New details about Google’s eagerly-anticipated smart glasses have been released by the company in a YouTube video.
How It Feels YouTube video uploaded by the company shows Google Glass in action – including the interface which appears in the wearer’s line of sight.
The search giant has also opened up the trial of the product to “creative individuals” and developers.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin was recently spotted on New York’s subway testing the device.
The product was first unveiled as part of a demonstration at a Google launch event last year where developers were offered early access to the device for $1,500.
The company is now inviting people in the US to use the hashtag #ifihadglass to suggest ways they would make use of the headset.
“We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass,” Google said.
“We’re still in the early stages and, while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.”
New details about Google’s eagerly-anticipated smart glasses have been released by the company in a YouTube video
The demo video showed how Glass can be used to take pictures and record video, as well as share content directly via email or social networks.
Voice commands such as “OK, Glass, take a picture” were used to control the device.
Other features appeared to include Skype-like video chats, and other related information such as weather reports and map directions.
All of this information appeared in a small, translucent square in the top right of the wearer’s field of vision.
The display is considerably less intrusive than previously published concept videos.
Wearable technology is seen as a major growth area for hardware makers in 2013 and beyond.
In 2008, Apple patented a laser-based “head mounted display system” that it suggested could stream video from its iPod, among other features.
Other patents obtained by Sony and Microsoft allow for creation of miniature displays to go over users’ eyes.
Oakley recently launched Airwave – ski goggles with built-in sensors which provide information on an in-built screen about an owner’s speed, the size of their jumps and what music they are listening to.
Away from the head, the newly released Pebble watch links directly to a smartphone – a concept Apple is also rumored to be working on.
It was revealed today that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be charging $200,000 per speech on her lecture circuit.
The massive fee means that Hillary Clinton will be making more from a two-hour lecture than she did in a year as Secretary of State.
The announcement that Hillary Clinton has hired a top talent agency to represent her as she begins to give paid speeches following her departure from the State Department came earlier this week, but her $200,000 asking price was only reported on Wednesday.
According to Buzzfeed, that puts Hillary Clinton in the same league as her husband former President Bill Clinton who is so in-demand that he can command the six-figure fee.
The volume of the sum is made clear when looked at in comparison to her salary for a year as Secretary of State, which was $186,000.
Hillary Clinton is now represented by the Harry Walker Agency which is known for getting famous politicians and newsmakers plum gigs on the lecture circuit.
The venture is Hillary Clinton’s first formal decision about what she is going to do now that she is no longer working, though she is widely considered to be the Democratic front runner should she decide to run for the presidency in 2016.
Her decision to attach her name to his particular New York-based agency comes as little surprise since her husband former President Bill Clinton has long been represented by the group since he left office in 2000.
The move was clearly a lucrative one, as Bill Clinton made $75.6 million from 2001 to 2010 from speaking engagements, making $10.7 million in just 2010 alone.
Bill Clinton is not the only big name with the agency, as his former Vice President Al Gore has been booking $175,000 gigs through their connections, and former New York City mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani regularly brings in $100,000 per event.
Hillary Clinton will be charging $200,000 per speech on her lecture circuit
Former vice president Dick Cheney, former Senators Olympia Snowe and Joe Lieberman, Barack Obama campaign strategist Jim Messina and former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan are all represented by The Harry Walker Agency as well.
Hillary Clinton’s exact asking price has not been reported, but Politicoasserts that she “will likely do some speeches for no fee for causes she champions, and expects to occasionally donate her fees for charitable purposes”.
While keeping mum about any future presidential plans, Hillary Clinton has said that she plans to write another book, this time about her work as Secretary of State.
Publishing house Simon & Schuster reportedly paid the former first lady an $8 million advance on her first book, Living History, which she published in December 2000.
With any and all positions that Hillary Clinton decides to take, she will have to weigh the optics of if it would look appropriate for a presidential candidate.
Another concern is shoring up a steady income, because it doesn’t come cheap to live like the Clintons and six-figure speaking fees will certainly help.
Though there were early reports that they might buy a house in the Hamptons area of Long Island, it appears now that they will hustle between their current residences in Washington, D.C. and Chappaqua, a quiet town in the suburbs of New York City.
Hillary Clinton is also expected to either work with her husband’s Clinton Foundation or start her own, though no decisions about that have been made at this point.
The only thing that Hillary Clinton has publicly confirmed is that she plans to rest after a very taxing four years of traveling to 112 different countries.
As Hillary Clinton remains coy about her political prospects, her potential competitors are being very blatant in their fundraising attempts.
On the Republican side, both New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Florida Senator Marco Rubio have raised significant sums for their campaign war chests in recent weeks.
Chris Christie attended a fundraiser in his honor at Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s California home, and Marco Rubio raised $100,000 by selling water bottles with his name on them, playing on his thirst-quenching gaffe during the State of the Union rebuttal.
The White House is expected to announce a raft of anti-hacking measures a day after a report linked China’s military to prolific cyber-theft.
Possible actions include fines or other trade enforcements against China or any other country found guilty of hacking.
The US says it has repeatedly raised concerns with China about cyber-attacks and stolen trade data.
China’s military says the report by a US-based security company is flawed, lacking “technical proof”.
Executives from GE and American Superconductor, both of which do business in China, are expected to attend as the White House rolls out its strategy.
The announcement at 15:00 EST will be attended by US Attorney General Eric Holder.
“The strategy that we are releasing today co-ordinates and improves US government efforts to protect the innovation that drives the American economy and supports jobs in the United States,” a White House official said.
“This strategy is not focused on any one country, nor is it focused on cyber-security exclusively, though cyber does play an important role in the strategy.”
Tuesday’s detailed report by Mandiant identified a Shanghai high-rise used by China’s military as the probable home of hackers to whom it attributed multiple attacks on US companies.
The group, labelled in the report as APT1, was staffed by hundreds of proficient English speakers, Mandiant said.
APT1 had hacked into 141 companies across 20 industries, stealing hundreds of terabytes of information including blueprints, business plans, pricing documents, user credentials, emails and contact lists.
The White House is expected to announce a raft of anti-hacking measures a day after a report linked China’s military to prolific cyber-theft
China’s government has long been suspected of a role in cyber-hacking.
But the issue has become more high-profile in recent months following widely reported hacks into media outlets including the New York Times.
That incident followed the newspaper’s report on the wealth of outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao’s relatives.
On Tuesday, state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that the issue had come up “in virtually every meeting we have with Chinese officials”.
Estimated losses from cyber-espionage and theft of trade secrets totalled more than $300 billion in 2012, according to Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
The Mandiant report argued that it was “highly unlikely that the Chinese government is unaware of an attack group that operates from the Pudong New Area of Shanghai”, citing the country’s rigorous monitoring of internet use.
But China has flatly denied any connection with the activity outlined in Mandiant’s report.
A Chinese ministry statement, posted on its website, said that many hacking attacks were carried out using hijacked IP addresses.
It also suggested that the “everyday gathering” of online information was being wrongly characterized as spying.
And on Wednesday, Chinese foreign minister Hong Lei said China itself had been the victim of attacks, citing a 2012 report from the country’s Ministry of Information Technology and Industry.
“Among the above attacks, those from the US numbered the most,” he said at a news conference.
Cyber-security experts told the Associated Press that US intelligence agencies routinely spy on other countries, but do not conduct similar attacks or steal data from Chinese companies.
Prince Michael Jackson struck out on his own as a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday night.
Despite those efforts, Michael Jackson’s 16-year-old son found himself the centre of the story on Tuesday evening.
The 30-minute programme featured clips of co-host Brooke Anderson grilling Prince Jackson with questions in between teasers for his first assignment, while he patiently waited for his moment to step into her shoes and test his skills as an interviewer.
With little known about the length of Prince Jackson’s contract, producers were keen to exploit their most high-profile – and their youngest – new celebrity reporter.
Teasers airing before his debut showed the teenager stiffly dressed as if ready to sit for a serious interview, while co-hosts told viewers about ET’s newest addition.
Critics immediately put out their claws – surely a 16-year-old has not earned the credentials to juggle on-air interviews, despite his or her own status as a celebrity or even a studious cinephile, as Prince Jackson described himself.
His banter with Brooke Anderson was awkward, even cringe-worthy, though on par with exchanges between evening news anchors.
Prince Michael Jackson struck out on his own as a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday night
Thrusting a teenager in front of cue cards and a glaring red light did little to enhance the story (Prince Jackson’s first assignment would be to interview the cast of Oz the Great and Powerful).
But viewers, and interested fans of the Jackson clan, did get a glimpse into how young Prince sees himself stepping out of his father’s shadow.
“I’ve been raised around stuff like this so it was different being the interviewer instead of the one being interviewed,” he told Brooke.
Prince Michael Jackson refers to his late father with the ET veteran compliments him on his maturity.
“That’s what most of my people say,” he responds.
“That was all thanks to my dad. He raised me right.”
Prince Jackson was just 12-years-old when his father died, leaving him and his two siblings in the care of extended relatives, including their paternal grandmother, Katherine Jackson.
Rob Kardashian confessed that he was feeling insecure after gaining 40 pounds in weight since his split from Rita Ora.
After plenty of advice from his sisters in the latest episode of Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, the 25-year-old was spotted clutching to a healthy packed lunch on Tuesday.
Fat-free and low calorie orange fruit slices could be seen in his box of food which he carried with a bottle of water
Rob Kardashian walked out of a family meeting at his mother Kris Jenner’s office in Encino looking far more bulkier than during his stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2011.
He was almost unrecognizable as he tried to hide his extra weight in a Jimmy Kimmel Live hooded top.
Rob Kardashian confessed that he was feeling insecure after gaining 40 pounds in weight since his split from Rita Ora
Andie MacDowell has been a spokesperson for L’Oréal since 1985 and most recently has been the face of their Wrinkle Free RevitaLift range.
But it looks like Andie MacDowell hasn’t been practicing what she preaches as she stepped out looking a little on the tired side.
While she usually looks years younger her age of 54, Andie MacDowell appeared somewhat weary following a session at the gym on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Showing a few wrinkles for the first time, the usually flawless looking actress looked in need of a pick me up following what looks like it was an exhausting work-out.
Dressed in a pair of slim-fit workout trousers with a blue jumper and white jacket, Andie MacDowell showed off her excellent figure.
Andie MacDowell has been a spokesperson for L’Oréal since 1985 and most recently has been the face of their Wrinkle Free RevitaLift range
Going make-up free her natural beauty was evident and accentuated by wearing her famous brown curly hair off her face in a messy bun.
She carried a wicker bag with her as she left her session.
Andie MacDowell has clearly recovered from her operation on her knee she had over Christmas, which left her in crutches.
She was forced to use crutches for some time after she injured her knee in a snow shoeing incident.
Former PM Silvio Berlusconi is trying to buy votes in Italy’s election on Sunday by sending out letters promising a tax rebate, his rivals have alleged.
Centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani labelled it a “scam”, while the leader of a smaller party accused Silvio Berlusconi of committing a crime.
The letter was sent to voters in swing regions of Italy.
It vows to scrap the unpopular property tax brought in under ex-Prime Minister Mario Monti and pay voters back.
Silvio Berlusconi had already made the pledge on the campaign trail, but putting it in a letter to voters outraged his opponents.
“If I’d crossed paths with Berlusconi after the letter was sent, I’d have told him he’s a cheat,” said Pier Luigi Bersani, whose long-time lead in the polls has been gradually cut back by Silvio Berlusconi.
Former anti-mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia, who leads new left-wing Civic Revolution party, said on his website: “With the letter sent to Italians promising money in exchange for votes, Berlusconi has committed one crime, possibly two.”
He called for Silvio Berlusconi to be prosecuted.
Silvio Berlusconi is trying to buy votes in Italy’s election on Sunday by sending out letters promising a tax rebate,
The letter came in an official-looking envelope, headed: “Important notice: reimbursement of IMU 2012.”
“The refund will be available either through a transfer into your bank account, or to you personally at the counter of the post office,” the letter said, according to Reuters.
It was sent to millions of households in Sicily, Veneto, Campania and Lombardy – key regions which could decide the result of the election, which is held on Sunday and Monday.
The IMU tax amounts to 0.4% of the value of a property owner’s primary residence, and is comparable to similar taxes levied elsewhere in Europe.
Polls have shown it is the most unpopular of the budget measures brought in by the Monti government to try to restore confidence in Italy’s finances.
Market confidence in Italy collapsed during 2011 because of its very high debt burden, and only began to recover after Mr Berlusconi resigned as prime minister and Mr Monti took over.
Silvio Berlusconi has declared: “The house is sacred. It should not be taxed.”
But Mario Monti, who is also heading an election coalition, retorted: “When I said that Berlusconi would try to buy the votes of the Italian people with the money of the state, I didn’t think he would [do it] to the letter.”
Syrian footballer Youssef Sleiman has been killed in a mortar strike near a stadium in Damascus, state news agency Sana says.
Sana news agency says two shells landed near Tishreen stadium in Baramkeh district, where Al-Wathba and Al-Nawair teams were preparing to train.
Several other players were injured in the attack “by terrorists”, Sana said.
It comes a day after state media said two mortars landed near Tishreen presidential palace in another area of Damascus without reports of injuries.
Rebels and troops have been fighting in and around Damascus for months.
Opposition sources say more than 50 people were killed in Damascus suburbs on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, at least 31 people were also killed on Tuesday in an army rocket attack in Syria’s second city, Aleppo, eyewitnesses and activists said, in one of the deadliest incident in recent days.
The UN says about 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.
Homs-based club Al-Wathba and Al-Nawair, from Hama, were getting ready to go to the stadium when the shells struck, reports say.
Syrian footballer Youssef Sleiman has been killed in a mortar strike near a stadium in Damascus
The players, who were staying in a nearby complex, were hit by shrapnel, the reports said.
AFP news agency quoted an unnamed sports official as saying four Al-Nawair players were injured.
Youssef Sleiman belonged to Al-Wathba.
“We were collecting our things about to head to the stadium when we heard the first explosion and the windows were blown off,” Ali Ghosn, a 20-year-old player, told the Associated Press.
“Youssef was hit in the neck. We ran out to the corridor when the second explosion struck and I saw Youssef fall down bleeding from his neck,” he said.
A Lebanese judge meanwhile has recommended the death penalty for a former pro-Syrian Lebanese minister for allegedly plotting attacks.
Michel Samaha is accused, along with Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk, of “transporting explosives from Syria to Lebanon in an attempt to assassinate Lebanese political and religious leaders,” according to a copy of the indictment seen by AFP.
Michel Samaha, a member of parliament, was arrested in Beirut in August, while Ali Mamlouk remains free.
The former minister’s arrest came as a surprise in Lebanon, where the current coalition government includes Syria’s allies.
Crime writer Patricia Cornwell has won a $51 million lawsuit against her former financial managers, after a jury agreed their negligence cost her millions in losses.
A lawyer for Anchin, Block and Anchin LLP insisted the firm had acted “professionally and appropriately”.
The firm blamed Patricia Cornwell’s losses on the recent recession and on her supposedly extravagant spending habits.
Patricia Cornwell is best known for novels about heroine medical examiner Kay Scarpetta.
In a lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts, Patricia Cornwell said that in 2009 she discovered her net worth was less than $13 million, even though she had made an eight-figure annual income for the previous four years.
Patricia Cornwell found out “that Anchin had borrowed on [her] behalf collectively several million dollars, comprised of mortgages for real property and a loan for the purchase of a helicopter,” she argued in court documents.
She also accused her financial managers of failing to arrange temporary accommodation for her when renovation on her home took longer than expected.
The lawsuit added that because Patricia Cornwell suffered from bipolar disorder – a condition she says her business managers were aware of – the author’s “ability to write is dependent upon the ability to avoid distractions”.
“A quiet, uninterrupted environment, free of the distractions of managing her business and her assets, including her investments, is essential to her ability to write and to meet her deadlines,” it says.
Crime writer Patricia Cornwell has won a $51 million lawsuit against her former financial managers, after a jury agreed their negligence cost her millions in losses
Patricia Cornwell said that as a result of the disruption she missed a book deadline for the first time in her career.
“This was very destabilizing. I really lost my ability to focus and concentrate. I did not know what the book was about anymore,” Patricia Cornwell said, according to the Associated Press.
In a lawsuit, Patricia Cornwell said the missed deadline cost her about $15 million – a year of income – in book advances and commissions that could not be recovered.
“God bless justice,” Patricia Cornwell said, upon learning of the verdict.
“It’s a huge relief and it’s been a huge ordeal.”
Anchin, Block and Anchin described Patricia Cornwell as a demanding client who would use the firm for everything from arranging care for her mother to taking her clothes to the tailor.
Her former financial manager Evan Snapper denied the writer’s claims during testimony.
“I did not steal any money from anyone,” he said.
“The money was there.”
James Campbell, an attorney for the defendants, said the firm was considering appealing against the verdict.
“We continue to believe the firm acted professionally and appropriately,” he told the Boston Globe.
“For more than 90 years, the professionals at Anchin have built a reputation for honesty and integrity. The firm will endure in spite of today’s outcome.”
A South African court heard today that boxes of “steroids, testosterone” and needles were found at Oscar Pistorius’ home where he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead after “non-stop” arguing.
The details were revealed by the prosecution on the second day of Oscar Pistorius’ bail hearing at Pretoria Magistrates’ Court where he faces a charge of premeditated murder.
Oscar Pistorius, 26, sobbed with his head lowered as the packed court heard the post-mortem showed three entrance wounds – the bullets hit the right side of Reeva Steenkamp’s head, her right elbow – which resulted in a broken arm – and her hip.
He claimed it was dark when he shot Reeva Steenkamp, but today police claimed a witness heard gunshots, saw the lights on, heard “a female screaming” and then more shots.
Chief investigating officer Hilton Botha told the packed court a separate witness said they heard an hour-long fight between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. before the sound of gunshots rang out.
Hilton Botha said he arrived at the upscale Pretoria house at about 4.15 a.m. last Thursday and Reeva Steenkamp, 29, had already been declared dead – “she had on white shorts and black vest. She was covered in towels”.
Oscar Pistorius, who underwent below-the-knee amputations when he was 11 months old, said he shot through the toilet cubicle door while on his stumps but the court heard the bullets’ trajectory was through the top of the door.
Hilton Botha said he believed the bullets were fired down, suggesting that Oscar Pistorius was wearing his prosthetic legs when the shots were discharged.
Gerrie Nel, the chief prosecutor asked Hilton Botha if the shots were fired directly at the toilet basin and he agreed.
“If you fire straight at the door, you miss the toilet,” he explained.
Hilton Botha said police believe a cricket bat found in the bathroom was used to break down the door to the toilet – part of the door was lying in the bathroom.
He said that one bullet cartridge was found outside bathroom while three others were inside.
On the shower mat in the en-suite bathroom laid a firearm and an iPhone 4 and iPhone – Hilton Botha said four phones in total were found in the athlete’s home and none of them had been used to call emergency services.
The presiding magistrate heard that testosterone and needles were found in Oscar Pistorius’ bedroom.
Boxes of steroids, testosterone and needles were found at Oscar Pistorius’ home where he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead after non-stop arguing
The court heard police found a box of .38 calibre ammunition rounds in a bedroom safe for which Oscar Pistorius is not a licence holder – they plan to charge him with possession of unlicensed ammunition.
In the bedroom they found an overnight bag was on a couch on the left hand side of the bed as well as slippers.
Oscar Pistorius has said he had been a victim of crime and received death threats, but today the court heard there were no records of this.
The athlete made notes with a silver pen as the case progressed.
Hilton Botha said he believed Oscar Pistorius, who won two gold medals and a silver at London’s 2012 Paralympic Games, was a flight risk and he was opposing bail.
He told the court Oscar Pistorius has offshore accounts and a property in Italy and said that he saw Pistorius’ family were looking for documents and a specific memory stick with details of offshore accounts.
Discussing extradition he said: “We don’t want another Dewani to happen. We’re still waiting to get him back in the country.”
He was referring to Shrien Dewani who is wanted in South Africa over the honeymoon murder of his wife in November 2010, but is now fighting extradition in Britain.
The defence will have to prove the extenuating circumstances that would justify granting bail so Oscar Pistorius will be free until the trial starts.
It is not expected to begin for at least four months – it would be heard by a judge sitting alongside two assessors – typically magistrates or retired magistrates – as the South Africa legal system does not have a jury system.
At today’s hearing it was claimed Oscar Pistorius was involved in another shooting at a restaurant in Johannesburg in January and asked the gun owner to take responsibility for the incident.
Hilton Botha also told the court of an incident at Kyalami racetrack where Oscar Pistorius allegedly threatened to “f*** up” a man during a row over a girl.
Before recess Oscar lawyer Barry Roux, one of South Africa’s leading defence lawyers, crossed examined the policeman.
The court gasped and the magistrate was forced to call for order after Barry Roux revealed that the witness who allegedly heard the screaming lived 600 metres away.
Barry Roux said there was no sign of an assault or a struggle on Reeva Steenkamp.
He told the court it was not testosterone, but a herbal remedy discovered in his client’s bedroom.
Barry Roux said a post-mortem examination showed Reeva Steenkamp’s bladder was empty and said that was consistent with her getting up at 3 a.m. to go to the toilet.
He asked repeatedly why the police did not make simple checks – over the lighting and whether Oscar Pistorius had other phones.
The lawyer said Oscar Pistorius phoned the housing complex manager for help at 3.19 a.m. then Netcare hospital a minute later.
Barry Roux said the police discarded anything that might have been consistent with a defence.
Yesterday Oscar Pistorius he mistook Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder and shot her through the locked door of a toilet in his mansion home.
He said he thought she was in his bed when he opened fire.
“I kicked the door open, I tried to help her but she died in my arms,” he said in his first account of what happened.
Oscar Pistorius sobbed uncontrollably as Barry Roux, read the athlete’s statement to Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair, asking that he be allowed bail.
Photos of Oscar Pistorius’ bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp lay dying after he gunned her down through the door, have emerged today.
The luxurious stone-clad en-suite is now the focus of a murder inquiry as investigators try to piece together what happened in the toilet cubicle where Reeva Steenkamp spent her last moments.
Prosecutors argue the model was trapped in there hiding from Oscar Pistorius, while he claims his girlfriend was using the bathroom after getting up in the night at his upscale Pretoria home.
In a sworn affidavit Oscar Pistorius stated that he thought someone was in the bathroom and shot at them because he “noticed that the bathroom window was open .I realized that the intruder/s was/were in the toilet because the toilet door was closed and I did not see anyone in the bathroom. I heard movement inside the toilet”.
“It filled me with horror and fear of an intruder or intruders being inside the toilet. I thought he or they must have entered through the unprotected window,” he stated.
Prosecutors believe that Oscar Pistorius, picked up his gun, strapped on his prosthetic legs and stood near the large corner bath, before taking aim at the cubicle door.
The athlete shot four times and hit Reeva Steenkamp three times – it is thought she was sitting on the toilet when she was hit in the arm, head, hip and finger by bullets.
The door was broken down – Oscar Pistorius claims he battered it down with a cricket bat to reach his bloodied and dying girlfriend and found her “slumped over but alive”.
The bathroom was the key focus for both the defence and the prosecution at today’s bail hearing at Pretoria magistrates court.
Painting a picture of a premeditated murder prosecutor Gerrie Nel said that Reeva Steenkamp was shot when she took refuge in the bathroom after the couple had been arguing.
“The applicant armed himself, attached his prosthesis, walked seven metres to the bathroom and shot the deceased while she was in the toilet.”
“He shot four times…There’s no possible explanation to support his report that he thought it was a burglar,” he said.
“If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated,” he said.
“The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill.”
“The motive is <<I want to kill>>. That’s it,” he added.
“This deceased was in a 1.4 by 1.14 metre little room. She could go nowhere.”
Photos of Oscar Pistorius’ bathroom where Reeva Steenkamp lay dying after he gunned her down through the door
Gerrie Nel said the killing was premeditated because Oscar Pistorius had planned to say that he thought he was shooting an intruder.
“It was all part of the pre-planning. Why would a burglar lock himself inside the bathroom?” Gerrie Nel said.
“She locked that door for a purpose. We’ll get to that purpose.
“That is where she was when those shots were fired. She couldn’t go anywhere. It must have been horrific.”
But Oscar Pistorius’s lawyer, Barry Roux, said Reeva Steenkamp was not murdered, and there were a number of cases where men shot members of their own family through doors after mistaking them for burglars.
He also suggested that Oscar Pistorius broke down the bathroom door after the shooting to help his girlfriend.
“We submit it is not even murder,” Barry Roux said.
“There is no concession this is a murder.”
In a sworn affidavit, Oscar Pistorius, who broke down in tears on several occasions, said the pair were in bed together when he woke up and went onto a balcony to bring a fan inside.
On his return to the bedroom he said he heard a noise and thought an intruder had broken in through his bathroom window.
Oscar Pistorius claimed he was too scared to switch a light on, so he grabbed his 9mm pistol – which he kept under his bed after receiving death threats – and walked towards the bathroom, which contains a toilet with a separate door.
“On my way to the bathroom I screamed words to the effect for him/them to get out of my house and for Reeva to phone the police. It was pitch dark in the bedroom and I thought Reeva was in bed,” he said.
“I believed that when the intruder/s came out of the toilet we would be in grave danger. I felt trapped as my bedroom door was locked and I have limited mobility on my stumps.
“I fired shots at the toilet door and shouted to Reeva to phone the police. She did not respond and I moved backwards out of the bathroom, keeping my eyes on the bathroom entrance. Everything was pitch dark in the bedroom and I was still too scared to switch on a light. Reeva was not responding.
“When I reached the bed, I realized that Reeva was not in bed. That is when it dawned on me that it could have been Reeva who was in the toilet. I returned to the bathroom calling her name. I tried to open the toilet door but it was locked. I rushed back into the bedroom and opened the sliding door exiting onto the balcony and screamed for help.”
According to Oscar Pistorius he then smashed his way into the toilet using a cricket bat, finding her “slumped over but alive”.
The athlete then phoned for an ambulance and carried her downstairs, but she died in his arms.
The defendant said he was “absolutely mortified” by what had happened, but insisted the evidence would prove his innocence.
Although no decision was made on bail today, the judge did rule that the charge would be premeditated murder indicating Oscar Pistorius, who last year became the first double-amputee track athlete to run at the Olympics, is likely to remain behind bars until trial.
He has now been driven back to jail where he will spend a sixth night behind bars before the hearing resumes in the morning.
As Oscar Pistorius’s relatives supported him in court, the distraught family of Reeva Steenkamp attended her funeral in Port Elizabeth.
Her brother Adam said that her death had “left space missing inside all of the people that she knew”.
But there was also anger. Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Reeva Steenkamp’s father, called for the harshest of sentences for Oscar Pistorius.
The FBI is joining an investigation into suspicious trades ahead of the Heinz takeover deal last week.
The US financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is already suing unnamed traders for insider dealing.
Last Thursday, Heinz was bought for $23 billion by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway fund and 3G Capital.
Unusual trading activity in the shares was noticed the previous day.
“The FBI is aware of trading anomalies the day before Heinz’s announcement” a spokesman said.
“The FBI is consulting with the SEC to determine if a crime was committed.”
The FBI is joining an investigation into suspicious trades ahead of the Heinz takeover deal last week
The SEC believes that some traders knew about the takeover before it was announced and made $1.7 million from the knowledge. It obtained an emergency court order to freeze assets in a Swiss-based account.
The traders in question made risky bets that Heinz’s stock price would increase, using financial instruments called options. After the official announcement of the deal Heinz’s share price rose by 20%.
“Irregular and highly suspicious options trading immediately in front of a merger or acquisition announcement is a serious red flag that traders may be improperly acting on confidential non-public information” said the SEC’s head of the Market Abuse Unit, Daniel Hawke.
There is no implication that Heinz or its new owners have committed any wrongdoing.
The SEC said a bank account at Goldman Sachs was used. Goldman Sachs has said it is co-operating with the investigation.
A new North Korean propaganda video posted on YouTube has portrayed President Barack Obama and American troops in flames and says the country conducted its recent nuclear test because of U.S. hostility.
The video, posted on Sunday, follows a string of critical rhetoric against the United States.
Another video posted earlier this month showed an American city, with similarities to New York, being attacked by missiles.
The most recent video was posted by a YouTube account affiliated with a pro-reunification government agency, shows a blazing fire superimposed over footage of Barack Obama.
The video ends with a generic simulation of a nuclear device exploding underground, appearing to refer to North Korea’s recent nuclear test.
The U.S. currently is negotiating in the Security Council for stronger U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang following a February 12 nuclear test in the far northeast, the country’s third since 2006.
Pyongyang released the clip on Uriminzokkiri – Korean for “Our Nation” – which distributes new and propaganda.
A new North Korean propaganda video posted on YouTube has portrayed President Barack Obama and American troops in flames and says the country conducted its recent nuclear test because of U.S. hostility
According to the Global Post, the backing track to the clip comes from a video gamed, Elder Scrolls Oblivion.
North Korea has said the aim of the nuclear test was to bolster its defenses in the wake the hostility of the U.S., which is pushing for sanctions on North Korea.
The country has already told key ally China that it is prepared to stage one or two more tests this year to force the United States into diplomatic talks, a source said.
North Korea also warned its neighbor South Korea on Tuesday that it faces “final destruction” as it took part in a UN conference on disarmament.
U.S. Ambassador Laura Kennedy said she found North Korea’s threat profoundly disturbing and later tweeted that it was “offensive”.
The National Enquirer claims Angelina Jolie recently “told an astonished Brad that her former flame, Irish actor Colin Farrell, put him to shame between the sheets.”
“In a dig designed to push Brad Pitt’s buttons, Angelina Jolie insulted his manhood, and the devastated actor has gone on a drunken rampage!” declares the National Enquirer, an outlet whose reporting on the couple tends to alternate between despicable and nonsensical.
Her “sex confession” allegedly sent Brad Pitt into a “boozy tailspin,” allege sources for the Enquirer.
“Brad caught Angie red-handed, admitting that she thinks he’s a so-so lover,” says one insider for the facts-challenged tabloid.
The NationalEnquirer “source” continues: “Ever since then, he’s been on a drunken rampage – consuming copious amounts of his favorite beer and red wine.”
According to the magazine, Brad Pitt was “even spotted staggering up to a Taco Bell drive-thru window” at 1 a.m. last month, with an alleged “eyewitness” claiming the actor “looked drunk, and after he realized the fast-food joint was closed, he stumbled off into the early morning darkness.”
The National Enquirer claims Angelina Jolie told an astonished Brad Pitt that her former flame, Colin Farrell, put him to shame between the sheets
In any case, the tabloid insists that a booze-addled Brad Pitt has been on an extended bender ever since he allegedly first heard Angelina Jolie complaining about her sex life during a phone call with ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton.
“Angie told Billy Bob that her love life with Brad had gone cold, and she missed the wild, passionate sex she’d had with Colin,” says the Enquirer source.
The Enquirer goes on to explain how an enraged, eavesdropping Brad Pitt confronted Angelina Jolie and forced her to admit details of her supposed sex life with Colin Farrell, and that she still “lusts” for him, resulting in Pitt’s extended “drunken rage.”
The tabloid also claims that Brad Pitt is allegedly outraged over everything from Angelina Jolie’s eighth-grade “hookup” to her non-existent “plans to reunite” with Billy Bob Thornton.
South African prosecutors have said that a witness heard “non-stop shouting” coming from Oscar Pistorius’ mansion before shots were fired early on February 14.
Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is facing a charge of premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
On Tuesday Oscar Pistorius told the court he shot Reeva Steenkamp through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder.
It is the second day of his bail hearing in Pretoria.
A full trial of Oscar Pistorius, 26, is not expected for months.
Oscar Pistorius arrived at the court building on Wednesday morning in a police car with a blue blanket covering his head.
Courtroom proceedings were delayed as journalists and onlookers tried to get into the court. One journalist fainted in the scrum.
The magistrate has deemed this a schedule six case – meaning Oscar Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder.
Chief investigating officer Hilton Botha is set respond to Oscar Pistorius’s testimony.
On Tuesday Oscar Pistorius told the bail hearing that he loved Reeva Steenkamp and had never intended to kill her.
In a statement read to the court, Oscar Pistorius – who is a double amputee – said he woke in the middle of the night and thought he heard an intruder in his bathroom.
In pitch darkness, he said he took a pistol from beneath his bed. After screaming for the intruder to leave, he said he fired four shots through the door.
South African prosecutors have said that a witness heard “non-stop shouting” coming from Oscar Pistorius’ mansion before shots were fired early on February 14
Oscar Pistorius claimed he was not wearing his prosthetic legs during this time, and that this made him feel “extremely vulnerable”. He says he is able to move on his stumps.
Only after shooting did he realize Reeva Steenkamp was not still in his bed, the statement said. He broke down the bathroom door and discovered her body.
“She died in my arms,” the statement said.
“I am absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva.”
Oscar Pistorius wept as his affidavit was read out in court.
But his account was disputed by the prosecution, who said the couple may have argued before the shooting.
“There is no possible explanation to support his report that he thought it was a burglar,” prosecutors said.
“It was all part of the pre-planning. Why would a burglar lock himself inside the bathroom?” prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court.
The prosecution claims that in fact Oscar Pistorius put on his prosthetic legs and walked seven metres before shooting Reeva Steenkamp through the closed bathroom door – details that showed the murder was premeditated.
The first day of the bail hearing coincided with Reeva Steenkamp’s funeral.
The 29-year-old model and law graduate was cremated in her home town of Port Elizabeth.
Her father, Barry Steenkamp, told reporters: “We have to keep Reeva in our hearts forever.”
The case has aroused huge interest both in South Africa, where Oscar Pistorius is regarded as a national hero, and around the world.
Oscar Pistorius is a multiple Paralympic champion, winning gold medals at the 2004 Games in Athens, at Beijing 2008 and at London 2012.
In London Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, progressing to the semi-finals of the 400 m.
Japan’s monthly trade deficit hit a record in January after its recent aggressive monetary policy stance weakened the yen sharply.
Exports rose in January, the first jump in eight months, as its goods became more affordable to foreign buyers.
However, a weak currency also pushed up its import bill resulting in a monthly trade deficit of 1.6 trillion yen ($17.1 billion), a 10% jump from a year ago.
Japan’s deficit has also been impacted by an increase in fuel imports.
The world’s third-largest economy has seen a rise in fuel imports, as most of Japan’s nuclear reactors continue to remain closed.
Japan’s imports rose 7.3% in January, from a year earlier. One of the biggest jumps was in the import of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which surged more than 28%.
Meanwhile, exports rose 6.4%, driven up mainly by shipments of manufactured goods, the customs and tariff bureau said.
Japan’s exports, one of the key drivers of its economic growth, have been hurt by a variety of factors.
Demand from the eurozone, of Japan’s biggest markets, has been hurt by the region’s ongoing debt crisis.
Japan’s monthly trade deficit hit a record in January after its recent aggressive monetary policy stance weakened the yen sharply
A territorial dispute with China has hit sales of Japanese goods to the country, Japan’s biggest trading partner, over the past few months.
However, the latest data indicated that things may be starting to change.
Japan’s shipments to China raised by 3% in January from a year earlier, the first rise since May.
At the same time, exports to the US, the world’s biggest economy, also jumped 10.9%, further adding to hopes of a recovery in the sector.
Meanwhile, the pace of decline in exports to the European Union also slowed during the month.
There are hopes that as shipments to key markets recover and the yen continues to remain weak, Japan’s export sector may see a sustained recovery.
The yen has dipped nearly 15% against the US dollar since November.
A weak currency helps boost profits of exporters when they repatriate their foreign earnings back home, giving them a much bigger pile of cash to invest at the end of the financial year.
At least 15 people have been injured after a suspected gas explosion triggered a huge blaze in Country Club Plaza shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas City official Troy Schulte said the authorities did not know if anyone was killed in the fire, which destroyed a restaurant and other businesses.
Local TV showed flames shooting out of the Country Club Plaza retail area.
Troy Schulte said officials believed the explosion may have stemmed from a utility contractor accident.
A doctor with St Luke’s Hospital told reporters two of the injured being treated there were in critical condition, one with “pretty severe burns”.
Six others walked into the hospital with minor injuries.
The Kansas City Star reported a total of 15 patients across three area hospitals, including St Luke’s Hospital.
A manager of the restaurant destroyed in the blaze, JJ’s, told police three people were unaccounted for but it was unclear if they had left earlier.
Sniffer dogs were being used to search the smoldering wreckage for bodies, city officials said.
At least 15 people have been injured after a suspected gas explosion triggered a huge blaze in Country Club Plaza shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri
First images from the scene showed firefighters and other emergency teams battling a massive blaze that appeared to have engulfed an entire block.
Jill Chadwick, spokeswoman for the University of Kansas Hospital, said one patient had told her that the restaurant was being evacuated when the blast happened and the roof fell in.
“This patient told me there had been the smell of gas and that they had evacuated any patrons and that employees of the restaurant were in the process of shutting off gas valves and trying to get out of the restaurant when there was the explosion,” she said.
“He said the last thing he remembered was the roof collapsing. I asked him how he got out and he said the front of the restaurant was blown away and he just walked through the rubble.”
The initial blast was felt beyond the shopping area.
The shopping area, established in 1922, is based on the architecture of Seville, Spain, and includes retail, restaurants, apartments and offices.
There were signs saying that utility work was being done in area ahead of the blast, and one man told the Star he saw Missouri Gas Energy workers inside JJs with gas detectors.
Madonna and Kate Hudson share the same cellulite-busting secret, the $14 Dr.Organic’s Organic Royal Jelly Cellulite Cream.
Since Cleopatra’s reign, Royal Jelly, the exclusive food of the queen honey bee, has been prized for its power to offer “eternal youth”, and it is certainly working its magic on the stars, both of whom boast toned and smooth skin.
The rich massage cream aims to improve the texture and tone of the skin.
Made from a heady blend of ingredients including certified 100% organic Royal Jelly, aloe vera, shea, cocoa butter and honey, Organic Royal Jelly Cellulite Cream claims to boost circulation and increase nutrition and oxygen supply to connective tissue.
Organic Royal Jelly Cellulite Creamis supposed to help fight the dreaded “orange peel” effect, and reduce bottom and thigh volume.
Royal Jelly is prized for its combination of essential amino and fatty acids, trace minerals, skin boosting B vitamins and natural antibacterial quality nourishes and judging by the results, it’s easy to see why both Madonna and Kate Hudson are fans.
Organic Royal Jelly Cellulite Cream claims to boost circulation and increase nutrition and oxygen supply to connective tissue
HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the revamped HTC One, as it attempts to regain lost market share.
HTC uses Google’s latest operating system, Android Jelly Bean, features a 4.7 in (12 cm) 1080p high display and includes a so-called ultrapixel camera.
The body is made fully of aluminium and has front-facing stereo speakers.
HTC launched the device in New York, a week before the start of Mobile World Congress, in what analysts say is a bid to secure attention for the phone.
The smartphone market is currently dominated by products from Apple and Samsung – HTC has lost much of its market share over the past two years.
It hopes that new software features will help to make its new handset stand out.
One of them is BlinkFeed, a personalized content feed on the home screen, that – according to HTC – “aggregates the freshest content from the most relevant sources as identified by you, providing instant access to news and social feeds without the need to jump between multiple applications and web sites”.
Another feature, called HTC Zoe, captures short high definition videos instead of still images before and after the camera shutter is pressed, so that users can chose the best picture to capture the moment. The software can also turn a gallery of still images into a collection of mini-videos.
HTC also boasts that its “ultrapixel” camera and software produce the best low-light shots available on any smartphone camera – a direct challenge to Nokia.
The HTC One’s rear camera’s sensor is bigger than those traditionally fitted to smartphones, and its pixels are also larger than normal.
The result, the firm says, is that it can produce clear shots in poorly lit situations.
HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the revamped HTC One, as it attempts to regain lost market share
However, the trade-off is that it only has a four megapixel resolution. It may outclass much of the competition, but the firm faces a challenge convincing consumers that the camera is as good as rivals’ featuring 13 megapixels or more.
The Taiwanese company hopes that both its hardware and software innovations can help it to regain ground lost to Apple and a bevy of rivals using the Android operating system, in particular Samsung.
Despite positive reviews, last year’s flagship phone, the HTC One X, struggled to sell, and the company’s net profit during the last three months of 2012 plummeted by more than 90% compared to the same period the previous year.
It was the fourth quarter in a row that HTC profits had fallen sharply.
Apple and Samsung, on the other hand, cornered the market with their new models, the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3.
More worryingly for the Taipei-based firm, HTC even dropped out of the ranks of the top five smartphone manufacturers by global market share, according to research firm IDC.
The consultancy says the firm now trails behind Chinese low-end mobile phone companies Huawei and ZTE, who took the number three and number five spots respectively. Japan’s Sony snatched the number four place.
HTC hopes that the HTC One with its aluminium unibody can help turn things around.
“We’ve created the best smartphone on the market; we just need to let the world know about it,” said HTC chairman Peter Chou.
A Gartner analyst agreed that marketing would be key if the company was to recover.
“Last year, the Butterfly and the One X were actually very good devices, but the sales were not as good as [the firm] expected,” said Lu Chun-kuan.
“The challenge remains that Samsung and Apple still have very a strong portfolio of premium devices.
“As far as the challenges at the low-end, that’s getting difficult as well. The market is getting more and more competitive, so… they have to make sure that consumers are aware about the new technology HTC can bring to them.”
Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has resigned after failing to reach agreement on forming a new government.
Hamadi Jebali had been trying to form a new coalition in response to the political crisis sparked by the killing of opposition leader Chokri Belaid.
He had said he would quit if his Islamist Ennahda party did not back his plan for a cabinet of technocrats.
Chokri Belaid’s assassination on 6 February provoked mass protests and resignations from Tunisia’s coalition government.
“I vowed that if my initiative did not succeed, I would resign and I have done so,” Hamadi Jebali told a news conference after meeting President Moncef Marzouki.
Describing his step as “a big disappointment”, he said he was standing down to “fulfill a promise made to the people.”
“Our people are disillusioned by the political class. We must restore confidence,” he stressed.
And he added: “The failure of my initiative does not mean the failure of Tunisia or the failure of the revolution,” in a reference to the popular unrest two years ago that ousted autocratic leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has resigned after failing to reach agreement on forming a new government
Hamadi Jebali’s resignation comes despite comments by Ennahda’s leader Rached Ghannouchi on Monday that all parties involved in the coalition building talks had wanted the prime minister to remain in office.
Opposition supporters have blamed Ennahda for Mr Belaid’s assassination – an accusation the party denies.
Chokri Belaid’s killing was the first political assassination in Tunisia since the Arab Spring uprising in 2011.
Seven French tourists, including four children, have been kidnapped by gunmen in Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria, French President Francois Hollande has said.
Francois Hollande says they belong to the same family and were seized by a “known terrorist group based in Nigeria”.
The president added that the seven were probably taken to northern Nigeria.
He indicated that the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram may have been responsible.
“I see the hand of Boko Haram in that part of Cameroon, and that is worrying enough for us to mobilize,” Francois Hollande said.
He said everything possible was being done to rescue the family and warned other French nationals in northern Cameroon to avoid “exposing themselves”.
The family had been returning from a visit to Waza National Park when they were attacked by men on motorcycles, Cameroonian officials said.
The incidents come amid a French-led intervention against Islamist militants in Mali.
Seven French tourists, including four children, have been kidnapped by gunmen in Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria
At least eight French nationals were already being held by Islamist groups in Africa.
Boko Haram has staged many attacks across northern Nigeria in recent years, targeting churches, government buildings and the security forces.
Another Islamist group- Ansaru – is also active in the region.
On Sunday, Ansaru claimed the abduction of seven foreign workers in Nigeria.
Italian, British, Greek and Lebanese workers are thought to be among those held after an attack on a construction project in Bauchi state.
Ansaru also says it is holding a French national, Francis Colump, who was seized in the northern state of Katsina.
Scientists say they may be able to determine the eventual fate of the cosmos as they probe the properties of the Higgs boson.
A concept known as vacuum instability could result, billions of years from now, in a new universe opening up in the present one and replacing it.
It all depends on some precise numbers related to the Higgs that researchers are currently trying to pin down.
A “Higgs-like” particle was first seen at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) last year.
Associated with an energy field that pervades all space, the boson helps explain the existence of mass in the cosmos. In other words, it underpins the workings of all the matter we see around us.
Since detecting the particle in their accelerator experiments, researchers at the Geneva lab and at related institutions around the world have begun to theorize on the Higgs’ implications for physics.
One idea that it throws up is the possibility of a cyclical universe, in which every so often all of space is renewed.
“It turns out there’s a calculation you can do in our Standard Model of particle physics, once you know the mass of the Higgs boson,” explained Dr. Joseph Lykken.
“If you use all the physics we know now, and you do this straightforward calculation – it’s bad news.
“What happens is you get just a quantum fluctuation that makes a tiny bubble of the vacuum the Universe really wants to be in. And because it’s a lower-energy state, this bubble will then expand, basically at the speed of light, and sweep everything before it,” said the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory theoretician.
It was not something we need worry about, he said. The Sun and the Earth will be long gone by this time.
Scientists say they may be able to determine the eventual fate of the cosmos as they probe the properties of the Higgs boson
Dr. Joseph Lykken was speaking here in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He was participating in a session that had been organized to provide an update on the Higgs investigation.
The boson was spotted in the wreckage resulting from proton particle collisions in the LHC’s giant accelerator ring.
Data gathered by two independent detectors observing this subatomic debris determined the mass of the Higgs to be about 126 gigaelectronvolts (GeV).
That was fascinating, said Prof. Chris Hill of Ohio State University, because the number was right in the region where the instability problem became relevant.
“Before we knew, the Higgs could have been any mass over a very wide range. And what’s amazing to me is that out of all those possible masses from 114 to several hundred GeV, it’s landed at 126-ish where it’s right on the critical line, and now we have to measure it more precisely to find the fate of the Universe,” he said.
Prof. Chris Hill himself is part of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) Collaboration at the LHC. This is one of the Higgs-hunting detectors, the other being Atlas.
Scientists have still to review about a third of the collision data in their possession. But they will likely need much more information to close the uncertainties that remain in the measurement of the Higgs’ mass and its other properties.
Indeed, until they do so, they are reluctant to definitively crown the boson, preferring often to say just that they have found a “Higgs-like” particle.
Frustratingly, the LHC has now been shut down to allow for a major programme of repairs and upgrades.
“To be absolutely definitive, I think it’s going to take a few years after the LHC starts running again, which is in 2015,” conceded Dr. Howard Gordon, from the Brookhaven National Laboratory and an Atlas Collaboration member.
“The LHC will be down for two years to do certain repairs, fix the splices between the magnets, and to do maintenance and stuff. So, when we start running in 2015, we will be at a higher energy, which will mean we’ll get more data on the Higgs and other particles to open up a larger window of opportunity for discovery. But to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s, it will take a few more years.”
If the calculation on vacuum instability stands up, it will revive an old idea that the Big Bang Universe we observe today is just the latest version in a permanent cycle of events.
“I think that idea is getting more and more traction,” said Dr. Joseph Lykken.
“It’s much easier to explain a lot of things if what we see is a cycle. If I were to bet my own money on it, I’d bet the cyclic idea is right,” he said.
Former model Marion Finlayson, an 80 year-old Scottish grandmother, has been snapped up by top Glasgow modelling agency Colours, after catching the eye of scouts when she graced the catwalk after a 60-year break.
Marion Finlayson made her modelling debut back in the 1940s, and decided to tread the runway once again at a charity event in her hometown Aberdeen as a way of distracting herself from her husband Bruce’s death.
Marion Finlayson, who is grandmother to Antonia, 13, and Andrew, 11, said: “It’s all go at the moment. I’ve never been busier since appearing on the catwalk last year.
‘I actually got offers from two modelling agencies hundreds of miles away in Glasgow.
“It’s great fun and I’m just happy to still do something I enjoy. I’m turning 81 next month so I think I’m doing alright.”
Marion Finlayson made her catwalk comeback at Aberdeen City Council’s 50 Plus Festival in August, a staggering 60 years after her fashion debut.
Back in the 1940s she gave up her modelling commitments to become a teacher, but decided to take part in the fashion show in Aberdeen as a distraction from the death of husband Bruce Finlayson, to whom she was married for 54 years.
Marion Finlayson, who worked at the Albyn School in Aberdeen for years and went on to work with special needs children, said: “My husband, Bruce, died a year and a half ago after 54 years of marriage, a very good marriage, and I found it very difficult to overcome it.”
“But doing this catwalk has really helped. I’ve got to meet lots of new, younger people, which I think is good for me.
“I even had a muscle personal trainer in tartan to walk me down the catwalk.”
Marion Finlayson made her modelling debut back in the 1940s, and decided to tread the runway once again at a charity event in her hometown Aberdeen as a way of distracting herself from her husband Bruce’s death
Marion Finlayson says she likes to keep active, and regularly attends yoga and Pilates classes.
“I do yoga, Pilates and tums and bums classes every week,” she says.
“My grandchildren are a handful as well, they’re always running about.
“The modelling was something different and I would definitely do it again. If anyone asks me I will have a go – it’s better than doing the ironing.
“I’ve been interested in fashion all my life and I’d be the first to admit that I’m a bit of a shopaholic.”
Marion Finlayson recently wowed millions of viewers as she appeared on ITV’s This Morning show with Eamonn Holmes.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it. They phoned up and just said <<we’d love you to come on the programme, would you like to do it?>>.”
Marion Finlayson joked about other people her age: “They’re often talking about their pills and their blood pressure, but I don’t have any of that yet, I’m as well as I’ve ever been.
“I’m really happy with what I’m doing and I hope to carry on for a long time.”
Rosalynd Ramage, who runs Colours Modelling Agency, said: “The world is Marion’s oyster.
“Women don’t stop being interested in fashion or beauty when they reach a certain age, so it’s only fitting that older models are being used to promote products to them.”
Khloe Kardashian has been fired as a host on the X Factor after just one season, following a disappointing reception.
“They are asking Mario [Lopez] to come back, but not Khloe,” an insider confirmed to theNew York Post.
A spokesperson for the X Factor refused to confirm the report, instead stating simply: “The producers have not yet made the talent decisions for this year.”
Despite her wide popularity as a star on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe Kardashian came to the X Factor with no hosting experience.
Her lack of training showed as she occasionally appeared nervous and unsure of how to act in front of the cameras.
The live show format was challenging for an inexperienced host, meaning links could not be re-recorded and Khloe Kardashian’s comments were out unedited.
Even Khloe Kardashian admitted it wasn’t easy.
“Just learning how there’s a screaming audience and you don’t yell because the mic is right there,” she explained.
“I will have an earpiece in my ear, and while I’m trying to read the teleprompter then I have someone counting down and they’re like, <<Okay, ask Simon this or that>>.
“There were so just so many pieces I never knew were involved in live TV.
“I do feel like through every show I got better and better, but my first week I literally was like, <<I am going to die. I want to fake a heart attack>>.”
The decision by X Factor bosses to not renew Khloe Kardashian’s contract will be a blow to the Kardashian family, who had turned out in force to support her.
Khloe Kardashian has been fired as a host on the X Factor after just one season, following a disappointing reception
The extended family, including sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, had been regulars in the audience, with Kim’s superstar boyfriend Kanye West even making an appearance.
Despite her warm personality the 28-year-old was criticized for being overly loud, and her well-meaning but occasionally ill judged comments left viewers cringing.
Khloe Kardashian previously revealed she was asked not to take any hosting lessons before she started, leaving her unprepared for what to expect.
She added: “I’ve never done live TV before, and I was asked to not do any hosting lessons because they wanted me to be just myself. I found the day before because the stage was just built, that I couldn’t read the teleprompter without glasses, so I had to get contacts the day before.”
But Khloe Kardashian’s lack of experience could not be overcome, with even her fashion choices raising eyebrows.
On her very first show Khloe Kardashian caused a Twitter storm in a sheer blouse that exposed her nipples under the harsh studio lighting.
Even Simon Cowell remarked on the error, tweeting: “I think the air conditioning is on high tonight looking at khloe.”
On another occasion Khloe Kardashian perched herself on Simon Cowell’s lap and asked if he felt “excited”, missing the mark on the family show.
Khloe Kardashian’s vastly more experienced co-host Mario Lopez was also forced to defend Khloe against her critics, telling reporters “she’s sweet”.
She is not alone in leaving the show this season. Judges Britney Spears and LA Reid are also moving on, creating two openings on the panel.
There was no reaction to the bad news on Khloe Kardashian’s blog or Twitter feed. But despite the high-profile nature of the role Khloe Kardashian is sure to not be too upset.
She remains part of the most popular reality show on TV with her role on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
And her husband Lamar Odom is finding success with his new basketball team, the LA Clippers.
