Celebrity auction makes more than $3 million

An Icons and Idols auction has raised more than $3 million. The auction was held over a two day period in California and was hosted by Julien’s Auctions in Beverley Hills. Bidders from across the globe were queuing up to make their bids so that they could own a piece of Rock ‘n’ Roll history.

The auction featured a large collection of Madonna memorabilia, a lot of which attracted bids well above their estimates.  A jacket worn by the singer/actress in Desperately Seeking Susan sold for more than quarter of a million dollars, while a dress worn during the Who’s That Girl tour reached $50,000.

There was also plenty of interest in the dress worn in the Like a Virgin video; the final price reached more than $73,000; the wedding dress worn when the singer wed Sean Penn made $73,000.

Iconic photographs taken by Herb Ritz reached staggering prices too. The original estimates were put at $600-800 each, but many of them sold for thousands of dollars.

Items from Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Prince and Elvis Presley also attracted plenty of interest from collectors. Memorabilia from the Michael Jackson Dangerous tour sold for more than $50,000, a pair of John Lennon sunglasses sold for $25,000, while the hand written lyrics to “Erotic City” by Prince sold for $44,800.

Others items that were included in the auction were a t-shirt once worn by Kurt Cobain, which sold for $25,000, and a Gretsch guitar owned by The Edge reached a final price of $50,000.

Direct sellers warned they have until February 29 to declare income

HMRC issued a press release on Monday reminding direct sellers in the UK that they have just one month to declare their extra income and pay any tax that is owed.

Direct sellers who work as consultants, sales agents, party plan agents etc. have until February 28th, 2013 to contact the tax office and let them know about the taxes owed, and they must make arrangements to pay before February 28^th.

HM Revenue and Customs states that it will be writing to direct sellers to inform them about the Direct Selling Campaign that is currently being run. If direct sellers do not contact the HMRC by then, then they can expect to receive a letter in the post if it is thought that they might owe tax.

HMRC will also give people the opportunity to discuss this with them via the social media site Twitter. On February 7^th, direct sellers will have the opportunity to talk to experts regarding this issue and can talk to them between 1pm – 2pm. HMRC can be found on Twitter under the username @HMRCgov.uk. Anyone who would like their questions answered can submit them under the hash tag dsqa and they can either submit them ahead of the question and answer session or on the day.

Commenting in a press release, Marian Wilson, head of HMRC Campaigns, said:

“Anyone involved in direct selling who has not told HMRC about all of their income might not be paying the right amount of tax. The Direct Selling campaign is a chance to bring their tax affairs up to date, on the best terms. Anyone with questions should join our Twitter Q&A on 7 February, where our experts will be available to help.”
 

The original article can be seen here. 

 

BNS Louise Marie apprehends suspected pirates

BNS Louise Marie, the Belgium Frigate used by the EU Navel Force, has apprehended three men believed to be pirates.  This is the second time in recent weeks that BNS Louise Marie has apprehended suspected pirates; just 12 days ago five men were detained by BNS Louise Marie on suspicion of piracy on the Somali coast.

The naval warship is part of Operation Atlanta;the ship has monitored the seas off the Horn Of Africa in recent weeks to protect vessels from acts of piracy.  Operation Atlanta is part of the European Union's efforts to counteract piracy in Somalia.

Details of the event have only just been made available, however, the incident occurred on the early hours of December 27.  The suspect skiff was first spotted 400 miles off the Somalia coast by a Swedish EU NAVFOR maritime patrol aircraft.

Once the three men were apprehended, evidence was collected and the men were later taken ashore to a Somali beach.

Commenting in  a news release, Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, the Deputy Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, said:

“EU Naval Force’s continued vigilance over this period has paid dividends.  BNS Louise Marie’s crew was able to quickly locate these men, and with reasonable grounds to suspect piracy, quite rightly took away their equipment that they may have used to prey on ships at sea.  The EU always seeks, where possible, a legal finish, however, this time, whilst there were reasonable grounds to suspect piracy, it was felt that there was insufficient evidence to secure a prosecution.  The European Union’s intent is clear - to be tough on piracy, whilst helping Somalis to regain peaceful control of their own country”.               

26 Dead after shooting at US Elementary School

America is in mourning and flags fly at half-mast tonight as the true horror of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut begins to become clear.

To begin with it had been an ordinary day for the children at the school until the shooting began; the first gunshots are said to have been heard in the Principal's office. Reports suggest that 26 died in the shooting, 20 of them children.  The gunman then turned the gun on himself.

Reports of the shootings first came through late Friday afternoon in the UK.  The full extent was not known at the time and there was some confusion after it was stated that there were two gunmen, however, it is now clear that there was only one gunman.

An emotional President Obama took to the podium in the White House briefing room to talk about the tragedy.  As he addressed the nation, Obama said:

"...The majority of those who died today were children -- beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.  They had their entire lives ahead of them -- birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.  Among the fallen were also teachers -- men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams..."

"...As a country, we have been through this too many times.  Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago -- these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children.  And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics..."

"...This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one another.  But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight.  And they need all of us right now.  In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans.  And I will do everything in my power as President to help..."

There is some speculation that this might lead to gun laws in the United States being tightened, but that is something for another day, and for now America must grieve for the children and adults lost - and for the families they leave behind.