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Tiki Barber marries mistress Traci Lynn Johnson days after divorcing Ginny Cha

Lisa.Felice
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Tiki Barber marries mistress Traci Lynn Johnson days after divorcing Ginny Cha

Former NFL star Tiki Barber has married his one-time mistress and girlfriend Traci Lynn Johnson in a civil ceremony in New York City eight days after the divorce to his ex-wife became final.

Former New York Giants Tiki Barber, 37, running back wed 23-year-old Traci Lynn Johnson at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau.

“It’s a great day,” said Tiki Barber on the way into the office.

“We’re finally getting married.”

A polarizing figure, Tiki Barber left his wife of 11 years, Ginny, in 2010, even though she was eight months pregnant with twin girls, after beginning an affair with Traci Lynn Johnson.

At the time, Tiki Barber was working for NBC’s Today show with ambitions to be a serious journalist, but lost his job soon afterwards due to indifferent responses to his reporting skills.

The affair with former NBC intern and Maxim pinup girl Traci Lynn Johnson did not help his cause either, as public opinion turned massively against Tiki Barber, who appeared in the XXXV Superbowl in 2000.

Tiki Barber has married Traci Lynn Johnson eight days after the divorce to his ex-wife became final
Tiki Barber has married Traci Lynn Johnson eight days after the divorce to his ex-wife became final

Taking to Twitter to confirm the news, Tiki Barber said: “Many thanks to the NYC Clerk’s office, especially James Mitchell who married me to my love @TraciLJohnson! Excited for the next chapters.”

Traci Lynn Johnson and Tiki Barber had planned to get married on May 12 in the Hamptons, however, his divorce to his wife of 13-years had not been finalized and the ceremony was postponed.

After the ceremony, Traci Lynn Jonson tweeted: “We’re married @barber_tiki !!!!!!” and posted a variety of pictures from their happy day, including one of both bride and groom wearing their wedding rings.

Tiki Barber has hit the headlines repeatedly over the course of his playing career and in retirement.

During his final playing days at the New York Giants he became critical of the coach Tom Coughlin’s playing style.

In 2007, Tiki Barber questioned the leadership skills of the Giant’s star quarterback, Eli Manning, who has since gone onto to deliver two Superbowl titles to the Giants, both without Barber.

Also, Giants fans angrily booed Tiki Barber when he was inducted into the Giants’ Ring of Honor in October 2010.

Before his clandestine affair with Traci Lynn Johnson became public, Tiki Barber was thought of as a committed family man, already the father of two sons and the expectant father of twin daughters.

He met his wife, Ginny Cha at the University of Virginia when they were both students.

Tiki Barber incurred the wrath of New York’s Jewish community last year when he described his secret affair with Traci Lynn Johnson conducted in his friends attic apartment as being like the tragic story of Anne Frank.

Meeting his bride-to-be at his lawyer, Mark Lepselter, apartment, to hide the tryst from his wife, Tiki Barber made ill advised comments.

“Lep’s Jewish,” said Tiki Barber to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim reported the New York Post.

“And it was like a reverse Anne Frank thing.”

Tiki Barber told the New York Post last year that Traci Lynn Johnson helped him get through last year, in the aftermath of his firing from Today.

“I have a wonderful girlfriend who lives me and got me through those bad times,” he said.

In attendance yesterday were only close friends of the couple, including Tiki Barber’s twin brother, Ronde, who still plays in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

Les Horribles Cernettes, the first web image band, play final gig

Nancy Clayson
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Les Horribles Cernettes, the first web image band, play final gig

Les Horribles Cernettes, an all-female doo-wop band whose image is believed to have been the first photo uploaded to the fledgling world wide web, is to play its final gig.

Les Horribles Cernettes take their swansong at the Hardronic Festival at the CERN laboratory in Geneva – the birthplace of the web.

A picture of the women was uploaded to the web on 18 July, 1992, by web creator – and fan – Tim Berners-Lee.

He wanted it to test out the version of the web he was working on at CERN.

The band was founded in 1990 by Michele de Gennaro who worked at CERN as a graphic designer.

The Cernettes get their name from the initials of the giant particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, used at CERN to investigate fundamental physics.

The image of Les Horribles Cernettes is believed to have been the first photo uploaded to the fledgling world wide web
The image of Les Horribles Cernettes is believed to have been the first photo uploaded to the fledgling world wide web

The group has won fame in scientific circles by performing at CERN social gatherings and physics conferences. The women sing classic 60s pop songs, as well as their own compositions such as Microwave Love, Collider and My Sweetheart is a Nobel Prize.

The gig on 21 July at the annual CERN music festival will be their first performance for five years – and is billed as their last.

Jim Halley, manager of the band, said there had been a huge upsurge of interest in the band because of the anniversary of the image being uploaded to the web.

The band was even featured on the US talkshow hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, said Jim Halley.

The growing interest has led the Cernettes to post a message on their website explaining their distress at the “press tornado” surrounding them. In particular, they took issue with a report on Motherboard about the circumstances surrounding the use of the image.

In the message, the Cernettes point out that no-one knows which photograph was the first to be uploaded to the web. However, they said, the image did have some significance for the history of the internet.

“This photo was one of those that changed the web, from a platform for physics documentation, to a media for our lives,” they said.

“It was really one of the first,” said Jim Halley.

“Nobody has found anything else loaded before it – put it that way.”

The picture was taken by Silvano de Gennaro, the husband of founder Michele, during the band’s early days when he was trying to spread the word about them.

Jim Halley said he was advising the Cernettes to keep on gigging rather than give up on their musical careers.

“The whole world has gone nuts for them,” he said.

 

Japan’s government to probe Tepco radiation cover-up

James J. Williams
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Japan’s government to probe Tepco radiation cover-up

Japan will investigate a report that workers at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were urged to disguise their exposure to radiation.

Build-Up, a subcontractor for plant operator Tepco, admitted one of its executives told workers to put lead shields on radiation detection devices.

Otherwise, they would have rapidly exceeded the legal limit for exposure.

The Fukishima plant was devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Cooling systems to reactors were knocked out, leading to meltdowns and the release of radioactivity.

Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from an exclusion zone around the plant.

Build-Up, a subcontractor for plant operator Tepco, admitted one of its executives told workers to put lead shields on radiation detection devices
Build-Up, a subcontractor for plant operator Tepco, admitted one of its executives told workers to put lead shields on radiation detection devices

Between November and March this year, a group of Build-Up employees were working at Fukushima, trying to restore facilities.

In December, a Build-Up executive told them to cover their dosimeters with lead casings when working in areas with high radiation.

Otherwise, he warned, they would quickly reach the legal limit of 50 millisieverts’ exposure in a year, and they would have to stop working.

Build-Up president Takashi Wada told Japanese media nine of the workers complied.

Dosimeters – used to measure cumulative exposure – can be worn as badges or carried as devices about the size of a smartphone.

The workers had a recording of their meeting, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

“Unless we hide it with lead, exposure will max out and we cannot work,” the executive was heard saying in the recording, as quoted by the paper.

The executive apparently said he used one of the lead shields himself.

A Tepco spokesman told Reuters on Saturday the company was aware from a separate contractor that Build-Up made the lead shields, but that they were never used at the Fukushima plant.

Earlier this month, a Japanese parliamentary panel concluded the disaster at Fukushima was “profoundly manmade” and its effects could have been “mitigated by a more effective human response”.

All of Japan’s nuclear plants were shut down in the wake of the disaster but one, in the town of Ohi, has now partially restarted.

Fukushima disaster:

• Reactor cooling systems damaged after 11 March earthquake and tsunami

• Explosions occurred on 12-15 March at four reactors after gas build-up

• Tepco engineers injected seawater into reactors for cooling

• Contaminated waste-water leaked on several occasions

• Meltdowns later confirmed at three reactors

• Tepco declared ‘cold shutdown’ – meaning reactors were stable – in December 2011

 

Glybera gene therapy in approval process in Europe

Kathryn R. Bown
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Glybera gene therapy in approval process in Europe

Europe is on the process of approving a gene therapy for the first time, in what would be a landmark moment for the field.

Gene therapies alter a patient’s DNA to treat inherited diseases passed from parent to child.

The European Medicines Agency has recommended a therapy for a rare genetic disease which leaves people unable to properly digest fats.

The European Commission will now make the final decision.

The idea of gene therapy is simple: if there is a problem with part of a patient’s genetic code then replace that part of the code.

The reality has not been so easy. In one gene therapy trial a US teenager, Jesse Gelsinger, died, and other patients have developed leukaemia.

There are no gene therapies available outside of a research lab in Europe or the US.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has considered the use of Glybera to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has considered the use of Glybera to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency
The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has considered the use of Glybera to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency

One in a million people have the deficiency. They have damaged copies of a gene which is essential for breaking down fat.

It leads to fat building up in the blood, abdominal pain and life-threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

The only way to manage the condition is by having a very low-fat diet.

The therapy uses a virus to infect muscle cells with a working copy of the gene.

It was recommended for patients with severe pancreatitis, who cannot control the disease through diet.

The manufacturer, UniQure, said the decision was a “major breakthrough” for patients and medicine as a whole.

UniQure chief executive officer Jorn Aldag said: “Patients with lipoprotein lipase deficiency are afraid of eating a normal meal because it can lead to acute and extremely painful inflammation of the pancreas, often resulting in a visit to intensive care.

“Now, for the first time, a treatment exists for these patients that not only reduces this risk of getting severely sick, but also has a multi-year beneficial effect after just a single injection.

“Restoring the body’s natural ability to break down fat particles in the blood, in order to prevent pancreatitis and excruciating abdominal pain suffered by patients, is what gene therapy is all about: curing disease at the genetic level.”

Dr. Tomas Salmonson, from the agency’s Committee, said the use of Glybera should be restricted to patients “with greatest need”.

 

Kim Kardashian’s first boyfriend was Michael Jackson’s nephew TJ Jackson

Lisa.Felice
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Kim Kardashian’s first boyfriend was Michael Jackson’s nephew TJ Jackson

Kim Kardashian revealed last month in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that she went on birth control at the tender age of 14 and said it came as a result of her desire to lose her virginity to her boyfriend of two years.

Up until now, the identity of the beau in question has been shrouded in mystery.

In a new tell-all book, Malibu Nanny: The True Adventures of the Former Kardashian Nanny? by the Kardashian’s nanny, Pam Behan, who worked for the family from 1991 – 1996, revealed that the boyfriend in question was Michael Jackson’s nephew TJ Jackson (Tito Joe Jackson).

Pam Behan claims that Kim Kardashian had a teenager relationship with the son of Michael Jackson’s older brother Tito.

TJ is now married and has children, but he was the first of many who stole Kim Kardashian’s heart.

After a two year romance with TJ Jackson in her teens, Kim Kardashian went on to have several high profile relationships with a slew of famous faces.

The reality star tied the knot at the tender age 19 to music producer Damon Thomas.

The couple were married for four years but divorced in 2004.

Kim Kardashian's first boyfriend was Michael Jackson's nephew TJ Jackson
Kim Kardashian's first boyfriend was Michael Jackson's nephew TJ Jackson

Before their divorce was finalized, Kim Kardashian dated singer Ray J, and during their time together the couple made a sex tape in 2003.

And in February 2007, the home sex video was leaked, changing Kim Kardashian’s life forever.

Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1million and released the film as Kim Kardashian: Superstar on February 21.

Kim Kardashian promptly sued Vivid for ownership of the tape, but dropped the suit and settled with the company for $5 million in late April 2007.

It seemed that Kim Kardashian had finally found love again when she began dating NFL star Reggie Bush. The couple dated from 2007 and after spitting and getting back together finally called it quits in 2010.

Following a brief romance with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin, Kim Kardashian then met New Jersey Nets player Kris Humphries, who would be her future husband.

The pair quickly got engaged and married on August 20, 2011.

While it seemed like happily ever after for the pair, Kim Kardashian shocked the world when she called time on the union just 72 days following their extravagant televised wedding.

Following the announcement, the reality star was promptly lambasted, with many speculating that the marriage was purely a publicity stunt.

After the controversy finally died down, pictures of Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West out together began popping up.

The pair are currently dating and have barely been seen apart from one another for the last few months.

According to RadarOnline, Kim Kardashian has been telling her family members to “stay out of the relationship”.

A source told the website: “She doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do or how to act or what to say publicly about Kanye.

“Kim totally trusts her mom and sisters, Khloe Kardasahian and Kourtney Kardashian, when it comes to business and relationship advice, but this time she wants to make sure she does exactly what she wants to do and doesn’t feel pressured into anything by anyone. Kim wants to be in charge with Kanye.”

Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding Kim Kardashian’s first boyfriend first came to light after her highly publicized interview with talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.

As well as discussing her failed marriage to Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian disclosed that her mother Kris Jenner agreed to put her on birth control at the tender age of 14.

Kim Kardashian told Oprah Winfrey in the first of a two-part interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter she was “almost 15” when her mother, now 56, agreed to put her on birth control.

 

Bobbi Kristina Brown debuts as an actress in Tyler Perry’s sitcom For Better Or Worse

Lisa.Felice
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Bobbi Kristina Brown debuts as an actress in Tyler Perry’s sitcom For Better Or Worse

Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, simply shines in a new preview of Tyler Perry’s sitcom For Better Or Worse.

In her first major role as an actress, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, is featured in a 30-second clip for the show, with the full episode airing tonight.

And it seems just like her late mother Whitney Houston, who famously starred in The Bodyguard in 1992, Bobbi Kristina Brown is a natural.

While she is only seen briefly in the video, Bobbi Kristina Brown appears completely at ease in front of the camera.

The episode revolves around the lead women, Angela and Leslie, who are looking for a man for their friend Jennifer.

Bobbi Kristina Brown is playing the daughter of a stylist who works in a beauty salon run by Angela, and tells the ladies: “You two are setting yourselves up for a disaster.”

Bobbi Kristina Brown simply shines in a new preview of Tyler Perry's sitcom For Better Or Worse
Bobbi Kristina Brown simply shines in a new preview of Tyler Perry's sitcom For Better Or Worse

In another brief scene, Bobbi Kristina Brown is seen standing between the two women, stating: “Whoa, that is not a great idea.”

Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse is an American comedy-drama series created and produced by the playwright, director and producer and premiered in November 2011.

The comedic series is based on Tyler Perry’s hit films, Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?

The show focuses on the antics of couples Marcus and Angela Williams, Joseph and Leslie, and Richard and Keisha.

Earlier this year, Bobbi Kristina Brown’s appearance on the show was shrouded in controversy.

The only daughter of Whitney Houston was reported to have stormed off the set in a flood of tears.

But Tyler Perry, 42, later denied that she broke down whilst working on his new sitcom.

He rushed to the teen’s defense on his website.

“There is no way that she could have walked off the set because we have finished taping the season,” he told his fans at the time.

He added that as she had just lost her mother, that understandably there were difficult days.

“Were there tough days for her? Yes of course. Not because of the acting or any job-related issues but because of the fact that she had just lost her mother,” Tyler Perry wrote.

“So yes she was grieving, but grief aside, she managed to finish her obligation and did a great job at the same time.”

He also asked that people give Bobbi Kristina Brown a break.

“PLEASE LEAVE THIS BABY ALONE!!!! AND SHE IS A BABY!!! Please stop the lies and give this child some room to breathe and grieve.”

It was announced in March that Bobbi Kristina Brown had landed the part in Tyler Perry’s TBS sitcom.

Tyler Perry, who spoke at Whitney Houston’s funeral, explained why he gave Bobbi Kristina Brown the role.

“After Whitney’s funeral, Krissi and I spent a long time talking about her goals and dreams. She said she wanted to act. That’s when I decided to write her into <<For Better Or Worse>>,” he wrote.

“I thought that there would be no better way for me to help her move through the grieving than by giving her something to focus on.”

Whitney Houston died on February 11, at the age of 48.

The singer was found unresponsive in the bathtub of room 434 at the Beverly Hilton.

Authorities called her death an accidental drowning, complicated by heart disease and cocaine use.

 

Colorado cinema massacre inspired by 1986 Batman comic book

Diane A. Wade
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Colorado cinema massacre inspired by 1986 Batman comic book

Aurora cinema massacre may have been inspired by a Batman comic book strip, it emerged on Friday.

The bloodbath is a chilling copycat of a 1986 Batman comic strip which features a deranged gunman opening fire in a cinema.

In the second issue of The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller – the creative mind behind Sin City and 300 – gunman Arnold Crimp opens fire in a pornographic theatre, killing three people, after listening to Led Zepplin’s classic track Stairway to Heaven.

Aurora cinema bloodbath is a chilling copycat of a 1986 Batman comic strip which features a deranged gunman opening fire in a cinema
Aurora cinema bloodbath is a chilling copycat of a 1986 Batman comic strip which features a deranged gunman opening fire in a cinema

Text from the page reads: “Arnold Crimp fingers the cold steel thing in his pocket and stares at the movie marquee and does not throw up.

“He thinks about Led Zeppelin and how they are trying to kill him.

“He had not known about Led Zeppelin until Father Don on TV had explained it last night.

“Father Don said that Led Zeppelin hid a prayer to Satan in their song Stairway to Heaven.

“They hid it very well. They recorded it backwards.

“Arnold Crimp took the album from the record store where he worked until they fired him this afternoon and transferred Stairway to Heaven to tape.

“Then he played the tape backwards. He played it forty-seven times until he was absolutely certain that Father Don was right.”

Arnold Crimp then walks into a cinema, which is screening a pornographic film called My Sweet Satan, and opens fire.

James Holmes motives behind the massacre are unknown, but if he was a fan of the Batman comics, then he may well have read the issue featuring Arnold Crimp’s killing-spree.

The comic itself is still in print, and on Friday it was available in book shores, priced $20.

 

Who is James Holmes? A portrait of the Colorado “Joker” killer.

Diane A. Wade
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Who is James Holmes? A portrait of the Colorado “Joker” killer.

New reports give details about James Holmes, the psychotic gunman who killed 12 people at a screening of the new Batman film on Thursday night.

James Holmes, 24, was a PhD student who was described as “really smart” but was in the process of dropping out of graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver.

He is said to have had few friends and barely any social life, instead spending hours indoors playing the video game Guitar Hero.

Police are currently baffled as to Holmes’s motives for launching the deadly attack which injured 71 people as they watched blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises at a midnight showing in Aurora, a suburb of Denver.

However, one clue may come in a report that the killer, whose family comes from San Diego, had dyed his hair red and described himself as “the Joker”, implying that he was inspired by the popular Batman series itself.

Although James Holmes described himself as “easy-going”, neighbors and classmates recalled an anti-social recluse who had little contact with others.

Officials do not currently believe that the gunman had terror links, adding to the mystery of his possible motives.

“It clearly looks like a deranged individual,” NYPD police chief Ray Kelly said.

“He had his hair painted red. He said he was <<The Joker>>, obviously the enemy of Batman.”

A neighbor also reported that police, who were searching James Holmes’s apartment for explosives, asked him if he had seen “a white guy with crazy hair, possibly dyed unnatural colors”, the Denver Post said.

But neighbors at university housing in Denver described James Holmes as a recluse who kept himself to himself. One student said: “No one knew him. No one.”

 

James Holmes was a PhD student who was described as “really smart” but was in the process of dropping out of graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver
James Holmes was a PhD student who was described as “really smart” but was in the process of dropping out of graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver

 

James Holmes – who had been working towards his PhD for a year before dropping out – had one techno song blaring from his stereo in the hours before the massacre and left the music on repeat in his booby-trapped apartment as he departed to commit the massacre.

He was also reportedly addicted to video game Guitar Hero.

His shocked mother in San Diego confirmed that he was behind the massacre, telling reporters: “You’ve got the right man.”

After graduating from Westview High School in 2006, James Holmes studied neuroscience at the University of California Riverside, where he graduated with honors.

Neighbors in California said that James Holmes moved to Colorado to attend graduate school after failing to find a job.

The university said he was dropping out because of academic issues, and had not had any disciplinary problems.

The gunman described himself as “quiet and easy-going” in a rental application last year, and high school classmates confirmed that impression in interviews with the Los Angeles Times.

Dan Kim, currently a student at UC San Diego, said: “He didn’t seem like a troublemaker at all. He just seemed like he wanted to get in and out, and go to college.”

James Holmes ran in Westview’s cross country team with Tori Burton, who said: “He was very quiet. He was a nice guy when you did occasionally talk to him. But he was definitely more introverted.”

Another classmate, Keith Goodwin, spoke of his shock at seeing the “generally pleasant” young man hit the news for his role in the massacre.

“James was certainly not someone I would have ever imagined shooting somebody,” said Keith Goodwin.

James Holmes has only ever had contact with police over a traffic violation, according to the New York Times, who spoke to two law-enforcement officials about the gunman.

“He’s not on anybody’s radar screen,” said one official, while the other added: “This guy is somewhat of an enigma. Nobody knows anything about him.”

The killer’s family appealed for privacy as they described their anguish at seeing James Holmes involved in massacre.

“Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved,” they said in a statement released by San Diego police.

“We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time.

“Our family is cooperating with authorities in both San Diego, California and Aurora, Colorado. We are still trying to process this information and we appreciate that people will respect our privacy.”

Jackie Mitchell, a furniture mover who lives several blocks from the suspect’s apartment building in Colorado, said he had drinks with James Holmes at a local bar on Tuesday night, though he gave no sign of being distressed or violent.

After James Holmes approached him “we just talked about football. He had a backpack and geeky glasses and seemed like a real intelligent guy, and I figured he was one of the college students,” Jackie Mitchell said.

When Jackie Mitchell saw James Holmes’s photo after the shooting, “the hair stood up on my back,” he said.

“I know this guy.”

Another neighbor, Rachel Reed, said she met James Holmes in a local bar when she put rap music by Lil Wayne on the jukebox.

He came over and “made some racially charged comments about rap,” she said. “He seemed like he was a normal dude. He was a little buzzed.”

James Holmes is not talking to police and has asked for a lawyer, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

His first court appearance is set for Monday morning at 9.30.

 

Aurora cinema shooting: suspect gunman James Holmes will appear on court on Monday

Diane A. Wade
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Aurora cinema shooting: suspect gunman James Holmes will appear on court on Monday

US begin to mourn the 12 people killed by a gunman at a showing of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, and a candlelit vigil has been held in Aurora, Colorado.

US President Barack Obama ordered flags flown at half mast.

A man in a gas mask and body armour threw tear gas canisters at a midnight screening, then fired on the crowd, killing 12 and injuring 58.

Suspect James Holmes, 24, was arrested outside the cinema, police said.

He will appear at Arapahoe County District Court, in nearby Centennial, Colorado, on Monday at 09:30 local time.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Aurora for the vigil.

Candles and flowers were left on the lawn. One letter read: “To all the innocent souls… This is for you. We will never forget. This is Aurora.”

At the Queen of Peace Roman Catholic church, Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila told mourners: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. The heart of our Father is stronger than the bullets that killed 12 people.”

In a briefing at the end of the day in Colorado, an emotional Governor John Hickenlooper confirmed that the casualty figure had been revised down one, to 70 people killed or injured.

Thirty people remained in hospital, John Hickenlooper said, with 11 of those in a critical condition.

“It’s an act that defies description. Everyone I’ve talked to all day is filled with an anger that can’t find focus,” he said.

Aurora police chief Dan Oates said the attempt to defuse complex booby-traps, explosive devices and “things that look like mortar rounds” at James Holmes’s home had been abandoned for the night, with federal government experts due to arrive on Saturday.

“I’ve personally never seen anything like what we’ve found in there,” the police chief said.

Suspect James Holmes, 24, was arrested outside the cinema
Suspect James Holmes, 24, was arrested outside the cinema

James Holmes was said to be armed with a rifle, a shotgun and two pistols when he launched his assault. All weapons and ammunition were bought legally within the past few months, Dan Oates said.

Authorities have established no terrorism link, nor any motive, and James Holmes had no criminal record in Aurora.

In New York, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the suspect had dyed his hair red and told police he was the Joker, Batman‘s infamous nemesis.

Cinemas in that city tightened security at Batman showings following the attack, and the French premiere of the film in Paris was cancelled.

The film’s director, Christopher Nolan, issued a statement expressing his horror.

“The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me,” Christopher Nolan said.

“Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families.”

Despite a strong past academic record, James Holmes was in the process of withdrawing from a doctoral programme in neuroscience at the University of Colorado-Denver.

One neighbor told Agence France-Presse that James Holmes “was always wearing camouflage pants”, adding: “We did not know him well because he talked to nobody. He was always locked up behind his door.”

His family said in a written statement: “Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved. We ask that the media respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

Police have given no indication of the names of the dead, the last of whose bodies was removed from the cinema at about 17:00 on Friday.

One woman known to have been killed was Jessica Ghawi, also known as Jessica Redfield, an aspiring broadcaster and a regular blogger.

In June, Jessica Ghawi, 24, narrowly missed being caught in a shooting rampage in Toronto, leaving the scene five minutes before a man opened fire at the Eaton Centre shopping mall.

The attack began minutes into the showing at about 00:30 local time, when the gunman apparently entered the cinema through an emergency exit door near the front of the auditorium.

Reports said the attacker had a ticket but left the cinema, pretending to receive a phone call, before returning fully armed.

He wore a bullet-proof vest, tactical body armor and gloves, and was carrying an AR-15 military-style, semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, police said.

He threw two tear gas grenades, then opened fire with a rifle. There was chaos as movie-goers fled, some dressed in costume as heroes and villains.

Ten people were killed at the cinema and two others died later in hospital of their wounds. Among the injured were a four-month-old baby, who was released from hospital after treatment, and a six-year-old child.

One witness said the gunman had been “slowly making his way up the stairs and just firing – picking random people”. At least one person in an adjacent auditorium was injured when a bullet went through the wall, police said.

Another eyewitness, identified only as Pam, said: “He fired a canister into the air. It shot right into the air, then I started to hear the bang, bang, bang of a gun.”

Salina Jordan, 19, told the Denver Post she had seen one girl shot in the cheek, and a girl who appeared to be about nine years old with a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Informed of the massacre at dawn, President Barack Obama spoke briefly to a campaign rally before returning to the White House to address the situation.

“There are going to be other days for politics,” he said.

“This, I think, is a day for prayer and reflection.”

Cinema shooting suspect:

• James Holmes, 24, was a former neuroscience PhD student at University of Colorado-Denver

• Attended high school in San Diego, California, where his parents still live

• He lived in an apartment in north of Aurora, about five miles from the cinema

• Only previous brush with the law was a summons for speeding in October 2011

Colorado gun laws:

• Residents allowed to keep guns in homes, offices and vehicles, but can only carry them in public with a permit

• There are no limits to how many guns can be bought a month, and the state permits sale of automatic weapons

• No waiting period for buying a handgun, both state and federal state law requires criminal background checks

• Since 1998 Columbine massacre, 20 miles from scene of Friday’s shooting, it has become easier to buy guns in US – a national ban on assault weapons sale expired in 2004

 

Olympics 2012: torch relay strides through London

Clyde K. Valle
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Olympics 2012: torch relay strides through London

Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, former gymnast Nadia Comaneci and ex-basketball star John Amaechi will carry the flame on day 64 of the torch relay between Greenwich and Waltham Forest.

Nadia Comaneci and John Amaechi will meet on the roof of the North Greenwich Arena.

Pop star Dizzee Rascal and footballer Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match in March, will also carry the flame.

Saturday’s 36-mile relay is the first full day in London.

Highlights will include visits to the Cutty Sark and the 2012 Games Equestrian Arena in Greenwich.

The day will begin at Greenwich Park at 07:22 BST and the first of 143 torches will be lit outside the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

It will be carried by 15-year-old Natasha Sinha, who was her nominated for her dedication to swimming and cross country running, and she will take the flame through Greenwich Park into the Games equestrian arena.

There it will be passed to another 15-year-old, Ella Statham, who was chosen for her volunteer work with the London Football Association.

Ella’s route will take her past Queen’s House and the Old Royal Naval College.

At about 07:43 BST the flame will be carried on a lap around the restored Cutty Sark ship, which was one of the last tea clippers to be built and was one of the fastest of its kind.

Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, former gymnast Nadia Comaneci and ex-basketball star John Amaechi will carry the flame on day 64 of the torch relay
Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, former gymnast Nadia Comaneci and ex-basketball star John Amaechi will carry the flame on day 64 of the torch relay

The torchbearer at the Cutty Sark will be Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, who was the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world.

He also founded the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 1995 and has been a Cutty Sark Trustee since 2011.

Two hours later the relay will arrive at the Woolwich Live Site where Jaco Van Gass, a soldier with the First Parachute Regiment, will carry the flame.

The 25-year-old was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade while serving in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of his left arm, a collapsed lung, punctured internal organs, loss of muscle and tissue from the upper left thigh, multiple shrapnel wounds and a fractured knee, fibula and tibia.

In 2011, Jaco Van Gass was one of four injured servicemen in the Walking With The Wounded team who set a world record by walking to the North Pole.

At about 09:52 BST legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci – winner of five Olympic gold medals and the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 – will meet ex-basketball star John Amaechi on the roof of the North Greenwich Arena, where they will exchange the flame.

The arena is the venue for the London 2012 gymnastics events and basketball finals.

In Newham, British javelin legend Tessa Sanderson-White will carry the flame. She won gold at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and is the only British woman to have done so in an Olympic throwing event.

Saturday’s relay will also include stints from London’s youngest and oldest torchbearers.

Chester Chambers, 12, was nominated for representing his classmates on the Thomas Tallis School Council, fundraising and helping to develop an anti-bullying. He will carry the flame in Greenwich.

At the other end of the age spectrum, centenarian Fauja Singh will carry his torch in Newham. The 101-year-old started his career as a marathon runner at the age of 89 and has now completed nine marathons.

His personal best time of 5 hours and 40 minutes was set at the 2003 Toronto Waterfront Marathon and is a world record for the over-90s. This year he completed the London Marathon in 7 hours and 49 minutes.

At about 14:20 BST Tahmina Begum will carry the flame at Stepney Green Park. The 19-year-old was the first qualified Bangladeshi female football referee and has been officiating local league football matches in east London since 2010.

Visits to Clissold Park, Hackney Town Hall and Leyton Cricket Ground will follow before Muamba carries the flame as the last torchbearer of the day.

The 24-year-old was playing for Bolton against Tottenham on 17 March when he had a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch. It was later revealed that his heart stopped beating for more than an hour.

He was discharged from hospital on 16 April, having been fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, and has not ruled out the possibility of playing professional football again.

An evening celebration, featuring entertainment from Rizzle Kicks and Twist and Pulse, will be held at Chestnuts Field in Waltham Forest.

The flame will be carried by a total of 8,000 people during its 8,000 mile, 70-day journey to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London on 27 July.

 

 

Francois Hollande and Valerie Trierweiler are living “separate lives”

Diane A. Wade
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Francois Hollande and Valerie Trierweiler are living “separate lives”

France’s President Francois Hollande and his partner Valerie Trierweiler are living “separate lives” and could even announce their break-up over summer, GALA Magazine has revealed.

The prediction comes after Valerie Trierweiler, the partner of Francois Hollande, was attacked for sending a Twitter message supporting a rival of Segolene Royale, the mother of his four children, in parliamentary elections last month.

The controversial Twitter message was posted in June, less than a month after Francois Hollande was elected to president, causing a national outcry in France.

Now GALA Magazine has revealed that friends of the presidential couple believe they could now be set to end their seven-year relationship.

The magazine said: “Relations between them have become so tense that there is talk of them splitting up.

“These days they hardly see each other and the President is said to be thinking about leaving his partner, announcing the news over the summer before the government returns to work in the autumn.”

President Francois Hollande and his partner Valerie Trierweiler are living “separate lives” and could even announce their break-up over summer
President Francois Hollande and his partner Valerie Trierweiler are living “separate lives” and could even announce their break-up over summer

Francois Hollande was said to be “furious” at his girlfriend’s online antics and Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault broke with protocol and told Valerie Trierweiler she should “know her place”.

Thomas Hollande, the eldest son of President Hollande and Segolene Royale, also scorned Valerie Trierweiler, confirming that he never wanted to see her again after she destroyed president’s “Mr. Normal” image.

Valerie Trierweiler, dubbed the Rottweiler, was initially defiant but apologized for her tweet two weeks after it was sent in June.

One friend of the First Lady told Le Parisien newspaper: “She knows she made a mistake.

“She did not appreciate the consequences that her tweet would have on the authority of the head of state, on the socialist party, on her children and those of Francois Hollande.”

Valerie Trierweiler also told French TV that: “I will count to 10 before tweeting.”

Francois Hollande has already publicly expressed his disapproval of the row between his current and former lovers during a televised Bastille Day address to the nation on July 14.

The President said: “I am for a clear distinction between public and private life.

“I believe private matters should be regulated in private and I have asked those close to me to respect this.”

President Francois Hollande also left the divorced mother-of-three at home in Paris when he travelled to London for meetings with both Prime Minister David Cameron and the Queen earlier this month.

Francois Hollande and Segolene Royal lived together for 28 years before the President left her for Valerie Trierweiler in 2005.

News magazine L’Express wrote of Valerie Trierweiler last month: “For her, Segolene Royal remains the object of profound and irrational jealousy that complicates political relations.

“It is almost impossible to even speak about the woman in front of her, even from a purely political angle.

“It’s stronger than she is.”

 

The Dark Knight Rises Paris premiere cancelled following Denver shooting

Sonia Pantiss
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The Dark Knight Rises Paris premiere cancelled following Denver shooting

The Paris premiere of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, has been cancelled following a shooting at a midnight screening in Colorado, US.

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured in the attack in Denver, Colorado on Thursday night.

Witnesses said a man wearing a gas mask opened fire as movie-goers watched the film.

The Paris premiere of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, has been cancelled following a shooting at a midnight screening in Colorado
The Paris premiere of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, has been cancelled following a shooting at a midnight screening in Colorado

In a statement film studio Warner Bros. said they were “deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident”.

“We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time,” the statement said.

As well as the cancellation of the red carpet premiere on the Champs-Elysees, the Hollywood Reporter reported that media interviews with the director, Christoper Nolan, and the film’s cast have also been cancelled.

The Paris premiere was due to take place on Friday.

 

Jordin Sparks displays 50 lbs weight loss on Shape magazine cover

Lisa.Felice
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Jordin Sparks displays 50 lbs weight loss on Shape magazine cover

Jordin Sparks had an ongoing battle with her weight since rising to fame and becoming victor of American Idol in 2007.

Now Jordin Sparks has decided to completely overhaul her image and do something about her health.

And the singer is so pleased with her new look after dropping an astonishing 50 lbs, she’s shown off her new slimline figure on the cover of Shape magazine.

Jordin Sparks, 22, displayed her toned figure in an electric blue bikini as she became this month’s cover girl.

Obviously confident in her new skin, she smiled widely as her petite frame is shown for all to see.

And she’s spoken out about overcoming her weight battle inside the issue.

Jordin Sparks has shown off her new slimline figure on the cover of Shape magazine
Jordin Sparks has shown off her new slimline figure on the cover of Shape magazine

Jordin Sparks said: “I knew I had a long road ahead of me. I was barely working out, and my diet was a mess. I had to address when, what, and how much I was eating.”

She revealed that she decided to change her eating and exercise pattern when she realized she should be making the most of herself now that she’s at her prime in her twenties.

The singer added: “I just wanted to be healthy. I remember thinking, ‘I’m in my prime. I should be happy and fit.”

That was the moment I decided that changes needed to be made.

Jordin Sparks has previously modelled from plus-size clothing and has spoken of her larger frame in the past: “I love food and I love my curves,” she said at the time.

“I’m very strong-willed and I’m stubborn in that sense to where I’m just like <<No, I won’t be that way>>.

“The stick-thin thing, I’m kind of just like, <<Not gonna do it>> and <<I couldn’t>>.”

But Jordin Sparks seems overwhelmed by the weight that she has dropped, telling Shape magazine: “The weight really started falling off, and I could see my muscles. It was awesome.”

 

Vast water source discovered in Namibia

James J. Williams
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Vast water source discovered in Namibia

A newly discovered water source in Namibia could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Estimates suggest the aquifer could supply the north of the country for 400 years at current rates of consumption.

Scientists say the water is up to 10,000 years old but is cleaner to drink than many modern sources.

However, there are concerns that unauthorized drilling could threaten the new supply.

For the people of northern Namibia water is something that they either have too much of or too little.

The 800,000 people who live in the area depend for their drinking water on a 40-year-old canal that brings the scarce resource across the border from Angola.

A newly discovered water source in Namibia could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa
A newly discovered water source in Namibia could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa

Over the past decade the Namibian government has been trying to tackle the lack of a sustainable supply in partnership with researchers from Germany and other EU countries.

They have now identified a new aquifer called Ohangwena II, which flows under the boundary between Angola and Namibia.

On the Namibian side of the border it covers an area roughly 70 km by 40 km (43 miles by 25 miles).

According to project manager Martin Quinger, from the German federal institute for geoscience and natural resources (BGR), it’s a substantial body of water.

“The amount of stored water would equal the current supply of this area in northern Namibia for 400 years, which has about 40 percent of the nation’s population.”

“What we are aiming at is a sustainable water supply so we only extract the amount of water that is being recharged.

“What we can say is that the huge amount of stored water is will always be enough for a back up for an area that is currently supplied only by surface water.”

This region is dependent on two rivers for its water supply. But this has restricted agricultural development to areas close to these water sources. Martin Quinger says that the new aquifer has great potential to change the nature of farming in the area.

“For the rural water supply the water will be well suited for irrigation and stock watering, the possibilities that we open with this alternative resource are quite massive,” he explains.

As well as providing a new source for agriculture in a region the aquifer will augment existing potable supplies. Martin Quinger says the discovery may be up to 10,000 years old but it is still good to drink.

“If the water [has spent] 10,000 years underground, it means it was recharged at a time when environmental pollution was not yet an issue, so on average it can be a lot better than water that infiltrates in cycles of months or years.”

The natural pressure that the water is under means that it is easy and cheap to extract. But because a smaller salty aquifer sits on top of the new find it raises the possibility that unauthorized drilling could threaten the quality of the water.

Martin Quinger says that random drilling into the aquifer could be dangerous.

“If people don’t comply with our technical recommendations they might create a hydraulic shortcut between the two aquifers which might lead to the salty water from the upper one contaminating the deep one or vice versa.”

One of the biggest advantages of the new aquifer could be in helping people cope with climate change.

The researchers estimate that it could act as a natural buffer for up to 15 years of drought.

As well as identifying the new water source a key aim for the researchers involved is to develop the capacity among young Namibians to manage their country’s water resources before the funding from the EU runs out.

 

 

How to stay dry in the rain: run or walk?

James J. Williams
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How to stay dry in the rain: run or walk?

Physicist Franco Bocci has put forth new ideas in the long-running question of how best to keep dry when moving in the rain.

If you run, you are out in the rain for less time, yet you run into more drops – so what is the optimal speed?

Franco Bocci, reporting in the European Journal of Physics, now asserts that both wind direction and a person’s stature figure into the answer.

In most cases, the general answer is to run as fast as possible; but the answer changes in a tailwind, or for the thin.

Prof. Franco Bocci is by no means the first person to address the problem, which is far more mathematically complex than it seems on the surface.

Physicist Franco Bocci has put forth new ideas in the long-running question of how best to keep dry when moving in the rain
Physicist Franco Bocci has put forth new ideas in the long-running question of how best to keep dry when moving in the rain

In the 1970s, a number of papers came out in mathematics magazines debating the question, each more fully exploring the issues at hand.

The battleground for this bit of hobby mathematics now seems to be the UK’s Institute of Physics publication the European Journal of Physics.

In 1987, another Italian researcher asserted in the journal that changing strategies did not make a substantial difference.

In 2011, a textile expert and a physicist used the same publication to suggest that an optimal speed existed, depending on the wind direction.

“For the most part in the previous work, there was a simple answer, but I found that the problem is much more complicated,” said Prof. Franco Bocci.

What complicates the question is the human shape; for simplicity, previous attempts to crack the thorny problem assumed people to be thin sheets or upright, rectangular boxes.

When Prof. Franco Bocci considered a more general case – likely to be the case you would face in the rain – he found that the answer may depend on an individual’s height-to-breadth ratio as well as wind direction and raindrop size.

Luckily there are a few generalizations in the analysis, to spare you having to calculate the cosine of the angle between your path and the wind direction.

“Let’s say that in general, the best thing is to run, as fast as you can – not always, but in general,” said Prof. Franco Bocci.

“If you’re really thin, it’s more probable that there will be an optimal speed. Otherwise, it’s better to run fast.”

As for wind direction – and again, in general – you should run as fast as you can unless the wind is behind you, in which case the optimal speed will be exactly the speed of the wind.

Prof. Franco Bocci said that the problem promises to get even more complicated as more factors are taken into account, but that for now he is drying his hands of the question.

 

Hisham Ikhtiar, Syria’s national security chief, dies from wounds

Roy Siemens
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Hisham Ikhtiar, Syria’s national security chief, dies from wounds

Hisham Ikhtiar, Syria’s national security chief, has died from injuries he received in a bomb attack in Damascus on Wednesday, state TV has announced.

Hisham Ikhtiar is the fourth regime insider to die as a result of the attack at the national security bureau.

The army has fought off an assault by rebels in the Midan area of Damascus.

Meanwhile, Russia’s envoy to France has sparked a row with Damascus after suggesting President Bashar al-Assad was ready to step down.

Alexander Orlov said Bashar al-Assad had, in effect, agreed to step down last month at a conference in Geneva which had planned for a democratic transition.

Hisham Ikhtiar, Syria's national security chief, has died from injuries he received in a bomb attack in Damascus on Wednesday
Hisham Ikhtiar, Syria's national security chief, has died from injuries he received in a bomb attack in Damascus on Wednesday

 

“Assad nominated his representative to lead the negotiations with the opposition for this transition. That means he accepted to leave, but in a civilized way,” said Alexander Orlov.

His comments triggered an angry response from Syria, where the information ministry said the claims were completely baseless.

The announcement of Hisham Ikhtiar’s death came as the other victims of the bomb attack were buried.

The other three high-profile victims were the defense minister, his deputy who is also Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law, and a former defense minister.

The bombing of the National Security Bureau came shortly after rebels declared an all-out assault on the capital, calling it Operation Damascus Volcano.

Eruptions of violence have been seen across the city since Sunday.

In the latest fighting, state media announced the area of Midan had been “cleaned” of “terrorists”.

Rebels said they had withdrawn from Midan after coming under bombardment.

But elsewhere in the country rebel fighters have managed to seize control of several border posts, both on the southern frontier with Iraq and the northern border with Turkey.

 

YSL launches Facebook-inspired eyeshadow palette

Lisa.Felice
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YSL launches Facebook-inspired eyeshadow palette

Yves Saint Laurent has launched a limited edition Facebook-inspired eyeshadow palette on July 19.

Popular culture often inspires beauty collaborations; Betty Boop for Lancôme and Miss Piggy for MAC are just some recent examples.

Now, as a “declaration of love” to its fans, YSL Fragrances & Beauty has gone one step further. Inspired by Facebook as a whole, the French brand has designed a palette which includes the “now highly identifiable Facebook blue with the luxurious Yves Saint Laurent design”.

The palette includes four shades inspired by Facebook: royal blue, violet, white and black.

Yves Saint Laurent has launched a limited edition Facebook-inspired eyeshadow palette on July 19
Yves Saint Laurent has launched a limited edition Facebook-inspired eyeshadow palette on July 19

According to Kiss and Makeup, only 1,650 of the Pure Chromatics Devoted To Fans palettes were produced, which will be available on the brand’s Facebook page as well in U.S. stores at $60.

And any Facebook fan who buys the new palette will receive special “privileges”, such as exclusive information, perks and services through YSL Facebook feed and in store.

Damien Vincent, commercial director of Facebook France, emphasized the significance of the launch, saying: “We are honored that a prestigious brand such as Yves Saint Laurent resumes Facebook color codes to launch a unique product destined for his fans.”

The new digital marketing strategy comes amid reports that the French fashion house will introduce new branding in the coming months, most likely to coincide with Hedi Slimane’s first designs for the label’s Spring 2013 collection.

Yves Saint Laurent is reportedly dropping the Yves from its name, changing the iconic label to simply, Saint Laurent Paris.

However, it is expected that the YSL logo, which has long been one of the most well-recognized symbols of French luxury, will remain.

 

 

Triumph launches a brand new Body Make-Up lingerie line

Lisa.Felice
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0
Triumph launches a brand new Body Make-Up lingerie line

Lingerie giant Triumph has built an outstanding reputation for comfortable and perfectly fitting women’s underwear.

From beautiful sets and stylish separates, to seductive silhouettes and practical everyday wear, Triumph creates appealing essentials for women all over the world.

Launched in 1886, the German brand has come a long way, from vintage-inspired corsets to bras and knickers that celebrate the nipped-in waists and high-waisted styling of the past.

Fast forward 125 years, and much has changed.

This month, Triumph International launches a brand new Body Make-Up line.

The capsule collection features a range of nude, cream and violet slips, body dresses, bras and pants and is designed to truly feel like a second skin.

Triumph Body Make-Up line features a range of nude, cream and violet slips, body dresses, bras and pants and is designed to truly feel like a second skin
Triumph Body Make-Up line features a range of nude, cream and violet slips, body dresses, bras and pants and is designed to truly feel like a second skin

This Triumph series made of smooth, cosy and weightless fabrics. Bras feature an innovative spacer fabric, while the panties use bonded technology for a seamless finish to ensure optimal wearing comfort.

“The collection, designed to feel like a second skin, provides the foundation from which everyday female fashion can propel itself,” the firm said.

The brand’s latest collection is a far cry from the 1886 effort – a rigid wire cage that held the breasts in place, prosaically named the Bust Improver. The only concession to vanity was the addition of two bows tied onto each cup.

 

A history of the family-run business

More than century ago in 1886, merchant Michael Braun and corset-maker Johann Gottfried Spiesshofer went down in history after becoming the first firm in the world to make a bra commercially available to women.

Never could they have known back then that the tiny corset factory they had set up in southern Germany would one day become the world’s leading lingerie firm.

125 years on, the business that started out with just six sewing machines and six employees has gone global, with 37,500 employees working in over 120 countries – and it is still in the hands of the families of its founders.

The first foreign subsidiary was established in Zurzach, Switzerland which has become the company’s headquarters. The multinational manufacturing and marketing organization is one of the leading underwear producers in the world and in 2010 had an annual turnover of 2.2 billion Swiss francs.

 

Glen Campbell forced to cancel Australia and New Zealand tour due to Alzheimer’s illness

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Glen Campbell forced to cancel Australia and New Zealand tour due to Alzheimer’s illness

Fears are growing for the health of country star Glen Campbell after he was forced to cancel his tour to Australia and New Zealand.

The veteran star, who admitted last year he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, is unable to complete the long flight from the US.

Glen Campbell, 76, was due to star with Kenny Rogers but his spokesman said he cannot cope with the strains of travel.

“Glen is able to comfortably deal with the travel and the shows themselves,” the spokesman said.

“However, as August approaches Glen realizes that due to his Alzheimer’s condition, he cannot handle the extremely long plane trip from Los Angeles to New Zealand and Australia.”

Fears are growing for the health of country star Glen Campbell after he was forced to cancel his tour to Australia and New Zealand
Fears are growing for the health of country star Glen Campbell after he was forced to cancel his tour to Australia and New Zealand

The Australia and New Zealand jaunt would have been the last international run on Glen Campbell’s Goodbye Tour.

He is taking part in one last concert tour before retiring for good from live performances.

Glen Campbell, who won five Grammys during his recording career, was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award this year.

He also performed in the live Grammys telecast in February.

Glen Campbell’s hits include Wichita Lineman, Galveston a year later, and he starred in the John Wayne western True Grit in 1969.

In announcing he was suffering from Alzheimer’s, Glen Campbell said he often forgets the words to his most memorable songs.

His spokesman said Glen Campbell was “very disappointed that he is unable to perform for his New Zealand and Australian fans one last time”.

 [youtube 4qoymGCDYzU]

Al Capone’s Palm Beach mansion to be put on sale for nearly $10 million

Diane A. Wade
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Al Capone’s Palm Beach mansion to be put on sale for nearly $10 million

Al Capone’s Palm Beach mansion is due to be put on sale for a wealthy history buff who enjoys the sun.

The mansion has changed hands several times since Scarface died there in 1947, and the latest owner dedicated a significant amount of cash to restore the property to its former glory – or notoriety.

The palatial estate has a number of quintessentially Palm Beach touches, such as the clean lines and arched porticos lining up against the manicured green lawn.

Al Capone's Palm Beach mansion to be put on sale for nearly $10 million
Al Capone's Palm Beach mansion to be put on sale for nearly $10 million

If a passer-by did not know that the prime estate was previously owned by Al Capone, it would be easy to see a titan of any industry – though not necessarily a criminal mob – walking around the property, cigar in hand.

That may well be the case after the house officially hits the open market.

Current owner Peter Corsell, a founder of an energy company, bought the waterfront home for $5.65 million and spent the past year restoring it to it’s former grandeur.

The cost of that time and labour is that the listing will be set at $9.95 million.

The nearly-$10million price-point is a far cry from Al Capone’s heyday.

The true American gangster bought the property for just $40,000 in 1928, when he was reaching the pinnacle of his power during the height of the prohibition.

The home, which boasts the address 93 Palm Avenue on ultra-exclusive Palm Island, sits on a football field-sized lot on the edge of Biscayne Bay.

The New York Daily News reports that ornate plasterwork is seen throughout, and though the color of the awnings above each window has changed, they still remain as ray-stoppers.

And in case the new owner has a need to resort to the criminal ways of his predecessors, there is a private getaway dock for use.

 

New York Daily News: Al Capone’s compound on Palm Island in Miami to hit market with $9.95 million asking price

Batman premiere shooting: gunman kills 14 people at Denver cinema

Diane A. Wade
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Batman premiere shooting: gunman kills 14 people at Denver cinema

At least 14 people have been killed in a shooting at Batman film The Dark Knight Rises premiere in Denver, Colorado, police say.

About 50 people have been injured in the incident, police say.

Witnesses say a gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire at the cinema complex in Aurora, at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises.

There are reports the gunman released a smoke bomb during the incident. Police say they have one suspect in custody. Many ambulances are at the scene.

A gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire at the cinema complex in Aurora, at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises
A gunman wearing a gas mask opened fire at the cinema complex in Aurora, at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises

The Swedish Medical Center, not the area’s main hospital, said it had received three gunshot victims.

A witness told 9News that during a shooting scene in the film he heard loud bangs and a lot of smoke and initially thought they were live special effects put on by the cinema.

Projectiles came through the wall from the neighbouring theatre screening, the witness said.

CNN quoted one witness saying: “A guy slowly making his way up the stairs and firing – picking random people.”

 

Microsoft makes the first quarterly loss in its history

Clyde K. Valle
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Microsoft makes the first quarterly loss in its history

Microsoft has made the first quarterly loss in its history after it wrote off some of the value of its online advertising business.

The loss came after it wrote down the value of Aquantive by $6.2 billion (5 billion Euros), which failed to bring the profits expected by Microsoft.

That led to a $492 million loss in the three months to the end of June, compared with a profit of $5.9 billion a year ago.

The computing giant company has not made a loss since it joined the stock market in 1986.

It took over Aquantive in 2007 but it struggled to compete with rival Google.

 

Microsoft has made the first quarterly loss in its history after it wrote off some of the value of its online advertising business
Microsoft has made the first quarterly loss in its history after it wrote off some of the value of its online advertising business

 

Microsoft paid $6.3 billion for Aquantive.

Microsoft is doing well in other areas, despite the decline in popularity of its Windows operating system, which dominated the personal computer market for years.

Revenue for the three months to June rose by 4% to $18.06 billion.

Excluding the adjustment for the asset write-down, and the holding back of some income related to the launch of its Windows 8 system, Microsoft profits beat those expected by investors.

Shares were up 1.6% after the results were announced.

Microsoft says the update of the Windows systems is the most important redesign in more than 10 years.

Windows 8, which will launch in October, will feature a new look that will present applications in a mosaic of tiles.

Importantly, it will also enable the operating system to work on tablet computers, which along with smartphones are the fastest-growing sector of the computing market.

Microsoft is also planning to release its own tablet, the Surface.

Earlier this week, Microsoft previewed its next version of the Office system, which is expected to be released next year.

 

 

Ai Weiwei’s tax evasion appeal rejected by Chinese court

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Ai Weiwei’s tax evasion appeal rejected by Chinese court

Artist and dissident Ai Weiwei’s appeal against a tax evasion fine has been rejected by a Chinese court, his lawyer says.

Police barred Ai Weiwei from attending court in Beijing’s Chaoyang district to hear the verdict delivered.

Tax authorities imposed a 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) fine on Ai Weiwei’s firm for tax evasion in 2011.

Supporters say the fine is politically motivated and Ai Weiwei wanted the court to overrule the penalty.

”We will keep appealing, until the day comes when we have nothing to lose,” Ai Weiwei said via Twitter.

His lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who was in court for the verdict, told reporters that the ruling was ”totally without reason”.

Ai Weiwei’s appeal against a tax evasion fine has been rejected by a Chinese court
Ai Weiwei’s appeal against a tax evasion fine has been rejected by a Chinese court

The artist, a outspoken critic of the government, was detained for almost three months without charge last year.

After he was released, he was accused of tax evasion and the fine imposed.

The Chinese authorities maintain that the firm, called Fake Cultural Development, owes them money and it must be paid back.

While Ai weiwei is a designer for Fake Cultural Development, his wife is the legal representative of his company.

The artist said earlier that police, stationed outside his home, had barred him from attending the court hearing.

”If I can’t even appear in court, what more does this country have to do with me?” he said over Twitter.

Security was tight at the court with reports of both uniformed and plainclothes police in the area and people, including journalists and diplomats, being turned away.

Ai Weiwei, 55, has said that the tax bill is pay-back for his activism and challenged it on the grounds that proper procedure had not been followed.

The Beijing court agreed to hear the case, in a surprise move.

“The entire judiciary is shrouded in darkness,” he said from his home in northeast Beijing after the verdict.

Born in 1957 in Beijing, Ai Weiwei, the son of one of China’s most famous poets, Ai Qing, has played a key role in contemporary Chinese art over the last two decades.

His involvement in the design of Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium brought him international prominence.

But he fell out of favor with authorities with his outspoken criticism over the Olympics and the devastating May 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

In December 2010, he was among a group of activists and critics banned from travelling. A month later, his studio in Shanghai was demolished after officials said he had failed to obtain planning permission for the building.

He was then detained in April 2011 at Beijing airport.

 

Syrian rebels seize Iraq and Turkey border posts

Roy Siemens
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Syrian rebels seize Iraq and Turkey border posts

Syrian rebels have captured a number of positions on the country’s borders with Iraq and Turkey.

A senior Iraqi official said all the crossings on Syria’s eastern frontier had been seized. At one point, two Turkish posts were also in rebel hands.

The push came a day after a bomb claimed the lives of three senior defence officials in Damascus.

At the UN, negotiations are under way on extending the mandate of the observer mission in Syria,

The mandate for the mission is due to expire on Friday.

There are almost 300 UN observers in Syria, but the mission suspended most of its monitoring activity in June, because of the risk from increasing violence.

Syrian rebels have captured a number of positions on the country's borders with Iraq and Turkey
Syrian rebels have captured a number of positions on the country's borders with Iraq and Turkey

The US says it might consider a final brief extension of the monitors work, but warned that it could not pin its policy on an unarmed mission.

The UK is proposing an extension for 30 days, and then the mission would continue only if the regime had removed heavy weapons from cities and sent troops back to their barracks.

The major Abu Kamal crossing on the Euphrates river in the east was captured after a clash with government forces, opposition activists said.

More than 20 Syrian soldiers and their commander were killed when a remote army outpost in the far north-east was attacked, Associated Press news agency reported.

Iraq’s government, seen as sympathetic to President Bashar al-Assad, has threatened to shut its side of the border and one official told Reuters news agency that it was closing the Abu Kamal crossing.

On the frontier with Turkey, too, rebels were said to have taken control of two posts, at Bab al-Hawa and Jarablus.

Video from the Bab al-Hawa crossing in Idlib province soon emerged of rebels defacing a portrait of President Assad, but they later reportedly withdrew from the position.

The regime’s grip on outlying areas may be slipping, which is hardly surprising given the fighting in Damascus.

State TV has been reporting on violence across the capital, showing footage of troops in the Midan area where it said 20 terrorists had been killed.

Analysts point out that the regime shows no signs of collapsing, and the military is still heavily armed, loyal and able to defend key institutions.

Violence broke out in the capital on Sunday, and two days later the rebels declared an all-out assault, calling it “Damascus volcano”.

The explosion on Wednesday that killed three top security officials led to a mobilization of government troops in an attempt to drive the rebels out of the city.

The president’s brother-in-law, the defence minister and head of the government’s crisis team were killed by a bomb as they attended a meeting at the national security headquarters.

The first images of President Bashar al-Assad since the attack have appeared, largely ending rumours he might have been hurt.

The footage appeared to show Gen Fahd Jassim al-Furayj, chief of staff of the armed forces, being sworn into his new post as defence minister.

Tanks and armored vehicles were reported to have moved into Qaboun on Thursday, close to the centre of Damascus.

There were heavy casualties, activists said, as a result of an army bombardment of Zamalka in the eastern outskirts of Damascus.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the number of fatalities across the country on Thursday at 250.

The pace of events in Syria was in marked contrast to the diplomatic stalemate at the UN Security Council, where Russia and China vetoed a Western resolution calling for tougher sanctions on Damascus.

Under the Western-backed plan, the Damascus government would have been threatened with non-military sanctions under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter if it failed to move troops and heavy weapons from populated areas.

But the use of Chapter Seven paved the way for “external military involvement in Syrian domestic affairs”, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin argued.

 

Victoria Beckham shares stain removal tip on Twitter

Lisa.Felice
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Victoria Beckham shares stain removal tip on Twitter

Yesterday Victoria Beckham, a mother-of-four, took her Twitter account to share some vital parental advice on how to remove stubborn stains from clothing.

Victoria Beckham, 38, who has over four million followers tweeted: “Mummy tip….Baby Dreft and Vanish stain remover, use together to remove HUGE strawberry stains!!! X vb”

Super slim Victoria Beckham, who has been enjoying a break with her family in the UK, had previously taken her children to enjoy the quintessential British past time of strawberry picking.

Posting a picture of two juicy looking punnets she wrote: “Fun day strawberry picking in the rain with the boys and Harper. Love being in London! X”

Victoria Beckham took her Twitter account to share how to remove stubborn stains from clothing
Victoria Beckham took her Twitter account to share how to remove stubborn stains from clothing

It seems that Victoria Beckham, who is mother to baby girl Harper, one, and three sons: 13-year-old Brooklyn, Romeo, nine, and Cruz, six, doesn’t mind getting her perfectly manicured hands dirty.

With a combined estimated fortune, alongside footballer husband David Beckham of around £190 million ($300 million), Victoria Beckham could easily afford to have every item of her children’s clothing dry cleaned.

But proving she is still a down to earth at heart, the former Spice Girl opts for a bottle of Baby Dreft combined with a humble bottle of vanish stain remover.

Earlier this week Victoria Beckham delighted her Irish fans when she arrived in Dublin for a special presentation at department store Brown Thomas who were one of the first in the world to stock her clothing line when it first launched.

 

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