Aniston Attacks Media Over Body Scrutiny

Jennifer Aniston has hit out at the "absurd and disturbing" scrutiny of women as she once again finds herself having to deny reports she is pregnant.

The 47-year-old actress has written a lengthy essay criticising tabloids for the way she is portrayed in the media, calling it a "sporting event of speculation".

"For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up," Aniston wrote in an essay published by the Huffington Post.

"I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism', the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news'.

"The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty."

Aniston and husband Justin Theroux

The Friends star said young girls were absorbing "toxic messages buried within these seemingly harmless stories".

"We use celebrity 'news' to perpetuate this dehumanising view of females, focused solely on one's physical appearance, which tabloids turn into a sporting event of speculation," she wrote.

Aniston said she and her husband Justin Theroux were harassed every day by "dozens of aggressive photographers" who went to "shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo".

The latest reports about her personal life had come at a time of "mass shootings, wildfires, major decisions by the Supreme Court, an upcoming election, and any number of more newsworthy issues that 'journalists' could dedicate their resources towards", she added.

"I resent being made to feel 'less than' because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: 'pregnant' or 'fat'," she wrote.

"Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, co-workers and strangers alike on one's fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day)."

Aniston said she had experienced "stalking and objectification" for "going on decades now" and the latest pregnancy rumours showed her "how much we define a woman's value based on her marital and maternal status".

She added that she may become a mother in the future but she believed "we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child".

"We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete," Aniston wrote.

"We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves. I have grown tired of being part of this narrative."

Aniston Attacks Media Over Body Scrutiny

Jennifer Aniston has hit out at the "absurd and disturbing" scrutiny of women as she once again finds herself having to deny reports she is pregnant.

The 47-year-old actress has written a lengthy essay criticising tabloids for the way she is portrayed in the media, calling it a "sporting event of speculation".

"For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up," Aniston wrote in an essay published by the Huffington Post.

"I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism', the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news'.

"The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty."

Aniston and husband Justin Theroux

The Friends star said young girls were absorbing "toxic messages buried within these seemingly harmless stories".

"We use celebrity 'news' to perpetuate this dehumanising view of females, focused solely on one's physical appearance, which tabloids turn into a sporting event of speculation," she wrote.

Aniston said she and her husband Justin Theroux were harassed every day by "dozens of aggressive photographers" who went to "shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo".

The latest reports about her personal life had come at a time of "mass shootings, wildfires, major decisions by the Supreme Court, an upcoming election, and any number of more newsworthy issues that 'journalists' could dedicate their resources towards", she added.

"I resent being made to feel 'less than' because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: 'pregnant' or 'fat'," she wrote.

"Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, co-workers and strangers alike on one's fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day)."

Aniston said she had experienced "stalking and objectification" for "going on decades now" and the latest pregnancy rumours showed her "how much we define a woman's value based on her marital and maternal status".

She added that she may become a mother in the future but she believed "we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child".

"We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete," Aniston wrote.

"We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves. I have grown tired of being part of this narrative."

Aniston Attacks Media Over Body Scrutiny

Jennifer Aniston has hit out at the "absurd and disturbing" scrutiny of women as she once again finds herself having to deny reports she is pregnant.

The 47-year-old actress has written a lengthy essay criticising tabloids for the way she is portrayed in the media, calling it a "sporting event of speculation".

"For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up," Aniston wrote in an essay published by the Huffington Post.

"I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism', the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news'.

"The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty."

Aniston and husband Justin Theroux

The Friends star said young girls were absorbing "toxic messages buried within these seemingly harmless stories".

"We use celebrity 'news' to perpetuate this dehumanising view of females, focused solely on one's physical appearance, which tabloids turn into a sporting event of speculation," she wrote.

Aniston said she and her husband Justin Theroux were harassed every day by "dozens of aggressive photographers" who went to "shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo".

The latest reports about her personal life had come at a time of "mass shootings, wildfires, major decisions by the Supreme Court, an upcoming election, and any number of more newsworthy issues that 'journalists' could dedicate their resources towards", she added.

"I resent being made to feel 'less than' because my body is changing and/or I had a burger for lunch and was photographed from a weird angle and therefore deemed one of two things: 'pregnant' or 'fat'," she wrote.

"Not to mention the painful awkwardness that comes with being congratulated by friends, co-workers and strangers alike on one's fictional pregnancy (often a dozen times in a single day)."

Aniston said she had experienced "stalking and objectification" for "going on decades now" and the latest pregnancy rumours showed her "how much we define a woman's value based on her marital and maternal status".

She added that she may become a mother in the future but she believed "we are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child".

"We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete," Aniston wrote.

"We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves. I have grown tired of being part of this narrative."

May To Be Handed Keys To Nuclear Red Button

Within hours of becoming Prime Minister, Theresa May will be given a security briefing from the Cabinet Secretary, National Security Adviser and Chief of the Defence Staff.

Having just returned from Buckingham Palace and addressed the nation in Downing Street, this will be the moment that the true enormity of her appointment sinks in.

Tony Blair was said to have turned "quite white" as he sat in Downing Street and listened to the responsibility now on his shoulders.

The three men will bring Mrs May up to speed on the UK's secret military deployments.

Specifically, she will be told the whereabouts of the Royal Navy's on-duty nuclear submarine.

HMS Vigilant

Although normally on patrol somewhere in the North Atlantic, her exact whereabouts is known only by a handful of people.

Even most of the crew on board are unaware.  

The new Prime Minister will then be asked to make probably the gravest decision of her premiership.

A decision that she will never live to witness.  

She must decide how she wants the military to react in the event of nuclear war.

Her instructions will only be acted out if she, and her entire Cabinet, has been wiped out.

Mrs May will be given four options:

1. To retaliate.

2. To do nothing.

3. To place the submarine under the control of an ally - specifically the United States Navy or Royal Australian Navy.

4. To act according to how the Captain deems best.

She will be left alone to consider her options. It won't be easy.

Think about it yourself for a minute. What would you do?

Your first reaction might be to retaliate, to hit back at the aggressor.

Bear in mind though, that by then, the nuclear deterrent would have failed.

It would have failed to do what it was designed to do: deter.

And your posthumous order would mean tens of thousands of innocent people would die.

Gosh, that requires pause for thought.

Once decided, Mrs May will write four handwritten letters.

They will be addressed to the Commanders of the four Vanguard class submarines.

They will be delivered to the boats and locked away.

David Cameron's letters, which were written when he took office, will be burned without being opened.

Unless he decides to tell us, we will never know what his decision was.

Only one Prime Minister has revealed that secret.

James Callaghan told the historian Peter Hennessy: "If we had got to that point, where it was, I felt, necessary to do it, then I would have done it.

"I've had terrible doubts, of course, about this.

"I say to you, if I had lived after having pressed that button, I could never ever have forgiven myself."

It is a decision, like no other.

FBI Gives Up On Solving 1970s Plane Hijacking

The hijacker, who became known as DB Cooper, was never identified

It was a mysterious crime which baffled the FBI: a skyjacking which saw a businessman jump out of a plane with ransom money, never to be seen again.

But nearly 45 years on from the daring heist, investigators are closing the unsolved case for good after failing to identify the criminal who became known as "DB Cooper".

On the night before Thanksgiving in 1971, the hijacker in a business suit told an air hostess on a flight from Portland to Seattle that he was carrying a bomb - and demanded $200,000 in cash and four parachutes.

The plane touched down in Seattle to collect the ransom money, and although all 36 passengers were released, the man ordered the plane's crew to fly towards Mexico.

Under his instruction, the Boeing 727 flew slowly at a height of just 10,000ft - and over Washington state, the hijacker lowered the plane's rear stairs and jumped into the freezing rain.

Nine years later, a boy digging on a beach discovered three bundles of damaged $20 bills worth $6,000 which matched the serial numbers of the cash given to Cooper.

But despite an investigation which became one of the longest and the most exhaustive in the FBI's history, the trail went cold - and the bureau says it's time to focus on other cases.

"Although the FBI appreciated the immense number of tips provided by members of the public, none to date have resulted in a definitive identification of the attacker," officials said in a statement.

Evidence from the case is going to be preserved at the FBI's headquarters, but detectives will only examine further tips if Cooper's parachutes or ransom money are discovered.

There have been countless conspiracy theories about the identity of the hijacker and whether he survived the plunge.

Reports of unexplained wealth have been examined by detectives, with one woman telling the FBI that her late uncle had turned up to Thanksgiving dinner in Oregon - where the ill-fated plane had taken off the day before - with serious injuries.

Deadly Head-On Train Collision In Italy

At least 20 people have been killed after two trains collided head-on in southern Italy, say officials. 

Dozens of other passengers were injured in the crash, near the town of Andria, some are in hospital with serious injuries.

One local official appealed for blood donations and said: "There could still be someone in the wreckage."

The passenger trains collided on a single stretch of track

The four-carriage passenger trains, thought to be mainly carrying commuters, collided in the middle of an olive grove in the Puglia region of Italy, a spokesman for the fire brigade said.

Police said the accident happened on a single stretch of track between the towns of Corato and Andria.

Reports said rescue workers were pulling victims from the wreckage, including a small child who was alive. 

Local police chief Riccardo Zingaro said: "Some of the cars are completely crumpled and the rescuers are extracting people from the metal, many of them injured." 

Rescue workers trying to get inside the badly damaged carriages

The Mayor of Corato, Massimo Mazzilli, said the scene was horrific and the rescue work was ongoing with firefighters, civil protection officials and volunteers.

He said workers had just pulled out a passenger alive and were poised to rescue a second one.

On his Facebook page, he wrote: "It's as disaster, as if an airplane fell. Rescue workers and civil protection is on the scene, but unfortunately there are victims!"

One of the badly damaged carriages badly damaged in the collision

An aerial image showed train carriages derailed and badly damaged by the collision, with debris spread out on either side of the track.

The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, said the train crash "is a moment of tears".

Rescue workers have been pulling passengers from the wreckage

He has cut short a visit to Milan in the north of the country following the accident.

"We won't stop until we get a clear explanation over what happened," he told reporters.

Taylor Swift World's Highest Earning Celebrity

Taylor Swift raked in $170m (£131m) last year

Taylor Swift has become the world's highest paid celebrity after raking in $170m (£131m) last year.

The pop star's huge earnings put her ahead of fellow chart-toppers Adele at number nine on the Forbes list with $80.5m, Madonna at 12 with $76.5m, Rihanna at 13 with $75m and Katy Perry at 63 with $41m.

The Shake It Off singer's 1989 World Tour earned more than $200m last year.

One Direction came second after earning $110m which should tide them over while they enjoy a hiatus from making music.

Harry Styles is currently filming Christopher Nolan's new film Dunkirk, while bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne are rumoured to be working on new music.

Swift's ex, the Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, pulled in $63m, according to the list.

Kim Kardashian, who is featured on the cover of the magazine, was 42nd on the list with earnings of $51m.

Some 40% of her income came from her mobile game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, Forbes said.

Kardashian shared a picture of her cover on Instagram with the caption: "Such a tremendous honour to be on the cover of @forbes! I never dreamed this would happen and know my Dad would be so proud."

She added the hashtag: "#NotBadForAGirlWithNoTalent"