Bobby Brown has married his manager Alicia Etheridge on Monday in a small ceremony in Hawaii.
Bobby Brown’s wedding may seem abrupt considering the fact that ex-wife Whitney Houston died only months ago in February, but since he and Houston had been separated for several years prior to her death it isn’t all that shocking that on Monday Brown wed manager Alicia Etheridge in Hawaii.
According to People magazine, Bobby Brown and Alicia Etheridge took advantage of a New Edition performance in Honolulu to tie the knot on the Pacific island. The couple have got engaged (on stage) in 2010 and have one young son together.
Bobby Brown has married his manager Alicia Etheridge on Monday in a small ceremony in Hawaii
Bobby Brown, 43, also has a daughter, 19-year-old Bobbi Kristina, with Whitney Houston and three more from previous relationships.
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were married for 15 years, during which time Whitney became addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Bobby Brown has repeatedly denied that he introduced Whitney Houston to drugs.
Egypt’s presidential poll results have been delayed by the election authorities, raising further tension across the country.
The results had been due to be announced on Thursday, but the election commission said it needed more time to look into complaints presented by the candidates.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi and former PM Ahmed Shafiq both claim they won last weekend’s vote.
Thousands of opposition supporters are protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
They have gathered to demonstrate against the delay in announcing the poll result and also against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) – the military council that has led the country since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.
The Muslim Brotherhood called people into the square to voice their outrage over recent constitutional amendments which gave the SCAF sweeping political and legislative powers.
If the Muslim Brotherhood has won the election, there are doubts over whether the authorities would allow them to take power after fighting them for so many decades.
There is increasingly fevered speculation about whether the election will be cancelled or rigged, he adds.
Egypt's presidential poll results have been delayed by the election authorities, raising further tension across the country
Meanwhile, 84-year-old Hosni Mubarak remains in critical condition at an army hospital in Cairo.
He is said to have had a series of strokes and to be on a life-support machine, but there has been no official word on his condition.
Earlier this month, Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the death of protesters during last year’s revolution.
Correspondents say there are fears that Hosni Mubarak’s failing health could be used as a distraction as Egypt awaits the result of the hotly disputed election.
On Wednesday, the Higher Presidential Elections Commission (HPEC) said that some 400 election complaints had been filed by the two candidates.
The commission said it needed more time to investigate the complaints, without giving any new date for the announcement of the results.
However, media reports suggest that the poll winner could be declared over the weekend.
Nader Omran, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, said the announcement should not have been delayed.
“It will bring more tension to the people – they should end the story tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.
Protests continued in Tahrir Square late into the night, with the Brotherhood saying they will mount a sit-in until the results are announced, and until the army gives up the sweeping powers it granted itself in a constitutional amendment last week.
Correspondents say Egypt appears to be in political and constitutional limbo.
In preliminary comments on the second round of the presidential election, a group of international election monitors headed by former US President Jimmy Carter voiced concerns about the “political and constitutional context” of the vote.
“I am deeply troubled by the undemocratic turn that Egypt’s transition has taken,” Jimmy Carter said.
On Saturday the SCAF had dissolved Egypt’s elected parliament – dominated by the Brotherhood – after a court ruling that last year’s legislative polls were unconstitutional.
Late on Sunday, hours after the polls closed in the presidential vote, the SCAF issued a constitutional declaration giving itself wide-ranging powers and limiting those of the incoming president.
The declaration effectively gave the SCAF legislative powers, control over the budget and over who writes the permanent constitution.
The SCAF’s moves were widely condemned by activists as amounting to a military coup.
According to new research, drinking a low or moderate level of alcohol in early pregnancy is not linked to developmental problems in five-year-olds.
The Danish research, published in the BJOG journal, suggested one to eight drinks a week was not linked to harm.
Heavy drinking during pregnancy is known to be linked to miscarriage, foetal alcohol syndrome and low birth weight.
The Danish researchers produced five papers on drinking in pregnancy.
More than 1,600 pregnant women took part, recruited at their first antenatal visit. Half were first-time mothers, and just under a third smoked during pregnancy.
They were asked about their alcohol intake.
Low average consumption was defined as one to four per week, moderate as five to eight drinks and high levels as nine or more per week.
According to new research, drinking a low or moderate level of alcohol in early pregnancy is not linked to developmental problems in five-year-olds
Binge drinking, which women were also questioned about, was defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion. Pregnant women who did not drink during pregnancy were included in the research.
The scientists looked at the effects of alcohol on IQ, attention span, executive functions such as planning, organization, and self-control in the five-year-olds.
They found low to moderate weekly drinking in early pregnancy had no significant effect on neurodevelopment of children at the age of five – and neither did binge drinking.
There were no differences in IQ test results in children whose mothers drank one to four units per week or five to eight units per week in pregnancy compared with children of abstaining mothers.
But drinking more than nine drinks per week was associated with lower attention span among the children.
The lead authors of the work, Ulrik Schiøler Kesmodel of Aarhus University and Prof. Erik Lykke Mortensen of the University of Copenhagen, said: “High prenatal exposure to alcohol has consistently been associated with adverse effects on neurodevelopment.
“Areas such as intelligence, attention and executive functions have been found to be particularly vulnerable.
“Our findings show that low to moderate drinking is not associated with adverse effects on the children aged five.”
Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and a consultant obstetrician in UK said the research was very well designed.
This was because it asked women about their alcohol intake at the time – rather than asking them to look back as past studies have done – and because it followed children for such a ling time and assessed such a range of developmental markers, he said.
The RCOG advises that women abstain from alcohol while pregnant, but if they do decide to drink evidence suggests “one or two units, once or twice a week, is acceptable after 12 weeks of pregnancy”.
Dr. Patrick O’Brien said: “These findings suggest low to moderate drinking has no significant effect on children aged five. However, this does not mean that women can use this as an excuse to indulge in more than the recommended amount in the UK.
“This evidence suggests that the UK guidance is erring on the side of caution – but that’s sensible in pregnancy.”
Women are advised to talk to their midwife or doctor if they have any concerns about the amount of alcohol they are drinking in pregnancy.
Rumors about the nature of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard relationship have been swirling for some time, but it’s being reported that things “seem to be heating up” between them.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are said to be so close that bisexual Heard, 26, has been a “regular visitor” to the New Mexico set of The Lone Ranger where 49-year-old Depp is currently filming.
And Johnny Depp, who made an official announcement that he had split from partner of 14 years Vanessa Paradis on Tuesday, is even said to have bought Amber Heard a horse so they can ride together, according to a report in Globe magazine.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are said to be so close that she has been a “regular visitor” to the New Mexico set of The Lone Ranger where he is currently filming
Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp had not been pictured together in public for months, but the Dark Shadows star insisted last month that there was no truth to rumors of a split.
“The rumors are not true,” he told The Sun newspaper.
“They are absolutely not true.”
“No matter what I say about this, people believe the opposite. I can’t say enough about it not being over,” he said.
Despite Johnny Depp’s denials, a number of publications carried pictures and reports that he and Amber Heard enjoyed a trip together to Las Vegas on a private plane.
Johnny Depp was in town promoting Dark Shadows, and Vanessa Paradis was nowhere to be seen.
It’s unclear why Amber Heard was in the gambling town.
Amber Heard was alleged to have joined Johnny Depp in Vegas, and was pictured boarding his private plane the next day,
Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have declined to appear at their respective premieres and public events together recently, with the French actress attending her premiere, of Café de Flore in Paris alone, and not accompanying the actor on promotional duties for Dark Shadows.
Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are parents to Lily Rose,12, and ten-year-old Jack.
Giant tech company Apple has been ordered to pay damages to rival Samsung Electronics by a court in the Netherlands.
The court said that Apple had infringed a patent held by Samsung relating to the way phones and tablet PCs connect to the internet.
Apple, which recently became the world’s most valuable firm, has been facing various legal issues.
In a separate case, it was fined $2.3 million in Australia for its claims on 4G capabilities of the iPad.
And it is still not clear how much it may have to pay to Samsung in damages.
The Dutch court did not specify any amount, but the damages will be calculated based on sales of Apple’s iPhone and iPad in the Netherlands.
“Samsung welcomes the court’s ruling, which reaffirmed Apple’s free-riding of our technological innovation,” the South Korean manufacturer said.
“In accordance with the ruling, we will seek adequate compensation for the damages Apple and its products have caused.”
Apple has been ordered to pay damages to rival Samsung Electronics by a court in the Netherlands
Samsung had claimed that Apple had infringed four of its patents. However, the Dutch court said that only one of those had been breached.
Apple and Samsung are two of the biggest manufacturers of smartphones and tablet PCs in the world.
However, the two firms have been involved in dozens of patent cases and disputes relating to designs of their respective products.
Analysts said that with so many cases being fought by the two firms in different countries, neither of the parties may emerge as the overall winner.
Last month, a judge in the US ordered the chief executives of both the firms to meet to try to settle their legal differences.
But the talks did not lead to any agreement and Apple has since sought a ban on sales of one of Samsung’s tablet computers and the latest range of its Galaxy smartphones.
Apple had enjoyed an early lead in the smartphone and tablet PC market with the launch of its iPhone and iPad devices.
However, Samsung has been steadily increasing its market share in the sector with the introduction of new gadgets.
Analysts said that given the increased competition, the two firms had been using the legal battles as a way to stop each other from increasing their market shares.
“Given that they are number one and two in the market right now, they are going to use any possible tool to slow down each other and patents could be one of those tools,” said Melissa Chau of IDC Asia Pacific.
However, she said that given the amount of time, money and energy that the two firms have spent on fighting these cases, they were likely to find a solution in the long run.
“In the past, when we look at how these things have evolved, they get settled in due course of time and businesses move on.”
There was more bad news for Apple.
A court in Australia has ruled that the firm had misled consumers with its claims over the capability of the latest version of the iPad to connect to Australia’s fourth generation (4G) cellular networks.
The court said that Apple had broken the country’s consumer laws by implying that the newest version of the iPad could connect with the networks, when it could not.
“The conduct concerned was deliberate and very serious,” Justice Mordy Bromberg was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
“It exposed a significant proportion of Australian consumers of tablet devices to a misleading representation.”
In addition to the $2.3 million fine, Apple was also asked to pay 300,000 Australia dollars ($305,000) in court costs.
Ruby Carter-Pikes, also known as “Miss Ruby”, is a great grandmother with a six pack that even a college athlete would be jealous of and a cabinet of bikini competition trophies to prove it.
64-year-old fitness fanatic from Los Angeles, California, who calls herself a health expert and fitness guru, is a familiar face on the body-building and fitness competition circuit and most recently picked up two winning shields at the FitSciences Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
Strutting the stage in a skimpy, string two-piece, Ruby Carter-Pikes scored a second place win for the category titled Women’s Figure, as well as claiming a prize as Women’s Super Masters Winner.
In Women’s Figure judges rated the contestant on her shoulders, latissimus dorsi and quadriceps.
“Abdominal development is very important as well,” spelled out the rules on the website.
“Definition with a limited amount of striated muscles.”
Ruby Carter-Pikes, also known as “Miss Ruby”, is a great grandmother with a six pack that even a college athlete would be jealous of and a cabinet of bikini competition trophies to prove it
Other categories in the contest hosted by the healthy lifestyle management company, were Fit Mom, Female Fitness Model, Bikini Spokesmodel and Junior Fitness Spokesmodel.
Fresh from her victory at the Atlanta’s 14th Street Playhouse venue, the muscular great-grandmother told FitSciences competition organizers: “It was fantastic. Overall I’m having a blast.”
Her enjoyment of the event is hardly surprising for someone whose challengers are less than half her age.
Ruby Carter-Pikes has been eating well and exercising for years, inspired by the tragic health issues suffered by several family members, problems that she attributes on her blog to poor nutritional education during childhood.
“I am the oldest of twelve siblings and the first granddaughter of 45 grandchildren. We lived in a rural and remote area in Mississippi,” she explains on BodyProud.org.
Growing up on a farm, she continues, though the family was active and regularly held dances and horse riding games, the food produced from the land consisted primarily of white flour, sugar and meals were often fried.
She had also been born with a heart condition that affected her ease of breathing and so attention to health had always been a priority.
After having four children and seeing how precious life could be when she lost family to cholesterol complications and diabetes, she upped the ante and fitness became not just a priority but her life.
Though a post dated 2008 claims she ran a gym in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, Ruby’s Fitness Gym proved an elusive establishment, untraceable on the web.
What is certain however, is that this great-grandmother’s “dedication to the fitness industry”, as one impressed You Tube commentator put it, is nothing short of remarkable.
Former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase has attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head but he eventually shot his neck.
The incident occurred when police arrived at Adrian Nastase’s house to take him to prison, local media reports say.
Hours earlier Romania’s highest court had upheld a two-year prison sentence against Adrian Nastase on corruption charges.
Adrian Nastase, 62, who held office between 2000 and 2004, was convicted for illegally amassing about 1.5 million Euros ($1.9 million) for his 2004 election campaign.
Former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase has attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head but he eventually shot his neck
He insisted that the charges were politically motivated.
Current Prime Minister Victor Ponta, a party colleague of Adrian Nastase, visited him in hospital after the incident.
Adrian Nastase’s condition was “under control”, Victor Ponta told the Associated Press news agency.
Having exhausted legal challenges available to him in Romania, Adrian Nastase’s lawyers indicated he may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Adrian Nastase is the most senior political figure to be convicted by a court in Romania since the fall of communism in 1989.
The European Union has in recent years put pressure on Romania to crack down on corruption among public officials.
Microsoft has unveiled Windows Phone 8, the next version of its smartphone operating system.
Windows Phone 8 shares much of its code with the firm’s PC system, making it easier for developers to write programs for different types of devices.
The company said it should mean there would be some “amazing games” for handsets running its new release.
A tie-up with Nokia has already bought several Windows Phone devices to market, but sales lag some way behind models running Android or Apple’s iOS.
Microsoft said Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei would all be making devices powered by the system upgrade.
Microsoft has unveiled Windows Phone 8, the next version of its smartphone operating system
Other new features announced at the Windows Phone Summit event in San Francisco included:
• Support for multi-core chips, allowing devices to turn on cores to access extra processing power when needed, and to switch off cores when not to preserve battery life
• The ability to work with different screen resolutions including the high definition 720p format
• Support for removable Micro SD cards allowing users to store more media files or install apps saved on the format
• A new “wallet” app allowing the phone to act as both credit and membership cards. It also supports NFC (near field communication) payments
• Built-in maps from Nokia’s Navteq division with turn-by-turn navigation
• A more customizable start screen allowing users the choice of three tile sizes to represent installed software and more color options
• A warning alert if the software believes a website contains malware or is otherwise unsafe
The update also allows internet call software based on VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and video chat technologies to run in the background.
This addresses a complaint that the firm’s own Skype program could not be used to receive calls while its owner was using another application – a function offered on rival platforms.
The firm said VoIP calls should now “feel like any other call” made or received by Windows Phone handsets.
Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 strongly resemble each other – at least when the PC system is run under its Metro interface – and Microsoft was keen to stress that their relationship goes deeper than appearance alone.
The two will share a range of components including graphic drivers, the DirectX collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) and the NT kernel that ties application software to the hardware it is installed on. They can also both support native code in the C and C++ programming languages.
Microsoft said this should not only make it easier to port software between the two environments, but should speed up the time it takes developers to recode programs originally built for iOS and Android.
Microsoft noted more than 100,000 apps had been released for Windows Phone 7.
By contrast there are more than 466,500 programs in the Android marketplace according to search site Appbrain, and “over 500,000” in Apple’s app store according to the iPhone maker.
Securing “marquee titles” is more important to some than raw numbers, and Microsoft addressed this too with news that Gameloft’s Nova 3 and Zynga’s Draw Something were coming to Windows Phone.
Giuliana and Bill Rancic used a creative way to let their friends know they were expecting a son at their guessing-themed Beverly Hills bash over the weekend.
The couple released blue balloons out of a giant box during the fun-filled event.
Looking like a ray of sunshine in a bright yellow dress, Giuliana Rancic jumped for joy as they made the big reveal.
“It was great to finally share it with everyone,” she told Life & Style whilst trying to hold back tears.
“I’ve always wanted a little Bill – my husband is the most gorgeous guy in the world and I want our baby to look exactly like him.”
During the party – which was organized by celebrity-planner-to-the-stars Mindy Weiss – guests feasted on ribs and sliders and sipped on Nicolas Feuillatte champagne and OneHope wine.
Colorful balloons, flowers and cabanas were dotted around the grounds of the mansion, reflecting the couple’s always bright and optimistic outlook on life.
Giuliana and Bill Rancic used a creative way to let their friends know they were expecting a son at their guessing-themed Beverly Hills bash over the weekend
Continuing on with the guessing theme of the party, the pair even cut into a pink and blue cake, revealing a turquoise sponge inside.
“The shower is exactly what I envisioned,” said Giuliana Rancic.
The TV host said she was relieved to be finally focusing on her baby, and that she was already feeling a strong connection to her unborn son.
“Now that the medical stuff is done, we can focus on the baby,” she said.
“Even though I’m not pregnant I’ve been dreaming about the baby. I had heard that I’d feel a connection, but I didn’t really believe it. I dream of the baby in a blue blanket and it’s the cutest little boy.”
After the party this past weekend, the excited duo also shared the news with fans, revealing they are soon to welcome a little boy – thanks to the help of their surrogate mother.
Giuliana Rancic tweeted: “Beyond excited to announce @BillRancic and I are having a……….BOY!!!!!”
The couple, who are expecting their new arrival later this summer, plan on being in the delivery room with their surrogate.
It has been a happy time for the couple, who have had their fair share of heartache.
Giuliana Rancic underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The stunning TV star recently spoke about the prospect of having either sex of baby.
Giuliana Rancic recently told People: “The reason being that when you have a mother-[son] bond, he’s like your prince – you don’t want to discipline him.
“And then there’s daddy’s little girl, he’ll never want to discipline her. But to be honest, chances are I will discipline, because I’m a crazy Italian chick.”
E! News recently published one of the couples’ adorable baby shower invitations featuring a guessing theme by headlining the invitation with a question: “Blue or Pink: What Do You Think?”
Underneath the playful question was a pink “g” for Giuliana Rancic in pink script and a “b” in blue for Bill. The front cover of the invitation gave the date of the party as June 17th, but the location wasn’t divulged.
The Rancic duo already knew the gender prior to their party.
“Here’s the thing,” Giuliana Rancic told E! News earlier this month.
“I don’t know how long we’re going to be able to keep it a secret, but it’s like the only thing in our lives right now that’s a secret… It’s fun having something between the two of us.”
Giuliana and Bill Rancic plan on trying for a second child once she’s clear of the cancer treatments in five years.
“Five years puts me at 42, and a lot of people have kids at 42. So I’m definitely going to try again,” she said.
Oprah Winfrey has lost 25 lbs in just six weeks, it was revealed today, shedding much of the weight she had gained over the past 18 months due to the pressures of running her OWN network.
The secret to Oprah Winfrey’ success, sources say, is a lean, low-calorie diet implemented by her new chef.
The fast results were also thanks to the fact that she has resumed her regular treadmill workouts with trainer Bob Greene, they added.
“Oprah has absolutely flipped for the new chef,” a source told the National Enquirer.
“The personalized diet Oprah’s been following uses a combination of fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken and lean meat.
“It’s low in fat and calories, but still leaves her feeling full.”
It is a positive turn for the star, who has spoken publicly about her struggle to maintain a healthy weight.
Once rakishly thin in 1988, Oprah Winfrey's weight has been a yo-yo ever since, not helped by a thyroid problem, diagnosed in 2008, that caused the scales to soar to 200 lbs
Once rakishly thin in 1988, Oprah Winfrey’s weight has been a yo-yo ever since, not helped by a thyroid problem, diagnosed in 2008, that caused the scales to soar to 200 lbs.
Oprah Winfrey, now 58, wrote at the time in O Magazine: “The thyroid diagnosis felt like some kind of prison sentence. I was so frustrated that I started eating whatever I wanted – and that’s never good. My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress.”
Now, though, it appears that she has struck the right balance of a healthy, lean diet that does not feel restrictive, and a workout programme that is equally sustainable.
“Deep down, Oprah knew she had the willpower to lose it again if she took the right approach, and she’s finally found a plan she really likes,” the National Enquirer’s source explained.
“This program is a lifestyle change and it stresses eating the right kind of foods to sustain energy and good health.”
Have you ever wondered why your Big Mac never looks like the one advertised on the menu?
McDonald’s has created a short video to show customers how they prepare their tasty meals for an advertising photo shoot.
The fascinating footage starts by introducing Canadian director of marketing Hope Bagozzi who holds up a tablet with a question from one customer Isabel M.
Isabel asks: “Why does your food look different in the advertising than it does in the store?”
Hope Bagozzi says that it is a question she gets asked a lot and promises to reveal all.
She starts by buying a Quarter Pounder with Cheese at a nearby branch of McDonald’s before hopping into a car which takes her to advertising agency Watt International.
McDonald’s has created a short video to show customers how they prepare their tasty meals for an advertising photo shoot
A photographer and food stylist then set about making the burger look like it would in one of their adverts.
The process is painstaking as they deconstruct and rebuild the sandwich so that all the ingredients are visible. At one point they even syringe on the ketchup so it will be picked up by the camera.
The finished burger looks more like the advertised meals but it’s still not perfect.
In reality Watt International makes all their burgers from scratch in their own kitchen – using McDonald’s ingredients.
Hope Bagozzi meets Noah – a food stylist – who shows her how to expertly prep the different components to make them look as delicious as possible.
Despite all efforts to get it looking as close to perfection as possible the burger is then photographed and Photoshopped to get rid of any discrepancies.
Lesley Brown, the woman who gave birth to the world’s first test tube baby, has died aged 64.
Lesley Brown, who lived in Whitchurch, Bristol, UK, made history in July 1978 when her daughter Louise was born at Oldham General Hospital.
She had been trying for a baby with her husband John for nine years before she became the first woman to give birth following IVF treatment.
Lesley Brown died at the Bristol Royal Infirmary on 6 June with her family by her side, it has been announced.
She successfully conceived following pioneering treatment by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards.
Lesley Brown leaves behind daughters Louise and Natalie, who were both born following IVF treatment, her stepdaughter Sharon and five grandchildren.
Her husband died five years ago.
Lesley Brown, the woman who gave birth to the world's first test tube baby, has died aged 64
A private funeral service was held in Bristol on Wednesday morning.
Louise Brown said: “Mum was a very quiet and private person who ended up in the world spotlight because she wanted a family so much.
“We are all missing her terribly.”
Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Prof. Robert Edwards set up the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridge two years after Louise Brown’s birth. It has now become a leading centre for IVF treatment.
Speaking on behalf of Prof. Robert Edwards and the team at the clinic, chief executive Mike Macamee said: “Lesley was a devoted mum and grandmother and through her bravery and determination many millions of women have been given the chance to become mothers.
“She was a lovely, gentle lady and we will all remember her with deep affection.”
Speaking in 2008, Lesley Brown said she had been so desperate to have a baby that she was willing to put up with anything to give birth.
At the time, she said: “I’m just so grateful that I’m a mum at all because without IVF I never would have been and I wouldn’t have my grandchildren.”
Her blocked fallopian tubes meant getting pregnant naturally was impossible.
In 1976, she heard about new research and was referred to Dr. Patrick Steptoe, after which she agreed to the experimental procedure.
Although other women had been implanted with fertilized eggs, Lesley Brown was the first to achieve a pregnancy which went beyond a few weeks.
Police have detained a gunman who held four people hostage at CIC bank in the southern city of Toulouse, France, for almost seven hours.
The man initially demanded money but when he was refused, a shot was fired and the hostages taken.
Claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, he demanded to speak to the elite Raid police unit that killed Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah nearby in March.
He freed two hostages before police stormed the bank and detained him.
The gunman was said to have been wounded in the thigh, but not seriously. His two remaining hostages are not thought to have been harmed.
The man went into the branch of the CIC bank at 10:10 local time (08:10 GMT), taking the manager and three other people hostage.
The area around the bank was cordoned off and two nearby schools were closed.
Special police units from the GIPN (Groupe d’intervention de la police nationale) arrived from Marseille and Bordeaux.
Police have detained a gunman who held four people hostage at CIC bank in the southern city of Toulouse
No officers from Raid – which has its headquarters north of Paris, about 600 km (400 miles) from Toulouse – were deployed to the scene.
A police union source told the regional newspaper Ouest-France it was not clear whether the man’s claim about al-Qaeda was “serious or a fantasy”.
More than four hours into the siege, police said a woman hostage had been freed in exchange for food and water. A second woman was released some time afterwards.
Public prosecutor Michel Valet told reporters that the man “wishes to let it be known that he is not acting for money, but for religious reasons”.
The hostage-taker was believed to be around 30 years old and known to the authorities, Toulouse newspaper La Depeche reported. He was from Castres, to the east of Toulouse, and one source told the paper he was a schizophrenic who had broken off his treatment.
His sister, who was brought to the scene during the afternoon to help in negotiations, revealed that her brother was not religious and had been in and out of social care since childhood.
After almost seven hours, the siege came to an end. Three explosions had been heard, possibly stun grenades, shortly before news emerged of the gunman’s arrest.
The gunman had come out of the building with one of the two hostages, reportedly threatening him with a gun, prompting the special police unit to launch its assault.
He was shot in the thigh, La Depeche reported, before being arrested. He was then taken to hospital.
The bank in which the drama unfolded is a few hundred metres from Mohamed Merah’s flat, in an area adjacent to the barracks where Raid police were based during the March siege that ended in his death.
Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman of Algerian descent, killed seven people in three separate attacks before he was shot dead by police. His victims included three children and a teacher at a Jewish school, and three soldiers.
Mohamed Merah filmed his attacks and sent the footage to police.
He was shot dead by a police sniper on 22 March after commandos stormed his flat.
Mohamed Merah was suspected to have had an accomplice within the Muslim community.
In the wake of the shootings, the French authorities set up an investigation into whether Mohamed Merah had accomplices and into possible Islamist indoctrination practices in prisons.
They have shown zero tolerance to anyone known to have used Islamist internet sites or to have had links to a fringe al-Qaeda group to which Mohamed Merah is said to have belonged.
On 7 June, a man armed with a shotgun took hostage a security guard at the French weather service, Meteo France. The hostage-taker fired several shots and was seriously injured when police returned fire.
Angelina Jolie is certainly in need of regular touch-ups for her latest role and was spotted being pampered on the set of Maleficent in Buckinghamshire today.
Angelina Jolie, 37, has taken on the role of evil sorcess Maleficient in an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty and to do so, she has undergone something of a transformation.
The actress was seen in the middle of a field today in full costume as she continued to film scenes for the upcoming Disney movie.
Wearing a long brown cape and black horns, Angelina Jolie was spied having her make-up retouched by a female artist while a male member of the crew dealt with her long brunette hair.
It was only yesterday that fans got a sneak peek of Angelina Jolie’s character and what they can expect from the fairytale film.
Wearing a leather horned headdress, and yellowed contacts, Angelina Jolie was also given a bit of help in the cheek department with the addition of some Lady Gaga-style cheek prosthetics.
Angelina Jolie is certainly in need of regular touch-ups for her latest role and was spotted being pampered on the set of Maleficent in Buckinghamshire
Angelina Jolie plays the title role in the updated version of Disney’s 1959 animated feature Sleeping Beauty and of her costuming she said: “We’re experimenting with different things. But the horns are the horns – you can’t deny them. You have to have horns.”
In this updated version, the focus of the film centres on the events that hardened Maleficent’s heart, leading her to curse the baby Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), played by Elle Fanning.
Angelina Jolie told EW: “It’s not anti-princess, but it’s the first time they’re looking at this epic woman.
“I hope in the end you see a woman who is capable of being many things, and just because she protects herself and is aggressive, it doesn’t mean she can’t have other [warmer] qualities.”
As a woman who is used to dividing opinion, Angelina Jolie was clearly attracted to taking on such an “imperfect” character.
Angelina Jolie said: “It sounds really crazy to say that there will be something that’s good for young girls in this, because it sounds like you’re saying they should be a villain. [Maleficent] is actually a great person. But she’s not perfect. She’s far from perfect.”
Angelina Jolie was seen taking her family to see musical Wicked based on the novel by Gregory Maguire while in London, which similarly tells the story of the Wicked Witch Of The West before she turns bad.
“In general, it’s a very good message to say, <<Let’s look at something from the other side>>. But then also, what our challenge will be – and the script writer [The Lion King and Alice in Wonderland’s Linda Woolverton] has already cracked it – is not to simplify it, not to just reverse the story but tell a bigger story that doesn’t point the finger [at Princess Aurora] either.”
According to the popular fairytale, Maleficent was angry that she wasn’t invited to the beautiful Princess’s christening, and as a result cursed the infant to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die before the end of her 16th birthday.
Other stars signed up to the film include Miranda Richardson, who will play Queen Ulla, and Juno Temple, as Thistletwit, one of the three fairies tasked with taking care of Aurora in a cottage in the woods – which, going on the set, may now be a tent in a small settlement.
She is joined by Imelda Staunton will play fairy Knotgrass and Lesley Manville who will star as fairy Flittle.
But it is still unclear who will play Prince Philip, Aurora’s love and the man who defeats Maleficent, although as other characters’ names have been changed, it could well be Control star Sam Riley, who is billed to play Diaval.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have made the U.K. their temporary home and have been seen on family outings to the theatre and stores.
Crew member have been busy erecting tepee style tents, stoves over open fires, crumbly brick walls and horse-drawn carts.
And while they work to make the set look perfect for their star, security guards with huge Rottweilers patrol the perimeter.
The film will be directed by Robert Stromberg and is set for release on March 14, 2014.
Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, will not only look the part at the upcoming London Olympic Games, she will be living like her fellow competitors, too.
Zara Phillips, Princess Anne’s daughter, is to be given no special treatment, it has emerged, staying in the Olympic village and sharing the same security and transport as other athletes.
On Monday, Zara Phillips, 31, told of her excitement at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the likes of Usain Bolt during her stay.
Zara Phillips, who missed out on two previous Olympics due to injuries to her horse, promised to give her “best performance” in front of a home crowd in London.
Zara Phillips, Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter, will not only look the part at the upcoming London Olympic Games, she will be living like her fellow competitors, too
She said: “Obviously it will be great to be part of the Olympics and get the atmosphere and the buzz of being a part of it.
“A lot of the time, the equestrian is quite far out so they’ve made a really big effort this time to try and have us part of the Olympics and benefit from that.”
Zara Phillips, who will ride as part of the five-strong eventing team at Greenwich Park, around six miles from the main Olympic park, said Her Majesty had been delighted when she told her that she had made the Olympic team.
The former sports personality of the year missed out on Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 after her then horse, Toytown, suffered late injuries.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed because we’ve still got a few weeks to go and we all know what horses are like,” she said.
Equestrian performance director Will Connell said the eventing team would stay in the Olympic village – and was adamant their royal member would be well protected by the security put in place by Olympics organizers.
Spencer West from Toronto, Canada – who lost his legs when he was just five years old – reached the summit of the 19,341ft high Mt. Kilimanjaro on Monday after a slow, gruelling and awe-inspiring trek.
Spencer West, 31, was born with sacral agenesis, a genetic disorder that left his lower spine poorly developed and his legs permanently crossed.
He had his legs removed below the knees at the age of three and, two-years-later, had them amputated to below his pelvis.
Medical experts told the courageous Canadian he would never be a functioning member of society but he has continued to defy doctors his entire life.
Spencer West trained for a year to scale the tallest peak in Africa without legs and set off on June 12 with best friends David Johnson and Alex Meers.
Spencer West reached the summit of the 19,341ft high Mt. Kilimanjaro on Monday after a slow, gruelling and awe-inspiring trek
The trek to the top took seven days, hiking through Tanzania’s jungles, snowfields and deserts – and Spencer West was forced to make 80% of the journey on his hands, only hopping in a custom-made wheelchair when the terrain allowed.
The trio made it to the final approach on Sunday and rose the following morning for the ascent to Uhuru Peak.
They reached the top at 11.15 a.m. after an exhausting seven hour hike.
Only 50% of people who attempt to scale the mountain make it to the top – and Spencer West described the moment he reached the summit as “incredible”.
He said: “The summit sign seemed almost like a mirage.
“We looked around and realised that, after seven grueling days of relentless climbing, after 20,000 feet of our blood, sweat, tears and vomit we had actually made it.
“The bleeding fingers and blisters were all worth it.”
Spencer West added: “I set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro not only to redefine what’s possible for me, but to inspire others to overcome obstacles and challenges of their own, and to give back to communities, that need our help.
“Reaching the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro was the most mentally and physically challenging thing I have ever done, but in doing so, it reinforced the powerful message behind believing in yourself, and believing in others.
“So many people made this journey possible for me and I am so humbled by everyone’s support.”
Spencer West’s incredible feat has raised almost $500,000 for Free The Children, a charity which brings sustainable to thousands of Kenyans experiencing drought.
Heidemarie Schwermer from Germany has lived without money for 16 years following a lifetime of guilt about wealth stemming from her time as a World War Two refugee.
Growing up in Prussia, Heidemarie Schwermer was the daughter of a successful businessman and her family kept a nanny and full-time gardener on their payroll.
But when war struck Europe in 1939 for the second time that century Heidemarie Schwermer and her family became penniless and were forced to flee to Germany.
After years of hardship Heidemarie Schwermer’s father was able to start over with a tobacco company and cash started pouring in again.
But she now found herself at odds with their affluent lifestyle.
“We were well-off but ended up as riff-raff,” Heidemarie Schwermer said.
“We became rich again and we had to defend it. I’ve always had to justify myself, whether we were rich or poor.”
Heidemarie Schwermer from Germany has lived without money for 16 years following a lifetime of guilt about wealth stemming from her time as a World War Two refugee
Heidemarie Schwermer, now 69, worked at a teacher and then a psychotherapist on a good wage. But instead of welcoming the hard-earned cash she yearned for those formative childhood years of struggle and strife.
As a result she became obsessed with finding new ways to live without money, eventually setting up Germany’s first exchange circle in 1994.
Give and Take Central helped people swap simple services like babysitting or house cleaning for tangible goods and Heidemarie Schwermer found she need money less and less.
Eventually when a friend asked the divorced mother-of-two to house-sit for her, Heidemarie Schwermer decided to take the plunge and live without money for one whole year.
She sold everything – including her apartment – saving just a few small items that she packed into a suitcase.
What was only meant to last 12 months became her life for the next 16 years.
“I only wanted to try to do an experiment and in that year, but I noticed a new life,” she told Business Insider.
“I didn’t want to go back to the old life.”
In the beginning Heidemarie Schwermer stayed with old friends but as word of her lifestyle spread she began giving talks on her mission – meeting new hosts on the lecture circuit.
She only accepts train fare for her speaking engagements and rejects any other attempts to pay her.
At first she also did odd jobs around her hosts’ homes, like gardening or window washing, to earn her keep but she says that these days they don’t expect anything in return.
In a documentary made about her life entitled Living Without Money, she’s seen foraging for leftover produce at fresh air markets and trading a shopkeeper a few hours of cleaning services in return for food.
Heidemarie Schwermer often receives clothing from friends, donating what she doesn’t have room for in the small suitcase she carts from home to home.
Anne Hathaway lost a staggering 16 lbs of her already slim frame to take on the role of Fantine in the new movie adaptation of Les Miserables.
In a new interview, Anne Hathaway, 29, has revealed the extents she went to in a bid to shed the pounds.
The actress told Allure magazine that she underwent some “pretty crazy weight stuff” to get in shape for the role, and survived on radishes and hummus alone.
In the interview, completed as Anne Hathaway was shooting Les Miserables, she said: “I’m on day six of detox… this diet makes me break out, so I love that. Nothing like living on hummus and radishes and then be all, <<And I got a pimple. Yeah!>>”
Anne Hathaway lost a staggering 16 lbs of her already slim frame to take on the role of Fantine in the new movie adaptation of Les Miserables
Anne Hathaway added to the magazine that the hardest part was giving up her favorite food, cheese.
She said: “Cheese is amazing… (but) once you’re over the cheese hump, there’s nothing really left.”
As well as losing weight for Les Miserables, Anne hathaway was also under pressure to get into shape to take on the role of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.
In particular, Anne Hathaway described the pressure of squeezing herself into the character’s famous catsuit as a “psychological terrorist”.
Anne Hathaway said: “The Catwoman suit. It was a psychological terrorist. The suit, thoughts of my suit, changing my life so I would fit into that suit … it dominated my year.”
Europe has taken the final decision regarding Euclid telescope space mission to investigate the “dark universe”.
The Euclid telescope will look deep into the cosmos for clues to the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
These phenomena dominate the Universe, and yet scientists concede they know virtually nothing about them.
European Space Agency (ESA) member states made their decision at a meeting in Paris. Euclid should be ready for launch in 2019.
ESA nations had already selected the telescope as a preferred venture in October last year, but Tuesday’s “adoption” by the Science Programme Committee (SPC) means the financing and the technical wherewithal is now in place to proceed.
The cost to ESA of building, launching and operating Euclid is expected to be just over 600 million Euros ($760 million). Member states will provide Euclid’s visible wavelength camera and a near-infrared camera/spectrometer, taking the likely cost of the whole endeavor beyond 800 million Euros.
The Euclid telescope will look deep into the cosmos for clues to the nature of dark matter and dark energy
The US has been offered, and will accept, a junior role in the mission valued at around 5%. The American space agency (NASA) will pay for this by picking up the tab for the infrared detectors needed on Euclid. A memorandum of understanding to this effect will be signed between the agencies in due course.
“We have negotiated a detailed text with NASA, which both parties consider final, and it is ready for signature,” said Dr. Fabio Favata, Esa’s head of science planning.
“It will mean a small, commensurate number of US scientists will be welcomed into the Euclid Consortium,” he said.
The consortium is the team that will have access to Euclid’s data.
The adoption also will now trigger the release to industry of invitations to tender. Europe’s two big space companies – Astrium and Thales Alenia Space – are certain to bid to build Euclid.
A key task of the telescope will be to map the distribution of dark matter, the matter that cannot be detected directly but which astronomers know to be there because of its gravitational effects on the matter we can see.
Galaxies, for example, could not hold their shape were it not for the presence of some additional “scaffolding”. This is presumed to be dark matter – whatever that is.
Although this material cannot be seen directly, the telescope can plot its distribution by looking for the subtle way its mass distorts the light coming from distant galaxies. Hubble famously did this for a tiny patch on the sky – just two square degrees.
Euclid will do it across 15,000 square degrees of sky – a little over a third of the heavens.
Dark energy represents a very different problem, and is arguably one of the major outstanding issues facing 21st-Century science.
This mysterious force appears to be accelerating the expansion of the Universe. Recognition of its existence and effect in 1998 earned three scientists a Nobel Prize last year.
Euclid will investigate the phenomenon by mapping the three-dimensional distribution of galaxies.
The patterns in the great voids that exist between these objects can be used as a kind of “yardstick” to measure the expansion through time.
Again, ground-based surveys have done this for small volumes of the sky; Euclid however will measure the precise positions of some two billion galaxies out to about 10 billion light-years from Earth.
Euclid was selected as a “medium class” mission, meaning its cost to ESA should be close 475 million Euros. The fact that member states are going 125 million Euros beyond this “guide price” gives an indication of just how highly this mission is regarded.
“ESA have realized this science is so compelling, they just have to do it,” said Prof. Bob Nichol from the University of Portsmouth, UK.
“They’ve got a great design and great team, and bravo to them for getting on with it. Every so often you do things that are revolutionary, and Euclid will be one of those transformational missions.”
Flying Euclid will give Europe an important lead in a key area of astrophysics.
The Americans would dearly love to fly their own version of Euclid, but there is no money in the NASA budget currently to make this happen.
The US agency was recently gifted two Hubble-class spy telescopes by the National Reconnaissance Office, but even with this donation NASA is short of the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to turn one of them into a dark mission.
One key design difference between the US concept and Euclid would be the emphasis the American mission would place on using exploded stars, supernovas, as markers to measure the expansion rate of the Universe.
This was the approach used by the Nobel Prize winners (Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess of the US and Brian Schmidt of Australia). It is not a technique in the primary science of Euclid, but Prof. Bob Nichol said it could be deployed at some stage.
“That option is still there and is still being debated,” he said.
“It could be done at the end of the main mission, if we get an extension. We could also do some supernova work during the mission. If certain parts of the sky that we want to look at are not immediately amenable, we could go look for supernovas.
“I believe we could do a fantastic supernova survey, and the Nobel Prize winners are very much involved in how to build such a programme into Euclid. They’re brilliant scientists and it would be awesome to have them on board.”
The instrument will produce pictures of the sky more than 100 times larger than Hubble can. This will minimise the amount of “stitching” of images required to build Euclid’s maps, making it easier to trace some of the subtle effects astronomers are trying to detect.
Chinese political activist and artist Ai Weiwei says police have prevented him from leaving his Beijing studio to attend a court hearing on his tax evasion case.
Ai Weiwei said that a number of police cars arrived at his studio and an employee filming the vehicles was roughed up.
Tax authorities imposed a $2.4 million fine on Ai Weiwei’s firm for tax evasion in 2011.
Supporters say the fine is politically motivated.
The Chinese authorities maintain that the firm, called Fake Cultural Development, owes them money and it must be paid back.
Ai Weiwei said that a number of police cars arrived at his studio and an employee filming the vehicles was roughed up
While Ai Weiwei is a designer for Fake Cultural Development, his wife is the legal representative of his company. She is believed to be attending the hearing in Beijing.
Ai Weiwei, 54, said on Twitter that the police had destroyed the camera of one of his employees. There were also photos showing injuries that his employee suffered after being roughed up by police.
The artist, a outspoken critic of the government, was detained for almost three months without charge last year. After he was released, he was accused of tax evasion and the fine imposed.
Ai Weiwei has said that the tax bill is pay-back for his activism. He challenged the fine in court, saying proper procedure was not followed.
A Beijing court then agreed to hear the case, a move that caught him by surprise.
Scientists have unraveled the mystery of the elephant’s long pregnancy.
A quirk of biology allows the unborn calf to develop in the womb for almost two years (22 months), giving it the brain power it needs to survive from birth.
The research, detailed in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, will help elephant breeding programmes in zoos.
It may also lead to the development of a contraceptive to control wild populations of elephants in Africa.
Dr. Imke Lueders, of the Liebniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany, said: “It is very important to study the reproduction of elephants.
“The increased knowledge that we gained through this research can help in the future with elephant breeding management because we have an idea of how the pregnancy is maintained.”
A quirk of biology allows the unborn calf to develop in the womb for almost two years (22 months), giving it the brain power it needs to survive from birth
Elephants are highly sociable mammals with a high level of intelligence similar to that of great apes and dolphins.
They have the longest-known gestational period of any animal, lasting up to 680 days.
Elephants are born with an advanced level of brain development, which they use to recognize the complex social structure of the herd and to feed themselves with their dextrous trunks.
Until now, the biological processes behind the mammal’s marathon pregnancy has not been fully understood.
But the advent of advanced ultrasound methods has given veterinary scientists a new tool to monitor elephant pregnancies in more detail, as they seek to improve breeding programmes in zoos, including elephant IVF.
Seventeen African and Asian elephants at zoos in the UK, Canada, US, Australia and Germany, including ZSL Whipsnade and Twycross Zoo, were examined in the study.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows the elephant has a unique cycle of ovulation.
Dr. Imke Lueders said the extended pregnancy was “due to a novel hormonal mechanism, which has not been described in any other species of animal”.
Ovulation is triggered by two surges of the reproductive hormone LH (luteinising hormone), while the pregnancy is maintained by hormones secreted by several ovarian bodies known as corpus lutea.
The knowledge will help conservation efforts to help elephants in the wild, as well as in zoos.
Dr. Dennis Schmitt is Director of Research and Conservation at the Centre for Elephant Conservation, set up to safe-guard the future of the Asian elephant.
Commenting on the study, he said: “Not only is the long gestation of elephants unusual (22 months), but the long birth interval (4-5 years between calves) along with a long interval between generations of elephants (average approximately 20 plus years), complicates efforts to manage declining populations of free ranging endangered elephants.”
The research may also help scientists develop a contraceptive for elephants. While some species of elephant are endangered, other populations have grown, leading some to advocate controlling numbers by contraception or, more controversially, culling.
French police say four people have been taken hostage in CIC bank in the city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda.
The man fired a shot and demanded to speak to the elite police unit which shot Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah.
Mohamed Merah, who claimed to have al-Qaeda training, killed seven people in Toulouse in March before he was shot dead by police.
The director of the bank, a branch of CIC, is said to be among the hostages.
French police say four people have been taken hostage in CIC bank in the city of Toulouse by a man claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda
The regional newspaper Ouest-France says the area around the bank has been sealed off by the security forces.
“We do not know if his claim about al-Qaeda is serious or a fantasy,” a police union source told Ouest-France.
The bank is 100 metres (330 ft) from Mohamed Merah’s flat.
Mohamed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, killed seven people in three separate attacks. His victims included three children and a teacher at a Jewish school, and three soldiers.
He was shot dead by a police sniper on 22 March after commandos stormed his flat.
In the wake of the shootings, the French authorities set up an investigation into whether Mohamed Merah had accomplices and into possible Islamist indoctrination practices in prisons.
Mary-Kate Olsen and her new boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy enjoyed a day out in New York with his young daughter last Thursday.
As Mary-Kate Olsen, 26 smoked cigarettes, the half brother of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, placed his arms around his two girls who appear to be the same height.
The daughter, whose name and age are unknown, is the child of the investment banker’s former wife Charlotte Bernard, whom he divorced in 2010.
As they strolled through New York’s trendy West Village neighborhood together, Mary-Kate Olsen chatted to the young brunette girl who seemed at ease in her company.
Mary-Kate Olsen kept her sunglasses on during the day and even into the evening before the group went for dinner in the West Village.
During dinner, she was spotted indulging in another cigarette as she sat on the footpath outside the restaurant.
Mary-Kate Olsen and her new boyfriend Olivier Sarkozy enjoyed a day out in New York with his young daughter last Thursday
Olivier Sarkozy, 42, was also spotted smoking a cigarette as he clung onto his daughter’s hand and kept his other arm on Mary-Kate Olsen’s shoulder.
Charlotte Bernard is not likely to be impressed by the outing as she spoke out about her disapproval over her ex-husband’s new relationship earlier this month.
Branding their union as “grotesque”, Charlotte Bernanrd told the National Enquirer that it was also “not right”.
An insider also told the National Enquirer: “Charlotte certainly won’t want her kids to be around Mary-Kate, who has a history of wild-partying and booze binges.”
Charlotte Bernard and Olivier Sarkozy also have a son together.
His name is unknown also however both children are said to attend one of New York’s most prestigious schools.
Mary Kate Olsen is 17 years her boyfriend’s junior but they are said to be “head over heels” after being spotted cuddling up to each other at Madison Square Gardens on April 25.
Charlotte Bernard – a children’s book author – married Olivier Sarkozy in 1997 and divorced him around 13 years later.
Olivier Sarkozy has previously been linked to actress Stella Schabnel, 29.
When the unlikely new couple was first snapped at the New York Knicks game at the end of April, he was seen stroking Mary-Kate Olsen’s hair and whispering in her ear.
They are also said to have enjoyed a break together in the Hamptons recently.
Talks between three Greek parties on forming a new coalition government are set to resume on Wednesday, amid intense international pressure.
New Democracy, the conservative winner of Sunday’s election, is expected to lead the new government.
Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos said a government could be formed by midday on Wednesday.
New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras’s three-day mandate to form a government expires on Wednesday.
It is unclear whether Pasok, which came third in the vote, will join the government, or merely support it.
The third party is Democratic Left. Between them, the three parties would have a majority of 29 seats in parliament.
They all favor keeping Greece in the euro while wanting to renegotiate terms of its EU-IMF bailouts, although they differ on the extent.
However, European leaders have indicated that there is limited room for manoeuvre and are expecting details on how the new government intends to make another 11.7 billion Euros ($14.8 billion) of cuts by 2014.
New Democracy won 129 seats in Greece’s 300-seat parliament on Sunday, followed by the radical anti-bailout party, Syriza, with 71, Pasok with 33 and the Democratic Left with 17.
New Democracy won 129 seats in Greece's 300-seat parliament on Sunday, followed by the radical anti-bailout party, Syriza, with 71, Pasok with 33 and the Democratic Left with 17
World powers have urged Greece to move swiftly to form a government.
Speaking after talks between the three parties in parliament on Tuesday, Eavngelos Venizelos said a government “must be formed as soon as possible”.
He said his party would support the government “wholeheartedly”, but had not yet decided what form its participation would take.
If Antonis Samaras fails to form a government by the deadline on Wednesday, Syriza would be given a chance, followed by Pasok.
But Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has said he will not even attempt to do so. He has also refused to join a government led by New Democracy.
Two international bailouts have been awarded to Greece, an initial package worth 110 billion Euros ($138 billion) in 2010, then a follow-up last year worth 130 billion Euros ($164 billion), but they come with tough austerity measures attached.
Greece has also had 107 billion Euros ($135 billion) of debt, held by private investors, written off.
Bailout deal – Greek pledges
• Cut 15,000 state sector jobs this year – aiming for 150,000 to be cut by 2015
• Cut minimum wage by 22%, to about 600 Euros a month
• Pension cut worth 300 million Euros this year
• Spending cuts of more than 3 billion Euros this year
• Liberalize labor laws to make hiring and firing easier
• Boost tax collection
• Carry out privatizations worth 15 billion Euros by 2015
• Open up more professions to competition (health, tourism and real estate)
• Greece aims to cut its debt burden to 116% of GDP by 2020
Sina Weibo, China’s biggest Twitter-like microblogging platform, is introducing a membership charge for premium features.
For a monthly fee of 10 yuan ($1.57) its 300 million users can add personalized pages, voice posts and better security, among other services.
The move could help return the firm to profit. It posted a $13.7 million loss for its first quarter in May.
One analyst called it a “bold move”, adding Twitter was unlikely to follow.
Sina Weibo is introducing a total of 15 added VIP features, according to the Tech in Asia blog.
It said the move built on other recent innovations added to the platform including social games and a virtual currency called Weibi.
One Beijing-based business consultant noted the decision to charge fees had followed government pressure on the business to boost efforts to filter out illegal posts by some of its members, increasing its costs.
Sina Weibo, China's biggest Twitter-like microblogging platform, is introducing a membership charge for premium features
“Weibo has become an indispensable tool to Chinese netizens, although some argue of late that it has become less compelling due to the restrictions,” said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA.
“But for Sina of course ultimately its aim is not to run the service as a charity.
“This could be a tricky situation – if they push too far to monetize they could tarnish their brand, but if they don’t succeed in converting all this traffic to commercial value then it’s ultimately unsustainable in the long term.”
While the move may prove a success for the Chinese firm, independent media analyst Mark Mulligan suggested it would be a mistake for western social networks to follow at this point.
“It’s a very brave move, and I do not think it is likely that Twitter would follow a similar route, certainly not at this stage,” he said.
“In order to start charging for something that people expect to be free, a company has to be very confident of its market position.
“Any social tool faces competition – Facebook has done a lot trying to emulate microblogging with its timeline features. If Twitter tried to [introduce fees], Facebook would capitalise on that and try to implement a much richer set of services entirely free.”
He added that the dynamics were different in China and Sina Weibo might not be afraid of competition since other domestic web giants, such as Tencent and Renren, had also introduced membership fees for some add-on services.
A spokeswoman for Twitter said the firm did not comment on other companies, adding that its business model remained based on advertising.
