Continental Responsible For Concorde Crash In 2000 – A Paris court has said Continental Airlines was “criminally responsible” for the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet 10 years ago, and fined it 200,000 euros (£170,000). It has also been ordered to pay 1m euros to the jet’s operator Air France. A Continental mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence over the crash. [bbc]

SA Tourism’s World Cup Win – More than 309 000 foreign tourists arrived in South Africa for the World Cup, boosting the economy by a whopping R3 6-billion. This was announced on Monday at the launch of the results of a survey on the impact of the World Cup on tourism by the ministry of tourism and South African Tourism. Of these, 38% of visitors over the duration of the World Cup were from Africa, 24% from Europe, 13% from Central and South America and 11% from North America. NIce. [mail&guardian]

The Queen’s Underwear Is Up For Auction – In what has to be the unsexiest undergarment to ever become available — a man in Florida is auctioning off a pair that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth II … and they’ve been in his possession for more than 40 years! The pair of panties came in to the possession of a famous Miami playboy named “Baron” Joseph de Bicske Dobronyi — or Sepy, as he was known. Sepy got them from a friend after they were left on a private plane when the Queen visited Chile in 1968. Pictures.. [tmz]

The ‘Terrorist Shopping List’ – Has WikiLeaks Gone Too Far? – On Sunday, WikiLeaks published what may yet prove to be the most controversial cable yet – a list of facilities around the world that the US government considers vital to its national security. Some of WikiLeaks’ media partners have balked at publishing or otherwise drawing attention to the cable. Others have dubbed it a perfect shopping list for terrorists seeking to harm US interests. Has WikiLeaks finally gone too far? [dailymaverick]

Google Unveil New Phone – Google has revealed Android 2.3, codenamed Gingerbread, a new version of its popular mobile platform. It introduces a handful of modest user interface enhancements — such as a more refined touchscreen keyboard — and brings some noteworthy performance improvements that are largely intended to boost Android gaming.Alongside the release of Android 2.3, Google has also announced plans to launch the Nexus S, a new smartphone that was developed in collaboration with Samsung. [wired]

Versace Murdered Over ‘Mafia Debts’ – The 50-year-old Versace was gunned down on the steps of his Miami apartment in 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. According to a new book by Giuseppe Di Bella, a former member of the Calabrian Mafia known as the N’drangheta, Versace was allegedly killed “over debts” he had with the Godfathers. In the book Metastasi, Di Bella alleges that Versace was being used by Godfather Paolo De Stefano to launder money. Whoah! [telegraph]

American Psycho To Become Broadway Musical – The next Hollywood-to-Broadway production is ready for headlines: ‘American Psycho,’ the gruesome glimpse into a disturbed mind, first a novel by LA writer Bret Easton Ellis and later adapted into a Christian Bale Hollywood film, will hit the Great White Way.”There are murders, and they are on stage in full view of the audience,” playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Page Six. “An ax and a chef’s knife will be used. I think there’s going to be a lot of blood.” [popeater]

Wikileaks Founder To Meet With UK Police Over Sex Charges – Adding an interesting twist to the ongoing (and recently escalating) WikiLeaks saga, the site’s founder, Julian Assange, has agreed to meet with UK police regarding allegations of sexual assault in Sweden and a pursuant extradition warrant.Assange was added to Interpol’s wanted list last week; Sweden had issued an arrest warrant based on accusations of sexual assault made by two Swedish women. Assange has been calling these accusions a smear campaign. [mashable]

Mel Gibson Relaunches Career With Talking Beaver Hand Puppet – The trailer for Gibson’s new film, The Beaver, received its premiere on US television this weekend, amid doubts that it would be the ideal role to kick-start the actor’s rehabilitation. Gibson plays Walter Black, a lonely man who is depressed after being abandoned by his family. He begins communicating through the puppet, which he gives a personality and a British accent. The film was directed by Jodie Foster. Spicy! [telegraph]

Straight Couples Fight For Same Rights As Gay Couples – A British organization is fighting for “heterosexual equality” in domestic partnerships — and they say this will be good for gay couples too. According to a press release from the campaign Equal Love, Stephanie Munro and Andrew O’Neill are going to apply for a civil partnership on Wednesday — they assume they’ll be turned down, because in Britain, these partnerships are only available to gay couples. Hmm. Clever. [jezebel]

New Michael Jackson Album Leaks On Internet – Michael Jackson’s highly anticipated new album is now the victim of music pirates … ALL 10 tracks from “MICHAEL” have leaked online — a week before its official release date. The tracks are now up on several file sharing websites … and unless Sony Music authorized it — this is a clear case of illegal piracy.The official, aka legal, release date is next Tuesday — December 14. [tmz]

HSBC Sued For Aiding Madoff – The trustee seeking assets for victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s global Ponzi scheme filed a lawsuit on Sunday seeking $9 billion from a roster of defendants headed by HSBC, the London-based financial giant with hedge fund clients that fed piles of cash into the enormous fraud. According to the complaint, a hedge fund official dealing with HSBC once attributed Mr. Madoff’s stellar performance — which later turned out to be purely fictional — to a “magic formula” that no one else could replicate. [nytimes]

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