2Day FM’s Hot 30 programme, the Australian radio show that made the hoax call to the hospital treating pregnant Kate Middleton in December, has been cancelled.
2Day FM’s Hot 30 programme had been taken off air following the death of nurse Jacintha Saldana, who was found hanged after forwarding the call.
The broadcaster said a new show, hosted by a different DJ, would fill the slot.
Michael Christian and Mel Greig, the DJs who made the call, were still employed by the station, it added.
The pair have been on leave since the incident and a music-based show without a host DJ has been broadcast in their show’s place.
“We look forward to Mel and MC returning to work when the time is right, in roles that make full use of their talents,” said Rhys Holleran of Southern Cross Austereo, owner of 2Day FM.
“We will discuss future roles with them when they are ready.”
2Day FM’s Hot 30 programme, the Australian radio show that made the hoax call to the hospital treating pregnant Kate Middleton in December, has been cancelled
Kate Middleton was being treated at King Edward VII’s Hospital for an extreme form of morning sickness when Michael Christian and Mel Greig made their prank call pretending to be members of the Royal Family.
Jacintha Saldana answered the call and put them through to another nurse who gave an update on Kate Middleton’s condition.
Jacintha Saldana was found hanged at her home three days later.
Last month the Australian media watchdog launched a formal inquiry to examine whether any broadcasting rules had been breached.
2Day FM also pledged to give at least 500,000 Australian dollars from its advertising profits to the family of Jacintha Saldana.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for seven years, has shown significant signs of brain activity, doctors say.
A team of Israeli and American scientists say new tests showed Ariel Sharon, 84, responded to external stimuli.
The activity increased when he was being shown pictures of his family and played a recording of his son’s voice.
Ariel Sharon has been in a coma since 2006, when he suffered a massive stroke.
Since then, he has been in a vegetative state, connected to a respirator.
The doctors at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba said that during tests, “significant brain activity was observed… indicating appropriate processing of these stimulations.”
While the responses did not mean Ariel Sharon was likely to fully regain consciousness, doctors said they were “encouraging”.
Alon Friedman, a neurological director at Israel’s Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, said the findings suggested that even in Ariel Sharon’s comatose state, “he might be listening, and some important information goes into his brain and is being processed”.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for seven years, has shown significant signs of brain activity
Ariel Sharon was a storied military officer who fought in three wars before entering politics.
He was admired by many Israelis as a great military leader, but reviled by Palestinians.
Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister in 2001, pledging to achieve “security and true peace”, and served until his stroke in 2006.
In 2005, he unilaterally withdrew Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza.
Ariel Sharon was a keen promoter of the expansion of the building and expansion of settlements in the occupied territories. He also initiated the construction of the separation barrier along the border and inside the West Bank.
But late in his career, despite fierce opposition in Israel, he ordered Jewish settlers to leave Gaza and four settlements in the West Bank.
As defence minister, Ariel Sharon masterminded Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. During the invasion, Lebanese Christian militiamen allied to Israel massacred hundreds of Palestinians in two refugee camps under Israeli control.
Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes has gone on trial accused of running one of the world’s largest sports doping rings.
Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes’s trial in Madrid comes nearly seven years after police raided his offices and seized some 200 bags of blood which were linked to a number of top cyclists.
Dozens of cyclists have been called to testify as witnesses in the trial.
Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, his sister and three former cycling coaches are charged with breaking public health laws.
They could not be charged with doping-related crimes because Spain had no anti-doping law at the time of their arrest.
Prosecutors must prove that the defendants’ actions put the lives of the athletes at risk – something the defence is expected to deny.
The case comes days after former seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong finally admitted to using banned drugs and blood doping during his cycling career.
Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes has gone on trial accused of running one of the world’s largest sports doping rings
Spanish police carried out a series of raids on offices, laboratories and flats in Madrid, Zaragoza and El Escorial in May 2006 as part of an investigation known as Operation Puerto.
They found around 200 bags of blood or frozen plasma with labels that were believed to be code-names for Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes’s clients – athletes who were allegedly benefiting from a highly-sophisticated doping programme.
Dozens of cyclists were allegedly implicated in the scandal, including former Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, who is expected to give evidence in the trial.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has said that it was told, at the time of the raids, that the bags of blood also related to athletes from several sports, including football and tennis.
But the trial will focus only on cyclists who, according to the chief prosecutor in the case, are the only athletes that could be identified from the bags of blood seized.
The trial is expected to last until mid-March.
If found guilty, the defendants could face up to two years in prison and a two-year professional ban.
Quantum Smell, a controversial theory saying that the way we smell involves a quantum physics effect, has received a boost, following experiments with human subjects.
The theory challenges the notion that our sense of smell depends only on the shapes of molecules we sniff in the air.
Instead, it suggests that the molecules’ vibrations are responsible.
A way to test it is with two molecules of the same shape, but with different vibrations. A report in PLOS ONE shows that humans can distinguish the two.
Tantalizingly, the idea hints at quantum effects occurring in biological systems – an idea that is itself driving a new field of science.
But the theory – first put forward by Luca Turin, now of the Fleming Biomedical Research Sciences Centre in Greece – remains contested and divisive.
The idea that molecules’ shapes are the only link to their smell is well entrenched, but Dr. Luca Turin said there were holes in the idea.
He gave the example of molecules that include sulphur and hydrogen atoms bonded together – they may take a wide range of shapes, but all of them smell of rotten eggs.
“If you look from the [traditional] standpoint… it’s really hard to explain,” Dr. Luca Turin explained.
“If you look from the standpoint of an alternative theory – that what determines the smell of a molecule is the vibrations – the sulphur-hydrogen mystery becomes absolutely clear.”
Quantum Smell, a controversial theory saying that the way we smell involves a quantum physics effect, has received a boost, following experiments with human subjects
Molecules can be viewed as a collection of atoms on springs, so the atoms can move relative to one another. Energy of just the right frequency – a quantum – can cause the “springs” to vibrate, and in a 1996 paper in Chemical Senses Dr. Luca Turin said it was these vibrations that explained smell.
The mechanism, he added, was “inelastic electron tunnelling”: in the presence of a specific “smelly” molecule, an electron within a smell receptor in your nose can “jump” – or tunnel – across it and dump a quantum of energy into one of the molecule’s bonds – setting the “spring” vibrating.
But the established smell science community has from the start argued that there is little proof of this.
One way to test the idea was to prepare two molecules of identical shape but with different vibrations – done by replacing a molecule’s hydrogen atoms with their heavier cousins called deuterium.
Leslie Vosshall of The Rockefeller University set out in 2004 to disprove Dr. Luca Turin’s idea with a molecule called acetophenone and its “deuterated” twin.
The work in Nature Neuroscience suggested that human participants could not distinguish between the two, and thus that vibrations played no role in what we smell.
But in 2011, Dr. Luca Turin and colleagues published a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that fruit flies can distinguish between the heavier and lighter versions of the same molecule.
A repeat of the test with humans in the new paper finds that, as in Prof. Leslie Vosshall’s work, the subjects could not tell the two apart. But the team then developed a brand new, far larger pair of molecules – cyclopentadecanone – with more hydrogen or deuterium bonds to amplify the purported effect.
In double-blind tests, in which neither the experimenter nor the participant knew which sample was which, subjects were able to distinguish between the two versions.
Still, Prof. Leslie Vosshall believes the vibrational theory to be no more than fanciful.
“I like to think of the vibration theory of olfaction and its proponents as unicorns. The rest of us studying olfaction are horses,” she said.
“The problem is that proving that a unicorn exists or does not exist is impossible. This debate on the vibration theory or the existence of unicorns will never end, but the very important underlying question of why things smell the way they do will continue to be answered by the horses among us.”
And although many more scientists are taking the vibrational theory seriously than back in 1996, it remains an extraordinarily polarized debate.
President Barack Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a rare joint interview for CBS’ 60 Minutes, fanning the flames of expectations that she is going to run for his job in four years.
The interview was something of a staged photo opportunity, as no news was actually broken except for the fact that the President considers Hillary Clinton “a strong friend” and she described their relationship as “very warm, close”.
More than anything, their relaxed attitudes, clear friendship, and grinning smiles show that time has healed the markedly harsh wounds that they endured 5 years ago when they faced off in the Democratic primary leading up to the 2008 election.
The fact that Hillary Clinton was initially hesitant to take the post as Secretary of State- so much so that she avoided his phone calls and he did the same when she was ringing him back to turn down the offer- has already been widely reported, but now the pair explained how they worked to improve their bond.
“What did evolve was a friendship, as opposed to just a professional relationship,” Barack Obama told 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft.
“Friendships involve a sense of trust and being in the foxhole together. And that emerged during the course of months when we were making some very tough decisions.”
Hillary Clinton agreed, saying that their frosty rivalry began to thaw after she conceded and started stumping for him during the general election.
“He is pretty persuasive, I’ll tell you that much,” she said, smiling.
“If the roles had been revered and I had ended up winning I would have desperately wanted him to be in my cabinet.”
President Barack Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a rare joint interview for CBS’ 60 Minutes
The prospect of Hillary Clinton forming her own cabinet is certainly not a joke, as she is widely seen as one of, if not the, leading contender for her party’s nomination when Barack Obama leaves office after his second term.
The issue of 2016 is a tricky one for the President; however, as recent activity has led to increased chatter about his Vice President Joe Biden potentially seeking the top spot during the next goes around.
Though such a head-to-head would put Barack Obama in a tough spot- as he would effectively be forced to choose between his two-term Vice President and his extremely popular former Secretary of State, he tried to brush off the issue with incredulous concern.
“You guys in the press are incorrigible; I was literally inaugurated four days ago, and you’re talking about elections four years from now,” he said.
When Steve Kroft made a reference to whether or not viewers could “read the tea leaves” from the interview in terms of predicting the next election, Hillary Clinton jokingly looked around the room, saying: “We don’t have any tea, we’ve got some water here the best I can tell.”
In terms of her positioning, the happy duo appeared to be pegging Hillary Clinton as one-in-the-same as the sitting President, boasting about how they share an almost telepathic connection.
“I think there’s a sense of understanding sometimes it doesn’t even take words,” Hillary Clinton said.
“It made for tough debates because we could never figure out what we differed on,” Barack Obama said of their attempts to differentiate themselves from one another during the primary.
“Well the main thing is I just wanted to have a chance to publicly say thank you because I think Hillary will go down as one of the finest Secretaries of State we’ve had, It has been a great collaboration over the last four years,” Barack Obama said when he started out the interview.
“I’m going to miss her, wish she was sticking around, but she has logged in so many miles I can’t begrudge her wanting to take it easy for a little bit, but I want the country to appreciate what an extraordinary role she’s played during the course of my administration and a lot of the successes we’ve had internationally have been because of her hard work.”
Argo, Iran hostage drama directed by Ben Affleck, has won the top honor for overall cast performance at 2013 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
Jennifer Lawrence took the best actress award for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, while Daniel Day-Lewis was named best actor for Lincoln.
Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Hathaway won the supporting actor awards for Lincoln and Les Miserables respectively.
ITV’s Downton Abbey also picked up a prize for best TV drama series cast.
Argo beat Les Miserables, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook to win the top award.
“This has nothing to do with me,” said BenAffleck, who both directed and starred in Argo.
“It has to do with the incredible people who were in this movie.”
The prize came a day after Argo won the top honor at the Producers Guild Awards, the winner of whose best film prize often goes on to win best picture at the Oscars.
Ben Affleck’s film tells the fact-based story of how US diplomats stranded in Tehran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution were spirited out of the country.
Ben Affleck’s Argo has won Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture Award at SAG 2013
As he accepted his award for best actor on Sunday, Day-Lewis remarked that “it was an actor that murdered Abraham Lincoln”.
“Somehow it is only so fitting that every now and then an actor tries to bring him back to life again,” he went on.
In the television categories Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey were named best comedy actor and actress for 30 Rock, giving Baldwin his seventh consecutive SAG win.
The prize for best ensemble comedy series cast went to Modern Family.
The TV drama acting prizes were given to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad and Claire Danes for Homeland.
Julianne Moore’s turn as former Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin in Game Change earned her the award for best actress in a movie or miniseries, with Kevin Costner receiving the equivalent best actor honor for Hatfields & McCoys.
Veteran actor Dick Van Dyke, star of Mary Poppins and Diagnosis Murder, was presented with the guild’s life achievement award.
After waiting on stage for a prolonged standing ovation to end, Dick Van Dyke, 87, said: “That does an old man a lot of good.”
Other winners at the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday included Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, which won the animation category, and Searching for Sugar Man, which took the documentary prize.
Homeland also won the award for best television drama series, while Modern Family was named best comedy series for a third consecutive year.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in Kiss nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria.
The fire reportedly started after a member of a band playing at the Kiss nightclub lit a flare on stage.
Authorities say most of the victims were students who died of smoke inhalation. The first funerals are expected on Monday morning.
It is the deadliest fire in Brazil in five decades.
Brazil postponed a ceremony due on Monday in the capital, Brasilia, to mark 500 days to the 2014 football World Cup. In Santa Maria, 30 days of mourning were declared.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
“It is a tragedy for all of us,” she said.
Authorities have released the names of the victims, after revising down the death toll from 245.
More than 100 people were being treated in hospital, mostly for smoke inhalation.
Officials will now investigate reports that a flare was lit on stage, igniting foam insulation material on the ceiling and releasing toxic smoke.
They will also look at claims that many of those who died were unable to escape as only one emergency exit was available.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in Kiss nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria
The fire broke out as students from the city’s federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball, the Diario de Santa Maria, a local newspaper, reported.
A local journalist, Marcelo Gonzatto, said the flare had “started a huge and fast fire that grew quickly and made a very dark and heavy smoke.”
“Lots of people couldn’t get out and died mainly because of the smoke not the fire,” he said.
Witnesses spoke of scenes of panic after the fire started, and a stampede as people tried to escape.
One, Mattheus Bortolotto, told local television: “It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating.”
A large number of victims were trapped in the club’s toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit.
Survivors and police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from leaving the club, the Associated Press news agency reported. Bars in Brazil commonly make customers pay their whole tab at the end of an evening before they are allowed to leave.
One of the owners of the club is reported to have confirmed that they were in the process of renewing its license to operate, and that its fire safety certificate had expired last year.
He is said to have received threats on the internet – in addition to surviving members of the band that was performing on stage when the blaze started.
Its guitarist, Rodrigo Martins, told local radio: “It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks.
“It’s harmless; we never had any trouble with it. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher. The singer tried to use it but it wasn’t working.”
He said the band’s accordion player had died in the fire.
Brazilian broadcaster Globo said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 20.
A temporary morgue was set up in a local gym as the city’s main morgue was unable to cope.
Family members came to identify the dead, led in one by one to see the bodies, Diario de Santa Maria reported.
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the airport in the key northern city of Timbuktu, French military officials say.
The troops encountered no resistance as they headed towards the city, a senior officer with the Malian army told AFP news agency.
French and Malian troops have been pushing north in their offensive against Islamist rebels.
On Saturday, they seized Gao, the most populous city in northern Mali.
Thousands of people poured out into the streets to celebrate the arrival of the troops.
French-led troops in Mali have taken control of the airport in the key northern city of Timbuktu
Islamists seized the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.
The advance comes as African Union leaders are meeting to discuss sending more troops to Mali.
“We control the airport at Timbuktu,” a senior Malian army officer told the AFP.
“We did not encounter any resistance.”
A military spokesman in Paris told the AFP that the French and Malian troops now control access to the city as well as the territory between Timbuktu and Gao.
Once Timbuktu is secured, the French-led troops are expected to focus on the last rebel stronghold, Kidal, near the border with Algeria.
Kidal – home of the head of Ansar Dine, the main militant group in northern Mali – was bombed overnight by French forces, Malian officials say.
Once Kidal is taken, the first phase of the French operation will be over.
The second phase will be to track down the militants to their desert hideouts, which could prove a much more difficult task.
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013 complete list of winners
Movies
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Supporting actor: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Supporting actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Ensemble : Argo
Stunt ensemble: Skyfall
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013 complete list of winners
Television
Actor in a movie or miniseries: Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
Actress in a movie or miniseries: Julianne Moore, Game Change
Actor in a drama series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Actress in a drama series: Claire Danes, Homeland
Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Drama series ensemble: Downton Abbey
Comedy series ensemble:Modern Family
Stunt ensemble: Game of Thrones
A North Korean man has been executed after murdering his two children for food, reports from inside the secretive state claim.
A “hidden famine” in the farming provinces of North and South Hwanghae is believed to have killed up to 10,000 people and there are fears that incidents of cannibalism have risen.
The grim story is just one to emerge as residents battle starvation after a drought hit farms and shortages were compounded by party officials confiscating food.
Undercover reporters from Asia Press told the Sunday Times that one man dug up his grandchild’s corpse and ate it. Another, boiled his own child for food.
Despite reports of the widespread famine, Kim Jong-un, 30, has spent vast sums of money on two rocket launches in recent months.
There are fears the North Korean leader is planning a nuclear test in protest at a UN Security Council punishment for the recent rocket launches and to counter what it sees as US hostility.
One informant was quoted as saying: “In my village in May a man who killed his own two children and tried to eat them was executed by a firing squad.”
The informant said the father killed his eldest daughter while his wife was away on business and then killed his son because he had witnessed the murder.
When his wife returned the man told her they had “meat” but she became suspicious and contacted officials who discovered part of the children’s bodies.
A North Korean man has been executed after murdering his two children for food, reports from inside the secretive state claim
Jiro Ishimaru, from Asia Press, which compiled a 12 page report, said: “Particularly shocking were the numerous testimonies that hit us about cannibalism.”
Undercover reporters said food was confiscated from the two provinces and given to the residents of the capital Pyongyang.
A drought then left food supplies desperately short.
The Sunday Times also quoted an official of the ruling Korean Worker’s party as saying: “In a village in Chongdan county, a man who went mad with hunger boiled his own child, ate his flesh and was arrested.”
United Nations officials visited the area during a state-sponsored trip but local reporters said it is unlikely they were shown the famine-hit areas.
It has not the first time that reports of cannibalism have come out of the country.
In May last year, the South Korean state-run Korean Institute for National Unification said that one man was executed after eating part of a colleague and then trying to sell the remains as mutton.
One man killed and ate a girl and a third report of cannibalism was recorded from 2011.
Another man was executed in May after murdering 11 people and selling the bodies as pork.
There were also reports of cannibalism in the country’s network of prison camps.
North Korea was hit by a terrible famine in the 1990s – known as the Arduous March – which killed between 240,000 and 3.5 million people.
Anne Hathaway’s latest ensemble seemed swamped in heavy material as she stepped out on Saturday evening for the Producers Guild Awards.
Anne Hathaway, 30, turned up at the 24th annual ceremony wearing a frock which was more useful as a tent than figure-framing piece.
The bandeau number featured loud multi-color floral stitching, which consisted of a yellow hue to co-ordinate with her gold heels.
Attached to the back of her bustier upper half was what looked like an extra piece of material from the same fabric which left her billowing behind.
Anne Hathaway did show off her shoulders in the eye-catching number but the shape of the piece did not bring out the best in her slender frame.
The dark-featured actress wore only a slick of pink lipgloss on her plump pout and her short brunette tresses were styled back away from her face.
Anne Hathaway’s latest ensemble seemed swamped in heavy material as she stepped out on Saturday evening for the Producers Guild Awards
Anne Hathaway rubbed shoulders with a host of stars at the prestigious event, where her latest motion picture, Les Miserables, is nominated.
Additionally, producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will receive the guild’s highest honor, the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, honoring careers that have included the films Fargo, Billy Elliot, O Brother Where Art Thou? and Frost/Nixon.
It is not the first time Anne Hathaway has opted for a cape-style feature for her red carpet outfit.
Anne Hathaway was polished in Altuzzara dress and Burberry Prorsum cape at the Les Miserables After Party, held at The Roundhouse in December.
Gok Wan latest collection of shapewear for SimplyBe, whichincludesBanger Boosters, Slicker Knickers, Pull Me In, Curve Controller, Bombshell Plunge and Divine Outline, is winning rave reviews already.
Banning boring beige and bringing in glam colors, lace and retro Fifties styling, Gok Wan is tearing up the rule book and bringing sexy shapewear to the masses.
His new range, which he describes as “glam 50s”, is functional shapewear with all the crucial elements there -high waisted pants with tummy control panels, multiway bras, slips that hold in all the lumps and bumps – but it comes in bright, candy store colors and sweetly retro prints.
There is bow detailing, contrast stitching and trim and pretty lace detailing that makes it possible to actually reveal it in the boudoir – rather than sneaking off, Bridget Jones style, to swap your granny knickers for something a little more slinky.
Gok Wan’s new range of shapewear for SimplyBe dispenses with traditional beige big pants in favor of pretty colors and polka dots
In his typically flamboyant style, Gok Wan has penned a few lines on each item: “Pull on a pair of these beauteous briefs and I guarantee, my gorgeous, that you’ll instantly feel oh-so-flirty and fabulous!
“High-waisted for a cool retro look, the front panel works to lightly control the curves of your tum, whilst the contrast front-piping will doubly help to flatter your fantastic figure.
“I’ve added ruching along the back to get that bottom of yours looking delightfully peachy and just for you, I’ve added some seriously sexy, detachable suspenders my darling, you won’t find a harder-working pair of panties. Enjoy!”
While most of the collection is indeed seriously sexy, some of the more extreme garments are still best left under wraps. The Pull Me In Pants that look like high-waisted cycling shorts and the white apple-catcher Slicker Knicker are not the kind of undies you’d be keen to reveal on a date, for instance… But all in all, this is a sexy little range of shapewear that says a resounding NO to beige.
Diet Coke is now bringing back The Hunk to celebrate the diet drink’s 30th birthday.
The full video comes out Monday, January 28, 2013, but a teaser has been already released.
Diet Coke will also bring back Robert Merrill, the handsome star of the 1998 ad, for the 30th birthday ad.
Robert Merrill, who now stars in 90210, CSI and Californication, says: “I still do have a love affair with Diet Coke. She’s been good to me for all these years.
“Women got excited when they saw the Diet Coke Hunk commercials.
“Being objectified by women is a pretty good feeling if you ask me, and I felt like a rock star. Life is short and the commercial was harmless.”
The full new Hunk video is released on Monday via Diet Coke’s YouTube channel, where they claim they have an even bigger announcement, too.
The first Diet Coke Break advert aired in 1994, starring a hunky construction worker who kept a group of admiring women in an office glued to their window every day at 11.30 a.m. when he paused for a can of Diet Coke.
The innovative campaign became a cultural phenomenon and flipped traditional gender roles on their head. The series continue and evolved with fresh incarnations in 1997 and 2007.
Diet Coke is now bringing back The Hunk to celebrate the diet drink’s 30th birthday
Diet Coke was introduced in the US on August 9, 1982.
Twelve years later they released the original Diet Coke Break Hunk advert featuring American model and actor Lucky Vanous.
The 1994 ad sees Lucky Vanous as a handsome construction worker on a building site, keeping a group of admiring women in an office building glued to their window.
In 1998 the second Diet Coke Break Hunk advert featured Robert Merrill keeping ladies on time for their 11.30 a.m. appointment as an unforgettable window washer.
In 2007, Diet Coke decided to let their Hunk keep his top on.
Played by 28-year-old French skater and Economics graduate Francois Xavier, the lift engineer comes to rescue three ladies after they get (intentionally) stuck in an office lift.
And now Diet Coke releases a fresh incarnation of the iconic Diet Coke Break Hunk campaign.
For more information on the last three decades of Diet Coke visit their Facebook page.
Fruitvale drama and Blood Brother documentary won over audiences and 2013 Sundance Film Festival judges.
Both American films won audience awards and grand jury prizes Saturday at the Sundance Awards.
Fruitvale tells the true story of Oscar Grant, who was 22 years old when he was shot and killed in a public transit station in Oakland, California. Twenty-six-year-old first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler wrote and directed the dramatic narrative.
The dramatic film is named after the San Francisco Bay-area neighborhood where the action takes place in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2009.
Video footage of the shooting taken on phone cameras spread online, and the killing triggered protests in Oakland the next day, some of which turned violent.
The film’s co-stars include Octavia Spencer, who won best supporting actress Oscar last year for her role in civil rights drama The Help.
Blood Brother follows a young American, Rocky, who moved to India to work with orphans infected with HIV.
The Cambodian film A River Changes Course won the grand jury prize for international documentary, and a narrative film from South Korea, Jiseul, claimed the grand jury prize for dramatic world cinema.
Founded by Robert Redford, the annual festival in Park City aims to nurture independent filmmakers who might otherwise be eclipsed by output from the major studios – while Hollywood uses it to scout new up-and-coming talent.
This year’s festival has presented 119 feature films from 32 countries, including 51 first-timers and more than 100 world premieres.
One of the most highly-anticipated movies was jOBS, starring Ashton Kutcher as the late Apple founder and computer icon Steve Jobs.
While the film was well received, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak noted that the “personalities are very wrong,” but added: “The movie should be very popular and I hope it’s entertaining.”
Fruitvale, directed by Ryan Coogler, has won Grand Jury Prize for a US drama at 2013 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival 2013 Winners:
Grand Jury Prize for a US drama: Fruitvale by Ryan Coogler.
Grand Jury Prize for a US documentary:Blood Brother by Steve Hoover.
Grand Jury Prize for a foreign drama:Jiseul by Muel O (South Korea).
Grand Jury Prize for a foreign documentary: A River Changes Course by Kalyanee Mam (Cambodia).
Special Jury Prizes for a US drama:The Spectacular Now (acting) and Upstream Color (sound design).
Special Jury Prizes for a US documentary: Inequality for All and American Promise.
Special Jury Prize for a foreign drama:Circles by Srdan Golubovic (Serbia).
Special Jury Prize for a foreign documentary: Pussy Riot: a Punk Prayer. (Anglo-Russian).
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in the city of Port Said after deadly rioting in response to a court judgment.
A daily curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 will be imposed for 30 days beginning on Monday, also covering Suez and Ismalia, he said in a TV speech to the nation.
At least 33 people have been killed in unrest over the weekend.
Protests erupted after a court sentenced 21 local people over deadly football violence nearly a year ago.
Mohamed Morsi said he mighty take further steps “for the sake of Egypt” as it was his “duty” as president.
He also invited political leaders to a “national dialogue” on Monday.
Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has declared a state of emergency in the city of Port Said after deadly rioting in response to a court judgment
In the capital Cairo, anti-government protesters clashed with security forces near Tahrir Square for a fourth consecutive day.
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that does not protect adequately freedom of expression or religion.
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
Correspondents say Port Said remains in a state of rage after the 21 defendants were sentenced over riots which killed 74 people after a football game last February.
February’s violence began when fans of Port Said side al-Masry attacked visiting supporters from Cairo club al-Ahly.
Fans flooded on to pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans as the match ended.
Most of the victims died of concussion, cuts and suffocation.
About 30 people were killed in unrest in the city on Saturday with a further three dying at a mass funeral on Sunday.
Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has stoked controversy by praising Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day – despite Il Duce’s anti-Jewish laws.
Benito Mussolini had been wrong to pass anti-Jewish laws but had otherwise been a good leader, said Silvio Berlusconi.
He was speaking at a Milan ceremony commemorating victims of the Nazi Holocaust.
Silvio Berlusconi has not ruled out another stint as PM if his party wins polls next month.
His People of Freedom (PDL) party is hoping to form a centre-right coalition government with another party after elections on February 24-25, but have not named a candidate for prime minister.
Silvio Berlusconi stepped down from a third term as prime minister in November 2011, when he was replaced by the technocrat Mario Monti.
Silvio Berlusconi has stoked controversy by praising Benito Mussolini on Holocaust Memorial Day
“Obviously the government of [Benito Mussolini’s] time, out of fear that German power might lead to complete victory, preferred to ally itself with Hitler’s Germany rather than opposing it,” said Silvio Berlusconi, who heads a coalition that includes groups with fascist roots.
“The racial laws were the worst fault of Mussolini as a leader, who in so many other ways did well,” he added, referring to the 1938 laws that barred Jews from Italy’s universities and many professions.
The comments were swiftly condemned by the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which is ahead in the polls.
“Our republic is based on the struggle against Nazi fascism and these are intolerable remarks which are incompatible with leadership of democratic political forces,” said PD spokesman Marco Meloni.
In previous controversial comments, Silvio Berlusconi has incurred the wrath of Queen Elizabeth II for talking too loudly at a photo-call, the Obamas, whom he described as “suntanned”, and the nation of China, by implying that Communist leader Mao Zedong boiled babies to fertilize fields.
Serb Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Briton Andy Murray in Melbourne final.
Novak Djokovic, 25, was the stronger man over three hours and 40 minutes, winning 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-2, as Andy Murray struggled to cope with blistered feet and an increasingly rampant opponent.
“I played a good second set,” said Andy Murray.
“I created quite a few chances, but didn’t quite get them. That was the difference.”
And despite admitting that the blister “hurt when I ran”, he insisted: “It had no bearing at all on the result.”
Novak Djokovic secured his sixth Grand Slam title and became the first man in 46 years to win for three years running in Melbourne.
“It’s an incredible feeling winning this trophy again,” said the champion.
“It’s definitely my favourite Grand Slam, my most successful Grand Slam. I love this court.”
After losing an opening set he probably should have won, with five break points to none for Andy Murray, the top seed turned the tables in the second by grabbing the tie-break.
Novak Djokovic won his fourth Australian Open title after beating Andy Murray in Melbourne final
Andy Murray had been in charge but was disrupted when serving at 2-2, a feather floating down onto the court following a missed first serve, and after removing it he promptly double-faulted and smacked a forehand wide.
He won just one more point in the tie-break as Novak Djokovic took control to level after two hours and 13 minutes of action.
The physicality of the contest appeared to be taking its toll when Andy Murray then required treatment for blisters at the changeover.
He failed to capitalise on 0-40 at the start of the third and that proved to be the decisive moment as he began to grimace between points, clearly struggling to move freely.
It took two hours and 52 minutes of absorbing but rarely thrilling tennis for the first break of serve to arrive, and it went to Novak Djokovic.
A thumping forehand into the corner set him on the way at 4-3, and despite saving two break points from 0-40, Andy Murray could not resist any longer and netted a forehand.
Novak Djokovic went on a run of eight out of nine games as he moved two sets to one up and the Briton’s serve unravelled, the double-fault count rising to five after just two in his other six matches in Melbourne.
Unhappy with the umpire for not clamping down on shouts from the crowd, and with his movement hindered, Andy Murray cut a dispirited figure as Novak Djokovic powered towards another major win.
In marked contrast to his opponent, the Serb was relishing the closing stages and romped home towards match point, one delicious drop shot verging on the cruel.
Novak Djokovic wrapped it up on serve when Andy Murray netted a backhand and did a jig of delight on court before heading over to celebrate with his support team.
With six Grand Slam victories, he matches the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Don Budge and Jack Crawford in the all-time list – and there could be plenty more to come.
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil, police and officials say.
Local media say the fire began when a band let off fireworks at the Kiss club in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.
Many victims reportedly inhaled toxic fumes or were crushed as panicking clubbers tried to escape.
Bereaved families have gathered at the scene where the fire is out and bodies are being removed.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
She said earlier that everything possible would be done to help the injured and the families of the victims.
“I would also like to say to the Brazilian people and to the people of Santa Maria that we stand together at this time, and that even though there’s a lot of sadness, we will pull through,” she said, speaking from Chile.
In a tweet, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Tarso Genro, said it was a “sad Sunday” and that all possible action was being taken in response to the fire. He would be in the city later on Sunday, he added.
The priority for the authorities is now to identify the dead with many distressed relatives arriving at the scene, but in the hours ahead the focus will turn to the cause of this accident and safety procedures at the club.
The death toll, which had earlier been put at 245, was revised down by fire officials. Emergency services said a further 117 people were being treated in hospital.
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil
The fire broke out some time after 02:00 when between 300 and 500 people are believed to have been in the club, where a band was playing.
According to local newspaper Diario de Santa Maria, students from the city’s federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball.
Thick smoke engulfed the venue after acoustic insulation caught fire, officials say.
“We looked up at the ceiling in front of the stage and it was catching fire,” eyewitness Luana Santos Silva, 23, told Brazil’s Globo TV.
“My sister grabbed me and dragged me out on the ground.”
The exit, she said, was a “small door for lots of people to come out by”.
The young woman’s sister, Aline Santos Silva, 29, added: “We managed to see it in time and to get out quickly, before the smoke began to spread.
“The smoke spread really quickly, it didn’t give enough time for people to get out. I think people started to feel unwell, and then they began to come out covered in black smoke stains.”
The witness commended the emergency services: “Help arrived really quickly, ambulances, police.”
Fire crews tried knocking through an exterior wall to help those trapped inside to escape.
Fifty bodies were found in the club’s toilets, a doctor told AP news agency.
“The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit,” said Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, speaking by phone from Caridade hospital.
“Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door.”
Fire chief Guido de Melo told local media: “People started panicking and ended up treading on each other.”
A temporary morgue has been set up in a local gym as the city’s main morgue is unable to cope.
Family members have begun identifying the dead at the gym, Diario de Santa Maria reports.
They were led in one by one to see the bodies, according to the paper.
President Dilma Rousseff said the air force had made “resources” available at an air base near Santa Maria to help.
Santa Maria has a population of about 250,000 people, while UFSM has some 27,000 students.
French-led forces in Mali are advancing on the key northern city of Timbuktu, as they press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels.
On Saturday Malian and French forces seized Gao, another key northern city.
The advance comes as African Union leaders are meeting to discuss sending more troops to Mali.
Islamists seized the north of the country last year, but have been losing ground since French forces launched an operation earlier this month.
Late on Saturday French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Malian and French troops would arrive “near Timbuktu soon”.
Overnight they secured Gao – northern Mali’s most populous city- after special forces captured the airport and a strategic bridge to the south.
Most militants appear to have fled into desert hide-outs and the hunt for them may prove more difficult once all major towns are secure.
Troops from Niger and Chad are to assist Malian forces in further securing the town.
African Union leaders are holding a summit in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, as members move to deploy troops to help the French-led operation there.
African states have pledged nearly 5,700 troops to support French and Malian forces in their campaign.
Only a small part of the African force has so far deployed.
French-led forces in Mali are advancing on the key northern city of Timbuktu, as they press on with their offensive against Islamist rebels
A number of West African countries on Saturday raised the total number of troops pledged to 5,700. Separately, Chad has said it will send 2,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the US said it would provide mid-air refuelling for French warplanes.
The Pentagon said it had also discussed plans for the US to transport troops to Mali from countries including Chad and Togo.
Islamists seized a vast area of northern Mali last year and have tried to impose strict Sharia, or Islamic law.
Some 3,700 French troops are engaged in Operation Serval, 2,500 of them on Malian soil.
France intervened militarily as the Islamists advanced further south. It said that the capital, Bamako, was under threat.
As French and Malian troops moved into Gao, Malian officials spoke of scenes of joy, but also some looting.
“Possibly at a certain point the enemy in front of us was underestimated,” Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly said ahead of the summit in Addis Ababa.
“But everyone has seen that this terrorist group intends to spread its criminal purpose over the whole of Mali, and eventually target other countries.”
The AU has recommended civilian observers monitor the human rights situation in the areas which have come back under the control of the Malian government.
Human rights groups have accused the Malian army of committing serious abuses.
Treasures of Timbuktu:
Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th Centuries
700,000 manuscripts survive in public libraries and private collections
Books on religion, law, literature and science
Added to UNESCO world heritage list in 1988 for its three mosques and 16 cemeteries and mausoleums
They played a major role in spreading Islam in West Africa; the oldest dates from 1329
Islamists destroyed mausoleums after seizing the city
Cissy Houston has told how she forced daughter Whitney into rehab after finding the singer’s home had been turned into a drug den.
As the first anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death approaches next month, Cissy Houston is still traumatized by her drowning in a Beverley Hilton hotel bath at the age of 48.
But in her memoirs, Remembering Whitney, Cissy Houston admits: “She started partying and she didn’t really know how to stop. I used to wonder what she was doing at night, where she was.”
According to the extract obtained by People Magazine, Cissy Houston continues to ask herself: “Could I have saved her?”
In a serialization in the Sun, Cissy Houston first realized Whitney had problems when she arrived unannounced at the mansion in Atlanta, Georgia, the singer shared with her husband, Bobby Brown, and their daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Cissy Houston, 79, had been called by her son Gary in early 2005 warning her: “Ma, I think Nippy [Whitney Houston family’s pet name] is really in trouble.” He travelled everywhere with the singer.
Inside, the multi-million house was filthy, but Cissy Houston’s biggest shock came when she saw “big glaring eyes and strange faces” spray painted on the walls and door.
Then in another room, she discovered Whitney Houston’s head had been cut out of a large framed photograph of her with her husband and daughter.
Cissy Houston recalled: “Evil eyes staring out like a threat. Who would do such a thing it seemed crazy. It was beyond disturbing to seeing my daughter’s face cut out like that. It was frightening.”
Cissy Houston has told how she forced daughter Whitney into rehab after finding the singer’s home had been turned into a drug den
In Remembering Whitney, due to be published by Harper and Collins on January 31st, Cissy Houston tells how her daughter yelled at her and refused to come downstairs.
Cissy Houston said Whitney looked as if she was on drugs and did not recognize the woman who was a worldwide star with many Grammy music awards and acclaim as an actress.
She left the house but vowed to save Whitney, returning with a court order and two women police deputies. The petition had been signed by eight people and a doctor who had seen the singer in the past 48 hours.
When they arrived, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were at the doorway. She was shaking as Cissy Houston told her they were taking her into rehab.
Whitney Houston was in hospital for a week, but banned her mother from visiting telling everybody who came to see her that her mother had had “her locked up”.
In 2006 Whitney Houston broke up with Bobby Brown but she never really forgave her mother’s interference in her life, according to the memoirs.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast on Monday, Cissy Houston, a singer in the 60s and 70s, reveals how son Gary told her in a phone call of her daughter’s death at the Los Angeles hotel on February 11 last year.
She said: “I was getting annoyed because he wasn’t telling me anything. He was screaming. He was saying, Nippy, Nippy. I said, <<what’s wrong with her?>>.
“He said, <<Mommy>>, I said, <<Is she dead?>>. He said, <<Yeah, Mommy, she’s dead>>. And I don’t remember too much else after that.”
In the People magazine extract she said: “I’m angry she died alone, in those conditions.”
Cissy Houston says she does not blame Bobby Brown for Whitney’s drug addiction.
“I blame him for the way he treated her, but I don’t blame him for her drug problems,” Cissy Houston is quoted as saying.
Three Connecticut police officers have been put on administrative leave after they were caught on video brutally beating a suspect in a local park.
Elson Morales, Joseph Lawlor and Clive Higgins, all 10-year veterans of the Bridgeport Police Department, are shown on the tape kicking and stomping on a man they had already subdued with a stun gun.
They will remain on paid administrative leave while the May 2011 encounter is investigated.
The sobering footage was uploaded on YouTube on January 18 by an anonymous user. It is unclear who filmed it.
In the video, which goes in and out of focus, the pop and sizzle of the electric stun gun can be heard before a man shouts “nice shot” from off camera as the suspect falls to the ground.
Within seconds, two officers stand over the motionless man and begin kicking and stomping on him as he writhes around on the grass. A third officer drives up in a police cruiser with the sirens blaring and attacks him.
At one point a witness yells at the officers: “You got him, cut the [expletive].”
Carolyn Vermont, president of the Greater Bridgeport branch of the NAACP, slammed the police response, describing it to the Connecticut Post as “horrible, totally unacceptable”.
“No person should be treated as an animal, no matter what they are charged with,” she said.
Three Connecticut police officers have been put on administrative leave after they were caught on video brutally beating a suspect in a local park
Police Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. said he learned about the video last week and promptly ordered the city’s Office of Internal Affairs to investigate the beating. He also notified the Bridgeport State’s Attorney.
“I’m concerned by what I saw and ordered the Office of Internal Affairs to conduct an immediate, thorough and timely investigation,” Joseph Gaudett Jr. told The Post.
“If violations are found, we will take action. Our officers are held to high standards and rightfully so, and we intend to maintain these standards.”
Joseph Gaudett Jr. refused to release the name of the man being kicked and stomped by the officers in the video and what charges were lodged against him.
According to The Post, police sources said the man was being pursued by officers following reports that he had a gun.
When the officers finally subdued him, no gun was found, but the man was wearing a holster, the source said.
The man was charged in the incident and did not file a complaint against the police officers.
The sources told The Post that the man, who wasn’t seriously injured in the beating, is now serving prison time on unrelated charges.
A new vaccine will give anyone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol an immediate and very heavy hangover.
Scientists from the University of Chile have spent a year designing the drug in a bid to tackle the growing problem of alcoholism in the country.
The vaccine, which would be effective for between six months and a year, works by sending a biochemical message to the liver telling it not to express genes that metabolize alcohol.
Normally, the liver turns alcohol into the hangover-causing compound called acetaldehyde which is then broken down by a metabolizing enzyme.
If someone who’s been vaccinated tries to drink alcohol, they will immediately experience severe nausea, accelerated heartbeat, and general discomfort.
Once the vaccine has been administered it cannot be reversed.
A preclinical trial using mice to determine the correct dosing is due to begin next month with researchers hoping to begin tests on human subjects in November.
A new vaccine will give anyone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol an immediate and very heavy hangover
Dr. Juan Asenjo, director of the university’s Institute for Cell Dynamics and Biotechnology said while the vaccine is not a cure-all, it could provide an important first step.
He told the Santiago Times newspaper: “People who end up alcoholic have a social problem; a personality problem because they’re shy, whatever, and then they are depressed, so it’s not so simple.
“But if we can solve the chemical, the basic part of the problem, I think it could help quite a bit.
“In Chile, according to the most recent 2011 study from the World Health Organization, one in 15 men have an alcohol use disorder. “
Dr. Juan Asenjo believes the vaccine has the potential to help millions of people worldwide.
He added: “If it works, it’s going to have a worldwide impact, but with many vaccines one has to test them carefully. I think the chances that this one will work are quite high.”
Inspiration for the vaccine came from the far East, said Dr. Juan Asenjo, where between 15 and 20 pwer cent of Japanese, Chinese or Koreans have a mutation which inhibits the breakdown of alcohol in their bodies.
The idea of using drugs to combat alcoholism is not new.
Disulfiram, which was developed almost a century ago works in a similar way blocking the enzyme from breaking down alcohol, thus intensifying the body’s negative response.
However, users often find the effects so unpleasant they simply stop taking the pills.
TATT (tired all the time) affects one in ten people, but just a third of these will have anything physically wrong with them, making it a tricky problem to tackle.
1. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
Do drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day
Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital, South London, says: “Without adequate fluid intake, blood pressure drops, slowing delivery of oxygen to the brain, which can leave you feeling tired.”
The amount of fluid needed depends on the individual, but you should aim to pass urine at least three times a day. Between 6 and 8 glasses of water-based drinks – including tea and coffee – a day are recommended.
“Coffee is often vilified but the caffeic acid it contains is a great way to instantly increase alertness and blood pressure,” says Catherine Collins.
Don’t have a nightly glass of wine
More than half of us reach for a glass of wine between 3 to 4 times a week to relax after a hectic day.
While alcohol relaxes you initially, it can compromise the quality of sleep – even if you are getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours per night.
“Alcohol has a dehydrating effect,” says Catherine Collins.
“Added to that, the chemicals in alcohol disrupt your sleep cycle, preventing you from entering deep sleep.” 2. VITAL VITAMINS
Do take a magnesium supplement
“Magnesium plays a vital role in maintaining blood glucose levels, muscle health and concentration,” says nutritional therapist Dr. Elisabeth Philipps.
“A deficiency can leave you feeling lethargic.”
Magnesium is found in leafy vegetables and nuts, but a supplement can help. Take between 200 mg and 400 mg a day.
Don’t become deficient in B vitamins
A supply of all eight B vitamins is essential for feeling energized.
“Vitamins B1, B3, B5 and B6 are crucial for the conversion of food into energy,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps.
B vitamins can be found in chicken, nuts, eggs, cheese and Marmite.
Dr. Elisabeth Philipps recommends taking a B complex supplement.
3. HERBS HELP, BUT PAY ATTENTION
Do try natural remedies
Herbs called adaptogens can help the body cope with environmental stresses that can trigger fatigue.
“The most popular for low energy is ginseng,” says Dee Atkinson, a medical herbalist.
“It gently stimulates the adrenal glands, making us more alert.”
Rhodiola can also fight sluggishness.
Don’t expect instant results
“It can take three to four days before you notice an improvement in energy levels when taking herbal treatments because some extracts have a gradual effect,” says Dee Atkinson.
And some herbal remedies do not work for everyone.
“As with pharmaceutical drugs, everyone’s body responds differently,” she says.
4. TIME YOUR POWER NAP
Do take 40 winks
A nap can take the edge off an afternoon slump, but the duration of a siesta is crucial.
“It has been clinically proven that taking a nap for up to 30 minutes is revitalizing,” says Dr. Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.
We tend to enter deep sleep after 30 minutes, which lasts for a further half an hour, so waking mid-cycle can leave you feeling groggy. If you want to nap for longer, have one lasting 90 minutes.
Don’t throw yourself back into action immediately
Allow 15 minutes to wake up after a nap.
“Everyone suffers with what we call sleep inertia after a nap – sometimes a person can seem drunk,” says Dr. Chris Idzikowski.
“You need to give your brain time to recover and regain composure.”
It isn’t fully understood why napping is beneficial, but it is thought that it gives the brain a chance to pause and rest.
TATT (tired all the time) symptom affects one in ten people
5. NO GRAINS, NO GAINS
Do eat low-GI foods
Choosing unprocessed foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) will maintain steady energy levels, says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps: “Choose slow-burning wholegrains, brown rice and wholemeal bread in your diet but don’t overfill your plate. Digestion uses up a lot of energy so the more packed the plate, the more tired you will feel. This is particularly the case with carbohydrates because glucose triggers the production of the hormone serotonin, which can make you sleepy.”
Don’t forget to include protein
Ensuring you get adequate levels of protein – about 50 g per day – will fight fatigue.
“Protein slows the speed at which carbohydrates are absorbed, so there will be a steady drip-feed of glucose into your bloodstream,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps. Protein helps produce mood and energy-boosting hormones, too.
6. GET IN THE LIGHT MOOD
Do get enough daylight
Winter is when many people feel at their most listless because daylight hours are at a minimum, which has a knock-on effect on our body clock.
“Nerve cells called retinal ganglion receptors at the back of the eye are responsible for detecting light,” says Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University.
“If we don’t get enough, our bodies produce too much melatonin, the hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy.”
Even at dawn, daylight is up to 100 times stronger than the lighting at home and in the workplace.
Yet most of us get little, if any, daylight at this time of year – we travel to and from work in the dark and spend the majority of our time indoors at a desk. “Take a 30-minute stroll each day or move your desk near a window to increase light exposure and keep your inner clock in check,” says Prof. Russell Foster.
Don’t get too much blue light
Studies have shown that those who sit at laptops and in front of the TV late at night find it harder to drop off because the blue light emitted suppresses melatonin production.
In the evening, dim your laptop light setting and try to stop watching TV one or two hours before bed. If you can’t switch off the PC, try downloading F.lux software for free (stereopsis.com). It adapts the color of the light emitted from your laptop according to the time of day.
7. BREATHE EASY
Do breathing exercises
Believe it or not, most people don’t breathe correctly and this can contribute to a feeling of lethargy, says respiratory physiotherapist Alex Hough. The following exercise helps reset your breathing pattern. By using the diaphragm – the muscle that inflates and deflates the lungs – you inhale and exhale more efficiently.
Consciously relax your jaw, throat, shoulders and upper chest.
Breathe in through the nose. Allow the air to glide down your windpipe as if it’s filling your abdomen. Your tummy – not your chest – should rise gently like a balloon filling with air. It might help to place a hand on your abdomen to monitor movement.
As you exhale, let your abdomen sink gently like a balloon deflating.
You should be breathing 12 to 14 times a minute. If you breathe more frequently than this, gently slow your inhalations and exhalations.
Try this exercise twice a day for a few minutes at a time. You should find yourself feeling more energized and less stressed.
Don’t panic
“Modern life is stressful, which can make us fall into the habit of shallow breathing,” says Alex Hough.
“Shallow breathing makes the body work much harder to get the air it needs.”
Indeed, key symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder are feeling tired, shortness of breath and a disrupted sleep pattern.
If blood tests have ruled out any deficiency or imbalance, then explaining to your GP that you are stressed could help address your lack of vitality. Treatment usually involves Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and medications to help keep symptoms under control. 8. QUICK FIXES
If you suffer from mid-afternoon inertia but don’t want to glug a double espresso to get you through the rest of the day, there are alternative pick-me-ups that have been proven to work.
9. SNIFF HERBS
Numerous studies have shown that sniffing mint is effective in boosting alertness. A 2005 study reported that volunteers in a darkened room were less likely to fall asleep if they smelled peppermint.
“Our sense of smell is very powerful and certain scents stimulate the olfactory nerve in the nose more than others,” says Dee Atkinson.
“While mint has the most evidence behind it, essential oils of eucalyptus, basil and rosemary have a similar effect. Sniffing these is a great way to pep yourself up.”
10. NIBBLE ON DARK CHOCOLATE
Chocolate contains the stimulant theobromine.
“The chemical is almost identical to caffeine but has a more measured effect on the central nervous system,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps. You will need to eat dark chocolate though.
“The concentration of theobromine is much lower in milk chocolate – about a tenth – so you won’t get the same effect.
“If you do, it will be because of the high sugar content, which will leave you sleepier than before.”
11. STRETCHING
A quick stretch can perk you up, says Steve Hunter, of Sport and Exercise Science at London Southbank University.
“If we sit still at a desk all day, our bodies start to slow down. Stretching limbs stimulates neurons inside our muscles, which send signals to the brain to wake us.”
Oscar hopeful movie Amour (Love) is up for 10 prizes at this year’s Cesars, France’s prestigious annual film awards.
But the shortlist is dominated by surprise hit Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble), which has 13 nominations.
The crowd-pleasing comedy follows a young woman who goes back in time to her teenage years.
Emmanuelle Riva – recipient of one of Amour’s five Oscar nods – will be up for best actress at next month’s Cesar ceremony.
So is Rust and Bone star Marion Cotillard, who has also been nominated for a BAFTA for her performance.
Rust and Bone, about a whale trainer whose life is irrevocably changed by a tragic accident, has nine nominations in all.
They include citations for best film, best music and best director (Jacques Audiard).
Dark fantasy Holy Motors, which divided critics at Cannes last year, also received nine nominations, including best film and best actor (Denis Lavant).
2013 Cesar Awards shortlist is dominated by surprise hit Camille Rewinds (Camille Redouble), which has 13 nominations
The latter faces competition from Amour’s Jean-Louis Trintignant, while Holy Motors’ Edith Scob competes with Amour‘s Isabelle Huppert in the supporting actress category.
Ken Loach’s The Angel’s Share, Ben Affleck’s Argo and Denmark’s A Royal Affair are among the titles shortlisted in the foreign film category.
Some 3,400 people from across the French film industry took part in the voting process to determine this year’s nominations.
The awards, hosted by actor and former Eurotrash presenter Antoine du Caunes, will be presented on 22 February in Paris.
The Academy Awards take place on February 24, two days later, in Los Angeles, two weeks after the BAFTA Film Awards in London.
Bulgaria is set to vote in a referendum on whether a new nuclear power plant should be built.
The opposition Socialist party called the vote because it wants the government to reverse its decision not to build a new plant at Belene.
The first referendum in Bulgaria’s post-Communist history has polarized opinion and is seen as a precursor of general elections later this year.
The referendum would only be valid if at least 60% of the electorate votes.
The government says it supports the provision of nuclear power from an existing plant at Kozloduy, but that it does not have the 10 billion euros it says would be needed to build a new plant.
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told local media that this would remain the case even if Bulgarians voted in favor of a new nuclear plant.
Bulgaria votes in Belene nuclear power plant referendum
Bulgaria had to close four of its old reactors at Kozloduy as a precondition for its 2007 EU membership.
The government froze plans to finish the plant at Belene last year, when work at the site on the southern bank of the River Danube was already well under way.
The Socialists are seen as closely linked to the Belene project, having granted a construction contract for the plant to Russian state company Atomstroyexport in 2008.
They say Belene would now cost 4-6 billion euros to complete, and would lower electricity costs for consumers.
Environmentalists had opposed the plant, which had first been proposed when Bulgaria was under communist rule.
