People News Roundup: Franco Zeffirelli dies; Gooding Jr. charged with groping

Italian film and opera director Franco Zeffirelli dies at 96

Franco Zeffirelli, the film and opera director acclaimed for movies such as "Romeo and Juliet" and opulent lyrical productions on the world's major stages, died on Saturday at the age of 96. Often appreciated more by the public than critics, Zeffirelli was the last of a generation of Italian film giants who came of age after World War Two and included Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio De Sica.

Cuba Gooding Jr. charged with groping woman in Manhattan bar

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was charged on Thursday with groping a woman at a Manhattan bar last weekend, New York City police said. The "Jerry Maguire" actor faces one misdemeanour account of forcible touching in an incident on Sunday when an unidentified woman said Gooding touched her breasts.