[size=6]Leonard Nimoy, actor who played Mr Spock on Star Trek, dies aged 83[/size]

Leonard Nimoy, known worldwide as Mr Spock in the original Star Trek television series, has died. He was 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, told the New York Times he died of of pulmonary disease, which he attributed to a smoking habit he had ended 30 years ago. He was hospitalised in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Nimoy co-starred with William Shatner on the original Star Trek TV series from 1966 to 1969. His half-human, half-Vulcan character was a perfect counterpart to Shatner’s Captain Kirk in the series, which spawned several films and later TV reboots. He appeared as “Spock Prime” in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness, in which actor Zachary Quinto took on the role of Spock.

He last tweeted on Monday, closing as he often did with Spock’s familiar line, “live long and prosper”:

He lived long, and prospered. :(

[size=6]Boris Nemtsov, Critic of Putin, Is Shot Dead in Moscow[/size]
By ANDREW E. KRAMER and ANDREW ROTHFEB. 27, 2015


Boris Nemtsov in 2012. Credit Sergei Chirikov/European Pressphoto Agency

MOSCOW — A prominent Russian opposition leader, Boris Y. Nemtsov, was shot dead in central Moscow late Friday night within sight of the Kremlin walls.

The murder of Mr. Nemtsov, 55, a first deputy prime minister under Boris N. Yeltsin who later helped organize opposition demonstrations against President Vladimir V. Putin, was confirmed by Russia’s Interior Ministry shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.

A smooth-talking and worldly man who spoke accented but near-perfect English, Mr. Nemtsov rose to prominence as the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and became a vice premier in the late 1990s, during the last years of Mr. Yeltsin’s presidency.

Since leaving the Duma, the lower house of Russia’s Parliament, in 2003, he has founded and led a number of opposition parties and organizations, the latest being the Republican Party of Russia – People’s Freedom Party, a registered political party.

The attack came less than two days before Mr. Nemtsov was to lead another mass rally against Mr. Putin. The rally’s organizers put out a statement of purpose earlier denouncing Mr. Putin for the country’s growing economic crisis and its part in the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Nemtsov was walking on the Bolshoi Kammeny Most, a bridge south of the Kremlin, when he was fired upon at least seven times from a passing car, Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, told state news media. Mr. Markin said that witnesses were being questioned. No suspects have been reported to be in custody.

The Interfax news service, citing a police source, said that the shooting appeared to have been a contract killing.

Mr. Nemtsov, an economic reformer under Mr. Yeltsin who was seen as a possible heir, had toiled for more than a decade in the opposition to Mr. Putin. He wrote heated denunciations of Mr. Putin’s politics in Ukraine and graft in the preparations for the Sochi Olympics of 2014.

In the decade after Mr. Putin’s rise to the presidency, several prominent journalists and rights workers were shot to death in attacks seen as retribution for their work. Paul Khlebnikov of Forbes was shot in 2004; Anna Politkovskaya, well known for her fiery polemics against the war in Chechnya, was shot in 2006. Natalya Estemirova, a human rights worker, was kidnapped and shot to death in the North Caucasus in 2009.

Live long and prosper.

Daniel von Bargen, the actor known for playing George Costanza's incompetent boss Mr Kruger has passed away



George: "The R in the sign for Kruger Enterprises has fallen off..."

Kruger: "K Uger!"

:lol:

Rest in Peace :(

[size=6]Malcolm Fraser: Australia's 22nd prime minister dies at age 84[/size]

Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser has died aged 84.

A statement released by his office confirmed Mr Fraser died peacefully earlier today.

"It is with deep sadness that we inform you that after a brief illness John Malcolm Fraser died peacefully in the early hours of the morning of 20 March 2015," the statement said.

"We appreciate that this will be a shock to all who knew and loved him, but ask that the family be left in peace at this difficult time."

Malcolm Fraser was Australia's 22nd prime minister.

He began his term as caretaker prime minister on November 11, 1975, after Governor-General Dr John Kerr dismissed Gough Whitlam's Labor government.

Started writing something about Malcolm Fraser but Gillard summed my thoughts up so perfectly

Richie Benaud :(

I have a letter from Richie Benaud somewhere at my parents place. When I was ten, I had just started playing cricket and my grandfather (who knew Richie) told him I was thinking of bowling spin. Richie wrote me a letter with information about how to bowl the different leg spin deliveries.

He would be slightly disappointed that I ended up an off spin bowler, but nevertheless he will always be a legend for his kindness and generosity. Second only to Bradman as an icon of Australian cricket. =d>

Think I saw your tweet about it. Was retweeted by a Journo I follow.

Its the lead story on the smh website at the moment but its an english fan. Is that you Lastbroadcast?