Sickening images show blindfolded and bound couple being brutally stoned to death for having sex before marriage by ISIS militants in Iraq

                           

Gruesome new images have emerged showing Islamic State militants stoning a blindfolded and bound man and woman to death in Iraq after they were accused of having sex before marriage.

Taken in the ISIS-stronghold of Mosul in Nineveh province, the shocking images show a large crowd gathered to watch the jihadis murder the defenceless couple.

Young boys clamber onto their fathers' shoulders to get a better view of the man and woman being charged with 'fornication', before the familiar white-bearded face of ISIS's elderly Mosul-based executioner-in-chief Abu Ansar al-Ansari orders their stoning to death.

                             

The sickening images begin by showing a large crowd gathered in a rain-drenched square in central Mosul.

With heavily armed militants taking up positions on ledges overlooking the crowd, the young men and boys jostle to ensure they get the best view of the murder

In the background of the image, women wearing black niqabs are seen gathered together

An Islamic State militant with a yellow scarf covering his face is then seen using a microphone and PA system to read out the charge of 'fornication' against the couple, suggesting they have been accused of having sex without being married, not of committing adultery. 

A large pile of stones are then seen heaped in the middle of the road, before the barbaric ISIS militants began throwing them at the defenceless and blindfolded couple, who have had their hands bound to prevent them getting away.

As stones rain down on the victims' bodies, large pools of blood appear in the road, before eventually the man and woman die of their injuries and the savagery finally comes to an end.

                     

                     

The images emerged as Iran's Revolutionary Guard this morning said a U.S. drone strike killed two of its advisers in Iraq, though the U.S. said it has only struck militants in its campaign against ISIS.

The claim came as negotiators attempted to reach a deal on Iran's contested nuclear program, which hard-liners in the Islamic Republic have opposed as giving away too much to the West.

The Guard said on its sepahnews.ir website the strike happened March 23, just after the U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes to support Iraqi forces trying to retake the Islamic State-held city of Tikrit. 

It identified the dead as Ali Yazdani and Hadi Jafari, saying they were buried yesterday. It called them advisers, without elaborating on whether Iran contacted Iraqi or U.S. forces after the strike.

Iran occasionally reports on the death of its forces in Iraq and Syria, where it is backing embattled President Bashar Assad, but this is the first time Iran has said it has lost forces in an attack by the U.S. in those campaigns.

                        

                        

The U.S.-led coalition began a campaign of airstrikes and reconnaissance missions around Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, on March 21 in support of large-scale operations to retake it after Iraqi efforts had stalled.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said: 'The international coalition is aimed at Daesh only,' using an alternate Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

'All airstrikes are carried out at the request of the Iraqi government and in full coordination with the (Iraqi) Ministry of Defense,' the embassy said, without directly addressing the Iranian claim.

ISIS now controls a third of both Iraq and neighboring Syria. The U.S. began airstrikes against the group in August, while Iran has offered advisers and other assistance to Iraq to fight the extremists.

The offensive to retake Tikrit largely has been waged by Iraqi troops and Shiite militias advised by General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Guard's elite Quds Force.

Several Shiite militias announced last Thursday that they would boycott the Tikrit operations due to U.S. involvement.

But General Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate hearing Thursday that the U.S. agreed to Iraqi government requests to support the operation on the condition that the militias wouldn't be involved.

Mouin al-Kadhimy, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Units, the government-backed body overseeing the various militias, said it was not aware of reports that Iranians were killed near Tikrit.

New images have emerged showing dozens of black balaclava-wearing extremists graduating from an Islamic State-run school of terror in northern Syria.

Brandishing AK47 assault rifles and waving flags carrying the sinister black and white ISIS logo, the photographs showing the jihadi 'Class of 2015' are believed to have been taken in Raqqa city.

Although the are dressed in head-to-toe black and wear balaclavas that cover most of their faces, it is clear that the majority of the graduates are teenagers who have been brainwashed into thinking they are holy warriors, when the reality is they will be little more than cannon fodder.

                 

The images are believed to have been taken somewhere in the city of Raqqa - the eponymous capital of the province and a stronghold of the terrorists' self-declared caliphate, which covers vast swathes of land in northern Syria and western Iraq.

The photographs show dozens of militants sitting on seats in what appears to be a school hall, while chilling black and banners carrying the ISIS logo are seen been waved.

A senior militant is seen giving the jihadi graduates a final lecture before they are sent off to wage jihad in the various provinces - known as wilayats - under the control of the Islamic State.

Having been given a final speech by their commanders, the fighters are seen waving ISIS flags in celebration before taking part in what appears to be a passing out parade.

In a courtyard outside the school the newly-graduated fighters march in highly choreographed formations, still brandishing assault rifles and with their faces still covered by black balaclavas. 

Passenger plane carrying 148 people crashes in the French Alps en route from Spain to Germany

A plane carrying 142 passengers and six crew has crashed in the southern French Alps en route from Spain to Germany. 

The Airbus A320 disappeared from radar in the Alpes de Hautes Provence after sending a distress signal at 10.47am local time (9.47am GMT).

Debris from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, has been found scattered over a wide area near Barcelonnette.

French president Francois Hollande said that he did not expect there to be any survivors. 

He said: It's a loss, a tragedy which has happened on our soil. 

'I am seeking information about homes in the area it came down. It's difficult place to access. In the meantime solidarity must prevail.' 

                           

Mr Hollande said he would be meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the King of Spain, visiting Paris for three days.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, with weather conditions described as good in the region and the airliner flying at an altitude high above the Alps.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead.

The plane was travelling from the Spanish coastal city of Barcelona to the German city of Duesseldorf when it went down in the Barcelonnette area in southeastern France. 

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.

German media reports say there is a wide field of debris visible. 

According to flight data from FlightAware 24, at 09.30 UTC (10.30 GMT) the aircraft was cruising at 38,000 feet at 532mph.

It started losing altitude to 37,975 by 10.31am with the speed reportedly increasing to 548mph.

But 10.41am, the last reported radar returns had the aircraft descending to 6,800 feet at 434mph. 

The aircraft plunged 31,200 feet in just ten minutes, according to the data.

                     

Lufthansa's Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash.

The company tweeted: 'We have recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident though we still do not have any own confirmed information.' 

The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net.  

The local La Provence newspaper said the Airbus A320 was carrying 142 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, citing aviation officials. 

Lufthansa were not immediately available for a comment. Airbus had no immediate comment. 

Germanwings today is the low-cost subsidiary of German national carrier Lufthansa, and was first branded in 2002. 

The company’s history can be dated back to 1997, however, when it was known as Eurowings.

                       

The airline’s main hubs are at Cologne Bonn Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Hamburg Airport, Berlin Tegel Airport and Dusseldorf Airport with further bases are Hannover Airport and Dortmund Airport.

Lufthansa have announced that Cologne-based Germanwings will be going back to its roots and re-branding back to Eurowings in autumn this year.

There are a total of 81 aircraft in Germanwings’ fleet, with an average of 9.2 years, flying to 86 destinations around the world. The fleet includes the Airbus A319, Airbus A320 and the Bombardier CRJ900.

There had never been a fatal crash in Germanwings’ history until the reports of today’s tragedy.

Back in December 2010, a Germanwings flight was said to be ‘moments from crashing’ after the pilots were overcome with fumes on landing at Cologne. 

The plane had 150 passengers on board, and officials accused Germanwings of ‘playing down the incident’ to ‘avoid investigation’. 

The first flight of an Airbus A320 took place in February 1987 in Toulouse, France, watched on by Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who were guests of then French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.

More than 1,400 people attended the opening at the French company’s headquarters.

The first delivery of the aircraft was to Air France on March 26, 1988.

Airbus A320 aircraft have been part of Lufthansa fleet, including its subsidiaries, since 1989.

Mother who tortured her two children to lie about satanic child sex cult based at a primary school ‘to get back at her ex’ in custody dispute

An evil mother tortured her children to make up sickening allegations about a satanic cult based at a primary school in the midst of a seething child contact dispute, a High Court judge ruled yesterday.

Ella Draper and her partner Abraham Christie forced her two children to lie about sexual abuse and ritual torture in Hampstead, North London, Mrs Justice Pauffley said.

She named and shamed the pair in a written ruling on care proceedings brought by a local council and said their internet campaign about the cult was ‘evil’ and ‘baseless’.

The judge suggested the couple may have fed the two youngsters, aged eight and nine, cannabis soup to gain their compliance.

More than four million people worldwide have viewed the ‘fantasy’ online material and police had to protect worried parents at the gates of Christchurch Primary School where the ‘main action’ was alleged to have happened, the ruling said.

The ‘grotesque’ claims against ‘blameless’ people included drugged babies being sent from abroad by courier services such as TNT and DHL to London and then sacrificed.

Cult members were said to have drunk their victims’ blood and danced around with the babies’ skulls.

At least seven other schools were named, a swimming pool identified as a meeting place and ‘rituals’ were alleged to have been performed at a McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

The children’s father Ricky Dearman, whose three-year relationship with Draper ended acrimoniously in 2006, was falsely said to be the leader of the cult, and teachers, police and a priest to be among its more than 100 members.

                                         

The judge said: ‘Many of those individuals are now living in fear because they have been identified on the internet as abusers of children and their contact details including telephone numbers, home and email addresses have been published.

‘Several of those implicated have received malicious, intimidating phone calls and emails at all hours of the day and night from all over the world. For example – “We’re coming for you. You paedo scum”.’

The two children, who are now in care, were repeatedly named in the internet campaign and films of them uploaded to the internet ‘with flagrant disregard for their welfare interests’.

Mrs Justice Pauffley was asked to investigate by social services bosses in care proceedings brought by Barnet council after the two children were said to be at the centre of the cult’s abuse.

But the judge said they were in fact forced by Draper and Christie to ‘provide concocted accounts of horrific events’ in filmed mobile phone recordings and to lie to police when interviewed after the allegations were brought to the attention of officers in September last year.

The children’s stories came about as the result of ‘relentless emotional and psychological pressure as well as significant physical abuse’.

                      

Torture is a strong word but is the most accurate way to describe what was done to the children by Christie in collaboration with Draper,’ the judge said. 

‘Both P and Q have suffered significantly. Their innocence was invaded. Their minds were scrambled. Their grip on reality was imperilled.’

Tests showed they had both also ingested cannabis in the three months before being taken into care. It was impossible for analysts to say if this was via passive smoking or oral ingestion, but both children had described in interview how hemp was made into soup at their home using the juicer, the judge said.

Draper took no part in the court proceedings and has ‘not been seen by anyone in authority since February 12’.

There are ‘rumours that she has fled abroad’ because she fears being arrested, Mrs Justice Pauffley said.

The judge completely cleared Mr Dearman and all others named in the campaign of any abuse and called the material published on the internet ‘nothing more than utter nonsense’.

‘I am entirely certain that everything Ms Draper, her partner Abraham Christie and the children said about those matters was fabricated,’ she said. ‘The claims are baseless. Those who have sought to perpetrate them are evil and or foolish.

‘All the signs are that those responsible for posting material derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from attracting interest to their spiteful work from many thousands of people.

‘It’s akin to the sensation, I imagine, of a Facebook user receiving an indication that some posting or other has been liked.’

Millions prepare to watch first full eclipse of the century amid fears of disruption around the country

In the next hour Britain's skies will start to go dark as the first solar eclipse of this century begins - but millions may be left disappointed because a blanket of cloud is sitting across much of the UK.

This morning at around 8.24am the Moon will begin to move between us and the Sun, peaking at around 9.30am, and ending at 10.48am.

The Sun's light will almost be totally concealed, casting a huge shadow of the Moon across the nation that will turn day to night, but watchers must not look directly at the Sun because they risk damaging their eyes.

In Scotland, where up to 98 per cent of the Sun will be covered, forecasters are predicting rain and cloud, with some predicting that up to 40million of the population may be unable to see it.

Forecasters believe that Lincolnshire and the Midlands through to southern parts of Wales might be treated to the best celestial show as the moon moves in front of the sun at around 9.30am, covering up to 97 per cent of its surface.

                     
Waiting game: A photographer prepares for the solar eclipse in Nottinghamshire - with experts saying the south-west and the Midlands may be the best place you can view it because of cloud cover

                        

There is also a possibility that northern parts of the South West Peninsula - including Devon and Somerset - will also see clouds part in time for the lunar phenomenon.

But there will be pockets of clear-skies across Britain, meaning people may still be lucky.

Met Office forecaster Kate Brown said: 'The south-east corner is currently overcast and is going to stay that way into the time of the eclipse. But even if people don't see it happening they will still be able to sense it getting darker during that time.'

Cloud is likely to cover the rest of the country, becoming thicker in the north - but no one can predict when there might be a curtain-raising break in the cloud at any given location in the UK.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: 'Forecasting exactly where cloud will break and re-form is really not scientifically possible. But it's not as thick in the south as further north, so you're more likely to see breaks in the cloud the further south you are.'

It is not unknown for a fleeting break in cloud to occur during an eclipse as the atmosphere cools.

Read more here 

Explosion in Enugu

                  

Explosion occurred yesterday at the country home of a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Mr. Tony Eze, leaving several persons wounded.

The incident occurred at about 5pm in Amokwe, Udi local government area of the State.

The police spokesman in Enugu State, Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident in a statement saying “The Enugu State command of the Nigeria Police Force through its operatives have commenced a full scale investigations into an incident of explosion at Amokwe Udi in udi local Government Area of Enugu state on Monday by 5pm with a view to finding out the possible cause of the sudden explosion.

“It was however gathered that some of the injured have been taken to the hospitals just as men of the Explosive ordinance Department of the Enugu state command have cordoned off the place with other operatives.

“Meanwhile, instant analysis of the incident by the operatives of the Explosive Ordinance Department on ground at the scene of the explosion revealed that it was occasioned by high calibre pyrotechnics (fireworks) in a large quantity packed in the house of the owner that exploded”.

Judges dismissed after watching pornography on court computers

Judicial Conduct Investigations Office says the four men have left their roles after what it described as "wholly unacceptable conduct"

                   

Three judges have been removed from office and a fourth has resigned after allegations they viewed pornography on court computers, it has been announced.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) said in a statement that Lord Thomas of Cwygiedd, the Lord Chief Justice, and Chris Grayling, the Lord Chief Justice, had investigated allegations against the men.

                   

They concluded that it was an "inexcusable" use of court equipment and condemned the judges' conduct as "wholy unacceptable".

The material viewed did not include images of children and was not illegal, a spokesman added.

But he refused to disclose whether the pornography had been viewed during court cases while the judges were sitting on the bench.

A statement from the JCIO said: "District Judge Timothy Bowles, Immigration Judge Warren Grant and Deputy District Judge and Recorder Peter Bullock have been removed from judicial office following an investigation into an allegation that they viewed pornographic material on judicial IT equipment in their offices.

Judge, 69, who downloaded child porn facing 'catastrophic humiliation

Bored office worker caught watching porn

"The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice were satisfied that the material did not include images of children or any other illegal content, but concluded that this was an inexcusable misuse of their judicial IT accounts and wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office holder."

                                            

Another judge, Recorder Andrew Maw, who sat at Lincoln County Court, was also found to have viewed similar inappropriate material on his judicial IT account.

"The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice would likewise have removed Recorder Maw had he not resigned before the conclusion of the disciplinary process," said a spokesman.

Judge Bowles sat at Romford County Court in east London, Judge Bullock was on the court circuit in the North East, including North Shields County Court, and Judge Grant served in the lower immigration tribunals based in central London.

In 2005 Judge Bullock was involved in a prominent case at Newcastle County Court when Jimmy "Five Bellies" Gardner - a close friend of Paul Gascoigne, the England footballer - was declared bankrupt.

• Indonesian MP resigns after porn scandal

• Florida politician caught looking at porn on Senate floor

The cases were not linked and are understood to have taken place at different times and places.

Victoria Beckham takes swipe at Dolce & Gabbana over 'synthetic and chemical' families comment as she tweets support to Sir Elton John and 'the beautiful IVF babies' Read more

Victoria Beckham is leading the support for singer Sir Elton John and his family in the wake of comments made by fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana which branded children born via IVF as 'synthetic'.

Mother-of-four Victoria, 40, offered her support to Sir Elton, who has two sons with his husband with the help of a surrogate and artificial insemination, after he launched a campaign to snub the D&G brand.

Sir Elton, 67, is encouraging people to #BoycottDolceGabbana after the Italian designers behind the brand - Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana – dismissed gay adoption as unnatural.

Victoria, who formerly served as an ambassador for Dolce & Gabbana, responded to Sir Elton's outcry on Twitter with: 'Sending love to Elton David Zachary Elijah & all the beautiful IVF babies x vb.'

                      

Victoria and her husband David, 39, used to be friendly with Dolce and Gabbana and the former Spice Girl was even announced as the British ambassador for the brand in 2003.

She was regularly photographed in the Italian powerhouse's designs and often spotted partying in nightclubs around the world with the fashionistas. Both David and Victoria also regularly sported D&G designs, and both wore outfits by the brand to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003. 

However, more recently the Beckhams have become good friends with Sir Elton and David Furnish, 52, often socialising together at both public events and in private at each other's homes.

The Beckhams even attended the couple's wedding last year and their eldest son Brooklyn, 16, is also Sir Elton's godson, with the family adoringly referring to the award-winning singer as 'Uncle Elton'. 

Both Victoria and David are also named patrons of Sir Elton's non-profit organisation, AIDS Foundation, and the couple regularly attend the annual gala in aid of the charity.

In October last year, Victoria even missed the opening of her first ever store, situated in Mayfair's trendy Dover Street, to travel Soweto, South Africa, for the charity. 

At the time, she said: '[Sir] Elton is a very dear friend of mine and David’s and we’ve been patrons of the Elton John AIDS Foundation for 20 years so I have been working a lot with lots of AIDS charities.

'It’s why I realise I have to step forward and do whatever I can do. I want to get to know the women and understand them. It was life changing when I went to South Africa.' 

In recent years, Victoria has carved out her own highly successful career as a fashion designer - winning over critics at fashion shows around the world.

Her success has previously provoked reaction from Dolce & Gabbana, who claimed last year: 'She's a designer but…for us, she don't make clothes the same way like a fashion designer.'

Victoria did not use the #BoycottDolceGabbana in her message of support for Sir Elton, but a host of other celebrities were quick to join the campaign.

Ricky Martin, the gay singer whose twin sons were carried by a surrogate mother, wrote: 'Your voices are too powerful to be spreading too much hate. Wake up, it's 2015. Love yourself guys.'

Entertainer John Barrowman MBE said: 'I just read the article. @dolcegabbana sound IGNORANT and STUPID. I agree with @eltonjohndotcom #BoycottDolceGabbana' 

                                       

Comedian Matt Lucas said: 'Just read Dolce and Gabbana's weird, bigoted comments about raising kids. Ugh, those guys are so creepy.'

Courtney Love said: Just round up all my Dolce & Gabbana pieces, I want to burn them. I'm just beyond words and emotions. Boycott senseless bigotry! #boycottD&G'

Ryan Murphy, the creator of TV show Glee, added: 'These designers' horrifying views are never in fashion. Their clothes are as ugly as their hate.'

And former tennis star Martina Navratilova, who married her female partner in December, said: 'Wow - I had no idea. It will be interesting to see if this ridiculousness hurts them in the bank.' 

Sharon Stone, who has three adopted children, also told E! News: 'We must meet this type of cruelty towards children who are in need and want homes and families with love and open homes.'

Meanwhile, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell joined the campaign for a boycott, telling The Guardian: 'It's quite outrageous that two gay fashion designers who have relied on the gay community for much of their success are opposing gay equality.'

Sir Elton launched the campaign to boycott the Italian fashion designers with an Instagram post yesterday.

Posting a picture of the designers – who were a couple for 23 years – Sir Elton wrote: 'How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic'.

'And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children.

'Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana.'

His comments came after Mr Dolce told Italian magazine Panorama that procreation 'should be an act of love', adding: 'You are born and you have a father and mother. 

'At least it should be like that. That's why I'm not convinced by what I call chemical children, synthetic babies.

'They are wombs for hire, semen chosen from a catalogue. And then you have to explain to these children who their mother is.'

Asked whether he wanted to be a father, Mr Dolce said: 'I am gay. I cannot have a child. I don't believe that you can have everything in life.' 

Mr Gabbana added: 'The family is not a fad. It is a supernatural sense of belonging.'

Yesterday, the row escalated as Mr Gabbana posted a picture of Sir Elton on Instagram and wrote: 'Who wants to see him dressed in Dolce & Gabbana?'

He also shared an image of a mother and child, writing: 'We live in a democratic country and respect for the ideas of others is essential.'

He later said in a statement: 'We believe firmly in democracy and we think freedom of expression is essential for that.

'We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people's choices. We do believe in freedom and love.'

Mr Dolce added that his views were informed by his Roman Catholic upbringing in a traditional Sicilian family 'made up of a mother, a father and children.'

He continued: 'I am very well aware of the fact that there are other types of families and they are as legitimate at the one I've known.'

Dr Gillian Lockwood of the Midland Fertility Centre said she was 'speechless' at the Italians' comments. She said: 'If there's anything more 'synthetic' than Dolce and Gabbana I don't know what it is.'

The designers have always opposed gay marriage, but have previously spoken of their desire to have children - in a 2005 interview, Mr Gabbana said that 'of course' he would want to become a father.The sister of Louise Brown, the world's first 'test tube baby', called their views 'shocking'. Natalie Brown, 32, said: 'They are small minded, pathetic little people.'

The following year, he revealed that he had asked a female friend to be a surrogate mother to his children, but added: 'I am opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two gay parents.

'A child needs a mother and a father. I could not imagine my childhood without my mother. I also believe that it is cruel to take a baby away from its mother.'

Sir Elton married long-term partner David Furnish in December. Their sons Zachary and Elijah are four and two.

The singer's previous spats include one with Madonna, whom he called a 'fairground stripper'. 

The billionaire fashion duo with an A-list clientele who were a couple for 23 years

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana came from modest backgrounds to become two of the richest men in Italy.

Dolce, 56, was born near Palermo, Sicily, where his father was a tailor and his mother worked in a shop selling fabric and clothes.

He met Gabbana, 52 – who was born in Milan to a factory worker father and laundress mother – in a club in the early 1980s.

                                                   

Dolce helped his friend find a job with him working for designer Giorgio Correggiari, and their friendship blossomed into a relationship. 

They moved in together in 1983 and founded Dolce & Gabbana fashion house in 1985. Their big break then came in 1993 when Madonna signed them to design costumes for her Girlie tour – including her famous black beaded bra.

The pair ended their relationship after more than 20 years in 2005, admitting they had 'been drifting apart for five years'. 

But they remained business partners, with Gabbana describing his friend as 'my family' after the break-up.

They revealed in a 2010 interview that they lived in identical apartments one floor above the other in the same building in Milan. 

They also own luxury homes in France and London, as well as hosting lavish parties on their yacht in Monaco.

In 2013 the businessmen joined Bloomberg's prestigious Billionaires' Index, with Dolce's net worth estimated at $2.2billion (£1.5billion) and Gabbana's at around $2.1billion.

They were also acquitted of tax evasion by Italy's highest court in October last year, which overruled decisions by two lower courts to hand them a 20-month suspended sentence for failing to pay tax on around 200million euros (£142million).

They were accused of funnelling funds through a firm in Luxembourg, but following their acquittal issued a statement saying: 'We have always been honest.'

Their brand remains a celebrity favourite and has been worn by A-listers including Kylie Minogue, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

                                   

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka

The How I Met your Mother actor and his partner David Burtka have four-year-old fraternal twins - Gideon Scott, a boy, and Harper Grace, a girl.

The process involved two embryos, one for each of them – and a surrogate who Burtka said was 'more like the oven.'

Both men knew the surrogate, but the egg donor - who they found through a donation bank and thus were able to research her personal and medical history - was anonymous. Neil Patrick Harris 

Neil Patrick Harris and his partner have both said they have 'no interest' in learning which twin is their biological child. 

                                  

Matt Bomer and Simon Halls

White Collar actor Matt Bomer and his partner Simon Halls have three son, including a set of twins, all born via a surrogate mother.

The actor Bomer publicly acknowledged that he was gay, in 2012 when he thanked Simon Halls and their children during his Steve Chase Humanitarian Award's acceptance speech.  

Ricky Martin

The singer has six-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino and he has revealed that he would love to have a little girl.

After his sons were born in 2008 via a surrogate he opened up about his sexuality.

He split in January last year from his longtime partner Carlos Gonzalez Abella. 

       

Tom Ford and Richard Buckley

Fashion designer Tom Ford has a two-year-old son Alexander with his long-term partner Richard Buckley.

The baby is believed to have been born via a surrogate and the designer has affectionately described him as a 'genius'.

The couple met when Ford was just 25 and Mr Buckley, the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Hommes International, was 38.

Mary Portas and Melanie Rickey 

Queen of Shops star Mary Portas revealed last month that the genetic father of her young son Horatio is in fact her brother.

Miss Portas and her civil partner Melanie Rickey had previously kept their sperm donor's identity anonymous.

Miss Rickey, 42, gave birth to the couple's first child in 2012 following IVF treatment. They had desperately wanted Miss Portas, 54, to also have a genetic link to their child.

                                               

Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni

The Sex and the City star has two children, Samantha and Charles, from her long-term relationship with English professor Danny Mozes.

The couple split in 2003 and since then she has dated education activist Christine Marinoni.

Ms Marinoni have birth to the couple's son Max in 2011, but they kept tight-lipped about the identity of the biological father.  

                                                 

Jihadi Janes: ISIS militants 'caught dressing in WOMEN'S clothes and wearing make-up in attempt to flee Iraq's battlefields'

Islamic State fighters are shaving off their beards and dressing as women in a bid to escape from battle, Iraqi forces have claimed.

A series of pictures have emerged showing men who have reportedly been caught trying to escape from northern Iraq wearing dresses, bras and make-up.

The photographs, posted on Instagram, show authorities appearing to pull back burkas to reveal young boys and even men with moustaches. 

                             
Islamic State fighters are using bras and dresses to disguise themselves as women in a bid to escape from battle, Iraqi forces have claimed
                              
The photographs, posted on Instagram, show authorities appearing to pull back burkas to reveal young boys and even men with moustaches. It is not known when the images were originally taken 

Under Sharia law, which ISIS partially adheres to, women are prevented from fighting.

Jihadists are believed to be terrified of being killed by a female because they think it will stop them getting their 72 virgins in heaven.

                              
A man is pictured wearing lipstick in one of the images that has emerged showing ISIS fighters dressing as women, as they try to flee from northern Iraq 
                                                
                                      One man is pictured in a flowery red jumpsuit with a thick blue blanket pulled over his head

But men - and even boys as young as 13 - have been given powerful machine guns and are expected to join the cause.

The photographs were revealed just five days after it emerged three men from the region were accused of homosexuality and publicly beheaded by a sword-wielding ISIS executioner.

Iraqi troops and militia are battling to push ISIS back from the area with support from a US-led coalition and Iran.

                                            

But retaking Nineveh and Mosul poses a major challenge for Baghdad's forces, as the militants have had more than nine months to dig in.

Iraqi forces launched a huge operation last week aimed at retaking the city of Tikrit that, if successful, would serve as a stepping stone towards Mosul.  

Inside Osama bin Laden's Afghan lair

Rare images of al-Qaeda leader in Tora Bora during the 1996 visit of a journalist are revealed during US terror trial

Osama Bin Laden at his Tora Bora hideout high in the Afghan mountains in 1996

They show the spartan life of ai quaeda"s leader in the years before terrorists flew airliners into the World Trade Centre in New York and offer a glimpse into the warren of tunnels and fortifications he was building in the remote, mountainous area of Afghanistan known as Tora Bora.

They were taken by Abdel Barri Atwan, a Palestinian journalist who was invited to the hideout in 1996, as part of Bin Laden's propaganda campaign to spread his message of hate around the world.

                      

The images came to light last month in a Manhattan courthouse, only a few blocks from where the Twin Towers once stood. They were shown during the terrorism conspiracy trial of Khaled al-Fawwaz, who acted as Bin Laden's mouthpiece in London during the mid-1990s.

He helped set up bin Laden's first television interview - with CNN's Peter Arnett and Peter Bergen in 1997 - and the visit by Mr Atwan that yielded the photographs.

"I was told that Osama bin Laden was fond of my writing, he liked my style, and he wanted to meet me personally," he was quoted as saying in Mr Bergen's 2006 book, The Osama bin Laden I Know. "I was hesitant, because it was very dangerous."

He arrived in the Afghan city of Jalabad after being asked to leave Sudan in 1996, and promptly set about building a fortified lair in the mountains close to the border with Pakistan, ready for a last stand.

Mr Atwan met bin Laden in a small, book-lined cave. It was location used to film his pronouncements.

"He wanted media exposure," Mr Atwan said. "He wants to say, 'Now I am an international figure; I'm not just a Saudi. I am aggrieved at Americans who are occupying Saudi Arabia who are desecrating the Holy Land.'