Jan. 15, 2007 | 11:45 PM EST

It was a dream-making night for onetime

who kicked off the Golden Globes with a win for her role in

"I had always dreamed, but I never ever dreamed this big," Hudson said as she accepted her best supporting actress trophy. "This goes far beyond anything I could have ever imagined."

It turned into a big night for the film, which took the best movie (musical or comedy) category and best supporting actor trophy for Eddie Murphy. "Wow," he said. "I'll be damned."

– and gave the best acceptance speech as he described getting up close and personal with his costar's "wrinkled golden globes" in the film's naked wrestling scene.

Top drama winners included Helen Mirren (best actress for

(best drama) and Forest Whitaker (best actor for

). In comedy, America Ferrera won for her lead role in ABC's

which also took home the TV comedy prize, and Meryl Streep earned a trophy for

PEOPLE movie critic Jason Lynch gives the full report in his live blogging of the night:

11:05 p.m. – We've reached the evening's end. Arnold bids us farewell: "Don't forget next year. We'll be back!" Oh, C'mon Arnold!

11:00 p.m. – Three hours, and now there's only one more award to go: A hobbling Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger (who broke his leg skiing) hands the

trophy, in mild surprise, to

would take it. I'm just stunned that something Helen Mirren was involved in

win.) But it's the best news

have heard all night. They're beaming from ear to ear as director Alejandro González Iñárritu starts off his speech by cracking, "Governor, I swear I have my papers in order."

10:52 p.m. – We're just flying through categories now. Felicity Huffman hands out

Whitaker is taking his time and trying to catch his breath. Doesn't he realize there's no time for breathing with the show running late? Still, he's genuinely overcome with emotion, and his speech is stirring, though halting: Run, Forest, run!

Accepting her fourteenth (okay, her second) award of the night, she proves a benevolent ruler once again, with another regal speech. All hail Queen Helen!

10:43 p.m. Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette break the record for shortest time onstage presenting

. "I'm staring at Jack Nicholson!" marvels creator Shonda Rhimes. Yeah, we heard a rumor about that.

10:37 p.m. – Jennifer Lopez reveals the winner of

: The winner is..."Brad you owe me," says Lopez. Um, what film is that?

apparently. Producer Laurence Mark accepts and kisses a none-too-thrilled Lopez. Although the music comes up fast, Mark manages to squeeze in several thank-yous – but doesn't mention Beyoncé. What's a girl gotta do to get thanked, for crying out loud?

10:27 p.m. – Finally, the moment I've been waiting for –

's victory is a given (thankfully, he does win), but will he accept as himself or Borat? Looks like it's going to be as Cohen, given the British accent. There's a potential minefield – he starts taking about "the ugly side of America" – but just when we're worried about a heavy speech, he brings the house down with a racy joke about his

costar Ken Davitian's "two wrinkled golden globes." He finishes off by his thanking "every American who has not sued me so far." Perfect.

. "I'll try to talk a little faster than I normally do," he quips. He too pays homage to Jack, but he's the first person tonight to actually thank him for a film-related reason (Jack, of course, was in

10:10 p.m. – Beatty takes the stage and admits, "The truth is, I haven't made an awful lot of movies." (Especially lately) He playfully scolds Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson, who are still churning out hits while he's at home with Annette and the kids. "I don't know why these guys can't take it a little easier." He announces he'll act again, then starts quoting Borat as if he's auditioning for the sequel. Finally, he wraps it up by thanking (at last!) the Hollywood Foreign Press and Annette, "for making me feel like I am always your most promising newcomer." It's sweet – but at least seven minutes long!

9:58 p.m. – One hour to go, and somehow there are still awards to present. It's time for the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the lifetime achievement award. Tom Hanks points out that

this year's winner, won his Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe in 1962. I'm still trying to figure out why Hanks, who has never appeared onscreen with Beatty, is presenting the award. Perhaps because no one else could pull off this fine line: "What balls this man has!" says Hanks, "and by balls, I mean artistic vision."

She accepts the award on behalf of all the women who don't look like...well, like everyone else in the auditorium.

9:45 p.m. – Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore clear up why Prince was MIA earlier. He was "stuck in traffic." Oh yeah, and Alexandre Desplat wins

He's not a star so he smartly wraps up his speech before he gets the hook.

9:36 p.m. – Djimon Hounsou and Sharon Stone (did they just pair presenters by picking names out of a hat?) present

pays homage to Jack Nicholson, who had nothing to do with the film. (Do they take your Globe away if you don't give props to Jack?).

arrives onstage to introduce a

clip. He's name-checking audience members (hey, Prince!) just like he did during his

acceptance speeches two years ago. Wait, he's not

9:29 p.m. – I think we could all use a breather from the breakneck speed at which these awards are being handed out. Whew. It's time for the

! The Globes continues its tradition of recognizing new TV series. Maybe next year, they won't have to sit in the back of the auditorium! Vanessa Williams, apparently, had a table in the parking lot, because she doesn't find her way onstage until a couple minutes into the speech.

9:21 p.m. – Tim Allen and Vanessa Williams (a bizarre pairing) present

NBC's entire Thursday night lineup is nominated, plus Tony Shalhoub for

in the process doing what I thought was impossible: keeping Shalhoub off an awards stage. Baldwin becomes the first winner to kick off his speech with a reference to his hernia surgery – at least he didn't bring photos.

9:19 p.m. – The actor awards take a break, now it's

Note to all producers: If you want a Golden Globe for your film, all you have to do is cast Helen Mirren.

but director Martin Scorsese is too busy kissing Cate Blanchett on the cheek to watch the scene.

9:11 p.m. – Now the

have their say. Helen Mirren wins (for

). I'm starting to worry about Annette Bening, who has lost twice tonight and is sipping champagne

time the camera is on her. Hopefully she'll be able to keep it together when her husband gets the Cecil B. DeMille Award later on. Meanwhile, something tells me Mirren will be back onstage before the night is through.

9:09 p.m. – Next up,

Everyone in the room was apparently nominated (okay, seven people, but still).

comes out on top for BBC's

9:06 p.m – Hey, Eddie Murphy didn't thank Beyoncé either. Will anyone thank her tonight? Our eyes turn to you,

9:00 p.m. – We're at the hour mark, and it seems like we've given out about 73 awards so far. Now it's the most star-studded category by far,

We've got Brad Pitt, Eddie Murphy, Jack Nicholson, Ben Affleck and Mark Wahlberg.

takes it. He got a few jokes in, and was energetic enough to make his long list of thank-yous fly right by. Hopefully the night's other winners will follow suit. (Meanwhile, Prince – a no-show earlier for his best song win – is in the audience after all. I guess he doesn't "do" acceptance speeches.

8:57 p.m. – Salma Hayek presents the

In true Brit fashion, the acceptance speech is clipped and dry. On to the next category.

8:55 p.m. – Ben Stiller is presenting a clip from

He works in a humorless plug for his film

but that's okay, everyone in the audience is still milling about and no one is really listening anyway.

8:46 p.m. – Joaquin Phoenix presents

(beating poor Renee Zellweger, who even stayed out of the bathroom this time for her category). Uh-oh, she's pulling out a list of names to thank. "Oh shut up, it's not that long." Touche, Meryl! She's so graceful accepting her award, you'd think she's done this once or twice before. Then she tops it all off with a smart plea to – pretty please – have independent films played on more screens throughout the country. Is there a classier woman in Hollywood?

8:42 p.m. – Steve Carell is presenting

a new award this year. Carell's a good sport: he voiced a character in

which wasn't nominated. The winner is

(has Pixar ever lost an award?) "Animation is awesome!" enthuses director

who seems to have ingested a cup of coffee or 12.

8:40 p.m. – Charlie Sheen introduces

which was directed by his brother Emilio Estevez. Apparently, Charlie isn't bitter about literally being the only actor in Hollywood who does not appear in the film.

8:31 p.m. – The cast of

It's hard to go wrong with any pick in this category, but they go the boring route and give it to

's Hugh Laurie, who also won last year. "I'm speechless. I'm literally without a speech," he says, but still puts together a clever one. There are lots of laughs, though he doesn't quite top last year's speech where he pulled scraps of paper out of his pocket, each containing the name of someone he wanted to thank. Someone please put this guy in a comedy...stat!

8:28 p.m. – Next up,

' Elizabeth Perkins, but it goes to

Blunt goes 1-for-2, after losing to Jennifer Hudson for her bitch-perfect role in

Sadly, she seems to be nothing like her Prada character: there's no delicious dissing of her co-nominees.

8:23 p.m. – Naomi Watts introduces the first motion picture drama nominee, Babel. She stumbles over director Alejandro González Inárritu 's name. I suddenly feel much better, now that I know I'm not the only one who gets tongue-tied.

8:19 p.m. – The oddest part of the Globes is the offstage interviews they do with the winners. So we go directly from Kyra Sedgwick's speech to ...Kyra's backstage interview. Wow, who would have guessed that just a few seconds after winning, she's still excited and overwhelmed?

8:15 p.m. – Now it's time for

or as Tina Fey calls it, "the least humorous performance by a female." This one goes to Kyra Sedgwick – yes! – for

(Actually, her performance is quite humorous, thank you very much.) Don't you love how all these acceptance speeches now boil down to whether or not they'll thank their famous spouses? Thankfully, Kyra nails the dismount: She thanks not only her husband, Kevin Bacon, but each of her kids.

It's been a bad few moments for Beyoncé, who loses to an absent Prince, who wins for

's "The Song of the Heart." Timberlake slouches down to accept on behalf of the diminutive Prince. On the heels of hosting

last month, this guy is developing some comic chops.

8:01 p.m. – No host means no opening monologue. YouÂll have to wait for the Oscars. Instead, we get right down to it with the first award, with George Clooney presenting

The crowd is pulling for front-runner

who indeed takes the prize. She hit all the right notes in her speech, but oops, she forgot to thank costar Beyoncé. Uh-oh...the night's first scandal!

Summary:
It was a dream-making night for onetime American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, who kicked off the Golden Globes with a win for her role in Dreamgirls. "I had always dreamed, but I never ever dreamed this big," Hudson said as she accepted her best supporting actress trophy. "This goes far beyond anything I could have ever imagined."
It turned into a big night for the film, which took the best movie (musical or comedy) category and best supporting actor trophy for Eddie Murphy. "Wow," he said. "I'll be damned."
Sacha Baron Cohen won best actor for Borat – and gave the best acceptance speech as he described getting up close and personal with his costar's "wrinkled golden globes" in the film's naked wrestling scene.
Top drama winners included Helen Mirren (best actress for The Queen), Babel (best drama), and Forest Whitaker (best actor for The Kind of Scotland). In comedy, America Ferrera won for her lead role in ABC's Ugly Betty, which also took home the TV comedy prize, and Meryl Streep earned a trophy for The Devil Wears Prada.For more of the night's top winners, click here.PEOPLE movie critic Jason Lynch gives the full report in his live blogging of the night:


The new promo video for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Girls creator Lena Dunham, features a nude scene — but it’s not Dunham who disrobes! Instead, it’s SNL cast member Kate McKinnon, who — in one of the video’s several takes — appears topless because she and Dunham had “agreed to wear the same outfit.”

But don’t worry. The three-and-a-half-minute promo doesn’t only reference the whole Lena Dunham/Girls/nudity thing. McKinnon and Dunham — a.k.a “Leens” — have plenty of other jokes in their arsenal. One of those jokes (that we kind of wish weren’t a joke at all) is about McKinnon possibly appearing on Girls one day — either as “a character who moves in with Hannah and just follows her around and does everything with her” or, alternately, “a person who killed Hannah and then lived as her.” Not weird at all.

Summary: The 'Girls' creator will host the show this coming weekend


Dr. Irving Bieber, a psychoanalyst and professor who headed a major study in 1962 on the origins of homosexuality, died yesterday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. He was 80 years old and lived in Manhattan.

He died of pulmonary complications, a friend of the family said.

Dr. Bieber, a professor emeritus in the psychiatry department at New York Medical College in Valhalla, N.Y., taught psychoanalysis, wrote about it and conducted research into it for 60 years. But he was best known for his controversial view of homosexuality. He believed it was an illness that could be treated or prevented through psychotherapy -- a view that has since been discredited.

Born in New York City, Dr. Bieber graduated from New York University Medical College in 1930. He worked at Yale Medical College and New York University before joining the New York Medical College in 1953. There, he helped devise a course in psychoanalysis that was the first of its kind. Importance of the Father

In 1962 he headed a team of colleagues that published "Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytical Study of Male Homosexuals" (Basic Books), a nine-year study of 106 gay men. The study, the largest and most extensive on the origins of homosexuality at that time, held that disruptions in family relationships early in life contributed to a child's homosexual development. It concluded: "A constructive, supportive, warmly related father precludes the possibility of a homosexual son; he acts as a neutralizing, protective agent should the mother make seductive or close-binding attempts."

Dr. Bieber's study helped bring candor to the discussion of homosexuality, but his view of it as deviant behavior was controversial even then and has since been disavowed. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders, but Dr. Bieber remained steadfast, telling an interviewer the same year that "a homosexual is a person whose heterosexual function is crippled, like the legs of a polio victim." 'Took a Lot of Abuse'

Dr. Judd Marmor, who is a psychiatrist and professor at the University of California at Los Angeles and who was a classmate and colleague of Dr. Bieber's, said yesterday: "It was one of Dr. Bieber's characteristics that he found it very hard to admit his mistakes.

"I think he made only one major error -- his insistence that homosexuality was an illness," Dr. Marmor said, "and for that he took a lot of abuse in his later years, which I'm sure was very painful for him. But he never backed down."

Dr. Bieber is survived by his wife, Dr. Tony Bieber, a psychologist and psychoanalyst who collaborated on several of her husband's papers, and a sister, Roslind Byrnes, of New Rochelle, N.Y.

Photo: Dr. Irving Bieber (Denis Chalkin, 1973)


With scientists forecasting sea levels to rise by anywhere from several inches to several feet by 2100, historic structures and coastal heritage sites around the world are under threat. Some sites and artifacts could become submerged.

Scientists, historic preservationists, architects and public officials are meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island - one of the threatened areas - to discuss the problem, how to adapt to rising seas and preserve historic structures.

"Any coastal town that has significant historic properties is going to be facing the challenge of protecting those properties from increased water and storm activity," said Margot Nishimura, of the Newport Restoration Foundation, the nonprofit group hosting the conference.

Federal authorities have encouraged people to elevate structures in low-lying areas, but that poses challenges in dense neighborhoods of centuries-old homes built around central brick chimneys, Nishimura said, especially ones where preservationists are trying to keep the character intact.

Many of the most threatened sites in North America lie along the East Coast between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and southern Maine, where the rate of sea level rise is among the fastest in the world, said Adam Markham, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a speaker at the conference.

"We're actually not going to be able to save everything," he said.

Click through to see examples of popular landmarks and historic sites that are under threat from rising sea levels.

Summary: Rising sea levels due to climate change are threatening some of America's most iconic historic sites


BATON ROUGE, La. -- The U.S. Justice Department will lead the investigation into the killing of a black man shot to death by Baton Rouge police, Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday.

Alton Sterling was shot and killed early Tuesday outside a convenience store where he was selling CDs. Authorities say he was confronted by police after an anonymous caller said he saw a man threaten someone with a gun. In a cellphone video taken by a community activist, two officers had Sterling pinned to the ground, and gunfire erupted moments after someone yelled, "He's got a gun! Gun!"

Alton Sterling in Facebook photo Close

Edwards said the video "is disturbing to say the least."

In a statement, the U.S. Justice Department said the FBI's New Orleans Division, the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Louisiana have opened a civil rights investigation into the 37-year-old's death. Louisiana State Police will assist, Edwards said.

"I have full confidence that this matter will be investigated thoroughly, impartially and professionally," Edwards said.

Edwards urged calm in the wake of public outrage over the shooting. He said he had expressed condolences to Sterling's family, who is also asking for any public gatherings to remain peaceful.

"It's a horrible thing, it's a horrible thing to happen to him," said Sandra Sterling, an aunt who raised Alton Sterling, at a press conference earlier Wednesday. "He didn't deserve that."

The two officers who responded to the report of a gun threat had some type of altercation with the man and one officer fatally shot the suspect, Cpl. L'Jean McKneely said. Baton Rouge Police say Sterling was armed.

Baton Rouge Police identified the officers as as Blane Salamoni, a four-year veteran, and three-year veteran Howie Lake II. They have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard department policy.

The video that purported to show the shooting further fueled public anger on Tuesday, prompting hundreds to protest. The protest lasted into the night, with people chanting and holding up signs.

Some may find the cellphone video disturbing and graphic.

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports

Sandra Sterling said Wednesday the video "made us realize what really happened. It shed light on everything we didn't know."

"Mr. Sterling was not reaching for a weapon. He looks like a man that was actually fighting for his life," said state Rep. Edmond Jordan, an attorney for Sterling's family.

Quinyetta McMillon, the mother of Sterling's teenage son, trembled as she read a statement outside City Hall, where a few dozen protesters and community leaders had gathered. Her son, Cameron, 15, broke down in tears and was led away as his mother spoke.

She described Sterling as "a man who simply tried to earn a living to take care of his children."

"The individuals involved in his murder took away a man with children who depended upon their daddy on a daily basis," she said.

In the video, which appears to be shot from inside a nearby parked car, one of two police officers outside the store can be seen tackling a man in a red shirt and wrestling him to the ground. Then the other officer helps him hold the man down.

At one point someone can be heard saying, "He's got a gun! Gun!" and then one officer on top of the man can be seen pulling his weapon from his holster. After some shouting, what sounds like a gunshot can be heard and the camera pulls away. Then another four shots can be heard. At one point, a person in the vehicle asks, "They shot him?" as a woman can be heard crying.

CBS News has not been able to authenticate the video. But the appearance of the store in the video matches the front of convenience store where the shooting occurred. The man being subdued by police was wearing a red shirt, matching the description given earlier by police.

Wednesday, advocates demanded justice and called for the officers involved to be arrested and charged with murder. Also at the Wednesday news conference, the head of the NAACP in Baton Rouge called for Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. to be fired.

"What I'm calling for today is that the (mayor) to fire the police chief," Michael McClanahan said. "He must step down. We cannot have anybody who allows this type of action to take place."

U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of New Orleans called earlier Wednesday for the federal investigation. In a statement he called the video "deeply troubling."

Richmond said he shares the anger over the incident, which he said "has understandably evoked strong emotion and anger in our community."

The Advocate reported the crowd that gathered late Tuesday afternoon at the store where Sterling died grew to more than 200 people. They chanted "black lives matter" and "hands up don't shoot," waving signs late into the night, according to the newspaper.

An autopsy shows Sterling died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr. William Clark said.

Summary: The U.S. Justice Department will investigate the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alton Sterling outside a Baton Rouge convenience store where he was selling CDs


The gals have got their ‘see’ legs as they get ready to strut their stuff at the Mermaid Parade. (Anthony J Causi)

MARCHING TO THEIR OWN BEAT: Drummers hut the beach during the arts bash. (Getty Images)

Fair-skinned sirens Auburn Layman (left) and sister Jessica Layman (right) have a ball at the annual parade. (Paul Martinka)

The crowd gets into the action at the annual bash at Coney island. (Getty Images)

Partiers let it all hang out at the Mermaid Parade. (ZUMAPRESS.com)

Mermaids of all sorts showed up for the annual Mermaid Parade. (ZUMAPRESS.com)

WE’RE BACK, BAB Y! Thousands of revelers celebrated the return of summer — and Brooklyn’s Coney island — today. The boardwalk was hard hit by Sandy. (Paul Martinka)

Coney Island nearly went the way of Atlantis when Superstorm Sandy swept up the East Coast last fall, but even that couldn’t stop Brooklyn’s strutting mermaids from hitting the boardwalk on the first weekend of summer.

Hundreds of thousands of people mobbed the seaside amusement district Saturday for the spectacle of outlandish floats, wacky costumes and bare skin that is Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade.

Billed as the world’s largest art parade, the nautical-themed procession along the boardwalk and nearby Surf Avenue almost didn’t happen this year.

Coney Island was hit hard by Sandy. Hundreds of homes and businesses flooded. One major attraction, the state aquarium, was badly damaged. The offices of Coney Island USA, the organization that hosts the parade, were inundated, too.

But the beach’s famous boardwalk was one of the few on the coast that was spared. Most of the carnival rides, including the historic Cyclone roller coaster, have reopened. Parade founder Dick Zigun turned to Kickstarter and raised more than $100,000 so the show would go on.

Renae Johnson, a 31-year-old art therapist from Manhattan who arrived wearing a seashell bikini top, fishtail skirt and white makeup, said she wouldn’t have missed this year’s parade for the world.

“I’m not a religious person, so this tends to be my Christmas,” she said.

For Seena Ghaznavi, it felt like the storm never happened.

“From the energy, you would not be able to tell that Sandy came through here,” said Ghaznavi, 29, who came as a genie in a turban and harem pants.

The parade, which began in 1983 and takes place on the Saturday closest to the first day of summer, is a mix of seedy, raunchy and family fun. This year’s version featured dancers, bands, square politicians, people costumed as pirates, octopuses and sailors, and many women wearing fake fish tails on their bottoms and nothing but sequined pasties — or less — on top.

Each year the parade is presided over by a ceremonial “King Neptune” and “Queen Mermaid.” This year’s king was 30 Rock actor Judah Friedlander. The Queen Mermaid was journalist and “Real Housewives of New York City” star Carole Radziwill.

Ernest Mitchell, who works at a hardware store a block from the parade route, said the parade is a much needed morale booster after a tough year.

“Everybody is looking forward to the weather being nice and people coming back to Coney Island,” he said. “It’s not like it used to be, but we’re happy the parade’s still going on and people may come back for the summer and visit the rides.”

Summary: The gals have got their ‘see’ legs as they get ready to strut their stuff at the Mermaid Parade. (Anthony J Causi)MARCHING TO THEIR OWN BEAT: Drummers hut the beach during the arts bash…


07/12/2016 AT 08:00 PM EDT

is ready to make you like her – live!

The pop songstress' This Is What the Truth Feels Like tour kickoff performance at the Xfinity Center outside Boston

on Yahoo Music Tuesday night.

The singer, 46, was at the venue early for opening day, joined by her brother, Todd, and new beau

– who attempted to steal a kiss from the wrong Stefani!

Blake Shelton and Todd Stefani

, the singer-songwriter's tour will also hit cities like Virginia Beach, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I would consider it a breakup record," Stefani

of the new record, which came after her split from husband

. "It just makes me believe in God and my journey. My cross to bear was to go through these heartbreaks and write these songs and help people."

Watch Stefani's performance live, above, on Tuesday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Summary: Yahoo Music will stream a live performance from Gwen Stefani's tour kickoff on Tuesday night


updated 09/22/2003 AT 01:00 AM EDT

•originally published 09/22/2003 AT 01:00 AM EDT

For a quarter century it looked like the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley might never see the inside of a courtroom. Now it seems as though the case may have trouble staying out of court. Although Michael Skakel was convicted last year of beating Moxley to death back when they were 15-year-old neighbors in Greenwich, Conn., his defense now claims it has evidence implicating two other people in the crime. The latest allegations come from onetime Skakel schoolmate Gitano "Tony" Bryant–reportedly a cousin of embattled L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant. At a Sept. 4 hearing Skakel attorney Hope Seeley announced she would seek a retrial based on new information that two then-teenage friends of Tony Bryant's from his Bronx neighborhood were the real killers. Says Skakel's cousin Doug Kennedy: "It certainly should be investigated." Why it hasn't been already raises troubling questions: Both the prosecutor and the defense team learned about Bryant's version of events before Skakel's trial. Crawford "Tres" Mills, a former schoolmate of both Bryant and Skakel's who was writing a script about the case, told The Hartford Courant that Bryant confided in him in '01; Mills then contacted both sets of lawyers. "We were skeptical of it when it first came in," says prosecutor Jonathan Benedict of the Bronx tale. "And we remain extremely skeptical." Mills found a more receptive audience this year when he wrote to Skakel's cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Skakel's lawyers then videotaped an interview in which Bryant, a Miami entrepreneur, describes how his pals picked up golf clubs from the Skakel yard and vowed to attack Moxley "caveman style." Whether this account wins Skakel a new trial remains to be seen. But Martha Moxley's mother, Dorthy, now 68, points out that in 1975 three young strangers would surely have been noticed in her exclusive neighborhood. "I really believe," she says, "that Michael Skakel killed my daughter."

Summary: A Bombshell Claim from a Prep-School Classmate May Help Convicted Murderer Michael Skakel Win a Shot at Freedom


07/18/2016 AT 12:05 PM EDT

for your hometown Indiana Pacers? $8.8 million. Endorsement gig

? Likely a nice chunk of change. Living in your parents' basement? Priceless.

Apparently there's no place like home for Jeff Teague, 28, who this month got traded from the Atlanta Hawks to his hometown team, the Pacers.

Teague had purchased a home in Indianapolis some years ago but when he re-signed with Atlanta in 2013, he gave the house to his parents,

Now that he's sold his house in Atlanta and is back in town, Teague said he has moved back in with his mom and dad for the whole season, and he's even letting them (or maybe they're making him?) keep the master bedroom.

"They got the master," he said. "I just got the basement."

On the plus side, he gets to stay out as late as he wants. "I don't think I've had a curfew since I turned 18," he says.

Another advantage? No yardwork! "My dad mows the lawn," Teague said, "So I got out of that one."

No word on if any home-cooked meals are included in the arrangement.

Summary: Jeff Teague returned to Indianapolis hometown to play for the Indiana Pacers – and to the nest


NEW YORK, N.Y. – Former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki is endorsing John Kasich for president, sources tell NBC News.

Pataki, the former governor of New York from 1996 to 2006, formerly endorsed Marco Rubio. Pataki was one of Kasich’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination last year before dropping out of the race in late December.

Hardball with Chris Matthews, 4/14/16, 7:01 PM ET

Chris Matthews asks John Kasich why he hasn’t received as many votes as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries at an MSNBC Town Hall in Long Island, NY.

The Pataki endorsement comes just five days before the New York primary, which has taken on new importance since the fight for the GOP nomination has lasted into April.

Kasich has been campaigning hard in New York, making a number of trips to locations across New York City and in upstate New York. While he sits far behind both Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the battle for delegates, he currently stands second place in most New York polls, behind Trump and ahead Cruz.

This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.

Summary: Former New York Republican Gov. George Pataki was one of John Kasich's rivals for the presidential nomination before dropping out of the race in late December.


The new strategy in many ways resembles the old strategy: make acquisitions to attract traffic and reverse a continuing decline in advertising and revenue from its dial-up Internet service. In the latest iteration of its do-over, it is paying $315 million to buy the liberal news commentary site The Huffington Post, not long after paying $25 million to buy TechCrunch, the Silicon Valley technology news blog.

But skepticism runs deep that this effort will be any more successful than the many other makeovers it has tried in the last decade.

“My gut says that the clock has run out for AOL, but I’m happy to see someone make a bold bet,” said Salim Ismail, a former Yahoo executive. “Doing nothing is worse.”

AOL has its doubters among investors. Its shares fell 75 cents, or 3.42 percent, to close at $21.19 on Monday.

Even some AOL insiders poked fun at The Huffington Post deal. Michael Arrington, the voluble founder of TechCrunch, who frequently ridicules AOL’s bureaucracy even though he now works for the company, did so again on Monday. “I want to know right now,” he wrote in a post on Twitter to Arianna Huffington, the site’s founder, on Monday morning, “whether or not you had to sit thru the four-hour orientation meeting.” Several hours earlier, he wrote that he liked her, “despite her insane politics.”

AOL is making a big bet on Ms. Huffington. She has been given the task by AOL’s chief executive, Timothy M. Armstrong, of stitching together the company’s disparate content sites into a cohesive news factory for the digital age. But turning that vision into reality will be a challenge, given that AOL is beset by a decade-long decline in its core legacy business of dial-up Internet service as well as declining revenue from online advertising.

Indeed, despite traffic of 112 million visitors a month, AOL’s online advertising fell 26 percent last year, to $1.28 billion, while advertising for the rest of the industry rose 17 percent, according to eMarketer. Revenue from its dial-up subscribers also declined 26 percent, to $1.02 billion.

Finding a way to replace revenue from AOL’s declining dial-up business is an imperative for Mr. Armstrong, who took over as chief executive in 2009.

The company has gone through multiple overhauls over the years, but none of them have worked. It bought a collection of blogs, including Engadget and Joystiq, in 2005. It bought an advertising network, Tacoda, for $275 million in 2007. It lurched yet another direction when it bought Bebo, a social networking site in 2008, but sold that last year for a fraction of the $850 million it paid. It also made its subscription e-mail service free, like Google’s or Yahoo’s, yet it lost users.

Mr. Armstrong is now focusing his turnaround effort on editorial content, one of AOL’s traditional strengths.

Mr. Armstrong’s vision resembles that of another chief executive struggling to resurrect a legacy Internet company, Carol A. Bartz of Yahoo.

Internet users would come get a variety of news from one source. In AOL’s case it would be local news from Patch, technology start-up news at TechCrunch and cultural and political news from The Huffington Post. AOL also would provide information from its Mapquest and Moviefone services.

But AOL has yet to show signs of progress with this model, though AOL executives have said that its display advertising business will pick up in the second half of 2011.

“This huge transition that Tim Armstrong is trying to pull off hasn’t worked yet,” said Ken Doctor, a news industry analyst with Outsell and author of the book “Newsonomics.” Mr. Doctor said, “They have all these assets that aren’t recognizable as a single company.”

AOL finds itself in the rare position of selling less online advertising, while all around it major media companies are selling more. AOL’s problem is that it is still dependent on subscribers, those people who pay a minimum of $10 a month for dial-up service, to support its advertising business. AOL’s paying subscribers peaked at 26.7 million subscribers in 2003, but has now dropped to 3.85 million. That’s 86 percent fewer people looking at ads on AOL.

Mr. Armstrong is counting on The Huffington Post to lift online advertising by lifting traffic and page views. Eventually, AOL hopes to rebuild on this new foundation.

How does Ms. Huffington change that? Huffington Post is a master of finding stories across the Web, stripping them to their essence and placing well-created headlines on them that rise to the top of search engine results, guaranteeing a strong audience. For instance, on Sunday it posted an article that was pure search engine bait, “What Time Does the Super Bowl Start?”

Mr. Armstrong said that he hoped to accelerate The Huffington Post’s growth by tying it in with AOL’s other properties, and in turn lift traffic to those other properties. Expanding The Huffington Post internationally and creating a video version of The Huffington Post are among the planned projects.

Mr. Armstrong said that this time AOL’s remodeling would be different. Unlike the previous failed strategies by his predecessors at AOL, he said in an interview Monday, “We’re betting on something that’s a known quantity and something that’s going to happen.”

Buying The Huffington Post is “doubling down” on that strategy, he said.

He said, for instance, that The Huffington Post created a second front door for users into AOL’s content and gave AOL the ability to cut content in different ways and target advertising.

“Huffington Post is a scaled version of what we’ve been doing.”

AOL can help to improve The Huffington Post, which he says, commands low rates from advertisers. Paring with AOL will lift The Huffington Post’s traffic. AOL increased TechCrunch’s traffic by 30 percent since its acquisition, he said.

Mr. Armstrong acknowledged the skepticism about AOL given its past failed turnaround efforts. But he said that growth in online advertising would ultimately offset the loss in dial-up subscribers sometime in 2013.

“We are essentially two years away from a growth business on the Internet.”

AOL will pay for The Huffington Post out of nearly $802 million in cash on hand at the end of 2010. The remainder provides a cushion for expansion.

“They need to buy their way out of the access business, and this is a pretty big step in that direction,” said Youssef H. Squali, an analyst with Jefferies & Company.

A chart on Feb. 8 with an article about AOLâs efforts to remake itself through acquisitions like that of The Huffington Post, using information from comScore, misstated the traffic to SB Nation, a sports Web site. It had 7.3 million unique visitors in December, not 2.1 million.

A chart on Feb. 8 with an article about AOLâs efforts to remake itself through acquisitions like that of The Huffington Post, using information from comScore, misstated the traffic to SB Nation, a sports Web site. It had 7.3 million unique visitors in December, not 2.1 million.

Summary: In buying the liberal news commentary site The Huffington Post, AOL is trying to meld its disparate content sites, attract traffic and increase advertising revenue.


Odell Beckham Jr. is back at it with the Josh Norman chirps. During last year's Week 15 matchup featuring Beckham's Giants and Norman’s Panthers, tempers flared between the wide receiver and cornerback. The two jousted back and forth, and Beckham was even suspended for the Giants' Week 16 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

Now that Norman has signed on with the Washington Redskins, an NFC East rival of the Giants, he will line up against Beckham twice in the upcoming season, and the trash talk is starting to pick back up.

"It goes back to what I was saying," Beckham says in a recent GQ interview. "If I wasn't playing him twice a year, maybe people wouldn't bring it up as much. But now it’ll be a lot more media attention for him, attention that I don't really look for, attention that I don't need. The reason he's become so relevant is because of me."

For for the record, the two players jousted on Twitter in March:

That boy should thank me for all I've done for you !!! Your welcome tho ... Lol

— Odell Beckham Jr (@OBJ_3) March 25, 2016

@Obj_3 As your boy @Drake would say "trigger finger turn to Twitter finger's" huh? I'm not Guna sub Tweet you Ima @ You. So wassup?

— *Joshua R. Norman (@J_No24) March 25, 2016

With all the tension between Beckham and Norman, it will be interesting to see how the season series shapes up.

More NFL: -- Jameis Winston Shows Off 20-Pound Weight Loss -- Cam Newton And Panthers Surprise Baltimore Beach Volleyball Players -- Calvin Johnson Doesn't Know How Many Concussions He's Had

Carolina Panthers, Cornerback, famous, Football, josh norman, Kanye West, New York Giants, NFL, Odell Beckham Jr., Washington Redskins, Wide Receiver

Summary: Odell Beckham Jr. says he made Josh Norman famous, as the two prepare for their in-division rivalry.


With 30 years of experience covering the world’s biggest stories in both English and Spanish, award-winning journalist José Díaz-Balart brought his passion and perspective to “The Rundown with José Díaz-Balart” on MSNBC. Díaz-Balart tackled the day’s top stories, taking viewers beyond the Washington powerbrokers and focusing on why issues matter to all Americans. Live from Miami, “The Rundown with José Díaz-Balart” was the only MSNBC program to originate from outside NYC and the D... read more

Summary: Get the latest news and video from Jose Diaz-Balart, and join José Díaz-Balart's community.


The private-equity model is fairly simple: Buy companies, improve them and sell them for a profit. That should work once or twice, as new owners fix inefficiencies, cut costs and steer companies into new areas of growth. What about four times?

Hellman & Friedman LLC is about to find out. It’s buying health-care-services provider MultiPlan Inc. for $7.5 billion, becoming the company’s fourth private-equity owner in a decade. MultiPlan has been a big winner for each of the past three. Its current owner, Starr Investment...

Summary: A MultiPlan bonanza for private equity.


It is awful to see your spouse under stress at work. It is worse still to have to hear about it every night.

Partners want to be able to talk and hear about each other’s work lives, but complaining about problems at work can morph into a rant, robbing a partner of rest and relaxation. Negative emotion spilling from work into home life can actually make job problems worse, research shows.

Mike Fisher took comfort in talking...

Summary: How to react when your partner’s work troubles are taking over your pillow talk. The best way to listen to a partner’s work complaints: Listen but don’t advise


Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a single mission: to connect people around the world.

It’s one reason why he decided to launch a Facebook-based book club last year, with a reading list that focused on “different cultures, beliefs, histories, and technologies.”

Although the birth of his daughter, Max, kept him from hitting his goal of a book every two weeks, he ended the year with 23 selections in his A Year of Books reading group.

We’ve put together a list of his picks and why he thinks everyone should read them:

The Muqaddimah, which translates to “The Introduction,” was written in 1377 by the Islamic historian Khaldun. It’s an attempt to strip away biases of historical records and find universal elements in the progression of humanity.

Khaldun’s revolutionary scientific approach to history established him as one of the fathers of modern sociology and historiography.

“While much of what was believed then is now disproven after 700 more years of progress, it’s still very interesting to see what was understood at this time and the overall worldview when it’s all considered together,” Zuckerberg writes.

Alexander is a law professor at Ohio State University and a civil-rights advocate who argues in her book that the “war on drugs” has fostered a culture in which nonviolent black males are overrepresented in prison, and then are treated as second-class citizens once they are freed.

“I’ve been interested in learning about criminal justice reform for a while, and this book was highly recommended by several people I trust,” Zuckerberg writes.

Why Nations Fail is an overview of 15 years of research by MIT economist Daren Acemoglu and Harvard political scientist James Robinson, and was first published in 2012.

The authors argue that “extractive governments” use controls to enforce the power of a select few, while “inclusive governments” create open markets that allow citizens to spend and invest money freely, and that economic growth does not always indicate the long-term health of a country.

Zuckerberg’s interest in philanthropy has grown alongside his wealth in recent years, and he writes that he chose this book to better understand the origins of global poverty.

The Rational Optimist, first published in 2010, is the most popular and perhaps the most controversial of popular-science writer Matt Ridley’s books.

In it, he argues that the concept of markets is the source of human progress, and that progress is accelerated when they are kept as free as possible. The resulting evolution of ideas will consistently allow humankind to improve its living conditions, despite the threats of climate change and overpopulation.

Zuckerberg says that he picked up this book because it posits the inverse theory of Why Nations Fail, which argues that social and political forces control economic ones.

“I’m interested to see which idea resonates more after exploring both frameworks,” Zuckerberg writes.

Business Insider: The 15 most-anticipated books of 2016

Researchers Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford and Orlanda Ruthven spent 10 years studying the financial lives of the lowest classes of Bangladesh, India and South Africa.

A fundamental finding that they include in Portfolios of the Poor is that extreme poverty flourishes in areas not where people live dollar to dollar or where poor purchasing decisions are widespread, but instead arises where they lack access to financial institutions to store their money.

“It’s mind-blowing that almost half the world — almost 3 billion people — live on $2.50 a day or less. More than one billion people live on $1 a day or less,” Zuckerberg writes. “I hope reading this provides some insight into ways we can all work to support them better as well.”

In former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s 2014 book, World Order, the 91-year-old analyzes the ways different parts of the world have understood the concept of empire and political power for centuries, and how the modern global economy has brought them together in often tense or violent ways.

It’s “about foreign relations and how we can build peaceful relationships throughout the world,” Zuckerberg writes. “This is important for creating the world we all want for our children, and that’s what I’m thinking about these days.”

William James (1849-1919) is “considered by many to be the most insightful and stimulating of American philosophers,” according to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.

The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of written lectures that explore the religious consciousness and the mechanics of how people use religion as a source of meaning, compelling them to move onward through life with energy and purpose.

“When I read Sapiens, I found the chapter on the evolution of the role of religion in human life most interesting and something I wanted to go deeper on,” Zuckerberg writes.

Creativity, Inc. is the story of Pixar, written by one of the computer-animation giant’s founders.

Catmull intersperses his narrative with valuable wisdom on management and entrepreneurialism, and argues that any company should consciously avoid hampering their employees’ natural creativity.

“I love reading first-hand accounts about how people build great companies like Pixar and nurture innovation and creativity,” Zuckerberg writes.

Business Insider: The 20 best nonfiction books of 2015

First published in 2014, Sapiens is a critically acclaimed international best seller by Hebrew University of Jerusalem historian Harari. He uses his book to track the evolution of Homo sapiens from hunter-gatherers into self-empowered “gods” of the future.

“Following the Muqaddimah, which was a history from the perspective of an intellectual in the 1300s, Sapiens is a contemporary exploration of many similar questions,” Zuckerberg writes.

If there was ever a philosophy book to read by a physicist, it’s probably The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

Since its initial publication in 1962, this look at the evolution of science and the effect it has on the modern world has become “one of the most cited academic books of all time,” according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Zuckerberg thinks that being aware of how scientific breakthroughs are the catalysts for social progression can be a “force for social good.”

Kuhn’s book is best known for introducing the phrase “paradigm shift,” representing instances in scientific history when a perspective was fundamentally shifted, like when quantum physics replaced Newtonian mechanics.

Zuckerberg has been intensely fascinated with Chinese culture over the past several years. He’s been learning to speak Mandarin Chinese and has said that one of his long-term goals is convincing the Chinese government to let its people use Facebook.

Dealing with China, by the former U.S. Treasury secretary, explores China’s recent rise in global influence and how it affects the world.

“Over the last 35 years, China has experienced one of the greatest economic and social transformations in human history,” Zuckerberg writes. “Hundreds of millions of people have moved out of poverty. By many measures, China has done more to lift people out of poverty than the whole rest of the world combined.”

Zuckerberg’s final selection of the year was Oxford physicist David Deutsch’s The Beginning of Infinity, a sprawling look at the progress of humanity following the Scientific Revolution. It touches on everything from art and science to politics and philosophy.

Deutsch concludes that human potential is infinite, perhaps the purest expression of the optimism regarding the fate of humanity that connects all of the selections in A Year of Books.

Business Insider: The 20 best fiction books of 2015

Zuckerberg admits that this 800-page, data-rich book from a Harvard psychologist can seem intimidating.

But the writing is actually easy to get through, and he thinks that Pinker’s study of how violence has decreased over time despite being magnified by a 24-hour news cycle and social media is something that can offer a life-changing perspective.

It should be noted that Bill Gates also considers this one of the most important books he’s ever read.

If you’d like to save some time, check out our summary of the tome.

Ridley is the only author to appear on Zuckerberg’s list twice.

His 1990 book Genome is an exploration of the evolution of genes and the growing field of genetics.

“This book aims to tell a history of humanity from the perspective of genetics rather than sociology,” Zuckerberg writes. “This should complement the other broad histories I’ve read this year.”

Zuckerberg launched his book club with this lofty title from Naím, former executive director of the World Bank and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

It’s a historical investigation of the shift of power from authoritative governments, militaries, and major corporations to individuals. This is clearly seen in what’s now become a Silicon Valley cliché: the disruptive startup.

“The trend towards giving people more power is one I believe in deeply,” Zuckerberg writes.

Zuckerberg says that Biss’ investigation into the benefits of vaccination is necessary to read, considering the anti-vaccination movement in the U.S. and parts of Europe.

“The science is completely clear: Vaccinations work and are important for the health of everyone in our community,” Zuckerberg writes, adding that this book was highly recommended to him by scientists and public-health workers.

“This book explores the reasons why some people question vaccines, and then logically explains why the doubts are unfounded and vaccines are in fact effective and safe,” he says.

Business Insider: Bill Gates reveals his 6 favorite books of 2015

Fast Company editor Jon Gertner’s 2012 book The Idea Factory tells the history of Bell Labs from the 1920s through the 1980s, in which the invention of the transistor revolutionized the world of technology and the innovation-fostering management style that rules Silicon Valley was first developed.

Bell Labs’ research has won it the most Nobel Prizes of any laboratory in history, with seven in physics and another in chemistry.

Zuckerberg writes that he chose the book because he’s “very interested in what causes innovation — what kinds of people, questions, and environments.”

The Three-Body Problem was first published in China in 2008, and the English translation that came out last year won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel, an award for sci-fi book of the year.

It’s set during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution and kicks off when an alien race decides to invade Earth after the Chinese government covertly sends a signal into space. It’s notable because it’s been reported to be indicative of a cultural shift in China, where rapid modernization and progress have captured the public’s imagination.

Zuckerberg writes that it’s a fun break from some of the heavier material he’s been reading in his book club.

Venkatesh is a Columbia University sociology professor who, in a radical sociological experiment, embedded himself into a Chicago gang in the 1990s.

Zuckerberg says that Venkatesh’s story is an inspiring one of communication and understanding across economic and cultural barriers.

“The more we all have a voice to share our perspectives, the more empathy we have for each other and the more we respect each other’s rights,” Zuckerberg writes.

The Player of Games was first published in 1988 and is the second in the “Culture” series. It explores what a civilization would look like if hyper-advanced technology was created to serve human needs and surpassed human capabilities.

Zuckerberg writes that he went with a sci-fi pick as a “change of pace.” The novel is also one of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s favorite books because of its entertaining way of exploring plausible advancements in technology.

Business Insider: 14 books that inspired Elon Musk

Huber, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, published this unofficial sequel to George Orwell’s 1984 in 1994, a time when internet and telecommunications technology were opening up new methods of communication. The novel imagines a world in which citizens use the technology that once enslaved them to liberate themselves.

“After seeing how history has actually played out, Huber’s fiction describes how tools like the internet benefit people and change society for the better,” Zuckerberg writes.

Originally published in 2006, Energy starts with a basic explanation of what energy is and then moves on to more complex subjects, including the quest to create more efficient and environmentally friendly fuels. It’s by University of Manitoba professor Vaclav Smil, one of Bill Gates’ favorite authors.

“It explores important topics around how energy works, how our production and use might evolve, and how this affects climate change,” Zuckerberg writes, noting that he also plans on reading Smil’s book Making the Modern World.

Zuckerberg thinks that this book by UCLA economist Michael Suk-Young Chwe can help its readers learn how to best use social media.

“The book is about the concept of ‘common knowledge’ and how people process the world not only based on what we personally know, but what we know other people know and our shared knowledge as well,” Zuckerberg writes.

Chwe’s idea may sound complicated, but it’s essentially a breakdown of the psychology behind people’s interactions with others in public settings, and how they use these communities and rituals to help form their own identities.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider

Summary: Zuckerberg introduced these books through his 'A Year of Books' reading group


Judge Rosemary Collyer did more than hand MetLife Inc. a victory in its battle to fend off stricter federal oversight.

Her decision on Wednesday helps strengthen a mounting backlash to the regime of post-financial-crisis regulations, emboldening critics who say the rules are doing more harm than good. This isn’t the first setback for the Obama-era financial overhaul, but, if sustained through a likely appeal, it might be the...

Summary: Judge Rosemary Collyer did more than hand MetLife a victory in its battle to fend off stricter federal oversight. Her decision helps strengthen a mounting backlash to the regime of post-financial-crisis regulations, emboldening critics who say the rules are doing more harm than good.


Guests meet in Delhi, take a train to Chittorgarh and then move by 4x4 and minibus across and down south-eastern Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh. The principle stops and sights are Chittorgarh’s World Heritage listed fort; the rural reaches of the village of Bijaipur and Pangarh lake; the temple complex at Menal; the magnificent walled city of Bundi; the old town of Jhalawar and nearby temples; and Ahilya above the Narmada river at Maheshwar. Departures are in the cool period between November and April, with the November trip taking in full moon celebrations near Jhalawar and an extensive livestock fair – a wonderful and little-known alternative to tourist-thronged Pushkar camel fair. While the sights were terrific the group felt that the best experiences were the many people-related activities – taking part in a jubilant temple procession, playing cricket with children at Ahilya school and more. I joined the tour as far as Jhalawar, during which highlights included joining an opium ceremony at Rasya Magri village and exploring Bundi’s amazing palace and winding bazaar.

The walled city of Bundi

The hotels are part of the trip’s appeal. Sixteenth-century Castle Bijaipur belongs to the region’s rawal (a junior version of a maharajah) who still lives there – and splendidly mingles with guests at dinner. We made good use of facilities from a serene swimming pool to spa treatments and horse riding. We moved on to Pangarh Lake Retreat, a well sited tented camp devised by the same aristocratic family.

In Bundi, accommodation is in a haveli, or merchant’s house, below the palace ramparts. Bundi Vilas has been beautifully devised as a boutique hotel with seven bedrooms, some with canopy beds others with lattice windows and balustrades.

At Jhalawar the Maharaja welcomes you into his home. Prithvi Vilas Palace was built in the 19th century as a hunting lodge. Today it’s a fabulously upmarket homestay at which guests sleep in grandeur in the main house or in a garden annexe, eat in a dining room adorned with old hunting trophies, and enjoy G&Ts with the Maharaja in a drawing room lined with family photographs.

The apotheosis of accommodation is romantic Ahilya Fort, set above the Narmada river. With a lush vegetable garden and 13 bedrooms in battlements and courtyards, the 250-year-old property is idyllic as the trip’s grand finale.

There are stays at the regal Castle Bijaipur

The trip is all-inclusive in terms of food and bottled water; soft drinks and beer are extra. Most dinners were spicy hotel buffets which often seemed a bit repetitive and in sitting around tended to lose texture. Some meals, though, were notably epicurean – an impressively orchestrated picnic beside Moti Pura lake and a special lunch at Bundi Vilas - while the food at Ahilya Fort was a highlight for several group members.

Good guiding is especially important when you’re beyond the remit of most guide books. Tejendra Singh, who accompanied us throughout the tour, was exceptional in both his knowledge and his careful shepherding. His clear explanations of complex history and myth were excellent and no matter how many times he may have seen a site, he instilled a sense of wonder. Difficult situations, such as rushing to catch the train to Chittogarh, became fun, and group dynamics were sensitively monitored so that we had reasonable free time and breathing space.

Travel was not always smooth going. The night train afforded little sleep and the condition of many rural roads sometimes made trips off expressways a jarring experience. However, realistically this is pretty much as good as land transport gets in India. The use of vintage 4x4s around the Bijaipur was an inspired touch.

Costing from £2,225 in 2016 (land only), this is a competitively priced trip, particularly in view of the quality of guiding and the inclusion of meals.

Wild Frontiers (020 8741 3610; wildfrontierstravel.com).

• More Escorted Tours: news, reviews & features on Telegraph Travel

Summary: Harriet O'Brien goes off the beaten track on a Wild Frontiers group tour visiting picture-book India, with stops at New Delhi, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh


As the years roll on, Orson's hair slowly rises into a quiff, culminating in the Elvis-inspired pompadour of the 1950s, and then grows long into the grungy look of Kurt Cobain's 1990s. Finally, Orson's hair gets drawn up into a messy man bun, which is now the haircut of choice in the mid-2010s.

Meanwhile, his facial hair also undergoes swift and remarkable transformations. At various points, Orson sports a pencil-line moustache, a goatee, and a full-on caveman scrub.

The video was produced by video content agency TheCut.com as part of an ongoing series that looks at the changing trends of fashion over the course of the past 100 years.

"All throughout history we see all these different prescriptions for what men should look like," says video researcher Chris Chan in an accompanying 'behind the scenes' feature. "We've tried to capture some of those and put them next to each other in juxtaposition."

Chan goes on to explain that he looked at lots of shaving and grooming adverts as research for the various hairstyles, and linked them to economic movements at the time.

For example, he says that progresses in industrial technology made disposable razors very popular before the US's Great Depression of 1929, which is why the 1920s is defined by a clean shaven look.

Summary: A video that has surfaced online shows the drastic changes in hair fashion   amongst men over the past century, from the slick side parting to the burly   man bun


TMZ Sports has obtained pics of the SUV that Lance Armstrong's girlfriend Lance Armstrong allegedly smashed into 2 parked cars during a hit and run in Aspen, CO ... and it's as wrecked as his reputation.

As we previously reported, Lance initially let his girlfriend Anna Hansen take the fall with police for the hit and run ... before Aspen PD found holes in her story ... and she eventually confessed that Lance was behind the wheel.

According to police, Lance smashed into TWO parked cars while leaving a fancy museum party at the St. Regis Aspen Resort on December 29th ... and then fled the scene.

Lance was cited for the incident -- and he's due in court next month.

Summary: TMZ Sports has obtained pics of the SUV that Lance Armstrong's girlfriend Lance Armstrong allegedly smashed into 2 parked cars during a hit and…


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

News photos of the week for 7/1

Palestinian youths play with fireworks as they celebrates during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan along the alley in Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip, early Sunday, June 26, 2016. Ramadan is traditionally a time of reflection and prayer, and Muslims are expected to abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex and to focus on spirituality, good deeds and charity. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

The remains of mobile homes devastated by a wildfire are seen in the foreground as smoke rises over a mountain, Saturday, June 25, 2016, in South Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In this Friday, June 25, 2016, photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, youngsters fish off a Fiesta Key, Fla., seawall at sunset while seagulls hover awaiting for fish scraps tossed into the bay by an angler cleaning his catch. With the school year ended for most students, the Florida Keys is a popular family summer travel destination. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at a Rainbow PUSH Women's International Luncheon at the Hyatt McCormick in Chicago, Monday, June 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WEST POINT, NY - JUNE 27: A cadet waits for the arrival of cadet candidates during the in-processing procedures during Reception Day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, June 27, 2016 in West Point, New York. Reception Day is the day when new cadets report to West Point to begin the process of becoming West Point cadets and future U.S. Army officers. Upwards of 1,300 cadet candidates for the class of 2020 will report to West Point on Monday. The new cadets will begin six weeks of basic training before Acceptance Day in early August. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 27: A man sits in a chair left behind as the clear up begins at the Glastonbury Festival 2016 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 26, 2016 near Glastonbury, England. The Festival, which Michael Eavis started in 1970 when several hundred hippies paid just Â£1, now attracts more than 175,000 people. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - Members of a Thai bomb squad inspect the site of a car bomb blast triggered by suspected separatist militants in the Sungai Kolok district of Thailand's restive southern province of Narathiwat on June 26, 2016. More than 6,500 people have been killed -- the majority civilians -- since 2004 in clashes between militants and security forces from Thailand's Buddhist-majority state. / AFP / MADAREE TOHLALA (Photo credit should read MADAREE TOHLALA/AFP/Getty Images)

SOUSSE, TUNISIA - JUNE 25: Tourists enjoy the beach as mounted police patrol the beach on June 25, 2016 in Sousse, Tunisia. Before the 2011 revolution, tourism in Tunisia accounted for approximately 7% of the countries GDP. The two 2015 terrorist attacks at the Bardo Museum and Sousse Beach saw tourism numbers plummet even further forcing hotels to close and many tourism and hospitality workers to lose their jobs. The 26th of June marks the first anniversary of the Sousse beach attacks. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

A person holds European country flags in an hand and a United Kingdom flag in another on June 25, 2016 in Lille, northern France. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Britain's planned departure from the European Union was 'not an amicable divorce' but called for it to be quick. 'I do not understand why the British government needs until October to decide whether to send the divorce letter to Brussels,' he told German public broadcaster ARD late June 24, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 24: Supporters of the Stronger In Campaign react as results of the EU referendum are announced at the Royal Festival Hall on June 24, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has gone to the polls to decide whether or not the country wishes to remain within the European Union. After a hard fought campaign from both REMAIN and LEAVE the vote is too close to call. A result on the referendum is expected on Friday morning. (Photo by Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

Beyonce, left, and Kendrick Lamar perform âFreedomâ at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, June 26, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

A woman feeds the sea gulls on a ferry boat on the Aegean sea between Keramoti, near Kavala city, and Thassos island in northern Greece, on Sunday, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Men cover their faces with rainbow flags during a gay pride parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, June 25, 2016. During the years of communist rule, before 1989, homosexuality was a crime, and it is still not widely accepted among many Romanian people, with many gays avoiding to disclose their sexual orientation to avoid discrimination. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JUNE 29: A wounded girl from the Ataturk Airport suicide bomb attack is carried to the Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Hospital, in the early hours of June 29, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Three suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul, killing at least 31 people and wounding 147 people according to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag. (Photo by Defne Karadeniz/Getty Images)

The Big Ben clock tower in London, Britain June 29, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Members of the National Park Service adjust a banner in the front of The Stonewall Inn ahead of a ceremony officially designating it and Christopher Park as part of the Stonewall National Monument in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people in panda costumes pose in front of a Chengdu Airlines ARJ21-700 plane before its first commercial flight at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan Province Tuesday, June 28, 2016. The ARJ21-700, made by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC), is China's first homegrown regional airliner and can seat 78 to 90 passengers depending on its configuration. (Ding Ting/Xinhua via AP) NO SALES

West Virginia Natural Resources police officer Chris Lester searches a flooded home in Rainelle, W. Va., Saturday, June 25, 2016. Heavy rains that pummeled West Virginia left multiple people dead, and authorities said Saturday that an unknown number of people in the hardest-hit county remained unaccounted for. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

A demonstrator wrapped in the EU flag takes part in a protest opposing Britain's exit from the European Union in Parliament Square following yesterday's EU referendum result, London, Saturday, June 25, 2016. Britain voted to leave the European Union after a bitterly divisive referendum campaign. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

A man prepares his ballot before voting for the national elections in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, June. 26, 2016. Spaniards headed to the polls Sunday for an unprecedented repeat election that aims to break six months of political deadlock after a December ballot left the country without an elected government. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: Stewards lookon, during day two of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

GOERLITZ, GERMANY - JUNE 26: A swan swims on the lake Berzdorfer See after sunset on June 26, 2016 in Goerlitz, Germany. (Photo by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images)

BOZHOU, CHINA - JUNE 26: Children do basic training at a children's dance training center on June 26, 2016 in Bozhou, Anhui Province of China. Some Chinese children took interest classes in the summer vocation. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 24: A lone Magpies supporter in the crowd looks on as it rains during the round 14 AFL match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Fremantle Dockers at Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 24, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - A resident of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk walks through her apartment building that was destroyed as a result of night shelling between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists on June 24, 2016. / AFP / Aleksey Filippov (Photo credit should read ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP/Getty Images)

People enjoy a chair swing ride as the sun sets at an amusement park, in Athens, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Passengers embrace each other at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, early Wednesday, June 29, 2016 following their evacuation after a blast. Suspected Islamic State group extremists have hit the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk airport, killing dozens of people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said Tuesday. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Ataturk airport attack within Turkey. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) TURKEY OUT

A member of Iraqi counterterrorism forces stands guard near Islamic State militant graffiti in Fallujah, Iraq, Monday, June 27, 2016. Thick clouds of black smoke billowed over northwest Fallujah Monday as dozens of homes continued to burn a day after the city was declared âfully liberatedâ from the Islamic State group. Iraqi special forces Lt. Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi who led the operation to retake the city, said that IS militants torched hundreds of houses in Fallujah's north and west as they fled Sunday, just as the fighters did in many of the city's other neighborhoods over the course of the operation. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Bethany Van Kampen, left, hugs Alejandra Pablus as thet celebrate during a rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 27, 2016, after the court struck down Texas' widely replicated regulation of abortion clinics. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion in the nation's second-most populous state. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Dalai Lama greets Lady Gaga, right, before a question and answer session at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JUNE 29: A worker cleans the blood splashed on the roof of the international departure terminal at the country's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk following yesterday's blast on June 29, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Three suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul yesterday. The Istanbul Governor's Office says 41 people have been killed, 37 of the victims have been identified, including 10 foreign nationals and three people with dual citizenship. More than 230 people were wounded but 109 have been discharged from hospitals in the deadly suicide bombing attack in Istanbul's Ataturk airport blamed on the Islamic State group. (Photo by Gokhan Tan/Getty Images)

JINAN, CHINA - JUNE 29: A tiger takes the outdoor shower at a zoo on June 29, 2016 in Jinan, Shandong Province of China. Animals prevent sunstroke in many ways to cool themselves in hot summer in Jinan. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

The news this week was dominated mostly by international events -- from the now-notorious "Brexit" vote in the United Kingdom, do the gruesome and tragic suicide bombing of the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey.

Stateside, severe weather continues to ravage areas in California and West Virginia.

SEE EARLIER: Photos of the week: 6/17 - 6/24

We also saw happier news as LGBT Pride month was celebrated around the world, and the famous Stonewall Inn in New York City was given National Monument status.

Click through the slideshow above to see photos from all of these stories and more, and be sure to check back next weekend for our selection of the best photography from the next seven days.

More from AOL.com: The best photos from the past week in sports: 6/24 - 7/1 JK Rowling, Lindsay Lohan and more celebs react to Brexit vote-- Britain leaving the European Union Fallout from British EU vote alarms Asia, deepens party conflicts

Summary: Look back at the best photography from the biggest news stories of the last week of June.


Mr Farage says he has a “very clear role” in witnessing the Brexit negotiations from Brussels as an MEP – but would gladly be part of any new team that the next Prime Minister is drawing up.

“There is an important role to play, and I shall say to whoever the new prime minister is, we want to help you,” he says.

His role could be formal or informal, he says, though he doubts he will be offered a job as a minister or a full member of any government delegation. “The vast majority of the political class - they don’t like me much round here.”

Now that Britain has voted to leave the EU, Ukip, the party that he has led for most of the last 10 years, has achieved its goal. Has it outlived its uses?

Mr Farage disagrees. “Ukip has to remain strong. We have to be a threat to make sure the 17 million get their will.” There is also “a huge gap” now that Ukip can potentially fill, attracting disaffected Labour supporters who back Brexit and feel that Jeremy Corbyn’s pro-EU party is no longer for them.

If the next Prime Minister seeks a new mandate and calls a general election in the months ahead, Mr Farage will be ready. He may even stand for Parliament himself again, he says, only a year after losing a gruelling battle with the Tories for the seat of South Thanet.

But this time, he wants a non-aggression pact between his side and the Conservatives. “There would have to be a different approach. There wouldn’t be much point in us opposing a Brexit Conservative in a marginal seat. There would need to be some real thinking about that. It would depend whether the Conservative Party wanted to be cooperative with us. But if we have a Brexit government and a Brexit Conservative party, the whole landscape’s changed.”

Could he imagine himself serving as a Ukip MP, or even a member of the “Brexit government” he wants to see? “I don’t know yet. There is a bit of me that says, ‘I quite enjoy a bit of politics.’

“But there are other bits of me that say, there’s an awful lot of other things to do out in the big wide world. I’m only 52. My future is uncertain as far as politics is concerned. Of course it is. But I want to see this process out. I want to see the try converted.”

And what of his arch foe, the EU itself? “It’s dead,” he says. “A goner. And good.”

Summary: During the course of Wednesday night, torrential thunderstorms hit London and the South East.


No one would call the 2016 election a battle of ideas, but it will have policy consequences. So it’s worth noting the sharp left turn by Hillary Clinton and Democrats against education reform and the charter schools she and her husband championed in the 1990s.

Mrs. Clinton recently promised a National Education Association (NEA) assembly higher pay, student-loan write-offs, less testing and universal pre-K. She had only this to say about charter schools, which are free from union rules: “When schools get it right,...

Summary: Hillary Clinton used to support charter schools. Now she’s for the union agenda, says an editorial in The Wall Street Journal.


BBC director-general Mark Thompson has this year embarked on a strategy review, which identifies news as one of five key editorial areas for the corporation, and which he proposes should benefit from the redirection of £600million a year of BBC spending.

However these job cuts form part of the BBC’s last strategic review, Delivering Creative Futures, which was published in 2007 and which still has nearly two years to run.

In an email to news staff, Hockaday said: “As always where posts are being closed we will ask for volunteers. However the BBC retains the right, as a last resort, to make people compulsorily redundant.

Hockaday said that other costs were also being cut. “The renewed Met Office contract for weather services is planned to deliver substantial savings,” she said. “Further non-staff savings will be made in areas such as guest transport, guest fees and less spending on coverage with a focus on ‘fewer, bigger, better’ and the Big Stories.”

Jeremy Dear, the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “Once again, the effect of BBC cuts is to put more work on fewer people. Instead of cutting front-line posts, the BBC should be looking at management and tiers of bureaucracy.”

BBC staff have reacted angrily to management proposals of a pay freeze this year for all staff earning over £37,726 a year, as well as cuts in pension provision that could save the corporation £50million a year.

Unions including the NUJ and Bectu will decide next week whether to ballot their members for strike action.

Summary: Three BBC news presenters are to lose their jobs in the latest round of   cutbacks at the broadcaster.


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

Meal planning -- we all have a general ideal of how it works, though a lot of us never bother to do it. But if you're looking to eat healthier and save money, it's one of the easiest things you can do.

The most intimidating part of starting a meal plan can be planning it all out. So to keep things simple, plan just one meal a day in the beginning, like dinner.

Next, look at your calendar for the week and take note of any events that may affect your mealtimes, like friends coming to town on Monday or a trip to the beach on Saturday. Put it all down in your schedule, because this will help determine how many meals you need and how much time you'll have for prep.

The next step is to create a master recipe list with all ingredients listed. Be sure to note the serving sizes so you'll know how many meals to expect. Once you have a few ideas down, take a look at what ingredients you already have in your kitchen and cross those off the list. Whatever's left, you go shopping for.

The final step is grocery shopping and meal prep. Since you'll be preparing your meals in batch, pick a day where you'll have the most time. Have all your containers ready to go and once you're done cooking, fill them up and put them in the fridge.

Give these basic tips a try, and you'll see that the more meals you plan, the more money you'll save.

5 Foodie Sites That Can Find You Fine Meals for Less

BiteHunter.com claims to provide more dining deals in real-time than any other player in the frugal-eating space. It monitors thousands of restaurants nationwide, sorts through the barrage of special dining offers zipping around social networks, daily deal sites, newspapers and magazines any given week, and pulls them together in a searchable database. The site allows consumers to find restaurant deals based on location, time of day and specific kinds of food, among other filters. It just launched an app for the iPhone that includes a "Bite Now" feature with limited-time offers from companies such as Groupon and LivingSocial. Yelp reviews are available on the app, as well as reviews from Localeats.com.

The review site, which ranks the best cheap products and services, partners with Foursquare, the location-based mobile app, to provide picks for the best cheap restaurants in major cities nationwide. Cheapism taps its editors in local markets to review restaurants for affordability and quality. It pairs that input with reviews from sources such as Zagat, Yelp and Urban Spoon, as well as local magazines and newspapers. It then aggregates the reviews, making sure to get a clear positive consensus before recommending a restaurant.

The site bills itself as a portal to the world's bests local restaurants. Users can search by city, state, country or price point, as well as by types of cuisine or specific foods, such as clams or ribs. Other search options include "top 100 winners" and "best of category winners." It aggregates the opinions of critics and local bloggers, as well as "trusted friends and site visitors," according to the website. "So, if you see a restaurant listed here, you know it's good!" the site says.

Ueatcheap.com tracks restaurants that offer meals for $10 or less per person. On the site, users can locate eateries in their city and state, read restaurant reviews, add their own reviews, and sign up to receive coupons and updates of new restaurants in their area.

Restaurant.com, which aims to be a community matchmaker, "introducing great restaurants to great people," works a little differently than the aforementioned sites. Foodies save by purchasing one of the site's 45,000 discounted gift certificates to local restaurants around the country. Users can enter either a ZIP code or destination city to find offers for local gift certificates. They can also search the site by type of cuisine, average entree price, new restaurants, atmosphere, among other filters. Registered users can even make reservations on the site.

Summary: Get a handle on food finances with these meal planning tips from The Savings Experiment.


After years of staying away from real-estate investments, Iowa financial adviser Kevin Timmerman started buying some for clients in April.

Despite the sharp gains in real-estate investments since the trough in early 2009, "we still think there's some upside," says Mr. Timmerman, president of Steele Capital Management Inc. in Dubuque.

He says his investment team tracked the real-estate sector for more than a year before buying in. Even then, the allocation is just 5% for a client who can handle moderate risk. It is meant to provide some diversification away from bonds and stocks, the mainstay of the portfolio.

"We still believe that in order to build wealth, you have to have a significant portion of your portfolio in equities," says Mr. Timmerman.

In this column, we feature model portfolios from prominent advisers who use mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Mr. Timmerman co-founded Steele Capital Management in 1996. The firm manages $1.3 billion in assets for wealthy individuals and some company-sponsored retirement plans. Mr. Timmerman has been ranked among top advisers by Barron's magazine, published by News Corp.'s Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

To invest in real estate for clients, Mr. Timmerman buys a mutual fund that owns real-estate investment trusts, or REITs, which are publicly traded securities that invest in shopping centers, office buildings and other properties. He sold out of such a fund in mid-2008, when real-estate prices were falling in the wake of the U.S. housing crisis. But he believes prospects for REITs are now improving.

REITs have raised a lot of capital over the past few years, Mr. Timmerman says, and many of them have hefty cash piles. That, combined with low interest rates, makes it easier for developers to build more properties like shopping malls and apartment buildings, he says. While the growth in demand for such properties has been weak, he believes it will pick up as the U.S. economy improves.

REIT prices already have benefited from these trends. U.S. real-estate funds gained an average of 31.4% a year over the three years through June, according to Morningstar Inc. MORN 0.10 %

Mr. Timmerman says there's room for further price appreciation. "Historically, REIT rallies have lasted about eight years, and we are in year four of the current trend," he says.

However, risks remain. If the U.S. economy slows and real-estate demand drops, REIT values could reverse. "This isn't a sure thing," Mr. Timmerman says.

Here, he shares a model portfolio for clients who can handle moderate risk. The portfolio earned 16.8% annualized over the three years through March, according to Steele Capital advisers. This is before the firm's fee, which is 1% annually for the first $1 million in assets and falls as assets increase.

U.S. STOCKS: Over the past two to three years, the advisers at Steele Capital have lowered the overall allocation to U.S. stocks in order to reduce the potential losses for clients and make it easier for them to hold steady when markets drop. "In the end, it's the people who stay with their strategy long-term that benefit," says Mr. Timmerman.

In this portfolio, U.S. stocks get a 30% allocation.

The bulk of this goes to two funds—11% to Yacktman Focused and 8% to Fairholme. Managers of both funds have flexibility in the size of the companies they can invest in, but currently they are primarily invested in large-company stocks.

Mr. Timmerman says Fairholme's performance can be volatile because fund manager Bruce Berkowitz makes large bets on some companies. Yacktman's fund managers also make big bets, but their large investments are typically in companies whose sales and share prices are considered more stable, such as Procter & Gamble Co. and PepsiCo Inc. Thus, the relatively stable Yacktman fund acts as a complement to Fairholme, says Mr. Timmerman.

The remaining U.S.-stock allocation goes to Artisan Mid Cap Value at 4% and Intrepid Small Cap at 7%.

FOREIGN STOCKS: The foreign-stock allocation is 13%, which the advisers have held despite turmoil in European markets.

"Good [fund] managers are going to capitalize on the volatility," says Mr. Timmerman.

Eight percent of the portfolio is in First Eagle Overseas, which invests mainly in companies in developed foreign countries. It has historically kept an allocation to gold and recently held nearly 15% of the portfolio in cash.

Five percent is in Thornburg International Value, which looks for cheap stocks and stocks of growing companies it believes are reasonably priced.

BONDS: The advisers allocate 39% to bonds, mainly to reduce the volatility in the portfolio.

Nineteen percent of the portfolio is in DoubleLine Total Return Bond, which aims to exploit inefficiencies in the mortgage-securities market.

Mr. Timmerman is comfortable with the relatively large allocation to this fund because he has owned funds managed by DoubleLine manager Jeffrey Gundlach for years. Previously, Mr. Gundlach managed bond funds at Los Angeles money manager TCW Group Inc.

Unlike traditional bond funds, which have produced low returns in recent years, DoubleLine has benefited from buying mortgage bonds at a time when most investors were scared of them. Mr. Gundlach's fund has gained around 14% a year since its inception in April 2010.

"We don't see any reason why he can't" continue to outperform peers, says Mr. Timmerman.

The two other bond funds in the portfolio are Delaware Diversified Income at 12% and Scout Core Bond Plus at 8%.

"They are more go-anywhere, core-type funds," says Mr. Timmerman. These funds have investments in Treasurys, U.S. corporate bonds and some international bonds, and often look for bonds that they believe are trading at cheaper prices than their potential.

"We look at them as complements to what DoubleLine does," says Mr. Timmerman.

ALTERNATIVES: The portfolio has an 18% allocation to other asset classes. For the 5% real-estate allocation, the advisers use Cohen & Steers Realty Shares, which aims to provide both capital appreciation and income. Mr. Timmerman has invested in the fund periodically since 2000.

Four percent of the portfolio is in First Eagle Gold, which invests 20% in the metal and the rest in gold-mining stocks, most of them of companies based outside the U.S.

There is a 9% allocation to Permanent Portfolio, which aims to preserve and increase the value of investments, according to its fund objective. It does so by investing in a wide range of assets, including gold, silver and Swiss francs.

Ms. Anand is the markets and finance editor for The Wall Street Journal in India. Email: shefali.anand@wsj.com.

Summary: Kevin Timmerman of Steele Capital Management puts a property fund in his suggested portfolio for moderate-risk investors.


WASHINGTON—Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his advisers regularly lambaste Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for her ties to Wall Street. But his economic advisory council unveiled Friday showcased his own strong connections to the financial services industry built over the course of four decades as a real-estate mogul in New York.

The list of 13 advisers released by the campaign includes leaders of two hedge-fund and...


Wednesday’s Google Doodle offers a glimpse of what American traffic would’ve looked like 101 years ago, when the world’s first electric traffic light was installed.

The device, the predecessor to what is used worldwide today, was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 5, 1914, at the corner of 105th and Euclid.

The lights offered respite to policemen who had previously been forced to direct cars and horse-drawn wagons in the middle of crowded highways, even in the throes of a midwestern winter.

It wasn’t the first time that people had tried to find alternatives to traffic regulation, though. While gas-lit traffic signals were installed in the 19th century in the U.K., they often proved ineffective — especially since they were known to spontaneously explode.

The Doodle shows the jerky and chaotic traffic flow of a century past — a feature intentionally added by illustrator Nate Swinehart, who wanted to outline that the yellow light wasn’t introduced until even later to regulate traffic flow more effectively.

Summary: Wednesday's Google Doodle explains.


© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2016

Summary: The Rio pool produced more silverware for Great Britain as Siobhan-Marie O'Connor and the men's relay squad both won silver to take the team's tally to four medals.


Rihanna has come a long way from her 2005 video for “Pon de Replay” (which featured a choreographed dance routine in a club) — the artist will receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

It won’t be the first time Rihanna has been recognized at the ceremony; she’s already won Video of the Year awards for “Umbrella” in 2007 and “We Found Love” in 2012. Previous winners of the achievement include superstars like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Kanye West.

That’s not all Rihanna is coming for at the ceremony: she’s has been nominated for Best Female Video, Best Collaboration (twice) and for Best Male Video with Calvin Harris. The Video Music Awards take place on Aug. 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Summary: She's being recognized for all her hard work, work, work, work, work.


"Interrogations and investigations are still under way to get more information," he said.

Al-Moussawi had previously said that al-Baghdadi had been captured in a raid in Abu Ghraib on the outskirts of Baghdad, a report later verified by a senior adviser to Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister.

"One of the terrorists who was arrested with him confessed that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi," al-Moussawi said on Iraqiya state television on Friday.

Al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi, has been identified in statements posted on websites as the self-styled head of the Islamic State of Iraq, proclaimed last year after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The Islamic State of Iraq, said to be linked to al-Qaeda and armed Sunni groups, has claimed responsibility for a string of major attacks.

US and Iraqi forces have increasingly focused on al-Baghdadi's group in their attempts to end sectarian vioence in Iraq.

Al-Baghdadi is also said to have headed the Mujahidin Shura Council, an alliance of al-Qaeda and other hardline groups. Very little is known about al-Baghdadi and his capture would be hard for officials to verify.

Summary: The man was seized during a raid at Abu Ghraib.


Mount Druitt police have slammed the actions of two young pedestrians who were caught on camera recklessly running through traffic, narrowly missing being hit by a truck.

The brazen incident happened yesterday afternoon and was filmed by 18-year-old bystander Tayla, who did not want her last name published.

She told 9NEWS the shaken truck driver was so shocked he had to pull over, while the two men kept running.

“Imagine if the truck did hit him or the car hit him, they’d have to live with that for the rest of their life,” she said.

Inspector Donna McCarthy said the men’s actions were dangerous and “frustrating”.

“People’s lives are so precious and to see them put them at risk like that,” Inspector McCarthy said.

She warned others against risking their lives in busy traffic.

“Think about your actions before you do them, think about the consequences, not only to your life but to the person who may be involved in the accident with you,” she said.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

Summary: Mount Druitt police have slammed the actions of two young pedestrians who were caught on camera recklessly running through traffic, narrowly being missed by a truck.


Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has warned the new parliament that failure to prepare against any shocks in the global economy will leave the Australian economy and living standards vulnerable.

Opening the 45th parliament on Tuesday, Sir Peter said it was prudent for the government to strengthen the economy's resilience while committing to maintaining strong fiscal discipline and supporting policies to encourage jobs, growth and investment.

"My government will continue to bring the budget back into balance, by controlling expenditure growth and by strengthening economic growth," he said in an address prepared by the prime minister's office to a joint sitting of MPs and senators.

His comments came as Treasurer Scott Morrison again raised the alarm about government debt blowing out to $1 trillion if the budget isn't brought under control.

One economist described debt as a "ticking fiscal time bomb".

However, the political gloves are already off with Labor accusing the government of lying about a $6.1 billion budget savings bill.

The so-called omnibus bill, containing a range of savings measures, will be one of the first issues of business when the new parliament gets down to work on Wednesday.

The government overnight provided Labor with a copy of the bill containing 24 previously announced but not-yet legislated savings measures, which the opposition assumed in its election costings document for the July 2 election.

But manager of opposition business Tony Burke says the draft bill contains three extra measures - including welfare cuts Labor rejected in the previous parliament.

The government was being "entirely deceptive" about its omnibus bill, he said.

"Lying about your legislation, thumping the table and getting angry and heated the way they do, it's not the way to get co-operation."

Shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh says Labor needs time to work its way through the 600-page "door-stopper" of a bill.

"Frankly if Malcolm Turnbull wanted true bi-partisanship ... we would have had (the bill) two weeks ago," he told Sky News.

Mr Morrison said Labor should "stop making excuses".

"We're simply asking the Labor Party to support measures they've already agreed to," he told reporters.

The savings measures would arrest the growth in government debt, which was increasing by $1.4 billion a week.

"If we do nothing the debt goes to a trillion (dollars) and that is not an outcome that I intend to preside over," Mr Morrison said.

TD Securities chief strategist for Asia-Pacific Annette Beacher described it as a "ticking fiscal time bomb".

She expects a $100 billion debt program for the next three years if "reformist fiscal policy is stonewalled by populist politicians".

Mr Burke scoffed at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's description of budget repair as a "fundamental moral challenge".

"It's a bit much describing it as a moral challenge from a government that's tripled the deficit and added $100 billion to the net debt," he said.

Summary: Labor is accusing the government of lying about the budget savings measures it wants the opposition to pass.