In brief: M.I.A. speaks up for the Tamil Tigers

Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam (pictured), aka the rap star M.I.A, has come forward as a champion of the Tamil Tigers. In an interview with the US gossip website, the Daily Beast, the Sri-Lankan-born singer said that as the "only Tamil in the western media" she needed to speak up for her compatriots, describing the fighting between the Tigers and the army as "systematic genocide, ethnic cleansing ... it's just out and out Nazi Germany"…………. George Clooney has been linked with the late Benazir Bhutto's 26-year-old niece, Fatima. According to the US supermarket tabloid, the National Enquirer, the pair met at an international conference last year and have been in constant contact since via phone and email…………. Prince Harry been been ordered to attend an equality and diversity course by the Army after calling a fellow Sandhurst cadet a "Paki" three years ago………… Hollywood actor turned rap star Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on the David Letterman show on Tuesday (see video below) has been described as a "train wreck" by US commentators. The 34-year-old actor, who recently said he was quitting making movies, and who has battled against drug addiction in the past, appeared visibly confused and repeatedly ignored the US talk show host's questions………….. Morrissey, formerly the singer with The Smiths, has denied rumours the band are reforming, saying that he is "not stuck in the past"………… Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman are taking part in a nationally televised bushfire appeal in Australia. They are among more than 150 leading politicians, musicians, sports stars and actors, who will feature in the telethon, called Australia Unites…………. Aretha Franklin, who proved a hit when she sang at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony in January, has cancelled her appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, telling organisers that she wants a break from the limelight………… The alleged assault on the R&B singer Rihanna, that led to her being taken to hospital and meant she could not perform at the Grammys last Sunday, started after her boyfriend Chris Brown was seen flirting with X Factor winner Leona Lewis, claims a report in the Daily Mirror………….
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