New charges for Bardot

People

Actress Brigitte Bardot is back on trial in France, facing charges of fanning discrimination and racial hatred against Muslims. A leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP filed suit last year over a letter that Bardot sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy (now president), accusing France's Muslim population of destroying France. Animal-rights activist Bardot, 73, complained about the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, which involves the butchering of animals. French anti-racism laws prevent inciting hatred and discrimination on racial or religious grounds. Bardot has been convicted four times for inciting racial hatred.

Actress reveals cancer

Actress Cynthia Nixon, 42, joined forces with the breast-cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure and went public with her own battle with breast cancer. Nixon, who is reprising her role as Miranda in HBO's "Sex and the City" in an upcoming movie, had a lumpectomy two years ago and underwent 6 ½ weeks of radiation. She also helped her mother battle breast cancer. She told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that she didn't want to make her cancer treatment public while she was going through it. "I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital," she said.

Media

Journal lands in London

The Wall Street Journal began publishing its U.S. edition in London on Wednesday, making the newspaper available five hours ahead of the title in the United States.

"Simpsons" not for kids?

Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission said Tuesday night that the channel Televen could face a fine or be taken off the air temporarily for showing "The Simpsons" during a time slot approved for children. Commission Director Elda Rodriguez said the agency had urged Televen in January not to show "The Simpsons" because of "inappropriate language" and scenes "that can influence the behavior and education of boys, girls and adolescents."

Update

Suit filed in baby swap

The Czech parents of two baby girls swapped at birth filed a lawsuit against a hospital and are seeking $765,000 in compensation, a lawyer said Wednesday. Last year, DNA tests revealed that the two sets of parents had taken the wrong baby home from a clinic southeast of Prague in December 2006. The mix-up came to light last year when the father of one of the girls became suspicious because his daughter did not resemble him. The girls went home to their biological parents in early December 2007, just in time for their first birthdays.

Critters

Backyard menagerie

Romanian media say a man was rearing a lion in his back garden until neighbors decided they had heard enough roaring and called police. Rompres state news agency says police found a caged 3-year-old lioness, as well as two deer, a stag and two peacocks roaming the garden of the man's home in the southern village of Pietrosita. The daily Evenimentul Zilei newspaper says the lioness will be taken to the Bucharest zoo.

Stewart mourns dog

Martha Stewart's dog Paw Paw (formal name: Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow), a familiar face on her television show and in her magazine, died Saturday of renal failure. The 60-pound chow was almost 13. Stewart had owned him since he was born and named him Paw Paw for his large paws, a spokeswoman said.

Passages

Kahlil Gibran, 85, a sculptor, painter, inventor and writer who wrote a biography of his famous poet cousin of the same name, died Sunday of heart failure in Boston.

Honors

Terry Gross wins award

Veteran radio journalist Terry Gross, who hosts NPR's "Fresh Air," has been awarded the prestigious Columbia Journalism Award, which recognizes "a person whose body of work over a sustained period of time has made a significant contribution to journalism." Gross will receive the award and speak at the journalism school's commencement ceremony May 21.

Today in History

1521: Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings. (He was later declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.)

1941: Yugoslavia surrendered to Germany in World War II.

1961: About 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.

1964: Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Mustang model at the New York World's Fair.

1969: A jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

1970: The astronauts of Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific, four days after a ruptured oxygen tank crippled their spacecraft.

Today's Birthdays

Rock promoter Don Kirshner, 74. Actor Sean Bean, 49. Actress Kimberly Elise, 41. Singer Liz Phair, 41. Rapper-actor Redman, 38. Actress Jennifer Garner, 36. Singer Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), 34.

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