Katy Perry has failed to win over two elderly nuns whose former convent she wants to turn into her home. The hillside Italianate complex, valued at $15 million (Dh55m), is situated near Silver Lake in Los Angeles. In the latest legal salvo, sisters Rita Callanan, 77, and Catherine Rose Holzman, 86, challenged the authority of the archdiocese to sell the property. The motion, dated on Monday, accused the archdiocese of unilaterally changing the bylaws of the convent, known as the California Institute of the Sisters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Perry has visited the nuns, reportedly singing for them and telling them that she hopes to live in the property with her mother and grandmother. Callanan recently told the Los Angeles Times that she found Perry’s videos online and “if it’s all right to say, I wasn’t happy with any of it”. The nuns instead signed to sell the property to restaurateur Dana Hollister. The archdiocese countered that Hollister offered only $44,000 upfront with no promise to make payments to the ageing sisters for another three years. The archdiocese said that the three other remaining sisters supported the sale to Perry. The five sisters no longer live in the convent. – AFP
50 Cent testifies about his finances
Rapper 50 Cent, ranked by Forbes as one of hip-hop's five richest artists, downplayed his wealth on Tuesday as he testified in court about his finances and the media attention surrounding his recent bankruptcy filing. The multiplatinum-selling artist appeared at Manhattan state Supreme Court in a proceeding to decide possible additional punitive damages in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. A jury has already ordered him to pay $5 million (Dh18.3m) in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said he didn't have her permission when he released a sex tape she made with a boyfriend. Questioned by a lawyer representing the woman, Lastonia Leviston, the musician denied owning many luxury items – including cars and jewellery – saying he rents, borrows and leases instead. Days after the jury ordered he pay $5 million, Jackson filed for personal bankruptcy protection in Connecticut. – AP
Writer E L Doctorow dies at 84
Writer E L Doctorow, who wryly reimagined the American experience in novels such as Ragtime and The March and applied its lessons to the past and future in fiction and nonfiction, has died. He was 84. He died on Tuesday at a New York hospital from complications of lung cancer. He lived in New York and Sag Harbor. Considered one of the major authors of the 20th century, Doctorow enjoyed critical and popular success over his 50-year career. He won the National Book Award for fiction in 1986 for World's Fair and the National Book Critics Circle award in 1989 for Billy Bathgate and in 2005 for The March. – AP
Neha Dhupia trolled on Twitter
Bollywood star Neha Dhupia has been relentlessly trolled on Twitter ever since she raised questions on Tuesday about “good governance” after Mumbai ground to a standstill in a deluge of rain. The actress tweeted: “One rain n the city comes to a standstill. Good governance is not about selfies n main us do yoga, it’s making sure ur citizens r safe.” The tweet references Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his #SelfieWithDaughter and Yoga Day public campaigns. The 34-year-old actress’s comment has been regarded as mostly vicious. The tweet has been shared more than 2,700 times and has over 2,000 favourites, but attracted plenty of vitriol from social-media users, who accused Dhupia of “seeking publicity” and “dumbness”. She was also taunted about her flagging career. The actress has not responded to comments. – The National staff
