Tiger Woods and his new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn seem to be proving the doubters wrong.
The acknowledged philanderer and his ski star girlfriend appear to be going from strength-to-strength as evidenced by the sight of them taking his children by Elin Nordegren to school together on Tuesday.
Low-key and subtly loved up, Tiger Woods, 37, and Lindsey Vonn, 28, looked content as they accompanied Sam, 5, and 4-year-old Charlie on their mini commute.
Tiger Woods and new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn play happy families as they drop his children off at school
Tiger Woods dropped the children at North Palm Beach, Florida, with his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn.
In November 2009, it was revealed that Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife Elin Nordegren with nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel. In the month that followed, dozens of other women came forward claiming they had s** with Tiger, too.
Tiger Woods reportedly confessed to sleeping with more than 120 women as he sought treatment for s** addiction.
The child prodigy golfer saw his ranking plummet for a few years following the adultery scandal, but recently returned to form and the number one ranking.
An M1 motorway driver has described the moment she nearly ran over George Michael as he lay covered in blood on the road after falling from his car at 70 mph.
Katherine Fox, 23, was travelling behind a silver Range Rover when George Michael tumbled out of the passenger door onto the third lane of the carriageway.
She and other drivers managed to skid to a halt just in time before dashing to help George Michael, who was conscious but in shock, she told The Sun.
George Michael’s Adidas tracksuit was ripped and his trainers and trademark designer sunglasses had been torn off, she said.
Katherine Fox added: “There was a nasty cut on his forehead and the back of his head. There was blood all down his face and on his teeth. He was lucky he didn’t die.”
George Michael, 49, fell out of the car while travelling on a four-lane stretch of the M1 near St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Thursday.
Katherine Fox said she was told he may have been trying to open and close the door because it was not shut properly.
Two friends he was travelling with pulled over onto the hard shoulder and ran across to tend to the pop star.
Meanwhile, Katherine Fox reversed her Mini to a point in the carriageway where it shielded him from oncoming traffic as an off-duty police officer helped to direct vehicles around the scene.
George Michael fell out of his car at 70 mph while travelling on a four-lane stretch of M1 motorway
Katherine Fox, a children’s nanny, told The Sun: “George didn’t say anything, he just seemed in shock. He was sitting down against a car and in the arms of his friend.
“The guy holding him was quite scared. If he’d landed in the second lane he would have been hit by a car without a doubt.”
M1 motorway was closed while George Michael was airlifted to hospital with a head injury.
The singer was initially reported that he had been well enough to be discharged later that day.
But a spokeswoman for George Michael today confirmed he remains in hospital for observations, although she insisted he was “fine”.
She said: “He’s still in hospital, but this is standard practice to keep an eye on him.
“He has a couple of bumps and grazes and cuts to the head, but he’s making good progress and looking forward to getting out.”
Police are investigating the incident.
Speaking at George Michael’s home in Highgate, North London, hours after the crash, the singer’s boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, 39, said: “He is perfectly fine. Of course I was worried, but I have spoken to him and he is good.
“He suffered a few bruises but there is nothing to worry about. I have no idea what happened, I wasn’t there.”
Lady Gaga has been reunited with her favorite heels as she hit the town in New York in her trademark super high boots.
Lady Gaga’s re-emergence comes after she was seen wheeling around the Big Apple in a gold wheelchair, and then kitten heels.
A brief appearance at the premiere of The Great Gatsby revealed a severe short crop, but it seems that was a side show for the main event as she attended the Versace Versus party back to her usual self complete with long blonde hair and Frankenstein height boots.
Lady Gaga, 27, wore an asymmetric babydoll style minidress, presumably by Versace, which she accessorized with a yellow fur clutch.
Lady Gaga has been reunited with her favorite heels as she hit the town in New York in her trademark super high boots
However, the singer didn’t look completely confident, as she reached out to a pole for balance.
Lady Gaga clearly can’t wait to get back into the mix after being out of action for almost four months, as she reportedly played partygoers at the fashion event snippets of her new album.
The singer has been lying low since undergoing an operation on her hip to deal with a labral tear in February. She was forced to cancel her Born This Way Ball tour and doctors told her to take six months off.
Lady Gaga revealed on Twitter that she dealt with chronic pain for several months prior to seeking medical help, but chose to ignore its effects rather than disappoint her fans.
She has kept a low profile throughout her recovery, but was photographed in Chicago, Illinois, for her birthday last month.
Lady Gaga was seen in a wheelchair while visiting boyfriend Taylor Kinney, who works on location in the city filming the NBC drama Chicago Fire.
But clearly she couldn’t wait to dig out her boots as she enjoyed a night out.
However, Lady Gaga’s re-emergence in heels may be somewhat premature – as doctors have banned the singer from performing until September.
Friends said the decision had left her crushed. A source told The Mirror: “She has a bunch of projects she wants to roll on but she needs clearance from doctors. It’s really frustrating for her. She won’t be back in action until September.”
In another of her infrequent appearances, Lady Gaga – whose real name is Stephani Germanotta- showed off a platinum blonde bob in April as she enjoyed a night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
The singer was wearing white power, heavy blush and winged eyeliner and a white top with plunging back.
Accompanied by a blonde friend, Lady Gaga looked rather sleepy as she rode home in the white convertible.
As she is taking time out of the spotlight to recuperate from her injury, Lady Gaga was probably enjoying the rest from her dramatic hairstyles or wigs we often see her sporting.
She previously admitted in an interview that she has to get her hair cut short quite regularly because her locks are in such bad condition from all the chemicals and dye she uses.
Lady Gaga, a natural brunette, told People magazine two years ago: “I have to get a chemical haircut because my blonde hair is falling out.”
The family who now lives in the home where Jodi Arias killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander is treated to a constant stream of unwanted visitors who drive past the home because of their morbid fascination about the case.
Travis Alexander’s home was sold in foreclosure in 2009, the year after he was stabbed nearly 30 times and shot by Jodi Arias.
“I was a little nervous about it. My husband, though, it didn’t bother him. He said, <<This is a good deal. It’s a beautiful home. It’s in a great school district>>,” the homeowner told USA Today.
“When we signed the papers, we didn’t realize this was going to be that big of a case.”
The couple and their three sons, who are not releasing their name, have had to adapt to a lurid following of people from mostly outside of Arizona who have become enthralled with the case.
The murder trial, which began on January 2, 2013, is just now beginning to wind down with the closing arguments expected later this week.
That said, the jury could deliberate for weeks, causing the spectacle around the murder- and in turn, this home- to continue for many.
“A lot of people came by the house on their spring break – it was really bad with people showing up around that time,” the homeowner said to USA Today.
Travis Alexander’s home was sold in foreclosure in 2009, the year after he was stabbed nearly 30 times and shot by Jodi Arias
“There was a lady who drove up from Casa Grande and said she wanted to talk to me so she could get <<closure>>.”
The family that bought the home did so after seeing more than 150 others in their search, including a number of vandalized abandoned homes.
As such, it came as little surprise when parts of the carpet were missing along with faucets and the shower.
At the time, the family didn’t realized that they had been collected as evidence by investigators trying to piece together who had stabbed Travis Alexander, and left his dead body in his shower for five days before anyone called the police.
That said, the murder kept the price of the home down meaning that the family paid $206,000 for it in 2009, as compared to the $250,000 that Travis Alexander had paid for it in 2004.
The family’s offer on the house was accepted before they learned about the murder, but they still decided to go ahead with the deal once they were informed by the realtor and read up on the circumstances of the 30-year-old’s death.
The family’s three boys- and massive redesign inside the home- now reportedly give it a “cozy” feel, and while the homeowner will not release photos of the new decorating scheme, she says it looks nothing like the crime scene photos presented to the jury (and the public) during the lengthy trial.
The case has reignited interest in the case and now the family has to deal with a steady stream of self-guided tours.
“We’ve had people pull in our driveway and stop and park and get their cell phones out and take pictures of the house,” the homeowner told CNN.
“I am hoping that once this trial is over this can kind of become our home instead of Jodi Arias’ home or Travis Alexander’s old home.”
Carl Pistorius, brother of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, has been acquitted of culpable homicide over the death of a motorcyclist in South Africa.
A magistrate ruled that Carl Pistorius, 28, had not been negligent in the death of Marietjie Barnard in March 2008.
The prosecution admitted it had been unable to prove the charges and said it would take no further action.
The case had attracted attention as it came to court shortly after Oscar Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Carl Pistorius, brother of Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, has been acquitted of culpable homicide over the death of a motorcyclist in South Africa
Oscar Pistorius, 26, is charged with premeditated murder for the Valentine’s Day shooting, but says he mistook 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp for a burglar.
Carl Pistorius cried with relief, reported AP news agency, as the magistrate acquitted him of the charges against him, which also included reckless driving.
Instead, the magistrate ruled, Marietjie Barnard, 36, had been driving excessively fast when she crashed into the back of his vehicle.
“We are satisfied with the outcome and Carl is also happy to see the end of this case,” said Carl Pistorius’ lawyer Kenny Oldwage following the hearing at Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court south of Johannesburg.
The head of the European Commission has told the European Parliament he wants EU-wide exchange of income data as part of the fight against tax evasion.
Jose Manuel Barroso said he would urge Wednesday’s summit of EU leaders to support automatic exchange of people’s earnings data between tax authorities.
Tax evasion costs EU states 1 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) a year, more than was spent on healthcare in 2008.
MEPs are expected to call for a Europe-wide blacklist of tax havens.
Pressure is likely to be put on Switzerland to relax banking secrecy amid anger over revelations about Greek and French politicians holding secret Swiss bank accounts.
The debate comes a day after UK Prime Minister David Cameron urged British overseas territories which operate low-tax regimes to “get their house in order” and sign up to international treaties on tax.
Jose Manuel Barroso said he wanted to see the principle of automatic exchange “become the standard at international level as well”.
The US Senate is currently scrutinizing the low global tax payments of Apple Inc and its subsidiaries in the Republic of Ireland in particular.
The main subsidiary, a holding company that includes Apple’s retail stores throughout Europe, has not paid any corporate income tax in the last five years, a Senate memorandum says.
In his speech to the parliament, Jose Manuel Barroso asked: “How can we explain to honest households and businesses who are feeling the squeeze yet still paying their fair share of taxes, that there are other parts of society and enterprise who are deliberately avoiding paying up?”
Jose Manuel Barroso said he would urge Wednesday’s summit of EU leaders to support automatic exchange of people’s earnings data between tax authorities
A trillion euros was, he said, “a huge amount of money to simply let through the net”.
He said he would make a call at Wednesday’s summit of EU leaders for the EU to adopt automatic exchange of income information on 1 January 2015.
EU tax authorities, he pointed out, already automatically exchanged information for income such as employment, pensions and insurance but he was proposing to include “all relevant types of income, such as dividends and capital gains”.
Austria, which has a strong tradition of banking secrecy, would support EU efforts to exchange information on foreign depositors, Chancellor Werner Faymann was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency on Tuesday.
“We won’t be the ones who put on the brakes and block things, and not the ones whose concerns put up blockades,” he said.
He noted that 1 trillion euros was “pretty much exactly the EU budget for the next seven years”.
Europe’s cash-strapped governments cannot afford to lose a single cent in tax revenue, let alone 1 trillion euros a year.
At Tuesday’s debate, non-EU member Switzerland is expected to come under pressure to put in place new rules.
Even top Swiss bankers now admit time is running out for its trademark banking secrecy.
Last week EU finance ministers agreed to start talks with Switzerland, along with Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and San Marino, on swapping bank account information.
Attempts to tighten up on tax evasion follow a furor in Greece over the so-called Lagarde list, containing the names of more than 2,000 Greeks including senior politicians with Swiss bank accounts.
More recently, France’s Socialist government was hit by a scandal, as former Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac was forced to resign over tax fraud allegations.
He later admitted that he had hidden about 600,000 euros in a Swiss bank account.
Scientists say they have found an answer to why the penguin is unable to fly.
Researchers believe that the bird’s underwater prowess may have cost it its ability to fly.
By looking at seabirds closely related to the penguin, scientists confirmed that a wing that is good for flying cannot also be good for diving and swimming.
The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Professor John Speakman, from the Scottish University of Aberdeen and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “Like many people, I’ve always been interested in penguins, and seeing them do these phenomenal marches across the ice, I’ve often thought: <<Why don’t they just fly?>>
“And it’s really great to be involved in the group of people that have solved it.”
There are several long-standing theories about why birds cannot fly.
Researchers believe that the penguin’s underwater prowess may have cost it its ability to fly
One idea is that some species became flightless because of a lack of predators on the ground.
“The other idea is a <<biomechanical hypothesis>>,” explained Prof. John Speakman.
“When the bird is flying and diving it has to use its wings to do two different things. The biomechanical hypothesis is that you cannot build a wing that is good at doing both.”
To investigate, the researchers looked at a close relative of the penguin: the guillemot.
This black-and-white seabird not only looks a lot like a penguin, it can swim nearly as well. But unlike the penguin it can fly.
The researchers analyzed the amount of energy that the bird was using.
They found that it could dive with relative ease, but while flying was much more tiring for the guillemot.
Prof. John Speakman said: “The energy costs are very very high. These birds have these very short wings and they have to beat them at an incredible speed to stay in the air. It is exhausting for them.”
The researchers believe that the guillemot is using so much energy, it is only just able to keep itself aloft.
They said that the bird represented a tipping point between seabirds that are able to both fly and swim, and those that are flightless.
In the past, they suggest, the penguin would have faced an evolutionary trade off between staying airborne or having agility beneath the waves.
Prof. John Speakman explained: “Basically the hypothesis is that as the wings became more and more efficient for them to dive, they became less and less efficient for them to fly.
“At some point it became so <<expensive>> for them to fly, that it was better to give up flying all together and make the wings into small flippers.”
Apple has been accused by US Senate of being “among America’s largest tax avoiders”.
A Senate committee said Apple had used “a complex web of offshore entities” to avoid paying billions of dollars in US income taxes. But it said there was no indication the firm acted illegally.
Apple chief Tim Cook will go before the panel on Tuesday. In prepared testimony Apple said it did not use tax gimmicks.
The Irish Republic, home to three Apple subsidiaries, says it is not to blame for the firm’s low tax payments.
The US Senate had said that Apple paid little or nothing on billions of dollars in profits placed in Irish subsidiaries.
“They are not issues that arise from the Irish taxation system,” Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore told national broadcaster RTE when asked about the Senate committee report.
“They are issues that arise from the taxation systems in other jurisdictions and that is an issue that has to be addressed first of all in those jurisdictions.”
Apple has a cash stockpile of $145 billion, but the Senate committee said $102 billion of this was held offshore.
The company says it is one of the largest taxpayers in the US, having paid $6 billion in federal corporate income tax in the 2012 fiscal year.
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has been examining “methods employed by multinational corporations to shift profits offshore”.
Some large firms in the US have come under fire for their reluctance to repatriate their foreign earnings as they could face a top tax rate of 35%.
US corporation tax is one of the highest in the world at 35%. However, companies typically pay far less, thanks to numerous deductions and exemptions.
In its report into Apple, committee chairman Carl Levin said: “Apple wasn’t satisfied with shifting its profits to a low-tax offshore tax haven.
“Apple sought the Holy Grail of tax avoidance. It has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars, while claiming to be tax resident nowhere.”
Apple has been accused by US Senate of being among America’s largest tax avoiders
Committee member John McCain said: “Apple claims to be the largest US corporate taxpayer, but by sheer size and scale, it is also among America’s largest tax avoiders.”
Apple said in its statement: “Apple does not move its intellectual property into offshore tax havens and use it to sell products back into the US in order to avoid US tax.
“It does not use revolving loans from foreign subsidiaries to fund its domestic operations; it does not hold money on a Caribbean island; and it does not have a bank account in the Cayman Islands.”
It added that it had “substantial” foreign cash because it sells the majority of its products outside the US, and these foreign earnings were taxed in the jurisdictions where they were earned.
The committee has already questioned tech giants Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard over their tax practices.
In September, the committee accused the two firms of using places such as the Cayman Islands, so they do not have to pay US taxes, saying their methods ranged from “egregious to dubious validity”. Both companies deny any wrongdoing.
Five of the top 10 companies with the biggest offshore cash balances are in the technology sector.
Apple said it wanted to see legislation that “dramatically simplifies” the US corporate tax system.
It believes reform should be “revenue neutral, eliminate all corporate tax expenditures, lower corporate income tax rates, and implement a reasonable tax on foreign earnings that allows free movement of capital back to the US”.
Apple said that, though these changes may increase its own taxes, it would not be opposed to such a result “if it occurs in the context of an overall improvement in efficiency, flexibility and competitiveness”.
The company said the changes would stimulate job creation in the US, increase domestic investment and promote economic growth.
Apple drew criticism three weeks ago when it sold $17 billion in bonds to raise cash to fund payouts to shareholders, rather than repatriating some of its cash reserves, which would be taxed in the US.
The move saved the company an estimated $9.2 billion in taxes.
In its prepared testimony, Apple said that the move was in its shareholders’ best interests.
While critics argue that companies shifting their profits overseas is a huge tax avoidance scheme, others want lower rates to encourage firms to invest in the US.
Last week Cisco chief executive John Chambers said his company was likely to invest more overseas if US tax laws were not modified.
“I prefer to have the majority of my employees here in America. That’s the right decision for us, but if we can’t bring our cash back, we’re going to grow dramatically faster overseas in terms of job placements,” he told CNBC.
“I think this is something our country has to fix.”
The US is not the only country trying to ensure companies pay their “fair share” of taxes.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has called for countries to work together to clamp down on tax avoidance.
In the UK, Google, Starbucks and Amazon are among several large companies to face criticism over the amount of corporation tax they pay.
Despite making sales of hundreds of millions of pounds, they reported small profits or even losses in the UK after shifting their earnings to overseas operations.
The row led coffee chain Starbucks to agree to pay more UK corporation tax.
On Sunday, Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt defended his company, saying it had “always aspired to do the right thing”, but added that “international tax law could almost certainly benefit from reform”.
The Chinese fishing crew seized by North Koreans two weeks ago has been freed along with their boat, reports say.
The 16-man crew was taken captive by unidentified North Koreans in the Yellow Sea on May 5.
China said on Monday it had been negotiating with Pyongyang for their release since May 10.
All were “safe on their way back”, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. Boat owner Yu Xuejun told Reuters news agency no ransom had been paid.
Yu Xuejun had earlier said that the North Koreans were demanding a 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom, and that he had received eight calls demanding payment.
“There were no conditions and they didn’t take any money,” he told Reuters.
“They just released them all. I received the call from the ship captain this morning at 03:50 telling me that they had already been released.”
The Chinese fishing crew seized by North Koreans two weeks ago has been freed along with their boat
Last year, in a similar incident, 29 Chinese fishermen and three vessels were seized by unidentified North Koreans.
They were freed after two weeks and it was not clear whether a ransom had been paid, nor whether the captors had been the North Korean authorities or autonomous kidnappers.
China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and closest ally. But ties between the two have chilled in recent months, in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test on February 12.
Beijing backed expanded sanctions against Pyongyang in response to the underground test, and some of its banks have suspended trading with North Korea’s key foreign exchange bank.
Overall tensions on the peninsula remain high following the nuclear test, with operations at the joint inter-Korean Kaesong industrial complex suspended.
In recent days North Korea has fired six short range missiles off its east coast, as part of what it says are military exercises.
Efrain Rios Montt, Guatemala’s former military leader, has had his conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity overturned.
The constitutional court said the trial must go back to where it stood on April 19 and restart from that point.
On May 10, General Efrain Rios Montt, 86, was convicted of ordering the deaths of 1,771 people of the Ixil Maya ethnic group during his time in office in 1982-83.
He was sentenced to 80 years in prison. The former leader denies the charges.
The constitutional court on Monday threw out all proceedings in the case after the April day when there was a dispute between two judges about who should hear the case.
The ruling follows an appeal by Gen. Efrain Rios Montt’s defense lawyers, who argued that procedural errors had been committed.
Efrain Rios Montt, Guatemala’s former military leader, has had his conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity overturned.
The trial – which began in March – was beset by delays and even a temporary suspension.
During the hearings, dozens of victims gave harrowing testimony about atrocities committed by soldiers.
Gen. Efrain Rios Montt became the first former leader to be found guilty of genocide by a national tribunal in May.
Now, just days later, the jubilant scenes among indigenous campaigners in a packed court were contrasted sharply with the low-key press conference in which this latest legal twist was announced.
The decision to annul the sentence does not signal the end of the legal battle either for the prosecution or for Efrain Rios Montt as both sides will now start preparing to return to court to replay the final few weeks of the trial.
An estimated 200,000 people were killed in Guatemala’s 1960-1996 civil war, the vast majority of them indigenous Mayans.
Efrain Rios Montt’s 17 months in power are believed to have been one of the most violent periods of the war.
The former general abandoned politics in 2012, after serving in Congress for a number of years.
Efrain Rios Montt is now expected to leave the military hospital where he is currently being held and return to his home under house arrest.
Alec Baldwin famously lost his cool with film producer Harvey Weinstein at last year’s Cannes film festival.
But it appears that Alec Baldwin, 55, has managed to keep his fiery temper under control this time around.
Looking dapper and thankfully relaxed on the red carpet on Monday alongside his pregnant wife Hilaria Baldwin, 29, Alec was in Cannes to promote his new documentary film Seduced and Abandoned.
Alec Baldwin’s HBO documentary Seduced and Abondoned – directed by his friend James Toback – was filmed during last year’s film festival and follows the actor running between yachts and hotels trying to pitch a movie he hopes to finance and make.
It also includes interviews conducted by Alec Baldwin with directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese, as well as actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain.
And it was during this process that Alec Baldwin lost his temper with Harvey Weinstein, who wouldn’t help Alec finance the film.
Hilaria Baldwin brought the glamour to Cannes in her glittering grey dress and pink heels, despite being heavily pregnant
Alec Baldwin allegedly called the 60-year-old producer a “f***ing douchebag” after he refused Alec’s pitch.
But Alec Baldwin was quick to issue Harvey Weinstein with an apology by writing him a note at the amfAR charity event last year.
Harvey Weinstein said in a statement: “Alec couldn’t have been more gracious. We all lose our tempers sometime; trust me I have, too. We all appreciated his generosity to everyone at amfAR.”
His reps also explained that Harvey Weinstein couldn’t be involved in Alec Baldwin’s project because he had a hectic schedule at the time.
Filmmaker James Toback’s most recent film was the 2008 documentary on boxer Mike Tyson called Tyson.
Hopefully Alec Baldwin was able to keep his well-documented temper at bay during the rest of the filming.
Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria brought the glamour to Cannes in her glittering grey dress and pink heels, despite being heavily pregnant.
Hilaria Baldwin, who was recently named on Vanity Fair‘s list of the best dressed pregnant celebrities, tweeted ahead of her arrival to the festival that she would be missing her two dogs, saying: “It’s even harder leaving them while I’m pregnant. Their cries make me cry!”
Alec Baldwin, who has a 17-year-old daughter Ireland with ex-wife Kim Basinger, recently revealed his delight at becoming a father once again with his Yoga teacher wife Hilaria Thomas.
The actor said: “It’s really like a dream come true.
“Because as much as I have struggled as a divorced parent – and God knows, I’ve had my ups and downs – the only thing that I regret was that I missed so much of my daughter’s childhood because of this contentious situation.”
Jennifer Lawrence has hit the X-Men set like a bolt from the blue and her fans have been given a glimpse of the 22-year-old star in all her painted glory as she reprises her role as Mystique in the hit franchise.
In a snap shared on Twitter by the film’s director Bryan Singer, Jennifer Lawrence is covered in the bright color to record scenes in the Days of Future Past edition of the motion picture franchise.
Bryan Singer captioned the image: “First look: #JenniferLawrence as a vengeful #Mystique. #XMen #DaysOfFuturePast.”
The material showed off her toned stomach with a cut-out middle section and featured textured pieces to create reptile effect for the Marvels Comics mutant.
Jennifer Lawrence also wore her usually blonde locks slicked back into a flaming orange style while on set in Montreal, Canada.
Her looks were being adjusted by a hair and make-up team member as she stood in front of a green screen.
Jennifer Lawrence is covered in blue to record scenes in the Days of Future Past edition of X-Men franchise
The backdrop is for use in a special effects post-production technique to composition two images or video streams together.
Jennifer Lawrence wore piercing yellow eye contact lenses and even the whites of her eyes seemed to be temporarily dyed to for the eerie look.
The actress also played Mystique/Raven in 2011’s X-Men: First Class and so for the sequel is her only film set for release in 2014.
However, this year Jennifer Lawrence will also reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire alongside Liam Hemsworth.
In 2013 she also is due to appear in American Hustle with Silver Linings Playbook co-star Bradley Cooper, plus Devil You Know and Serena.
Jennifer Lawrence’s ex-boyfriend Nicholas Hoult appears as Hank McCoy/beast, while Jame McAvoy portrays Charles Xavier and Ellen Page is Kitty Pride/Shadowcat.
At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise.
Worst hit was Moore, south of Oklahoma City, where neighborhoods were flattened and schools were destroyed by winds of up to 200mph.
About 120 people, including 70 children, are being treated in hospitals for their injuries.
Search and rescue efforts are continuing throughout the night.
Monday’s twister hit Moore, a suburb of about 55,000 people, and remained on the ground for about 45 minutes.
The Oklahoma chief medical examiner’s office said children were among the 51 dead.
At least two schools were devastated by the high winds, and there are reports that children are still unaccounted for.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said it was a “tragic” day, and that President Barack Obama had called her to offer assistance.
At least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs
More than 200 Oklahoma National Guardsmen as well as out-of-state personnel have been called in to assist the search-and-rescue effort.
Shocked survivors spoke of the tornado’s power.
“We locked the cellar door once we saw it coming, it got louder and next thing you know is you see the latch coming undone,” survivor Ricky Stover said.
“We couldn’t reach for it and it ripped open the door and just glass and debris started slamming on us and we thought we were dead, to be honest.”
Melissa Newton said: “There’s shingles and pieces of sheet rock and wood in our yard and all across our neighborhood. Some homes are completely gone. It’s devastating.”
James Rushing said he had rushed to the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where his foster son Aiden was a pupil, to see it destroyed by the storm.
“About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said Monday’s tornado had generated winds of up to 200 mph.
“It’s certainly the most powerful tornado that I’ve ever dealt with in my 20 years with the weather service,” said NWS meteorologist Rick Smith in Norman, Oklahoma.
The town of Moore was hit by a severe tornado in May 1999, which had the highest winds ever recorded on Earth.
But Betsy Randolph of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local news station Skynews 9 that the damage on Monday appeared to exceed that of the last devastating tornado.
Tornadoes, hail and high winds also hit Iowa and Kansas, part of a storm system stretching from Texas to Minnesota.
On Sunday, a tornado smashed a trailer park on Highway 102 near Shawnee, Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s state medical examiner confirmed on Monday that two people had been killed in the area.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founder member of the 1960s rock band The Doors, has died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 74.
He formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
Ray Manzarek, who had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, with his wife and brothers at his bedside.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founder member of the 1960s rock band The Doors, has died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 74
The Doors found fame in the 1960s with hits such as The End, Break on Through to the Other Side and Hello I Love You.
They sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and Ray Manzarek became one of the best-known keyboardists of his era, his artistry coloring tracks like Riders on the Storm and Light my Fire.
The death of Jim Morrison of heart failure in a bath in Paris on 3 July 1971 effectively spelled the end for the band, although Chicago-born Ray Manzarek took on singing duty.
The front man had moved to the city to write. A doctor’s report stated the cause of his death was heart failure aggravated by heavy drinking.
In his latter years, Ray Manzarek played in other bands and, in 1998, wrote a best-selling memoir, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors.
Actress Christine White, who played a calming wife on a classic 1963 Twilight Zone episode that featured a young William Shatner, has died at age 86.
Christine White portrayed Julia Wilson in Nightmare at 20,000 Feet in which her husband Bob, portrayed by William Shatner, becomes unnerved after seeing a gremlin on the wing of the mid-flight plane.
The tension mounts throughout the episode as Bob has just returned from a sanitarium following a nervous breakdown six months prior that also occurred on a plane.
The situation becomes tense as the gremlin starts pulling wires from a wing panel and jumps out of view each time someone else looks out the window.
Show host Rod Serling told viewers early in the episode that Bob’s destination on the flight was the “darkest corner of the Twilight Zone”.
Christine White died on April 14 in a nursing home in Washington, according to a death notice published earlier this month in The Carroll County Times in Maryland, according to a report by The New York Times.
Christine White played a calming wife on a classic 1963 Twilight Zone episode that featured a young William Shatner
She was born in Washington and moved to New York to pursue a career in theatre after graduating in 1947 with a degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christine White made it to Hollywood by the 1950s and appeared on TV shows and in the movies into the 1970s.
She had acting roles in Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Rifleman, The Untouchables and Father Knows Best during her career.
Her survivors include numerous nieces and nephews.
Christine White in the classic Twilight Zone episode does her best to soothe her increasingly agitated husband as the plane travels in stormy, lightning-filled weather.
Fearing for the safety of the plane’s passengers, Bob lifts a sleeping policeman’s gun and opens the emergency exit.
He’s nearly blown away, but fires and strikes the gremlin.
While Bob is being taken away on a gurney, Rob Serling promises he won’t be confined for long as the viewer sees the wing panel ripped by the gremlin.
William Shatner, who went onto fame as Capt. James T. Kirk on television’s Star Trek, posted a Twitter message on Sunday saying that he was thinking about Christine White’s family.
A video has surfaced from Brazil depicting the hilarious struggle of a man attempting to escape a cheating woman’s bedroom after her husband has come home.
And it’s out a third story window.
As the drama begins, a husband and wife are seen arguing on the third-floor patio of an urban apartment building.
“Who shirt is this,” demands the husband in Portuguese.
The wife angrily flings the shirt into a whooping crowd that has gathered below.
Their fight is juicy enough as is, but just off to the side a man appears in the couple’s window.
The lover attempting to escape the cheating woman’s bedroom after her husband has come home
Shirtless and angry, the man may be an adulterer but he’s awfully quick-thinking.
He tosses out the window an escape rope he’s managed to fashion from knotted t-shirts and bravely begins to climb down.
On a window sill below, he stops. The cackling crowd mocks both him and the woman’s husband.
“Cornudo,” the growing audience yells at the husband, a Portuguese word for a man being cheated on.
As if a Hollywood celebrity had just fallen from the sky, the passersby hoot and ogle and snap photos.
They chant: “JUMP!” as emergency workers arrive to assist the struggling man. And he does just that.
A soft mat is placed below the shirtless man and the crowd cheers as leaps and bounces down to the street.
Barefoot and scowling, the shirtless man gives the woman and her husband a good shake of the fist, then shakes it at the crowd for good measure and marches out of view.
Yesterday, Jodi Arias’ defense attorneys filed a motion for mistrial as one of their character witnesses scheduled to testify during the May 20, 2013, penalty phase on Arias’ behalf as backed out due to receiving death threats.
This isn’t the first time someone who has testified for Jodi Arias received public backlash. Her ex-boyfriend Darryl Brewer testified and requested his face to be hidden from the camera.
Travis Alexander and Jodi Arias before his murder on June 4, 2008
Criminal defense attorneys Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott are expected to argue eight, mitigating factors hoping the jury will spare Jodi Arias’ life and give her either life in prison without the possibility of parole, or life in prison with parole after 25 years. One of the mitigating factors is that Jodi Arias was 27-years-old at the time she stabbed her lover Travis Alexander 29 times, slit his throat from ear to ear and shot him in the head. If Jodi Arias were sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, she could be looking at getting out of prison when she is approximately 52 years old.
Laura Fernee says her good looks are so powerful they are ruining her life – and have forced her to quit her job.
Laura Fernee, 33, is a science graduate and she says her slim figure and pretty face attracted unwanted attention from her male colleagues.
She also claims she has been ostracized by other women in the workplace who are jealous of her beauty.
Laura Fernee now lives off her wealthy parents after quitting her £30,000 ($47,000) job in scientific research two years ago.
She said her appearance meant she was constantly harassed and bullied, and has decided work “just isn’t for her”.
The woman said: “I’m not lazy and I’m no b***o. The truth is my good looks have caused massive problems for me when it comes to employment, so I’ve made the decision that employment just isn’t for me at the moment. It’s not my fault … I can’t help the way I look.
“Male colleagues were only interested in me for how I looked. I wanted them to recognize my achievements and my professionalism but all they saw was my face and body.”
Laura Fernee claims she is too pretty to get a job
Laura Fernee said men left “romantic gifts” on her desk and she was “constantly asked out”, which she found “sleazy”.
“Even when I was in a laboratory in scrubs with no make-up they still came on to me because of my natural attractiveness. There was nothing I could do to stop it,” she added.
Laura Fernee studied science and medical research to doctorate level and began working in a laboratory in 2008. But she said she was forced to quit three years later because of the treatment she received.
She said: “They [other women] assumed because I was pretty, I was stupid, so didn’t take me seriously at first and, because of their own insecurities, were jealous of my looks.
“Then when they realized I was very good at my job, possibly better than them, they hated me even more.”
Laura Fernee’s parents – Catherine, 65, and Alan, 70 – inherited money from Laura’s grandfather, and now pay £2,000 ($3,000) a month in rent and bills for her flat in Notting Hill, London, as well as picking up her credit card payments.
They also shell out £1,500 ($2,300) a month for her designer clothes, shoes and handbags, and £700 ($1,000) on haircuts.
Laura Fernee pays £80 ($125) a week to work out at the gym and spends £1,000 ($1,500) a month on socializing.
The woman said her critics were “underestimating just what a curse good looks can be in the workplace”.
New research shows that spring cleaning can burn off even more calories than running a marathon.
Houseproud homeowners typically burn up 3,655 calories each year just by cleaning and tidying their homes in time for the summer.
That’s about the same as 30 large glasses of white wine or 20 chocolate eclairs – or a little more than one marathon run.
Over a lifetime this amounts to almost a quarter of a million calories or 783 bacon sandwiches.
The study was carried out with a group of home owners who were asked to monitor the amount of time they spent spring cleaning and the tasks carried out.
Popular tasks included dusting and vacuuming, emptying and cleaning cupboards, scrubbing floors, cleaning windows and moving furniture.
Cleaning cupboards burnt the most calories with those taking part spending on average four hours on this task alone, using up 952 calories. This involved emptying, cleaning out and repacking the cupboards.
Dusting was the least strenuous task burning off just 170 calories per hour. Those being monitored spent two hours doing this gentle task.
The average spring clean took the home owners 16 hours and 20 minutes spread over four days.
At 3,655 calories it was well ahead of a marathon run which typically burns between 2,500 and 3,500 calories depending on the runner’s height, weight and build.
One woman who took part said: “I’m surprised at how many calories I use just by giving the house a thorough clean. There is a lot of stretching and lifting involved so great for the upper body, and walking up and down the stairs and the ladder to get into the loft are great for my legs.
New research shows that spring cleaning can burn off even more calories than running a marathon
“I’m almost tempted to clean up more often now I know how beneficial it is!”
Another added: “I often ache after spring cleaning – now I know why! It is incredibly rewarding to see the house de-cluttered and gleaming, even better when I know I can indulge in a few of my favorite treats without feeling guilty afterwards.”
A spokesperson for PromotionalCodes.org.uk, who conducted the study said: “Housework is a great way to exercise and knowing how many calories it burns makes it much less of a chore. After all, as well as a lovely clean house, we’re also toning, firming and making ourselves much fitter.
“There are lots of time saving devices now which means our spring clean takes less time than it did years ago. But regardless of the help we have, we’re still stretching, lifting, walking and bending – all great for getting our hearts pumping and body working hard.”
Face Trainer, the latest product to hit the market promising a youthful complexion, may leave even the most dedicated beauty disciple at a loss for words.
In the same way that you can lift weights to tone up your sagging arms, you can now exercise your facial muscles using a “Face Trainer”.
Claiming to offer “resistance training” for facial muscles, the Face Trainer resembles a futuristic-looking balaclava that covers the head and neck.
Ten minutes a day of wearing the contraption while completing a range of “exercises” including The Puppy Dog and The Frog is supposedly enough to tighten sagging skin and ease the signs of ageing.
Face Trainer is the latest product to hit the market promising a youthful complexion
Made by the company No!No!, the Face Trainer fits firmly against the skin to provide resistance and helps muscles build and tone to all 44 bilaterally symmetrical muscles of the face and neck.
The Face Trainer is the only FDA registered product of its kind, and the idea is that as the facial muscles become stronger and build they become larger, filling out under the skin and giving a fuller look to the face.
In clinical trials, 71% of users saw a reduction in sagging while 91% of participants said they would recommend the product to a friend.
Just under half of participants (42%) also reported a reduction in both fine and course lines.
Macaulay Culkin is said to be smoking a whopping 60 cigarettes a day, leading to new health fears for the troubled former child star.
“He’s put his nicotine addiction into overdrive,” a source told the National Enquirer.
“Almost every time I see him, he has a cigarette dangling from his lips and is puffing furiously.”
The effects of his unhealthy habit are starting to show, said another source.
“He’s coughing a lot, his teeth are yellowing, and friends and family are worried he’s killing himself.”
Experts tell the publication that Macaulay Culkin ‘s addiction puts him at serious risk of contracting lung cancer.
Macaulay Culkin is said to be smoking a whopping 60 cigarettes a day, leading to new health fears
Jerome Spunberg, a radiation oncologist in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, (who has not treated the star) told the National Enquirer that Macaulay Culkin has “30 times the risk” of dying from the disease than someone who doesn’t smoke.
Another doctor, Herman Kattlove, former spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, said Macaulay Culkin’s lung cancer risk will “eventually exceed 100 times that of a nonsmoker”.
Macaulay Culkin, 32, is also chugging cognac, beer and energy drinks, say insiders.
Sources say his recent troubles are as a result of a recent breakup with a girlfriend, and he also had a run-in with a photographer outside a nightclub in Brighton, UK.
“All of this has Mac very stressed out, and that causes him to smoke more,” said a friend.
Macaulay Culkin is best known for his roles as cheeky Kevin McCallister in the 1990 film Home Alone and the 1992 sequel, Home Alone: Lost In New York.
He also starred in the likes of Uncle Buck, My Girl and Richie Rich.
But his adult career has failed to match the blockbuster success of his childhood days.
These days Macaulay Culkin earns a living deejaying at clubs around New York.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has ordered an inquiry into why his country gave Russia “nul points” at Eurovision Song Contest 2013.
Voters and the official Azerbaijan jury in fact gave strong backing to the Russian entry, according to officials.
Azerbaijan’s state broadcaster suggested there may have been voting violations.
Russia gave the maximum 12 points to Azerbaijan’s entry – a ballad by Farid Mammadov.
Farid Mammadov came second behind winner Emmelie de Forest from Denmark.
Russia’s Dina Garipova came fifth at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in the Swedish city of Malmo
Russia’s Dina Garipova came fifth at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in the Swedish city of Malmo.
Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, disclosed that President Ilham Aliyev had ordered an investigation and votes were being recounted.
He said that a large number of voters in Azerbaijan, submitting votes by text message, had supported the Russian Federation.
“According to this data, Russia should have received 10 points from Azerbaijan. An announcement will be made about this tonight on Azeri Public Television.”
Camil Guliyev, head of the country’s state broadcaster, said the failure to give Russia any points was of serious concern.
“We sincerely hope that this incident, possibly initiated by certain interest groups, will not cast a shadow over the brotherly relations of the Russian and Azerbaijani peoples,” he said, without elaborating.
Azerbaijan, which hosted last year’s contest, has traditionally tried to maintain good relations with Moscow though there have been tensions over energy in the past.
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius will not compete again this year as he awaits trial for murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius, 26, is on bail after being charged with the murder of 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp but can compete before his court case is heard.
His agent, Peet van Zyl, said the six-time Paralympic champion was not mentally ready to return to the track.
“There was never any pressure from me or his coach (Ampie Louw) to return, it’s his decision,” said Peet van Zyl.
It means Oscar Pistorius will not compete in the IPC World Championships in Lyon in July.
Oscar Pistorius was arrested after shooting Reeva Steenkamp dead on February 14 and has not competed since.
Oscar Pistorius will not compete again this year as he awaits trial for murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
The double amputee, known as Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre prosthetic blades he races in, claimed he mistook Reeva Steenkamp for a burglar and has denied murder.
On February 22, Oscar Pistorius was granted bail and had certain conditions lifted which meant he could compete in events outside his homeland.
Coach Ampie Louw was quoted by Eye Witness News in South Africa as saying his athlete was “nowhere close” to being in a position to train.
Oscar Pistorius had not been invited to compete in July’s London Anniversary Games, with UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner saying he did not want the meeting to turn into a “media circus”.
However, Oscar Pistorius’s agent said plenty of meeting organisers had been in touch to invite athlete to compete in their events.
“[There] were a good number, enough to keep him busy through the year,” added Peet van Zyl.
At London 2012, Oscar Pistorius became the first double amputee to run at an Olympics, taking part in both the 400 m and 4×400 m relay.
He then won gold medals in the T44 400 m and T42-46 4×100 m at the Paralympics, as well as silver in the T44 200 m.
Oscar Pistorius is next due in court on June 4 and a trial is expected to take place before the end of this year.
Kate Middleton was left red-faced after the gusts lifted up her polka-dot dress, drawing attention to her thighs.
The Duchess of Cambridge was caught out by the wind as she arrived at the wedding of friends William van Cutsem and Rosie Ruck Keene, in south Oxfordshire, just over a week ago.
Seemingly unaware that her skirt had blown up, revealing her shapely legs, Kate Middleton, 32, gripped her black and white fascinator rather than her hem, laughing as she did so.
It happened as she walked towards St Mary the Virgin Church, in the village of Ewelme in the Chiltern Hills, on Saturday, May 11.
Kate Middleton appeared not to have learned her lesson from the last time she wore the Topshop dress, when she suffered a similar wardrobe malfunction.
The duchess was forced to hold down the back of the black and cream outfit as she arrived at the Hertfordshire-based Warner Bros Studios with Princes William and Harry, last month.
The High Street bargain sold out within hours of her wearing it, but the dress may not get a third showing after proving unsuitable for the gusty British weather once again.
Kate Middleton attended the wedding with Prince William, who arrived separately and was believed to have been an usher, wearing the same morning suit, blue striped shirt, and dark red tie as the groom.
Kate Middleton was left red-faced after the gusts lifted up her polka-dot dress
The couple have known the van Cutsem family for many years and the groom’s niece, Grace, was a flower girl at the royal wedding.
Kate Middleton’s embarrassing moment, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in film The Seven Year Itch, was one of several for the duchess.
In July 2011, during a North American tour, her cream and navy cable-knit Alexander McQueen dress was whipped up by the wind as she met wellwishers in Charlottetown, in Canada.
On that occasion Kate Middleton was wearing a cream slip, which protected her modesty. She was not so lucky four days later as her yellow Jenny Packham dress flew up on the tarmac at Calgary airport, briefly revealing her underwear.
But Kate Middleton, who is expected to give birth on July 13, handled all the mishaps with her usual poise.
The exact due date had been shrouded in secrecy, but close friends of the royal couple discussed at a barbecue hosted by a family friend that Kate Middleton expects to go into labor on July 13 – during the Queen’s Coronation Festival.
For the first time, 50% said Charles would be a fitting monarch in the YouGov poll, up 13% from May last year. The Prince of Wales was seen as making a positive contribution to the monarchy by 60% of voters.
The poll showed, for the first time, a majority believe the Queen should abdicate if she becomes too ill to fulfill her duties.
At least 54 people have been killed and many others injured in a series of car bomb attacks in Iraqi cities Baghdad, Basra and Samarra, officials say.
Baghdad was worst hit, with nine explosions at bus stations and markets in the mainly Shia Muslim districts.
Two bombs went off earlier in the day in the southern city of Basra, and a blast in Samarra killed three people.
The attacks are part of the recent rise in violence in Iraq linked to growing political and sectarian tension.
Police said nearly 200 people were injured in Monday’s violence in Iraq. Eight Iranian pilgrims are reported to be among the dead.
One of the bloodiest attacks in Baghdad happened in the northern Shia neighborhood of Shaab, when a car bomb exploded near a crowded market place killing at least 12 people and wounding more than 20.
The bombs in Basra, a mainly Shia Muslim city, killed at least 14 outside a restaurant and the main bus station.
“We were sitting here waiting for work and as usual we gathered near a street food cart and the place was very crowded,” Basra resident Mohammed Ali, who was near one of the blasts, told Reuters news agency.
“I crossed the street to the other side when all of a sudden it turned dark, dust filled the area. I was showered with metal wreckage and wounded in my legs.”
At least 54 people have been killed and many others injured in a series of car bomb attacks in Iraqi cities Baghdad, Basra and Samarra
A further three people were killed and 15 wounded in a car bomb attack in Samarra, a city some 70 miles north of Baghdad. The blast reportedly happened near a gathering of members of the pro-government Sunni militia, the Awakening Council.
In a separate incident, 10 policemen kidnapped on Saturday in western Anbar province have been found dead.
No group has said it carried out Monday’s bomb attacks, but tension between the Shia Muslim majority, which leads the government, and minority Sunnis has been growing since last year.
Sunni demonstrators have accused the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of discriminating against them – something the government denies.
Iraqis have not witnessed violence on the scale of the last few weeks for nearly five years.
The Shia-Sunni fault line, with Syria currently at its epicentre, is certainly contributing.
But Iraqis do not see their own politicians doing enough to unite people on both sides of the sectarian divide, and they do not see the international community showing the urgency they think it should in averting further chaos.
Violence has increased since more than 50 people died in clashes between security forces and Sunni Arabs in April, when an anti-government protest camp was raided in Nawija near Kirkuk.
At least 60 people died in three bombings in Sunni Muslim areas in and around Baghdad on Friday. Those bombings followed deadly attacks on Shia targets across Iraq.
On Sunday, at least 10 policemen were reported killed in north-western Iraq in attacks blamed by the authorities on Sunni militants.
Basra had been seen as relatively peaceful, but there too, violence has risen in recent months.
In March, a car bomb in the city killed 10 and wounded many others. On Saturday gunmen there shot and killed a Sunni Muslim cleric.
The increasing number of incidents has raised fears that Iraq could return to the worst of the sectarian conflict seen in 2006 and 2007.
