Reality TV star files counterclaim for divorce

ATLANTA (AP) — A lawyer for reality television star Porsha Williams says his client has filed a counterclaim for divorce against her former NFL player husband Kordell Stewart. Lawyer Randy Kessler said Friday that Williams responded with the counterclaim after former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart filed for divorce in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta last week. Stewart's filing says his marriage to Williams is "irretrievably broken." The pair appears on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Kessler said earlier this week that Williams learned of the divorce from the media. Stewart's filing says the two married on May 21, 2011, and have no children together. Stewart asks the court to find there are no marital assets to divide. He asks that neither side be ordered to pay alimony.

 

Son of pro wrestler Ric Flair found dead

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say the son of professional wrestler Ric Flair has been found dead in a North Carolina hotel room. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police says officers were called to a hotel on the city's south side around 10:30 a.m. Friday. When they arrived, they found the body of 25-year-old Reid Fliehr, who also was a wrestler. A statement from police says there are no signs of foul play, and that the cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office. Flair's agent released a statement Friday describing Reid as "an incredible son, brother, friend, and professional wrestler." Ric Flair's real name is Richard Morgan Fliehr. The peroxide-blond wrestled for some 40 years and also was known as The Nature Boy. The 64-year-old won many pro wrestling titles including in the WWE.

 

Lawyers appeal against Pistorius bail restrictions

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Lawyers for Oscar Pistorius appealed against some of his bail restrictions Thursday, saying the Olympic athlete might eventually need to return to track competition to earn money. Pistorius' lawyers say the double-amputee runner, who is charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend on Feb. 14, is being treated as a flight risk by his bail restrictions even though a magistrate ruled last month that he was not when he released Pistorius on 1 million rand ($108,000) bail. Lawyer Barry Roux said Pistorius' current bail restrictions amount to "house arrest." Prosecutors say they oppose any relaxing of Pistorius' bail restrictions. Roux said that Pistorius has no desire to return to track now, but "this might and this will change." He said Pistorius should be allowed to travel for international meets under "controlled" circumstances, where he would require advanced permission from police and would have to give details of his travel schedule before he left South Africa. Pistorius was not present in court Thursday. Roux said that Pistorius would not try and evade trial if he is allowed to travel internationally, and the multiple Paralympic champion would eventually need to run again "to earn an income." "He is not going to run away and hide. He is going nowhere," Roux told the judge in the brown-walled courtroom in the high court, where television cameras and photographers were allowed in to record the proceedings. Roux also argued against the ruling that Pistorius is not allowed to return to his home in a gated community in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, where he shot Reeva Steenkamp dead in the early hours of Valentine's Day. The bail ruling prevented him from returning to his home or speaking to residents, but his lawyers say he must be allowed to consult with residents in order to prepare his defense against the murder charge against him. Pistorius says he killed Steenkamp accidentally when he fired shots through a door in his bathroom in the pre-dawn hours, fearing there was an intruder in his house. Prosecutors say he shot the model and reality TV star intentionally after they argued, and they have charged him with premeditated murder. Pistorius was not required to attend his appeal hearing and none of his family members was present at North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The judge said he would rule on Pistorius' appeal later Thursday. Pistorius' defense team was also appealing against an alcohol ban. Pistorius' next court appearance is June 4, when the prosecution would aim to serve indictments, chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court. Nel said there is a possibility that Pistorius' trial will begin by the end of the year. Pistorius' bail appeal was being heard by Judge Bert Bam at the high court a day after the athlete's older brother, Carl Pistorius, went on trial for culpable homicide for the death of a woman motorcyclist in a 2008 road accident. Carl Pistorius pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the main charge of culpable homicide and not guilty to two alternative charges relating to driving recklessly and inconsiderately.

 

RIM sells a million new BlackBerry 10 phones in 4Q

Research In Motion Ltd. said Thursday that it sold about 1 million of its critically important new BlackBerry 10 devices and surprised Wall Street by returning to profitability in the most recent quarter.

The earnings provide a first glimpse of how RIM's new touch-screen Z10 is selling internationally and in Canada since its debut Jan. 31. Details on the U.S. launch are not part of the fiscal fourth quarter's financial results because the Z10 just went on sale in the U.S. last week.

In the quarter that ended March 2, RIM earned $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, a year earlier. After adjusting for restructuring and other one-time items, RIM earned 22 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been expecting a loss of 31 cents.

Revenue fell 36 percent to $2.7 billion, from $4.2 billion. Analysts had expected $2.82 billion.

The 1 million Z10 phones were above the 915,000 that analysts had been expecting. But RIM lost about 3 million subscribers to end the quarter with 76 million.

Bill Kreyer, a tech analyst for Edward Jones, called the subscriber decline "pretty alarming."

"This is going to take a couple of quarters to really see how they are doing," Kreyer said.

The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, had been the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people and other consumers before the iPhone debuted in 2007 and showed that phones can handle much more than email and phone calls.

The new BlackBerry Z10 has received favorable reviews since its release, but the launch in the critical U.S. market was delayed until late this month. A new keyboard BlackBerry, called the Q10, won't be released in the U.S. for two or three more months. The delay in selling the Q10 complicates RIM's efforts to hang on to customers tempted by the iPhone and a range of devices running Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Even as the BlackBerry has fallen behind rivals in recent years, many users have stayed loyal because they prefer a physical keyboard over the touch screen on the iPhone and most Android devices.

RIM, which is changing is formal name to BlackBerry, said it expects to break even in the current quarter despite increasing spending on marketing.

In pre-market trading, RIM gained 17 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $14.72.

"I thought they were dead. This is a huge turnaround," Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said from New York.

Misek said the Canadian company "demolished" the numbers, especially its gross margins. RIM reported gross margins of 40 percent, up from 34 percent a year earlier. The company credited higher average selling prices and higher margins for devices.

"This is a really, really good result," Misek said. "It's off to a good start."

Chief executive Thorsten Heins said he implemented numerous changes at the company over the past year and those changes have resulted in RIM returning to profitability.

The company also announced that co-founder Mike Lazaridis will retire as vice chairman and director.