Billionaire Leon Black Is Mystery Buyer Of ‘The Scream’ – Incessant whispering abounded when Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” sold at a Sotheby’s auction last May for a record-setting $120 million. Now The Wall Street Journal reports that numerous sources indicate that the buyer was billionaire Leon Black, the lead partner of Apollo Global Management. In March, Forbes estimated Black’s fortune to be worth $3.4 billion. [forbes]

Congressman Questions Lance Armstrong Probe – In a letter to federal authorities, a Wisconsin congressman equates the anti-doping charges against Lance Armstrong to a conspiracy theory and calls the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s authority over the seven-time Tour de France winner “strained at best.” [cbc]

Did Eva Rausing Lie Dead For A Week In Chelsea Mansion? – Police were today investigating whether billionairess Eva Rausing lay dead for up to a week at her Chelsea mansion before her body was discovered. [telegraph]

Once a Social Media Star, Digg Sells for $500,000 – Digg Inc., a social-media pioneer once valued at more than $160 million, is selling for the deeply discounted price of about $500,000. [wallstreetjournal]

SA Government’s Cringeworthy PR Moment – A week after the Limpopo textbook fracas, the South African government has substantially more egg on its face after an attempt to outmanoeuvre the African Union Commission chairman backfired and the public sector wage talks broke down on the eve of a deal being signed. [dailymaverick]

Silvio Berlusconi Is Back! – The last time Silvio Berlusconi grabbed so much media attention, it was because he had resigned as prime minister. Not eight months later, the front pages of Italian newspapers are emblazoned with headlines that say that Mr. Berlusconi is back and ready to take another stab at Italy’s top elected position. [bbc]

Syrian Army Shelling ‘Kills At Least 200’ Yesterday – At least 200 people are reported to have been killed in the Syrian village of Tremseh, in Hama province. Opposition activists quoted residents as saying the village was attacked with helicopter gunships and tanks. [bbc]

Vuvuzela Ban At Olympics – Heading to the London Olympics? Enjoy yourself – but please leave the pets, the fireworks and the big hat behind. London organisers have published a list of items prohibited at venues for the July 27-August 12 Olympic Games. [news24]

iPhone 5 Available for Pre-Order From Chinese Website — Wait, What? – The Chinese have a curious take on intellectual property and retail. For example, if you desperately need to be one of the first people to own Apple’s next-generation iPhone, you can actually pre-order the “iPhone 5″ from a Chinese website. Right now. Today. [wired]

450k Yahoo Passwords Hacked – Yahoo is looking into a major hack that slurped up the usernames and passwords of 450,000 accounts Wednesday. According to the security firm TrustedSec, a hacking group known as D33D Company picked up the passwords from Yahoo Voices. [washpo]

Team USA To Be Decked Out in Uniforms Made in China – They are the pride of America — Team U.S.A. — and for the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London, they’ll be proudly wearing red, white and blue, from beret to blazer. The classic American style — shown in an image above — was crafted by designer Ralph Lauren. But just how American is it? [abcnews]

Scientists Reveal How Dinosaurs May Have Had Sex and the Length of a T-Rex’s Sexual Organ – Ever wonder how dinosaurs had sex? Surprisingly, paleontologists have dedicated a great amount of research on how these 30-ton creatures larger than four-story buildings might have had sex, and most researchers have concluded that dinosaurs may have mated like dogs. Pics.. [medicaldaily]

London Is Armed To The Teeth – For the first time since WWII, London’s green space is transformed by anti-aircraft guns for Olympic ring of steel. Soldiers in residential tower blocks and green open spaces were yesterday pictured installing surface-to-air missiles at six sites across the capital, a show of strength not seen in London since the Second World War. [dailymail]

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How Nicole Kidman Helped Katie Holmes Through Divorce – Katie Holmes has friends in high places — and that includes Nicole Kidman. As Holmes, 33, struggled and secretly plotted to end her marriage to Tom Cruise, she found a pillar of support in her husband’s second ex-wife, who divorced the actor in 2001. [usmagazine]

Tom Cruise Lawyer Threatens National Enquirer Over ‘House of Horrors’ Cover – A letter from Cruise attorney Bert Fields obtained by THR claims the actor could lose hundreds of millions of dollars over a ‘disgraceful and lurid’ story. [hollyrep]

Steve Tyler Is Leaving Idols – Steven Tyler will NOT return to the judge’s table on “American Idol” … and has compared the show to a deranged bunny killer. Tyler completed two full seasons on the show … beginning in 2010. [tmz]

Yves Saint Laurent Will Change Its Name – We heard a few weeks ago that Hedi Slimane wanted to change the way people thought of Yves Saint Laurent. How ludicrous? Reports surfaced that it would change to Saint Laurent Paris. [pyc]

Britney Explains Why She Walked Out Of X-Factor Audition – Earlier this week, there were reports of another walk out from the new X Factor judges during the latest round of auditions, while a singer tried to perform one of Britney Spears’ songs. Now, Spears explains that she was only following Demi Lovato’s suggestion by walking out. [celebcafe]

The PR Nightmare of Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian’s Ex – Following his overhyped 72-day marriage to Kim Kardashian, NBA star Kris Humphries has become a tabloid fixture, most recently with ex-girlfriend Myla Sinanaj’s bogus pregnancy claims. How did a mild-mannered athlete from the Midwest become the gossip rags’ Public Enemy No. 1? [dailybeast]

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COMING UP TODAY

The Premier Show With Seth And Bruce 10h00 to 13h00 – Easing you into your Friday, Seth and Bruce discuss the topics of the day, with a smattering of sport, entertainment and finance. Powered by Jack Daniels! [2ovfm]

2 Girls, 1 Mic – News24 Sexpert, Dorothy Black is in to chat about 50 Shades Of Grey by British author E. L. James, followed by the Shift_Ctrl Session by moneysmart. [2girls1mic]

Sox And The City – Sox interviews Manchester United goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard. Tune in from 15h00-17h00!

FRESH PODCASTS

Invisible Cover – Insurance You May Already Have – You may land up being over insured because your don’t realise you have insurance elsewhere. Imagine not claiming against these insurances because you are unaware of it! Listen to the podcast if you’re curious to find out where these existing covers can be found – account cards, policies and loans, and who automatically builds in insurance cover. [podcast]

Find Out What’s Happening In And Around Cape Town & Joburg – Mark and Jess discuss events and specials taking place this weekend. The Bastille Festival and Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams, and a few ideal venues to watch the up coming Olympics. [podcast]