London Film Festival to open with focus on women in film

Final preparations are under way for the opening of the London Film Festival which, this year, puts the focus on the role of women in film.

Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter will be among the stars on the red carpet later for the gala screening of period drama Suffragette.

Some 240 feature films from 72 countries will screen over 12 days.

Festival director Clare Stewart declared the 2015 programme as "the year of the strong woman".

"I'm thrilled that the opening night film has enabled us to draw attention for what it means for women to be working behind the camera, as well as stoke debate around strong roles for women and girls in front of the camera," Stewart told the BBC.

She described Suffragette as "a film made by British women about British women who change the course of history".

Joining the stars on the red carpet in Leicester Square will be Helen Pankhurst, the great grand-daughter of women's rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst (played by Streep) and Laura Pankhurst, the great great grand-daughter of the suffragette leader.

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Rihanna opens up about Chris Brown assault

Pop star Rihanna says she feels she has been "punished over and over" by the attention surrounding her assault at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

The singer has opened up about the repercussions of the 2009 incident in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Pictures of her bruised face surfaced after the assault in Brown's car.

Asked about becoming "a poster child for victims of domestic abuse", she said she felt forced to relive the "very serious" incident by the media.

She told the magazine: "Well, I just never understood that, like how the victim gets punished over and over. It's in the past, and I don't want to say, 'Get over it,' because it's a very serious thing that is still relevant; it's still real.

"A lot of women, a lot of young girls, are still going through it. A lot of young boys too. It's not a subject to sweep under the rug, so I can't just dismiss it like it wasn't anything, or I don't take it seriously.

"But, for me, and anyone who's been a victim of domestic abuse, nobody wants to even remember it. Nobody even wants to admit it.

"So to talk about it and say it once, much less 200 times, is like… I have to be punished for it? It didn't sit well with me."

Brown was sentenced to five years of probation following the assault. But the pair got back together in 2012, and Rihanna told Vanity Fair she thought she could change him.

"I was that girl who felt that, as much pain as this relationship is, maybe some people are built stronger than others," she said. "Maybe I'm one of those people built to handle [things] like this.

"Maybe I'm the person who's almost the guardian angel to this person, to be there when they're not strong enough, when they're not understanding the world, when they just need someone to encourage them in a positive way and say the right thing.

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Anti-Renoir protesters picket Boston art gallery

Protesters have demonstrated outside a Boston art gallery that is showing work by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, complaining that he "sucks at painting".

The group held placards bearing slogans like "God hates Renoir" and "Aesthetic terrorism" at the Museum of Fine Arts.

The protest was organised by the "Renoir Sucks At Painting movement", who say the French impressionist's work does not deserve to be on show.

They claim it will be "the first of many anti-Renoir direct actions".

In a statement on Instagram, the group said: "The MFA's decision to hang Renoir paintings, considering the fact the museum has masterpieces by actually talented artist [sic] in storage, is a curatorial failing, and amounts to an act of Aesthetic Terrorism."

'Deformed pink fuzzy women'

The Associated Press reported that the museum would not comment and that the demonstrators acknowledged they were being ironic.

The Boston Globe reported that they chanted: "Put some fingers on those hands! Give us work by Paul Gauguin!" and "Other art is worth your while! Renoir paints a steaming pile!"

The protest is being led by Harvard stem cell scientist Dr Ben Ewen-Campen, who wrote: "Seeing Renoirs in the MFA makes me sad.

"All the other art in the museum is great - Manet, Van Gogh, Singer Sargent, they're great! But then we get exposed to Renoir's deformed pink fuzzy women and scary looking babies. It really detracts from the overall experience."

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Bill Cosby sued by model over alleged sexual assault

A 25-year-old model has sued US comedian Bill Cosby, alleging he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 2008.

Chloe Goins claims Mr Cosby drugged and molested her when she was 17.

The civil lawsuit accuses Mr Cosby of "childhood sexual abuse" and demands damages of at least $75,000 (£49,000). Ms Goins is also seeking a jury trial.

Mr Cosby, 78, is facing a series of sexual assault accusations dating back decades. He has denied the claims.

The star is due to testify on Friday in a separate lawsuit brought by Judy Huth, who accused the comedian of sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in 1974, when she was 15 years old.

More than 50 women have come forward publicly over the past year with allegations including drugging, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape - all of which Mr Cosby denies.

In most cases, the alleged incidents date back decades, meaning they fall outside the time limit for legal action.

But Ms Goins' allegations do fall within California's statute of limitations, and prosecutors are also now reviewing the evidence for possible criminal charges.

The model told reporters: "Today I recognise that I've taken legal action that many of the other victims of Bill Cosby will never be able to take. This has gone on long enough, it's time Bill Cosby was held accountable for his crimes."

Ms Goins' lawyer Spencer Kuvin said the alleged assault happened before her 18th birthday in May 2008. Cosby's lawyer Marty Singer has previously claimed she was referring to an event at the Playboy Mansion that August.

Mr Cosby's spokesman Andrew Wyatt declined to comment to the Reuters news agency on Tuesday about Ms Goins' lawsuit.

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