Bollywood star Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in prison for poaching rare antelope. The judge in Jodhpur in India's western Rajasthan state also fined Khan 25,000 rupees ($550). An accomplice was given one year in jail. Khan, who was in court to hear the verdict, has always denied wrong-doing. He was sentenced to a year in prison in February in an earlier poaching case, but had remained out of custody while appealing against that verdict.As camera flashbulbs went off, a visibly shaken Khan was bundled into a police van and taken to Jodphur Central Jail. His lawyers say he will appeal against the verdict. "We will file an appeal on Wednesday," Khan's lawyer, Hastimal Saraswat, said. "I believe our case is strong on merit," he added. But the verdict has been welcomed by the local Bishnoi community, which worships the black buck, a protected antelope species, and pressed charges against Khan. "Now no one can dare to kill innocent animals," Mahipal Bishnoi, the lawyer representing the community, said. Khan, 40, who has a reputation for reckless behaviour, is one of Bollywood's top actors. He faces two other court cases relating to a hunting trip in Jodhpur in 1998, when two black bucks were killed. Last week a court rejected his application to summon a key witness who he claims retracted earlier statements that he had seen Khan killing one of the black bucks. Several other leading actors have also been charged, including actor Saif Ali Khan and actresses Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre, who are accused of accompanying Salman Khan on the illegal hunting trip. All have denied wrong-doing and said they will contest the charges.
 

Actress Charlize Theron has been honoured for increasing "visibility and understanding" in the gay community. The star was presented with the Vanguard Award at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's (GLAAD) annual media awards in Los Angeles. Last year, Theron reportedly said on TV that she would not wed boyfriend Stuart Townsend until gay marriage is legally recognised in the US. Her portrayal of lesbian serial killer Aileen Wuornos won an Oscar in 2004. "This is very surreal for me because two years ago, I stood right here and won my Oscar for Monster," Theron said, at the ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. "I feel so fortunate that I am in a relationship with a wonderful man," she said on Saturday. "I find it incredibly unfair that because of our sexual preference, we have the rights that we have, and that, because of someone else's sexual preference, they don't have those same rights." Other winners at the 17th annual media awards included TV sitcom Will & Grace, named outstanding comedy series, and Transamerica, starring Oscar nominee Felicity Huffman as a pre-op male to female transsexual. Actress Laura Dern presented singer Melissa Etheridge with the Stephen F Kolzak Award for her stand in "promoting equal rights for our community". The awards are split into four ceremonies in cities across the US including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco.

Singer Gene Pitney's death at the age of 65 was caused by heart disease. Pitney, whose body was found in the Cardiff Hilton hotel last week, had hardening of the arteries, or coronary artery atherosclerosis. His death certificate revealed his condition as a book of condolence was opened at Cardiff's St David's Hall, where he had made his last performance. He was found in his room on Wednesday morning after a standing ovation at St David's Hall the night before. Pitney, whose hits included Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa, had played to 1,100 fans in Cardiff in the middle of a 23-date UK tour. Fans said he had shown no sign of ill health as he chatted with the audience, and read out dedications between songs. His management company are making arrangements for his body to be flown back to the United States for his funeral. His death certificate shows his occupation as singer/songwriter and gives his home address in Somers, Connecticut. He was identified by Geoffrey Clennell, of Hainault, Essex, his former tour manager and friend. It was Mr Clennell who found Pitney dead in his hotel room, fully clothed after lying down after his show. The book of condolence was opened in the foyer on Friday and more than 120 people signed in the first two days. Cardiff lord mayor Freda Salway, who was the first to sign, said: "I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Gene Pitney. "He was a truly iconic figure in the world of music and we were extremely lucky in Cardiff that he visited this city many times to perform at St David's Hall. "I know that he had many Welsh fans and his performances were always enthusiastically received. "I wanted to pay my respects by signing this book of condolence, which I know will reflect just how fondly thought of Gene was in Cardiff." St David's Hall house manager Gareth Griffiths said: "People are going up to it and signing it all the time. It seems to have quite a lot of attention." "He was a mainstay of our calendar for the past decade or so. He was here every two years." The book will remain open for the rest of the week.

Rapper Eminem has spoken out about divorcing his wife for the second time after she made comments the marriage failed because of his drug addiction. Kim Mathers told a US radio show that Eminem was "having problems", referring to his stint in a rehabilitation clinic for addiction to prescription pills. She also said she was surprised to find out about the divorce through lawyers. But Eminem hit back, denying he was suffering from drug problems and adding she was aware they were divorcing. He said: "The details surrounding both my marriage and subsequent filing for divorce are private, and I had hoped to keep them that way for the sake of my family.

"However, a few of Kim's statements in a radio interview this morning need to be addressed. "First, her allegations regarding my status post-rehab are both untrue and unfortunate. Second, she was aware that I was filing for divorce." He added: "We both tried to give our marriage another chance and quickly realised that a wedding doesn't fix the underlying problems."  On the day it was revealed Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers III, and Kim were divorcing after 83 days of marriage, she telephoned a local radio station to tell her side of the story. "He's having problems with, you know, his problem that he had," she said about his rehabilitation clinic stay for addiction to sleep medication last year. "Right after he came home from his rehab, we started to have a few problems, and I thought it was going to be in our best interest to delay the wedding. "But he really pushed it and I thought it was really going to be something that worked this time." She added she did not want to get divorced and had hoped they were going to get counselling together to save their marriage. The pair, who were childhood sweethearts, first married in 1999 but they soon separated and began a high-profile custody battle for their daughter Hailie. Eminem wrote a song called Kim in which he fantasised about killing her. It came as a surprise to fans when they announced in January that they had remarried.

Actress Melanie Griffith is being sued by a designer for allegedly refusing to pay nearly $26,000 (£14,920) for clothes worn to the Golden Globes 2006. Niklas J Palm also claims the actress did not fulfil a promise to mention his name when she was on the red carpet. His legal suit claims breach of an oral and a written contract as well as intentional misrepresentation. It names Griffith's husband Antonio Banderas and their production companies as defendants. Palm says he submitted a $25,960 (£14,889) bill on 16 January but had yet to receive any money from Griffith. Payments were expected to be made within two weeks of the date of the submitted invoice. His legal suit also alleges Griffith promised "that he will receive publicity that money could not buy, then conveniently forget his name when reporters on the red carpet specifically asked (her) who designed her beautiful gown - taking credit for the gown herself". Palm was part of a costume design team that won a 2004 Emmy award for their work on the HBO series Carnivale. He says he met Griffith last August when he dressed her for an appearance on a promotional film for a pilates exercise video. The actress later hired Palm to reorganise her wardrobe, select and pack outfits for her TV appearances and trips to Aspen, New York and Spain. He also selected clothes for Banderas to wear when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and to the premiere of The Legend of Zorro. A transaction record shows Griffith, Banderas and their production companies paid thousands of dollars for those services.

Letters from Russian-born 19th Century artist Wassily Kandinsky to two of his patrons are to be published in English for the first time later this year. The artist corresponded with Sir Michael Ernest Sadler, an art collector and vice-chancellor of Leeds University as well as Mr Sadler's son Michael. The younger Michael translated Kandinsky's seminal modernist book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art. The letters will appear in a new edition of the book. The publication coincides with an exhibition of more than 55 of Kandinsky's paintings at the Tate Modern in London. Kandinsky: The Path to Abstraction: 1908 - 1922, will run from 22 June to 1 October.