Brian McFadden rants on Twitter over Delta Goodrem's criticism of their relationship in Vogue Australia

Brian McFadden has posted a series of Twitter comments that appear to be an attack on ex Delta Goodrem after she opened up to Vogue Australia about their "amicable" 2011 split.

The 32-year-old Australia's Got Talent judge tweeted from Monday night's APRA Music Awards only hours after extracts from Delta's interview went online.

"Sometimes silence is golden. People love to try and deflect attention from their own downfalls onto others," he wrote.

"And for the record. I've seen it all before!!" he said in his next post, assumed to be referring to the nasty public spats between him and ex-wife Kerry Katona, who he once called a "pig-faced mole" (this is the mother of his two daughters).

He followed it up with a gush about current fiancée, Irish model-DJ Vogue Williams, "Randomly want to thank @VogueWilliams for making me the happiest man on the planet."

In the Vogue extracts, 27-year-old Delta revealed little about her seven-year relationship with Brian, other than the fact she was deeply unhappy before they broke up.

Goodrem, in her most candid interview yet about the split, told Vogue: "There is so much I'd like to say. I was really unhappy and I didn't know how to get out. I learned. I got there in the end."

McFadden - who has always maintained the split was amicable and described his ex as "one of God's living angels" - hit back in three seperate Twitter rants: "Sometimes silence is golden. People love to try and deflect attention from their own downfalls onto others," he wrote. "And for the record. I've seen it all before!! Randomly want to thank (fiancee) Vogue Williams for making me the happiest man on the planet."

Goodrem had "only good things" to report about her most recent boyfriend, toyboy Nick Jonas, 19, in the fashion magazine's cover story.

McFadden met Williams - who he will marry in coming months in Europe - in the months following his engagement breakdown.

Meanwhile Goodrem's musical comeback was once again in the spotlight yesterday, with comparisons drawn between a new B-side release called Uncovered with Kate Miller-Heidke's Last Day On Earth.

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First review of reality TV series Being Lara Bingle

Watching the first episode of the 10-part series with a very cynical eye at Channel 10 HQ in Pyrmont yesterday, Confidential was surprised at how engagingly silly the oh-so-polarising 24-year-old managed to be.


Perhaps it's just the gossip columnist factor, such as this quote about former flame Danny "the love god" Cipriani: "He dropped me on my arse so fast my arse cheeks are still hurting.


Then there's the fact she doesn't look bathed in foundation during every close up, is described as a risk-taking thrillseeker, shows her dealings with the paparazzi and speaks openly about how much she "loves" sex. There's even a serious moment - believe it or not - when her grandmother berates her "disgusting" naked photo scandal.




She rarely looks at the camera, which is a clever way of coming across as natural and plenty does feel staged, especially a "are they/aren't they" romance subplot between live-in manager Hermione Underwood and unashamedly bogan brother Josh.


She is told she can't drive her vehicle home and, despite having Underwood with her - who does have a valid licence - the pair choose to leave the tank-like vehicle on the side of the road and do the walk of shame home past the waiting paparazzi whose motordrives go into overdrive.


Next up the nude picture scandal is exposed, or at least Bingle is, when the proof sheet of the controversial naked shots that were taken of her at the doors of her balcony, is flashed on screen - twice.


The pictures were the centre of a dispute some weeks ago - was she inside the house when they were taken? Did she know they were being snapped? Was her privacy invaded? Was she shown the shots before they were put out for sale to magazines? Were they part of a publicity stunt for the show?


Bingle, who has been involved in nude picture issues twice in the past, says it is "so confronting to see pictures of yourself nude."


Her manager/best friend Underwood sagely observes: "We just have to keep the blinds closed," adding, "We are just going to have to buy you some clothes."


But by far the most memorable appearance in the show comes in the form of Bingle's furious but forthright granny who does not appear on screen, but rather via a voice message left on the model's mobile phone.


She gives her bungle prone granddaughter the most almighty serve over the nude shots.

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Flight soft drink can ‘bomb' mystery twist

Detectives investigating a simple soft drink can that forced a flight carrying 180 passengers into an emergency landing at Melbourne Airport have changed their minds about the case - again.


The captain of the Air Mauritius flight, which took off at 1.24pm (AEST) yesterday, made the decision to return to Melbourne Airport after the word "bomb" was apparently written on a soft drink can.


One of the first reports describing the mid-air emergency was that masking tape had been used to attach a piece of paper that stated "bomb" on the can.


No explosives were ever found.


But the next day the story had changed to one of a simple misunderstanding.


"It has been determined that no offence has been detected due to an initial misinterpretation of foreign lettering on the print of the can," a police spokeswoman said this morning.


A new police statement, however, said this evening that investigators had reached another interpretation of the suspicious little can.

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Lara Bingle

Lara Bingle,born 22 June 1987 is an Australian fashion model who is best known for appearing in the 2006 Tourism Australia advertising campaign So where the bloody hell are you? She is also known for being the former fiancee of Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and girlfriend of AFL footballer Brendon Fevola.


Bingle signed a one-year deal in 2008 with international phone company Vodafone as one of their official ambassadors. Bingle signed a three-year contract (2008–2011) with international icon swimwear label Speedo.
Since 2009, Bingle has been heavily involved as a Ambassador for Bowel Cancer Australia. On 4 June 2010, Bingle officially launched the 2010, "Love My Family" ad campaign.
Bingle fired manager Max Markson in early May 2010, exclusively announcing it to Grazia magazine in a un-paid interview.
In August 2010, Bingle announced that she had signed with US model agency Elite Models.
Bingle was announced as a contestant in the 2011 series of Dancing With The Stars.The series began airing in May. She was partnered with Carmelo Pizzino. Following her elimination from Dancing With The Stars on 26 June 2011, Bingle told The Kyle and Jackie O Show that she was shocked and upset at having been kicked-off the show, given her competitive streak[9].
Bingle confirmed on 2DayFM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show that she was in the stages of creating a range of sunglasses and co-creating a coffee table beauty book with her best friend and make-up artist Max May. In June 2011, ROC Eyewear launched a campaign featuring Bingle as the face of the brand and Bingle confirmed a capsule collection is under way.
Network Ten commissioned a reality series for broadcast in mid-2012 focusing around Bingle's everyday life, titled Being Lara Bingle.


Bingle announced in April 2011 a co-ownership in Growlers restaurant located in Torquay between her and Darryn Lyons‎.
In August, 2010 and March, 2011, Bingle co-hosted Australia radio show The Kyle & Jackie O Show.


Bingle graduated from St Vincent's College at Potts Point.
On 10 January 2007, Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph claimed that Bingle and Australian cricket Captain Michael Clarke were an item. On 25 March 2008 it was announced that the pair were engaged after Clarke proposed in New York. Clarke's public relations firm announced the ending of the engagement on 12 March 2010.
Her father Graham Bingle died on 10 May 2008 from liver and pancreatic cancer.


In May 2006, Bingle took legal action against EMAP Australia, who allegedly published photographs of the model without her permission in 27 March 2006 issue of Australian men's magazine Zoo Weekly. Bingle claims that the magazine defamed her by the way Zoo magazine had published the photos.
On 2 March 2010, Bingle started proceedings to sue Brendan Fevola for breach of privacy, defamation and misuse of her image for the release of a nude photo in Woman's Day released on 1 March 2010.
On 4 March 2010 it emerged that Bingle and her agent Max Markson had sold her story relating this nude photo to the same magazine which had published the controversial photo, Woman's Day, for nearly A$200,000. This raised considerable controversy in that Bingle would discuss for large profit, a matter she considered serious enough to sue over and from which she claimed to be hurt.

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Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE, born 27 June 1980 is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England, Surrey and the Delhi Daredevils. He was captain of the England Test and One Day International teams from 4 August 2008 to 7 January 2009 but resigned after just three Tests and nine One Day Internationals, following a dispute with England coach Peter Moores, who was sacked the same day. On 31 May 2012, Pietersen retired from all forms of international limited-overs cricket.

Pietersen was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, South Africa. He made his first-class debut for Natal in 1997 before moving to England after voicing his displeasure at the racial quota system in place in South Africa. His English mother gave Pietersen eligibility to play for England, and after serving a qualifying period of four years playing at county level, he was called up almost immediately into the national side. He made his international debut in the One Day International match against Zimbabwe in 2004, and his Test match debut in the 2005 Ashes series against Australia the following year. The England team's subsequent reliance on Pietersen since his debut resulted in only a single first-class appearance for Hampshire between 2005 and 2010. On 17 June 2010, Pietersen announced his wish to leave Hampshire . He subsequently joined Surrey on loan for the remainder of the 2010 English county cricket season after being dropped by England due to a poor run of form, before joining the club permanently from the 2011 season onwards.
Pietersen became the fastest batsman to reach both 1,000 and 2,000 runs in One Day International cricket, and the quickest in terms of time to 5,000 Test runs. He has the highest average of any England player to have played more than 20 innings of one-day cricket. He has the second-highest run total from his first 25 Tests, behind only the Australian Donald Bradman, and was the fastest player, in terms of days, to reach 4,000 Test runs.He became only the third English batsman to top the ICC One Day International rankings, doing so in March 2007.[18] In July 2008, after a century against South Africa, The Times called him "the most complete batsman in cricket". In 2012 The Guardian called him "England's greatest modern batsman".


In the 2007 Cricket World Cup, England started in Group C with a game against New Zealand in which KP made 60 before holing out. He made another 50 against Kenya but disappointedly made just 5 against Canada as England sealed qualification. He made 48 in the unconvincing win against Ireland. Pietersen made 58 against Sri Lanka before being caught and bowled by Murali. England lost that game by 2 runs before losing the next game against Australia by 7 wickets. Pietersen crafted 104 runs off 122 balls against Australia. It was the first World Cup century by an Englishman since 1996, and the first ever against Australia. His efforts in the World Cup helped him achieve the status of International Cricket Council number-one ranked batsman in the world for ODIs. He then failed making 10 against Bangladesh and 3 against South Africa. England lost to South Africa meaning that England did not reach the semi-finals. In England's final match of the World Cup against the West Indies, Pietersen made 100 from 91 balls, and effected the run-out of retiring captain Brian Lara. This century took him past 2,000 ODI runs, in doing so equalling the record 51 matches set by Zaheer Abbas. He finished the tournament with 444 runs, at an average of 55.5, and was described as shining in the England team "like a 100 watt bulb in a room full of candles".


West Indies in England


In the first test of the series he was dismissed for 26 again chasing a wide one when looking set also after 4 centuries were scored by England batsmen in the innings at Lord's,he then scored a hundred in the second innings when England were looking to accelerate. Pietersen posted his highest score of 226 in the second Test at Headingley (it was scored in 262 balls, with 24 fours and 2 sixes), surpassing his previous best of 158 which he had achieved three times. With this score, Pietersen moved ahead of Everton Weekes and Viv Richards to be the batsman with the second-highest run-total out of his first 25 Tests (behind Don Bradman). It is also the highest Test score for England since Graham Gooch scored 333 against India in 1990. This innings subjected the West Indies to an innings and 283 runs defeat, their largest against any team. Pietersen, the Man of the Match, said, "I believe the recipe for success is hard work. I've been criticised for throwing my wicket away, and I tried to make it count here".
In the third Test at Old Trafford, he carried on his bad run at the ground being bounced out twice for 9 and 68. In the second innings, Pietersen lost his wicket in a bizarre dismissal when West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo delivered a bouncer which knocked Pietersen's helmet off his head and onto his stumps. He is only the fourth batsman in Test cricket to be dismissed "hit wicket" as a result of headgear falling onto the stumps. This score took him past the 8,500 first-class runs mark, and 2,500 runs in Test cricket. In the final match of the series, he registered his third duck of his Test career in the first innings and 28 in the second innings as England won the series 3–0.
In contrast, Pietersen's batting was poor in the following single innings matches; he scored a total of 77 runs in five matches (two Twenty20 and three ODI), recording a second-ball duck in the final ODI. He subsequently fell to second in the official One Day International batting rankings, behind Ricky Ponting. Pietersen himself commented that his lack of form was a result of "fatigue", and reiterated his calls for a less "hectic" match schedule.


India tour and Twenty20 Championship


Pietersen played in the first Test against India and in the first innings, he made 37 but not without controversy. He edged the ball behind of Zaheer Khan to Dhoni. He walked, but after seeing replays on the screen, he walked back to the middle and the decision was overturned. Ironically, he was out shortly afterwards caught Dhoni, bowled Khan. In the second innings he was top scorer with a knock of 134 to set up a potential England victory. Pietersen described this as his best century, in very testing conditions. In the second test, he was twice lbw to RP Singh for 13 and 19 in a defeat which subsequently cost them the series. After making 41 in the first innings, Pietersen scored his 10th Test century in the third and final Test at the Oval, helping England to draw the game with 101. In the one-day series that followed, he struggled at the start with a top score of 33 not out in the first five matches of the series. He scored two half-centuries in the final matches including 71 not out in the final match at Lord's, hitting the winning runs to give England the series.
Pietersen was also picked for and played in the Twenty20 Championship in South Africa. In England's first game against Zimbabwe on 13 September, Pietersen hit 79 runs off 37 balls, his highest Twenty20 score, including seven fours and four sixes (one of them being another switch-hit sweep for six) in an English total of 188–9. England won the match by 50 runs; however, this was to be Pietersen's largest contribution in the competition. He scored another 99 runs over four more matches, ending the series with an average of 35.60. He also scored the most England fours (17) and jointly held the record for the most England sixes (6) with Owais Shah. He also held the highest strike rate of any England batsman.


Career in 2011


Pietersen batting during his innings of 72 against Sri Lanka at Lord's
Pietersen was part of England's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka between February and March. In the warm-up matches he was asked to open the batting in anticipation that he would assume the position for the whole tournament. He had opened the batting just six times in one-day games and never for England, although had done so for England A in 2004. Pietersen returned home early due to injury. A hernia required immediate surgery and the recovery time of around six weeks meant he would miss the rest of the tournament and potentially the IPL. Eoin Morgan took Pietersen's place in the squad. Pietersen earned some criticism after being sighted at a nightclub in London while injured, however he dismissed the criticism as unwarranted.
He returned from injury for the home series against Sri Lanka in May 2011. Pietersen was also picked to play against India in July 2011, and scored 202 not out at Lord's in the 1st Test. During the innings, Pietersen passed 6,000 runs in Tests. The feat took exactly six years, which is the fastest in terms of time taken, and 128 innings. In the fourth Test he scored 175 runs and shared a partnership of 350 runs with Ian Bell. Pietersen was rested for the ODI series against that followed the Tests.


Career in 2012
Pietersen played a pivotal role in England's tour of Sri Lanka. By scoring a century in the second of two Tests, not only did he move to 20 centuries for England, but he levelled the series at 1-1, ensuring England retain their No.1 Test Ranking status. On April 10th, Pietersen started his first match in the 2012 Indian Premier League for new team, the Delhi Daredevils. In May 2012, Pietersen was fined for a twitter outburst against Ex-England opener, Nick Knight.
On 31 May 2012, he announced his retirement from all forms of limited-overs international cricket. Remaining available for Test cricket only, Pietersen said that "with the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the World Cup in 2015. This announcement came on the back of his 80 against the West Indies at Trent Bridge as England took an unassailable 2–0 lead in the three Test series.


Achievements


Pietersen gained several awards for his performances in the 2005 season. He was named both the ICC ODI Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year in 2005, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year (alongside team mates Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard) for his role in the successful Ashes series against Australia. Along with the rest of the England team, he was decorated in the 2006 New Year Honours list, being awarded the MBE for his role in the successful Ashes series. He also played for the ICC World XI in the 2005 ICC Super Series against Australia.


Test match performance
Records:
Second-highest run-total from his first 25 Tests (behind Sir Don Bradman).
Fourth Englishman to make the top score in both innings of debut Test.
One of only twenty-five players to have a peak ICC batting rating over 900.
Achieved 5,000 test runs in the fastest time, reaching this feat in 4 years and 243 days.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to space tourists, suborbital launches for space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites. Further in the future Virgin Galactic hopes to offer orbital human spaceflights as well. Virgin Galactic's spacecraft are launched from a large aeroplane, giving the spacecraft more initial speed and altitude than if it were launched from the ground.


Overview of the spacecraft flights
It is planned that the spacecraft will be robust and affordable enough to take paying passengers ($200,000 per person with a $20,000 deposit). As of May 2012, there are around 550 ticket-holders in line to fly with Virgin Galactic. Notable passengers that have already submitted their deposit include Stephen Hawking, Tom Hanks, Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry, Prince Zulf Ali, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie. The craft is projected to be a six passenger, two pilot craft. Its planned trajectory will overlap the Earth’s atmosphere at 70,000 feet (21,000 m), which will make it a sub-orbital journey with a short period of weightlessness. The spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, will be carried to about 16 kilometers or 52000 ft by a carrier aircraft, White Knight II. At that point, when the carrier aircraft reaches its maximum height, the SpaceShipTwo vehicle will separate and continue to over 100 km (the Kármán line, a common definition of where "space" begins). The time from liftoff of the White Knight booster carrying SpaceShipTwo until the touchdown of SpaceShipTwo after the sub-orbital flight will be about 2.5 hours. The sub-orbital flight itself will only be a small fraction of that time. The weightlessness will last approximately 6 minutes. Passengers will be able to release themselves from their seats during these 6 minutes and float around the cabin
In addition to the sub-orbital passenger business, Virgin Galactic will market SpaceShipTwo for sub-orbital space science missions and market WhiteKnightTwo for "small satellite" launch services. They had planned to initiate RFPs for the satellite business in early 2010, however flights had not materialized as of 2012.
[edit]SpaceShipTwo's performance
SpaceShipTwo flies to a height of 110 km, going beyond the defined boundary of space (100 km) and lengthening the experience of weightlessness [for its passengers]. The spacecraft reaches a top speed of 4000 km/h, faster than current fighter jets. It has double the crew (2) and can carry triple the passengers (6) of its predecessor. In honour of the science fiction series Star Trek, the first two ships are named after the fictional starships Enterprise and Voyager. To re-enter the atmosphere SpaceShipTwo folds its wings up, and then returns them to their original position for an unpowered descent flight back onto the runway. The craft has a very limited cross-range capability and until other planned spaceports are built worldwide, it has to land in the area where it started. Further "Spaceports" are planned in Dubai and elsewhere, with the intention that the spaceline will have a world-wide availability and commodity in the future.


Sir Richard Branson unveiled the rocket plane on Monday 7 December 2009. SpaceShipTwo was presented to the world in the Mojave desert, in California. The vehicle underwent testing during the following 18 months before being allowed to take ticketed individuals on short-hop trips just above the atmosphere. Sir Richard Branson, who heads the Virgin Group, intends to run the first flights out of New Mexico before extending operations around the globe. Built from lightweight carbon composite materials and powered by a hybrid rocket motor, SS2 is based on the Ansari X PRIZE-winning SpaceShipOne concept - a rocket plane that is lifted initially by a carrier vehicle before blasting skywards. SS1 became the world's first private spaceship with a series of high-altitude flights in 2004.
Its successor, however, is twice as large, measuring 18 m (60 ft) in length. And whereas SpaceShipOne only had a single pilot (and the ballast equivalent of two passengers), SS2 will have a crew of two and room for six passengers. More than 400 individuals are reported to have signed up for a flight as of early 2011. Each is paying $200,000 (£121,000) for the privilege of experiencing approximately six minutes of weightlessness during what will be a two-hour end-to-end flight. Many of those future "astronauts" have attended the VIP unveiling at the Mojave Air and Spaceport. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson christened the spaceliner Virgin SpaceShip (VSS) Enterprise.
The New Mexico authorities are investing almost $200m (£121m) in a purpose-built facility in Sierra County, New Mexico, Spaceport America. It will have a 3,000m (10,000 ft) runway and a suitably space-age terminal and hangar building designed by Foster and Partners. Sir Richard's Virgin Galactic enterprise will have competitors but he is almost certain to be the first to market, barring any problems arising in the test campaign. SpaceShipTwo's carrier plane is called WhiteKnightTwo. It was finished last year and has already begun its own trials.


The Spaceship Company


The Spaceship Company (TSC) is a new aerospace production company, founded by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Scaled Composites, which is building a fleet of commercial spaceships and launch aircraft with the intention of making widespread space travel a reality. TSC’s initial launch customer is Virgin Galactic, which has contracted to purchase five SpaceShipTwos and two WhiteKnightTwos.To meet Virgin Galactic’s requirements, TSC has contracted Scaled Composites to develop and build prototypes of WK2 and SS2, of which TSC started full-scale production in 2008.

Kevin Pietersen retires from ODIs to clear the path for 'new generation'

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has announced his shock retirement from one-day and Twenty20 internationals.


The 31-year-old has played 127 ODIs and 36 T20Is and was a first-choice player in both formats.


But he will now continue his England career as a Test specialist only following discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board earlier this month.


Pietersen said: "After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket.


"With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015."


Pietersen, who was man of the tournament when England won the World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010, was willing to help defend the trophy in Sri Lanka this autumn but the ECB have decided that centrally-contracted players must be available for both limited-overs formats or neither.


"I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, and still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket," he added.


"For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20."


Pietersen's absence for the World Twenty20 is particularly relevant given he was the only England batsman to be selected in the recently concluded Indian Premier League.


As a result of his decision, Pietersen's current England contract will be downgraded for the rest of its duration and he will only be available in the future for a lower-tier deal.


‘For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20.’ 


Hugh Morris, managing director England cricket, added: ‘ECB is disappointed by the timing of Kevin’s decision less than four months before we defend our ICC World Twenty20 title. 


‘Kevin is a world class player and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts and we look forward to his continued contributions to the Test match side. 


‘As the programming and planning for ODI and T20 format cricket are very closely linked we have a selection policy that means that any player making himself unavailable for either of the one day formats, rules himself out of consideration for both formats. 


‘The selectors will now replace Kevin in both the ODI and the T20 squads.’ 

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Frank Lampard

Frank James Lampard, born 20 June 1978 is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side.He is considered to be one of the best English footballers of his time, and is widely regarded to be one of the best midfield players of his generation. Lampard is best described as a box-to-box midfielder known for "his work-rate, range of passing and goalscoring ability.
Lampard began his career at West Ham United, for whom his father Frank Lampard, Sr. had also played. He had secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million.
From his debut onwards he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team, setting a record 164 consecutive Premier League appearances. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the West London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and a domestic cup double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest paid Premier League footballer at that time, and scored in his first Champions League Final that same year. He won the FA Cup for the second time in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. In the 2009–10 season, Lampard won the Premier League title and FA Cup (domestic cup double) and also had his most prolific season with Chelsea, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists. In the 2011-12 season, Lampard captained Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League title.
A three-time Chelsea Player of the Year, Lampard is the club's third highest all-time goalscorer with 186 goals in all competitions. Lampard is also one of five players, and the only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. He is second in the Premier League's all-time assists table with 91 assists. He has had over 1400 successful passes and 10 or more assists every season. In 2005, Lampard was runner-up in both the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year and the 2005 Ballon d'Or. On 23 December 2009, he was named the Premier League's Player of the decade by official statistics.
Internationally, Lampard has been capped 90 times by England since making his debut in October 1999, and has scored 23 goals. He was voted England Player of the Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He played in Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their successful 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played in the 2006 World Cup. He is England's most prolific penalty taker ever with 7 goals, surpassing the previous record holders, Ron Flowers and Alan Shearer.
He was named the 49th highest earning athlete in the world in June 2011.


In Chelsea's third Premier League match of the season, Lampard scored his first goal of the season and also provided an assist for José Bosingwa's opening goal, as Chelsea beat Norwich City 3–1.
After not featuring in Chelsea's 4–1 win against Swansea City on 24 September, Lampard returned to the starting lineup for their Champions League group stage game against Valencia netting an important opening goal in their 1–1 draw. Lampard continued his fine form by netting his fifth Chelsea hat-trick on 2 October, in a 5–1 thrashing of Bolton. In the eleventh round of the Premier League, Lampard scored the only goal of the match against Blackburn, with a diving header, giving Chelsea a win after two consecutive defeats. After starting the game against Manchester City on the bench, Lampard came on in the second half to score the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute. Lampard again proved to be the match-winner again as he scored in the 89th minute against Wolves, with the match finishing 2-1 to Chelsea.
On 25 February 2012, Lampard scored his tenth league goal of the season in Chelsea's 3-0 win against Bolton, becoming the only player to score at least 10 goals in nine consecutive seasons in the Premier League and his 149th all time league goal.
Eleven days after the sacking of manager Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea hosted Napoli in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg, trailing the Naples side 3-1 from the first leg. Lampard helped Chelsea make a remarkable comeback, assisting John Terry from a corner for the second goal and then equalizing the aggregate score from the penalty spot with a powerful shot to the left of the goal. Branislav Ivanović sealed Chelsea's victory in extra-time. In the second leg of the quarter-finals of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League against Benfica, Lampard converted a crucial penalty to give Chelsea a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, and helping them advance with an aggregate score of 3-1.
He scored the 150th Premier League goal of his career against Fulham in a 1-1 draw on 9 April 2012.
In the semifinal of the FA Cup Chelsea defeated Tottenham 5-1. Lampard assisted Drogba for the first goal, and also scored the fourth goal for the Blues from a free kick 35 yards from goal.




Lampard was pivotal in the semi-finals of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League against heavily favored Barcelona. In the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Lampard stripped Lionel Messi off the ball then played a cross-field pass to Ramires who setup Drogba for the only goal of the game giving Chelsea a 1-0 advantage. In the second leg at Camp Nou, Lampard assumed the captaincy after Terry was sent off early in the game. Down 0-2 to Barca just before half-time, Lampard assisted Ramires' goal with a through-pass which leveled the aggregate score at 2-2 while putting Chelsea ahead on away goals. Chelsea teammate Fernando Torres added another goal in stoppage time to give Chelsea a 3-2 victory overall. This set up Chelsea's match with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena for the Champions League final.
In the 2012 FA Cup Final, Lampard assisted Didier Drogba's winning goal in 2-1 win over Liverpool FC, the seventh FA Cup in Chelsea's history as well as the fourth of his career
Lampard captained Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Bayern Munich, due to Terry's suspension. It was match where Chelsea were considered to be the underdogs. After finishing 1-1 in normal time, the game went to a penalty shootout with Lampard successfully converting his team's fourth spot-kick, helping Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties. As Chelsea's skipper for the match, Lampard lifted the trophy jointly with club captain John Terry.
Lampard ended the 2011-12 season as Chelsea's topscorer with 16 goals in all competitions, along with 10 assists.




International career


Lampard was first spotted by England U-21 manager Peter Taylor, and his under-21 debut came on 13 November 1997 in a match against Greece. He played for the under-21 side from November 1997 to June 2000, and scored nine goals, a mark bettered only by Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers.
Lampard earned his first cap for England on 10 October 1999 in a 2–1 friendly win over Belgium, and scored his first goal on 20 August 2003 in a 3–1 win over Croatia.
Euro 2004
He was bypassed for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, and had to wait until Euro 2004 to participate in his first international competition. England reached the quarter-finals with Lampard netting three goals in four matches. He scored against France and Croatia in the group stages, and in the quarter-final he equalised for England in the 112th minute against Portugal, bringing the scoreline to 2–2 but England lost on penalties. He was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.


Post Euro 2004
He became a regular in the squad following the retirement of Paul Scholes, and was voted England Player of the Year by fans in 2004 and 2005. He was England's top-scorer in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with 5 goals. He scored two crucial goals in the qualifiers, the first against Austria in a 1-0 win, and the second, the winning goal against Poland.






2006 World Cup
In England's first game of the tournament vs Paraguay, Lampard was named Man of the Match as England won 1-0. Though Lampard played every minute of England's 2006 World Cup matches, he went scoreless as England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties, and he was one of the three England players who missed their penalties, alongside Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
2010 World Cup and disallowed goal
In the round-of-16 match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Germany in the first half, Lampard had a shot at goal that bounced off the crossbar and from TV replays was clearly seen to cross the goal line. If counted, it would have tied the game 2–2. However, neither the referee nor the linesman saw it as a goal, and play was continued. In the second-half, Lampard hit the cross-bar again, with a 30 yard free-kick. The final score was a 4–1 win for Germany, eliminating England from the tournament.
As England exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lampard had already achieved the record of having made 37 shots on goal without scoring in a World Cup tournament, more than any other player since 1966.


2007–2011
He scored in a 2–1 loss to Germany in a friendly at the new Wembley in 2007. He was booed by England supporters while coming on as a second-half substitute during England's Euro 2008 qualifying match against Estonia on 13 October 2007, and finished with one goal (in a 3–2 loss to Croatia on 21 November) as England failed to qualify for the tournament. He scored his first international goal in two years in a 4–0 win over Slovakia in March 2009, and also created another for Wayne Rooney. Lampard's goal was the 500th England goal scored at Wembley. On 9 September 2009, Lampard struck twice in England's 5–1 win against Croatia which secured their place at 2010 World Cup. On 8 February 2011, it was announced that Lampard would captain the national team against Denmark in a friendly played the next day after both Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were absent through injury. In the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Lampard netted two goals for England, both penalties. The first against Wales in a 2-0 win, and the latter vs Switzerland in a 2-2 draw, making Lampard England's most prolific penalty taker ever. In November 2011, Lampard captained England to a 1-0 friendly victory over current World Champions Spain, a game in which he scored the only goal.


Personal life


Lampard attended Brentwood School between 1989 and 1994, finishing with eleven GCSEs, including an A* in Latin.
His father is Frank Lampard senior, the former West Ham United player and assistant manager who was still associated with the club when Lampard junior was playing for them. His mother Pat died in April 2008 aged 58 as a result of pneumonia. Lampard's uncle is Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp and his cousin is Redknapp's son Jamie Redknapp.
In 2000, Lampard, Ferdinand and Kieron Dyer appeared on a sex video that was filmed at the holiday resort of Ayia Napa in Cyprus. Channel 4 aired a brief clip as part of their 2004 documentary Sex, Footballers and Videotape, claiming it was used to "remind the viewer that this is based on real life. On 23 September 2001, Lampard, along with three other Chelsea players was fined two weeks wages by the club for his behaviour whilst on a drinking binge on 12 September. Lampard and the others had abused grieving American tourists at a Heathrow hotel, just 24 hours after the September 11 attacks. A hotel manager stated "they were utterly disgusting. They just didn't seem to care about what had happened".
It was reported that Lampard showed an unusually high IQ score during neurological research carried out by the Chelsea doctor, Bryan English. English stated that "Frank Lampard scored one of the highest set of marks ever recorded by the company doing the tests".
Lampard has stated in 2007 that he is a supporter of the Conservative Party.
He was selected by EA Sports as one of the three football stars on the cover of the FIFA 10 football game pack globally, along with Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney.


Relationships
Lampard lives in Surrey and London. He has two daughters with his former fiancee, Spanish model Elen Rivas, Luna (born 22 August 2005) and Isla (born 20 May 2007).His autobiography, Totally Frank, was published in August 2006. In mid-February 2009, it was reported that Lampard and Rivas had split in November 2008 after seven years together, with Rivas taking between £1 million to £12.5 million in settlement fees from Lampard's estimated £32 million net worth.
Since October 2009, Lampard has been in a relationship with Christine Bleakley. On 15 June 2011, Lampard's engagement to Christine Bleakley was announced by his agent.
On 24 April 2009, Lampard was involved in a radio confrontation with James O'Brien on the London radio station LBC 97.3. Newspapers had reported that following Lampard's split from Rivas their children were living with her in a small flat while Lampard had converted their family home into a bachelor pad. Lampard phoned-in, objecting to criticism, and asserting that he had fought "tooth and nail" to keep his family together.

Euro 2012: Frank Lampard faces crucial scan on injured thigh to determine whether he can travel with England

Tuesday lunchtime that Frank Lampard sat down at the England team hotel to discuss the possibility of a fourth international tournament and finally putting behind him the disappointments that have followed his career with the national team since his first big impact at Euro 2004.


There were the usual questions, as relevant now as they were at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals, such as whether he could play with Steven Gerrard in a central midfield pairing; whether he could adapt his game to be a more defensive midfielder in the twilight of his career; and whether, as he approaches his 34th birthday next month, he could add a medal with England to one of the most impressive collections in modern English football.


Today, Lampard goes for a scan on a thigh injury picked up in training yesterday morning that is all but certain to rule him out of Euro 2012. He may never get a chance to lay to rest the disappointments of the last two World Cup finals or win the 10 caps that would take him to a century for England. For a player who has won everything in the club game, it is a sad way to end a remarkable season.


At Stamford Bridge, he is adored as the man who epitomises the good times under Roman Abramovich more than any other player. Not least because he was picked up from West Ham 11 years ago for what now seems like a bargain £11m – although at the time it was a considerable investment – and became one of the most influential players of his generation.


England? Well, that aspect of his career is a bit different. There, the love affair has waned at times since his impact at Euro 2004 and the relationship with the more fickle elements of the support has not always been as strong. When he was left out of the team by Fabio Capello for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Bulgaria last September, despite the absence of Gerrard and Jack Wilshere, it looked like a pivotal moment.


Lampard, who turns 34 next month, said: "I did wonder if I was going to make it (the Euros) earlier in the season. I'm not silly. I wondered if I'd be out.
"I took nothing for granted at that stage and it just shows you how football can turn, not just for myself.
"A few in the squad might have been out of the picture a few months ago and now they are in the picture.
"I can only be thankful that I just kept going through those times."
Speaking this week, prior to his injury, he added: "Is it the last chance with England? Possibly. One day it might be taken out of my hands, so it's not an easy one to answer.
"I don't see myself retiring or taking myself out of it in the near future, so I wouldn't want to call it the last one necessarily.
"But I'm no fool and I know that age is a factor and, when you're at the top international level, you don't go on forever. Nobody does. I will take this as potentially one of my last chances.
"This year in the Champions League I had that same mindset. I didn't think it was my last year, but you know that it won't go on forever and it makes you appreciate it even more."
England face Belgium at Wembley on Saturday, which means a sight of Eden Hazard ahead of an anticipated move by the young Lille midfielder to Chelsea.
Lampard is expecting ''great things" of Hazard at Chelsea after receiving the seal of approval from Didier Drogba and Joe Cole.
Lampard said: "It's a very exciting time for the club and I'm looking forward to seeing what he's about.
"Everyone I speak to says he is a very top player, a very top young player.

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Frankie Dettori insists he has no plans to retire from racing

Frankie Dettori is no longer Godolphin's principal jockey. It has taken the racing world some time to digest this but the message has finally got home with the booking of Mickaël Barzalona to ride the team's sole runner in this weekend's Epsom Classics and it was confirmed on Wednesday by Godolphin's spokesman, Simon Crisford.


"Rides will be split across the board," he said in reference to the team's three jockeys, Dettori, Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa. "They will all get equal opportunities. Frankie has to share the cake and he understands that."


Crisford discussed the signing of Barzalona and De Sousa in Dubai in March, when he said: "It's not like there's going to be a pecking order." He was understood to mean that the others would compete for second-string rides behind the Italian but his true meaning now becomes clear.


"We brought in two new, young jockeys and it is obviously important to give them opportunities," he said on Wednesday. "For years Frankie was our only retained jockey. We had other people who would regularly ride for us but it was an informal arrangement. These two jockeys are formally retained.


"I thought we made it reasonably clear at the time that, if any one of them struck up a winning combination with a certain horse, the chances are they are going to stay on that horse. Certainly that's Frankie's understanding of the situation.


It is the first time in 20 years Dettori does not have a ride in the Derby apart from in 2000 when he was recovering after being involved in a plane crash.
Goldolphin are not fielding a runner in the race and Dettori also lost out to Mickael Barzalona for the seat on Godolphin's only entry in tomorrow's Epsom Oaks, the unbeaten filly Kailani.
Barzalona and Silvestre de Sousa now rival Dettori for rides at Goldolphin.
He added: "I'm a soldier in a team. I do what I'm told. The boss has the power to decide who rides and I've been a good soldier for the past 18 years.
"Mickael got the ride in the Oaks on the word of the boss (Sheikh Mohammed) and Mahmood Al Zarooni.
"Nevertheless, I then got a call from Coolmore asking if I could ride in the Oaks. The boss said I could if I wanted to. As it happened nothing came of it but it shows I'm in demand."
Dettori has produced 13 winners in his 92 rides this season.

French Open 2012: Andy Murray battles back from a set down and a back injury to defeat Jarkko Nieminen

Andy Murray defied chronic back pain that from day one has threatened to derail not only his French Open campaign but may yet undermine his entire summer and advanced to the third round with an heroic, almost perverse, victory over Jarkko Nieminen.


He beat the 48th-ranked Finn 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes on Thursday and, providing he is fit, plays the Colombian Santiago Giraldo on Saturday. On paper it is a straightforward match for the world No 4, although he might not know until shortly beforehand if he is fit enough to carry on in the tournament.


Indeed, it might be sensible to stop now. His chances of winning the title, never strong, are diminished, and he risks doing damage ahead of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.


"I don't know how I won, to be honest," he said. "I had a bit of spasm, it hurt when I got up this morning and it was really bad 20 minutes after practice. I couldn't put any weight on my left leg.


"The guys were telling me to stop after the first set, and we spoke about it before the match [the possibility of retiring during play]. I just decided to play on. I felt a bit bitter, probably end of the second set. I thought, let's give it a go, chasing a few balls down. It's still fairly sore."


Murray might yet wonder if punishing his body in the early rounds is the best way to manage what is clearly a long-term injury that requires extended rest.


That said, this was one of his finest victories, where his mind dragged his body from the edge of defeat after only 10 minutes to a triumph which left his opponent utterly spent and confused.


Something similar happened here a year ago, when Murray turned his ankle against Michael Berrer, and Berrer later admitted that the situation "was making me so tight I couldn't really focus or think clearly".
Once Murray's legs began to move, he actually found himself striking the ball very well, even if it was difficult to change direction on the slippery clay. He won the last four games of the second set, then raced through the third in just 30 minutes. For all the early drama of the match, it turned into something of a towelling for Nieminen, and the final duration of 2hrs 27 minutes makes it sound almost routine.
It was a fine recovery from Murray, and it showed great reserves of courage, but the ITV commentator Jim Courier questioned whether it was the right decision to carry on.
"He's going to face a challenge in 45 minutes when the adrenaline wears off," said Courier at the end of the match. "I still believe he should have walked off the court, given the big picture.
"Winning this match doesn't do anything for his long-term chances to win this tournament. Physically he needs to be at 100 per cent health for what's ahead of him, not only this tournament but Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.
"Coming into this tournament with a core problem, you get respect for keeping going, but in the long term you need rest. I've had a lower back problem and it doesn't help when you're turning and twisting and torquing your body.
"It needs solving and I don't know how he's going to solve it by doing this.

BAE Systems plans to cut 600 jobs at Glascoed, Monmouthshire

Defence giant BAE Systems is planning to axe more than 600 jobs and close a historic factory which made tanks for the First World War.


The firm said 330 jobs will be lost through the closure of the site at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is currently making Terrier vehicles for the Army.


The factory has been a defence manufacturing site since 1847, building a number of ships and employing tens of thousands of workers in its heyday.


Up to 280 jobs will also be lost at three BAE sites in Radway Green, near Crewe, Washington in the North East and Glascoed in South Wales under the proposals, as well as the prospect of 10 job cuts at the firm's head office in Farnborough, Hampshire.


BAE said the proposal to close the Newcastle site at the end of 2013 followed a business review which concluded that there was no prospect of new UK armoured vehicle manufacturing work once production of the Terrier ends next year.


The firm said the proposals now under consultation followed major efficiency improvements and reductions in the amount of ammunitions required by the Ministry of Defence.


Managing director Charlie Blakemore said: "We need to adapt to very challenging market conditions and further reduce our overheads to drive better value for our customers and increase our competitiveness in the export market.


The 1,000-acre site, near Usk, produces a range of munitions.


It started production in 1940 during World War II and the operation has around 700 buildings.


BAE has also proposed the closure of its Newcastle armoured vehicle site with the loss of 600 jobs.


Rehana Azam, national officer of the GMB union said: "BAE Systems have a highly experienced and skilled workforce and these job cuts are yet another blow to manufacturing.


"Representations are being made to MPs to see what can be done to retain skills within BAE Systems and in traditional industrial areas of the UK."


In 2008, the company signed a 15-year deal with the MoD to supply the UK armed forces with small arms and medium-calibre ammunition.


It also included mortar bombs, tank, artillery and naval gun shells, but not weapons such as guided missiles.


The contract safeguarded 1,700 jobs at three factories, including Glascoed.


The deal was initially worth about £2bn and the MoD hoped the contract would rise to a £3bn, depending on how much ammunition was ordered.

House prices in the United Kingdom

The affordability of housing in the United Kingdom deteriorated significantly from the late 1990s onwards, with house prices rising faster than earnings and the average age of first-time homebuyers increasing. The issue of housing supply and affordability was recognised as a social, economic and political problem and generated a number of Government responses.


Growth of house prices


As recently as the mid 1970s, the average house price in the United Kingdom was just over £10,000. A steady increase followed over the next decade, and by 1986 that figure was in the region of £40,000. However, the economic upturn of the late 1980s saw that figure rise to around £70,000 in 1989, dropping slightly in the early 1990s due to the recession.
However, between 1998 and 2007 house prices in the United Kingdom rose dramatically, generating large increases in home equity for many homeowners but also making housing unaffordable for other people. Most developed countries experienced sharp increases in house prices in the early years of the new millennium. The UK situation was different in two regards. First, the house price boom started earlier and saw more sustained increases. Second, the regional pattern was fairly uniform. Between 2002 and 2007, house prices in the UK rose by 90%, faster than any Eurozone nation except Spain.
The average (mix-adjusted) house price in the first quarter of 1998 was £81,722, but at the peak of the market in the third quarter of 2007 the average price was £219,256 – over two and a half times higher or a total increase of 168%. Between the first quarter of 2001 and the fourth quarter of 2006 prices increased 60%, again when adjusted for inflation (figures from the Nationwide Building Society's house price data). House prices at the end of 2006 were 35% higher than they would have been if the long-term trend rate of growth - 2.6% per annum in real terms since 1976 - had been maintained. In 2008, house prices started to fall but they have stabilised as of August 2009. This may reflect the housing market's normal seasonality or it may indicate a genuine recovery. Some analysts now expect UK house prices to contract by 50% in real terms. Adam Slater, senior economist at Oxford Economics has forecast that "it will take quite a few years, possibly a decade, before real house prices get back to their peak levels”.
The increase in the house prices has made the housing market increasingly difficult to enter. The ratio of lower-quartile house prices to lower-quartile earnings, a measure of affordability used in the Barker Review of Housing Supply, rose from 4 in 2000 to 5.2 in 2003 and 7.1 in 2006. At a regional level, the problem of unaffordable housing is no longer confined to London and the South East, but now affects almost the whole of England. In July 2009 the ratio of house prices to first-time buyers' incomes remained higher than the historical average.


Mortgage lending
During the period 2001-2007, many lenders began offering loans of increasing multiples of income sometimes to people with poor credit ratings; products that did not require a deposit became more common- 125% mortgage products appeared. The high rate of lending may have been exacerbated by the buy-to-let phenomenon. In the 1990s the Buy-to-Let market accounted for about 1% of loans taken out for the purposes of buying a house. In 2006, the 330,000 buy-to-let mortgages that were taken out accounted for 9% of outstanding home loans.
Although mortgages were more widely available, the rise in house prices meant that there was less affordable housing available to people on low incomes. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reported what it called "alarming trends in housing supply, availability and affordability". In 2003, the British Government commissioned a report on the lack of supply in the housing market. The Barker Report on housing supply concluded that it was necessary to build an additional 70,000 houses per year to reduce the real price rise to 1.8% per annum. An additional 120,000 houses per annum was required to reduce long term house price inflation to the EU average of 1.1%. The government commissioned a further report by Professor David Miles of Imperial College on the mortgage market. Among its recommendations was that Building Societies should obtain more mortgage funds from the money market in order to increase the availability of mortgages.
The Barker report had also concluded that an additional 39,000 houses per annum were required for UK house building to match household formation. Barker was quoted as saying there were only a net 134,000 new houses for more than 179,000 household formations per year. The figure of 134,000 built in 2002 was contradicted by the National House-Builder Council which reported that there were 160,800 houses built in 2002. In 2006 they report 185,000 new builds, which is above the original Barker report estimate of 179,000 household formations a year. In the 1990s, an average of 158,910 houses were built each year (NHBC figures) against 172,000 for each of the five years to 2006.
Increased divorce rate is another often quoted reason for increasing house prices, but this metric peaked in 1993  - a year of static or falling prices.
The reduced availability of inter-bank lending had a severe effect on companies such as Northern Rock which had financed an aggressive expansion of mortgage lending by short term borrowing in the money market.

House prices

Real estate pricing deals with the valuation of real estate and all the standard methods of determining the price of fixed assets apply.


The Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco was once the site of a double-decker freeway with cardboard boxes housing the homeless underneath. In the early 1990s, however, the Embarcadero was the site of significant redevelopment efforts, sparked by both the destruction of the freeway by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and rising real estate prices. Today, the Embarcadero serves as one of the San Francisco's most prominent flagship boulevards.
The median home price is one of the most common measurements used to compare real estate prices in different markets, areas, and periods. It is said to be less biased than the mean (average) price since it is not as heavily influenced by small number of very highly priced homes.
Rents and prices are often expressed per square foot or square metre to act as a basis of comparison.
Home prices are limited by various factors, such as the incomes of potential buyers, the cost and ability to construct new property to increase supply, and demand for rental units. Since eighty percent of all homes purchased are purchased with a mortgage, the ability to make payments, borrow money, and the cost of borrowing money are major influences limiting how far prices can rise before hitting resistance due to prices hitting levels where potential buyers are unable to qualify. In general the ratio in the US are home values at 2-4 times annual income levels.