Nicole Kidman, the Oscar-winning actress, and Keith Urban, the country and western singer she calls the "love of my life", broke the news to their families over the Christmas holiday.

The 40-year-old Australian star had already spoken of "winding down" her film-making activities as much as possible next year.

The baby, whose expected arrival date has not yet been revealed, will be the actress’s first natural child.

She adopted Isabella, 14, and twelve-year-old Conor during her first marriage to Tom Cruise.

Miss Kidman was stunned when he filed for divorce in 2001.

Shortly after they split, she revealed that she had suffered an ectopic pregnanacy and a miscarriage during the marriage.

Miss Kidman spent her Christmas holiday in Syndey, after finshing work on Baz Lurhmann’s epic romantic adventure film "Australia" on December 21.

She is due to film The Reader with Ralph Fiennes and British director Stephen Daldry in Berlin next month, but has no more cinema work planned after that.

"I just want to spend as much time as possible with my husband," she told the Daily Mail.

Earlier this month the actress also dismissed the idea of returning to the stage next year.

"It wouldn’t fit in with the logistics and dynamics of my family", she said – a remark given extra meaning by the news of her pregnancy.

Her most recently-released film is the extravagant fantasy The Golden Compass.

Although the film was attacked by some critics, the actress’s performance as the glamorous villain Mrs Coulter won wide praise.

Miss Kidman married Urban in Sydney in June 2006. (Daily Mail)

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Kat Von D. and beau Alex ‘Orbi’ Orbison
L.A. Ink’s Kat Von D is reportedly pregnant with her first child. The pregnancy rumors were sparked after several congratulation comments were posted in Kat’s MySpace page.

One post read, “Congrats on the baby news to both of you. I am so excited for you, It’s a lot of hard work to raise a child, but when you have a family and good friends, it’s a piece of cake. Have a happy New Year!”

Is tattooed Kat Von D. pregnant?
However, Kat has not officially announced the news and has a comment posted on her page saying, “Love kids, but not for me.”

Is Kat Von D. pregnant? Maybe, since the L.A. Ink star has officially announced her courtship with Alex ‘Orbi’ Orbison for some months. (news.finditt.com)

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A German bar owner has got round a smoking ban by cutting holes in the wall so customers can stick their heads out to have a cigarette.

Michael Windisch, owner of the Maltermeister Turm bar and restaurant in Goslar, Lower Saxony, cut three holes next to tables in his restaurant after local authorities introduced the ban on smoking in all eating places.

Customers who want to smoke can stick their heads through the large holes and their hands through the other two so they can have a cigarette. A curtain has been mounted to keep out the cold.

Windisch said: "Now my customers can legally enjoy a cigarette without having to leave the comfort of the restaurant."

Local media have claimed the idea is likely to catch on in other parts of the country where blanket bans in smoking in restaurants are to be introduced from the New Year.

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Carla Bruni covers ELLE magazine January 2008
Carla Bruni, the 40-year-old former supermodel who is spending a holiday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Luxor, Egypt, has been on ELLE magzine cover for more than a decade. (Random Citations)

Carla Bruni covers 1994 ELLE magazine

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The owner of two randy goats was fined after her pets were caught mating and reliving themselves in their own yard.

The law in Oklahoma says that it is illegal for any two animals to have sex in public within Dibble city limits – even if the animal is fenced in on private land.

But when the owner Carol Medenhall found out about the charges, she said: ‘I kind of thought if anyone was caught having sex in public, it could have been me.’

The woman fought the tickets and won partially because she didn’t know she lived within city limits.

Her land was recently annexed by the city, located south of Oklahoma City, but she claims no one told her. (Metro.co.uk)

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Honey, thought to be the most expensive in the world, has gone on sale at Harrods.

Life Mel honey costs a whopping £42 for a pot containing just 120g.

Celebrities including Sienna Miller and Kylie Minogue are huge fans, according to the London department store.

But the jars will not be found on the shelves of the food hall.

Harrods is selling the product in its pharmacy instead, because of its reputed health benefits.

"This is the newest product that has just launched," said Andre Dang, Harrods press and product manager.

"People are tending to use it more as an alternative therapy rather than spreading it on toast."

Life Mel’s high price tag is down to the fact that it is made by bees fed on a special diet including herbs such as Siberian ginseng and echinacea.

It has a strong taste similar to manuka honey and is made without artificial ingredients.

The honey, which is made in Israel, is supposed to be eaten by the teaspoonful in the morning and at night. (Sky News)

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It may be wise to ensure it’s not your round when someone orders a glass of Hennessy’s new limited edition cognac – which comes in at a staggering £105,000 (about $210,000 ) a bottle.

The Beaute de Siecle – created to celebrate a Hennessy patriarch’s 100th birthday – costs a wallet-wilting £5,000 a glass.

France’s exclusive cognac houses have often released special bottles of their pungent spirit. Courvoisier produced 2,000 bottles to mark the millenium costing £2,500 each.

Remy Martin then made 1.5 litre magnum of Louis XIII cognac with a 4 carat diamond attached to the bottle for £25,000.

But Hennessy’s new Beaute de Siecle – or which there are just 100 bottles in existence – is now officially most expensive tipple by a very wide margin.

The cognac itself is in a Baccarat crystal bottle contained in an ornate wooden chest embedded with mirrored glass and meted aluminium.

A bronze key opens the box which then triggers a concealed switch to make the bottle rise up on a velvet tray.

The drink itself is blended by Hennessy’s cellar master Yann Fillioux from reserve cognacs between 50 and 100 years old.

Company spokesman Thibault Le Mailloux said: "It is truly a work of art in which there is a bottle of cognac.

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Katie Holmes (凱蒂荷姆斯) was reportedly having the Christmas spirit when she hit the stores to do a bit of shopping. Katie’s shopping spree was said to be $100,000! Here is a list of things she was spotted buying:

1 a $30,000 rose-gold Cartier wristwatch
2 a Prada ski coat for $1,395
3 an Armani suit for $5,400 for Tom
4 Gucci snakeskin sneakers for $990
5 four pairs of a handmade English shoes $825 each pair
6 a $9,000 overcoat
7 a $2,995 car coat
8 a $4,495 leather and cashmere jacket
9 six V-neck sweaters in various colors at $1,350 each
10 $5,000 on clothes for Suri (daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes )
(Gabby Babble & Random Citations)

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Russian police are hunting a "werewolf boy" – who snarls and bites – after he escaped from a Moscow clinic just a day after being rescued from the wild.

Doctors expressed shock saying he was found living with a pack of wolves in a remote forest in the Kaluga region of central Russia.

"He’s clearly dangerous to other people," said a police spokesman yesterday.

"He’s got typical wolf-like habits and behaviour.

"He has very strong and sharp teeth, which could really endanger someone if he bites."

The boy looks about ten – but after tests conducted by Moscow medics, they believe he maybe much older.

They are puzzled because he appears intelligent but does not seem to speak Russian or any other language. It is suspected he has been running wild for many years.

Such cases are not uncommon in Russia where there have been regular reports of ‘Mowgli’ children abandoned by their parents who are cared for by animals.

The boy moves around with his legs half bent, said Tvoi Den newspaper. "He was running with wolves and searching for food with them."

Villagers found this "wild creature" in a lair made of leaves and sticks in freezing temperatures and told the police who named him Lyokha, though his real identity is not known.

"He’s dirty, hungry, and looked to have had a hard time," said the police spokesman. "We brought him to a clinic in Moscow.

"It was simply unbelievable. He doesn’t react when we call to him." Medics gave him clothes and said that he sprang down the corridor, bursting into his room and devouring his food like an animal.

His nails on his feet were like claws.

After 24 hours he had evaded security men at the clinic and escaped. He is now believed to be on the loose in Moscow region.

"We didn’t even manage to complete the proper medical checks. We only succeeded in giving him a shower, cutting his nails and took some blood and other tests," said a doctor.

"It’s quite possible he is a dangerous with psychological problems but also a source of viruses and infections." (Daily Mail)

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A giant rodent five times as big as a common rat has been discovered in the mountainous jungles of New Guinea.

The 1.4kg Mallomys giant rat is one of two species of mammal thought to be new to science found on a trip to the "lost world".

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution.

"With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

Conservationists also found a pygmy possum – one of the world’s smallest marsupials, reports the BBC.

Both of the mammals found in the region, north of Papua province, Indonesia, are being studied to establish whether they are new species.

"It’s comforting to know that there is a place on Earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.

The Foja Mountains, part of the Mamberamo Basin, contain the largest pristine tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.

In 2005, the area was dubbed a "lost world" after scientists discovered dozens of new plants and animals in the dense jungle. (BBC)

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