Scarlett Johansson quits Oxfam role over SodaStream row

Actress Scarlett Johansson has quit as an ambassador for Oxfam amid a row over her support for an Israeli company that operates in the occupied West Bank.

A spokesman for the actress said she had a "fundamental difference of opinion" with the humanitarian group.

She will remain a brand ambassador for SodaStream, which has a factory in the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim.

The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

About 500,000 Jews currently live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

'Model for peace'

A statement from Ms Johansson's spokesman published on Wednesday announced that the Hollywood star had "respectfully decided to end her ambassador role with Oxfam after eight years", according to the Associated Press.

"She and Oxfam have a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She is very proud of her accomplishments and fundraising efforts during her tenure with Oxfam," it added.

On Thursday, Oxfam issued a statement saying it had accepted Ms Johansson's decision to step down and was grateful for her many contributions.

"While Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors, Ms Johansson's role promoting the company SodaStream is incompatible with her role as an Oxfam Global Ambassador," it added.

"Oxfam believes that businesses, such as SodaStream, that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support."

SodaStream runs a large factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

The Avengers star signed up to be a global brand ambassador with SodaStream International Ltd earlier this month, and is due to appear in an advertisement for the firm during Sunday's SuperBowl.

Ms Johansson's statement added: "SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbours working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights."

SodaStream - which makes products that allow people to produce carbonated soft drinks at home - operates one of the hundreds of factories constructed in some 20 Israeli-run industrial zones in the West Bank.

The company's chief executive, Daniel Birnbaum, said his factory was "a model for peace".

"We're very proud to be here and contribute to the co-existence and hopefully the peace in this region," he told Reuters news agency.

However, away from the factory, Reuters quoted one unnamed Palestinian employee as saying "there's a lot of racism" at work.

"Most of the managers are Israeli, and West Bank employees feel they can't ask for pay rises or more benefits because they can be fired and easily replaced," he added.

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'Deport Justin Bieber' petition reaches 100,000+ signatures

Do you believe that one of Canada's biggest exports could be deported as a result of his recent Miami arrest?

The possibility is slim. Nevertheless, less than a week after it was first posted to the government's "We the People" platform, over 100,000 Americans have signed a petition asking the Obama administration to revoke Bieber's green card. (Why? Because "he is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth.") And according to the site's terms of participation, this means that the White House must now respond to the petition "in a timely fashion."Just don't expect that response to come soon — or to affirm that Bieber really will be kicked off our amber waves of grain.Facetious pop culture petitions aren't exactly a top priority for the White House; in the past, they've taken two months to respond to calls for the construction of a Death Star ("The Administration does not support blowing up planets") and the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following an offensive segment ("The First Amendment of the Constitution protects free speech, even if individuals might personally find it offensive or distasteful").And perhaps more importantly, DUIs and drag-racing aren't deportable offenses. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, immigration visas can only be revoked in the event of a violent crime or a prison sentence that exceeds one year; Bieber faces an array of potential consequences, but if he is sentenced to prison, he'd only get up to six months for drag racing and up to six months for the DUI.Bieber's arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 14. In the meantime, he'll be kept busy with his Los Angeles egging charges and, perhaps, the sale of his Calabasas mansion. Oh, and maybe making music as well — his next music video debuts on Vevo today at 7 p.m. ET.

Chinese New Year 2014: Year of the Horse brings energy for high principles

This Chinese New Year ushers in the year of the wood horse in Chinese astrology.

People born in the Year of the Horse are strong minded, energetic and very sociable. Because it is a wood horse year, natives of the Year of the Horse will have even more energy and their year will gallop along. Horses should watch out for their temper towards the end of the year, though, as they can easily get het up.

Wood horses work hard and are good decision makers. They are great at socialising and are capable of having a large circle of friends, but sometimes talk too much.

For other signs of the Chinese zodiac, the year of the wood horse will bring energy, but take care that this does not become negative and turn into conflict. As people stand firm with their principles, be prepared to fight for something you believe in.

It is also a good year for romance – great news if you are looking for love – but be prepared for surprises.

Chinese New Year Traditions

On the first day of the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, it is considered bad luck to sweep, so leave such chores till later. It is also considered bad luck to mention words like "death" and "sickness"; keeping conversation positive should bring good luck in the year ahead.

Decorate your house in red to bring good fortune, with bowls of mandarins to bring happiness.

Chinese New Year lasts two weeks and is traditionally a time to honour ancestors and Chinese gods. The centuries-old celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the New Year.

Which animal are you?

Rat: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

Dragon: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

Snake: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

Sheep: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

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Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito guilty of Kercher Italy murder

A court in Italy has reinstated the guilty verdicts against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher in 2007.

American Knox - who is in the US - and her Italian ex-boyfriend Sollecito had pleaded not guilty.

She was sentenced to 28 years and six months in jail, while Sollecito received 25 years.

Miss Kercher was stabbed to death in the flat she shared in Perugia with Knox.

After nearly 12 hours of deliberations on Thursday, the court in Florence reinstated the verdicts first handed down in 2009 but overturned in 2011, when the pair were freed after four years in jail.

The verdicts were delivered by presiding judge Alessando Nencini, who ordered that the passport of 29-year-old Sollecito - who was in the courtroom earlier on Thursday but left before the verdicts were delivered - should be revoked.

But he made no requests for limits on 26-year-old Knox's movements, saying she was "justifiably abroad''.

He ordered that damages should be paid by the pair to the family of Miss Kercher, whose brother Lyle and sister Stephanie were present when the verdict was read out.

Speaking soon after, Lyle Kercher said: "No matter what the verdict, it was never going to be a case of celebrating anything. That's probably the best we could have hoped for."

Extradition proceedings against Knox, who refused to return to Italy for the case, may now begin.

Both she and Sollecito can lodge appeals with the supreme court, which will have the final say. But it could take a year to make a ruling, experts say.

Sollecito was "struck dumb" after hearing the verdict on TV, his lawyer said.

Luca Maori said Sollecito looked "annihilated" by the sentence.

In a statement issued after the verdict, Knox said she was "frightened and saddened by this unjust" verdict.

She added: "Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system... There has always been a marked lack of evidence. My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution. This has gotten out of hand."

She condemned what she described as "overzealous and intransigent prosecution, prejudiced and narrow-minded investigation, unwillingness to admit mistake, reliance on unreliable testimony and evidence, character assassination, inconsistent and unfounded accusatory theory, and counterproductive and coercive interrogation techniques that produce false confessions and inaccurate statements".

Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University in Washington, said that if Italy made a extradition request, the US would have to decide whether it fell under their extradition treaty.

Meredith Kercher was found dead in her roomAmanda Knox, her face covered, left her parents' home in Seattle after the verdict
Meredith Kercher's brother and sister, Lyle and Stephanie, were in court
Raffaele Sollecito was also in court earlier on Thursday but left before the verdicts
'Sex game'

While there was "no reason to think the US has a specific interest" in blocking her extradition, Mr Vladeck said, countries could effectively stand in the way with a variety of "creative" interpretations of extradition treaties.

He added that if the US did grant Italy's request, Knox could fight her extradition in a US court, citing among other things international human rights law.

The court heard from Knox's defence team in the morning, before the two judges and eight jurors retired to deliberate on a verdict.

Summing up, Knox's lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, told the court her innocence was "rock-solid and it allows us to await the verdict with serenity".

Sollecito, 29, told the court in November that it made "no real sense" for him to have committed "such an atrocious act".

Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon in south London and 21 at the time, was found with her throat cut in a flat she shared with Knox in the college city of Perugia, in the central region of Umbria.

Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast was convicted of her murder at an earlier trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Prosecutors sought to prove Miss Kercher had died in a sex game involving Knox and Sollecito that went wrong.

They have since alleged that the murder resulted from a heated argument over cleanliness in the Perugia apartment.

Arrested days after the murder and detained in prison, Knox and Sollecito were tried and convicted in November 2009. In 2011, an eight-member jury cleared both defendants of Miss Kercher's murder after doubts were raised over procedures used to gather DNA evidence.

Ordering a retrial last year after an appeal by prosecutors, who argued that important DNA evidence had been disregarded, the supreme court in Rome moved proceedings from Umbria to Florence, in the northern region of Tuscany.

Read More : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25941999