Shkreli insults Congress on Twitter after smirking, refusing to testify
Former Turing Pharmaceuticals chief executive officer Martin Shkreli on Thursday called members of the US Congress "imbeciles" on Twitter, moments after he refused to testify before a House of Representatives committee on why his company raised the price of a lifesaving medicine by 5,000 per cent.
"Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government," said Shkreli, using his @MartinShkreli Twitter handle.
Earlier, Shkreli invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions from lawmakers about drug price increases he engineered, such as hiking the price of 62-year-old Daraprim to US$750 (S$1,000) a pill from US$13.50.
Spain reports first known European case of Zika-infected pregnant woman
Spain said Thursday that a pregnant woman who had returned from Colombia had been diagnosed with the Zika virus, in the first such known European case.
The woman had travelled to Colombia, the health ministry announced, adding she is one of seven cases in Spain and all are in good condition.
The mosquito-borne virus - thought to cause birth defects - has seen an outbreak in the Americas and health authorities have warned it could infect up to four million people on the continent and spread worldwide.
Playboy goes non-nude, sort of, in revamped magazine
The great-granddaughter of novelist Ernest Hemingway strips off for a revamped issue of Playboy magazine as it abandons full frontal nudity for flirty, more natural shots of women with some, or no, clothes on.
Actress and fashion model Dree Hemingway, 28, is the March Playmate for the first so-called "non nude" edition of the 62-year-old magazine, which hits US newsstands on Feb 12, Playboy said on Thursday.
Social media personality Sarah McDaniel appears on the front cover in an edition that Playboy describes as showcasing "beautiful women with a very real, relaxed vibe".
Joe Alaskey, voice of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, dies
Joe Alaskey, the voice behind some of the most beloved cartoon characters including Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird, has died at the age of 63.
Alaskey, who had been battling cancer, in the late 1980s was one of the successors to the late cartoon pioneer Mel Blanc, who was known as "The Man of 1,000 voices."
Daffy Duck proved to be one of Alaskey's best characters and in 2004, the New York-born actor won an Emmy for his performance on Cartoon Network's Duck Dodgers.
Formula One: No 'good news' on Michael Schumacher
Sombre ex-Ferrari chief Luca de Montezemolo admitted on Thursday that he did not have "good news" regarding the condition of stricken Formula One legend Michael Schumacher.
Former seven-time world champion Schumacher suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013 and spent six months in an induced coma before returning to his home in Switzerland to continue his rehabilitation.
"I get news about him constantly, and unfortunately it's not good," said Montezemolo when asked about Schumacher in Milan on Thursday.