Top News Stories –

‘How VIP do we gotta get?’: Sir Paul McCartney turned away from Grammys after-party –
This is one for the ages … Paul McCartney turned away at a Grammy after-party … not once, but twice. Paul, Beck, and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins went to Argyle in Hollywood Monday night to hobnob at the bash hosted by Tyga. Security was not impressed and told them they were not welcome. You hear Paul say, “How VIP do we gotta get? We need another hit.” After a second failed attempt, the trio bails and they make their way to Hyde for the Republic Records party. They had better luck there. UPDATE – A rep for Argyle says Paul was not denied at the door, but instead there was a mix up. The rep claims Paul was trying to go to Mark Ronson’s Republic Records party (which was at Hyde Lounge) … and once Paul figured that out he left. We’re told the club absolutely would have let in Sir McCartney if he wanted access. [TMZ]
Sir Paul McCartney

Women hit their ‘style peak’ at 30 – six years before men –
Women hit their ‘style peak’ at 30 when they feel most fashionable and confident, but men must wait until they’re 36. The study found women aged 30 now own an average of 212 clothes, shoes and accessories worth an eye-watering £7,658. This huge collection includes 166 items of clothing – including seven high-fashion outfits worth £2,399 and seven pairs of designer shoes, costing £2,086. Meanwhile, women aged 30, such as actress Keira Knightley, typically own 24 pieces of jewellery worth £2,800, the study, carried out by home insurer MORE TH>N, found. The study found men own an average of £8,868 worth of ‘stylish belongings’, including 182 items of clothing, designer shoes, watches, bags and jewellery. The research suggests that women aged 30 and men aged 36 are more confident in their style sensibilities as well as owning more valuable items. Just one year later, the value of a person’s style and their confidence decreases, the study of 2,000 UK adults found. [Daily Telegraph]

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
  • Three Americans abducted last month in Baghdad are freed by the Iraqi Intelligence Service. (AP via Orange County Register)

Arts and culture

• The jewels of former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos are to be auctioned. Valued at $21 million (USD), they were seized by the government when her husband Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown.(CNN), (BBC)
• After more than 200 years, Mozart’s and Salieri’s lost cantata Per la Ricuperata Salute di Ofelia is discovered in Prague. (Reuters), (The Independent), (BBC)

International relations

• Cuba–United States relations
  • The United States and Cuba sign an agreement restoring commercial air traffic between the two countries for the first time in 50 years. The U.S. Department of Transportation immediately opened bidding for as many as 110 U.S.-Cuba flights per day to Havana and nine other destinations. Travel from the U.S. is permitted in 12 authorized categories, which does not include tourism. (AP) (AFP via The Jamaica Observer)
• Territorial disputes in the South China Sea
  • China has placed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel chain in the South China Sea, according Taiwanese and American officials. The island is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.(CNN) (Time)

Law and crime

• Four American journalists are charged by Bahrain for “unlawful obstruction of vehicles and attending unlawful gatherings.” The state-run Bahrain News Agency said all were released “pending further investigations.” Freelance reporter Anna Day and a film crew, who were covering the fifth anniversary of the Arab Spring uprisings, are scheduled to fly to Dubai tonight. (NBC News) (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

• Philippine Senate election, 2016
  • Filipino Senate candidate and boxer Manny Pacquiao calls LGBT people “less than animals” when asked about his opposition to same-sex marriage, prompting condemnation from prominent Filipino LGBT figures such as Aiza Seguerra, John Lapus and Vice Ganda. Pacquiao later apologizes. (NPR) (The New York Times) (Rappler)

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