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  • February 14th 2014

    Mars doughnut rock mystery solved - Pictures from Mars taken by the Mars Rover last month showing a piece of white-rimmed and red-centred rock that appeared seemingly from nowhere, is explained by NASA. It turns out the Mars Rover, Opportunity drove over a larger rock, a doughnut shaped piece broke off and appeared in the later picture. The rock (called Pinnacle Island) contains high levels of manganese and sulphur, providing further reason to believe there could be water on Mars. JellyDonutRock_opportunity_1171 Before and after images of the area. Are you Gender Questioning? No problem - Facebook users can now choose up to 50 gender options when they sign up to an account in the US from "agender" and "two-spirit". The fifty options are shown below. Indonesian volcano erupts - The Kelud volcano on the island of Java in Indonesia starts to erupt spewing ash over an area of 500 km in diameter forcing 76,000 inhabitants to evacuate their homes. In 1919 an eruption killed around 5,000 people but no casualties were reported this time. Kelud_eruptionAsh falling in Yogyakarta Order it, eat it but don't photograph it - Two Michelin-starred chefs are trying to stop customers taking photographs of their food in France. Gilles Goujon, who runs the three-starred L'Auberge du vieux puits restaurant in Fontjoncouse believes it is poor etiquette to take photos of food and every time his creations appear on social networks and says it "takes away a little bit of my intellectual property". Alexandre Gauthier of the Grenouillere restaurant in the town of La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil in north France has added a no-camera logo on his menus. Trending - Happy Valentines Day - of course #PrayForKelud - see volcano story above Facebook gender options - Agender Androgyne Androgynes Androgynous Bigender Cis Cis Female Cis Male Cis Man Cis Woman Cisgender Cisgender Female Cisgender Male Cisgender Man Cisgender Woman Female to Male FTM Gender Fluid Gender Nonconforming Gender Questioning Gender Variant Genderqueer Intersex Male to Female MTF Neither Neutrois Non-binary Other Pangender Trans Trans Female Trans Male Trans Man Trans Person Trans*Female Trans*Male Trans*Man Trans*Person Trans*Woman Transexual Transexual Female Transexual Male Transexual Man Transexual Person Transexual Woman Transgender Female Transgender Person Transmasculine Two-spirit

  • February 15th 2014

    US gets D-minus for science - A study by the National Science Foundation in the US finds that over a quarter of Americans do not know the Earth circles the Sun. 2,200 people were asked nine factual questions about physical and biological science, with the average score being just 5.8 correct answers. Only 48 per cent of those interviewed are aware that humans evolved from earlier species of animals. 21-year-old pole-vault record beaten - Renaud Lavillenie the French pole-vaulter sets a new world record with a height of 6.16 metres (20 ft 2 1⁄2 in) Donetsk, Ukraine finally breaking the record set by Russia's Sergey Bubka 21 years previously set on 21 February 1993 also in Donetsk. Men_pole_vault_steeple_French_Athletics_Championships_2013_t173743Renaud Lavillenie Tom Perkins new voting system idea - Outspoken Tom Perkins says the rich should be given more votes than the less well off and those who pay no tax should not have a vote at all. He went further at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco to say “What I really think is it should be like a corporation, if you pay a million dollars in taxes you get a million votes.” Tom-PerkinsTom Perkins Skier breaks her back at Olympics - Maria Komissarova, one of Russia's ski cross competitor breaks her spine during training at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. She sustained a fractured vertebrae with a dislocation and was transported to a hospital close to Rosa Khutor Extreme Park where she underwent an emergency six-and-a-half hour operation. Trending - Ellen Page - The Inception actress reveals she is a lesbian Ellen_PageEllen Page

  • February 17th 2014

    Jailed for bad choice of film - A South Carolina woman is held overnight in jail after the Sheriff’s office in Pickens County discovered there was a warrant for her arrest for not returning a video she had rented nine-years previously. Kayla Finley had rented the 2005 film Monster in Law starring Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez and the video store owner had filed a complaint when she failed to return it. Finley was bailed for $2,000. Jennifer-Lopez-in-2004Jennifer Lopez in 2004 Self-hijacking to Switzerland - Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn the co-pilot of a plane flying from Addis Ababa to Rome hijacks his own plane and flies it to Geneva, Switzerland. He shut the pilot out of the cockpit, told air traffic control that he had a problem and needed to fill up with jet-fuel in Switzerland. He set off a distress signal indicating the plane was hijacked, before saying he had engine trouble. A few minutes after landing at the Swiss airport, he climbed down a rope he had thrown out of the cockpit window and gave himself up to authorities. Jimmy Fallon takes over from Jay Leno in the Tonight Show. Leno has been in the interviewers chair since May 1992. Jimmy_FallonJimmy Fallon Flappy Bird impersonators blocked - Despite Flappy Birds no longer being available on the iStore or Google Play Apple and Google are apparently rejecting new apps with the word 'Flappy' in the title, following a glut of copycat Flappy Bird games. Flappy Bird was developed by Vietnam-based developer Nguyễn Hà Đông but he removed it because he felt guilty about its addictive nature and overuse.

  • February 20th 2014

    Earthquake stirs the west country - An earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale strikes the Bristol Channel off the west coast of England the strongest to hit Britain in six years. The last significant earthquake was on February 27, 2008 at Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, measuring 5.2. Facebook buys WhatsApp for $19 billion - Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook buys messaging service WhatsApp for around $19 billion. The deal consists of Facebook shares worth $12billion for the purchase and another $3billion of restricted stocks as a windfall for WhatsApp’s co-founders and their 50 employees. About 450m people around the world use the instant messaging service each month. Mark_ZuckerberMark Zuckerberg Kiev protesters shot by snipers - Protesters against the Russian backed government in Ukraine have been killed by police snipers in Maidan Square in Kiev in the deadliest day of the protest so far. At least 77 people have been killed in the last three days, and another 577 were injured. Ice hazard from above - Daggers of ice have been falling from the new 1,776 feet high 1 World Trade Center in New York, the USA's tallest building at 1,776 feet high. Several streets around the nation's tallest building were closedwhen wind-blown sheets of ice hit the pavement near the building. One-World-Trade-Center1 World Trade Center Trending - #NotersTimelineParty #WhatsApp

  • February 21st 2014

    Dodgy ice maiden - Over 1.7 million people have signed a Change.org petition to get an investigation into the judges decision in the women's figure skating competition in the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russian 17 year-old Adelina Sotnikova won the medal to the surprise of commentators and another Russian, Yulia Lipnitskaya, fell several times but beat American Ashley Wagner, who did not fall. Chris Moyles claims to be a car dealer for tax reasons - Former BBC radio DJ Chris Moyles claimed to be a second-hand car dealer in a failed attempt to avoid paying £400,000 tax on £1 million by using a scheme that attracted other high earners. Chris-MoylesChris Moyles Stockbroker sues film-makers for making him look bad - Former Wall Street stockbroker Andrew Greene is sueing the producers of The Wolf of Wall Street for $25m (£15m) claiming he has been depicted as a "depraved" drug-fuelled criminal by the character Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff in the film. Trending - #ColombiaUsaHuaweiAscendP6 #forevernoters

  • Mar 2014
  • March 8th 2014

    Air Malaysia flight goes missing - An Air Malaysia aircraft flight MH370 with 239 people on board has gone missing after taking off from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. No distress messages were received and no sign of the plane has been found. Brian O'Driscoll almost bows out - Rugby Union's Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll makes his final match in Ireland's 46-7 win over Italy. It was his 140th cap making him the most capped international rugby player of all time. Brian_O'DriscollBrian O'Driscoll Bitcoin "inventor" denies it - Dorian S Nakamoto, the Japanese-American man named as Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, has denied any link to the digital currency despite being named as such by Newsweek earlier this week. Boko Haam on the rise in Nigeria - Boko Haram has killed over 130 people in Nigeria in the last week and is believed to be responsible for killing at least 1,300 people in the past two months. The sect claims ties to al-Qaida and has ambitions to impose sharia law on Nigeria's 170 million people. Actor Jimmy Ellis dies - The actor Jimmy Ellis who played the role of Bert Lynch in the popular police drama Z-cars died early yesterday at the age of 82 following a stroke.

  • March 25, 2014

    Top News Story –

    Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin announce separation

    Gwyneth Paltrow has announced her split from husband Chris Martin this morning in a statement posted to her Goop website (which has since crashed).

    It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate. We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.

    [Harpers Bazaar]

    Gwyneth Paltrow

    The statement coined a new phrase of "Consciously uncouple" [Ed]

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  • May 2014
  • May 24, 2014

    Top News Story –

    Kanye West and Kim Kardashian marry in Italian wedding

    Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have married at a fortress in the Italian city of Florence.

    The E! network, which runs the Keeping Up With the Kardashians TV series, confirmed the news.

    The rapper and reality TV star were joined by several hundred guests at the 16th-century Fort Belvedere.

    It is the first marriage for West, and the third for Kardashian.

    The rapper proposed to his wife in October on her birthday.

    12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen and Will Smith's son Jaden were among the celebrities spotted in Florence.

    The celebrations included horses adorned with bright colours, riders wearing huge feathers in their hats, musketeers in wigs and drum rolls.

    It's thought the wedding could earn the couple up to $21 million (£12.5m) thanks to sponsors and through the sale of exclusive photos of the ceremony.

    [BBC]

    Kim Kardashian in 2012
    By Eva Rinaldi - Kim Kardashian, CC BY-SA 2.0,

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  • Jun 2014
  • June 4, 2014

    Top News Story –

    Rachel Stevens is officially the sexiest woman of all time

    Twenty years. Over 2,000 entrants. Millions of votes. But there could only ever be one winner. One woman who would rise above the rest like a glorious, sexy phoenix to be crowned the hottest woman in FHM 100 Sexiest's 20-year history.

    And that woman is... Rachel Stevens.

    Rachel Stevens in 2010

    The former S Club 7 starlet and pin-up legend has fought off the likes of 100 Sexiest double-winners Jennifer Lopez and Cheryl Cole for the number one spot, without even topping the list before.

    That being said, she's been in the list 11 times, appeared on 8 FHM covers and has been the 100 Sexiest runner-up not once, not twice but thrice! And having a legitimate excuse to use the word 'thrice' in a sentence is already exciting enough...

    So how do we celebrate such an outstanding achievement? Why, we put her on the cover of this very mag, of course!

    And what did Rachel have to say about her big win?

    "To win this award feels absolutely amazing. I've worked with FHM for the past decade and a half. I feel such a strong bond to the magazine and it's so flattering to think that people think of me that way. It's brilliant."

    [FHM]

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  • Jul 2014
  • July 5th 2014

    Petra Kvitova wins Wimbledon Ladies title - Czech Petra Kvitova beats Canadian Eugenie Bouchard to win the Wimbledon Ladies singles title in just 55 minutes 6-3 6-0. Petra_Kvitova>Petra Kvitova Eugenie_BouchardEugenie Bouchard Sexy tennis dress sold for £15,000 - Items featured in the 1970s Tennis Girl poster that sold over 2 million copies have been auctioned for £15,000. The tennis racquet from the photo, the dress, a 1979 poster and a 1980s limited edition canvas print had a guide price of just £2,000. The picture of Fiona Butler lifting her tennis dress to reveal her bare bottom was taken by her then boyfriend Martin Elliot at Birmingham University in 1976 and sold by Athena. [caption id="attachment_696" align="alignnone" width="263"]The tennis racquet from the photo, the dress, a 1979 poster and a 1980s limited edition canvas print The original Tennis Girl image. Copyright is owned by Martin Elliott [/caption] Alfredo Di Stefano dies - Alfredo Di Stefano, regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, dies aged 88. The Real Madrid legend was honorary president of the club and with them the forward won five straight European Cups (the predecessor to the Champions League), scoring in every final between 1956 and 1960. He played international football for Spain and Argentina, twice managed Real Madrid and had the nickname "Saeta rubia" ("blonde arrow"). Distefano_1958Alfredo Di Stefano Trending - #NEDvsCRC - Netherlands defeat Costa Rica on penalties in World Cup quarter finals (Final score 0-0)

  • July 7th 2014

    Le Shuttle est terminée - A Channel tunnel "Le Shuttle" train carrying cars with 382 passengers on board stopped in the tunnel while travelling from the Ashford Terminal in Kent to Calais, France. The evacuated passengers had to enter central pedestrian tunnel before boarding a train that had come from Calais in the other main tunnel. A fault in the overhead power cables was to blame. 256px-Course_Channeltunnel_en.svg Sony question FIFA Qatar decision - One of FIFA's main sponsors, Sony, have asked football's governing body to carry out an "appropriate investigation" into the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The announcement that Qatar was to hold the tournament was made in 2007. 2014_FIFA_Announcement_(Joseph_Blatter)_Sepp Blatter at the 2014 FIFA Announcement in 2007 BA requires battery backup - British Airways has stepped up boarding security measures by issuing a notice that mobile phones and other electrical devices that cannot be switched on to prove they are not carry explosives will be confiscated. Passengers whose devices run out of power during a stopover may be bumped from their flight. Kidnapped Nigerian women escape - Over 60 Nigerian women and girls from a group of over 250 abducted by Boko Haram extremists in Chibok, Nigeria have escaped their captors. The women were kidnapped on April 15th 2015 and Boko Haram is demanding the release of some of their imprisoned fighters for the Chibok women but Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has refused to consider a prisoner exchange. Goodluck_Jonathan_World_Economic_Forum_2013Goodluck Jonathan Trending - #HarryDontLickAnything #5YearsOfOneTime #HappyBirthdayAshtonIrwin

  • Sep 2014
  • September 1, 2014

    Top News Story –

    More than 100 celebrities hacked, nude photos leaked

    Celebrities including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence were the target of what appears to be one of the biggest celebrity hackings.

    Dozens of private, nude photographs were said to be accessed from phones and leaked online, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. The pictures were allegedly taken from a cloud-based Internet data storage system.

    Posts on the websites 4chan and Reddit said the celebrities were exposed when a hacker broke into their cloud-based storage.

    Online posts claim more than 100 celebrities are part of the illicit cache and that more photos will be released.

    Explicit images of the "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence appeared online, showing the 24-year-old in various stages of undress.

    A spokesperson for Lawrence told CBS News the posts are "a flagrant violation of privacy" and said "the authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."

    Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead was also exposed online.

    The 29-year-old tweeted about the hack Sunday and said she took the photos with her husband years ago in the privacy of her home and shamed the hackers saying, "Hope you feel great about yourselves."

    Nickelodeon actress and singer Victoria Justice, 21, took to Twitter and wrote, "These so called nudes of me are FAKE people," reports CBS Los Angeles.

    CBS Los Angeles also reported singer Ariana Grande's rep said nude photos of Grande are also fakes.

    Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton was also hacked and confirmed through a rep that the photos of her were legitimate.

    [CBS News]

    Jennifer Lawrence
    By Kurt Kulac - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,

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  • September 18th 2014

    256px-Scottish_and_British_flags Scottish referendum takes place - Scotland independence referendum takes place with the result looking very uncertain. Tennis player Andy Murray used Twitter to back the Yes vote along with actor Sean Connery. Those backing the No vote and wanting Scotland to remain part of the UK include Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Mick Jagger, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, comedian Eddie Izzard, actresses Helena Bonham-Carter and Dame Judi Dench, Simon Cowell, and Stephen Hawking all of whom signed a letter urging Scotland to stay in the union. The result will be known tomorrow. Andy-Murray-independence-tweetAndy Murray tweet. Ig Nobel prizes announced - The annual Ig Nobel prizes awarded by the Annals of Improbable Research have picked out some classic scientific investigations again. Researchers who measured the slipperiness of banana peels, why pork strips appear to stop nosebleeds, and how reindeer react to humans in polar bear suits were among the winners. Banane-A-05_cropped Brazil's Ronaldo challenges Spain's Nadal to poker match - Brazilian football World Cup winner Ronaldo challenges Rafael Nadal to a live head-to-head poker match and the Spanish tennis champion has accepted the duel with the game scheduled to take place on November 6 in London. The last time the two met in a poker tournament £79,000 was raised for charity at the Euro