Eddie Murphy drops out as Oscars host

Eddie Murphy, shown here at the premiere of his new film “Tower Heist,” has pulled out of hosting the Academy Awards.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Eddie Murphy decides not to host the 84th Academy Awards
• Brett Ratner, who worked with Murphy on a recent film, made a demeaning remark
• “Rehearsing is for f*gs,” New York Magazine’s Vulture Blog quoted Ratner as saying

(CNN) — Eddie Murphy announced Wednesday he would not host next year’s Academy Awards, one day after colleague and show producer Brett Ratner quit over an anti-gay remark he made over the weekend.

“I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well,” said Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 84th Academy Awards program is scheduled for February 26.

Mariela Castro Twitter debut sparks Cuba dissident spat

The daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro has made her debut on Twitter, only to be confronted by a dissident demanding free speech.

Mariela Castro is the head of Cuba’s sexual education institute and a supporter of gay rights on the island.

Within hours of joining the internet site, she was challenged by Cuban dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez.

“Welcome to Twitter pluralism,” Ms Sanchez wrote. “Here no one can shut me up or deny me permission to travel”.

The internet activist – who has more than 170,000 followers on Twitter – questioned why Ms Castro’s tolerance of gay rights did not extend to other areas of life in Cuba.

“How can you ask for acceptance in just one area?” she asked.

“When can we Cubans come out of the other closets?”

‘Parasites’

Ms Castro responded by telling her critic she needed to study.

“Your focus on tolerance reproduces the old structures of power,” shetweeted.

The daughter of the Cuban leader went on to thank her friends for “messages of support” and the “boring and mediocre” for spreading her tweets.

Later, she employed some of the revolutionary rhetoric made famous by her uncle Fidel, who ruled Cuba for nearly half a century before handing power to her father.

“Contemptible parasites,” she tweeted. “Were you given the order by your bosses to reply to me in unison and with the same predetermined script?”

The public exchange of views between President Raul Castro’s daughter and one of his most outspoken critics is very unusual in communist Cuba, where political opposition is banned and the media is controlled by the state.

Yoani Sanchez is a prominent figure in Cuba’s small but vocal dissident movement, and one of the first to make widespread use of the internet.

She writes a prize-winning blog – Generacion Y – and relies on Twitter to communicate via her mobile phone when access to the internet is difficult.

According to official Cuban statistics, only 3% of the population have access to the web – the lowest figure in the western hemisphere – and internet speeds are among the slowest in the world.

Access is restricted and available only with government permission – although since 2009 Cubans have been able to use internet cafes, mostly in hotels, and there is a strong black market for internet connections.

Herman Cain denies Sharon Bialek sex harassment claims

Republican US presidential candidate Herman Cain says he will not be deterred from the presidential race by ‘false, anonymous, incorrect accusations’

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has flatly denied allegations of sexual harassment and said he does not know his latest accuser.

In a press conference, Mr Cain said the accusations would not force him out of the race for president.

“Ain’t gonna happen,” he said. “I’m doing this for the American people.”

Earlier, iPad news operation The Daily published the name of another accuser, who received a cash settlement.

Karen Kraushaar, who previously wished to stay anonymous, confirmed to radio network NPR that she stood by a statement made by her lawyer last week.

In that statement, she alleged Mr Cain made “a series of inappropriate behaviours and unwanted advances” towards her.

Monday’s accuser Sharon Bialek, meanwhile, made the rounds of morning TV news shows.

Ohio voters repeal law limiting union rights, CNN projects

Gov. John Kasich signed the measure into law in March, but it was held from going into effect pending the referendum.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Republican Gov. John Kasich congratulates his opposition
• Ohioans will overturn a law limiting collective bargaining rights for public workers
• The bill passed in March, but had not yet gone into effect
• A similar bill was passed in Wisconsin in March

(CNN) — Ohio voters will repeal a controversial law Tuesday limiting the collective-bargaining rights of public workers, CNN projects based on reported results.

Rapper Heavy D dies at age 44

Rapper Heavy D performs at the BET Hip Hop Awards 2011 on October 1 in Atlanta.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Heavy D died in the ER at Cedars-Sinai, the coroner’s office says
• Beverly Hills police were called to his home at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, police say
• He performed last month at the Michael Jackson tribute in Wales
• The rapper’s real name was Dwight Arrington Myers

Los Angeles (CNN) — Rapper Heavy D collapsed in his Beverly Hills home Tuesday morning and died a short time later at a Los Angeles hospital, according to police and the coroner. He was 44.

Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Arrington Myers, was found conscious with difficulty breathing at his home after police were called there at 11:25 a.m., the Beverly Hills police said in a news release.

He was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s operations chief Craig Harvey. The cause of death has not been determined, Harvey said.

Actress Lindsay Lohan to appear in Playboy

The Playboy issue featuring actress Lindsay Lohan is expected to hit newsstands in late December.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Lohan will be featured in the January/February issue of the magazine
• The 25-year-old actress was released from jail early Monday
• Her rocky personal life has overshadowed her career in recent years

(CNN) — Actress Lindsay Lohan will be featured in the January/February issue of Playboy, a spokeswoman for the magazine said Monday.

The issue is expected to hit newsstands late December, Theresa Hennessey told CNN, declining to offer details.

The 25-year-old actress and model shot to fame for her roles in kid-friendly flicks like “The Parent Trap.” But her rocky personal life, which is standard fodder for tabloids, has overshadowed her career in recent years.

Lohan was released from jail early Monday, just hours after she was booked in, authorities said.

Jackson doctor convicted in star’s drug death

Michael Jackson’s doctor was convicted Monday (November 7, 2011) of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s death for supplying an insomnia-plagued Jackson with a powerful operating-room anesthetic to help him sleep as he rehearsed for his big comeback.

Dr. Conrad Murray sat stone-faced, his chin held high, as he heard the verdict that could send him to prison for up to four years and cost him his license to practice medicine. He was handcuffed and immediately led off to jail without bail to await sentencing November 29.

The verdict marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture’s most shocking tragedies — the 2009 drug-overdose death of the King of Pop at age 50 as he was about to mount a series of heavily promoted concerts in London that he hoped would turn his career around after a slide prompted by child-molestation allegations and years of bizarre behavior.

A shriek broke the silence in the packed courtroom when the jury’s decision was read, and the crowd outside the courthouse erupted in cheers. Jubilant Jackson fans sang Beat It and held signs that read Guilty and Killer. Drivers honked their horns.

Greek PM expected to resign after coalition government formed

Prime Minister George Papandreou began steps to form a coalition government after narrowly winniing a vote of confidence.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The finance minister is likely to remain in his post, according to reports
• The president summoned party members ahead of a Cabinet meeting
• Greek TV: Candidates for prime minister include Petros Moliviatis and Loukas Papaimos

(CNN) — Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is expected to resign after the makeup of the nation’s new coalition government is decided, a spokesman for Papandreou’s Socialist PASOK party said Sunday, according to Greek media.

The country’s Cabinet was set to meet Sunday to discuss issues relating to Monday’s Euro group meeting, at which Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos will represent Greece, the reports quoted the spokesman as saying.

Venizelos is likely to remain in his post as finance minister in a new government, sources told Greek television. Candidates for the prime minister’s job include Petros Moliviatis and Loukas Papaimos, according to Greek television.

The new government will have a life of four months, according to Greek television, citing sources, and elections will be held in early spring.

Israeli military boards Gaza-bound aid ships

An Israeli navy vessel patrols off the southern port of Ashdod on July 19, 2011.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Activists are from different countries
• The ships will be diverted to the Ashdod port, Israel says
• Activists will be transferred to the custody of Israeli authorities
• No resistance was reported

Jerusalem (CNN) — Israeli sailors boarded two aid ships headed to the Palestinian territory of Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said.

While no resistance was reported, activists criticized the Israeli action as “illegal” and vowed that activists “will keep coming, wave after wave” to try to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Activists on board the “Freedom Waves to Gaza” mini-flotilla were “attempting to break the maritime security blockade that is in place in accordance with international law,” the Israeli military said, and were refusing to heed their calls to turn back.

“The boarding was carried out in line with directives from the Israeli government and after all attempts to prevent the vessels from reaching the Gaza Strip were made, but to no avail,” the military said.

“The boarding was carried out following numerous calls to the activists on board and during different points at sea. Following their unwillingness to cooperate, and after ignoring calls to divert to the port of Ashdod, the decision was made to board the vessels and lead them there.”

Sailors “took every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the activists on board the vessels as well as themselves,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

Activists will be handed over to Israeli police and immigration authorities, the military said.

According to the activist organizers, this mission was the eleventh attempt to run Israel’s blockade of Gaza by sea. Five missions arrived safely in Gaza between August and December 2008, with the rest intercepted by Israel.

The activists said Friday that “ground support crews lost contact with two ships, the Saoirse of Ireland and the Tahrir of Canada.” It said there are 27 civilian passengers. The boats are carrying medical supplies and letters of support for people in Gaza.

The activists said the navy interrogated people on the Tahrir around 7:30 a.m., when it was about 48 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. Thirteen minutes later, ground support crews lost contact with two ships.

Asked by the Israeli Navy for their destination, Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef replied, “The conscience of humanity,” the activists’ said in a statement.

When they repeated the question, asking for final destination, Lotayef said, “The betterment of mankind.”

Kit Kittredge, an American traveling with the Tahrir, said Israelis made contact with the group and told them to change their radio channel. Kittredge said the group declined to do so.

Late Thursday, two Israeli navy ships shadowed the ships before pulling back, the group said.

The activists said the ships had been “illegally boarded.”

“It’s clear that 27 civilians on two small boats, carrying only medicine, constituted no security threat to the Israeli state, and that the determination to keep them out is only a furtherance of Israel’s policy of collective punishment, a crime against humanity,” said Huwaida Arraf, spokeswoman for Freedom Waves to Gaza.

“Despite this Israeli aggression, we will keep coming, wave after wave, by air, sea, and land, to challenge Israel’s illegal policies towards Gaza and all of Palestine,” Arraf said. “Our movement will not stop or be stopped until Palestine is free.”

Jane Hirschmann, U.S. coordinator for the Freedom Waves to Gaza flotilla, said, “Had the passengers been permitted to proceed to Gaza rather than being stopped on the high seas by armed force, there would have been no threat to their safety. The IDF’s statement is like the mugger promising to escort his victim home safely.”

Ann Wright, one of the organizers of the Freedom Flotilla that attempted to sail to Gaza last June, said,”It’s a little hard to imagine how 27 unarmed civilians on two small boats carrying medicine and letters threaten Israel’s security. Israel is simply determined to maintain its policy of collective punishment against the 1.6 million civilians in Gaza. This is a crime against humanity and violation of international law. Despite Israel’s consistent use of military force against nonviolent protests and demonstrations, activists around the world will continue to challenge the occupation of Palestine and the blockade and Gaza.”

Passengers on the boats are from Canada, Ireland, the United States, Australia, and the Palestinian territories, the activists say.

The flotillas have sparked international controversy.

In 2010, an Israeli raid on one flotilla ship, the Mavi Marmara, resulted in nine Turkish activists being killed, a development that led to the deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey, once close allies. Israel was roundly criticized by many over the deaths.

A U.N. report criticized Israel for its use of excessive force in the incident but described the blockade — which activists call illegal — as a “legitimate security measure.”

Israel says it is concerned about the smuggling of arms to Gaza militants intent on attacking the Jewish state. Gaza is controlled by the anti-Israel Hamas militant group, regarded as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel,

But activists say Israeli embargoes of goods into Gaza from land and sea are collective punishment of civilians in what is a tiny and densely populated strip of land along the Mediterranean coast.

Israel has said any organization or state that wants to give humanitarian aid to Gaza can do so in coordination with Israeli authorities via existing land crossings into the Palestinian territory.

7 indicted in connection with Bhutto assassination

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Seven men, including two senior police officers, were indicted Saturday for conspiracy to commit murder in the killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a defense attorney told CNN.

Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007.

The two indicted police officers have been accused of security breaches and covering up evidence by hosing down the crime scene.

Malik Muhammad Rafique, a senior defense attorney for the officers, Saud Aziz and Khurram Shahzad, said there was “no evidence connecting the two men to criminal conspiracy to assassinate Bhutto.”

Both officers pleaded not guilty and were released on bail, Rafique said. Five others were indicted for terrorism, murder, attempted murder and criminal conspiracy, he said.

The men were indicted in an anti-terror court in Rawalpindi. The proceeding was not open to the public.

The five men are suspected of having links with Beitullah Mehsud, the former leader of the Pakistani Taliban killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in August 2009, Rafique said.

Bhutto had returned from a self-imposed, eight-year exile to run in the country’s general elections in 2008. She escaped one attempt on her life but was killed by a 15-year-old suicide bomber while campaigning in Rawalpindi, the seat of Pakistan’s military.