Lady Gaga to headline Super Bowl half time show

Lady Gaga has been confirmed as the latest star to headline the Super Bowl.

The Grammy award winning singer will play the halftime show in Houston, Texas in February 2017.

US election 2016: Trump 'may have avoided paying tax for 18 years'

A US newspaper says it has obtained documents showing tycoon Donald Trump declared a loss of more than $900m on his 1995 federal income tax return.

The New York Times says the loss was so large it may have enabled the Republican candidate to avoid paying tax for up to 18 years legally.

Magnificent Seven tops US box office

Antoine Fuqua's film is a retelling of John Sturges' 1960 western classic

The Magnificent Seven has topped the US box office, taking $35m (£27m) on its opening weekend.

The film, which stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, is a remake of the 1960 western film of the same name.

Its closest competitor was animated children's movie Storks, which debuted at number two with $21.8m (£16.8m).

Top modelling agent says male models 'suffer big pay gap' compared to women

Male models are being paid up to 75% less than women, according to a top modelling agent.

Elizabeth Rose manages male models at Premier, which has helped build the careers of Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.

SpaceX 'Mars' rocket engine tested

The Raptor engine was fired at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas

Private firm SpaceX has carried out its first test of the Raptor rocket engine, designed to send humans to Mars.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced that the engine had been fired at the company's facility in McGregor, Texas.

Katy Perry helps deliver (another) baby then goes back to studio

Katy Perry has helped her sister Angela give birth before heading straight back to the studio to work on new music.

This is the second time the singer has been in the delivery room.

Back in February 2014, she revealed she "helps delivers babies in living rooms" after being present at her sister's labour.

Apple fixes 'bricking' update flaw

Apple said the problem was quickly resolved

Apple says it has fixed a problem that was “bricking” people’s devices while updating to the latest operating system.
Complaints from iPhone and iPad users updating to iOS 10 flooded social media after the software was rolled out on Tuesday.

Dhaka flooding: Why are there 'rivers of blood' at Eid?

One particular part of Dhaka, Shantinagar, seemed to be the worst effected

As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, people in Dhaka have been sharing pictures showing streets flooded with blood-stained water.
The blood comes from animals sacrificed for the festival, and had mixed with floodwater in parts of the Bangladeshi capital.

US ELECTIONS: Clinton cancels California trip after pneumonia diagnosis

US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has cancelled a campaign trip to California after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

Her doctor said she was now re-hydrated and "recovering nicely".
Her Republican rival Donald Trump wished her a speedy recovery and promised to release details on his own health later this week.

Mr Trump said health was now "an issue" in the election campaign.

Mrs Clinton was due to leave for California on Monday morning for a two-day trip that included fundraisers, a speech on the economy, and an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Actress Alexis Arquette dies at 47

Arquette became an activist for transgender rights

Actress and activist Alexis Arquette has died at the age of 47.
The transgender star - sibling of actors David, Rosanna and Patricia Arquette - died on Sunday morning.

Her other brother Richmond confirmed the news on Facebook with a press release written by Patricia. He said Arquette died while listening to David Bowie's music.

Alexis Arquette appeared in films including Pulp Fiction and The Wedding Singer.

YouTube is still 'not paying enough' to British musicians

The body which represents the British music industry says YouTube still isn't giving artists enough money for their content.

UK Music claims the site is the most popular way people consume music in the country.

Chief executive Jo Dipple said: "I don't think YouTube pays enough for our brilliant music that they have on their platform."

US ELECTIONS: Hillary Clinton vows to 'call out bigotry' as feud with Trump grows

Less than two months remain before the election

The Democrat made the promise in a statement where she apologised for suggesting half of the Republican's supporters were "deplorable" people.US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she will keep "calling out bigotry and racist rhetoric" as a feud with Donald Trump escalates.

Mr Trump had responded by saying the comment was "insulting" to "millions of amazing, hard working people".

Mrs Clinton accepted that she had been "grossly generalistic".
Polls released earlier this week suggest Mr Trump is gaining on Mrs Clinton, and the rivals are neck and neck in the key battleground states of Ohio and Florida.

Is it true that periods synchronise when women live together?

It's commonly believed that women who live together eventually experience the syncing of their monthly periods. But could it just be chance?

The theory behind the syncing of menstrual cycles is that women's pheromones interact when they are in close proximity, causing them to have their period at the same time. Many females buy into it.

"I definitely think it's true," says Emma. "It would be too much of a coincidence otherwise."
Emma, 24, lived with five girls at university. She says that within a few months they all had their period at the same time.

Musk: SpaceX fireball probe uncovering 'complex failure'

An investigation into how a SpaceX rocket exploded is uncovering a "difficult and complex failure", the firm's founder Elon Musk has said.

Mr Musk tweeted that the explosion of Falcon 9 during a routine filling operation was the most complicated in the space travel firm's history.

He said that the engines weren't on and there was "no apparent heat source".
The rocket's payload, a satellite on which Facebook had leased capacity, was destroyed in the explosion last week.

Lady Gaga wrote her new single, Perfect Illusion, on a typewriter

Lady Gaga premiered her new single on Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw

Pop star Lady Gaga has revealed she wrote the lyrics for her new single,Perfect Illusion, on a typewriter.

The singer unveiled the song on Radio 1's Breakfast Show, explaining how it was composed with producer Mark Ronson and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker.

"Kevin flew to us from Australia and he came with this idea, that was the beginning of a song called Illusion," she told Nick Grimshaw.

Fury over Facebook 'Napalm girl' censorship

Espen Egil Hansen is editor of Aftenposten, Norway's largest newspaper.

Facebook has controversially removed the iconic image of a girl fleeing a Napalm attack during the Vietnam war from a post, on the grounds of nudity.

The editor of Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten said the entire post, which was about iconic war imagery, was later deleted and the account of the reporter behind it suspended.
Espen Egil Hansen has accused Mark Zuckerberg of "an abuse of power".
Facebook said it has to restrict nudity for cultural reasons.

Foiled Paris attack 'was directed by IS'

Security has been stepped up at Notre Dame after the discovery of the suspect vehicle

Three women arrested over a foiled attack in Paris were directed by so-called Islamic State (IS) from Syria, a French prosecutor has said.

The group "wanted to make the women into fighters", Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said.
A policeman was stabbed during an operation late on Thursday to arrest the women, after the discovery of a suspect car containing gas canisters.

Syria conflict: IS claims wave of bombings that kills dozens

Two explosions hit the Arzoneh motorway bridge at the entrance to Tartous

Four attacks took place within an hour in Tartous, Homs and in a suburb of Damascus, with one in Hassakeh, which is dominated by Kurdish forces.At least 40 people have been killed in bombings in mainly government-held areas of Syria, state media report.

The deadliest incident was outside Tartous, home to a Russian naval base and in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect.

The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attacks.

Warner Brothers reports own site as illegal

Film studio Warner Brothers has asked Google to remove its own website from search results, saying it violates copyright laws.

It also asked the search giant to remove links to legitimate movie streaming websites run by Amazon and Sky, as well as the film database IMDB.

The request was submitted on behalf of Warner Brothers by Vobile, a company that files hundreds of thousands of takedown requests every month.

Warner Brothers has yet to comment.

Call of Duty world champions are crowned in LA and win £600,000

Team EnVyUS from America have been crowned Call of Duty: Black Ops III World League Champions.

They beat British team Splyce to win the $800,000 (£600,000) prize in LA.
It was the first time a team from Britain made it to the final but they were outclassed by their US opponents.

The four-day competition was held in front of a live audience at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and was streamed online via Twitch, MLG.TV, YouTube and through the game itself.

Lindsay Lohan's case against Rockstar Games over GTA picture dismissed

Image caption

Lacey Jonas is a character in Grand Theft Auto V, made by Rockstar Games

A New York state appeals court has dismissed Lindsay Lohan's case against Rockstar Games.

Lohan was suing Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, because she believed a character in Grand Theft Auto V looked like her.

Character "Lacey Jonas" is an actress and Lindsay's legal team say it is based on a picture taken of the star in 2007.

The court threw out the case on Thursday.

Samsung recalls Note 7 flagship over explosive batteries

Samsung Electronics is recalling its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and said that battery problems were behind phones catching fire.

The decision follows reports in the US and South Korea of the phone "exploding" during or after charging.

The South Korean company said customers who had already bought the phone would be able to swap it for a new one.

Samsung said it had been difficult to work out which phones were affected among the 2.5 million Note 7s sold.

Uzbek president's death confirmed

The Uzbek government has confirmed the death of President Islam Karimov, six days after he was taken to hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage.

One of Asia's most authoritarian leaders, Mr Karimov, 78, died after 27 years in power.Mr Karimov has no clear successor. There is no legal political opposition and the media are tightly controlled.

Reports earlier on Friday had suggested that preparations were under way for his funeral on Saturday.

HIIT: Is there a shortcut to exercise?

We all know that exercise is good for us, but often struggle to do the 150 minutes of moderate level activity a week that's recommended. So what's the alternative, asks Michael Mosley.

A few years ago, while making a Horizon documentary called The Truth about Exercise I was introduced to something which changed my life - HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training. Typically you do a few very short bursts of intense cycling on an exercise bike, with brief recovery periods.

The promise of HIIT is that you will get maximum benefit in minimum time - and that is certainly what I have found. But how well does it compare to other forms of exercise? With the help of researchers from Nottingham University we decided to find out.

SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch

A rocket operated by the aerospace company SpaceX has exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral where it was being test-fired ahead of a launch.

The force of the blast shook buildings several miles away.
SpaceX said "an anomaly" had occurred while the rocket was being loaded with fuel. No-one was injured, it said.

The rocket's payload, an Israeli-built communications satellite for Facebook due to launch on Saturday, was also destroyed, it added.

Facebook, in partnership with Eutelsat Communications, had been due to use the Amos-6 satellite to deliver broadband internet coverage for swathes of sub-Saharan Africa as part of its Internet.org initiative.

Jackie Chan awarded honorary Oscar

Chan has enjoyed huge success in his native Hong Kong and worldwide

Action movie star Jackie Chan is to be given an honorary Academy Award for his "extraordinary achievements" in film.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also voted to give honorary Oscars to British editor Anne V Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary maker Frederick Wiseman.

DIY: Simple Pinhole Projector for Solar Eclipses

One of the easiest ways to safely watch a solar eclipse is to use 2 sheets of cardboard and make your own simple pinhole projector.Project the Sun

Never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection. You can seriously hurt your eyes and even go blind.

Projecting the Sun through a box projector, or usingbinoculars or telescope, or simply 2 pieces of card is a safe and easy way to view a solar eclipse.

DIY: Simple Card Projector

The simplest and quickest way to safely project the Sun, is with a projector made from only 2 pieces of paper.You Need:

Solar Eclipse 2016 Guide: When, Where & How to See It

On Sept. 1, the moon will pass in front of the sun, creating a brilliant ring of sunlight visible from areas around the southern Indian Ocean. Read our full preview: See a 'Ring of Fire' Annular Solar Eclipse Thursday Via Slooh Webcast

When the moon creates a ring of sunlight during an eclipse instead of completely blocking the solar disk, it's known as an annular eclipse or "ring of fire" eclipse. And although the Sept. 1 event won't be a total eclipse of the sun (or of the heart), it will still be a stunning sight leading up to another annular eclipse in February 2017 and the total solar eclipse in August 2017. 

Islamic State's top spokesman al-Adnani 'killed in Aleppo'

Al-Adnani was mostly known for his calls for lone-wolf attacks in the West

Islamic State

• Islamic State group: The full story

• Why so-called Islamic State chooses to bomb during Ramadan

• Islamic State: An invincible force?

• Who is Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?

The chief spokesman for so-called Islamic State (IS) has been killed in Syria, IS-affiliated media say.

In a statement distributed by the group's supporters, Amaq News Agency reported that Abu Muhammad al-Adnani died in the city of Aleppo.
He was "martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo", it said.

TV audience for MTV VMAs drops, while Facebook streams rise tenfold

The TV audience for Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards dropped by a third to 6.5 million, compared to 9.8 million last year, the New York Times reports.

But Viacom, which owns MTV, has said the number of people streaming on Facebook had a tenfold increase.
In 2015 there were 4.4 million streams on the social network - this year it rose dramatically to 45.8 million.

Facebook lets users prompt danger alert

Facebook is to enable members to trigger its Safety Check service themselves if a dangerous event occurs near them.

Until now, it could only be activated by Facebook staff.Safety Check lets people notify their friends and family that they are safe in the aftermath of a natural disaster or human conflict in their area.

Tasmanian devil DNA shows signs of cancer fightback

Fighting cancer with evolution: The Tasmanian devil

A genetic study of Tasmanian devils has uncovered signs that the animals are rapidly evolving to defend themselves against an infectious face cancer.

One of just three known transmissible cancers, this tumour has wiped out 80% of wild devils in the past 20 years.

Researchers looked at samples from 294 animals, in three different areas, before and after the disease arrived.

Two small sections of the devil genome appear to be changing very fast - and contain possible cancer-fighting genes.
The team, made up of US, UK and Australian scientists, described their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Gene Wilder death: Star of Willy Wonka dies aged 83

US actor Gene Wilder, remembered by many for his namesake role in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, has died at the age of 83, his family confirmed.

The comic actor also starred in classic films such as The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

Mr Wilder frequently collaborated with writer and director Mel Brooks as well as stand-up comedian Richard Pryor.

Bourne's 3D conversion sends Chinese heads spinning

Matt Damon is apparently a lot less fun to look at in 3D

A 3D version of the latest Bourne movie made exclusively for Chinese cinemas has caused local audiences to complain about headaches and nausea.

The format remains hugely popular in the country, particularly when it comes to action movies.

But the conversion process required to give the 2D-shot film an extra dimension seems to have been ill-judged in this case.

Beyonce dominates the MTV Video Music Awards 2016

Beyonce was the big winner at last night's MTV VMAs in New York.

The singer scooped seven awards in total including the prestigious prize for video of the year for the track Formation.

"First of all I'd like to thank my beautiful daughter and my incredible husband for all of their support," she said during one acceptance speech.

Held annually, the VMAs, rewards musicians for their visual efforts.

Early human ancestor Lucy 'died falling out of a tree'

The famous fossil was scanned during a break on a US museum tour

New evidence suggests that the famous fossilised human ancestor dubbed "Lucy" by scientists died falling from a great height - probably out of a tree.
CT scans have shown injuries to her bones similar to those suffered by modern humans in similar falls.

The 3.2 million-year-old hominin was found on a treed flood plain, making a branch her most likely final perch.

It bolsters the view that her species - Australopithecus afarensis - spent at least some of its life in the trees.
It's tested every day in emergency rooms all around the planetProf John Kappelman, Univeristy of Texas at Austin.

Writing in the journal Nature, researchers from the US and Ethiopia describe a "vertical deceleration event" which they argue caused Lucy's death.
In particular they point to a crushed shoulder joint, of the sort seen when we humans reach out our arms to break a fall, as well as fractures of the ankle, leg bones, pelvis, ribs, vertebrae, arm, jaw and skull.

Entertainment: Frank Ocean beats Dolly Parton and David Brent to UK number one

Frank Ocean won best international male at the 2013 Brit Awards.

Frank Ocean's long-awaited new album has gone to the top of the UK album chart, beating Dolly Parton and Ricky Gervais's comedy alter-ego David Brent.

The R&B singer's album Blonde has had combined sales of 32,000, including 26,000 downloads, since being released via iTunes and Apple Music on Saturday.
That put it ahead of Dolly Parton's 43rd studio album Pure & Simple.

And David Brent's Life On The Road, the soundtrack for Gervais's new film of the same name, is at number three.

Facebook overhauls Trending feature after bias claims

Facebook said the changes would allow "our team to make fewer individual decisions" on topics
Social media giant Facebook has overhauled the Trending feature on its site to make posts more automated after claims of left-wing bias.
Facebook's 1.7 billion users see news stories and topics picked using a mixture of AI and human input.
Under the changes, descriptions of stories are no longer written by editorial staff,the company said.

Donald Trump doctor admits writing health note in five minutes

Donald Trump's doctor has said he spent just five minutes on a letter endorsing the Republican candidate's health, while Mr Trump's car waited outside.

"In the rush I think some of those words didn't come out exactly the way they were meant," Dr Harold Bornstein told NBC News.

Dr Bornstein's letter said Mr Trump, 70, would be the "healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency".
He said he "picked up" the candidate's own "kind of language" when writing it.
Two weeks before the note was written, Mr Trump tweeted to say he had "instructed my long-time doctor to issue, within two weeks, a full medical report", adding that it would "show perfection".

Italy earthquake: Mass funeral for 35 victims

A mass funeral has taken place in Italy for some of the 290 people killed in Wednesday's powerful earthquake.

Thirty-five victims from the town of Arquata were mourned at a sports hall in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno.
The coffins, laid out in rows on the floor, included two painted white for two children killed.
The death toll from the quake, which struck a mountainous central region, has again risen as more bodies were found.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was among those attending the funeral along with President Sergio Mattarella, who earlier visited Amatrice, the town with the most casualties.
Bishop Giovanni d'Ercole urged those affected not to lose courage.
"Together, above all we will restore life to our communities, starting from our traditions and from the rubble of death," he said.

Airlander 10: Longest aircraft damaged during flight

The world's longest aircraft - the Airlander 10 - has been damaged after nosediving on landing during its second test flight.

The 302ft (92m) long aircraft - which is part plane and part airship - was damaged during the flight from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire.

The £25m craft sustained damage to its cockpit when it hit the ground at about 11:00 BST.
HAV, the developer, said all the crew were "safe and well".
A spokesman said: "The flight went really well and the only issue was when it landed."

The company has denied claims from a witness that a line hanging down from the vehicle hit a telegraph pole about two fields away from its landing.

The £25m plane is understood to have sustained damage to its cockpit

In a statement, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), said: "The Airlander experienced a heavy landing and the front of the flight deck has sustained some damage which is currently being assessed."

Earth-sized world 'around nearest star'

Artwork: The planet's mass would suggest it is a rocky world like Earth

The nearest habitable world beyond our Solar System might be right on our doorstep - astronomically speaking.

Scientists say their investigations of the closest star, Proxima Centauri, show it to have an Earth-sized planet orbiting about it.

What is more, this rocky globe is moving in a zone that would make liquid water on its surface a possibility.

Proxima is 40 trillion km away and would take a spacecraft using current technology thousands of years to reach.

Italy earthquake: Death toll rises to at least 120

At least 120 people have been killed and 368 injured in an earthquake that hit a mountainous area of central Italy, PM Matteo Renzi has said.

The magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome, not far from Perugia.
Many of the dead were in the historic town of Amatrice, where the mayor said three-quarters of the town was destroyed, and in nearby Accumoli.
Many people are still believed to be buried under rubble.
"This is not a final toll," Mr Renzi warned as he gave the latest figures.
He had earlier paid tribute to the volunteers and civil defence officials who had rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and used their bare hands to dig for survivors.

Top 10 Technology Trends

Think of your last 24 hours. Chances are you’ve had several moments of continuous connection with information, apps, services, devices and other people. This “digital mesh” surrounds the individual and new, continuous and ambient experiences will emerge to exploit it.
Our lives are becoming increasingly connected to our devices, other people and a variety of things. Smart machines get smarter, and a new IT reality must evolve with technology architectures and platforms to support the advancement of a digitally connected world.
This year’s top 10 strategic technology trends are grouped into these three complementary trends that are mutually reinforcing with amplified disruptive characteristics.

Internet, The Weird Place!

The internet can be a weird place, and it’s only getting weirder as more and more people gain access. If your elderly relatives have started adding you on Facebook, you know what we’re talking about. But the surprises of the web don’t begin and end with your free-spirited aunt airing the family laundry online. The business side of the internet can be pretty surprising too, and if you know anything about social media marketing you know that social media statistics can be downright shocking.

Social media has changed the way we do pretty much everything

Social media has changed the way we do pretty much everything. I bet some of you can’t even remember a time before social media!


Check out these 47 amazing social media facts – you could even share them with your own networks to demonstrate how knowledgeable you are.