Firstly, this week I want to thank those readers who came to our Californian Wine Evening in Meades 126 Wine Bar on Cork’s Oliver Plunkett Street last month. 

Gunman Elliot Rodger stabbed three people to death at his apartment before going on to shoot three more, it has emerged.

The family of a man they believe went on a shooting rampage near a university in Santa Barbara, California, called police several weeks ago after being alarmed by YouTube videos “regarding suicide and the killing of people”, a lawyer said today.

Seven people have been killed and seven others injured in drive-by shootings in a student enclave next to the University of California in Santa Barbara, authorities said today.

The world’s largest big wheel attraction started turning as tourists took in a unique overview of the Las Vegas Strip, with wide skies and craggy brown mountains in the distance.

An expert has determined that a surfer was killed off California’s Central Coast by a 15 to 16ft great white shark.

A shark which killed a surfer off California’s central coast was probably a great white and may have been 15ft (4.6m) long, experts said today.

Janet Jackson says she will not attend a tribute concert in Cardiff honouring her brother Michael because it coincides with the trial of the doctor charged over the King of Pop's death.

A CORONER said yesterday a great white shark probably killed a teenage body boarder at a Central California beach.

A coroner said today a great white shark probably killed a teenage body boarder at a Central California beach.

Actor Randy Quaid told Canada's immigration board that he and his wife are seeking asylum from "the murderers of Hollywood" and will therefore apply for refugee status in Canada, after they were arrested on US warrants related to vandalism charges.

Authorities said today that actor Randy Quaid and his wife have been released on bail after they were arrested for moving into a home they reportedly sold years ago in California.

More fire crews were deployed across California today to gain control of a series of growing wildfires that have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes.

NEIGHBOURS say they will fight any move to turn Michael Jackson’s former home, Neverland, into a tourist destination.

MORE than 31 million Americans watched Michael Jackson’s public memorial on television, but mystery surrounded the whereabouts of his body yesterday and plans for his burial.

BIZARRE in life, Michael Jackson’s complex personal affairs are taking even stranger twists in death, with sketchy reports yesterday of plans for an elaborate public memorial and questions over the parentage of his children.

MICHAEL JACKSON left his fortune to his three children and his mother, the singer’s will revealed yesterday.

Michael Jackson's body will go on display at his beloved Neverland ranch tomorrow.

Michael Jackson claimed to have a net worth of US$236m (€168m) as of March 31, 2007, according to financial documents that shed light on the late pop star's murky finances and prodigious borrowing.

Michael Jackson still had a faint pulse and his body was warm when his doctor found him in bed and not breathing, a lawyer for the doctor has said.

The California wildfire that scorched 13 square miles and destroyed dozens of homes in the hills above Santa Barbara was apparently sparked by a power tool being used to clear brush, investigators said.

FIREFIGHTERS struggled to get ahead of a raging wildfire that was moving dangerously close to an area of the idyllic coastal city Santa Barbara.

Strong winds were pushing a fierce wildfire above the California coastal city of Santa Barbara closer to populated areas and forced thousands more to flee their homes.

Firefighters battling wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes in Southern California were today aided by calmer winds.

Los Angeles appeared surrounded by flames today, with three wildfires consuming spacious mansions and tiny mobile homes at the edges where bone-dry wilderness meets burgeoning development.

Rob Lowe told today how he fled with his family as a wildfire he said was “like Armageddon” destroyed more than 100 homes in a wealthy, celebrity-studded California enclave.

Michael Jackson has given up title to his Neverland ranch, transferring the deed to a company he partly controls.

Fresh firefighting crews were brought in today to help battle the huge wildfire charging through the coastal mountains of Santa Barbara County, one of more than 300 active blazes across California.

CALIFORNIA’s firefighters got a gift of mild, mostly windless conditions yesterday as they attempted to protect thousands of homes from a huge wildfire, with their energy and resources taxed by more than 300 blazes still burning around the state.

A wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has settled an outstanding tax bill of $600,000 (€807,000) relating to his now-abandoned Neverland Ranch.

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has 90 days to pay back a $23m (€16m) loan plus interest or he faces losing property including his Neverland Ranch in California, according to legal papers.

A massive marijuana garden – 61,000 plants worth nearly £100m (€148m) – was discovered in a remote area in Southern California.

Oprah Winfrey invited pal Jennifer Aniston to call into her TV show recently so the pair could address incorrect rumours the media mogul was planning to stage the actress' nuptials at her California estate.

A judge has ordered lawyers for Michael Jackson and ex-wife Debbie Rowe to submit copies of missing papers from their divorce file.

Averting a potential state lawsuit, Michael Jackson has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages owed to dozens of employees at his Neverland ranch, according to a statement from the California Department of Industrial Relations.

MICHAEL Jackson has been ordered to close his Neverland Ranch for allowing workers’ compensation insurance to lapse at the exotic estate that has been home to elephants, orangutans and other animals over the years.

A female ex-postal worker opened fire at a mail processing plant, killing six people before committing suicide, authorities said early today.

MICHAEL Jackson is facing fresh child sex abuse allegations in a civil lawsuit.

Michael Jackson is facing fresh child sex-abuse allegations in a civil lawsuit.

A former associate who is suing Michael Jackson for more than $3m (€2.46m) has been accused by the entertainer of concealing and misappropriating funds.

Michael Jackson has filed a lawsuit against a concert promoter to prevent arbitration over a disputed 1999 concert contract.

The longer the wait for a verdict in Michael Jackson’s child sex abuse case, the more likely that jurors are deadlocked, according to legal analysts.

Michael Jackson’s fate was left hanging in the balance this weekend as the jury ended its sixth day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in his child sex abuse case.