Paris

After making a cameo in "The Bling Ring," Paris Hilton is getting even more blingy. The socialite's reportedly signed with hip- hop label Cash Money for her upcoming second album, which will feature Lil Wayne, who's a Cash Money artist along with Drake and Nicki Minaj. (No word if Hilton's getting the requisite Young Money tatts favored by Wayne and fans including Knick J.R. Smith.) A rep for Hilton said, "They have been in talks, but nothing was confirmed. She was speaking to a few labels."

GRAPHISME - La vie de l'artiste australien Workbynight a été marquée par la transition technologique, comme il l'explique sur son site internet. Marqué par cette expérience, il réalise désormais des tableaux composés de touches de claviers d'ordinateur.Mises en ligne par le site Behance en mars, les oeuvres de Workbynight sont devenues en quelques jours parmi les plus populaires de ce site dénicheur de nouveaux talents artistiques. L'auteur de ce concept, qui a commencé ce travail il y a un peu moins de deux ans, a déjà accumulé des centaines de portraits.More...

Real Madrid are interested in signing Málaga attacking midfielder Isco, according to the club's director Francisco Aguilar.The 21-year-old Spain international has scored eight goals in 35 Primera Division appearances so far this season, and is also generating interest from Manchester City and Paris St Germain.More...

Filed under: Student Loans, Education, Interest Rates, EconomyThinkstock/Jupiterimages By PHILIP ELLIOTT WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers are ready to pass legislation that links student loan rates to the financial markets in spite of a veto threat from President Barack Obama. Supported by Republicans, the bill would avoid a rate increase for students with new subsidized Stafford loans if lawmakers pass it, as expected, on Thursday. Democrats generally opposed the measure, which would provide some students a deal in the first years of the new system before ratcheting up interest rates later. "As the economy continues to recover and at a time when market interest rates are at historic lows, more than 7 million students who rely on these loans to finance postsecondary education should not be burdened with additional college debt as they seek to graduate, launch a career or a business, start a family or buy a house," the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a memo announcing its opposition. The top Republican on the Education Committee, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, said Obama was standing against many of the ideas he included in his own budget. "The legislation is based on the president's own proposal and provides a solid basis for negotiation through the legislative process," Kline said. Sponsored Links Interest rates on new subsidized Stafford loans are set to double, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, for new loans on July 1. Lawmakers said they wanted to avoid that but were divided on how, exactly, to accomplish that. With most lawmakers set to leave Washington for the Memorial Day holiday, time is running short. "They'll be out all next week," said Terry Hartle, a top official with the higher education lobbying group the American Council on Education. "They'll have four weeks to figure it out." Senate Democrats are weighing a number of options for avoiding the rate increase. Lobbying from consumer groups and student organizations is adding pressure and is set to escalate as students leave campus for the summer. "The House is poised to throw college students under the bus by approving a student loan plan that drives up their costs," said Christine Lindstrom, higher education director for the consumer advocacy group U.S. PIRG. "Students are better off letting the subsidized Stafford loan rate double to 6.8 percent on July 1" than agreeing to the House Republicans' plan, she added. Some Democrats are seeking an extension of the current rates until Congress takes up a higher education bill later. Republicans have rejected that as costly and irresponsible. "I would love to have the rates at 2 percent. It's just not realistic," Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., said during hearings on the bill. A two-year extension of the 3.4 percent rate for subsidized Stafford loans would cost taxpayers about $9 billion. Last week, the GOP-led House Education and the Workforce Committee approved its bill, which would offer some students a better deal at first. Democratic critics warned that graduates would face steadily climbing rates and costs over the long haul if the markets change. "I'm not really thrilled with the Republican plan, which would make student loan interest rates a variable interest rate and could rise above 6.8 percent, which is what the interest rate would rise to if Congress did nothing," said Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat who taught in public high schools before his 2012 election to Congress. "The Republican plan is unacceptable and worse than if we do nothing." Under the GOP proposal, student loans would be reset every year and based on 10-year Treasury notes, with added percentage points. For instance, students who receive subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford student loans would pay the Treasury rate, plus 2.5 percentage points. Current subsidized Stafford loans are offered at a fixed 3.4 percent rate and unsubsidized Stafford loans are offered at 6.8 percent. The interest rate on loans to par

IMF chief Lagarde appears in court in French fraud probe over arbitration deal PARIS (AP) — International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is facing questions at a special Paris court Thursday over a controversial financial deal that she oversaw as French finance minister. The 2008 arbitrage deal handed about 400 million euros ($520 million) to magnate Bernard Tapie to settle a dispute with state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the botched sale of Adidas in the 1990s. Tapie was close to then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was Lagarde's boss. Critics have said the deal was too generous to Tapie at the expense of the French state, and that the Adidas case shouldn't have gone to a private arbitration authority because it involved a state-owned bank. More broadly, the deal was seen by many as an example of the cozy relationship between big money and big power in France. And the case threatens to sully the reputation of Lagarde, who has earned praise for her negotiating skills through Europe's debt crisis and is seen as a trailblazer for women leaders. Lagarde, smiling at reporters, left her Paris apartment Thursday morning and appeared at a special court that handles cases involving government ministers. She has denied wrongdoing. Investigators opened an inquiry in 2011 into possible charges of "complicity to embezzlement of public funds" and "complicity to forgery." The probe may not result in a trial. If it does, and if Lagarde were to be convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison, according to prosecutors. She and the Washington-based IMF were aware of the probe when she took over as managing director of the fund from Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011. The IMF has expressed its confidence in Lagarde throughout the investigation. In March, French investigators searched Lagarde's Paris home. Her lawyer said at the time that Lagarde welcomed the search as a step toward proving her innocence. French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici told Le Monde newspaper this week that the government may seek to annul the arbitration deal if enough evidence emerges of wrongdoing. Tapie — a flashy tycoon and former football club owner who has served as an actor, singer and government minister — insists that he deserved the settlement. He says the investigation into the deal is "bogus," a politically motivated hunt by the governing Socialists against Sarkozy's conservatives. "Lagarde's fate doesn't concern me," Tapie said on Europe-1 radio Thursday. "When evidence is discovered, then we'll talk." Tapie himself may be targeted in a separate probe. Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. Users may not download or reproduce a substantial portion of the AP material found on this web site. AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. Please follow Clusterstock on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »

Planning on watching Preity Zinta’s comeback film, Ishkq in Paris? Read our review of the film first:

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Anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss was one of 20th-century France's most celebrated intellectuals. He set out to show in his work that human thought processes were universal, whether people lived in tribal rainforest societies or in the rich intellectual life of Paris. He was the leading exponent of structuralism, and his books about the nature of myth, thought and kinship are now seen as some of the most important anthropological texts. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Adam Kuper, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Boston University; Christina Howells, Professor of French at Oxford University and Vincent Debaene, Associate Professor of French Literature at Columbia University.

Paris Hilton is looking forward to marry her toyboy boyfriend, River Viiperi, and the wedding could take place this year.