Dodge Charger and Toyota Supra Turbo Not pictured: Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, Volkswagen Jetta Total Vehicle Cost: £300,000 Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 53%
Ferrari 308GTS QV and Porsche 911 SC Cabriolet Total Vehicle Cost: £143,000 Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 67%
Today, you can get both cars from the epic race along Sunset Boulevard for what you'd spend on a new 911.
Dodge Monaco Police Not pictured: Cadillac Sedan DeVille, Fleetwood Southwind RV, Ford Country Squire wagon, Ford Pinto wagon Total Vehicle Cost: £98,000 Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
One Ford Mustang and one Dodge Charger. That was all it took back in 1968 to create what is still considered the greatest chase scene in Hollywood history, in 'Bullitt'. When it comes to chase scenes, excellence doesn't require expensive sheetmetal or exotic engineering. Here's the proof that a great fleet of cars doesn't necessarily equal a great Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Goldfinger - 1964
Aston Martin DB5 Not pictured: Ford Mustang convertible and Mercedes-Benz 180 (2) Total Vehicle Cost: £110,000 Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
The original gadget-laden DB5 from the film was stolen in 1997 and never seen again. In 2010, an Ohio collector paid £3 million for another of the cars used in the film.
Of all the discoveries an archaeologist could make, this has to be one of the more gruesome. Twenty feet beneath Liverpool Street, in the heart of the City of London, excavators recently uncovered a human skeleton deprived of its head. The skull had been placed between the victim's legs.
The mysterious remains, which date from the Roman period, were dug up as part of the Crossrail project, a £15 billion scheme to establish a 26-mile rail network across the capital. And they are just one of several grim artefacts that are challenging long-held beliefs about Roman Britain, shedding light on ancient Celtic practices and terrifying Roman customs.
As well as the headless skeleton, a team from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) has found several skulls in a neat row alongside a tree-lined Roman road.
The theory up to now, based on the discovery of other skulls in this quarter of the city, was that the heads had simply washed up here from an ancient cemetery. The River Walbrook, a former tributary of the Thames, once flowed through this part of London, and could have eroded the cemetery's soil, carrying bones with it. But the discovery of these latest skulls doesn't fit the erosion theory.
"These discoveries can't all be explained by the natural environment," says the project's lead archaeologist, Jay Carver. "I think we're now looking at a mix of origins. Some of the skulls are likely to have arrived here through erosion by the river, but evidence is also mounting to support the theory that this part of London was an execution and display area."
This may account for the discovery nearby of shackles and a manacled wrist. And it is known that gladiators who fought in the nearby Roman amphitheatre (which was built in around AD120 and is now buried underneath the Guildhall) would often decapitate their opponents. The amphitheatre was also used to execute common criminals, whose heads would be displayed on poles to act as a deterrent to other would-be miscreants.
It is also possible the skulls were collected by Roman or British headhunters, who decapitated their enemies in battle and displayed the heads as trophies. There is evidence of head-taking from across the Empire - Trajan's Column in Rome has relief carvings that show the Romans decapitating their foes.
But Carver and his colleagues have yet to detect the sort of fracturing you'd expect if the skulls had been placed on spikes, and some experts have speculated that they may instead have been simply set down on the ground, raising the possibility that the skulls were part of a ritual dedication and nothing to do with punishment at all.
Celtic pagan beliefs coexisted, and even mingled, with Roman religion throughout England. According to one of the oldest Celtic beliefs, the head was a source of unique potency, almost a life force of its own, in which one's strength and wisdom were concentrated. When someone died, their head was therefore seen as a worthy offering to the gods, which could be removed and dedicated ritually. This might explain why several of the London skulls are missing jawbones. Those that survived the deceased sometimes kept fragments of bone, possibly to protect themselves from evil spirits.
Whoever buried the Liverpool Street skeleton with its head between the knees might have hoped to prevent the spirit of the deceased from wandering the Earth.
"There is a long-standing northwest European concern with heads, and this allows it to be argued that the Walbrook skulls were part of this wider and longer-standing interest," suggests Dr Dominic Perring, principal research fellow at University College London's Institute of Archaeology.
Bronze sculptures of other body parts, including arms and hands, have previously been discovered at Springhead near Dartford, and are believed to have been pagan dedications made in the interests of restoring health.
According to Roman historians, the Celts also practised ritual human sacrifice. While Julius Caesar noted that those who lived in Gaul sacrificed humans to the gods to try to reverse sickness or ill-fortune in battle, the historian Tacitus described Druids examining human entrails in Anglesey, Wales.
Of course, the Crossrail site has not just unearthed artefacts from the Roman era. The experts from MOLA have also amassed a vast collection of bones, pottery and historical objects - many of which are the subject of a Channel 4 documentary, London's Secret Skeletons, next month - that are helping them to shed light on the history of London all the way up to the 20th century.
But it's the decapitations that may yet make the most memorable, even alarming, addition to the history books.
Dr Daisy Dunn is a classicist and art historian. London's Secret Skeletons will air on Channel 4 in June
Former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is among nearly 90 European figures on a secret Russian "stop list" banned from entering the country.
Other names reported to be blacklisted by the Kremlin include the former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, Defence Minister Philip Dunne and former defence minister Andrew Robathan.
They are joined by MI5 director general Andrew Parker and the former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers on what appears to be a leaked version of the list that has appeared online.
The disclosure comes after a number of EU politicians tried to travel to the country in recent months, only to be told at the border they could not enter Russia because they were on the list.
The list was handed to the EU's ambassador by the Moscow authorities earlier this week after repeated requests.
The move has been condemned by the Foreign Office, which said there was "absolutely no justification" for it.
The measure will be widely seen as a response to EU sanctions against Russia over its support for separatist rebels fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine.
An EU spokesman said: "The list with 89 names has now been shared by the Russian authorities.
"We don't have any other information on legal basis, criteria and process of this decision.
"We consider this measure as totally arbitrary and unjustified, especially in the absence of any further clarification and transparency.
"We are keeping in close contact with the member states involved."
The Foreign Office said the existence of the list would not affect EU sanctions.
"There is absolutely no justification for this list.
"And the Russian authorities have not provided any legal basis for the list or for the names on it," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.
"If Russia thinks this action will cause the EU to change its position on sanctions, it is wrong.
"The way for Russia to get the sanctions lifted is to remove its troops from Ukraine and comply with its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
"The EU and member states are urgently seeking more transparency from the Russian authorities for this move."
Mr Clegg has been an outspoken critic of Russia, with Lib Dem ministers snubbing last year's Winter Olympics in Sochi because of the country's anti-gay laws.
He also argued Russia should lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup following the downing of a civilian airliner in eastern Ukraine last July, with the loss of 298 lives.
A fishing boat captain has died after being gored by a swordfish in a harbour in Hawaii.
Randy Llanes, 47, spotted the 3ft-long fish in the water in Honokohau Harbor, in Kailua-Kona, and dived in with his speargun.
He shot the creature and the fish began thrashing around and speared him in the upper chest with its 3ft-long bill.
A police spokesman said the speared fish "got wrapped around a mooring anchor, came back and swam at him".
Mr Llanes, who ran chartered big game fishing trips from the marina, was pulled from the water by onlookers.
He was taken by ambulance to Kona Community Hospital, but doctors could not save him.
Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources said it is investigating the incident, which happened at 11am local time on Friday.
Officials found the dead fish near yachts, and said it weighed around 40lb.
Friends paid tribute to the father-of-one, and said his death has shocked the community.
Dale Leverone told Khon 2 television station: "He was just a great local boy. A good attitude, good person, a help-anybody kind of guy.
"He had a heck of a lot of friends. It's pretty sad, pretty tragic.
"Randy has been fishing all his life. He's a pretty accomplished fisherman. He actually caught a 500lb marlin yesterday out of his skiff."
Experts said swordfish are usually found in much deeper water.
This spiky-fluffy cut is the perfect frame for Jessica’s pretty, young face. The bob is cut with a few layers to emphasise the tousled finish and create a curved silhouette that draws attention to the neck and jawline. The contemporary centre parting is just right for an oval face, but can be adjusted easily to fit a range of other face-shapes. Do you like this bob cut? Find more latest bob hairstyles here.
Keira has got the balance of hair, makeup and gown just right in this red carpet picture, showing a very happy face! The bob is all one-length with an untidy, blurred parting in an off-centre position for a casual look. The subtle medium copper-brown shade is complemented by copper eyeshadow and suits Keira’s brown eyes and skin tone perfectly. And against this simple natural style, Keira’s peachy-beige gown with ‘glass’ sequins and ruffled edges completes this young and pretty image.
Here a fabulous version of the face-flattering pixie cut, which uses Rihanna’s gorgeous natural curls to full advantage! This cut is buzzed at the side and around the ear in a clean curved line. The middle sections are left longer and shaped into a closely-curled ‘mohawk’ running from the nape to the forehead. As you can see this is a great way to show off a pretty profile and defined jawline and with the shower of stars decorating Rihanna’s neck and back, shows her in a happy and relaxed mood!
The inverted bob just never goes out of fashion and always looks trendy and modern! This is owed to the steeply cut angles and the clever layering of the back section, which magically produces the exaggerated volume at the back of the head. Keeping the look totally contemporary and showing off the beautiful cut, the under layers are dark brown. The top layers are shot through with pretty golden highlights that soften the angles and create a lovely texture at the sides.
Here’s Victoria in an edgy, modernistic look which mixes several different textures in a creative and youthful hair design! This is a pixie cut with layering that can be lightly back-combed to produce added volume and a casual, tousled effect around the crown. The ends are heavily textured to create spiky tips and the fringe is defined and piecey to keep it from looking too heavy. The nape hair is left long and wispy to add a touch of softness to a very exciting look!
This elegant style takes the side-swept wave from retro-up do’s – for glamour – and cleverly contrasts it with a slick, smoothed back short cut. The colour is a very classy neutral blonde, shot through with warm light lowlights and roots. And the result is a stunning evening look, with just the right touch of flattering height that shows off Eva’s lovely rounded forehead!
This simple cut is given texture, movement and dimension from the expertly blended blonde and light-brown shades. The layers are long reaching down to the ears, where they are graduated to create a softer line. The smoothness of the top contrasts with the edgy, textured tips and the darker hair at the nape accentuates the Jenna’s neck and her fabulous profile. Love this cut? Find more latest celebrities hairstyles here.
January loves the sexy but chic styles that are so easy to achieve in a bob with long layers. As usual, January’s cut is the latest style and the layered, stacked cutting at the back is graduated down to the longer layers around the face. This creates an unusual and attractive amount of exaggerated volume at the back producing a very modern silhouette. With the glamorous medium blonde waves highlighted by pale copper-pink balayage, January gets absolutely top marks for her very appealing red carpet hairstyle. If you don’t like this cut, you may like these stacked A line bob haircuts here.
Whether you are a fan of British TV’s Downton Abbey, or just love this retro-look seen in The Great Gatsby film this year, here’s how good it looks in thick hair with a natural wave. Cara has a deep side-parting with a beautifully defined finger wave running back to the crown. And instead of one of the head-hugging finger-wave styles, Cara’s style is very curly at the ends to create an attractive contrast and add lots of side-volume for a perfectly balance silhouette.
This is another great look for anyone with thick naturally wavy hair who wants a trendy look, that doesn’t need lots of expensive styling products or complicated care. The hair is cut in more or less the same length, with the line moving down from the latest short at the back cut which produces lots of attractive volume and a nice, full silhouette. Parted in the middle, with loose, defined waves framing Lily’s face looks super and you can easily add some extra glamour with a spiffy hair accessory or perhaps a diamond tiara!
Looking sultry and predatory in this photo-shoot, Milla shows that the chin-length bob is definitely not the safe option for the fashionable 21st century woman! The trendy asymmetrical shape is accentuated by styling the hair beneath the side parting back, flat from the face, revealing a statement earring. And the longer side falls casually down over the face in a cut that could be saying, ‘I am woman – watch me roar!’
A side-part asymmetric bob like Ali’s wearing here is always going to be one of our favourite trendy styles. It’s so flattering for all women and the parting can be adjusted to suit anyone’s face shape. This bob has a contemporary casually tousled finish and has been promoted to glamorous by the beautifully subtle golden blonde shades that reflect the light and add lots of depth, texture and movement.
For an eye-catching hairstyle that will ensure you are always centre-stage, brighten up your bob with an all-over blonde shade like Alice. The hair is gently curved under on one side and flipped out on the other, creating a fabulously casual look that’s pretty, but not too girly. This style is suitable from most hair types and can really show off fine, silky hair, too. And one thing never changes; men find women with a peek-a-boo fringe fascinating, because part of your gaze is hidden from view. This challenges some men, who will be irresistibly drawn to you by a need to look into your partially veiled eyes!
This boy cut is perfectly balanced to frame Anne’s face with the two side-points giving a nice feature which links the top and bottom of the face and shows this pixie is a trendy style-setter. The hair is closely-cropped at the sides and on top creating a nice touch of natural body. And the forward styled top has great texture, which ends in a micro-fringe one side to soften the line and add a hint of contemporary asymmetry. Do you like this boyish haircut for women? And here is a gallery of Asian hairstyles for men, check it out here.
Cameron has lovely shaped eyes, which are also an unusually light blue, so she knows that this chin-length, asymmetrical bob is a great way to keep them in full focus. The deep side parting and swept across styling add springy volume from root lift and the totally trendy mix of pale, neutral blonde shades adds lots of depth and movement in her silky, fine hair.
This beautiful bob cut looks almost sculpted from pale gold metal. The graduated bob is a timeless style which always looks highly contemporary, because of the sharp angles from back to the longest lengths at the front. With one side pushed behind the ear and the piecey fringe creating a golden strip ending at one beautiful brown eye, this metallic-blonde cut and colour is flattering, young and totally now!
One of the best ways of highlighting a glowing complexion and a young face is to frame it with a sharply razored haircut. The clever creative contrast between the geometric lines in Emma’s trendy hairstyle, and her soft and pretty face, complements her beauty look perfectly! Find the latest most popular pixie cut for women here.
Halle knows exactly what suits her sophisticated style and dainty facial features, and this evening version of her favourite pixie cut has just the right touch of contemporary chic. The extra height on top is very attractive and the tiny touch of fringe softens the forehead line. Notice how the soft, side-points are cut to accentuate Halle’s high cheekbones, making this apparently simple haircut into a really face-flattering choice!
Wonderful waves like this are suitable for taming naturally curly hair into a contemporary look and for giving fine-medium hair more volume. The bob is cut to finish just above the shoulders and then the twisty waves take up the length, so the hair falls prettily around the chin and neck. And just look how those flattering waves falling in the perfect position to draw attention to India’s brown eyes and flawless complexion!
Karlie is undoubtedly a major style icon for anyone who loves high-energy individuality! This bob is cut to just past the chin, without layers, except in that cute asymmetric fringe ending just above one eye. This creates a clever beauty accent for her beautiful blue eyes. The asymmetry continues in the twisted strand on one side making a loose ringlet and the careless way the other side is just popped behind the ear in a relaxed young look! Great for a long to short makeover, with the colour pepped up with some subtle, warm dark-blonde highlights.
Ultra-cool is the theme for this unusual, futuristic haircut which makes the most of Marion’s thick dark hair. The bob is strongly asymmetrical with a sharply angled line running down from the exaggerated volume at the back down to the trendy, defined tresses that create a fabulous profile in a truly original look.
Megan shows her flair for contemporary style in those strongly-shaped glasses, which are the perfect shape and shade to flatter her face. But they call for a strong hair colour to get the perfect balance that we see in this picture. Megan’s rich, deep auburn hair colour is an excellent choice for her pale skin tone and matches her glasses exactly. Overall, the slightly shaggy cut with trendy textured tips creates a fabulous spiky silhouette and the short, side-swept fringe ensures that Megan’s lovely face is absolutely on show!
When you have a skin as perfect as Michelle and those lovely hazel eyes, a pixie cut is the best way to keep all focus on the face. Michelle’s pixie is styled to create lots of texture and movement on top and that sweet side-swept fringe adds interesting asymmetry. With a subtle golden blonde colour technique to match her porcelain skin, Michelle looks totally trendy at this elegant red carpet event. This is a great short hair style for round, oval, heart faces.
Thick or coarse hair types are easy to tame when you have the right haircut to bring out the beauty of your locks. This chin-length bob, with a side parting and a touch of relaxed waviness, creates the perfect frame for Vanessa’s glowing, skin tone and accentuates her beautifully dark eyes!
Short cuts can also be very soft and feminine and here’s a great example of that. Maggie’s hair is cut into a layered chin-length bob, which is about an inch shorter at the back to add volume and emphasise the attractive forward movement. The off-centre parting is a little crooked and along with a couple of defined waves at the sides, keeps the lightly tousled finish flattering and casual.
Morena’s always has lots of lessons in French chic to share with her fans. This blunt-cut bob makes the most of her thick naturally wavy hair, to create a beautiful dark frame around her face which accentuates the brown of her pretty eyes. This is a great way to get control of thick, curly hair so you can style it quite easily or not at all and just add a pretty barrette hair-slide to dress it up for special occasions!
With those beautiful Bambi-eyes, Sami’s simple short cut is the perfect way to show them off. Her fine hair is trimmed into a layered short cut with long points in front of the ears to balance with the long fringe. The trendy fringe is combed down and slightly curved to the side in a piecey style that just hovers over the eyebrows. The end result is sophisticated simplicity which displays Sami’s silky soft hair and beautiful porcelain skin very naturally. Find out the latest most popular 55 pixie cuts for short hair.
Here’s another of Sami’s lovely short cuts showing how to keep all the focus on the face to emphasise the eyes and create a youthful look. In this version, you can see how the short layers and side parting create more volume around the top of the head and show the attractive silky texture. The pretty side-swept fringe is broken to soften the line and add a little imperfection to contrast with her otherwise perfect face!
With bright blue eyes like Brittany’s it’s a good policy to choose a simple style that keeps the focus on the face. This style combines the pale blonde that’s softer than the harsh, platinum-blonde and dark roots look, with some very subtle golden blonde lowlights. The effect adds more colour dimension to the hair and we love the unexpectedly golden roots along the side parting and at the sides! The cut is a medium bob with heavily textured ends to add an urban vibe and graduated up towards the face to emphasise the lips and Brittany’s pretty chin!
This, now iconic, photo of British actress, Dame Helen Mirren, is an excellent example of how mature ladies can still be trendy and playful with their hairstyles. The shape and layered cut suits fine hair as it makes it easier to fluff it up when you want to add volume and vary your look. The lightly side-swept fringe has textured tips and is styled to show the forehead underneath in a piecey finish. And the cute pink ‘colour-wash’ doesn’t look like a silly novelty colour, but harmonises beautifully with Helen’s silver-white hair and adds warmth to her pale skin tone. Complemented by pink blusher and lipstick, this is a very pretty and feminine look for women of all ages!
Following the trend for short, simple cuts this is the way to flatter your face and display your fine, silky hair to full advantage! The short bob has expertly-cut layers shaping it into a lovely graduated curve which ends at chin level in delicately textured tips. This fabulous beige blonde shade is the perfect complement for grey eyes. It’s one of the latest hair colours which add an almost metallic shimmer to fine hair and make the look very soft and appealing. And the good news is that this short hairstyle looks great on women of all ages, too!
Perfect for looking up-to-date on any occasion, this flattering short bob is also very simple to wash and style. The hair is razor cut in layers ending at the chin and has edgy dark roots under a pale, neutral blonde. The layers create a fabulous asymmetric silhouette on the longer side and tucked carelessly behind one ear, this look is casual contemporary chic at its best!
This full-bodied look is the answer to how to control thick, naturally curly hair and look amazing every day! The bob has long layers at the front and sides gradually moving shorter to be shaped into the nape of the neck. The asymmetric side parting allows thick hair to create attractive natural volume on the top and sides. And the long waved fringe curves in at just the right places to frame Ciara’s eyes and draw attention to her lovely face. The gorgeous colour is one of the latest golden shades and suits her warm skin tone beautifully! Do you like these curls? Here are some tutorials for curls without heat!
Here’s another fabulous style for fine hair, that’s simple to ‘wash and go’ and no bad hair days! The deep side parting creates an attractive asymmetry, which we can’t get enough of because it can be adjusted to fit and flatter every face shape, and some clever colour patterns. The dark roots are lightened to an edgy pale blonde and then trendy copper highlights are added. This accentuates the defined strands of hair over the head and sides in a completely new way!
Halle is another excellent hair role model, who never puts a foot wrong. Her hair is razor cut in a geometric shape with heavily textured ends. Then it’s styled from a blurred side parting to give a flattering piecey fringe that allows glimpses of the forehead to soften the line. The crisp side points keep all eyes on Halle’s amazing cheekbones. This style is great for thick or coarse textured hair that needs firm control. And it’s one of those great makeover styles that always leaves the wearer looking younger!
We love the way dark hair can be given fresh life with some subtle golden highlights avoiding the harsh look of blonde highlights in brown hair. This medium-length bob has just a few long layers to create extra volume at the ends of the hair. The off-centre parting divides the asymmetric sides, with the longer side just covering one corner of the forehead. Most of the forehead is visible, making this a great choice for anyone with a low forehead who wants to add length to their face shape. And those loose, defined waves are great for adding volume in fine hair!
Julianne Hough always shows the way with her highly contemporary haircuts that can be styled in a variety of different face flattering ways. This choppy bob has heavily textured tips and a very modern look emphasised by the urban chic dark brown roots. In addition, the platinum-blonde shade gains lots of depth and dimension from the perfectly placed dark-blonde lowlights. The choppy bob is another great style for fine to medium-textured hair that is a dream to style and always looks new and trendy!
Gene Hackman starring in “The French Connection”, and accepts the Cecil B. DeMille award on stage at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in California.
Clint Eastwood, who turns 85 on May 31, 2015, still enjoys a worldwide fan following. And he’s not the only actor from the 1970s who continues to command Hollywood’s attention. Here’s a look at the legends who still wield influence in the film industry.
Sean Connery (1973 and 2013)
Sean Connery in a picture taken on January 12, 1973, and attending the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York on September 5, 2013.
9. Sepp Blatter's salary as Fifa president has never been disclosed, but it is estimated that £100 million a year is paid out to executives in personal expenses and that Fifa's revenue stands at £3.7 billion.
10. He speaks fluent French, Italian, English, German and Spanish. Friends, colleagues and rivals generally concur that he can be charming - note his tendency to dance (dreadfully) at major public events - but utterly ruthless. "When it serves him - and when his power is at stake - he will do almost anything to defend it," said Gerhard Aigner, Uefa's former general secretary.
7. Blatter might be despised by many football fans and officials in Europe but has been brilliant at shoring up his power base by remaining hugely popular with countries in Asia and Africa. Each of the 209 Fifa nations has one vote in the elections, regardless of the population, meaning Montserrat, Cape Verde and Curacao have as much say as Germany, Brazil and England.
8. There appears little hope of England hosting the World Cup without huge reform in Fifa. Immediately before voting for the 2018 World Cup, Blatter apparently reminded members of the executive committee of the "evils of the media". He also blamed the UK media for creating the controversy over Qatar hosting the World Cup, despite the allegations of bribery and the tournament being moved to the winter because it was subsequently decided that the original bid proposal was not feasible. "Sadly there is a great deal of discrimination and racism, and this hurts me," said Blatter.
5. He has also caused outrage over his pronouncements on racism in football (he said "there is no racism"), on homosexuality (he advised gay fans at the 2022 Qatar World Cup to "refrain") and told John Terry, following allegations of an extramarital affair, that "if this happened in, let's say Latin countries, then I think he would be applauded".
6. Allegations of serious corruption by Fifa officials have followed his presidency. This week's 47 FBI charges span almost 25 years and involve more than £97.5 million in illegal payments. The individuals indicted by the US prosecutors are nine Fifa officials and five marketing executives. Blatter himself has not been charged.
3. Blatter is fond of reminding journalists that he was once a sports writer and time member of the International Association of Sports Journalists. He had graduated from the University of Lausanne with a business degree and previously worked in PR. So legend has it, he also worked as a wedding singer to supplement his income.
4. Blatter has regularly offended with his remarks about women in football. Asked how to improve the popularity of their sport, he said: "Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts. Female players are pretty if you excuse me for saying so."
The Swiss has risen to the top of football through clever politics, questionable comments and dreadful dancing
1. Sepp Blatter was born in Visp, a remote Alpine town in Switzerland in 1936. He has been married three times and has one daughter, Corinne, who lives in Visp where she owns a local restaurant. "It think when he's gone, when he's not Fifa president, they are going to realise what he has done," she said. "Thanks to him the world is a little better."
2. He has been re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term. He has worked at Fifa since 1975, first as technical director, then general secretary for 17 years from 1981 and then as Fifa president for the past 17 years, having first been elected in 1998.
The US district court alleges massive corruption by Warner within its prosecution of 14 people, including serving and former high-ranking Fifa officials and sports marketing company executives alleged to have paid bribes.
As president from 1990 of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) and a Fifa executive committee (exco) member, Warner from the early 1990s “began to leverage his influence and exploit his official positions for personal gain”, the indictment alleges. His demand for and receipt of bribes, the authorities allege, was a key part of a 24-year racketeering and bribery conspiracy, dating from 1991 to 2015, which led to “endemic corruption” of Fifa itself.
Most extraordinary in a 164-page indictment is an alleged $10m payment transferred by Fifa to Caribbean Football Union (CFU) accounts that Warner controlled, in return for Warner, Chuck Blazer and an unnamed third Fifa exco “conspirator” voting for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. The indictment alleges the South African government initially offered to make this payment to the CFU, with a stated purpose to “support the African diaspora”.
From this $10m, Warner is alleged to have agreed to pay $1m to Blazer – who, according to the US Department of Justice, has pleaded guilty to this and a series of other financial frauds and crimes.
Ultimately, the South African government is said to have been unable to pay the $10m, so in early 2008, four years after the offer was made, the money is alleged to have been paid by Fifa. Three payments are itemised: for $616,000, then $1.6m, then the balance, $7.784m, wired from a Fifa account in Switzerland to CFU and Concacaf Bank of America accounts controlled by Warner.
The indictment alleges: “Soon after receiving these wire transfers, the defendant Jack Warner caused a substantial portion of the funds to be diverted for his personal use,” which included laundering the money through intermediaries.
Warner is accused of agreeing to pay Blazer’s $1m share in instalments “as he had already spent it”. In the event, he paid Blazer $750,000, in three instalments between 2008 and 2011, allegations to which Blazer is said to have pleaded guilty.
The indictment also charges Warner over the infamous payments of $40,000 packs of cash to Caribbean delegates in 2011 by Mohamed bin Hammam, who was challenging Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency. Warner, discovering that one official had called Blazer at Concacaf to tell him about the payments, is alleged to have become angry and said: “There are some people here who think they are more pious than thou. If you’re pious, open a church, friends. Our business is our business.”
Warner, whose sons Daryll and Daryan have pleaded guilty to separate charges, has insisted he is innocent and has not been questioned in relation to the indictment.
The case against Jeffrey Webb
Webb, based in the Cayman Islands, became Concacaf president, a Fifa vice-president and exco member in May 2012, after Warner resigned following the scandal over the $40,000 payments.
Webb has been seen as a clean-up figure and potential successor to Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency but the US indictment accuses him of brazen corruption, being paid bribes that went into building a swimming pool at his house. The bribes are alleged to have been paid by the sports marketing company Traffic USA, in return for being awarded TV and marketing rights for the Caribbean countries’ qualifying matches in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Webb is said to have wanted a $3m bribe in return for ensuring the CFU did that deal with Traffic. The indictment alleges Aaron Davidson, the president of Traffic Sports USA, another of the 14 men charged, knew about the bribe.
The $3m payment is alleged to have been arranged with another of the defendants, Costas Takkas, a UK citizen and the general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, who is described as a close associate of Webb. Takkas is said to have been paid by instalments into various accounts, including in the Cayman Islands, intended it is alleged, “to conceal the fact the defendant Jeffrey Webb was the beneficiary of the payment”.
Takkas is accused of wiring some of the money to an account of his in Miami. Then, the indictment alleges: “Takkas subsequently transferred the funds to an account in the name of a swimming pool builder at United Community Bank in Blairsville, Georgia [USA], for the benefit of the defendant Jeffrey Webb, who was having a pool built at his residence.”
Webb is understood to have been arrested by Swiss authorities in Zurich for extradition to the US, where authorities have stressed defendants are innocent until proven guilty in court.
The case against Chuck Blazer
Blazer, the Concacaf general secretary for 21 years between 1990 and 2011, is said to have pleaded guilty in 2013 to 10 counts including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, income tax evasion from 2005-2010, and failure to file reports of his foreign bank accounts. The Department of Justice said he faces a maximum 20 years’ incarceration in a US prison for the conspiracies, 10 for the failure to declare his foreign bank accounts, and five years for the tax evasion charges.
Blazer was accused of soliciting a bribe for Warner as long ago as 1992, from the bid committee seeking to have Morocco selected as the host for the 1998 World Cup. Warner is said to have accepted the offer of a bribe in return for voting for Morocco, and Blazer chased it up for him. The payment was ultimately made, the indictment says, but in fact Fifa’s exco voted for France to host the 1998 tournament.
Blazer is said to have also pleaded guilty to receiving $750,000 from Jack Warner, part of Blazer’s agreed $1m share of the $10m paid to Warner’s accounts by Fifa itself, after Warner agreed to vote for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.
The charge of failing to declare a foreign bank account relates to money Blazer held during 2010 at First Caribbean International Bank, in the Bahamas. He has already forfeited $1.9m when he pleaded guilty, and is due to pay more to the authorities when he is sentenced.
Controversial TV presenter, Richard Keys, has denied that anyone has died during construction work ahead of Qatar's 2022 World Cup, despite figures suggesting that over a thousand labourers have been killed while building sporting venues.
The International Trade Union Confederation estimate that 1,200 workers have died while building infrastructure for the event, and estimate that a total of 4,000 will be killed before it takes place. That is 62 deaths for each game played.
A Guardian investigation last year revealed workers were dying at a rate of one every two days in 2014.
But Mr Keys, a former Sky Sports presenter who now works for beIn Sports, a global network of sports channels jointly owned and operated by Qatari Sports Investments, has challenged the figures.
On Twitter Mr Keys said he had "been doing some checking" and claimed there had been "no fatalities" - yet he was unable to provide further information about where he got his figures from.
In 2011, Mr Keys resigned as a Sky presenter after he made derogatory comments about female assistant referee Sian Massey.
Mr Keys was also challenged on Twitter over Qatar's gay rights record and was equally dismissive of criticism. He wrote: "I know, I live here."
Twitter users lambasted Mr Keys for his comments, as many challenged his "facts" and called him a "liar".
Earlier this week, five international footballers, including former Tottenham midfielder David Ginola, demanded Qatar abolish the labour system that allows migrant workers to be “held hostage on the world’s biggest building site” ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The letter, organised by campaign group Avaaz, read: “Over one million workers, a majority of them immigrants from poor nations, are effectively held hostage on the world’s biggest building site which experts say could see 4,000 people dying even before the first ball is kicked.
"The name of this beautiful sport should not be sullied by the blood, sweat and tears of those who are building this spectacle. We call on FIFA, Qatar and all the construction firms profiting from this business to abolish this kafala system.”
A chart illustrating the body counts of workers involved in construction for the last four Olympics and two World Cups, and comparing them to the reported death toll for the 2022 Qatar World Cup has been released.
Play Fair Qatar states on its website: "By far the most appalling aspect of the Qatar’s treatment of its foreign construction workforce is the disregard for their safety.
"The Qatari government have – slowly – been forced to admit that upwards of 40 workers are dying every month, and there may be many more.
"Many die in falls, including being struck by falling objects, but the long hours and the harsh heat lead to hundreds dying from heart attacks.
"Based on figures from India and Nepal alone – and there are hundreds of thousands of workers from other countries – the International TUC has estimated that more than 4,000 people will die building the World Cup infrastructure. That’s more people than will play in the World Cup.
"In contrast, not one single person died building the London Olympics venues, and only two in building the supporting infrastructure.
"Given that Qatar requires up to another million labourers to meet its World Cup plans, the number of deaths could be even higher – unless Qatar acts now to change the way workers are treated."
Guardian columnist, Marina Hyde, examined the increasing number of "slave deaths" during the construction work in the wealthy country.
She wrote: "Clearly there must be a magic number of slave deaths in the world’s richest country that would render the Qatar World Cup a moral and political no-no. But what is that number? What is the ballpark figure where deaths in the construction of ballparks become unacceptable?"
Writing about the estimated 62 lives that are expected to be lost for each game played, she said: "Perhaps players in every match could each wear 62 black armbands.
"Then again, that would probably contravene Fifa’s strict rules on what constitutes official kit, infringements of which it punishes ferociously. On infringements such as mass slave death, however, the evidence suggests it is more relaxed."
Ms Hyde also took to Twitter to challenge Mr Keys, pointing at the statistics from independent agencies who record the astonishingly high number of deaths predicted from the Qatar construction programme.
This latest controversy follows a week of football scandals.
A criminal investigation into Fifa senior officials is now underway after a number of high-ranking staff were charged with alleged corruption.
On Friday it was announced that Britain's Serious Fraud Office was actively assessing "material in its possession" relating to allegations of possible corruption at Fifa after British-based banks were allegedly used to transfer tens of millions of pounds as part of the conspiracy.
Those implicated include Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank.
Newly re-elected FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has condemned a "hate" campaign by European football officials as he hit out at a US corruption investigation.
Mr Blatter comfortably won his fifth term as president on Friday, two days after seven leading FIFA officials were arrested on bribery charges in a dawn raid in Zurich under a US warrant.
As he addressed FIFA's executive committee on Saturday morning, Mr Blatter again insisted he is the man to lead world football's governing body through the crisis and denied any personal involvement in the alleged acts of bribery.
In an interview with broadcaster RTS before the address, Mr Blatter singled out European football's governing body UEFA and its head, Michel Platini.
Mr Platini was one of many people calling for Mr Blatter to stand down over the scandal.
"It is a hate that comes not just from a person at UEFA, it comes from the UEFA organisation that cannot understand that in 1998 I became president," Mr Blatter said.
Asked whether he would forgive Mr Platini for the resignation calls, Mr Blatter said: "I forgive everyone but I do not forget."
Mr Platini has raised the possibility - albeit slim - of Europe boycotting the World Cup.
There has also been talk of UEFA breaking away from FIFA, but that is also seen as unlikely.
Mr Blatter also said he suspected the arrests this week were an attempt to "interfere with the congress" at which he was re-elected.
The 79-year-old told RTS: "There is something that smells."
He said: "If they have a financial crime that regards American citizens then they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress."
He also noted that the US was the "number one sponsor" of Jordan, where his challenger for the FIFA presidency Prince Ali bin al Hussein comes from.
Meanwhile, Football Association vice-chairman David Gill confirmed he will not take up his post on FIFA's elite executive board, refusing to serve under Mr Blatter.
Mr Gill, a Manchester United director, confirmed he did not attend Saturday's first executive committee meeting.
"This action is not something I take lightly but the terribly damaging events of the last three days have convinced me it is not appropriate to be a member of the FIFA executive committee under the current leadership," Mr Gill said.
Earlier, a top American investigator said he was "fairly confident" there would be more arrests in the scandal.
Richard Weber, the head of the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigations unit, told the New York Times: "I'm fairly confident that we will have another round of indictments.
"We strongly believe there are other people and entities involved in criminal acts."
Mr Weber would not identify the remaining targets of the investigation, or say whether Mr Blatter was among them.
He also dismissed the idea the US government was on a mission to topple the leadership of FIFA.
Mr Weber said: "I don't think there was ever a decision or a declaration that we would go after soccer. We were going after corruption.
"One thing led to another, led to another and another."
Federal authorities told the newspaper the timing of the indictments had nothing to do with the presidential election and was not an attempt to damage the re-election changes of Mr Blatter.
An IRS spokesman confirmed Mr Weber made the remarks and said the case is "open and ongoing".
Now-a-days LeAnn Rimes is sporting a much bigger bust, as evident in this shot the singer posted of herself on Instagram in 2014. Back in 2011 a source revealed to Us Weekly that she'd had a boob job. "She's always, always been insecure about her size," the source told the mag. "She was a small A-cup. She often talked about wanting to get implants. She'd say, 'I just want a little bit so they're proportionate to my body.'"
Country/pop star LeAnn Rimes won us over with her stunning vocal chords on hits like "How Do I Live" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight." She emerged on the scene as a bright-eyed, baby-faced teen in the 90s. But by early 2011, she looked noticeably different.
