BBC Comic Relief raises £78 million –
A record-breaking £78million was raised for Comic Relief by the end of Red Nose Day 2015. The total was revealed during the live television spectacular on BBC One. The charity also revealed that more than a billion pounds has been raised for Comic Relief since the charity was set up 30 years ago. Comic Relief founder Richard Curtis said he was “enormously proud” of the charity’s achievements. Rowan Atkinson brought back Mr Bean. Dawn French starred in one-off Vicar of Dibley special. Bond stars Daniel Craig and Roger Moore teamed up for a special 007 sketch, while Professor Stephen Hawking appeared in Little Britain. Victoria Wood triumphed in the celebrity Bake-Off. Star-studded sketch saw Liam Gallagher named a national treasure. [BBC]
Putin missing mystery magnifests –
The mystery over the whereabouts of Vladimir Putin deepened on Saturday as Russian state media broadcast – then retracted – reports that he had hosted an official visit from the President of Kyrgyzstan. Mr Putin has remained hidden from public view for nine days. Levels of fear and uncertainty in Moscow have been rising as rumours fly over what could be behind Putin’s lengthy disappearance.The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that there is anything amiss with the Russian leader, batting away suggestions that he is ill, dead, victim of a palace coup or in Switzerland to be by his girlfriend’s side as she gives birth. [Daily Telegraph] Vladimir Putin
Massive cyclone hits island of Vanuatu –
Dozens are feared dead after a ferocious tropical cyclone suddenly switched direction and smashed through the Pacific nation of Vanuatu, causing landslides, flooding and sea surges and widespread destruction. Cyclone Pam, one of the worst recorded in the southern hemisphere, is believed to have destroyed entire villages as it swept across the Pacific archipelago with winds of more than 200 miles an hour. Aid workers warned of “complete annihilation” in Port Vila, the capital, where some observers estimated 90 per cent of houses had been destroyed. “It felt like the world was going to end,” Alice Clements, from Unicef, told ABC News. [Daily Telegraph]
Rowan Atkinson divorced in 65 seconds on grounds of his ‘unreasonable behaviour’ –
Actor Rowan Atkinson’s wife has been granted a divorce on the grounds of his “unreasonable behaviour” after he left her for a comedy actress half his age. The Mr Bean and Blackadder star was not present at the 65-second proceedings in central London. Estranged wife Sunetra was granted a decree nisi against the 60-year-old by a district judge at the Central Family Court. Atkinson married the make-up artist in 1990. He has been dating 32-year-old Louise Ford for 18 months. Listed as Atkinson S D v R S, the case was the fourth in a list of 26 before District Judge Stephen Alderson for decrees and orders to be made under the “quickie” procedure. The County Durham-born actor and his wife, who have two children, are reported to have split last year. [Daily Telegraph] Rowan Atkinson
Jeb Bush says he would kill baby Hitler if he could time travel –
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says he once got an email asking whether he would kill the baby Adolf Hitler if it were possible. “It said, ‘If you could go back in time and kill baby Hitler, would you? I need to know,'” Mr Bush told a Huffington Post reporter on his campaign bus in New Hampshire last week. Mr Bush’s answer, according to the video clip: “Hell, yeah, I would. Look, you gotta step up man.” [Daily Telegraph] Jeb Bush
Pat Eddery: Former champion jockey dies aged 63 –
Eleven-time Flat racing champion jockey Pat Eddery has died at the age of 63. Eddery, who rode more than 4,600 winners and won 14 British classics in a 36-year career, is regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of all time. Among his most famous victories were the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe of 1986 on Dancing Brave. Ireland-born Eddery, who retired in 2003 and was awarded an OBE in 2005, had been suffering from ill health. Only Sir Gordon Richards has ridden more winners in Britain than Eddery. [BBC] See List of the Day
Modigliani’s Nu Couché sold for record £113 million –
Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu Couché has sold for $170.4 million (£113 million) at Christie’s, making it the second-highest auction price for any artwork. Nu Couché (Reclining Nude) was sold in New York on Monday night after a protracted bidding battle. It was bought by Liu Yiqian, a former taxi driver who has gained a reputation for breaking records in his pursuit of priceless artworks to display in his own museums in Shanghai. The highest price for any artwork was the $300 million paid for Paul Gauguin’s Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) in February 2015. [Daily Telegraph] Modigliani -Nu couché
Video of the Day –
Skier Miraculously Survives 1,600 Foot Fall
Pro skiing veteran, Ian McIntosh, narrowly escapes with his life after what TGR Co Founder, Todd Jones, says “was the most terrifying crash I’ve ever seen.” While filming for Paradise Waits up in the Neacola range of AK, Mac dropped into a line he thought he had studied thoroughly enough, only to fall into an unseen five foot deep trench on one of his first turns. “From there, my slough took over and their was no way to stop,
Technology news website Re/code reports Dell Incorporated’s $67 billion offer to buy data storage company EMC Corporation could be derailed by a tax bill of up to $9 billion if key aspects of the deal do not qualify for the sort of tax treatment the companies consider essential for the transaction. (Reuters)(Economic Times)(Re/code)
Chinese state news agency Xinhua joins critics of Shenyang’s handling of serious pollution problems. “The city of Shenyang has failed to apply emergency measures that could have reduced smog, and didn’t provide advisories to residents to stay indoors,” Xinhua wrote. The BBC reported pollution readings in the northeastern Chinese city have been 50 times higher than levels considered safe by the World Health Organization (WHO). (UPI)(New York Times)
Iran stops dismantling decommissioned centrifuges in two uranium enrichment plants, according to state media reports. This comes days after Iran’s conservative lawmakers complained to PresidentHassan Rouhani that the process was too rushed.(Reuters)
The United StatesFBI foils an alleged plot by white supremacists in Virginia who were planning a reign of terror — shooting or bombing religious institutions, robbing jewelers and armored cars, purchasing land, stockpiling weapons, and training for the “coming race war.” (Washington Post)(WTVR)
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia suspends district court judge Richard Leon’s ruling yesterday that found the U.S.National Security Agency’s phone data collection program is unconstitutional. Leon’s decision barred the agency from further collection of data on the plaintiffs in the case — California attorney J.J. Little and his law firm — but did not have sufficient authority to outlaw the practice against all Americans. The government plea for the injunction said it will take “at least several weeks” for the NSA to implement a technical change that would prevent collection of Little’s data and therefore the entire program would have to shut down early based on Leon’s order. (Politico)(UPI)
Vladimir Putin
