The World's Richest Self-made Women

Oprah Winfrey is worth $2.4 billion Photo: REX

Only 14 of the world's 1,000 billionaires are self-made women, and only seven of them had no help from relatives, a new list has found.

Here is the list:

The World's Richest Self-made Women (Name, nationality, industry, net worth in dollars)

1. Wu Yajun, Chinese, Property development, 3.9 billion

2. Rosalie Mera, Spanish, Clothing, 3.5 billion

3. Elena Baturina, Russian, Construction, 2.9 billion

4. Doris Fisher, American, Clothing, 2.4 billion

5. Xiu Li Hawken, UK citizen, property development, 2.4 billion

6. Oprah Winfrey, American, Media, 2.4 billion

7. Giulana Benetton, Italian, Clothing, 2.1 billion

8. Chu Lam Yiu, Chinese, Flavourings and fragrances, 2.1 billion

9. Zhang Xin, Chinese, property development, 2 billion

10. Yan Cheung, Chinese, Waste paper, 1.7 billion

11. Meg Whitman, American, Internet commerce, 1.3 billion

12. Chan Laiwa, Chinese, property development, 1.1 billion

13. Lei Jufang, Chinese, Medicines, 1.1 billion

14. J.K. Rowling, British, Books, 1 billion

Source: Forbes

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Equestrian victory in man vs horse marathon

The 283 individual runners joined 60 relay teams of three runners each and the horses for the race. Photo: HUW EVANS

Almost 300 runners competed against 44 horses in this year’s race, which takes place in the town of Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys.

Sly Dai, ridden by Llinos Jones, completed the 22-mile course in a time of two hours and seven minutes.

The nearest human runner finished ten minutes behind, with a time of two hours and seventeen minutes.

The winning rider, Miss Jones, who also owns the horse, said: "It's great to have won. I'm a local girl and I've been coming to see the race since I was a little girl but this was the first time I've competed so I'm really happy.

"My horse did fantastically well. You have to be careful on a hot day like this because can overheat very quickly so you have to manage them carefully.

"But it's another victory for the horse so they're clearly still on top – for this year at least."

Miss Jones was awarded 1,000 guineas for her victory.

The 283 individual runners joined 60 relay teams of three runners each and the horses for the race.

The event starts in the town centre and is run over hilly farm tracks, footpaths, forestry roads and open moorland.

The first race took place in June 1980 and has been a regular fixture in the Welsh town, which also known for its annual Bog Snorkelling Championships.

The race was originally staged to settle a pub debate as to which is faster over a long distance.

The margins by which horses outpace their human rivals have dropped from about 30 minutes to a matter of seconds.

In 2004 Huw Lobb – who ran marathons for Team GB at the time – became the first of only two men to win the race.

Gareth Davis, the chairman of the Man v Horse event, said: “It was a very hot day, so it’s been an excellent ride by the horse, which must have been in a very good condition.

“The race goes from strength to strength every year and we get people coming in from far and wide to take part in the fun.”

FROM-TELEGRAPH U.K.

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Winston Churchill's cigar airbrushed from picture

A photograph of Winston Churchill giving his victory salute has been airbrushed to remove his signature cigar.

The original image (left) was taken in 1948 during the opening of a new military headquarters, and (right) the airbrushed image Photo: CORBIS/Stephanie Schaerer

n the well-known original image, Churchill makes a "V" shaped symbol with his fingers – while gripping a cigar in the corner of his mouth.

But in a reproduction of the picture, hanging over the main entrance to a London museum celebrating the wartime leader, he has been made into a non-smoker through the use of image-altering techniques.

t is unclear who is responsible for doctoring the photograph, with the museum – The Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience – claiming not to have noticed the cigar was missing.

John Welsh, manager of the museum, admitted he was shocked to learn of the alteration, but declined to reveal who was responsible for the display and for enlarging the image.

He said: "We've got all sorts of images in the museum, some with cigars and some without. We've even got wartime adverts for cigarettes in the lift down to the air-raid shelter, so we wouldn't have asked for there to be no cigar."

Don Robinson, who owned the museum before passing it to a charitable trust 20 years ago, added: "If we'd known we would have said: 'No, it stays as it is.' Everything we do we try to do accurately and the cigar symbolises Churchill."

The alteration of the original image, taken in 1948 during the opening of a new military headquarters, was noticed by David McAdam, a visitor to the museum.

He told the Daily Mail: "I pointed out this crude alteration to a museum steward who said she hadn't noticed the change before, nor had anyone else pointed it out.

"So much for the notion that only communist tyrants airbrushed history."

Alan Packwood, of the Churchill Archives Centre, said he was not aware of any previous case where Churchill's cigar had been digitally removed from a picture.
from telegraph u.k.

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FRONT LION HEROES-FOOTBALL MATCH IN AFGANISTAN

Well at least Our Boys know how to beat USA

THEY think it's all over and out, sarge.

Well, it is now after Our Boys in Afghanistan took on their US counterparts in a battle-dress rehearsal for last night's World Cup clash.

And while we may only have managed a draw against America in Rustenberg - our RAF lads beat the Yanks 4-3 in Camp Bastion.

The allies took time off from fighting the Taliban to line up against each other on a makeshift football pitch and settle scores in the dust of Helmand Province.

Before a ball had been kicked star player Senior Aircraftsman (SAC) Mark Orr, an RAF fireman, said: "Bastion or Bafokeng - it doesn't matter where we take them on, we'll win.

"Soccer-ball just isn't their game. We're red hot and we'll leave the US smoking." Tensions had been running high at the huge military base as 4,000 UK troops and 12,000 US soldiers awaited the real crunch game in Rustenburg.

GROUNDED: RAF lads floor the opposition in Afghanistan

So when the RAF Firemen of 903 Expeditionary Air Wing challenged American troops to a game of five-a-side, it seemed a great way to let off steam.

Our Boys strolled on to the pitch in their combat shorts and T-shirts while the Americans pranced on in what one onlooking squaddie described as "the finest hot-pants in Afghanistan".

In just half an hour of play, the players lost around 4lbs a-piece. And the Americans were no pushover.

Star striker SAC Nathan Grey, who scored twice in a close contest, said: "The afternoon has been hotter than anything I've ever experienced - but there was no chance of anyone staying inside by the air-conditioning when national honour was at stake. We were raring to go."

SAC Orr added: "It's all been good fun with the Americans, lots of camaraderie. We sprayed a maple leaf on the back of the US Fire truck the other day.

"I think they were hoping for revenge on the football pitch."

SAD AND CROSS: Our boys watch away

After their win, British troops settled down for England's opening match against the US which was shown on huge screens.

Lance Corporal Oliver Toon, of 4th Mechanised Brigade, said: "Missing the World Cup was one of the things I worried most about being sent out to Afghanistan."

Three weeks ago, former England captain Becks surprised troops by dropping into Bastion. And on Friday, current captain Steven Gerrard, 30, told how the England team had watched a DVD of Our Boys on the front line to inspire them.

Gerrard said: "They were wishing us all the best which was very inspiring and touching.

"It drives you on when you realise how much it means to people that we do well."

Next time maybe his goalie will remember that!

SOURCE--WORLD NEWS BY PAUL

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CREEPSTAKES

TEXAS RETAIL ASSOCIATE HELPS CUSTOMER AVOID SCAM

Dallas, TX, Retail Associate Sylvia Haynes.

She already had purchased money orders worth $3,500. But the elderly woman didn’t mail them, instead trusting the judgment of Dallas, TX, Retail Associate Sylvia Haynes.

When Haynes noticed the customer was having difficulty filling out the money orders, she started asking questions. The retail associate soon learned the customer was responding to a notification she had “won” $1 million in a sweepstakes. To claim the money, the woman said she had to mail $3,500 in money orders for processing and handling.

The woman was convinced she had won the contest. Her husband was suspicious. Haynes agreed with the husband. “I think it’s a scam,” she said.

Haynes convinced the customer not to respond to the scam. She returned the money to the woman and cancelled the money orders.

“Top-notch retail associates like Sylvia can spot a scam in seconds,” said Dallas Postmaster Pat Williams. “This time, Sylvia’s advice saved a customer a lot of money.”

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NAME THAT ACRONYM

A LOOK AT USPS ALPHABET SOUP

Postal acronyms and abbreviations may be practical. But at USPS, there are lots of them, and it’s difficult for anyone to know them all.

Luckily, there’s help. Publication 32, Glossary of Postal Terms, first published in 1974, has been the main source for deciphering common postal terms.

Neil Berger, manager, Transformation, Office of Strategic Planning, says Publication 32 is popular with new employees and mailers. “It helps them make better sense of nearly every function within the Postal Service,” he says.

There currently are about 2,200 postal terms. Over the years, new terms have been introduced and some have become obsolete. The 140-page publication hasn’t been updated since 1997, so the Office of Strategic Planning has been redrafting the publication and its online version. The plan is to release a new online version before the end of September.

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