London Firm Pays R470 Million For Quarter Of Mvelaphanda – Private-equity group Blackstar had spent about R468m to acquire Coronation’s 28% stake in Mvelaphanda Group , the parties announced yesterday. Mvela’s holdings include 21% of media group Avusa , the half-owner of Business Day, and 3% of Absa.  [businessday]

Huffington Post To Launch Live Online 24-Hour Web TV Network – AOL’s Huffington Post Media Group is preparing to launch a live over-the-internet video channel modeled on the 24-hour cable news networks. The project hasn’t been announced yet, but Huffington and AOL chairman Tim Armstrong have been dropping hints about it in their public remarks. [forbes]

The Hunt Is On For Secret Zuma Tapes – A desperate hunt is under way to trace the secret spy tapes that got President Jacob Zuma off the hook on corruption charges. The former head of the Special Investigating Unit, Willie Hofmeyr, has written to the Office for Interception Centres asking for its help in obtaining a copy of the 2007 tapes. [timeslive]

Cruise Ship Captain Says He Tripped And Fell Into A Lifeboat – The cruise liner captain accused of abandoning ship after he struck rocks off the Tuscan coast last Friday has reportedly claimed he was unable to lead the evacuation because he slipped and tripped into a lifeboat while helping passengers leave the stricken vessel. Wow. [guardian]

North Korea’s Runaway Sushi Chef Remembers Kim Jong Un – The long-time sushi chef to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Fujimoto has been laying low since returning to his native Japan in 2001. Indeed, Kenji Fujimoto’s name is not actually Kenji Fujimoto: that is the nom de plume he has been writing under since his first book, I Was Kim Jong Il’s Chef was published in 2003. [time]

Brits Want Refund For Silent Movie – Cinemagoers in the British city of Liverpool demanded refunds on tickets for Oscar favourite The Artist because they did not realise it is a silent movie, a cinema chain said. The French-directed picture won three Golden Globes and is widely tipped for glory at next month’s Oscars. [ninemsn]

Ricky Gervais Will Not Host Globes Again – Ricky Gervais has said he never wants to host the Golden Globes again after describing it as “like a parachute jump”. This year he came under fire from critics for not being funny enough, with one writing his performance “felt forced and heavy-handed”. Writing on his blog, Gervais said he had “a blast” but did not want to do it again. [telegraph]

How Microsoft Is Creating ‘Minority Report’ Storefronts – Remember that scene in Minority Report where Tom Cruise walks into a store and a cheery face on a video screen turns to him and asks how those assorted tank tops worked out for him? The tech isn’t just fantasy anymore — it’s here and now, thanks to Microsoft. [mashable]

Tony Hawk And YouTube Launch Extreme Sports Online Channel – The promises started a while back and on January 17, 2012, with the launch of the RIDE Channel, pro skater Tony Hawk has delivered on them. Skaters now have a dedicated channel on YouTube that will offer up an epic amount of skate specific shows 24/7. [yahoo]

Julian Assange: The Rolling Stone Interview – Under house arrest in England, the WikiLeaks founder opens up about his battle with the ‘Times,’ his stint in solitary and the future of journalism. [rollingstone]

Skinnering Is Good For You – If you don’t have something nice to say … well, go ahead and say it anyway. You may actually be doing something good for your health as well as humanity. UC Berkeley psychologists have found that gossiping – specifically spreading information about a person who has behaved badly – can play a critical role in maintaining social order, preventing exploitation and lowering stress. [sfgate]

Auschwitz Museum Publishes Prisoner Sketchbook – Found hidden away in a bottle, the Auschwitz Memorial Museum has published sketches drawn by a prisoner at the Birkenau extermination camp. They provide a rare first-hand glimpse of life and death inside. The book is part of the museum’s plans to launch a catalogue of 6,000 artworks in its archives. [spiegel]

9/11 Widow Angry With Mark Wahlberg Comments – Mark Wahlberg’s claim that he would’ve been able to single-handedly over-power the 9/11 terrorists and prevent a plane from crashing is completely “disrespectful” … so says the widow of one of the REAL heroic victims who RUSHED THE COCKPIT on that fateful day. [tmz]

Now You Can Rent Hitler’s “LAIR” In The Forest – Adolf Hitler’s secret ‘Wolf Lair’ set deep in the heart of a forest in north-eastern Poland is to be turned into a major tourist attraction. Forestry workers are looking for an investor to help make the Nazi leader’s ruined fortress more accessible to holidaymakers. [dailymail]

David Beckham Signs New Deal With LA Galaxy – David Beckham is to remain at LA Galaxy after signing a new two-year deal with the club. The former England captain, 36, had been linked with a move to Paris St Germain but decided to stay at the team he joined in 2007 from Real Madrid. [bbc]

World’s Most Expensive Tea Is Grown In Panda Poo – Chinese entrepreneur An Yanshi is convinced he has found the key ingredient to produce the world’s most expensive tea — panda poo. An has purchased 11 tonnes of excrement from a panda breeding centre to fertilise a tea crop in the mountains of Sichuan province, home to the black and white bears. [luxuo]