The dating website, BeautifulPeople.com, has forced in excess of 5,000 of its members to re-apply after they posted images of themselves being depicted fatter than usual celebrating the Christmas season.

BeautifulPeople.com asked its existing members if they were still attractive enough to be part of this online community and the chose only a few hundred to be allowed back in the website.

BeautifulPeople.com bans people it considers physically unattractive and brands itself as a community exclusively reserved for the beautiful. Officials at the website simply said they were responding to complaints made by some of its members.

BeautifulPeople.com founder and operator Robert Hintze said that the business part of the enterprise hates to loose members, although it does have to respect the core principal of high standards in physical appearance which is expected by the site’s members.

Hintze said that allowed overweight people to take part in the community posed a direct threat to its business model and its very concept.

According to BeautifulPeople.com managing director Greg Hodge, although people may be big and beautiful, that fact doesn’t suit everyone. He added that contributors are expected to remain slim and fit through out the duration of their membership, if not, they should expect to be re-rated.

Hodge  said that the decision is made by existing members, who use a purely democratic process, by voting, to see if an individual fits the standards of the website or not.

The website said that the majority of the people who lost their membership were from Most the UK, the US and Canada.

They were informed via email and were also encouraged to slim down before re-applying.

UK passengers have been informed that they might experience lengthy delays at airports as they go through the various procedures prior to boarding they flight.

The been told yesterday to expect intrusive body searches take place travellers were warned yesterday to expect intrusive body searches to take place involving patting down.

Commercial passenger carriers have now been ordered to permit only a single piece of hand luggage within the cabin and also to limit the freedom of movement of people within the aircraft.

American authorities have even claimed that the carriers based in the US should not permit passenger to stand or used the washrooms within one hour of landing.

This new clampdown will also surely signify the wide spread use of the marshals being posted on transatlantic flights as a way to counter threat of a terrorist nature.

The security measures arrive after the Christmas day attempt to trigger a bomb on board a Northwest Airlines by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The perpetrator, a twenty-three-year-old Nigerian and former student at the University College London, had hidden in the planes toilets in order to try to trigger an explosive device.

The aircraft was carrying 290 passengers.

Abdulmutallab was overpowered by a traveller as he was attempting to trigger the bomb which was apparently attached to his leg.

In a copy cat move, another Nigerian man was apprehended last night for what authorities had described as suspicious behaviour.

The performer came close to having a panic attack when she surprised two men looking into her Scotland home through windows on Christmas evening as the star was relaxing in front of the TV.

Upon spotting them, she immediately confronted the men.

This latest incident may very convince the former Britain’s Got Talent contestant that her little West Lothian council home won’t offer sufficient security to live in peace.

Her fifty-five-year-old brother Gerry said the star had called him to talk about the incident. He admitted being worried for his younger sister as strangers could easily take advantage of her situation.

He revealed that Boyle had not alerted the authorities, adding that the small house was no longer presented a proper dwelling for the super star.

The runner-up at this year’s Britain’s Got Talent show, Boyle had celebrated most of Christmas at her sister’s Motherwell home.

When intruders peered into her home, she was watching TV with her cat Pebbles.

Only a few weeks ago, it emerged that following a lengthy writing campaign, an American fan obsessed with the star simply showed up on her doorstep.

The performer’s brother said Boyle has nothing of value in the house. He added that although she a super star, she still lives modestly, using a ?200 weekly allowance to pay bills and food.

He admitted that she will soon have the money to purchase a new home and that whether she likes it or not, she will have to accept her newly found status. This means no more simple dwellings which offer easy access to intruders.

Her first record, I Dreamed A Dream, did sell four million copies—and will sell much more—but the star still hasn’t received any royalties.

They’ve reported that as many as 12 million shoppers are believed to have hit the various style of retail experiences during the Boxing Day, December 26.

The actual number of Boxing Say shoppers has risen this year by nearly 20percent in companriason to last year, according to the retail consultancy firm Experian.

The jump in post-Christmas festive shoppers in th UK is believed to occur because of the return of the VAT rate of 17.5percent as of January 1st and also due to the fast that December 26th fell on a Saturday.

But those relatively good Christmas time shopping news comes amidst slightly gloomy expectations in terms of the retailers’ future for 2010 in Britain.

According to a poll carried out by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), High Streets in the UK are poised for more difficult times in the coming year.

The BRC claimed that 80percent of the retailers who were polled, said they were not expecting an improvement over 2009 for 2010, thus making the possibility of an economic recovery lead by the retail sector and consumers an improbable outcome at least for the next 12 months.

In a move to prompt consumers to purchase more and give a jolt to the British economy, Chancellor Alistair Darling revealed his pre-Budget report last year that the VAT would be cut to 15%.

Commissioned for the BBC TV show Money Box, a recent poll has indicated that 27% of people surveyed claimed they would do all the shopping they expected to do while the lower VAT was still in place and before its reestablishment to 17.5percent.

Using a firm voice and appearing relatively calm considering what had just happened to him, the Pope spoke to thousands of pilgrims who had gathered the witness the yearly event in person.

During his speech, Pope Benedict referred to the Church as a source of unity for several individuals around the globe and asked those living in zones where conflicts exist to respect one another.

The Vatican later announced that the Pope’s assailant was brought to hospital.

According to reports, the woman appeared to be mentally unstable, and that she was the same person who had perpetrated the identical act a year ago.

During the assault, the eighty-seven-year-old French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was only metres away from the Pope, was also knocked down to the ground and suffered a broken hip.

The attack happened as the Pope was walking towards the podium from which he was to perform the traditional Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter’s Basilica.

On the matter of the Pontiff’s security, it’s been reported that the issue is complex and difficult to deal with since, similarly to several of his predecessors, he likes to interact directly with visitors and pilgrims who come to see him in person.

The pontiff never mentioned the incident during his address.

Several shops have launched early sales in a bid to lure Christmas Eve panic stricken shoppers and thus creating a real bonanza for them.

Many important British retailers have been reporting brisk sales at both on high streets locations as well as on their websites as customers carried out last-minute buying.

Popular UK department store Selfridges commented that it predicted 80% of its clientele to be men, who are notorious last-minute shoppers, with 250,000 of them expected to do their Christmas shopping on December 24, the final opportunity before the big day.

Supermarkets saw their aisles being packed with frantic shoppers getting their hands on all the necessary produce and treats to last for next few festive days.

On Tuesday, UK retailing giant Tesco launched its online sale with good discounts seen on homeware, furniture and sports items. Electrical items are said to join in the sale at 8pm.

Comet, the retailer specialising in electrical products predicted its online store would pull in record 1,682,200 guests during the following three days, with a peak of bargain-seekers entering the online Christmas Day frenzy between 7pm and 9pm.

Department store Debenhams kicked off its online sale today (December 24) at 6am, with the in-store sales promising a huge Boxing Day mayhem staring bright and early at a staggering 7am.

Home garden centre and improvement retailer also launched an online as well as ‘real’ store sale.

A quick research carried out by Sainsbury’s Credit Cards has revealed that 13.3 million are invading the high street in a last minute shopping dash.

Her holiday time message will come the day after the fifth British fatality this month was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence, occurring in the extremely violent Sangin region of the central province of Helmand province.

It is expected that she will praise servicemen and women presently on duty in Afghanistan and fighting against the Taliban.

Her Majesty’s Christmas speech, which she writes without any Government involvement, is also expected to highlight the toll sustained by the British troops.

As the official ceremonial head of the country’s armed forces, the Queen has already expressed her respect for the men and women fighting on the frontline.

Princes William and Harry, her grandsons, have followed both made the decision to follow military careers. Harry has already served in Afghanistan, guiding planes in Helmand on duty as a forward air controller.

Given in Buckingham Palace’s White Drawing Room, The Queen’s message will reflect last year’s speech, which focused on the British forces’ role to generate peace and bring security for those living in places of trouble.

The latest military death for the country was a Special Forces Support Group paratrooper. He was killed when he encountered a bomb which had been laid by the roadside on Tuesday.

At the time of the explosion, the paratrooper was carrying out a foot patrol in the company of the Afghan National Army.

This represented the fourth death in only four days. During the other incidents, it was reported that friendly fire in Helmand was the cause of the death of Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police, as well as a soldier from the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles.

The other fatality, twenty-nine-year-old Corporal Simon Hornby, died when a roadside bomb exploded on Saturday.

Her Majesty’s speech, the 57th yearly Christmas message, will be broadcasted on BBC and ITV at 3pm tomorrow, Christmas Day.

He’s reported to be making the Christmas journey without his wife Elin, although the star has been joined by a few of his golf buddies joined on the 155ft vessel called Privacy.

Eye witnesses have reported seeing a limousine featuring blacked out windows arriving at where the luxury yacht is moored at Florida’s Old Port Cover in North Palm Beach. Marina staff had been speculating the vessel was headed for the Bahamas.

Before the yacht departure, large quantities of provisions were brought on board the luxury boat.

Security was enhanced around the vessel once it had arrived at the marina. The crew had draped a sheet over the bow in a bid to conceal its identity.

The luxury yacht is said to have a Jacuzzi, a gym, and a sky lounge bar. It also has a range of 4,000 miles with a 12,000 gallon fuel tank.

Woods has avoided all public appearances ever since he’s admitted betraying his wife with allegedly 12 other women, including porn actress Holly Sampson and party organiser Rachel Uchitel.

According to the latest information, Elin Nordegren is planning to divorce her 33-year-old husband.

Twenty-nine-year-old Nordegren is said to be heading to her native with her kids in order to spend Christmas with her family prior to filing for divorce.

 Meanwhile, it’s been reported that days following the downsizing of some of Woods top sponsorship agreements, including ones with Accenture, Gillette and Gatorade, Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer has announced that it will eliminate its American advertising campaign featuring he gold star.

Last week, Tag Heuer pulled its Australian ads with Woods.

Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Tag Heuer told Swiss reporters that the company was reacting to Woods’ personal issues, adding that, although they could appreciate his quality as a great athlete, they had to keep in mind the sensitivities of its clientele.

At the time of its original release, more than seventeen years ago, the song had reached number 25 in the charts.

This time around, the groups’ Killing In The Name track managed to sell a highly respectable 500,000 copies, in the process outperforming The Climb by X Factor winner Joe McElderry.  Rage Against The Machine edged out the young pop talent show winner with a further 50,000 copies to claim number one in the singles competition.

The success surrounding Killing In The Name Of, stemmed from an aggressive Facebook campaign masterminded for the soul purpose of stopping one of Simon Cowell’s protégés to reach the top spot.

Big winners this incredible 2-week race were undeniably music retailers.

One of them dubbed the outcome as truly remarkable, adding that the result was probably the biggest chart upset in history.

Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack De La Rocha, being interviewed on the Radio 1 chart show, expressed his happiness at reaching number one in the UK, adding that the band was very ecstatic about the result. De La Rocha promised the band would celebrate their chart win with a free UK gig in 2010.

He said the campaign’s purpose was to combat what he called ‘the sterile pop mentality’.

As for the eighteen-year-old X Factor winner Joe McElderry, he praised the campaign and its outcome, saying that he was happy to have been part of exciting and hyper-hyped battle.

The budding star was obviously gracious in defeat and didn’t seem to hold any sort of grudges towards the camoaign initiators or the band Rage Against The Machine.

It’s been said that McElderry didn’t actually lose the race, boasting similar sales as past X Factor winners.
The campaign and the use of the Killing In The Name, basically a protest song, was built around a sense of tiredness of the blatant dominance of the X Factor show in recent years and what many consider music void of any flavour and personality.

X Factor winners have won all four of the last Christmas number ones. The absolutely stunning Alexandra Burke created one of UK’s best selling Christmas singles ever with her version of Hallelujah last year.

Last four winners were:

2005: Shayne Ward, That’s My Goal
2006: Leona Lewis, A Moment Like This
2007: Leon Jackson, When You Believe
2008: Alexandra Burke, Hallelujah

With only a few days before Christmas, this period represents one of the busiest travelling times of the year for Eurostar, as the below-Channel rail link normally sees 20,000 daily passengers going to and from the two coasts.

At the centre of the freeze in service are five trains which have reportedly broken down last Friday night.

Engineers employed with both Eurotunnel and Eurostar have spent the entire weekend trying to sort the matter out, investigating the track and the rolling stock.

 Rail experts now believe that the extreme weather conditions experienced as of late in the region are the culprit, causing a gradual buil-up of snow and ice under the trains.

It’s believed that electrical problems are caused by melting snow trapped under the rolling stock has it enters the much warmer tunnel.

Last Saturday, three trains which had been added to clear up the situation had also experienced similar problems.

Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown could not confirm when regular service would resume, adding that he could not offer any guarantees in the light of the Friday night events.

Mr Brown informed at the very least that service would be re-established only once they had proof the system could function normally and without any more similar break downs.

He said that by the looks of it, people should expect the situation to drag through the Christmas period, with backlog of passengers not being able to be completely cleard until the end of the festive season.

According to Mr Brown, once the service is reactivated, the system will be overloaded and will take days to clear up the mess.

Meanwhile, he said that passengers who decide to not travel with the Eurostar, until the service is re-established, but had tickets could expect to be fully refunded.