Pete Postlethwaite Dies – Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite has died after a long fight with cancer.Journalist and friend Andrew Richardson said Mr Postlethwaite passed away peacefully in hospital in Shropshire yesterday. He was 64. Julie Walters led tributes to a man equally at home on a British stage or the set of a Hollywood blockbuster. Spielberg referred to Pete as the ‘best actor in the world.’ [independent]

Ford Rolls Out In-Car Internet Radio – It’s only a matter of time before car entertainment systems are replaced by Internet-connected devices. MINI and BMW have done it and now, at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Ford has also launched an in-dash interface that connects with existing smartphone devices with internet connectivity. [consumeraffairs]

Dewani’s Family Reckon Judge Is Dodgy – The family of Shrien Dewani fear he will not receive a fair trial in South Africa because the presiding judge has been dogged by misconduct allegations. Akta Raja, the cousin of the British honeymoon murder accused, told the Telegraph in the UK that Judge John Hlophe was a controversial figure and questioned whether it would be a fair trial. [timeslive]

Facebook IPO Likely In 2012 – Facebook has dominated the headlines today with the news that it has raised $500 million from Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies at a $50 billion valuation. In addition, the social network intends to raise another $1.5 billion through a “special purpose vehicle” that Goldman Sachs will be setting up to allow some of its clients to indirectly invest in Facebook. [mashable]

Sandra Bullock And Scarlett’s Ex Spending ‘Quality Time’ – Sandra Bullock has been spending a lot of time with Scarlett Johansson’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Ryan Reynolds, leaving many to wonder if the two are romantically involved. “Sandra loves Ryan,” a friend of Ryan’s tells me. “They became very good friends when they filmed ‘The Proposal,’ but they are not a couple, at least not yet.” [popeater]

The Kallis Legend Lives On – Jacques Kallis fought off a ferocious second new ball spell from Sreesanth and then gathered the tail under his wing to play the innings of which legends are made on the second day of the third Castle Test at Sahara Park Newlands on Monday. The statistics were impressive on their own. He was last man out for 161 out of a total of 362 and in the process joined Ricky Ponting on 39 Test centuries as the second leading century maker of all time. [sport24]

Apple Valued At $300 Billion – World’s Second Most Valuable Company – Only two companies in the world currently top $300 billion in market capitalization. One of those is oil giant, Exxon Mobil. the other is now Apple. While Goldamn Sachs’ investment in Facebook, and the social media giant’s valuation at $50 billion grabbed headlines, Apple somewhat quietly achieved its highest valuation ever. Now it’s considered the world’s second most valuable company, behind Exxon Mobil by $73 billion, according to Fortune. [huffers]

Bieber Lookalike Causing Havoc On The Net – Jamie Laou is a 17 year-old from Sydney, Australia who bears an uncanny resemblance to pop sensation Justin Bieber. This has made him an Internet phenomenon, with an elaborate Bieberesque fan culture of his own. He was most-discussed topic among Justin Bieber fans this weekend, which means he was one of the most-discussed people on the Internet. [gawker]

Internet Plays Bigger Part In The Future Of Radio – What makes people listen to the radio via the Internet? Is it because it’s convenient? Is it because of the interaction between station and listener? Whatever the reason is, radio streaming is here to stay. The number of stations that anticipate having more online than over the air listeners grows gradually each year. Here are some key points in a study conducted by Alethea Research. [radiostreamingnews]

Bee Population In Massive Freefall – The abundance of four common species of bumblebees in the US has dropped by 96% in just the past few decades, according to the most comprehensive national census of the insects. Scientists said the alarming decline, which could have devastating implications for the pollination of both wild and farmed plants, was likely to be a result of disease and inbreeding. [mail&guardian]

Google Looks Set To Launch ‘Digital Newsstand’ – Google Inc. and Apple Inc. have stepped up their battle to win over publishers, as the two companies vie to become the dominant distributor of newspapers and magazines for tablet computers and other mobile devices. Google is trying to drum up publishers’ support for a new Google-operated digital newsstand for users of devices that run its Android software. With the effort, it is chasing Apple, which already sells digital versions of many major magazines and newspapers through its iTunes store. [wallstreetjournal]

The Eclipse Is Ready To Take Abramovich Out to Sea – After a year-long delay, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich finally took delivery of the world’s largest and most expensive yacht, the Eclipse. The “gigayacht” measures anywhere from 533 ft. to 557 ft. (depending on reports), and is the world’s largest privately owned yacht. The cost of the behemoth has also been variously reported as $500 million – $1 billion. It is the world’s most expensive private yacht either. [luxuo]

Zsa Zsa Gabor To Lose Leg – Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was resting in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday, awaiting a decision on whether her leg should be amputated because of gangrene, her husband said on Monday. Gabor, who is believed to be 93, is receiving antibiotics and a decision on amputation will probably have to wait “two or three days”, said Prince Frederic von Anhalt. [reuters]

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