months

BUCHAREST, Romania — American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country.

Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.

The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence after Khalifa was convicted of “possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption,” according to Romania’s national news agency, Agerpres. The decision is final.

The decision came after a lower court in Constanta County in April issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for “illegal possession of dangerous drugs,” but prosecutors appealed the court’s decision and sought a higher sentence.

Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.

It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.

The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice.” On stage in Romania last summer, the popular rapper smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit “Young, Wild & Free.”

Dec. 18 (UPI) — A Romanian court on Thursday sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in prison for using marijuana during a music festival last year.

Citing local news outlets Agerpres and CanCan, USA Today reported the Constanța Court of Appeal issued the final ruling for “committing the crime of possession of high-risk drugs, without right, for own consumption.

The ruling by the appellate court came after the country’s prosecutor’s office — DIICOT Constanța Territorial Service — appealed an earlier sentence that saw Khalifa fined about $829.

The court said it strengthened the punishment because Khalifa sent “a message of normalization of illegal conduct” and encouraged “drug use among young people.”

The court called his actions “ostentatious.”

Sources close to the situation told TMZ that the rapper’s lawyers are appealing the sentence.

Khalifa was sentenced in absentia, and it’s unclear if officials in Romania will seek to have Khalifa extradited to serve his sentence.

Romanian criminal expert Vlad Zaha told the BBC that there’s little chance the United States would extradite Khalifa. He described the sentence as “unusually harsh.”

“Given the defendant’s wealth and connections, Romania’s lack of real negotiating power on extradition, and the legal and political status of cannabis in the U.S., it is highly unlikely that Wiz Khalifa will be sent to serve a prison sentence in Constanța, even though a formal judicial request will be submitted to the United States,” Zaha said.

Khalifa was briefly detained in July 2024 after he smoked marijuana during his set at the Beach Please! Festival.

The musician addressed his arrest in a post on X after his release from custody.

“Last night’s show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up onstage,” he wrote. “They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big … joint next time.”

MICKEY ROURKE is trying to get his movie career back on track – despite his Celebrity Big Brother disgrace.

The veteran Hollywood star was booted off the ITV reality show earlier this year for his “unacceptable behaviour.”

But luckily for Mickey his name has been linked to two big-screen biopics.

One is about the life of Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne while another will be on US country legend Johnny Cash.

One of my Hollywood insiders said Mickey’s name had repeatedly come up in meetings about the films when discussions turned to casting the older versions of the music legends.

They told me: “Producers here don’t even know about the Celebrity Big Brother thing, Mickey is golden in the States.

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“This town also loves an underdog, and movie bosses think Mickey still has an Oscar-worthy performance they can wring out of him.

“He was a top actor back in the day — he would have been on a par with James Dean and Marlon Brando if he hadn’t taken wrong turns and gone down a bad path.

If the evil overlords of Hollywood give us the green light we could be filming in the spring

Jack Osbourne

“There are scripts in the pipeline on Ozzy and Johnny, and Mickey’s name has come up in meetings about both projects.

“They want to portray Ozzy’s final days before that amazing show at Villa Park, and they want a performance like Mickey gave in The Wrestler.

“They’re confident he could do it.”

It’s understood streaming giants Amazon MGM and Apple are interested in both projects, with big-name directors in the frame to oversee it — including Martin Scorsese.

Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne first told me they were working on a film about his dad’s life before Ozzy’s homecoming show back in July.

Jack said: “We do have the film on the way. We have a lot of good forward momentum on the Ozzy biopic.

“We have a director attached now and the script is done and Sony Studios is going to be producing it.

“We are really excited about it so maybe we will do the premiere here in Birmingham.

“If the evil overlords of Hollywood give us the green light we could be filming in the spring so maybe it will be out summer 2027 — fingers crossed.”

I’m sure Mickey will be crossing his toes, as well as his fingers, that he gets the part.

JAMIE LEE: IT’S FREAKIER ONLINE

HER long-awaited sequel to 2003’s Freaky Friday – imaginatively titled Freakier Friday – went down a storm with fans.

And Hollywood legend Jamie Lee Curtis says she knows exactly why we are seeing a resurgence in sequels and prequels.

Speaking to comedian Geoff Norcott on this Times Radio show, Jamie said: “Nostalgia is very hot right now.

“Because people are feeling so freaked out by what’s happening that you cling, you cling to nostalgia to make you feel safe.”

Jamie, whose new film Ella McCay is out now, went on to slam cancel culture and attacks on free speech.

She added: “We’re all trying to figure out, what can we say? What can’t we say?

“The echo chamber is awful. Social media is awful. You say something that you believe in, you get hammered for it. I mean, hardcore.

“It’s hard to hold on to both the frustration you’re feeling but the sense of optimism and hope.

“I feel hope because I believe that the hatred is imploding, and I think we’re seeing it.”

IT’S STAR SHREK

THE life of a Bizarre reporter isn’t all red carpets and bubbly – sometimes you end up in a swamp with an ogre and a talking donkey.

Our Jack was invited backstage at the latest adaptation of Shrek: The Musical at Colchester’s Charter Hall to meet the cast before they kicked off their near sold-out run at the venue.

With Red Dwarf’s Danny John Jules as Donkey and CITV’s Chris Edgerley as Lord Farquaad, the show is based on the hit 2001 film starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy.

Shrek and Princess Fiona are played by Joseph Rawlings and Rachel Jerram.

A refreshing change from the annual festive panto, the cast delivered a brilliant version of the big screen hit with a seriously impressive set to match.

Shout out to Ceris Hine as the perfectly executed Gingy, delivering our favourite Gingerbread Man performance of the year.

Chatting backstage about playing the pint-sized villain, Chris explained how spending the show on his knees left him in agony at times.

He said: “I’m a lot taller than Farquaad so I’m knee-padded up to the hilt but it’s worth it.

“Halfway through rehearsals we had to add extra padding as it was hurting too much.

“Hopefully the audience will have as much fun as we do.”

Unlike the fairytale dictator, this musical certainly doesn’t come up short.

JAMIE’S SO FESTIVE

Jamie Cullum: The Pianoman At Christmas @ Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

THERE’S nothing more festive than a trip to London’s Royal Albert Hall at Christmas – although a Jamie Cullum show there beats anything else to get you in the spirit.

Inspired by his criminally underrated 2020 album The Pianoman At Christmas, his two-hour seasonal spectacle, backed by a big band – “this is what expensive musicians sound like,” he half-joked – was an absolute treat.

And soon there will be more. He said of himself and wife Sophie Dahl : “We are trying to write the film of the Pianoman At Christmas.

“I told her I was going to announce it tonight so now we have to finish it.”

His voice is as smooth as a pricey whiskey and sounded just as great doing his original numbers as it did with family favourites Frosty The Snowman and Jingle Bells.

And as for Hang Your Lights, it deserves to be a modern Christmas classic.

Forget the turkey and mistletoe, Jamie Cullum’s annual festive show should be a staple of everyone’s Christmas.

HOWELL DAVIES

LILY’S SKIT ON STRANGER FLINGS

DAVID HARBOUR has another TV show to avoid, after his ex-wife Lily Allen called up Dakota Johnson to bring her infamous “Madeline” to life on Saturday Night Live.

During the show, Lily performed her explosive track Tennis – with Dakoka playing the “other woman” Madeline.

At the end of Lily’s performance, Dakota brought Madeline to life and appeared to reveal for the first time what this other woman may have told Lily about allegedly getting with David behind her back.

Dakota said: “I hate that you’re in so much pain right now.

“I really don’t want to be the cause of any upset.

“He told me that you were aware this was going on and that he had your full consent.

“’If he’s lying about that, then please let me know.

“Because I have my own feelings about dishonesty. Lies are not something that I want to get caught up in.”

Dakota then planted a kiss on Lily’s cheek as she said: “Love and light, Madeline.”

We should be grateful for filmmakers who have a special artistic relationship with an actor: Akira Kurosawa with Toshiro Mifune, Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro and, by all indications, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone. Count the Italian duo of Paolo Sorrentino and star Toni Servillo among them, a fertile partnership that began nearly 25 years ago with the director’s first film (“One Man Up”) and continues with their seventh together, the political drama “La Grazia” (“Grace”).

The wielding of power seems to be a frequent backdrop for these two, with “La Grazia” — about an Italian president facing tough decisions as he ends his term of office — marking the third time Sorrentino has asked his favorite leading man to be a head of state, following their breakthrough 2008 collaboration “Il Divo” (about Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti) and 2018’s romp about Silvio Berlusconi, “Loro.”

The difference this time is that, while the other two films centered controversial real-life figures, Servillo’s character in “La Grazia” is fictional, yet pressured to deal with contentious issues. The result is a much more somber, ruminative exploration of morality in governmental authority than the stylish violence of “Il Divo” and exploitative raunch of “Loro.”

A decade after his lush Oscar-winning bacchanal “The Great Beauty” (starring an especially great you-know-who), Sorrentino is no less drawn to pictorial beauty or arresting visuals. But there’s a grayer, graver tone to the long shadows of “La Grazia,” as if the natural, appealing gravitas of Servillo playing an important man fighting a planned obsolescence was the only palette Sorrentino and cinematographer Daria D’Antonio needed.

Servillo’s Mariano De Santis has mere months left — as a leader, that is. But besides being pushed to eat healthier and stop smoking cigarettes by his daughter Dorotea (a wonderful Anna Ferzetti), the idea of ending things isn’t entirely figurative as this austere jurist-turned-president wanders the halls of his official Roman residence, the grand Palazzo del Quirinale, wryly contemplating retirement.

He’s a widower, for one thing, whose love for his deceased wife is still deep enough to keep him jealous regarding her early infidelity with a mystery man he’s eager to identify, even as his old friend, art curator Coco (a vibrant Milvia Marigliano), stays tight-lipped about what she knows. He’s also being pushed by Dorotea, a treasured advisor who is herself a legal scholar, to consider two cases of clemency for convicted spousal killers, both with circumstances that would test any arbiter of sound legal judgment. And finally, though De Santis is a devoted Catholic, on good terms with the pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), he’s grappling with signing right-to-euthanasia legislation.

You wouldn’t think a movie with such heavy topics would count as escapism. But when you consider current headlines, a thoughtful leader engaging with thorny issues from a place of psychological honesty, social integrity and fatherly love could almost count as fantasy. And Sorrentino, a dedicated sensualist, does allow himself some lighter touches, including, toward the end, a fanciful visual metaphor for a burdened man’s spirit that maybe only he could get away with.

Most assuredly, though, this is a duo of director and star once more moving in concert together, maybe not as confidently as with some previous efforts, but with a knowing intelligence. Servillo is no less than magnificent, conveying a buttoned-up statesman’s management of earned wisdom and inconvenient emotion (and, at one point, an interest in rap lyrics) with enough lessons in actorly craft to fill one of his character’s treasured law tomes. The title doesn’t just describe what’s sometimes elusive in governance. “La Grazia” is Servillo in every scene.

The city is home to one of the UK’s best Christmas markets with tourists regularly visiting each year to try the food and mulled wine

The enchanting city of Bath was recently crowned the world’s most beautiful during autumn, but its charm doesn’t fade with the seasons. According to consumer watchdog Which?, it also hosts one of Britain’s top Christmas markets.

The market is a winter wonderland complete with an ice rink and countless stalls to peruse. Most stallholders hail from the South West, showcasing a wide variety of goods – from garden decorations to handcrafted wooden furniture.

Shoppers can find everything from cosy knitwear to fragrances and even gifts for their pets.

Of course, no Christmas market would be complete without a feast of food, and Bath’s market doesn’t disappoint.

Visitors will be spoilt for choice with regional delicacies, festive flapjacks and more on offer, reports the Express.

But it’s not just the market that’s won accolades. Bath has been named the UK’s most picturesque city in autumn and winter by travel experts at Premier Inn.

The historic city has outshone global competitors like Chicago and Cape Town to take the top spot in worldwide beauty rankings.

Bath Abbey, rated the top local attraction by Tripadvisor, has been a sacred site for over a millennium.

Tripadvisor users have heaped praise on the abbey, with one visitor noting: “A beautiful and peaceful space to spend time.”

Another visitor shared their enthusiasm: “Visited more than once. So much to see and appreciate the history and architectural beauty.”

Whilst some tourists express frustration at being unable to swim in the Roman Baths themselves, the attraction comes alive through its captivating displays.

Amongst the intriguing artefacts housed at the Baths is a remarkable collection of curse tablets, where angry Romans etched their complaints seeking revenge from the gods before throwing them into Minerva’s Spring.

Although the ancient Baths remain closed for bathing, the Thermae Bath Spa provides adults with an indulgent spa retreat using the city’s naturally warm, mineral-enriched waters.

For anyone seeking a welcoming café, Bath features numerous comfortable venues, offering the opportunity to sample the famous ‘Bath Bun’, a sweet pastry topped with fruit and crystallised sugar.

Bath is celebrated for its impressive range of beautiful architecture, a characteristic that has secured the city’s position as a designated UNESCO site.

Tourists might spot recognisable locations throughout the city from hit programmes including Bridgerton, Poldark and The Sixth Commandment.

On the timescale of Tanner’s return, Barry-Murphy added: “He’ll obviously tell you he’s available much sooner, which is great because he feels so good and he’s looking so good.

“But I just think with the amount of time he’s been out for would mean that we just have to be mindful of building him back up to a healthy level of fitness before we expose him to the games he’s going to have to play.”

Meanwhile, centre-back Gabriel Osho is around two weeks away from a return following an injury to his big toe.

The 27-year-old sustained the injury during last week’s 5-1 EFL Trophy defeat at home by AFC Wimbledon.

“Gabriel Osho is back in partial training, so really good news on his toe injury, where there’s no fracture and we can build him back up pretty quickly,” said Barry-Murphy.

“I would say if today [training on Thursday] goes reasonably well, then I’d say he could be back within maybe two weeks. But I’m not certain, just because initially we thought there might be a fracture to his toe, and then it was looking as if it was going to be slightly longer term.

“The good news means there is no fracture. So if he starts to come through day by day, then that two-week period could be realistic.”

Dec. 10 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could hold elections within the next three months in response to allegations by U.S. President Donald Trump that Kyiv was using the war as an excuse to stay in power.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday evening, Zelensky said he was ready for elections and would seek to hold them on condition that the United States and other allies provided guarantees to keep voters safe at a time when Ukraine’s cities were under attack day and night.

“I’m asking now, and stating this openly, for the U.S. to help me. Together with our European partners, we can ensure the security needed to hold elections. If that happens, Ukraine will be ready to conduct elections in the next 60 to 90 days,” said Zelensky.

“I personally have the will and readiness for this,” he added, saying that he had instructed lawmakers to come with proposals to amend legislation that currently prohibits the holding of elections while the country is under a state of martial law.

“I’m waiting for proposals from our partners, expecting suggestions from our lawmakers, and I am ready to go to the elections,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky’s comments came after Trump, in an interview with Politico, said “it’s time” for Ukraine to hold an election because it was getting to the point where it was no longer a democracy.

“I think it’s an important time to hold an election. You know, they’re using war not to hold an election, but I would think the Ukrainian people would, you know, should have that choice. And maybe Zelensky would win. I don’t know who would win, but they haven’t had an election in a long time,” Trump said.

“You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”

Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, meaning that Zelensky has remained in office long beyond the expiration of his five-year term in May 2024.

Zelensky said in September that he would not run for a second term, saying his goal was to serve his country amid a crisis and finish the war, not win elections.

The offer represents a new position for his administration. For the first half of the war it completely rejected suggestions that elections should be held before relenting to U.S. pressure and saying toward the end of 2024 that it would consider holding elections if a cease-fire were implemented.

A significant majority of Ukrainians say elections should be held only after the war ends, with only around a fifth in favor of elections following a cease-fire. Support for Zelensky is also down markedly, after a recent corruption scandal involving some of his close associates.

Critics warn of numerous pitfalls of elections, ranging from the logistical issue of people being in the wrong places with large numbers of Ukrainians displaced internally, 4 million refugees overseas and 1 million mobilized in the military. There is also the question of how to include Ukrainians living in regions of the country occupied by Russia.

“In order for these elections to be fair all of the people of Ukraine would need to be allowed to vote,” Ukrainian opposition MP Lesia Vasylenko told the BBC.

“Elections are never possible in wartime.”

The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all held elections during World War II with only Britain effectively suspending democracy in favor of a government of national unity through July 1945. However, Britain was the only nation under direct, sustained attack and imminent threat of invasion.

Tuesday’s moves came amid a U.S. drive to broker a peace deal that was making little to no headway in bridging the gap between Moscow, which is demanding Ukraine cede territory and demilitarize and Kyiv, which has vowed not to give up land or cut the size of its military without cast-iron security guarantees.