Pacific needs help to combat climate change

Developed countries need to act urgently to help vulnerable Pacific island nations cope with climate change, international aid group Oxfam said Monday.By the year 2050, about 75 million people could be forced to leave their homes due to climate change in the Asia-Pacific region, the Oxfam report said."Climate change has the potential to affect almost every issue linked to poverty and development in the Pacific," said Oxfam New Zealand executive director Barry Coates."Without immediate action 50 years of development gains in poor countries will be permanently lost," he said.Coral atolls are particularly vulnerable, including countries such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, which consist solely of atolls that often rise only two to three metres (six to nine feet) above sea level.Climate change is expected to worsen storm surges, cyclones and high tides."Scientists have also projected an increase in diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, together with significant soil and coastal erosion as a result of climate change," Oxfam said.Unless wealthy, developed countries like Australia and New Zealand take urgent action to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, some island nations in the Pacific could become uninhabitable, Oxfam said.Oxfam estimated that around 150 billion US dollars would be needed every year to fund adaptation and emissions reductions in developing countries on top of existing aid.Wealthy, polluting countries must reduce their emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020, and at least 95 percent by 2050 to prevent potentially catastrophic climate change, Oxfam said.The report also said Australia and New Zealand had to be prepared to take refugees from Pacific islands.Australia, New Zealand and other developed countries are expected to face renewed calls for more help over climate change from island countries when the 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum meets in Cairns, Australia next week.

Romo bans Simpson

Jessica Simpson has been banned from her ex-boyfriend's house.American football star Tony Romo, who dumped Jessica earlier this month, allegedly told the security team at the Dallas gated community where he lives not to let the singer-and-actress in.According to Us Weekly magazine, a sign at the entrance of his home reads: "Red alert! Tony Romo has made some changes to his list of people allowed in. Jessica is no longer on the list and not approved for access."However, it seems Jessica has no interest in pursuing her former boyfriend.The 29-year-old blonde beauty reportedly paid $19,000 to have 37 boxes containing her belongings transported from the athlete's home to Los Angeles just days after Tony ended their romance on July 9 - the night before her birthday.Jessica has been enjoying her single status by going to the cinema and having dinner with her friends and her mother Tina Simpson.The star has also been spending time with her nephew Bronx, the eight-month-old son of her sister Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and her husband Pete Wentz.Jessica told Pete on her Twitter blog last weekend: "Auntie Jess bought BX his first swim trunks - Burberry style!! A day of babysitting and I'm in love!"He actually danced to Kanye today. Boy has some rhythm!"

Hubble image shows debris from Jupiter collision

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is offering a glimpse of atmospheric debris from an object that plunged into Jupiter in a rare collision with the planet.
Scientists used the telescope Thursday to capture what they call the "sharpest visible-light picture" so far of the expanding gash. An amateur stargazer in Australia spotted the impression last Sunday.
Amy Simon-Miller of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., says the magnitude of the impact is believed to be rare. Simon-Miller estimates the diameter of the object that hit the planet was the size of several football fields.
The debris possibly came from a comet or asteroid that hit Jupiter.
NASA also says the new images prove repairs done on the Hubble in May were successful.

Rihanna’s secret date

Rihanna wet on a secret date with British R n B star Mr Hudson to the film premiere of 'Inglorious Basterds'.Rihanna wet on a secret date with British R n B star Mr Hudson.The 'Umbrella' singer took the 'Supernova' hitmaker to the London premiere of new Quentin Tarantino film 'Inglorious Basterds' on Thursday (23.07.09).She was careful not to be seen with the up-and-coming star, however, until the screening had started.A source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "Rihanna didn't want to make a big deal out of her going on a date with Mr Hudson, so she never told anyone she was bringing him."They have been meeting up secretly and on the red carpet they refused to be pictured together. Once they were inside the cinema though, they were stuck together like glue and then they both slipped out of the back door at the end to go for a meal."Barbadian singer Rihanna, 21, has been single since splitting with singer Chris Brown after he assaulted her attacked her in an assault earlier this year. It is thought she was introduced to Mr Hudson by his mentor, rap superstar Kanye West.The pair were later spotted together again at the screening's afterparty

Angelina Jolie offers hope to Iraqi refugees

Hollywood megastar and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie on Thursday visited a refugee camp in Baghdad for Iraqis displaced by the war, the UN refugee agency said.Jolie toured the Chikouk camp in northern Baghdad's Kadhimiyah neighbourhood as part of a one-day visit to Iraq, UNHCR spokeswoman Abeer Etefa told AFP.Jolie called for more aid for Iraq's internally-displaced people and said she hoped that the Iraqi government and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will provide the refugees with new accommodation."This is a moment where things seem to be improving on the ground, but Iraqis need a lot of support and help to rebuild their lives," Jolie said during the visit."The picture in this camp is a rough one but there are also some people that were able to return home to other safer areas."There are some changes. There are returns of displaced people, not a big number but there is progress." She told the camp's residents that she wanted "to come back and find you in a better place and in a different situation." Chikouk is home to around 12,000 internally-displaced people, most of whom are Shiite Muslims from the predominantly Sunni town of Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, who fled fearing for their lives during the sectarian violence that engulfed the country in the aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion.Residents of the camp sleep in poorly-constructed shelters on bumpy ground with surrounding streets piled high with litter.The camp only recently received access to clean water but has no electricity supply, functioning sewerage system nor regular rubbish disposal. Many residents suffer health problems.Jolie was on her third visit to Iraq since she became a volunteer for the United Nations goodwill programme in 2001.The UNHCR is the only organisation providing any services to the camp, although local authorities co-ordinate with the refugee agency to help deliver water and non-food items.The agency estimates that 1.6 million Iraqis were internally displaced by sectarian fighting that flared in 2006.

Rabbits are certainly known for their propensity for multiplying, but one species of jackrabbit is having trouble keeping up. There are an estimated 150 white-sided jackrabbits left in the United States, and federal wildlife officials announced Wednesday they will study the elusive rabbit to determine if it needs to be protected under the Endangered Species Act.
It's not lack of libido that's holding back the white-sided jackrabbit.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the biggest threat is change to the rabbits' habitat brought on by drought, grazing, the suppression of wildfire and the encroachment of shrubs into the Chihuahuan grasslands of New Mexico's bootheel — the only place in the United States where the jackrabbit has been documented. Wildfire helps keep shrubs in check and revitalizes grasslands, which the rabbits depend on.
The rabbit also lives in Mexico, and those populations have also declined, said Nicole Rosmarino, a biologist with the Western environmental group WildEarth Guardians.
Rosmarino said the existing pressures on the white-sided jackrabbit likely will worsen. Forecasters predict extended and more-frequent periods of drought in the Southwest because of climate change.
The Fish and Wildlife Service says it's uncertain how climate change will affect the jackrabbit and its habitat, but it plans to look more closely at the potential impact during its 12-month review.
After the review, the agency will decide whether the rabbit warrants protection as an endangered or threatened species. In New Mexico, the rabbit has been listed as a state endangered species since 1975.
"The rabbit has cleared the first hurdle toward federal protection, so that's good news," Rosmarino said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to review the rabbit is the result of a petition and lawsuit filed by environmentalists.
The rabbit's name comes from a conspicuous white area along its body, most noticeable when the rabbit runs. The jackrabbits, usually seen in pairs, mate for life. While they can produce several litters a year, the litters are usually small — between one and three young.
The rabbit's large ears and long limbs are disproportionate to its body, creating more surface area to help the animal dissipate the heat that's part of living in the desert.
Besides the white-sided jackrabbit, WildEarth Guardians is seeking protections for other species, including the Sonoran desert tortoise. The Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to issue a finding on that species, but WildEarth Guardians says the tortoises' numbers have also been cut in half in recent decades.
As Rosmarino points out, Wednesday's decision by the agency puts the rabbit ahead of the tortoise, in both species' race to avoid extinction.

'Tarzan' actress Brenda Joyce dies at 92

Brenda Joyce, the only actress to play Jane with two different movie Tarzan actors, has died. She was 92.
A family friend, David Ragan, says she suffered from dementia for a decade and died July 4 of pneumonia at a nursing home in Santa Monica.
Joyce, whose real name was Betty Leabo, appeared in some two dozen movies but she is best known for succeeding Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane in the "Tarzan" pictures.
She appeared in five "Tarzan" movies in the 1940s, opposite Johnny Weissmuller and later Lex Barker.
Joyce made her last movie in 1949. Ragan says she worked for the immigration department for a decade, helping new immigrants find housing and work.
She is survived by a son, two daughters and three grandchildren.

Harmful myths

Every country/civilisation has its own myths related to both solar and lunar eclipse. In Nepal also there are certain do’s and don’ts handed over from generation to generation. For instance, people are neither supposed to go out nor eat anything during the eclipse. Commenting on this Jayant Acharya, Nepal Chair, International Year of Astronomy 2009 said, “Sunrays kill bacteria, and since there are no rays during the eclipse, the chance of bacteria being active is high. So, I believe that is why people are told not to eat.”However, Dr Chanda Karki, gynaecologist at B&B Hospital pointed out, “The younger generation does not follow this, but we still have not witnessed any harmful effects.”The restrictions are even more heightened for a pregnant woman. She is not only supposed to stay indoors but she should also not touch her stomach or use any sharp objects.While Acharya said that though he has also heard about these things, he has no idea about the reason. On the other hand Dr Karki said, “In my career of more than 20 years or even during my student years, I have never come across mention of any medical danger of solar eclipse to a pregnant wom-an. There might be some astrological reasons but there is absolutely no connection in terms of allopathy.”She confirmed that the only health hazard of solar eclipse is to the eyes when viewed directly.

NASA images show Jupiter apparently hit by object

Astronomers say Jupiter has apparently been struck by an object, possibly a comet.
Images taken by NASA early Monday show a scar in the atmosphere near the south pole of the gas giant.
The images, taken by the space agency's infrared telescope in Hawaii, come on the 15th anniversary of another comet strike.
In 1994, Jupiter was bombarded by pieces of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena captured the new images after receiving a tip from an amateur astronomer the night before.

Ross 'not fighting' with Jackson family

Diana Ross has hit back at rumours she's embroiled in a feud with JACKSON family matriarch KATHERINE - branding reports the pair are at odds over custody over the King of Pop's children "ridiculous".The singer's longtime friend Ross was named in Jackson's will as an alternative guardian for Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II - if his mother Katherine was unable to care for them. The decision was unpopular among family members who have challenged the will, which was drawn up in 2002. Jackson's sister LaToya told reporters, "We believe there is another will which will emerge. He updated his will almost every five years, so we expect one to come from 2007. Michael always told us that he wanted his eldest sister, Rebbie Jackson, to look after the children. Rebbie had a nice family, which Michael loved. He told many family members that she was his choice." Despite the controversy, Ross insists there is no bitterness between her and the Jackson family. A spokesperson for the star says, "Ms. Ross has deep love for the Jackson family."

Solar eclipse pits superstition against science

Indian astrologers are predicting violence and turmoil across the world as a result of this week's total solar eclipse, which the superstitious and religious view as a sign of potential doom.
But astronomers, scientists and secularists are trying to play down claims of evil portent in connection with Wednesday's natural spectacle, when the moon will come between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun.
In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to "swallow" the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its life-giving light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable.
Pregnant women are advised to stay indoors to prevent their babies developing birth defects, while prayers, fasting and ritual bathing, particularly in holy rivers, are encouraged.
Shivani Sachdev Gour, a gynaecologist at the Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, said a number of expectant mothers scheduled for caesarian deliveries on July 22 had asked to change the date.
"This is a belief deeply rooted in Indian society. Couples are willing to do anything to ensure that the baby is not born on that day," Gour said.
Astrologers have predicted a rise in communal and regional violence in the days following the eclipse, particularly in India, China and other Southeast Asian nations where it can be seen on Wednesday morning.
Mumbai astrologer Raj Kumar Sharma predicted "some sort of attack by (Kashmiri separatists) Jaish-e-Mohammad or Al-Qaeda on Indian soil" and a devastating natural disaster in Southeast Asia.
An Indian political leader could be killed, he said, and tension between the West and Iran is likely to increase, escalating into possible US military action after September 9, when fiery Saturn moves from Leo into Virgo.
"The last 200 years, whenever Saturn has gone into Virgo there has been either a world war or a mini world war," he told AFP.
It is not just in India that some are uneasy about what will transpire because of the eclipse.
In ancient China they were often associated with disasters, the death of an emperor or other dark events, and similar superstitions persist.
"The probability for unrest or war to take place in years when a solar eclipse happens is 95 percent," announced an article that attracted a lot of hits on the popular Chinese web portal Baidu.com.
Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, dismissed such doomsday predictions.
"Primarily, what we see with all these soothsayers and astrologers is that they're looking for opportunities to enhance their business with predictions of danger and calamity," he told AFP.
"They have been very powerful in India but over the last decade they have been in systematic decline."
Astronomers and scientists are also working to educate the public about the eclipse.
Travel firm Cox and Kings has chartered a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to give people the chance to see the eclipse from 41,000 feet (12,500 metres).
Experts will be on board to explain it to passengers, some of whom have paid 79,000 rupees (1,600 dollars) for a "sun-side" seat on the three-hour flight from New Delhi.
The eclipse's shadow is expected to pass over the aircraft at 15 times the speed of sound (Mach 15), said Ajay Talwar, president of the SPACE Group of companies that promotes science and astronomy.
"It's coming in the middle of the monsoon season. On the ground, there's a 40 percent chance of seeing it in India. On the aircraft you have almost a 90 percent chance of seeing the eclipse," he added.
Siva Prasad Tata, who runs the Astro Jyoti website, straddles the two worlds.
"There's no need to get too alarmed about the eclipse, they are a natural phenomenon," the astrologer told AFP.
But he added: "During the period of the eclipse, the opposite attracting forces are very, very powerful. From a spiritual point of view, this is a wonderful time to do any type of worship.
"It will bring about good results, much more than on an ordinary day."

Unselfish mother

Actress Sandra Bullock says she is tired of people asking her why she hasn’t had a baby yet. Contactmusic.com reports that Bullock, who married motorbike enthusiast Jesse James in 2005 and is stepmother to his three children — Chandler 15, Jesse Jr 12 and five-year-old Sunny — is frustrated with people who keep asking her why she hasn’t had children of her own. She said, “It always seems that people want to talk about my uterus. I’m not talking about theirs... Why are they talking about my innards?” The 44-year-old says she avoided falling pregnant earlier in her life because she didn’t want to be a selfish mother.“I didn’t want to have a child without a partner and I loved children too much to have them right then, because I knew that the minute I have children my life would change. And then I met Jesse and I went, ‘Wow! There’s that feeling of wanting to procreate because I love someone and I see him to be a good father’,” she said.

'Potter' conjures up $159.7 million in 5 days

Harry Potter continues to work box-office alchemy, turning his latest movie adventure into an overnight blockbuster.
The sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," took in $79.5 million domestically over opening weekend and $159.7 million since debuting last Wednesday, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros. on Sunday.
The movie also took in $237 million overseas since Wednesday in 54 countries, bringing its worldwide total to $396.7 million.
With some of the best reviews of any "Harry Potter" movie, "Half-Blood Prince" was off to the fastest overall start in franchise history.
The sixth movie about the young wizard came in $20 million ahead of the last movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which grossed $139.7 million domestically in its first five days two years ago.
The new film had the second-highest start ever for a movie premiering on Wednesday, trailing the $200 million five-day opening for last month's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
"Half-Blood Prince" already has surpassed the $157.3 million "Order of the Phoenix" pulled in during its entire first week. By the end of its seventh day Tuesday, "Half-Blood Prince" will be in the $180 million range on its way to becoming the franchise's first $300 million domestic smash since the original movie, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.
The audience was a bit older for the new movie, with more elder teens turning out to see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as they deal with adult concerns such as heartache, jealousy and romantic triangles.
Fans have grown up with the franchise, from young readers whose parents had to debate whether the early movies might be too intense for their children to see.
"When the first movie came out, they fought to go. The mother was like, well, should I take them, should I not take them?" Fellman said. "Now they're driving themselves to this and going to the midnight show."
Sacha Baron Cohen's mock documentary "Bruno" plummeted after its No. 1 debut the previous weekend. The Universal Pictures comedy fell to fourth-place with $8.4 million, down a whopping 73 percent from its $30.6 million opening.
Crowd-pleasing movies typically dip 50 percent or less in their second weekends. But "Bruno" has had mixed reviews and failed to earn the audience buzz that made a $128 million hit out of Baron Cohen's 2006 comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."
After 10 days in release, "Bruno" has climbed to $49.6 million and will finish far below $100 million domestically.
While "Harry Potter" had a healthy start, the overall box office plunged compared to the same weekend last year, when the Batman juggernaut "The Dark Knight" had its record opening weekend of $158.4 million.
The top-12 movies this weekend combined for less than that, taking in $153.9 million, down 39 percent from a year ago.
"We got kind of slaughtered even with the 'Potter' movie, but we knew that was going to happen," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "When one movie last year makes more than what the top-12 movies did this year, you're going to have a down weekend."
Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, got off to a big start in limited release with $837,588 in 27 theaters. That amounted to an average of $31,022 a cinema, compared to $18,376 in 4,325 theaters for "Half-Blood Prince."
A hit with critics, "500 Days of Summer" expands gradually into wide release over the next few weekends

Barton at risk of suicide, say pals

Mischa Barton is said to have recently collapsed at her Los Angeles home because she had allegedly snorted cocaine three days in a row.The 23-year-old actress remained in an involuntary psychiatric hold after reportedly suffering a meltdown.Pals of the former O.C star informed police amid fears she would kill herself after three days of hard partying. “She’s in very bad shape. She’s running out of money and can’t find love, so now she is looking for a good time to escape her misery. She is on a downward spiral. She is a mess. She is a suicidal, uninsurable mess,” the Daily Express quoted a friend as telling the New York Post.Los Angeles police and Barton’s representative have suggested that the actress required assistance for “a medical issue.”They haven’t revealed any further details

Surfing rage gathers momentum in France

America has Big Sur on the Pacific, but when the French want to surf, they take their boards to the rugged Atlantic coast to compete in the Lacanau Pro.Surfing in France is riding a crest of a wave with around 100,000 regular practitioners, including 35,000 who have been through various training schools around the coasts. An example of the crop of French youngsters making the grade is 18-year-old Alizee Arnaud, who won the junior Buondi title at the Cordoama event in Portugal this summer."The conditions were hard for me, with only left-handers while I am easier with right-handers," she said of the waves. "But the victory will help me get to the target I set myself of going to the Billabong junior in Australia." The surge in surfing in France has led to a boom in sales of equipment. France's trade association estimates the market, including surf, windsurf, bodyboard, wakeboard, kiteboard and skimboard, is worth almost 500 million euros a year and is developing at the rate of four percent annually.Youngsters are being drawn to the sport which boasts attractive year-round conditions especially on the shores of Brittany and Normandy in the north, and on the Atlantic southwest coast.Michel Boye, the founder of Ocean Surf Report, is delighted with the huge interest among girls in surfing."France is becoming a surf nation," says the man who set up Ocean Surf Report to provide 'live' data on surfing conditions around the country.For the most part, the watchers, who Boye terms "surf reporters," are people working in surf gear shops or teachers at sail and surf schools. These individuals have unique knowledge about local conditions.As in skiing, the sport is heavily dependent on the conditions at the location where a competition is taking place and the increasingly fanatical tribe of French surfers is desperate for knowledge about the best beaches.Veteran surfer Stephane Arquetil from Bordeaux, 40, said: "Normally I leave home around 6am to go surfing before work and it's vital to know the best place to go." The information network founded 18 years ago now relies on 40 coast watchers who communicate wave conditions, including photographs, to a central website located at this coastal resort which will be the scene of the Lacanau Pro, a major event in the European surf calendar, on August 13-23.Ocean Surf Report employs three full-time staff who provide the daily real-time information service on the web and by telephone, a service which is in demand to the tune of 20,000 internet hits per day. "We are often asked for advice because in winter many of the beaches are unsupervised," says Boye.

Katie gets furious over Andre

Katie Price was left furious after estranged husband Peter Andre invited one of her arch-rivals to their daughter's birthday party.The British star was livid after learning fellow glamour model Chantelle Houghton - who she has publicly criticised in the past - turned up at the 'Mysterious Girl' singer's house to help Princess Tiaamii celebrate her second birthday and she is now worried the pair are going to start dating.A source close to Katie - who also has a four-year-old son, Junior, with Peter, as well as seven-year-old Harvey from a previous relationship - told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "She is terrified Chantelle could become Pete's girlfriend and start playing mother to her kids."When questioned about Peter's growing closeness to Chantelle, Katie snapped: "There's no point asking. Goodbye!"Chantelle has made no secret of her fondness for Peter since he announced his split from Katie in May.She said: "Of course I'm attracted to him. Pete is an amazing guy - very hunky."Katie - also known as Jordan - is working hard to repair her image after she was heavily criticised for her wild partying while on a recent holiday in Ibiza.A friend said: "In Ibiza Katie went back to being crazy Jordan. But now she's realised it could affect her chances of getting the kids."She knows she's got to be sensible Katie Price, who's a good parent, role model and charity fundraiser. She knows she has to knock wild nights out on the head - for the time being at least."Meanwhile, Sarah Harding has spoken out in support of both Katie and Peter, insisting she is refusing to take sides.The Girls Aloud beauty - who was bridesmaid at their 2005 wedding - said: "It's so sad. I really hoped it wasn't permanent and wanted to get them back together. They have both been good friends to me in the past."I'm not going to be drawn into team Katie or team Pete."

I'm no heartthrob, says Harry Potter star Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe, the British actor who plays boy wizard Harry Potter, laughed off suggestions he has become a heartthrob on the eve of Tuesday's premiere of the sixth film of the series.
Radcliffe, 19, who won the role of Harry as a cherubic 11-year-old, has updated his image by appearing naked on stage in the play "Equus" between filming recent adaptations of J.K. Rowling's phenomenally successful books.
But he said most fans still think of him as the bespectacled Harry.
"If girls like me, it has not been proven yet," Radcliffe told journalists ahead of the London premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".
"OK, I go to the red carpet in Tokyo and thousands of girls scream at me... but the me that sits in a darkened room watching cricket for eight hours with a bowl of pasta in his underwear and socks is not quite so attractive to girls."
Radcliffe admitted in an interview that the male actors on the Potter set had felt male hormones kick as they grew into adolescence on the set, telling Esquire magazine: "We were all unbelievably horny from about the third film to probably about the end of the fifth; then it all settled down."
But Emma Watson, who plays the geeky Hermione Granger in the films, said fans should forget any hopes of her, Radcliffe and Rupert Grint -- who plays the gawky Ron Weasley in the films -- pairing off with each other in real life.
"When we were younger, we were always going back and forth to school so it is not as if Rupert and Dan were the only boys I saw," the 19-year-old said at the news conference.
"I know it would be of huge interest to the media if we were hooking up. But we grew up together and we are just like siblings.
"There have not been any pairings like that (among the cast), I'm afraid."
Watson admitted that her decision to attend a university in the United States from August was motivated by her desire to "just be a teenager".
"I am just looking forward to meeting people my own age and having a normal life for once. But that does not mean that I'll never be acting again.
"It was always my dream (to go to university) before I did the films and so I don't see why I should change it," she said.
Just like her character, Watson has excelled at school, despite squeezing in lessons between gruelling days of filming.
"My way of dealing with all this is to read a book," she admitted. "Oh dear, this is so geeky, but it has got me through it."
The six Potter films so far have earned 4.5 billion dollars (3.2 billion euros), making them one of the most successful film franchises in history.

Victoria Beckham’s clothes criticised

Victoria Beckham's sense of style has been questioned by a top designer.French clothing guru Christian Audigier claims the former Spice Girls singer - who now works as a fashion designer, and released her latest range of dresses at New York Fashion Week earlier this year - is in a difficult position as she has no formal training.He explained to BANG Showbiz: "Victoria, I'm not sure about. I like her, she's a nice girl, but she is not completely my style."I have seen some of her designs - they are very simple. It's difficult for an artist or a singer to enter into the world of fashion. "They need to be with a real pro because you can't just rely on your name to help you sell. The way to sell and who to sell to and what you want to accomplish, these are all things you will need help with if you're entering into the world."Despite being unsure of Victoria's fashion credentials, Christian - who is behind the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch brands -was glowing about her soccer star husband David.He enthused: "I believe David Beckham has amazing style, he has this British and European twist with him. And he always dresses himself, picks everything himself. "He can wear so many things well, whether it is shirts, a T-shirt with boxer shorts, or alternatively the Armani advert he did recently - he just looks great. He has a great attitude, I just love it."He is a real tough guy with his style, very English, like a Guy Ritchie movie or something like that, I like that."Christian Audigier was in the UK to launch his range of fine wine and globally launch his champagne, for further information please go to www.christianaudigierwines.com.

New Harry Potter is about sex, drugs

“It’s all about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. Okay, maybe we should take the ''drugs’ out. Really, this film is more sex, potions and rock n’ roll; but there are all these wonderful things in our story," the Telegraph quoted him as saying.
The sixth film from the wizard franchise and the second under David’s direction will also see several of the young characters caught in a tangled web of love interests.
Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter will find himself drawn to Ginny, while Emma Watson as Hermione Granger will be jealous of Lavender Brown who casts her spell on Ron Weasley, played by Rupert Grint.
The new installment is also expected to be action packed; the movie is expected to open with a set piece that brings a major London landmark crashing down.
Many new villainous characters will also be introduced for the first time such as the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, and the zombie-like Inferi.
The helmer is happy about how adaptation of JK Rowling's book offers the opportunity to explore more as a filmmaker.
He said: "Because it’s Harry Potter and because of the fan base, I think there’s a higher tolerance for what we can present to the audience.
"The viewers know the world and they’ve read about these things and they’ve experienced it on the page. Hence, we are able to do a little bit more than maybe other films can.”
The film will release on July 15th but Yates has already started filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, the final chapters in the series.

Is Michael Jackson alive ?

Just days after Michael Jackson died, rumours are flooding the internet that he faked his own death.
Thousands of fans have been logging onto websites to join wacky conspiracy theories that the singer is still alive and is just getting ready to make a spectacular comeback. One website released a photo three days after the singer's death claiming that he is alive. Another says the singer has been planning this for a year-and-a-half and is now in hiding in eastern Europe. However, there is no proof to back these claims, reports the Sun. Another site has released a photo it claims is of Jackson, insisting that the man who died on Thursday was the singer’s body double with a terminal illness whose family will be looked after in return.
“Over the past few days there have been many Michael sightings. People have emailed with pictures and amazing stories," a message reads. “Michael is alive and well. The plot was 10 years in the making but it had to be done. “We know he is alive because we have seen pictures.
“Those close to Michael have known about the plot for years, it was a very expensive and intricate venture."
“The man who died had a terminal illness and his death was long overdue. He was given facial surgery to resemble Michael exactly. No doubt his family will be taken care of. “Soon, Michael’s new music will be out. Under a different name and with a drastically altered face... though a harmoniser has been used to disguise his voice”, the website claimed