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Singer George Michael has been charged with possession of cannabis and driving while unfit through drink or drugs, London's Metropolitan Police Service said Thursday.
Michael, 47, was released on bail and told to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in north London on August 24, police said.
Police did not say what led to the arrest, but Michael -- whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou -- was widely reported to have been involved in an accident in the early hours of July 4, in which he allegedly crashed his car into a north London photo shop.
Michael was found guilty in 2007 of unfit driving through tiredness and prescription medication and received a two-year driving ban, according to British media.
He was arrested again the following year near Hampstead Heath park in north London and cautioned for possession of a controlled substance, according to news reports.
Lady Gaga bares her heart — and much more — on the cover of Rolling Stone's new issue, on sale at newsstands Wednesday, June 23rd. In the most extensive interview the pop star has ever given about the breakup that inspired her transformation from Germanotta to Gaga, her complex relationship with her beloved father and the music on her next album, Lady Gaga tells contributing editor Neil Strauss art is life and not being fierce isn't an option: "When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure 24-year-old girl," she says. "Then I say, 'Bitch, you're Lady Gaga, you get up and walk the walk today.' "
In a backstage interview before and after one of her mammoth Monster Ball shows in England, Gaga admits she wouldn't have been as successful if she hadn't had her heart broken by her East Village boyfriend five years ago, and that "sex is certainly not, like, a priority at the moment." Her priority is, and has been, the relationship she's built with her fans. "If I were to ever, God forbid, get hurt onstage and my fans were screaming outside of the hospital, waiting for me to come out, I'd come out as Gaga," she says, adding that she models her celebrity on Michael Jackson. "Michael got burned, and he lifted that glittered glove so damn high so his fans could see him, because he was in the art of show business. That's what we do. I don't even drink water onstage in front of anybody, because I want them to focus on the fantasy of the music."
Gaga also reveals some deeply personal details for the first time, including her recurring nightmare involving a phantom and a blond girl who's tied up with ropes. "She's got my shoes on from the Grammys," Gaga says. "Go figure — psycho." When presented with the idea that her behavior indicates she's a survivor of a traumatic experience, Gaga says there are limits to what she'll discuss in public. "You have to be careful about how much you reveal to people that look up to you so much."
Despite a health scare (she currently doesn't have Lupus, but the disease runs in her family) and nonstop touring, Gaga hasn't lost her creative inspiration — she's currently finishing up her new record and designing the stage production for her next tour. Gaga plans to announce the title of her new album — due out early next year — at midnight on New Year's Eve. "I think I'm gonna get the album title tattooed on me and put out the photo," she says. "I've been working on it for months now, and I feel very strongly that it's finished right now. It came so quickly. Some artists take years; I don't. I write music every day." As for the subject matter of the music, Gaga says she's moved on with writing songs about her quest for fame to crafting tunes with an angry, perhaps political bent. "Why are we still talking about 'Don't ask, don't tell'?" she says. "It's like, what fucking year is it? It makes me crazy! And I have been for three years baking cakes — and now I'm going to bake a cake that has a bitter jelly. The message of the new music is now more bitter than it was before. Because the sweeter the cake, the more bitter the jelly can be."
Also in Rolling Stone's special Summer Double issue: Vanessa Grigoriadis chronicles the furious life and final days of the late Dennis Hopper; Tim Dickinson uncovers bombshell revelations about BP's plans to drill in the Arctic this fall — and why the Obama administration is doing nothing to stop it; David Fricke goes in the studio with Elton John for his brilliant, soulful new disc with Leon Russell; Rolling Stone goes backstage and in the pit with Kings of Leon, Jay-Z and Dave Matthews at this year's Bonnaroo, and more.
India issued an ultimatum Thursday to the manufacturer of BlackBerry smart phones: Allow access to highly encrypted information by August 31 or face a blockage of two popular messaging systems.
The real-time messaging services have been under scrutiny because the encryptions make it impossible for intelligence agencies to monitor and, thus, India says, pose a potential national security threat.
India wants law enforcement agencies to gain access to the BlackBerry Enterprise Service and the BlackBerry Messenger Service.
"If a technical solution is not provided by 31st August, 2010, the government will review the position and take steps to block these two services from the network," a news release said.
What hangs in the balance is the use of BlackBerry for millions in a country with a booming wireless market.
Calls placed by CNN to Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry, were not immediately returned.
The Indian government has expressed grave security concerns over the use of highly encrypted services. Some find it hard to believe that the world's largest democracy is taking such a tough stance. But India also has deep security concerns as one of the most-attacked countries in the world.
India was shaken after suspected Pakistani militants attacked Mumbai in November, 2008, leaving more than 160 people dead. In that incident, the government eventually tapped into satellite phone conversations between the terrorists and their handlers, but the attack was already under way.
Vikram Sood, a retired Indian intelligence agent, said India would be completely blindsided if terrorists used BlackBerries to plot an attack and the devices were inaccessible by the government.
"So what do you do? React after the fact?" Sood asked. "If you react after the fact, the explosion has taken place or a terrorist act has taken place, 100 people, 150 people have died.
"Who is liable for that? Is BlackBerry going to be liable because it was withholding information in a manner of speaking? So isn't it better to share? Knowledge and information from all sources is necessary, there are no two ways about it."
The situation brings up an old debate brought on by new technologies -- the government's right to know versus consumers' rights to privacy and free flowing information.
The decision will have huge ramifications in India, one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world. More than 600 million Indians use cellular phones, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India; 1 million of those are BlackBerries.
So the loss for RIM is potentially huge in India. If it loses some of the services it offers, it could have a harder time attracting customers.
Telecom operators in the country seem to be hedging their bets. They're working up contingency plans, but not really expecting to lose BlackBerry services, especially considering that RIM was able to make concessions and strike a deal with Saudi Arabia to avoid a ban. The United Arab Emirates has also threatened RIM with a shutdown of services if access to encrypted information is not granted.
"We think it will all be worked out," said Sanjay Warke, chief executive officer of telecom giant Vodaphone's India operations.
