Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have sparked speculation they were never legally married after failing to lodge divorce documents almost a year after splitting.
Demi Moore announced she was ending her marriage in November and Ashton Kutcher has moved on with new love Mila Kunis.
Now new reports have hinted that perhaps the couple were never ever officially married to begin with.
Sources have told Radaronline that the former couple’s Kabbalah wedding was merely a “symbolic ceremony and not a legal marriage”.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have sparked speculation they were never legally married after failing to lodge divorce documents
The couple wed in September 2005 in a ceremony attended by 150 guests, including Demi Moore’s ex-husband Bruce Willis.
After the pair split last year following allegations that Ashton Kutcher, 34, cheated on Demi Moore with party girl Sara Leal, the 49-year-old actress released a statement saying ending the marriage with “great sadness and a heavy heart”.
Immediately after the announcement, Ashton Kutcher posted his own statement on Twitter.
He wrote: “I will forever cherish the time I spent with Demi.
“Marriage is one of the most difficult things in the world and unfortunately sometimes they fail. Love and Light, AK.”
Despite their dignified statements, Demi Moore was reportedly gearing up to battle it out over their $290 million fortune after enduring public humiliation because of his alleged infidelity.
According to reports, Demi Moore is worth $150m, while Ashton Kutcher’s fortune is said to be worth $140 million.
Greece’s finance minister Yannis Stournaras says the three parties in the country’s governing coalition have reached a “basic agreement” on the austerity package for 2013-14.
The measures are likely to be presented to Greece’s international lenders on Monday before going before parliament.
The cuts are necessary if Greece is to continue receiving bailout funds.
Earlier, Greece announced plans to sell most of its 34% stake in the gaming monopoly Opap.
Yannis Stournaras said there were “very few details left to work out” on the austerity package.
Greek governing coalition agreement comes the day after 50,000 anti-austerity protesters took to the streets of Athens
The deal comes the day after 50,000 anti-austerity protesters took to the streets of Athens.
The spending cuts are reported to be worth at least 11.5 billion euros ($14.8 billion) and are a condition for Greece to receive the next 31 billion-euro installment of its international loans.
The Greek government hopes to be able to present a final package of measures to the summit of eurozone finance ministers on 8 October.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the world to draw a “clear red line” over Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a speech at the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu said time was running out to stop Tehran from having enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb.
Israel and Western countries suspect Iran is seeking such a capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
Earlier, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asked the General Assembly to upgrade the Palestinians’ UN status.
Benjamin Netanyahu told delegates at the annual meeting of the assembly that Iran could have enough material to make a nuclear bomb by the middle of next year, and a clear message needed to be sent to stop Tehran in its tracks.
In a speech at the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu said time was running out to stop Tehran from having enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb
“Red lines don’t lead to war, red lines prevent war,” he said.
“Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran.”
He said sanctions passed over the past seven years had not affected Tehran’s programme. “The hour is very late,” he told delegates.
“The Iranian nuclear calendar does not take time out.”
He said he was convinced that faced with a “clear red line, Iran will back down”.
He added that he was confident the US and Israel could chart a common path on the issue.
On Tuesday, in his own address to the General Assembly, US President Barack Obama stressed the US would “do what we must” to stop Tehran acquiring nuclear arms.
However, while the Obama administration has not ruled out a military option, it says sanctions and multilateral negotiations with Iran must still be given time to work.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US was not prepared to commit to drawing “red lines”.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Western countries of nuclear “intimidation”.
“Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists [Israel] to resort to military action is a clear example of this bitter reality,” he told the General Assembly.
In his own speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas focused largely on the Palestinians’ UN status, saying he would continue to seek full membership.
But he said negotiations had begun with “regional organizations and member states” aimed at adopting a resolution making Palestine “a non-member state of the United Nations during this session”.
“In our endeavor, we do not seek to delegitimize an existing state – that is Israel – but rather to assert the state that must be realized – that is Palestine.”
Currently, the Palestine Liberation Organisation only has “permanent observer” status. Last year, a bid for full-member status failed because of a lack of support at the UN Security Council.
The change would allow Palestinians to participate in General Assembly debates. It would also improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court.
Last year, Palestinians joined the UN cultural agency Unesco, despite Israeli and US opposition.
Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his country’s opposition to “unilateral declaration of statehood”.
Social network Facebook has begun deleting fake page “likes”, independent data suggests.
According to Pagedata, many of the site’s most “liked” pages suffered large drops in numbers on Wednesday.
The move follows the social network’s admission that 8.7% of its users are not “real”, many having been set up by spammers who use them to artificially make pages appear more popular.
The issue poses a problem for Facebook as it seeks to expand its targeted advertising service.
Facebook’s shares have slumped from their initial public offering of $38 in May to $20.62 on Thursday.
Facebook has begun deleting fake page likes
In a blog post written in August, Facebook said: “A <<like>> that doesn’t come from someone truly interested in connecting with a page benefits no-one.”
Technology news site The Verge, citing Pagedata‘s statistics, noted that some of the most popular pages on Facebook had suddenly shed significant numbers of users.
The page for Texas HoldEm Poker, one of the site’s most popular, shed 96,317 “likes” on Wednesday – compared with net gains of about 20,000 each day for the previous month.
Other prominent pages also saw a drop in numbers, including those of pop singers Rihanna (-28,275), Eminem (-15,420) and Lady Gaga (-34,326).
Facebook would not confirm that the purge was happening, but could not provide an alternative explanation for the drop in numbers.
Promoting online engagement with brands is a key component of Facebook’s business model, in which it uses key information – such as age, gender and location – to target certain advertisements at specific recipients.
However, this system is increasingly coming under threat from a black market of fake “likes”, sold in bulk in order to falsely boost a brand’s figures.
A simple search brings up a host of websites offering large numbers of Facebook fans or “likes” – as well as followers on Twitter and views on YouTube.
Wang Xuemei, a prominent Chinese forensic scientist, has cast doubt on the official version of the death of British businessman Neil Heywood, which triggered a huge political scandal in China.
Wang Xuemei said there was little evidence Neil Heywood died from cyanide poisoning.
Neil Heywood was found dead in a hotel room in November 2011.
Last month the wife of a prominent Chinese politician was found guilty of murdering him by poisoning.
However, the account given in court of how Gu Kailai killed Neil Heywood does not tally with cyanide poisoning, according to Wang Xuemei, who works for China’s top prosecutor’s office.
Wang Xuemei said there was little evidence Neil Heywood died from cyanide poisoning
Cyanide poisoning would have caused lightning-fast asphyxia, spasms and a heart attack and turned his skin and blood bright red, which investigators would easily have spotted, she says.
A simple test for cyanide is also standard forensic practice in China, but none was presented in court, she adds.
Wang Xuemei says she believes Gu Kailai did have a motive to kill Neil Heywood and suggests that she used another poison to try and kill him.
No post-mortem examination was carried out on Neil Heywood’s body, which was cremated.
Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence, and her husband Bo Xilai, previously one of the most powerful figures in the ruling Communist Party, has been suspended from his position on the Politburo.
Gu Kailai’s aide, Zhang Xiaojun, was jailed for nine years for his part in the murder, while the regional police chief, Wang Lijun, received a sentence of 15 years for abuse of power and other offences.
The trials were closed to foreign journalists and no scientific evidence to show Neil Heywood was poisoned has been made public.
The new claims come just weeks before a crucial once-in-a-decade leadership change expected at a party congress this autumn.
From the very start there have been doubts about the official version of Neil Heywood’s death in a hotel room in Chongqing last November.
Initially the cause was said to be alcohol poisoning or a heart attack.
But in February, Wang Lijun fled the city after falling out with Bo Xilai and claimed that Neil Heywood had been murdered.
Bo Xilai’s supporters have claimed from the start that he is being framed by his political enemies.
Japanese magazine Numéro had airbrushed out Karlie Kloss’ prominent ribs in a photoshoot.
The original photo, shot by Greg Kadel and released by his studio, showed the 20-year-old model leaning back with her hands behind her head.
But the image that made its way onto the pages of the magazine’s October issue, Karlie Kloss’s ribs, sternum and prominent collar bones had been smoothed over.
Some have criticized the move, saying that that the images of Karlie Kloss show a slender model with normal ribs for a slim person leaning backwards – and suggest that the airbrushing by Número was over-zealous.
But to the editors of Numéro magazine, what may have seemed heavy-handed to some was likely a pre-emptive move to avoid the sort of furor that arose last time Chicago-born Karlie Kloss appeared naked in a magazine.
In a shoot for Vogue Italia with Steven Meisel last December, images showing Karlie Kloss’s protruding hip bones and minuscule waist sparked heated debate after they appeared on pro-anorexia websites.
Karlie Kloss printed in Numéro magazine
The photos were replicated across the globe on myriad so-called Thinspiration sites, websites where vulnerable women and men post images and words that they believe will help them to lose weight to be more like their icons. Eating disorder associations spoke out to say that Karlie Kloss’s slight frame could have a negative effect on impressionable girls.
Karlie Kloss in the original shoot
As soon as Vogue Italia learned that the images had appeared on the pro-anorexia sites, they pulled them from their own website.
Some months later, Vogue Italia’s editor Franca Sozzani admitted during a speech she gave to students at Harvard University that “fashion becomes one of the causes” of anorexia.
She discussed the industry’s reliance on imagery that glorifies extreme thinness, to the point where we now accept such aesthetic standards as entirely normal, and something to aspire to.
Franca Sozzani explained: “One of the reasons why a girl starts a too-strict diet is the necessity to correspond to an aesthetic standard which rewards thinness.
“And the current inclination to embrace a female beauty standard that exalts thinness has devastating consequences on many adolescents’ eating habits.”
Karlie Kloss, who says having been compared to Elle Macpherson (she has already been dubbed the new “Body”) gave her “goosebumps”, says her slim figure is down to years of ballet, which she gave up after she was told she was too tall to become a professional dancer.
She told Vogue earlier this year: “You are physically up for scrutiny by everyone and you hear everyone’s opinion. You have to grow thick skin and that only comes with time and learning.”
Lady Gaga took to the stage in her usual array of skimpy outfits in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Lady Gaga, 26, who has become an advocate for curvy girls after recently gaining 25 lbs, confidently strutted around in her tour costumes, which includes a leather g-string and fishnet tights get-up.
It comes just days after Lady Gaga, who has battled bulimia and anorexia, took to social media to launch a sub-section of her site, called Body Revolution.
As well as the series of half-naked images, Lady Gaga wrote: “Today I join the BODY REVOLUTION. To Inspire Bravery. And BREED some m$therf**king COMPASSION.”
The page continues: “My mother and I created the BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION for one reason: <<to inspire bravery>>.
“This profile is an extension of that dream. Be brave and celebrate with us your <<perceived flaws>>, as society tells us. May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous.”
Lady Gaga performs in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday
Lady Gaga recently said she’s happier than ever with her body, especially because partner Taylor Kinney is a huge fan of her new fuller figure.
Writing on her blog, she said: “My boyfriend prefers me curvier.
“When I eat and am healthy and not so worried about my looks. I’m happy. Happier then I’ve ever been. I am not going to go on a psycho-spree because of scrutiny. This is who I am. And I am proud at any size.”
Lady Gaga also thanked her fans for supporting her during her struggles and giving her the self-confidence she has always needed.
She wrote: “My weight/loss/gain since I was a child has tormented me. No amount of help has ever healed my pain about it. But you have.”
Lady Gaga recently revealed the reason behind her weight increase was down to her father’s restaurant in New York.
She said: “I love eating pasta and I’m a New York Italian girl. That’s why I have been staying out of New York.
“My father opened a restaurant. It’s so amazing … it’s so freaking delicious, but I’m telling you I gain five pounds every time I go there.
“So my dad wants me to eat at the restaurant, and I’m like, <<I’ve got to go where I can drink green juice>>. “
Barnes & Noble is set to take on Amazon and Apple with two new versions of its Nook tablet unveiled today, joining an already crowded marketplace.
The new devices are a Nook HD tablet with a 7-inch screen, starting at $199, and a Nook HD+ with a new 9-inch screen, starting at $269.
In addition to new HD screens and a lighter body, Barnes & Noble is also increasing the services the Nook offers, adding a video purchase and rental service, allowing users to maintain different “profiles” and making it easier to browse titles in its book and magazine stores.
New York-based Barnes & Noble, the largest traditional U.S. bookseller, has invested heavily in its Nook e-reader and e-books.
Barnes and Noble CEO William Lynch unveils the new NOOK HD plus, left, and NOOK HD in New York
Barnes & Noble will continue to sell its smaller black-and-white e-reader, called the Nook Simple Touch, for $99, and a backlit Nook Simple Touch for $139.
The Nook HD runs on Google’s Android 4.0 system and includes Barnes & Noble’s own app store and browser. It is an upgrade to the hardware and services offered by its previous tablets, the Nook Tablet and Nook Color, which Barnes & Noble is phasing out.
However, Barnes & Noble faces a tough battle.
Seven out of every 10 tablets sold in the second quarter were iPads, according to IHS iSuppli.
Amazon.com has a 4.2% share of the tablet market, while Barnes & Noble has a 1.9%, according to iSuppli.
However, experts say the bookseller is in with a chance.
“If the decision the consumer is making is whether to buy based on hardware, these new Nooks will beat out Amazon,” said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.
“But that’s not the decision every consumer is going to make – hardware is only as good as the services the hardware enables.”
So far, Amazon offers more services, James McQuivey said, with a bigger app store, and more extensive video library, not to mention Amazon’s vast product offerings and its Amazon Prime free-shipping service.
In an attempt to measure up, Barnes & Noble is launching a video service that lets users buy and watch movies and TV shows on their mobile devices and televisions.
The offerings will come from major studios including HBO, Sony Pictures, Viacom and Warner Brothers. Scrapbook and catalog browsing features have also been added.
One wild card working in Barnes & Noble’s favor this holiday: Wal-Mart and Target, increasingly threatened by Amazon’s online retail operations, won’t carry the Kindle. The retailers will sell Barnes & Noble’s Nooks, as well as other tablets like the iPad.
“This is going to be a lot of fun to watch over the next year,” James McQuivey said.
The new Nooks are available for pre-order online and in stores beginning on Wednesday and will begin shipping in late October and begin arriving in stores in early November.
British plus-size women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine SLiNK cover features a 3D photograph of gorgeous Australian model Bree Warren, a UK size 14, which is the minimum requirement for all models featured in the publication.
The cover of SLiNK magazine’ seventh issue shows Bree Warren – who works for Models 1+ and has just finished her journalism degree – wearing a furry Marimodo gilet, a body from ASOS Curve, and cuff and rings by Imogen.
Inside the magazine is further 3D editorial, with photographs of Bree Warren modelling a selection of clothes and accessories from both high street brands and independent high-end designers.
Readers can fully appreciate the photos – all of which are taken by Roberto Aguilar – by wearing the free 3D glasses provided with the edition.
The cover of SLiNK magazine’ seventh issue shows Bree Warren wearing a furry Marimodo gilet, a body from ASOS Curve, and cuff and rings by Imogen
The theme of the edition is Freedom, exploring everything from the change in a woman’s freedom after she has children, to how the changes in the Middle East have affected women in the region.
The editor of SLiNK, Rivkie Baum (a size 16-18 26-year-old), said the 3D technique was employed “to create a sensational selection of images with a military theme that truly come to life”.
She added: “The issue is The Freedom Issue and as our lead story we wanted something fierce and fresh with a military spin.
“We worked with a lot of mainstream PR agencies for this shoot, especially with young designers whose samples would work for both a girl of size 14 and a straight size model.
“We find emerging designers are keen to work with models of various sizes. We wanted this shoot to really be about pushing boundaries of what <<plus size>> modelling and fashion should be about.”
As well as the 3D shoot the edition also features a beauty section, shopping pages and extra editorial shoots, including a beautiful lingerie shoot.
SLiNK, which won the award for Best Plus Size Magazine 2011 at the 100% People Awards, was founded “to show that plus-size models can do anything a straight size model can”.
The fashion inside can always be found up to a size 22, often a 32.
The concept for the publication was Rivkie Baum’s, a graduate from the London College of Fashion in Design and Pattern Cutting and a creative at Models 1.
Her aim was to promote healthy lifestyle, body confidence and body acceptance to the 4.9 million women in the UK who wear a size 18+.
Rivkie Baum said: “SLiNK is a shining light in a world that frowns on plus size women.
“Using models who are a size 14+, SLiNK’s ethos is to show their readers that being fuller-figured is no barrier to obtaining both an on-trend wardrobe and a fabulous lifestyle.”
SLiNK magazine has run online for one year and is now available to purchase via the company’s website.
The most ambitious goal of medical researchers is to find ways to prevent diseases. Methods to accomplish that goal do exist for certain illnesses, but are rare for others. Two recent medical studies on the molecular level exemplify the effort of the scientists to contribute to strengthening it against organ failure and to immunizing the body against viruses.
Avoiding a bad heart condition
In the US, 1.5 million people suffer from a heart attack each year of which one third is killed by it. Scientists of the Lund University in Sweden have now discovered a way to reduce the risk of a heart attack through a vaccination. The researchers have developed a therapy which leads to the production of antibodies attacking the accumulation of fat deposits in the arteries. Such therapies are often the result of comprehensive research collaborations on an international level, and also rely on the recommendation by the antibody supplier, which provides the appropriate kits for long-term clinical studies. The promising research results are hoped to lead to an introduction of the antibody therapy within the next five years.
A vaccine against cervical cancer
The vaccination Cervarix was approved in various European countries and the US between 2007 and 2009. It has been a great success as it immunizes the body against certain types of the Human Papillomavirus which were proved to be the cause of genital warts and cervical cancer by the German researcher Harald zur Hausen. Since its approval, many young girls and boys have got the three necessary injections and have thereby reduced their risk to fall ill to cervical, vaginal, penile, vulvae and anal cancer.
New results in the prevention of cervical cancer
In order to optimize the vaccine, scientists continue studying its effects in relation to the virus. It has been found out recently that even people who do not get the shot may profit from it through the phenomenon of herd immunity. It is related to the fact that vaccinated people do not transmit the virus to their potentially unvaccinated sexual partners and thereby help reduce the circulation of the virus. Hence, the virus may disappear or get extinct over time. This fact, however, should not prevent young people from getting vaccinated themselves. After all, one does not always know if a sexual partner is immunized or not.
On top of that, it has to be noted that there are still some oncogenic types of the Human Papillomavirus which are not covered by the current vaccines. It therefore remains the challenge of the scientists to develop serums to cover a broader range of HPV virus.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe wants to hold elections in March 2013 with a referendum on a new constitution this November, court papers reveal.
His long-time rivals in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have condemned this timetable as “unrealistic”.
The two sides are unable to agree on a draft constitution, which is supposed to be in place before the new election.
Until now, Robert Mugabe, 88, has always insisted that the elections should be held this year.
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe wants to hold elections in March 2013
The MDC, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, backed by South African mediators, insists that a new constitution is in place before the new polls to ensure they are free and fair.
President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since independence in 1980, denies accusations that previous elections were rigged in his favour.
Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the previous election, in 2008, citing systematic attacks on his supporters by the army and pro-Mugabe militias.
With the uncertainty pushing Zimbabwe’s economy into freefall, the pair then agreed to form a power-sharing government.
Robert Mugabe’s proposed election timetable was included in court papers in a case about when to hold by-elections.
The Supreme Court had ordered that by-elections for several vacant parliamentary seats be held by 1 October. However the president has appealed against the ruling, saying it would cost too much money when wider elections are expected soon.
This is by no means a fixed date for Zimbabwe’s long-awaited elections, but it is a sign of growing urgency.
But it was immediately rejected by MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.
“The date for the election, especially, is unilateral, unrealistic and has no scientific or legal basis,” he told the AFP news agency.
Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai would be expected to face each other in the poll, which is supposed to be held by next year.
Herbert Lom, best known for playing Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films, has died aged 95.
The Czech-born, London-based actor starred opposite Peter Sellers in several films as Inspector Clouseau’s irritable boss.
Herbert Lom appeared in more than 100 films during his 60-year acting career, including such classics as The Ladykillers, Spartacus and El Cid.
His family said he died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday.
Herbert Lom was best known for playing Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films
Herbert Lom also portrayed Napoleon Bonaparte on two occasions. One of them came in the 1956 screen adaptation of Tolstoy’s War And Peace, also starring Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda.
He first appeared as police chief Charles Dreyfus in 1964’s A Shot In The Dark, a character who became increasingly mentally unstable as a result of Inspector Clouseau’s incompetence as the films went on.
Herbert Lom was born Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich ze Schluderpacheru in Prague in 1917, where he grew up and attended the city’s university.
He began acting on stage and screen in Czechoslovakia, before leaving for England at the start of World War II.
Herbert Lom trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London before making his English language acting debut in 1940 film Mein Kampf – My Crimes.
He was offered a seven-year contract with Twentieth Century Fox and secured several lead roles in the 1940s, including Napoleon in The Young Mr. Pitt.
In the 1950s he played opposite Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers in Ealing comedy The Ladykillers and opposite Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth in Fire Down Below.
Herbert Lom made a specialty of playing the sinister character in a string of low-budget horror films including a number of Hammer studio productions, playing the Phantom in their production of The Phantom of the Opera.
Those parts persuaded director Blake Edwards to give him his most famous role as Inspector Clouseau’s long-suffering boss in several of the Pink Panther movies.
“It was a godsend when I was offered the part,” he said of the role.
“But it did become a double-edged sword as people started to associate me with Dreyfus.”
Herbert Lom married Dina Schea in 1948, whom he divorced in 1971, and had a daughter with potter Brigitte Appleby.
He also wrote two novels alongside his acting career: Enter A Spy published in 1971 and Dr. Guillotine in 1993.
Hrbert Lom’s later acting career saw him work with director David Cronenberg in a 1983 adaptation of Stephen King novel The Dead Zone, opposite Christopher Walken.
Coco Chanel was famously credited with inventing the little black dress, but she is also responsible for another wardrobe staple – the little black jacket.
Hip-length and boxy in style, the Chanel LBJ was originally launched in 1954 when it was radically different from the nipped-in shape of the Dior jackets popular at the time.
Chanel’s woman was modern and emancipated and the style reflected this.
Her versatile tweed, braid-trimmed, silk-lined jacket sat just-so on the body, the bottom hem weighed down with a thin brass chain.
Variations on the same design are shown each season and sell for thousands – couture versions are still made at the fashion house’s atelier on Paris’ Rue Cambon.
This month, the jacket is the subject of an exhibition which will run at London’s Saatchi Gallery (October 12-28) and includes 113 photographs of celebrities such as Alexa Chung, taken by Chanel’s creative director, Karl Lagerfeld.
“The jacket I photographed is the most classic one,” Karl Lagerfeld explains.
“The closest to the original one Mademoiselle Chanel created.”
The Chanel LBJ was originally launched in 1954
THE LITTLE BLACK JACKET EXHIBITION
Saatchi Gallery is opening its doors to Chanel’s photographic exhibition dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld’s latest book, The Little Black Jacket.
Opening in October, and following the lead of Tokyo, New York, Taipei and Hong Kong, this exhibition underlines the brand’s values of creativity, modernity and excellence.
Featuring 113 iconic photographs of Karl Lagerfeld, modelled on a range of friends and models of the brand, each photo is unique.
From Lily Allen donning a cape to a draped look on model Stella Tennant, or even transformed into a vest on model Edie Campbell, each photo reflects the individual style of each woman.
The Little Black Jacket: CHANEL’s classic revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld will be available worldwide in bookshops this autumn.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 12th October to Sunday 28th October 2012.
Parkinson’s disease sufferers might learn about their condition years earlier by making a simple phone call.
Dr Max Little, a British researcher, is recruiting Parkinson’s patients and healthy volunteers to participate in a three-minute phone call. All they have to do is to make certain vocal sounds like “ah,” speak some sentences and answer a few questions.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a technology that analyzes tremors, breathiness and other weaknesses in people’s voices, which are believed to be one of this neurological condition’s earliest symptoms.
Researchers have already tested this technology in lab condition and say that their computer program can pick out Parkinson’s sufferers with 98.6% accuracy by analyzing their speech.
The system could be programmed to diagnose people remotely, allowing earlier treatment, Dr Little said. The Parkinson’s Voice Initiative aims to collect 10,000 recordings through telephone, under realistic, non-lab conditions, to test the hypothesis that it is possible to detect Parkinson’s disease through these recordings.
“Science tells us voice impairment might be an early sign of Parkinson’s. It sounds counterintuitive as Parkinson’s is a movement disorder but the voice is a form of movement. We don’t tend to think of the larynx and vocal chords but you are moving them when you make speech sounds. It’s a complex sound of movement and it tends to degrade in Parkinson’s. Neurologists look at changes in the ability to move, which is done with the limbs, but we are looking in the vocal organs – the sounds that come out of the mouth. We are fairly confident we can detect the disease over the telephone,” Dr Max Little said.
The success of this research will provide a very cheap and accurate way to detect Parkinson’s disease.
Analyzing a three-minute phone call might become a test for Parkinson’s disease early detection.
Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. It affects mostly people over 50 and often starts with hand tremors followed by symptoms including muscle rigidity or stiffness and slow movement.
Patients don’t have enough dopamine in their brain and without this chemical the movements become slower.
There are over 6 million people living with the incurable disease and the number will increase because of aging population. There are no tests to detect the condition earlier, before the symptoms appear. Current objective symptom tests for Parkinson’s are expensive, time-consuming, and logistically difficult.
All recordings made by the Parkinson’s Voice Initiative are non-identifiable, and no personal information is stored.
The phone call lasts 3 minutes on average, and normally less than 5 minutes. The call is low-charged. You have to be at least 18 years old to take part in the study. However, the participation is only for scientific purpose, so you will not get a diagnostic after the call. If you have symptoms, or if you think you could have Parkinson’s disease, you should visit a neurologist.
Kristen Stewart was in good spirits as she arrived for the Spring/Summer 2013 Balenciaga ready-to-wear show at Paris Fashion Week.
Kristen Stewart, 22, stayed loyal to the French-based fashion house with an outfit by the designer Nicolas Ghesquiere.
She went for a chic biker look in floral-patterned monochrome jeans, ankles boots, loose black top and a yellow leather jacket.
The actress is also a fan of their quilted leather biker jacket, having at least three in black, red and yellow.
Kristen Stewart was in good spirits as she arrived for Balenciaga ready-to-wear show at Paris Fashion Week
Kristen Stewart is a regular at Balenciaga shows at Paris Fashion Week and was unveiled as the face of their fragrance earlier this year.
Her arrival in Paris comes as Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are spending more time together.
A source told People magazine that Robert Pattinson’s friends are concerned and have urged him to take things slowly.
A friend told People: “Rob was completely heartbroken and was saying there was no way he could ever forgive her.
“But not speaking to someone that you thought was your end all, be all, is clearly harder than he expected.”
Another source added: “[His friends] keep telling him he needs some time and space, but they all think they will be a couple again, maybe as soon as they are together for the Twilight promos.”
Meanwhile, also at Paris Fashion Week was Mexican actress Salma Hayek, whose husband François-Henri Pinault is the CEO of PPR – a major fashion company which owns or part-owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Boucheron, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta, among others.
The actress looked smart in an unusual black and grey jacket and black skirt as she arrived on the arm of her billionaire husband.
Striking red lipsticks, flawless skin and retro glamour were all over the fashion week catwalks.
Here, pin-up Dita Von Teese, who’s just launched her own make-up collection, tells you how to get the look…
1. Alabaster skin is the perfect base for a vintage look. I’d never dream of getting a tan – I always wear sunscreen and put on a hat when I’m out in the sun.
2. Classic red lipstick is the most chic beauty statement a women can make. Matte lips are like luscious rose petals. Add just a touch of gloss to the centre.
Dita Von Teese says an alabaster skin is the perfect base for a vintage look
3. In the Thirties and Forties, leaving the half-moon at the bottom of your nail was the epitome of elegance. It has now become modern and chic again.
4. For a dramatic look, I start with a neutral lid, define a line of black shadow in the crease. Finish with a sparkling white on your brow bone and eyelid.
5. I always powder my nose using pressed powder in an exquisite, jewelled compact. They are hard to find, but Estee Lauder does wonderful ones at Christmas.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’s finale for the first half of season one aired last night and TLC has already ordered more episodes.
The reality show stars pageant queen Alana Thompson, 7, and family members, dad Sugar Bear, mother June Shannon and big sisters Pumpkin, Chickadee and Chubbs.
Amy Winter, general manager of TLC, said yesterday: “Alana and her family have become a pop culture phenomenon.
“What you see is what you get, and we are excited to share even more of their unbridled hilarity, sincerity and love with our viewers.”
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’s finale for the first half of season one aired last night and TLC has already ordered more episodes
The Georgia-based family will also get three holiday specials – dubbed “HOLLAday” special shows, celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas with America.
Since its debut in August, the show has averaged 2.3 million viewers per episode.
The reality show topped all individual cable and network broadcasts of the Republican National Convention on August 19 getting a 1.3 rating with adults 18-49, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Honey Boo Boo’s family are reportedly asking for a raise for Season 2, hoping for $10,000 per episode.
The currently receive a reported $4,000-per-episode but TLC has not commented on the contract negotiations.
During the finale for part one of season one, the one-hour episode titled It Is What It Is will see Honey Boo Boo prep for her latest spectacle with her “rebelchious” Uncle Poodle.
Cartwheel lessons turn into a grass fight between Honey Boo Boo, Pumpkin and Poodle and fans can see the arrival of Chickadee’s two-thumbed baby Kaitlyn.
Pictures have emerged showing the inside of the 105-storey pyramid-shaped Ryugyong hotel that has been under construction in Pyongyang for 25 years.
North Korea began building the Ryugyong hotel in 1987, but construction was halted for 16 years when funds ran out.
Although work restarted in 2008, the hotel has become, for many, a symbol of North Korea’s thwarted ambitions.
The 105-storey pyramid-shaped Ryugyong hotel has been under construction in Pyongyang for 25 years
The tour company that took the pictures say the hotel is now due to open in two or three years time.
Few people have been allowed inside the notorious hotel, which has been variously dubbed the “The Hotel of Doom” or “The Phantom Hotel”.
When conceived, the Ryugyong was intended to communicate to the world an impression of North Korea’s burgeoning wealth.
Few people have been allowed inside the notorious hotel, which has been variously dubbed the “The Hotel of Doom”
But other economic priorities meant that the hotel had to be put to one side, and it remained untouched until a city-wide “beautification scheme” was introduced five years ago.
At that time, external construction was forecast to take until the end of 2010, with work on the inside being completed in 2012 at the earliest.
But the photo of the interior taken by Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based company that specializes in travel to North Korea, shows a vast concrete lobby with barriers around the edge of each floor.
Spain will set out today its austerity budget for 2013, against a backdrop of a deteriorating economy and 25% unemployment rate.
Madrid is expected to outline 39 billion euros ($50 billion) worth of savings, tax rises, and structural reforms.
It comes amid further protests this week, and growing expectations that Spain will seek a bailout from its eurozone partners.
On Friday, results of a stress test on Spain’s banks are due to be released.
The Spanish stock exchange’s Ibex index held steady in morning trading on Thursday, having lost 3.9% the previous day.
Other European stock markets experienced modest rebounds of about 0.5%.
Spain will set out today its austerity budget for 2013
Stocks fell sharply on Wednesday, as markets were rattled by violent protests in Madrid and Athens, as well as a statement from the Spanish central bank that the country’s economy had continued to shrink in the third quarter of the year.
However, the more optimistic sentiment was boosted on Thursday when the Greek finance minister, Yannis Stournaras, said that a “basic agreement” had been reached with lenders on the austerity measures required for the release of Greece’s next tranche of bailout money.
On the bond markets, the Spanish government’s long-term cost of borrowing stabilized in early trading, at an implied interest rate of just over 6% for 10-year debt.
The 10-year rate had risen by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday, as lenders’ fears over the government’s ability to repay its debts, or stay within the euro, resurfaced.
However, it seems investors are losing patience.
Spain will hope that Thursday’s austerity measures will mean fewer economic conditions if it asks for a second bailout.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fuelled expectations that Spain would ask for a bailout when he told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that if borrowing costs were “too high for too long”, then “I can assure you 100% that I would ask for this bailout”.
The economic situation remains grim, with comments from the central bank on Wednesday indicating that the country’s recession deepened in the last three months.
“Available data for the third quarter of the year suggest output continued to fall at a significant pace, in an environment in which financial tension remained at very high levels,” the Bank of Spain said in a monthly report.
Last week, Spain’s second biggest bank, BBVA, estimated that up to another 60 billion euros ($78 billion) will be needed to bail out the banking sector.
About 20 billion euros has already been allocated to troubled banks.
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth largest economy, fell back into recession in the last quarter of 2011, the second recession since the bursting of the country’s property bubble.
But with a shrinking economy and unrest in the country, reducing the deficit via further austerity measures may prove a difficult task for the government.
The government has predicted a budget deficit this year of about 6.3%, but many analysts estimate it will be nearer 7% or higher.
The basic outline for the budget has been known since July, but not exactly where the cuts and savings will come from.
There has been speculation that the budget could include such measures as taxes on shares transactions, “green taxes” on emissions or eliminating tax breaks, and even possibly ending inflation-linked pensions.
Madrid has already said that it wants to claw back a total of more than 150 billion euros between 2012 and 2014: 62 billion euros this year, 39 billion euros in 2013, and 50 billion euros in 2014.
But many analysts remain skeptical that this will be enough to resolve Spain’s economic woes.
Despite the public anger, PM Mariano Rajoy said sacrifices were necessary.
“We know what we have to do, and since we know it, we’re doing it,” he said in a speech in New York.
“We also know this entails a lot of sacrifices distributed… evenly throughout the Spanish society,” he said.
But Boris Schlossberg, managing director at New York-based BK Asset, said: “Spain is in a vicious cycle, because austerity is hurting economic activity and revenues, which causes greater fiscal gaps.”
“People are starting to realize this, and the political will to absorb these sacrifices is diminishing by the hour,” he said.
UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, has warned that as many as 700,000 people could have fled Syria by the end of the year, a huge increase on its previous estimate.
Some 294,000 refugees have already left Syria, and the UNHCR is appealing for money to help deal with the crisis.
Most of the refugees are housed in camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Rami Abdel Rahman, from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said the figure included only those whose names had been documented.
UNHCR has warned that as many as 700,000 people could have fled Syria by the end of the year
“If we count the unidentified bodies, the figure will be much higher,” he said.
The observatory (SOHR) said 199 of Wednesday’s dead were civilians.
The SOHR is one of the most prominent organizations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be independently verified.
Other groups estimated Wednesday’s death toll to be considerably higher.
The UNHCR said between 2,000 and 3,000 refugees were fleeing the violence into neighboring countries every day.
“Many refugees are arriving with only the clothes on their backs,” said Panos Moumtzis, the agency’s regional co-ordinator for Syrian refugees.
“Some have been displaced many times before leaving Syria. They need humanitarian assistance from day one.”
The agency said in March it estimated that about 100,000 people would have fled by the end of the year.
But that number was surpassed in July.
The agency said it was urgently trying to prepare for winter, warning that many of the refugees were still living in tents.
For much of the past 18 months rebel groups have been fighting against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Activists estimate more than 27,000 people have died in the violence.
Repeated efforts by the international community to find a diplomatic solution have foundered because of a deep divide at the UN Security Council.
Late on Wednesday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Security Council was “paralyzed” and urged the members to overcome their differences.
Honey Boo Boo’s mother, June Shannon, is apparently at war with her ex, Michael Ford, after he has demanded she allow him to see his estranged daughter, Jessica.
Honey Boo Boo’s half sister, Jessica Shannon, also known as Chubbs, is the daughter of Michael Ford, a registered sex offender once charged with sexual exploitation of a minor over the Internet.
According to The National Enquirer, Michael Ford is remorseful of his 2005 crime, and has defied June Shannon, writing an open letter to the 15-year-old, who stars on the hit TLC show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, urging her to get in touch with him.
Michael Ford was arrested in 2005 after he contacted an undercover policeman posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online chat room.
He believed he was talking to a minor, and subsequently sent a naked picture of himself along with instructions on how to perform oral sex.
June Shannon is at war with her ex Michael Ford after he has demanded she allow him to see his estranged daughter Jessica
After he arranged a place to meet the supposed minor, he was immediately arrested. After pleading guilty, he spent more than two years in prison.
Now, Michael Ford says he is desperate for his daughter’s grandparents to meet her, according to the Enquirer.
But June Shannon, fiercely protective of her daughter, says Michael Ford only wants to see his daughter because she is now “famous”.
“He hasn’t wanted to deal with Jessica for 15 years, and all of a sudden, the show comes out and he’s father of the year,” she purportedly told the Enquirer.
Michael Ford, who maintains he has been paying child support since 2004, says he has tried to be a responsible parent “all along”, blaming June Shannon for his seven year absence in Jessica’s life.
“Last November, June told me if I tried to come to the house to see Jessica, she’d have me arrested for harassment!” he explained.
“I was shocked to see Jessica on television the night the show premiered, but when I tried to see her the next day, I was told: <<If you want to see your daughter, turn the television on Wednesday nights>>.”
Michael Ford says he is making a last ditch effort with an open letter to his daughter.
“Honey, your dad messed up, but I’ve done my time. Despite what you have been told, I’ve always tried to be with you.
“I’d like you to meet your grandparents before they pass on. If I had the money I’d fight to get visitation with you, but I don’t.
“Your mom thinks I want to see you to get the money from you, but I don’t want the money – I just want to spend time with my baby girl, so you can get to know me and my family. Nothing could make me happier. I love you.”
The Kardashians brand will hit the world of cosmetics this Christmas, but to keep fans on their toes, the sisters have released a handful of teaser promo shots three months before products hit stores.
Kim, 31, Kourtney, 33, and Khloe Kardashian, 27, announced their forthcoming range, Khroma Beauty, in June – an “affordable” line featuring false eyelashes, a “suite” of mascaras and “Kardazzle Compacts”.
An excited Kim took to her blog KimKardashian.celebuzz.com to announce the news: “These are the brand new promo shots for our makeup line, Khroma Beauty!
“I can’t wait to share all of our amazing new products with you guys.”
She continued: “We’ve always wanted to release our own cosmetics line, so this is a dream come true.
“Our Lash Dash luxury lash collection will debut this holiday season, with more products coming in the new year.”
The Kardashian sisters have released a handful of teaser promo shots three months before Khroma Beauty line products hit stores
The December release, which will be exclusive to Ulta stores across the U.S., is being touted as a “special holiday assortment”.
A further launch, including even more products, will follow in January-February 2013.
The second round of products will include a “Kurve Compact” finishing powder, a pre-foundation treatment mask titled the Million Dollar Mask and an illuminator.
Kim Kardashian has become known for her flawless, glowing, and dewy looking skin; often using heavy layers of products to achieve an enviable “no-make-up” look.
She expressed her delight over the new venture in June, writing: “I’ve been waiting forever to be able to tell you guys and finally I can… my sisters and I are launching our own make-up line!!”
The sisters said in a press release: “We’re so excited. There’s a glam girl in all of us and it’s a dream come true to have our own makeup line and to share it with women around the world.”
Robin Coe-Hutshing, creative director of Khrome Beauty, said the line should prove affordable to fans.
“Kourtney, Kim and Khloe wanted to share their access to luxury formulas with their fans and our goal was to provide a prestige product range at very accessible prices,” she said.
Kim Kardashian added that she and her sisters have loved make-up from very early ages, and even Kylie Jenner, their half sister, tweeted this morning about being a huge Cover FX fan.
“Growing up we would play with my mom’s make-up and from a young age I always wanted to be a make-up artist!” Kim Kardashian wrote.
“Of course now make-up plays such a huge role in all of our lives, whether we’re on camera, at a shoot glammed up or just keeping it natural day to day and it’s a dream come true to be able to create our own line of products to share with you guys,” she continued.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore what she had assumed was a traditional national dress to an event celebrating Solomon Islands’ culture…only to later discover that the dress was actually from the Cook Islands, some 3,000 miles away.
Kate and William were meant to have dressed as Solomon Islanders to the party in the capital of Honiara on 16 September, part of their Diamond Jubilee tour of the Far East and South Pacific.
The sartorial agreement between the government of the Solomons and Clarence House was that the Duke and Duchess would attend the event wearing, respectively, a traditional handmade shirt and traditional dress.
But the gaffe occurred thanks to a woman named Kethie Sunders, an over-enthusiastic member of the Solomon Islands’ welcoming committee, who laid out the wrong clothes in the young royals’ suite.
Kate wore a Cook Islands traditional dress to an event celebrating Solomon Islands’ culture
Kethie Sunders nipped in to the bedroom before the Duke and Duchess arrived, excitedly adding some more gifts of clothing to the ones already laid out inside.
But when the royals arrived, their entourage noticed that the clothes in the suite – a bright blue patterened shirt for William and an elaborate strapless fuchsia dress for Kate – did not match the descriptions of the ones that had been agreed on.
A spokesman for Clarence House said: “We saw they weren’t the same design of the traditional clothes we were told would be gifted.
“So we checked with the Solomon Islands government to ensure the right ones were worn.
“We were reassured the clothes were correct, and so the Duke and Duchess wore them to the event.
“It was not learned until later in the evening that the clothes weren’t from the islands.
“But it was understood that the Duke and Duchess intended to wear traditional Solomon Island clothes and this was appreciated. No offence was caused.”
An official from Government House of the Solomon Islands said: “We are incredibly frustrated that this situation has come about and see Kethie as entirely to blame.
“It was completely inappropriate for her to go to Their Royal Highnesses’ room, which she filled with various things, causing confusion.”
Kate did not manage to wear the actual Solomon Islands dress during the tour, since her outfits had already been planned out for the whole trip, but she did return to England with both dresses.
Her spokesman said: “She still has both dresses, they were a gift, and she also has lovely memories of her wonderful time in the Solomon Islands.”
Russian media mogul Alexander Lebedev has been charged with hooliganism in Russia after he punched fellow guest Sergei Polonsky during a TV debate last year.
Alexander Lebedev, who owns Britain’s Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
In September 2011, he knocked former real estate businessman Sergei Polonsky off his chair during the heated debate.
Alexander Lebedev, 52, says the case is a vendetta for his criticism of the Kremlin.
Alexander Lebedev has been charged with hooliganism in Russia after he punched fellow guest Sergei Polonsky during a TV debate last year
He was charged with hooliganism and assault “motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred, or hatred of a particular social group” – the same offence that three members of Russia’s Pussy Riot punk group were jailed for earlier this year.
Alexander Lebedev – whose net worth was recently reported by Forbes magazine to be $1.1 billion – has already signed an undertaking not to leave Russia, prosecutors say.
The former KGB agent also holds a major stake in Russia’s opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
The punch-up happened during the show NTVshniki, which was broadcast on 16 September 2011.
Alexander Lebedev said after the incident that Sergei Polonsky was about to hit him so he had acted in self-defence.
He told Russia’s Interfax news agency: “At one point, expounding on an idea of his and looking straight at me, he said: <<This deserves a punch in the face>>.
“I asked <<Do you mean me?>>, and he shouted <<Yes!>> After that, I very neatly neutralized this absolutely unfounded threat.”
Sergei Polonsky claimed after the show that he had a cut on his arm and his trousers were torn.
The number of unemployed people in France has topped 3 million for the first time since 1999, according to latest labor ministry figures.
August’s jobless total rose by 23,900 to 3.011 million, a 9% increase on a year earlier, marking the 16th consecutive monthly rise.
Speaking before the data was officially announced, Labour Minister Michel Sapin said: “It’s bad. It’s clearly bad.”
However, the government blamed the previous regime of Nicolas Sarkozy.
The number of unemployed people in France has topped 3 million for the first time since 1999
“These three million unemployed embody the failure of economic and social policies undertaken during the last few years,” the labor ministry said in a statement.
“In the face of this difficult report, the government is determined to implement as soon as possible reforms,” it said.
The news will, however, add pressure on President Francois Hollande, who came to power on a promise to revive the economy.
He won power in May, pledging to revive the eurozone’s second largest economy, tackle rising unemployment, and reverse industrial decline. However his approval rating is now at it lowest since he assumed power, pollsters say.
Since May, major companies have announced thousands of layoffs, including carmaker Peugeot, drugmaker Sanofi, airline Air France-KLM, and retailer Carrefour.
Analysts warned that the unemployment situation could worsen.
Mathieu Plane, economist at the French Economic Observatory, told the Reuters news agency: “There are almost one million more unemployed people compared with early 2008 and we can’t yet say that we have reached the peak.”
The French economy has posted three consecutive quarters of zero growth, and forward-looking data suggests it may continue to flatline.
“Confidence is weak both with companies and, even more so, with households. It’s not really surprising given the economy has fallen in recession and the private sector is facing the biggest tax hike in decades,” Bruno Cavalier, analyst at Oddo Securities, wrote in a research note.
The 2013 budget, due to go before the cabinet on Friday, is expected to contain more than 30bn euros in budget savings, and fresh tax rises.
The government has forecast 0.3% growth for the year, and has so far kept its 2013 target at 1.2%, which many economists now consider unrealistic.
France’s central bank this month predicted that the economy would contract by 0.1% in the third quarter after flatlining for the first half of the year.
Amid the gloom, French consumer confidence slipped two points in September from the previous month, the national statistics office said on Wednesday.
