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Some of the most memorable film costumes ever to grace the big screen will go on sale in Beverly Hills this weekend.
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The head of the US’ biggest particle physics lab has appointed an expert committee to establish whether or not a new, unanticipated particle has been detected.
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Three people have died after an explosion at a four-storey block of flats in the Israeli city of Netanya, local media report.
The cause of the blast early on Friday morning is unclear, police say. Some witnesses spoke of a smell of gas in the vicinity.
The explosion caused the first floor of the building to collapse.
A number of people are reported to be trapped inside the block, located in the city centre.
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A man in the US, who was blinded 55 years ago, has had his sight restored – doctors say.
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Police in Brazil arrest landless activist Jose Rainha Jr on suspicions of misappropriating public funds.
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Children who see their parents drunk are twice as likely to regularly get drunk themselves, a new study of young teenagers suggests.
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Boreray was the subject of a five-year survey project The remains of a permanent settlement which could date back to the Iron Age has been uncovered on a remote Scottish island, according to archaeologists.
It was previously thought Boreray in the St Kilda archipelago was only visited by islanders to hunt seabirds and gather wool from sheep.
Archaeologists have now recorded an extensive agricultural field system and terraces for cultivating crops.
They have also found an intact stone building buried under soil and turf.
St Kilda’s group of small islands are the remotest part of the British Isles, lying 41 miles (66km) west of the Western Isles.
Hirta, the main island of St Kilda, was occupied until 1930 when the last islanders left after they asked to be evacuated because their way of life was no longer sustainable.
“Until now, we thought Boreray was just visited for seasonal hunting and gathering by the people of Hirta”
Ian Parker RCAHMS surveyor
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said simple tools found on Hirta suggested Bronze Age travellers may have visited St Kilda 4,000 to 5,000 years ago from the Western Isles before people settled at an unknown date.
Boreray’s sheer sea cliffs and sea stacs are home to thousands of seabirds and what land is available is grazed by hardy feral sheep.
Mullach an Eilein, the highest point on the isle rises to just above 1,260ft (384m), making Boreray the smallest Scottish island to have a summit higher than 1,000ft (304m).
The discoveries by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and NTS has suggested that Boreray, as well as Hirta, had settlers.
The survey team said the stone building found could contain Iron Age artefacts.
RCAHMS surveyor Ian Parker said the finds could change experts’ understanding of the archipelago’s history.
Ian Parker is watched by puffins while he works on Boreray He said: “Until now, we thought Boreray was just visited for seasonal hunting and gathering by the people of Hirta.
“But this new discovery shows that a farming community actually lived on the island, perhaps as long ago as the prehistoric period.
“These agricultural remains and settlement mounds give us a tantalising glimpse into the lives of those who lived for a time on Boreray.
“Farming what is probably one of the most remote – and inhospitable – islands in the North Atlantic would have been a hard and gruelling existence.”
St Kilda expert Jill Harden, who is contracted to NTS, said it was refreshing to know that there was still so much to learn about the islands.
The finds were made during a five-year project to produce the most complete mapping record of St Kilda’s built heritage.
The survey, which began in 2007 and is to be completed later this year, uses satellite and digital technology to map traces of human occupation on the islands from early prehistory through to its modern military radar installations.
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Falling consumer confidence, indicated by low levels of car purchases, is still a concern for firms Scotland’s economy is continuing to recover with businesses reporting the most positive results in three years, according to a survey.
The latest Lloyds TSB Scotland Business Monitor found a third of firms reported increased turnover in the three months to the end of May.
But rising costs and falling consumer confidence were still a concern.
Donald MacRae, chief economist at Lloyds TSB Scotland, said the economy was “slowly strengthening”.
A recovery in the middle of 2010 was followed by a relapse in growth early in the year, attributed largely to the severe winter weather.
However, the latest figures showed that 33% of the firms surveyed enjoyed increased turnover in the three months to the end of May.
A total of 36% reported static turnover, while 31% experienced a decrease.
Expectations of improving trade over the next six months were at their highest level for more than three years.
Just over three out of ten – 31% – of businesses said they were hopeful of boosting turnover over that time.
However the report warned this was around a fifth of pre-recession levels, indicating a “fragile” recovery.
And cost pressures remained a concern for Scottish firms, with 62% experiencing increases in the last quarter, the highest level recorded in almost three years.
Low levels of new car and house purchases in the first quarter of the year were also said to be an indication of falling consumer confidence.
Mr MacRae said: “These are the most positive business monitor results in three years and contrast sharply with the previous quarter which was badly affected by the severe winter weather conditions.
“Our economy is slowly strengthening as company turnovers increase and the employment situation improves.
“However the economy remains fragile as consumer spending is constrained by low confidence as a result of rising inflation, which is squeezing disposable incomes.”
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Security forces, seen here in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, have used tanks to enter towns Syrian troops travelling on tanks, armoured personnel carriers and buses have moved on two northern towns.
Security forces were gathering in Khan Sheikhun and Maarat al-Numan, a town of 90,000 between Damascus and Aleppo.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Syria to halt the bloodshed and “stop killing people”.
The UN says that at least 1,100 people have died as the government has violently sought to quash protests over the past three months.
State television said late on Thursday that President Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf, intends to give up his business interests – which span telecommunications, construction and oil – and donate his profits to charity.
“As for his businesses, they will be directed so that they […] create jobs and support the national economy. He will not enter into any new project that (brings) him personal gain,” the television said of the tycoon.
Mounting pressure
The BBC’s Jim Muir, reporting from Beirut, says that for someone like Mr Makhlouf – who is part of the elite Syrian inner circle of power – to make such a declaration it is clearly a sign that the regime feels under mounting pressure.
Mr Makhlouf is one of a number of Syrian officials on the European Union’s sanctions list, which includes asset freezes and travel bans.
President Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family’s 40-year ruling dynasty, as unrest that first erupted in the south of the country has now engulfed the north – near the border with Turkey – and is threatening to spread eastwards towards its border with Iraq.
Some 8,000 Syrians are now sheltering in refugee camps in Turkey State television has shown pictures of troops moving into the town of Maarat al-Numan, which sits along the main road between Damascus and Aleppo. The town is some 40km (25 miles) south-east of Jisr al-Shughour.
It said the army had also moved to Khan Sheikhoun, just to the south, to prevent what it called “armed terrorist organisations” from cutting the highway.
Officials have said they are planning a “limited military operation” in Maarat al-Numan to restore security there.
A Syrian human rights activist, Mustafa Osso, is quoted as telling the Associated Press that at least 300 people – mainly men over the age of 16 – were being detained daily. There were also reports of troops opening fire on the outskirts of Maarat al-Numan but not of casualties.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, thousands of residents were fleeing from the towns as troops approached.
One eye-witness told BBC Arabic there were “no more than 7,000 people” left in the city of Maarat al-Numan, which had a population of 90,000 people.
Turkish officials are reported to be preparing to send food, clean water, medicine and other aid to thousands more stranded on the Syrian side.
The plan was announced by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu after he met with an envoy sent by President Assad, AP reports.
“We have taken precautions and humanitarian aid will be supplied for around 10,000 people who are waiting on the Syrian side of the border,” Mr Davutoglu said.
‘Scorched-earth campaign’
In its report published on Thursday, the UN said that the use of live ammunition against mostly unarmed civilians had killed around 1,100 people.
Syrian rights groups put the overall death toll in Syria at 1,297 civilians and 340 security force members.
UN investigators, who were refused access to the country, believe that as many as 10,000 people have been detained. The authorities appear to have denied civilians the right to food and medical care by laying siege to towns and preventing supply deliveries, it adds.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has repeatedly appealed to Syria to let in a humanitarian team make a proper assessment, but the Syrian authorities have refused.
Meanwhile, Syria has called on the people of Jisr al-Shughour to return, three days after an army attack restored government control there.
More than 8,000 Syrians have fled from the north-western town into Turkey in the past week to escape military operations, which the government says are aimed at tackling “terrorist organisations”.
Officials said the city of around 100,000 people – which has been the focus of large anti-regime demonstrations – was returning to normal, but that army units were still pursuing “militants” through the hills around the town.
Damascus says some 120 security personnel were killed by “armed gangs” in the town on 6 June, and on Wednesday state TV said a “mass grave” containing three bodies had been found.
Refugees arriving in Turkey describe the regime’s operation in the northern mountains as a “scorched-earth” campaign, and Syrian soldiers who deserted have said they were forced to commit atrocities.
Syria has prevented foreign journalists, including those from the BBC, from entering the country, making it difficult to independently verify reports from there.
European powers are campaigning for a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the crackdown, but they face opposition from Russia and China, both of whom wield veto powers and object to UN action against President Assad.
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Alex Salmond has likened sectarianism to a parasite in football The Scottish government is due to publish its proposals for legislation to tackle sectarianism, including tough new prison terms.
A new bill would see the maximum jail term for sectarian hate crimes rise from six months to five years.
But plans to rush it through by the end of the month have prompted concern from the SNP convener of Holyrood’s justice committee.
Ministers want the laws in place for the start of the football season.
The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill, to be published later, aims to tackle disorder around football matches and clamp down on internet hate postings.
It comes in the wake of several high-profile football-related incidents, while First Minister Alex Salmond has branded sectarianism a “parasite” which must be eradicated.
Recent problems have seen two men appear in court after suspected bombs were sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon and two other high-profile supporters of the club in March.
However, justice committee convener and SNP MSP Christine Grahame said the time scale for passing the bill meant it may not get the proper parliamentary scrutiny.
“The speed at which it is being rushed through means it appears to lack scrutiny and clarity”
The Right Rev David Arnott Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
She called on the Scottish government to insert a “sunset clause” into the legislation, requiring MSPs to revisit it at a later stage.
Her concerns were echoed by the committee’s deputy convener, Labour MSP James Kelly, who said: “We look forward to working constructively with the Scottish government to ensure the new laws are in place as quickly as possible, but, if we rush this legislation through at breakneck speed without proper scrutiny, there is a real danger that we will get something wrong.”
The moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, The Right Rev David Arnott, said he was “nervous” about the plan to see the bill approved by 30 June.
“Whilst we are not against the ideas in this bill, we remain unconvinced of the wisdom of this approach,” he said, adding: “The speed at which it is being rushed through means it appears to lack scrutiny and clarity.
“The government is rightly asking for support from across civic Scotland, but is not giving civic Scotland much time to make sure they are happy with the content.”
It is understood the bill will focus on two new offences on football-related behaviour regarded as offensive and threatening.
One is expected to look at disorder around football matches inside the ground, and could extend to those travelling to and from stadiums, as well as fans watching games elsewhere, for example, in pubs or on big screens outdoors.
Another offence would look at serious threats – including murder – made on the internet, including posts on sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as specific websites.
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Rental costs have risen as some potential first-time buyers remain in the market, the survey says Gazumping is pushing up rents in England and Wales as the average cost to tenants reached £696 in May, according to a survey.
Rising tenant demand has led to some offering above the asking price to rent a home, LSL Property Services said.
The average cost of renting a home has risen for four consecutive months, its analysis suggested.
But more than one in 10 tenants in the UK missed or were late paying their rent in May, it also found.
The average rent in England and Wales was £4 higher in May than in April, said LSL, which owns a lettings agents network including chains such as Your Move and Reeds Rains.
The typical rent was 4.4% higher than a year earlier, but there were significant regional variations, it said.
In London, annual rental costs have risen by 7.8% in the last year. In the North East of England, the cost was up 6.4% and there was a 6.2% rise in the East Midlands.
Yet, average rents have fallen by 1.2% in the East of England, and were down 0.4% in the South West of England.
“The rocketing cost of living, combined with ongoing difficulty first-time buyers are experiencing in obtaining a mortgage, is increasing the number reliant on rental accommodation,” said David Newnes, of LSL.
“With the fierce competition for homes, rental gazumping is becoming more commonplace and properties are being let beyond asking price, putting further upwards pressure on the market. For tenants, unable to buy, renting is becoming less affordable as demand booms. Rents are increasing at twice the rate of wages.”
LSL calculated that 11.5% of UK rental payments were unpaid or late in May.
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John Feaver was a ranking player on the ATP circuit from 1973 to 1986 When John Feaver was one of the top British tennis names back in the 1970s and 80s, cash-strapped players had to sell T-shirts and racquets on the side to get by financially.
Renowned for his blistering serve – he once delivered 42 aces in a match at Wimbledon – the now-59-year-old also had to scrape together his kit by cadging free tennis shoes.
However, since those penurious playing days, he has gone on to spend a successful quarter of a century in the business world.
He now spends two days a week working alongside Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, as well as being director of commercial partnerships for sports charity Street Games.
Mr Feaver is a director and trustee of the Peter Jones Foundation and National Academy for Enterprise.
“We launched the academy for youths aged 16 to 19,” he says.
“It is for those who were OK at school but maybe did not like being there, or were not sure about what it could do for them.
“They are youngsters who want to be enterprising and start their own business, not go to university to study traditional subjects.”
He adds: “The students are competitive, and they really want to make a difference.”
Meanwhile, a number of business ventures he launched in his crossover period from sport to business, in the mid to late 1980s, are still going strong.
“I was not a great tennis player, but it was a career,” he confesses.
Wimbledon finals set for 3D broadcasts Li Na – corporate sponsors’ dream ticket? French Open serves up expansion plan Hawk-Eye tennis firm sold to Sony Follow the BBC’s tennis coverage
“I actually started out with a cricket scholarship and switched to tennis when I was 16.
“My main playing asset was my big service.”
Fortunately he was also quick on his feet off the court, and in 1985 at a dinner in Japan to promote Wimbledon, he nimbly took advantage of a chance remark by a fellow guest.
“I started talking to someone who said he worked for Yamaha – at that time I did not know they were a maker of tennis racquets and golf clubs,” he says.
“They said they did not have a representative in the UK, and I immediately said I would do it.”
He was soon selling their tennis racquets and bicycles to British customers, and before long went back to the Japanese firm to ask for a bigger market – Europe.
“Fortunately they agreed, and as I was on a percentage of the turnover I made money from the venture and was soon out of debt,” he says.
Mr Feaver is working closely with Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones Which was just as well because, the way he describes it, being a lower-ranking tennis player was far from a life of jet-set glamour.
Often he entered doubles tournaments by pairing up with scratch playing partners, and once in Italy he was pelted with coins when taking on a local favourite.
However, it was on that men’s tennis tour where he first discovered his entrepreneurial spirit – selling tennis racquets and Fred Perry and Slazenger T-shirts on his travels to help pay his way.
“We used to take tennis shirts over to Europe and flog them when we were playing there,” he recalls.
And when he contacted the company then known as Inter, and now called Hi-Tech, to ask for three free pairs of tennis shoes, he hit on another business venture.
“Once again, sport and business crossed over for me, and the company founder Frank Van Wezel was happy to do business with me,” recalls Mr Feaver.
“I became their UK representative and signed up all the British players that I could, and the business flourished. I still do work for Hi-Tech to this day.”
Meanwhile, he had overseen the transfer of the Yamaha concession from himself to department store chain Beales.
After those initial commercial ventures, he paused to take stock of what he had learned from the world of business.
“It had been a real learning curve,” the former right-hander says.
“What I had learned was: play to your strengths, do business with people you trust, don’t get out of your depth, and be honest.
“Loyalty is also very important.”
He said that, having brought the discipline of a sportsman to business, he actually found it easier in some ways than life on the tennis court.
On the court his career on the ATP men’s tour had lasted from 1973 to 1986, with one unusual highlight being his feat of beating Bjorn Borg twice in one week at the Beckenham tournament in the mid-70s.
Mr Feaver proved too good for Swedish legend Bjorn Borg twice in one week “Not many people can say that,” he says. “I beat him in the final of the under-21 event and the quarter-final of the men’s event.
“I beat him 6-4 in the third set both times.”
Back in the world of business, his next venture after his sports equipment deals was into the world of consultancy, with US public relations giant Hill & Knowlton.
Further high-powered posts followed as commercial director and international director for tennis governing body, the LTA.
“That came about because I contacted them and said I wanted to bring my skills into the business,” he says.
For the duration of this year’s Wimbledon he will be director of player relations at the tournament, a post he has held for the past 21 years.
“Do business with people you trust, don’t get out of your depth, and be honest”
John Feaver
For an ex-pro like himself from an earlier era, he must have noticed the huge amounts of money now in tennis and other sports.
“People nowadays might see success in sport by how much people earn, or by big sponsorship deals,” he says.
“But it is about what you win and how you present yourself, and a top professional in any sport would tell you that.”
But one thing has not changed from his experience – the pressure on tennis players lower down the ladder struggling to make a financial living.
“You also cannot get into certain tournaments unless you reach a certain ranking level,” he says.
“So when I hear people [talking] about the pressure at the top, I think that they should have a look at the financial strain on those at the other end of the sport.”
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Aston Villa are set to name Alex McLeish as their new manager early on Friday after lengthy talks, BBC Sport understands.
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By Jorn Madslien
Pilots from Bond Off Shore Helicopters practice on the simulator
A queue of helicopters coming in to land is forming above an airfield on the outskirts of Aberdeen.
On the ground, in an enormous red hangar clad with large sheets of corrugated iron, helicopter pilot Capt Phil Binfield is preparing to take over, as one of his colleagues steps down to rest.
For Bond Offshore Helicopters, it is crucial to keep their aircraft flying – every airborne hour helps the choppers earn their keep – though to do so requires a great deal of skill.
“Out on the deck, with the turbulence from the rig, it can be quite bouncy, with 50-knots [57.6mph; 92kph] winds,” says Capt Binfield as he casually moves around the control room, checking performance charts for the latest weather conditions, temperatures and air pressure.
“We have weather limits,” Capt Binfield says.
“If the wind’s too strong, we won’t go… or in winter, if it’s too cold and there’s icing present, we won’t go.”
Graham Wildgoose from Bond Off Shore on the increasing need for helicopters
Aberdeen is at the heart of UK oil and gas exploration, and for companies operating in this sector – such as ConocoPhillips, BP or Maersk Oil North Sea – helicopters are essential tools.
Bond and its rivals Bristow and CHC have their hands full ferrying crew members to and from the North Sea rigs, two to three hours’ flight from here.
Search-and-rescue preparedness adds another vital source of income for the helicopter operators.
And with the emergence of offshore wind farms around the UK coast, there will soon be plenty of new business to fish for.
“As that market develops, both in the eastern Irish Sea and in the northern North Sea, Bond Offshore is looking to play a major part,” says Bond Offshore’s ground manager, Graham Wildgoose.
With such a hive of activity, it is not surprising to hear that Aberdeen is Europe’s busiest heliport.
Bond Offshore is working its helicopters hard It is so busy that Eurocopter, the world’s leading manufacturer with about 50% of the non-military helicopter market, has invested some £10m ($16m) in a new service centre here to supply spare parts to the operators and to help train the pilots.
Some 100 helicopters operate in the North Sea, about half of them out of Aberdeen. They fly on average more than 1,000 hours each per year, many of them much more, so demand for Eurocopter’s services is great.
“When a customer buys a helicopter, he is buying more than just an aircraft. He is also buying a package of services,” says Ken Carter, who looks after Eurocopter’s oil and gas customers.
“Their problems are my problems, from the supply of spare parts to technical questions.”
In the world of aviation, they say fixed-wing aircraft have only 10% moving parts, whereas helicopters have 90% moving parts.
“You can sit and talk about it in a classroom, but it just won’t sink in”
John Hopkins Pilot
Servicing and replacing components is therefore crucial to ensure the helicopters are safe and operational.
“An operator doesn’t want an aircraft standing on the ground,” says Mr Carter, pointing out that helicopters in the oil and gas industry tend to be available for operations 93% of the time, compared with 70% operational ability for military helicopters in the UK.
And as the operators are on “a parts by the hour contract”, neither does Eurocopter.
The more an aircraft flies, the more money the manufacturer makes, both from new sales, as helicopters that have been used a lot will need replacing earlier, and from support and servicing earnings.
“Support and servicing make up 42% of Eurocopter Group turnover, and the ambition is that this should grow,” says Mr Carter.
The way Eurocopter’s service centre is tucked away on an industrial site near the airport gives no indication of its importance to the company’s bottom line.
Dozens of crew members are ferried to and from the rigs every day Like Bond Offshore’s hangar and offices, it too is clad with sheets of corrugated iron. Inside, the plain offices and conference rooms, even the parts store, look modest.
What is crucial about the centre, which was opened in February this year, is its proximity to the helicopter operating companies, according to Eurocopter training manager Jean-Claude Barbier.
Small components are delivered by bicycle and face-to-face meetings are held almost daily, he says.
Customers tempted to switch to rival helicopter makers are constantly reminded they would be giving up more than just the hardware.
The full-size flight simulator Eurocopter has installed here is a hi-tech wonder that physically moves thanks to hydraulic mechanisms.
Inside, pilots and crews are given training and refresher sessions they could previously only receive at Eurocopter’s headquarters in Marignane in the south of France.
The modest service centre in Aberdeen belies its importance to Eurocopter’s bottom line Pilots such as John Hopkins, who also works for Bond Offshore, are eager to stress how simulating emergencies helps them.
“You can sit and talk about it in a classroom, but it just won’t sink in,” he says. “In terms of drill, it’s identical to the real world. It’s not that you suspend belief, but you do the drill as if it was real.”
Though not a profit centre in its own right, the simulator builds loyalty with the end users and it saves their employers money, thus keeping them happy as well, Mr Barbier says.
The operating cost of the simulator is half that of a real helicopter, and using this rather than an aircraft for training means the helicopters can still be out there earning a crust, he says.
Having the simulator here in Aberdeen also cuts down on the time wasted and the travel costs previously incurred when pilots had to go to France for their training or refreshers.
While for Eurocopter, the aim is to create a perpetual flow of income, as the company’s products keep on flying – hour after hour, day after day.
This year’s Paris Air Show will take place at Le Bourget exhibition centre on the outskirts of Paris from 20 to 26 June 2011.
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A bear takes a dip, the toddler and the lion, and telling jokes to the Dalai Lama. It’s the week’s weird and wonderful video stories in Newsbeat’s Odd Box.
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