Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently took her own life following the royal hoax call scandal, was found hanged in her staff housing, it has been claimed.
Mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, left a note for her family, it was revealed yesterday.
Jacintha Saldanha had not told her husband or children that she was involved in the incident, meaning the letter may provide their only clue to what prompted the respected nurse to take such a drastic and tragic step.
A post-mortem examination was held yesterday on the body of Jacintha Saldanha, who was the first unwitting member of staff at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, where Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness, to take the call made by two Australian DJs pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles.
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently took her own life following the royal hoax call scandal, was found hanged in her staff housing
She passed them on to a second nurse on Kate Middleton’s ward, who was then duped into giving out details of her medical condition
The results of the post-mortem examination are not yet known, and an inquest is due to be opened and adjourned tomorrow.
Family spokesman, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said yesterday Jacintha Saldanha’s family were demanding answers from the hospital about the circumstances that led to her death.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has described the decision of Gerard Depardieu to move to Belgium to avoid higher taxes as “shabby”.
Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested that Gerard Depardieu’s move to the small town of Nechin, just over the border from the French city of Lille, was unpatriotic at a time of cutbacks.
Nechin’s mayor revealed this week that Gerard Depardieu, 63, had taken up home there.
Some of France’s wealthiest citizens are feeling victimized by the Socialist government.
There is a general disgruntlement in business circles over the tax rates. Luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault made headlines three months ago when he announced plans to relocate to Belgium, denying it was for tax reasons.
However, Gerard Depardieu’s departure is seen as less damaging to the government as his political views are known to be on the right and he is regarded as a rather grumpy, temperamental character.
Belgian residents do not pay wealth tax, which in France applies to individuals with assets above 1.3 million euros ($1.7 million), starting at a rate of 0.25%. Nor do they pay capital gains tax on share sales.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault suggested that Gerard Depardieu’s move to Belgium, just over the border from the French city of Lille, was unpatriotic at a time of cutbacks
Next year, the top rate of income tax in France is due to become 75% on earnings above 1 million euros. It is currently 50% in Belgium.
Speaking on the France 2 TV channel, Jean-Marc Ayrault said: “I find this quite shabby… All that just to avoid paying tax.”
Gerard Depardieu was a “great star” whom “everyone loves as an artiste”, he added.
However, according to the prime minister: “Paying a tax is an act of solidarity, a patriotic act.”
French conservative opposition politician Jean-Francois Cope said the departure of Gerard Depardieu was “distressing for the country and its image”.
“You don’t see leading business figures or huge stars moving out of Belgium, Britain, Germany or Italy,” he added.
Gerard Depardieu is celebrated for such cinema roles as Cyrano de Bergerac and Obelix in the Asterix series, and can command 2 million euros per film.
The mayor of Nechin, Daniel Senesael, said the actor had other reasons for moving to his area, which is already home to some 2,800 French citizens including the Mulliez family, owners of French hypermarket chain Auchan and the Decathlon sports stores.
“I think he wanted to enjoy the atmosphere in Belgium, our identity, the rural, bucolic setting,” he told RTL radio.
However, it is quite obvious that the main reason for the move is for tax reasons.
It appears Gerard Depardieu’s new home is an old customs officer’s house, showing just how close it is to the border.
First Lady Michelle Obama delivered about 900 gifts to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign but perhaps lost in the seriousness of her mission, forgot to wear her smile.
Taking a few minutes to thank military families at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. Michelle Obama shared how they make her job “easy” in their representation of the U.S. as well as in inspiring her role in the White House.
“The military families are what inspires my work,” she said at the annual toy drive started by a Marine reservist and his wife.
“Somehow you’re always the ones who find the extra hours in the day to give back, above and beyond what life has thrown your way anyway,” she said.
Among the unwrapped toys donated today by White House employees and American CEOs were Michelle Obama’s two daughters 14-year-old Malia and 11-year-old Sasha, according to the White House.
Michelle Obama along with Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, started the Joining Forces campaign in 2011 to honor and support military families.
Michelle Obama delivered about 900 gifts to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign but perhaps lost in the seriousness of her mission, forgot to wear her smile
Before slapping her hands together to get to work, Michelle Obama wished volunteers and service members at the military base “Happy Holidays”.
She then assisted the marines in sorting the gifts into bins marked for boys and girls by different age groups.
Noting the lack of toys for older children, Michelle Obama advised a little help in donors remembering the big kids this year.
“A lot of times when we do the shopping we like to reach for the cute little bear or the little doll, but the truth is that they also need gifts for older kids as well,” she said.
For children ages 11 to 14, she suggested books, games, backpacks and clothes “because if your teens are like mine, they want some clothes, something cute to wear”.
Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Pete Osman, president and CEO of Toys for Tots, said the demand for gifts seems to go up every season, especially in the Northeast after this year’s “curveball” Superstorm Sandy.
Pete Osman thanked the first lady for being the program’s “No. 1 volunteer” since she has enlisted public support and rolled up her sleeves to help in each of her four years in the White House.
“When Michelle Obama leads, the American people follow,” he said.
Presents collected from the White House toy drive included school supplies, books and toys by K’NEX Brands. President Barack Obama picked up the toys last month when he visited a suburban Philadelphia toy factory as part of his campaign to get the public to pressure Congress to act to prevent the so-called “fiscal cliff”.
Pope Benedict XVI has sent his first much-anticipated Twitter message using his personal account @pontifex.
The Pope was shown pressing a button on an iPad tablet.
The message read: “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.”
A spokesman said earlier the pontiff would “reach out to everyone” with accounts in eight languages.
The Pope’s English account already has more than 660, 000 followers.
So far, the Pope’s accounts @pontifex – which mean “pontiff” or “builder of bridges” – are only following each other.
Pope Benedict XVI has sent his first much-anticipated Twitter message using his personal account
Last year, the Pope sent his first tweet from a Vatican account to launch the Holy See’s news information portal.
The leader of the world’s 1.2 billion or so Roman Catholics is expected to sign off, rather than write, each individual tweet himself.
The Pope’s tweets are also expected to highlight messages from his weekly general audience, Sunday blessings and homilies on key Church holidays as well as papal reaction to world events.
The Vatican has long shown interest in using the latest communications technologies to spread the faith with the inventor of radio, Guglielmo Marconi, setting up Vatican Radio in 1931.
The Catholic Church also already uses several social media platforms, including text messages and YouTube, to communicate with young people.
Papal aides say the pontiff himself still prefers to communicate in longhand rather than using a computer keyboard.
Pope Benedict’s six-year papacy has been bedeviled by poor communications.
Embarrassing clarifications had to be issued over such thorny issues as his 2005 speech about Islam and violence, and his stance on condoms and HIV.
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently took her own life following the royal hoax call scandal, left a note for her family, it emerged yesterday.
Jacintha Saldanha had not told her husband or children that she was involved in the incident, meaning the letter may provide their only clue to what prompted the respected nurse to take such a drastic and tragic step.
A post-mortem examination was held yesterday on the body of Jacintha Saldanha, who was the first unwitting member of staff at the King Edward VII Hospital in London, where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for acute morning sickness, to take the call made by two Australian DJs pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles.
Jacintha Saldanha passed them on to a second nurse on Kate Middleton’s ward, who was then duped into giving out details of her medical condition
The results of the post-mortem examination are not yet known, and an inquest is due to be opened this week.
Family spokesman, Labour MP Keith Vaz, said yesterday Jacintha Saldanha’s family were demanding answers from the hospital about the circumstances that led to her death.
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently took her own life following the royal hoax call scandal, left a note for her family
Although bosses at the hospital in Marylebone have said they will conduct internal inquiries, the nurse’s family – husband Ben Barboza, 49, and children Junal, 17, and Lisha, 14 – “want to know everything”.
Keith Vaz, who has met hospital chairman Lord Glenarthur to demand a full inquiry, said: “What the chairman of the hospital said to me was that there are inquiries going on in the hospital.
“That is not sufficient for the family. There are unexplained circumstances. The family want to know everything. All the facts, fully and clearly.”
Keith Vaz added: “The hospital needs to be more pro-active, a full inquiry is needed and the family need to be included in that.
“They are a lovely close-knit family, a Catholic family who will be spending their first Christmas without their mother, and for Ben, without his wife.”
Ben Barboza, an NHS accountant, and his children live in Bristol.
Jacintha Saldanha, whose body was found in the hospital’s staff accommodation she used during the week, returned to the family home at weekends.
She had been expected home as usual last Friday when police broke the news of her death.
Keith Vaz said: “They [the family] were in the dark about the hoax call. They hadn’t watched the news or seen anything about it. They didn’t know they were involved until after Jacintha’s death.”
Bosses at the Australian radio station, 2Day FM, have also been under pressure to explain why they gave the go-ahead for the prank.
The company which owns the station, Southern Cross Austereo, yesterday cancelled its staff Christmas party and said it would donate the rest of the year’s advertising revenue – 500,000 AUD – to a memorial fund set up in Jacintha Saldanha’s name by the hospital.
Cuban surgeons have successfully operated on Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez to remove cancerous tissue, says his Vice-President Nicolas Maduro.
It was the president’s fourth cancer-related operation since June 2011.
At the weekend, Hugo Chavez spoke for the first time about a possible successor, naming Nicolas Maduro as his preferred candidate.
In a TV address, Nicolas Maduro described the president’s operation as both “complex” and a “complete success”.
“We’ve lived through complex moments of tension,” he added, saying that the operation had lasted more than six hours.
In Caracas, the vice-president then led an outdoor vigil with a group of the president’s supporters joining in with a recording of Hugo Chavez singing the national anthem.
Hugo Chavez’s children and grandchildren, as well as political allies including National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, were in Havana to be near the president while he underwent the operation, Nicolas Maduro said.
Cuban surgeons have successfully operated on Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez to remove cancerous tissue
The Venezuelan president had returned from cancer-related treatment in Cuba on Friday but he left again from Caracas early on Monday for further treatment.
The illness was first detected during an initial surgery for a pelvic abscess in June 2011.
During the weekend, Hugo Chavez himself had acknowledged the seriousness of the situation after tests had detected more cancerous cells in the pelvic area.
“There are risks. Who can deny it?” he said in a televised speech on Saturday.
Hugo Chavez added that if his health failed and new elections had to be held, people should vote for Nicolas Maduro, a former bus driver and one of the president’s closest advisers.
“He is a complete revolutionary, a man of great experience despite his youth, with great dedication and capacity for work,” Hugo Chavez said.
In his first speech since being named as Hugo Chavez’s successor, a tearful Nicolas Maduro thanked the president.
“We are eternally grateful to Chavez. We will be loyal to Chavez beyond this lifetime,” he said, adding: “We are the children of Chavez.”
Hugo Chavez, who was re-elected in October for a fourth term as president, is due to begin his new six-year term in office on 10 January.
The constitution states that should the president leave office in the first four years of his term, an election must be held within 30 days.
President Barack Obama has announced that the US now formally recognize Syria’s main opposition coalition as “the legitimate representative” of its Syrian people.
Barack Obama told ABC News that the National Coalition was now inclusive, reflective and representative enough for the US to take this “big step”.
The UK, France, Turkey and Gulf states have already given their recognition.
Russia said the US had decided to place all its bets on the coalition achieving an “armed victory”.
Activists say more than 40,000 people have died in the 18-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports from central Syria on Wednesday said a large number of civilians from the president’s Alawite sect had been killed in a village to the west of Hama.
The circumstances are unclear but a video posted by opposition activists purported to show a young Alawite boy describing how government forces had destroyed a building where the civilians were being held hostage by pro-government militia.
The building, in the village of Aqrab, had been under siege from the Free Syrian Army and, according to the boy, as many as 300 civilians were killed,
There has been no word so far from the Syrian government and it is impossible to verify the activists’ account.
More than half a million people have now fled the conflict in Syria to neighboring countries, according to the UN’s refugee agency.
Barack Obama has said the US now formally recognize Syria’s main opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of its people
Announcing the US decision to recognize Syria’s main opposition, Barack Obama said it had earned the right to represent the Syrian people, but issued a note of caution as well.
The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was formed last month and only a small number of countries have so far recognized it as the legitimate representative of Syrians.
“Obviously, with that recognition come responsibilities,” Barack Obama said.
“To make sure that they organize themselves effectively, that they are representative of all the parties, [and] that they commit themselves to a political transition that respects women’s rights and minority rights.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, expressing surprise at the announcement, said the US had decided “to place all its best on an armed victory of the Syrian National Coalition”.
President Barack Obama’s statement came as foreign ministers from 70 countries prepared to meet in Morocco on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Syria.
The Marrakech meeting will be the first time that the Friends of Syria conference is attended by the Syrian National Coalition.
US recognition of the coalition does not mean the US will begin arming rebel groups, but officials told ABC that might be approved if it was thought to help achieve a political solution in Syria.
Barack Obama warned that the US would not support extremist elements within the opposition coalition.
“Not everybody who’s participating on the ground in fighting Assad are people who we are comfortable with,” he said.
“There are some who, I think, have adopted an extremist agenda, an anti-US agenda, and we are going to make clear to distinguish between those elements.”
One group he mentioned – the al-Nusra Front – is believed to be linked to al-Qaeda and responsible for nearly 600 violent attacks in major Syrian cities in the past year, the US state department estimates.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, freezing any assets its members may have in US jurisdictions.
Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar maestro, has died in a hospital in San Diego, aged 92.
His family said he had been admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego last week, but had failed to recover fully from surgery.
Ravi Shankar gained widespread international recognition through his association with The Beatles.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as a “national treasure and global ambassador of India’s cultural heritage”.
In a statement quoted by Reuters, Ravi Shankar’s wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka said he had recently undergone surgery which would have “potentially given him a new lease of life”.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery,” they said.
“We were at his side when he passed away.
“Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives. He will live forever in our hearts and in his music.”
Anoushka Shankar is herself a sitar player. Ravi Shankar’s other daughter is Grammy award winning singer Norah Jones.
Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar maestro, has died in a hospital in San Diego, aged 92
George Harrison of the Beatles once called Ravi Shankar “the godfather of world music”.
He played at Woodstock and the 1967 Monterey Pop festival, and also collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.
Ravi Shankar also composed a number of film scores – notably Satyajit Ray’s celebrated Apu trilogy (1951-55) and Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) – and collaborated with US composer Philip Glass in Passages in 1990.
Talking in later life about his experiences at the influential Monterey Pop festival, Ravi Shankar said he was “shocked to see people dressing so flamboyantly”.
He told Rolling Stone magazine that he was horrified when Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire on stage.
“That was too much for me. In our culture, we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God,” he said.
In 1999, Ravi Shankar was awarded the highest civilian citation in India – the Bharat Ratna, or Jewel of India.
Born into a Bengali family in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi, Ravi Shankar was originally a dancer with his brother’s troupe.
He gave up dancing to study the sitar at the age of 18.
For seven years Ravi Shankar studied under Baba Allauddin Khan, founder of the Maihar Gharana style of Hindustani classical music, and became well-known in India for his virtuoso sitar playing.
For the last years of his life, Ravi Shankar lived in Encinitas, California, with his wife.
North Korea has announced an apparently successful launch of a long-range rocket defying international warnings.
The rocket, launched at 09:49 local time, appears to have followed its planned trajectory, with stages falling in expected areas.
North Korea says a satellite has been placed in orbit; the US confirmed an object had been put into space.
South Korea, the US and Japan have condemned the launch as a disguised test of long-range missile technology.
A UN resolution passed in June 2009 after North Korea’s second nuclear test banned Pyongyang from ballistic missile tests.
The US called it a “highly provocative act that threatens regional security”, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was a “clear violation” of the UN resolution.
Japan has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. Reports suggested this could take place later on Wednesday.
The launch comes a week ahead of the South Korean presidential election and roughly a year after the death of leader Kim Jong-il, on 17 December 2011.
The three-stage rocket was launched from a site on North Korea’s west coast.
“The launch of the second version of our Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite from the Sohae Space Centre… on December 12 was successful,” state news agency KCNA said.
“The satellite has entered the orbit as planned.”
The rocket had been scheduled to pass between the Korean peninsula and China, with a second stage coming down off the Philippines.
“The missile was tracked on a southerly azimuth [angle]. Initial indications are that the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea,” a North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) statement said.
“The second stage was assessed to fall into the Philippine Sea. Initial indications are that the missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit.”
North Korea has announced an apparently successful launch of a long-range rocket defying international warnings
The Japanese government, which put its armed forces on alert ahead of the launch, said the rocket had passed over parts of Okinawa prefecture, south of the Japanese mainland.
“The missile that North Korea calls a satellite passed over Okinawa around 10:01. We launched no interception,” a government statement quoted by AFP news agency said.
Japan had threatened to shoot down any debris which infringed on its territory, deploying naval vessels and land-based missile interceptors.
Its top government spokesman called the launch “extremely regrettable” and something that Japan “cannot tolerate”.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, meanwhile, called an emergency meeting of his top advisers. His foreign minister said the government strongly condemned the launch.
The US called the launch another “example of North Korea’s pattern of irresponsible behavior”.
In China – which is North Korea’s closest ally – Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei expressed “regret” at the launch. A commentary from state-run Xinhua news agency called on all parties to remain “cool headed” and engage in “trust-building measures”.
North Korea had said two days ago that the launch could be delayed because of a technical problem, extending the window until December 29th.
South Korea, the US and other nations had urged North Korea not to go ahead, warning that it would constitute a test of long-range missile technology banned by the UN.
Washington and its allies say the rocket launches represent banned missile tests because the basic technology is the same.
North Korea is believed to be working on the development of a long-range missile capable of reaching the west coast of the US mainland.
It has not previously successfully launched a three-stage rocket. Its most recent test, in April 2012, ended in failure, when the rocket flew for only a few minutes before exploding and crashing into the sea west of the Korean peninsula.
The closed communist nation has also carried out two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009. International talks on ending its nuclear ambitions have been stalled for several years.
Officials fear it could be working towards a missile on which a nuclear warhead could be mounted – but it is not thought to have fully developed either the missile or the warheads yet.
North Korea’s rocket launches
Dec 2012: North Korea launches three-stage rocket, says it successfully put a satellite into orbit; US defence officials confirm object in orbit
Apr 2012: Three-stage rocket explodes just after take-off, falls into sea
Apr 2009: Three-stage rocket launched; North Korea says it was a success, US says it failed and fell into the sea
Jul 2006: North Korea test-fires a long-range Taepdong-2 missile; US said it failed shortly after take-off
Today is 12-12-12, the last major numerical date using the Gregorian or Christian calendar for almost another century.
Thousands of brides hoping to add some auspicious significance to their walk down the aisle will tie the knot today, the last triple-digit date for one hundred years.
Lisa Brashear and Sean Kluesner will say “I do” at 12:12pm, just one of the approximate 7,500 couples that will wed today, compared to only 485 got married on 12/12/11.
Lisa Brashear, 29, told the Denver Post: “Our running joke is that we picked that date because we wanted to be married before the end of the world,” referring to the Mayan Long Count Calendar’s purported last day of humanity, December 21st.
The couple is also one of many who saw the date as convenient, with the hundreds of mass wedding packages on offer across America.
When they saw a wedding-package deal offered by Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, 12 couples to marry at 12:12 on 12/12/12 for $1,200, they said it was an obvious choice.
Lisa Brashear added: “We didn’t have to do any planning – just show up with a ring and a marriage license.”
Those tying the knot at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel will have 40 different 12/12/12 wedding packages to choose from, some of which include an Elvis Presley impersonator, and also pirate, gangster and gothic themes.
Meanwhile for couples like Laura Drumm and Joshua Bonkowski from Chicago, they say that they “just like the number”.
Laura Drumm, who will tie the knot at 12.30 p.m. today, said: “I have a good feeling about it.”
Some women have even scheduled cesarean-section births to give their offspring a lucky head start.
Thousands of brides hoping to add some auspicious significance to their walk down the aisle tie the knot on December 12th 2012, the last triple-digit date for one hundred years
Hospitals in India and Indonesia were among those to receive a much higher number of requests from expecting parents to deliver their babies on 12-12-12, numerologists and astrologers say that babies born on this day will inherit the qualities of planet Jupiter, a symbol of prosperity and wealth.
Smitha Leo John, a 34-year-old IT professional from India told the Deccan Chronicle: “I have some medical complications…The doctor, whom I am consulting, advised me to pick any date in a 10-day window, and I grabbed the opportunity to get the delivery done on December 12.”
Dr. Gayatri Karthik, Consultant Gynaecologist, Manipal Hospital, added: “There are other deliveries too that have been lined up for Wednesday.
“But we cannot compromise medical care for the fancy of number. We are doing the deliveries only for those expecting mothers who have completed 36 weeks of pregnancy.”
Scott Petullo, a Las Vegas-based numerologist explained to ABC News: “It’s been said that 12-12-12 is a special moment in time, a <<master shift, peak point in spiritual energy>>, and even a time of <<ascension>>, when spiritual initiates <<ascend>> to a wonderful new existence, one free of personal adversity and karma.”
However Underwood Dudley, a retired professor of mathematics at DePauw University and author of Numerology, disagreed: “It’s just a cute day.
“Other than that, it’s just a number. The delusion of numerologists is that numbers have a power over events, but they don’t.
“Just because it’s 12-12-12 doesn’t mean anything will happen. It would happen anyway.”
But as couples get ready to say “I do” across the country, for a lucky start to a new marriage or pure convenience, at least there will be no excuse for missed wedding anniversaries.
Lisa Brashear agreed: “It will be an easy day for Sean to remember!”
The next time three numbers will align will be on January 1st, 3001, or 1/1/1.
Even Pope Benedict has taken advantage of the cosmic day, sending out his very first tweet today, on 12/12/12.
Tim Johnson, co-owner of the Shining Lotus Metaphysical Bookstore in Denver, said: “It’s some sort of phenomenon. Mostly, it’s the auspiciousness of the number. People are looking for that to tie in to whatever is happening in their lives.”
Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Whizz the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and 2tbsp water. Whizz again to form a ball. Roll the pastry very thinly on a floured surface until it’s a little bigger than a 28 cm (11 in) diameter loose-bottomed tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry, letting the extra hang over the sides. Place on a baking tray and chill for 30 minutes. Place baking parchment over the pastry, cover with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes until pale golden. Remove the beans and paper and trim the excess pastry. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes; set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 160°C/ fan 140°C/gas 3. Whisk the filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth, then pour into the pastry. Bake for 40-45 minutes until just set. Cool completely. Remove from the tin, sprinkle with redcurrants and dust with icing sugar.
X-37B, a notoriously mysterious military space plane operated by the US Air Force, has launched from Florida, the third flight in a secretive test programme.
The reusable, unmanned craft is designed to operate in Earth orbit for extended periods. Its prior missions in 2010 and 2011 lasted 224 and 469 days.
The US government kept the timing of Tuesday’s launch secret and has not said how long the mission will last.
That has prompted fevered speculation as to the craft’s ultimate purpose.
Tuesday’s launch had been pushed back from October, delayed by two satellite launches. Patrick Air Force Base in Florida gave notice of a hazard from a launch in a window between 10:45 to 17:15 local time.
The X-37B craft, designed by aerospace giant Boeing, shares more than just a passing similarity to the now-retired space shuttle.
It is just a quarter the size of the shuttle, but is launched on a rocket – the Atlas V. It is coated in thermal tiles to withstand the heat of re-entry, after which it lands on its own gear autonomously.
X-37B, a notoriously mysterious military space plane operated by the US Air Force, has launched from Florida, the third flight in a secretive test programme
The stated mission of the craft, according to the US Air Force, is an “experimental test program to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform”.
But the latest mission in particular sparked speculation that the craft was spying on the Chinese space lab Tiangong-1 – an idea that has since been largely discredited.
When it returned from its second mission in June, programme manager Lt. Col. Tom McIntyre said: “We knew from post-flight assessments from the first mission that OTV-1 could have stayed in orbit longer. So one of the goals of this mission was to see how much farther we could push the on-orbit duration.”
But any official mission objectives seems set once again to remain secret.
X-37B – military spaceplane
Mission: Described as a re-usable testbed for new sensors and other space technologies
Length: 9 m Wingspan: 4.5 m Height: 3 m Mass: 5,000 kg
Origins: Started as a NASA project in 1999 before being handed to the military in 2006
Operating altitude: 180 – 800 km
Cost: The budget line for the X-37B programme continues to be classified information
Russian opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, who performed soprano roles in opera classics, has died aged 86.
In a career spanning 40 years, Galina Vishnevskaya joined Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1953.
She made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Aida in 1961 and first sang Liu in Turandot in La Scala in 1964.
Moscow’s Opera Centre, which Galina Vishnevskaya created, said the singer died on Tuesday in the Russian capital.
Spokeswoman Yulia Ivanova said she had been treated in Germany and was surrounded by her loved ones at her country house when she died.
Known for her full-on style, Galina Vishnevskaya was not always to everyone’s taste, but her emotional involvement in the music left a big impact on audiences.
Her dramatic interpretations of soprano roles in the likes of Lady Macbeth by Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich and the War Requiem of British composer Benjamin Britten led some music critics to call her the Russian Maria Callas.
Russian opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, who performed soprano roles in opera classics, has died aged 86
Soviet audiences also loved her for her great interpretations of the standard repertoire including the great heroines of Puccini and Verdi.
Galina Vishnevskaya was born in what was then Leningrad and survived the city’s blockade by Nazi Germany during World War II, serving in missile defense troops when she was a teenager.
She studied in Leningrad, after which she was accepted into Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre.
Galina Vishnevskaya married the cellist Mstislav Rostropovich in 1955 and the couple performed together frequently until his death in 2007.
The couple left the Soviet Union with their two daughters in 1974 and lived in Paris and then Washington, before returning to Russia after the Soviet collapse.
A friendly shopping mall Santa helped Sarah Pasley to lull her baby boy back to sleep during a visit to the Boise Towne Square mall last year.
Now a picture of the moment is spreading online as thousands of moms with the holiday spirit obviously appreciate the help from Santa.
“My mother and I had braved the mall (on a Saturday in December of all days) in hopes of capturing a picture of my 8 month old son, Kiptyn <<meeting>> Santa,” Sarah Pasley wrote on the Facebook post.
“We stood in line for over 30 minutes waiting for our turn. Of course, 5 mins before our turn to meet Santa, Kiptyn fell asleep!! Part of me thought we should just get out of line & avoid wasting anyone else’s time that busy Saturday, but as we went to leave Santa gestured us over.
“I handed Kiptyn to my Mom & grabbed my camera. I was escorted outside of the fenced area in order to snap my own shots. What happened next will be one of my all time favorite memories of Christmas.
“Santa grabbed his book & slowly laid back into his oversized chair. He then silently motioned for my Mom to lay Kiptyn on his stomach. Kiptyn stirred for a moment and I thought he’d wake for sure.
“Santa hushed him & Kiptyn’s little arms fell into such a peaceful position. After we finished taking pictures we heard a round of applause from the crowd that had gathered around below & above in the rotunda.
“I can honestly say that I believe in Santa and the magic of the holiday season again.”
A friendly shopping mall Santa helped Sarah Pasley to lull her baby boy back to sleep during a visit to the Boise Towne Square mall last year
Luckily for the other mothers and fathers of Boise, the same Santa is back in the Towne Square Mall this season and new examples of his kindness.
“He is truly like that most of the time, he’s extremely caring and compassionate with the children and that is not uncommon for him to do. We’re very blessed to have him,” said the mall’s marketing manager Tina Kierce.
In a CCTV video from Network Rail, which is urging travelers to take care at railway stations over Christmas, one woman is seen at London Euston performing what has been dubbed “the reverse plank”.
More than 3,000 people were involved in slips, trips or falls in Britain’s railway stations in 12 months, with incidents involving luggage rising by 70% in seven years, Network Rail figures said.
Network Rail released the video as it urged people to take care when travelling by rail over Christmas – especially women wearing high heels and people running for trains with luggage.
In “the reverse plank”, the woman at Euston station is seen in April being carried up an escalator when her heel gets caught – as she falls backwards onto the escalator and is dragged all the way to the top.
Another clip in the video, filmed at Leeds station in West Yorkshire and named “the mad dash and crash”, sees and a woman fall head-first into the platform as she is running to catch her train.
The third video, also filmed at Leeds and called “the pole dance crunch”, features two women in party dresses twirl around a pole before falling face first and sprawling onto the platform.
In a CCTV video from Network Rail, one woman is seen at London Euston performing what has been dubbed the reverse plank
STATION SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS
Recorded slips, trips and falls at Britain’s railway stations from April 2011 to March 2012 from Rail Safety and Standards Board
Total: 3,118
On escalators: 512
On stairs: 1,120
On the concourse: 1,488
On a platform: 899
Involved people running: 425
Person intoxicated: 437
Major/Minor: 19 major injuries (only 5 involving intoxication) and 1 fatality (person who fell on an escalator at London Bridge station)
Time: 1,158 incidents were recorded between 5:00 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. (37%)
Day: Incident peak on Fridays: 569 (18%)
Luggage: 614 reported injuries involved luggage. This is up from 362 in 2004/05
The latest Gucci Photoshop disaster has appeared in its Explore the digital flagship campaign and has managed to make one of the model’s legs appear half the size of the other.
The hilarious snap, posted on PS Disasters, sees a striking model posing in a hot pink suit with matching pink shirt and a huge snakeskin handbag.
PS Disasters wrote of the fail: “If you’re going to slather your model in flamingo-pink, try to avoid giving her the legs of one too.
“Women keep a lot of things in their purses, but their hips aren’t one of them. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no expert on women’s hips (having spent little to no time near them) but even I know that they tend to be somehow connected to an actual woman.
“One day, I hope to confirm this.”
The latest Gucci Photoshop disaster has appeared in its Explore the digital flagship campaign and has managed to make one of the model’s legs appear half the size of the other
Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has been accused of doing a “racist” impersonation of Serena Williams after stuffing her bra and shorts.
At a recent exhibition against Maria Sharapova in Brazil, Caroline Wozniacki stuffed courtside towels down her kit to replicate the body of the curvaceous Grand Slam champion.
But now the 22-year-old Dane, whose boyfriend golfer Rory McIlroy was in the crowd, has now been accused of racism by some observers.
On Tumblr, one blogger wrote: “This isn’t <<harmless fun>> as one article described it. its racist. out and outright racism. mocking and making fun of the bodies of black women for a laugh? real funny, stupid white girl. real real funny.”
Another blogger pointed out: “It may have been done in <<jest>>, but I love how people can turn a black woman’s body and sexuality into a caricature. However, we should not have the autonomy to celebrate any successes of our own.”
While on feministing.com, an article read: “Given the history and current-day context of racialized standards of beauty, and the hypersexualization of people of color, when a white woman makes fun of a black women’s body, especially in a way that hypersexualizes her and draws on the stereotype of black women’s big butts, it’s racist.”
Caroline Wozniacki has been accused of doing a racist impersonation of Serena Williams after stuffing her bra and shorts
Serena Williams is well known for referring to her curvaceous figure – the day before the tennis star, also in Brazil to promote the 2016 Games, had tweeted: “Do they make Brazilian bikinis for, um, well, me?”
In July she tweeted a photo of her bottom, with the accompanying words: “Hummm I think this onzie makes me butt look TOO big. Ugh. #BigButtproblems.”
Caroline Wozniacki mentioned during a press conference after the game that she was performing an impression of her friend and fellow tennis player Serena Williams.
She said: “I really love the crowd here, they’re open and they have a lot of fun.”
This was not the first time Caroline Wozniacki imitated the American icon – she also copied her last year as well.
Tennis impersonations are usually the hallmark of Novak Djokovic – the Serb has imitated off rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as well as women’s stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Director Peter Jackson has defended shooting The Hobbit trilogy in a new format at 48 frames per second after a mixed response from film critics.
Since 1927, the standard frame rate – the number of frames or images that are projected per second – has been 24 frames per second.
“24 frames is jarring to me now,” said Peter Jackson.
“It looks primitive. Change is good, it takes people some time to get used to it,” he added.
“Ultimately, it’s not critics who are going to decide if this (the new format) is going to be adopted or not, it’s the audience.”
“(There will always be) people who have a particular strong feeling that film should be unchanged and that we got it right in 1927, just like there are people who play vinyl records still, whereas most of the world has moved to CDs and we got used to that.”
However, viewers will only be able to watch the film being projected at the increased frame rate in a small proportion of cinemas. Most will be showing the film at the traditional rate of 24 frames per second.
The Independent said 48 frames per second was “kitsch and alienating”, while the Telegraph said it gives the film “a sickly sheen of fakeness”.
But others, including Wired magazine loved it, saying: “Middle-earth in 3D looks so crisp it’s like stepping into the foreground of an insanely gorgeous diorama.”
Director Peter Jackson has defended shooting The Hobbit trilogy in a new format at 48 frames per second after a mixed response from film critics
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in Peter Jackson’s series of three films adapting JRR Tolkien’s classic book, opens in cinemas in the UK on Thursday and in the US on Friday.
Andy Serkis, who reprises the role of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings film, concurred with Jackson on the 48 frames per second.
“It’s so immersive, I find it really magical and really engaging,” he said. “It has a level of reality that it is unsurpassed… some people will find it challenging but… it’s a matter of time and there won’t be a discussion any more.”
Despite being happy with the end result, Peter Jackson said he did not expect The Hobbit to win any Oscars next year.
“I think they gave us our Oscars for Return of the King (the final instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy).
“I don’t think there’ll be any Oscars this time round which is fine, it actually takes the pressure off.
“It helped with Lord of the Rings that there was a weight and a gravitas to the whole story which The Hobbit doesn’t have… but some of the technical categories are superb so hopefully we’ll feature in those.”
Meanwhile, a parody of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was stopped from going on sale when a US District Court in California granted a temporary restraining order on Monday.
Global Asylum, a film company that makes parodies of blockbuster films such as Transmorphers, based on Transformers, was set to release Age of the Hobbits on Tuesday on DVD.
The studios making The Hobbit – Warner Bros and New Line MGM, along with producer Saul Zaentz – had asked the court to prevent the release.
The court for the central district of California granted their request, as Judge Phillip S. Gutierrez said that they had satisfied the legal standard for a temporary restraining order.
The applicant has to demonstrate that there is a valid copyright infringement claim, that there would be danger to the plaintiff if the order is not granted, that the plaintiff would suffer more and that the order would advance the public interest.
Global Asylum had argued that its film was not trying to deceive viewers or use the debut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to boost its own profits.
2Day FM, the Australian radio station whose DJs made a hoax call to nurse Jacintha Saldanha who was later found dead, is to give at least 500,000 AUD to a fund for her family.
Sydney broadcaster 2Day FM said it would donate the money from its advertising profits.
Jacintha Saldanha transferred the call to a colleague who gave information about Kate Middleton, who was a patient at the London hospital.
Her post-mortem examination is to take place later.
Jacintha Saldanha answered the Australian presenters’ call in the early hours of the morning on December 4th and, believing they were members of the Royal Family, put them through to another nurse, who gave an update on the duchess’s condition in detail.
Kate Middleton was being treated in the King Edward VII’s Hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness.
Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was pronounced dead on Friday morning at staff accommodation close to the hospital. An inquest into her apparent suicide is due to be opened in the next few days.
The company which owns the station, Southern Cross Austereo, said all profits from advertising on 2Day FM for the rest of the year would be donated to an appropriate memorial fund that would directly benefit the family, with at least 500,000 Australian dollars being donated.
Rhys Holleran, SCA’s chief executive, said: “We are very sorry for what has happened. It is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts continue to be with the family.
“We hope that by contributing to a memorial fund we can help to provide the Saldanha family with the support they need at this very difficult time.”
It also cancelled its Christmas party, saying it would be “inappropriate” to go ahead.
2Day FM, the Australian radio station whose DJs made a hoax call to nurse Jacintha Saldanha who was later found dead, is to give at least 500,000 AUD to a fund for her family
Lord Glenarthur, chairman of King Edward VII’s Hospital, welcomed the media company’s decision and said it could contribute to the hospital’s own memorial fund.
He added that it had received many donations from around the world.
Jacintha Saldanha’s family made a private visit to King Edward VII’s Hospital in London, where she worked, on Monday.
MP Keith Vaz, who met Jacintha Saldanha’s family in Parliament on Monday night, said they had been left “devastated” by the loss of “a loving mother and a loving wife”.
Flanked by Jacintha Saldanha’s husband Benedict Barboza and her two teenage children, Keith Vaz said: “They just want me to say that they are extremely grateful to the public here in the United Kingdom and throughout the world who have sent them messages of condolences and support following the death of Jacintha.
“This is a close family. They are devastated by what has happened. They miss her every moment of every day, but they are really grateful to the support of the British public and to the public overseas for the messages of support and kindness.”
Keith Vaz had earlier criticized the hospital for not giving the family more support.
He said: “The hospital has sent them a letter, which I have seen, but I’m surprised that nobody has made the journey to Bristol to sit with them and offer them the counselling that I think they need.”
In response, the hospital said its chief executive, John Lofthouse, had spoken to Benedict Barboza on Friday by phone and offered to meet him whenever he wanted.
The hospital has launched a memorial fund to support the nurse’s family and a private memorial service will be held later this week.
In the hoax call, the presenters, Michael Christian and Mel Greig, had pretended to be Prince Charles and the Queen asking about the duchess in hospital.
They said in a tearful interview with Australian television broadcast on Monday that they were “gutted and heartbroken” Jacintha Saldanha’s death.
Christian said: “It was something that was just fun and light-hearted and a tragic turn of events no-one could have predicted or expected.
“We are shattered, heartbroken and our deepest sympathy goes to the family, friends and all those people affected. Mel and myself are incredibly sorry for the situation and what’s happened.”
Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has cancelled an appearance at the premiere of the Hobbit on Wednesday. Her office says she will continue to “rest privately” at home. Prince William is due to attend.
Kate Middleton was being treated in the hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness.
Delta Air Lines has agreed a deal to buy Singapore Airlines’ 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic for $360 million.
Virgin Group and Sir Richard Branson will retain a 51% shareholding, and the Virgin brand will remain in place, the new partners said in a joint statement.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval in the US and Europe.
It follows a spat between Sir Richard Branson and Willie Walsh, boss of BA-owner International Airlines Group over the future of Virgin Atlantic.
Earlier, Willie Walsh offered to wager a “knee in the groin” in a bet with Sir Richard Branson over whether the Virgin brand would still be around in five years.
He was responding to a £1 million ($1.5 million) bet offered by Sir Richard Branson on Monday.
Delta Air Lines has agreed a deal to buy Singapore Airlines’ 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic for $360 million
Virgin and Delta said the deal would allow them to “overcome slot constraints” and offer more flights from Heathrow.
The carriers will operate 31 peak-day round trips between the UK and North America.
“Our new partnership with Virgin Atlantic will strengthen both airlines and provide a more effective competitor between North America and the UK, particularly on the New York-London route,” said Delta boss Richard Anderson.
Sir Richard Branson said it was an “exciting day” in Virgin’s history.
“It signals the start of a new era of expansion, financial growth and many opportunities for our customers and our business.”
Singapore Airlines is selling its stake, which it has owned since 1999, because of increased competition in its local market.
Low-cost
airlines in particular have mushroomed, threatening more traditional carriers like Singapore Airlines.
Singapore Airlines has itself launched a low-cost carrier, called Scoot, and has been putting money into its regional service, SilkAir.
McKeeva Bush, Cayman Islands prime minister, has been arrested as part of a corruption investigation, local police say.
The charges against McKeeva Bush, 57, include misuse of a government credit card and importing explosive materials.
McKeeva Bush had been in power since his United Democratic Party (UDP) won general elections in 2009.
The British overseas territory is one of the world’s largest financial centres and a well-known tax haven.
McKeeva Bush, Cayman Islands prime minister, has been arrested as part of a corruption investigation
On its website, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Force said: “The Premier of the Cayman Islands, McKeeva Bush (57), has been arrested and is currently detained in police custody in connection with a number of ongoing police investigations.”
McKeeva Bush previously held the post of leader of the islands’ government between November 2001 and May 2005.
A member of the legislative assembly representing West Bay, McKeeva Bush also holds the post of minister of finance, tourism and development.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, is being treated for a lung infection, the president’s office has said.
This is the first time officials have revealed why Nelson Mandela, 94, was rushed to a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria, on Saturday.
Tests showed a “recurrence of a previous lung infection”, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.
Nelson Mandela is responding to his treatment, Mac Maharaj added.
News of the hospital stay has prompted much concern in South Africa.
The former president is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy.
He led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in democratic elections in 1994.
Despite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, after his release he forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
News that the frail Nelson Mandela has another lung infection is likely to generate considerable anxiety.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, is being treated for a lung infection
The officials who have visited Nelson Mandela in hospital since Saturday have all said he is doing well.
He was flown to hospital on Saturday from his home in Qunu village in Eastern Cape province by the military, which is responsible for his healthcare.
Local media reported that the decision to move him was taken so quickly that some family members and his own foundation were initially unaware of it.
But Mac Maharaj has repeatedly said that Nelson Mandela is doing well in hospital and there is no cause for alarm.
Nelson Mandela was last admitted to hospital in February when he was treated for abdominal pain.
In January 2011, he was treated for a serious chest infection.
While in prison in the 1980s, Nelson Mandela was also diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.
Beardski is the ultimate facial fashion accessory and… is a full on beard.
If you’ve always wanted to try out the Grizzly Adams look but don’t have the patience to grow out your designer stubble then the new Beardski should be topping your Christmas list.
Part insulating ski mask, part beard, Beardski is designed to keep your face snug while you are on the slopes … or even just coming home from the office Christmas party.
Available in vibrant red and orange, or mocha brown and Santa Claus white, for those who favor the au natural look, the yeti-style beards are made from thermal fleece to keep your chin feeling toasty.
The range is available on gift site firebox.com and prices start at £24.99 ($38.5).
Beardski is the ultimate facial fashion accessory
Not brave enough for the full beard of Beardski… try the Beard Beanie
If you’re not a fan of the big bushy beard, you can get a more “designer stubble” effect with the Beard Beanie.
Designed by crotchet enthusiast Tara Duff, the cozy collection of hats have the fashionable facial hair already attached, in an array of browns, blacks and reds.
Not brave enough for a full beard, try the Beard Beanie
A handy hole for your mouth means that you can carry on eating and drinking while on the slopes.
Using a simple pattern taught to her by her next door neighbor, the beanies and beards are available online from £30 ($45) (www.beardbeanie.com).
From jolly looking polar bears to Santa riding on his sleigh, InspireMyCase has launched a range of iPhone cases plastered with scenes inspired by tacky Christmas sweaters.
InspireMyCase is promoting four different designs this holiday season “to enable people to add a little bit of personality, fun or style to their cases”.
Until December 19 the company is running a Facebook competition, giving four people the chance to win an “ugliest ever” sweater along with the matching phone accessory.
Each of the four designs is priced at $34.95.
The Penguins case features a penguin and snowman wrapped up in hats and scarves, Funky Bears shows two polar bears playing in the snow, The Village depicts a snow-covered scene and Santa Is Coming shows Santa Claus waving an American flag.
Hideous holiday sweaters have become a major trend over the past several decades.
InspireMyCase has launched a range of iPhone cases plastered with scenes inspired by tacky Christmas sweaters
According to the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On, there was a surge in ugly sweater parties around 2001.
Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable on his eponymous ‘80s sitcom, and Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, are said to have inspired the trend.
While Colin Firth’s reindeer turtleneck in Bridget Jones’ Diary, helped put cringe-inducing knitwear back on the radar.
A new book titled Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater, documents the history of the seasonal knit.
Andrew Simpson, the co-founder of InspireMyCase, who is based in Sydney, Australia, says that now is the perfect time to “Get your ugly on!”.
More babies will be conceived today than any other day this year, according to new research.
National birth records show that September 16 is the most popular birthday in the UK.
And with the average gestation period for a baby being 40 weeks December 11, exactly 40 weeks prior to September 16, has been labeled as the most fertile day of the year.
December is also the most popular month for conceptions – 9% of babies are conceived then.
Scientists say that winter is a more fertile season than summer because sperm quality is higher in the cold.
People also have more sex in December than other winter months because of festive partying and end-of-year happiness.
Famous people born on September 16 include the actor Mickey Rourke and the singer Katie Melua.
The statistics were compiled by Lovehoney, Britain’s biggest online seller of sex toys, based on established scientific studies.
December 11th is the most fertile day of the year
Lovehoney co-founder Neal Slateford said they were expecting a huge boom in sales prior to December 11.
He said: “December is always one of our busiest month as couples treat each other at Christmas.
“Everyone is increasingly doing their Christmas shopping online – who wants to go out to the shops when it is pouring down and there are queues at the check-outs?
“So we are expecting a big surge ahead of December 11, the most fertile and sexiest day of the year, when I guess a lot of broody couples will be staying in and having a good time!”
Bath-based Lovehoney compiled the statistics as it celebrated record sales in 2012, thanks to Fifty Shades of Grey for which it has developed the official range of pleasure products.
Turn-over shot up by a third, driven by a record demand for toys such as the silver balls featured in the E.L. James trilogy.
10 OTHER BEDROOM FACTS
One in four men switches the light off during sex
200 calories are burned during 30 minutes of sex
Outside the bedroom, the most common place to have sex is the car
75% of men always climax when having penetrative sex compared to just 29% of women
Men have an average of 11 erections a day
100 million acts of sexual intercourse happen in the world every day
We kiss on average for 20,160 minutes in our lives (that is, 336 hours, 14 days or two weeks)
Couples are 17 times more likely to have sex at midnight than at 10am
A peck on the cheek uses 2 facial muscles, a passionate snog uses all 34
