For high school students in China, the pressure of taking the gaokao, or national college entrance exams, can be difficult enough to manage by itself. But for Wang Li (pseudonym), tackling the test was another struggle to cope with amid her own personal turmoil from her parents' planned separation. While she was frantically preparing for the exam four months ago, she learnt her parents were planning to divorce.
Statistics from courts confirmed a post-gaokao divorce boom last week following the exam's conclusion on June 8. Many parents facing irreconcilable differences agree to delay their divorce until after their child has taken the all-important exam in the hope that their breakup won't affect their child's gaokao performance.
The Chaoyang district court in Beijing has seen a spike in divorces after the exam each year from 2008 to 2011, with the annulment frenzy usually lasting until August.
Last year the number of divorces filed 20 days after the exam was more than twice as high as the figure for 20 days before it, according to the Chaoyang district court. Elsewhere at southern Beijing's Daxing district court the figure is even higher, with 145 divorces filed 20 days after the gaokao last year compared to 38 filed 20 days before.
School's out, divorce is in
Wang, a 17-year-old high school graduate from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, was a model student who regularly topped her class in many subjects. However, all that changed in February, when she overheard her parents discussing their divorce after the gaokao, spiraling Wang into depression.
Her grades soon plunged and she even threatened to her parents that she would drop out of school if they went ahead with their divorce, the Chong-qing Morning Post reported earlier this month.
The Chongqing Morning Post reported that Wang's parents settled their differences and agreed not to separate after undergoing marriage counseling, resulting in the improvement of Wang's studies.
But not all couples are able to rescue their marriage from the rocks, with divorces often inflicting long-term mental anguish on children already struggling to cope with the pressure of the gaokao.
The Beijing civil affairs bureau told the Global Times it did not have figures for the number of divorces made citywide after the gaokao this year. However the Legal Mirror reported that an employee from the Haidian district marriage registration office said an average of 20 couples daily had filed for divorce after the exam, with more than half aged in their 40s.
"We used to get mostly young couples filing for divorce, but lately there have been more middle-aged ones," the employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Legal Mirror. "They often go through it quickly without fighting like young couples. It seems they have agreed to separate long before."
Source: english.people.com.cn
Civil partnerships should have been called marriage, says top divorce lawyer - Daily Telegraph
"However setting up a distinction, albeit in name only, has caused confusion in the public generally and resentment among gay couples who feel they are being put on a sort of "second tier" civil partnership track subordinate to their married heterosexual counterparts.
"We now have heterosexual couples saying they like the look of civil partnership for themselves and gay couple wanting marriage, when in reality they are the same thing."
"The government needs to sweep away the anomaly, legitimise gay marriage in state ceremonies and leave religions to make their own mind about which way they want to jump on the issue."
Her comments were made after Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke out against the debate over same-sex marriage after a gay Conservative MP said he had never felt "more distant" from the Church over the issue.
Writing in the Times, Lord Carey said it was supporters of "traditional marriage" who faced judgmental labels.
He said the consultation over allowing same-sex marriages was launched with "no backing" from the Conservative Party's manifesto and said many felt "alienated and distant" from the Government as a result.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Sam Faiers and Joey Essex plotting third TOWIE spin-off show - Metro.co.uk
The recently reunited Essex couple were spotted at the W Hotel in London talking over a new show, The Sun reports, in a bid to increase their celebrity credentials beyond TOWIE.
'Sam and Joey were talking about how they were going to do their own spin-off show and how they'd love it to be on ITV2,' a source revealed.
'Joey said he thought Sam would be perfect starring in her own show, and that people would finally get to see her funny side.'
The pair would follow former TOWIE co-stars Amy Childs and Harry Derbidge, who secured their own reality show on Channel 5, and Mark Wright whose Hollywood Nights vehicle is currently airing on ITV2.
The insider added to The Sun that Faiers has reservations over 'coming across as stupid' in the spin-off, but that the couple 'both seem very excited' about the idea.
Joey's manager refused to confirm the existence of a new TOWIE show, but hinted that Essex is looking for new opportunities, saying: 'There is nothing official being discussed yet and there are no plans for Joey to go anywhere at the minute. But the guys may chat about ideas they have.'
Faiers and Essex may want to exercise caution with regards to leaving the show, with TOWIE regular Kirk Norcross having all but disappeared after exiting to appear on Celebrity Big Brother.
Source: www.metro.co.uk
Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss 'very happy' with new cinematographer boyfriend Adam Arkapaw - Daily Mail
By Sarah Bull
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Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss has gone public with her new boyfriend Adam Arkapaw following her divorce from comedian Fred Armisen.
The 29-year-old actress and her Australian cinematographer beau debuted their relationship as she made a surprise appearance at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this week.
And Elisabeth, who plays Peggy Olson in Mad Men, is said to be 'very happy' with her new love.
'Very happy': Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss is dating Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, and the pair made their debut at the Sydney Film Festival
A source told the New York Post: 'They looked very much an item and very happy.'
Elisabeth's new relationship comes after her difficult divorce from Saturday Night Live funnyman Armisen, from whom she split after eight months of marriage.
Shortly after the pair's split in June 2010, Armisen began dating his SNL co-star Abby Elliott, who is 20 years younger than him.
Former love: Elisabeth and Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen divorced last year after just eight months of marriage
Elisabeth met Armisen back in 2008 when she made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live which was hosted by her Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm.
The couple wed in October 2010 after getting engaged the year before.
Following their split, Elisabeth spoke out about her ex in a frank new interview: 'One of the greatest things I heard someone say about him is, "He's so great at doing impersonations."
'But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person.'
Screen star: Elisabeth as Peggy Olson with Jon Hamm as Don Draper in hit US TV show Mad Men
VIDEO: Showbiz roundup! 'Nude' Katy and Cheryl most desired girly kiss…
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Woman police officer was FOUR TIMES over the limit when she crashed MG sports car on seafront - Daily Mail
- WPC Tracy Watts admitted drink-driving and was warned she faces jail
- Crashed car in Southend, Essex, after downing bottle of vodka
By James White
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Drink-drive crash: Tracy Watts was four times over the legal alcohol limit when she crashed her sports car
A police officer is facing jail after she admitted crashing a sports car while four times over the drink-drive limit after binge drinking on a bottle of vodka.
Tracy Watts was arrested after crashing her MG TF into a bollard along Southend seafront, Essex, while heavily drunk.
Watts admitted she had drunk a bottle of vodka when questioned by cops at the scene of the early evening crash.
The 31-year-old appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court today wearing a black suit, white blouse and sky blue jumper.
She hung her head as she appeared in the dock and pleaded guilty to a single charge of drink-driving.
Watts, who worked as a WPC for City of London Police, was warned she faces up to six months in jail when sentenced.
Lead magistrate Roger Harbidge said: 'This makes for very disturbing reading and it is only good fortune you did not injure anyone else.
'You must understand a custodial sentence is very likely in this case.'
Watts will now have to wait to discover her fate while a full probation report is prepared.
The court heard how Watts collided with a bollard along Eastern Esplanade, in Southend, at around 7.15pm on March 26 this year.
Police and an ambulance rushed to the scene where Watts admitted to officers from Essex Police that she had consumed a bottle of vodka before the crash.
No other people were injured and Watts was rushed to a local hospital and a blood sample was taken.
She recorded a blood-alcohol level of 320mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood - four times over the UK drink-drive limit of 80mcg per 100ml.
Watts, from Shoeburyness, Essex, resigned from her role as a City of London police officer less than a fortnight after the crash.
Crash site: The seafront in Southend, Essex, where Tracy Watts crashed her car in March. Today she admitted drink-driving and warned she faces jail
Miss Bo-Eun Jung, mitigating, said her client had underlying drink problems and was working to deal with them.
She told the court: 'My client has underlying psychological and alcohol problems which are being looked at.'
Watts was given unconditional bail and received an interim banning order meaning she is disqualified from driving until the outcome of the case.
She is due to be sentenced at Southend Magistrates’ Court later this year.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
And this man is capable of giving it to her every night
- Prabal, birbhum, 18/6/2012 17:34
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