bar in Shanghai was raided over the weekend.  More than 60 people were taken into custody.

Some staff and customers were held up to 12 hours. Said the Herald Sun: “Police said “pornographic” shows were taking place when they arrived at the Q Bar in the early hours of Sunday, the Shanghai Daily reported.

“Police gave no details about the shows that were allegedly being staged at the bar, which is a block away from the police station, the newspaper said.

“However, the report cited migrant workers who live in a makeshift shelter on the roof of the building where the bar is situated that they ‘often saw naked men on the roof, drinking beer, chatting loudly, and even having sex.’”

China has an estimated 30 million gay people. Homosexuality was a crime in China until 1997, and it was officially considered a mental illness until 2001.

Barcelona's Mayor Unveils Gay Monument!

Barcelona Mayor Jordi Hereu unveiled a large triangle marble in Ciudadela Park dedicated to the LGBT community who has been persecuted throughout history.

"This is a necessary monument to remember the discrimination, repression, humiliation, persecution, attacks, and assassinations that the LGTB community suffered for centuries and very especially during the Franco dictatorship," said Antonio Guirado, secretary general of the Catalonian LGBT umbrella group Gay Lesbian Coordinator.

"We are honored as citizens to see recognized the persecution suffered, and above all the still-unmet challenge for social normalization."

Full Story from Passport Magazine

LGBT community marks 10th anniversary of first gay marriage!

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community on Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the first ever same-sex marriage in the world. A decade later, however, it remains a controversial issue, reports BNO News.

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to officially recognize and allow same-sex marriages. Queen Beatrix signed the marriage bill into law on December 21, 2000, after it went into effect on April 1, 2001.

The national and international response to the bill was mixed and it remains a highly controversial issue in 2011. But same-sex marriages have come a long way, with same-sex marriages now being performed in 10 countries. Several other countries, such as the United States and Mexico, only perform them in some jurisdictions.

Final Verdict: Knut Drowned!

The sad final verdict is in: Celebrity polar bear Knut died from drowning. But the four-year-old's collapse into his enclosure's pool at the Berlin Zoo was caused by encephalitis, according to a necropsy performed on the bear. The AP reports that a zoo pathologist said she could not tell what caused the encephalitis—a swelling of the brain likely brought on by an infection—but ruled out rabies, botulism, and mad cow disease. Even if Knut had not drowned, the damage from the brain swelling would have killed him, reported the pathologist.

Some animal rights groups have tried to blame Knut's death on stress caused by living in a zoo, but the pathologist said there were no signs stressed played any part. Knut was rejected by his mother at birth in December 2006, and was raised instead by zookeepers, soon becoming an animal celebrity at the zoo.

Who's Going Gay?

Here is a breakdown (posted on ABS-CBN.com) of legislation on gay marriages around the world, 10 years after the Netherlands led the way in authorising marriages between the same sex.


- NETHERLANDS: on April 1, 2001 became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. Includes the right to adoption.

- BELGIUM: Homosexual couples in Belgium won the right to marry in June 2003 and in April 2006 parliament voted into law a bill allowing homosexual couples to adopt children.

- SPAIN: In July 2005 became the third member of the European Union to pass a law to allow same-sex marriages. Gay couples can adopt children.

UK Teen Killed Himself After Kids Spread Rumors He Was Gay!

A 15-year-old teen committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a building last year after classmates spread rumors that he was gay, a UK inquest heard this week:

Dominic appeared to be happy after returning from [an art class] trip, the inquest in Cheltenham heard. However, on he Tuesday after the expedition the 'carefree' rugby-loving schoolboy left the school at lunchtime and went to a locked block of flats nearby called Withyholt Court.

He managed to gain access to the roof and threw himself off.

Paul Harvey, the school's current headmaster, told the inquest a helper on the trip, Lucy Evans, had reported after Dominic's death that the Year 10 children had been playing 'spin the bottle' on the trip and that it was said Dominic had kissed a boy.

This led to gossip that he might be homosexual.

Brazilian Lawmaker Jean Wyllys To Introduce Gay Marriage Resolution!

Brazil's first openly gay lawmaker, Jean Wyllys, is widely expected to introduce legislation that would legalize gay marriage, details from OnTopmag.

Wyllys, who parlayed a 2005 Big Brother Brazil win into a political career, will introduce the legislation with the support of leaders from two countries which have already approved the institution.

Argentine National Deputy Vilma Ibarra, who played a prominent role in last year's effort to legalize gay marriage in her country, and the Spanish socialist Pedro Zerolo will assist Wyllys in the effort. Spain legalized marriage for gay and lesbian couples in 2005.

Currently, gay couples cannot legally marry in Brazil, where marriage is regulated by the federal government, not the states. Courts, however, have ruled that gay couples are de facto partners, a status that grants many benefits similar to marriage.