BBC News - North Korea propaganda taken off YouTube after Activision complaint, Feb 06, 2013

"A propaganda video from the North Korean authorities has been removed from YouTube following a copyright claim by games maker Activision.
The clip showed a young man dreaming about a North Korean space shuttle destroying a city that resembles New York.
But the footage of burning buildings was taken from Activision's top selling game, Call of Duty.
North Korea insists its space programme is for peaceful purposes.
But the country's intent - particularly towards South Korea - has raised concerns leader Kim Jong-un has plans for a ballistic missile system.
The video was posted on Saturday by North Korea's official Pyongyang YouTube channel."

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BBC News - China bans luxury gift adverts in austerity push, Feb 06, 2013

"China has announced a ban on radio and TV adverts which encourage extravagant gift-giving, saying they promote incorrect values, state media report.
The move is part of a government campaign to crack down on corruption and extravagance.
Expensive watches, gold coins and liquor are among the items affected, said the Xinhua news agency.
The giving of gifts, often to gain favour with officials, is common during lunar new year, which begins next week.
But China's TV watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft), said that adverts on some channels had been encouraging people to give luxury items."

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BBC News - Japan-China islands dispute: Abe condemns radar lock, Feb 06, 2013

 "Japan's prime minister has called the decision by a Chinese frigate to put a radar lock on a Japanese navy ship a "dangerous act".
Shinzo Abe told parliament the move could have led to an "unpredictable situation" and called for Chinese "self-restraint".
The incident happened near disputed East China Sea islands last week.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it was not aware of the details, but said Japan should stop "illegal" activities.
"In recent days, Japan has on many occasions deployed aircraft and ships and illegally entered Chinese waters around the Diaoyu Islands," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said."

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BBC News - Stafford Hospital: Hiding mistakes 'should be criminal offence', Feb 06, 2013

 "NHS staff should face prosecution if they are not open and honest about mistakes, according to a public inquiry into failings at Stafford Hospital.
Years of abuse and neglect at the hospital led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of patients.
But inquiry chairman, Robert Francis QC, said the failings went right to the top of the health service.
He made 290 recommendations, saying "fundamental change" was needed to prevent the public losing confidence.
His report comes after the families of victims have voiced anger that no-one has been sufficiently punished for their roles.
Senior managers were able to leave the trust with little sanction, while most doctors and nurses involved have escaped censure from their professional regulators."

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BBC News - Libor scandal: RBS fined £390m, Feb 06, 2013

 "Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been fined £390m ($610m) by UK and US authorities for its part in the Libor rate-fixing scandal.
The UK's Financial Services Authority issued a fine of £87.5m, while about £300m will be paid to US regulators and the US Department of Justice.
The fines are £100m greater than those issued to banking rival Barclays last year for similar offences.
RBS chairman Sir Philip Hampton said it was a "sad day" for the bank.
Chancellor George Osborne called the behaviour of traders "totally unacceptable" and said the bank, rather than taxpayers, would be paying the fines.
RBS is still 81% owned by the taxpayer, four years on from a massive government bailout.
The bank said that the £300m owed to US authorities would be paid using money clawed back from bonuses already paid, and reductions to future bonuses.
Last year Barclays was fined £290m and Swiss bank UBS will pay out £940m to regulators for its Libor manipulation offences.
RBS said it had uncovered wrongdoing by 21 employees, who had now been disciplined or left the bank."

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BBC News - Tunisia: Chokri Belaid assassination prompts protests, Feb 06, 2013

 "Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid has been shot dead outside his home in the capital, Tunis.
Relatives say Mr Belaid was shot in the neck and head on his way to work.
He was a prominent secular opponent of the moderate Islamist-led government and his murder has sparked protests around the country, with police firing tear gas to disperse angry crowds.
President Moncef Marzouki has condemned the killing and is cutting short a visit to France to return home."

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BAM -New York City Opera's Powder Her Face, Feb 06, 2013

 "New York City Opera
Composed by Thomas Adés
Conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer
Directed by Jay Scheib

Inspired by the real-life sex scandal that rocked Britain in the early 60s, English composer Thomas Adès' 1995 chamber opera returns to BAM 15 years after its New York premiere at the BAM Majestic Theater (now the BAM Harvey Theater).  In this new production from New York City Opera, director Jay Scheib presents his genre-defying vision, integrating technology and daring physicality to this modern opera that plays off the public's obsession with the tabloid controversy surrounding a series of Polaroid photos of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, dubbed the “Dirty Duchess."

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BBC News - Dark Matter: Experiment to shed light on dark particles, Feb 06, 2013

 "In a man-made cavern, deep beneath a mountain, scientists are hoping to shed light on one of the most mysterious substances in our Universe - dark matter.
The Gran Sasso National Laboratory seems more like a Bond villain's lair than a hub for world class physics.
It's buried under the highest peak of Italy's Gran Sasso mountain range; the entrance concealed behind a colossal steel door found halfway along a tunnel that cuts through the mountain."

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BBC News - Who, What, Why: What is the method for reconstructing Richard III's face? Feb 06, 2013

 "Bones found in a Leicester car park have been confirmed by DNA testing as those of Richard III. But what was the technique scientists used to reconstruct his face?
The only thing scientists had to go on was a skull. No portraits of the king done during his reign survive.
And yet scientists have built a model of Richard III's face. How?
Richard died in 1485 but his bones are well preserved. This doesn't surprise anthropologists as in the right conditions - soil with low acidity and few bugs - bones remain pristine for thousands of years.
The team of scientists at Dundee University doing the facial reconstruction never got near the bones. They were sent CT scans and photographs of the skull, which they ran through a computer programme.
At this point no-one knew if it was Richard III or not, says Caroline Wilkinson, Dundee University's professor of craniofacial identification. It was crucial to ignore any existing preconceptions about what Richard looked like. The shape of the face had to be based entirely on the scans."

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BBC News - The Indian women pushed into hysterectomies, Feb 06, 2013

 "Thousands of Indian women are having their wombs removed in operations that campaigners say are unnecessary and only performed to make money for unscrupulous private doctors.
Sunita is uncertain of her exact age but thinks she's about 25 years old. I met her in a small village in Rajasthan, north-west India, surrounded by chewing cattle and birdsong. She was covered in jewellery, from a nose-stud and rings to bangles which jangled when she gestured with her hand.
Her face hardens when she tells me about her operation.
"I went to the clinic because I had heavy bleeding during menstruation," she says.
"The doctor did an ultrasound and said I might develop cancer. He rushed me into having a hysterectomy that same day.""

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BBC News - Tunisian politician Chokri Belaid shot dead in Tunis, Feb 06, 2013

 "Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid has been shot dead outside his home in the capital, Tunis.
Relatives say Mr Belaid was shot in the neck and head on his way to work.
He was a prominent secular opponent of the moderate Islamist-led government and his assassination has sparked protests in towns around the country.
President Moncef Marzouki has cut short a visit to France and cancelled a scheduled appearance at a summit in Egypt to return home."

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BBC News - France action in Mali is real war, says Le Drian, Feb 06, 2013

 "French forces are embroiled in a "real war" with "terrorists" around the Malian town of Gao, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.
Islamist militants were swept from Gao last month, but Mr Le Drian said clashes were continuing in the area.
French forces were deployed nearly a month ago to combat al-Qaeda-linked militants who had taken over Mali's desert northern regions.
Paris says it wants to begin pulling out its 4,000 troops in March.
The Mali militants have been routed and cleared from most of the population centres."

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BBC News - CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal, Feb 06, 2013

 "The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.
The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen.
A drone flown from there was used in September 2011 to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was alleged to be AQAP's external operations chief.
US media have known of its existence since then, but have not reported it.
Senior government officials had said they were concerned that disclosure would undermine operations against AQAP, as well as potentially damage counter-terrorism collaboration with Saudi Arabia.
The US military pulled out virtually all of its troops from Saudi Arabia in 2003, having stationed between 5,000 and 10,000 troops in the Gulf kingdom after the 1991 Gulf war. Only personnel from the United States Military Training Mission (USMTM) officially remain."

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IB TIMES - 8.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Solomon Islands, Feb 06, 2013

"The quake occurred at a depth nearly 3.6 miles (5.8 km) close to the Santa Cruz Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands nation, according to the USGS. This was later revised to a much deeper 17 miles (28.7 km).
The epicenter of the quake occurred 347 km east of Kira Kira in the Solomons, Reuters added.
A three-foot wave hit the island of Lata, and One News of New Zealand quoted the director of nursing at Lata Hospital, Augustine Bilve, saying some villages have been destroyed by the tsunami.
"According to the information I have there are three villages close to Lata, but it's more likely that other villages along the coast of Santa Cruz would also be affected.""

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TRIBUNE - World welcomes 2013 in rolling New Year’s party, Jan 02, 2013

 "NEW YORK: A million people cheered in New York’s Times Square Tuesday, as the traditional crystal ball dropped to mark the start of 2013, bringing a rolling global New Year’s party that kicked off in Australia to US shores.
An estimated one billion television viewers around the world also watched the Big Apple extravaganza, which climaxed when the mayor, aided by a bevy of Rockettes dancers, sent the huge, glittering ball down at one minute to midnight, sparking kissing and dancing."

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DANIEL - IRIMIA - Video: Alien Invasion in 2012? Three huge UFOs heading to Earth! Arrival expected in December! Dec 26, 2012

 "Americans want to know everything about aliens and summon President Obama to tell the truth. Thousands of Americans have signed a petition asking the White House to disclose the so-called “X files”.
More and more people are convinced that the U.S. government has information about a possible alien invasion, which could take place in December 2012."

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RADIO TIMES - Christmas 2012: best TV on today, Wednesday 26 December, Dec 26, 2012

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MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012, Dec 26, 2012

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THE WORLD - Israel Kills Head of Hamas Military Wing, Nov 15, 2012

 "The head of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, has been killed during a series of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
He and another senior Hamas official died when the car they were traveling in was hit in Gaza City.
Israel says it’s the start of a broader operation, fueling concerns about a larger conflict."

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SODAHEAD - President Barack Obama WINS Reelection, Nov 15, 2012

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